Stuffed Conchiglioni

Many years ago, in the early 1990's, I worked as an adult literacy teacher in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne.. Airport West, to be exact. And as is often the case in my life, the focus of the class morphed from reading and writing, to food... or reading and writing through food. The class was made up of middle-aged Greek and Italian migrants who had been retrenched for the clothing, textile and footwear factories... something to do with Mr Keating's new world order. I had one student, Pasquale, younger than my other students and originally from Calabria whose pre-occupation with food paled my own.

Pasquale would bring to class fresh bread his wife had made that morning in their wood fired oven, salami made from pigs he had hand fed and slaughtered, omelettes made with yolks only and streaked with finely grated carrot and he ate everything with birds eye chillies. One day he brought in a plate of conchliglioni (giant pasta shells) stuffed with ricotta and spinach, and a seemingly simple tomato sauce that tasted amazing... and he explained to me how to make the dish...
Tip: I search high and low for these shells, and have been known to carry them in my hand luggage from distant locations. (If you cannot find them, you could use cannelloni, or some large spiral pasta.)

Ingredients
200 - 250 gms Conchiglioni shells
300 gm Ricotta
Parsley
Bunch Spinach
1 egg
Parmesan Cheese
Nutmeg (optional)
2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
500gm fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes (or 2 tins)
1/2 bottle of tomato puree (salt and tomato only in ingredients)
Small piece of pork on the bone (raw)
Fresh basil
Salt & Pepper

Method Sauce

1. Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pot until soft.
2. Add fresh tomatoes and cook down.
3. Add tomato puree and pork bone and about a half litre of water.
4. Bring to simmer, and continue to cook for around one hour.
5. Strain sauce through a fine strainer, making sure you get as much of the pulp as possible.

Method Conchiglione

1. Clean and trip spinach and cook briefly in large pot.
2. Strain, and when cool chop finely.
3. Place in mixing bowl with Ricotta, chopped parsley, egg and grated parmesan, and mix through. (Optional: add sauteed onions and garlic for more flavour.)
4. 4. Taste, and add pepper, salt, grated nutmeg or more parmesan to your taste.
5. Put aside.
6. At the same time, bring a large pot filled with salted water to the boil.
7. Add the pasta, and cook for half the allocated time on the packet.
8. Strain, and return to a bowl with cool salted water.

Method: Assembly

1. Place around a desertspoon of filling in each shell and place in overproof baking tray, facing upward.
2. Continue with the rest of the shells and filling.
3. 
4. Pour over sauce, fresh basil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a good dribble of olive oil.
5. Cover with alfoil and bake in medium to hot over for 20 minutes, then remove alfoil and continue cooking for around 10 to 15 minutes until the top is brown.
   
6. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with extra parmesan.

Enjoy!

My first garden despatch...

Tired of the tired leaf greens in this town? Frustrated at the lack of choice? I am! So, I have purchased seeds: molochia, mibuna, scarola, rocket, cos lettuce, tree lettuce, tatsoi, silver beet... and of course, ox-heart tomatoes (not greens, I concede). They're all still babies, and I don't know if I am made of the right stuff to get them through to adolscence, let alone adulthood and into my kitchen, but I have a dream? A dream of drifting out into my garden with a cane basket under my arm, and harvesting bunches of healthy, beautiful vegetables for dinner.... you know the scenario! There's a scarf involved and melodic tunes.... We almost got there in Yuendumu with a crop of artichokes, but the bullocks beat us to them, and I never did have that cane basket.

Now, my seedlings are not doing well.... These are Cos lettuce seedlings I planted almost a month ago??? (Not even from seeds!)
The very image of pathos, they are.. if you look closely you may also see some very spindly parsley, coriander or silverbeet...I admit, I am not a gardener.. but I so want good veges... I have been a reasonably successful vegetable gardener in Melbourne.. but rarely have I succeeded in Central Australia.

We did have some quite happy parsley here before Christmas, but then we went away

and our house sitter didn't see the grave importance of watering this one bed in our absence...
In another bed, zucchinis are doing OK and have been planted by seed... but then zucchinis are easy.

But what of the greens? Yesterday we headed off to the Bohning Cattle yards and got a whole heap of dung... poo... manure.. and I'm feeling positive... I foresee a blog about what to cook when you have so much ______ (not dung, but hopefully the vegetable that wants to grow in my garden)... it will start something like.."What to do when you have so many X, and are so sick of them X..."!

Sharing the Love

We have a new rule in our household... Whoever cooks, cleans.. and the other party puts Jorge to bed. I didn't agree to the rule to begin with... I have always been of the opinion that the cook should not have to clean up. Is it not enough that they have spent hours cooking a wonderful meal? Surely, as a sign of gratitude the other parties should clean.
Now, we have a lovely Miele dishwasher, so you might ask, what's the problem. Well, Mark claims that when he cooks, he leaves the kitchen in an almost spotless state, whereas when I cook, the food might be wonderful, but the kitchen is a nightmare. I resist this interpretation of reality, although I have a niggling reminder of one of my sisters (maybe two) pursed lips, white faced.. refusing to let me cook in their kitchen... regardless of the promised delight.. and you know, it doesn't matter how clean I leave a kitchen (and I do, sometimes) people... family... friends... only remember the bad ones. (A little bit like Frank Baarda's goat joke.) So, I am giving the new rule a trial, and it's not going well.
This week, I have done a lot of cooking... and a lot of cleaning.. and somehow I am still putting Jorge to bed? The love of cooking, and all its baggage, is just not being shared as it should.
We've tried a 'no supermarket visit' cooking week (yes, as well as the new Rule!) ... this means being very lateral with what you have, and we have eaten much better than usual.. less meat, more legumes and much more messing around in the kitchen.. which now means, much more work for me.
We've had all the basics: garlic, onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, ricotta, parmesan, dried legumes, bacon, salami, cream... and what have I cooked?
Stuff conchiglioni (recipe to follow), felafel, lima beans with tomato and capsicum, ful medames, fettucine bascaiola (mushrooms and bacon in cream sauce), fish cakes.. and for sweets: mandarin and camomile cupcakes, jelly, arranciatta sorbetto, chocolate gelato and home-made chocolate marble hazlenut biscuits for lunches..
(Jorge, setting the table and serving out desert of jelly with mandarin and camomile cupcakes.)

Too much cooking (and cleaning) this week ... time to garden instead. Next week, I think I will let Mark do the cooking, prepare myself for multiple variations on meat and potato? But rest, I will.

Gifts of food and other hand-made treats...

One of the best presents I got for my birthday this year was a tin of hand made chocolates, with quandong and vodka centres. It wasn't just that they were truly delicious and beautiful, but also the that they had been made by a friend as a way of wishing me a happy birthday. Why, of all the gifts I received for my birthday did this one stand out?

And I can't help but recall one of my earliest memories of my eldest sister Victoria's birthday.. she was at primary school, so I couldn't have been more than 2 or 3. Despite being one of the ever-popular girls in her class, Vick had invited one of the less popular, less well-off kids to her party.. I remember this girl, she arrived on an old bike, her parents were obviously from the more southern parts of Italy, and she had a name like Carmel or Rosa or Maria, and for a present, she brought (gasp! shock and horror here)... a painting, a painting she had done for Vick.. I seem to recall my mother and Vick being very 'OK' about it ..such was their style.. but for those of a more conservative ilk, it was a bit out there. In hindsight, I think, what a wonderful present! Could there be a better present than the one that has been created especially for you?

So, why this story?... In trying to decide on a present recently... a cook book? a book voucher? a microplane grater? I did commence a quasi deconstruction about the tradition of giving, and how it has manifested in contemporary living. How long does it take to choose a present? What percentage of our hourly rate does it cost? What is a good present?? Why do we give presents? How long does it take to chose, and why particular gift over another? How much effort does it cost?? Why have I started to appreciate less the purchased gifts over the home-made variety. I don't know if I have an answer, except that home-made gift is best of all.. and home-made foods gifts, are best of best of all.

I am trying to compile ideas for home made gifts, and these are a couple of ideas?

• Lokum in a tin... (Turkish Delight)
• Paneforte... wrapped in cellophane..
• Nougat...
• Preserved fruits, eg in grappa..
• Yeast breads
• Jellies made with agar?
• Home made pizza ovens???
  

One tip for food gifts... try and give food that can keep for at least a few days, and you must work on the presentation.. it must look spectacular, have the ingredients attached... but still be obviously 'home-made'.

Tomato

Tomatoes are in season, and I just looked at my entry this time last year, and sure enough, it was tomatoes. This year - 2011 - I'm talking about doing puree, which is more than I've done for the past 10 years, ie. talking....so who knows.. it might even happen. Chances are though, I won't get around to organising a bulk load of roma tomatoes from Adelaide, so instead I will make do with heaps of tomato bruschetta..

A word about tomatoes... tomatoes are now available year round, possibly because Australia is such a vast continent there is always somewhere they are in season.. however, because most of our produce in Alice Springs comes from Adelaide and the southern states, they are generally best around this time of year. I always have a weakness for very ripe Roma Tomatoes.. I will try the vine-ripened ones of of season, but they're not my favourite. One variety you cannot get in shops is the ox-heart. I've purchased ox-heart tomatoes in north Queensland and Darwin, generally from road-side shops or market gardens, but nowhere else... I have now resorted to attempting to grow them myself. (Stay posted... they have raised their little heads already and will soon be relocated to a big grown-up garden bed...)

Ox-heart are wonderful eating tomatoes, but I don't know about cooking with them. Tomato topping for Bruschetta.. yes, I would use Romas or ox-hearts.. but remember, your tomatoes must be ripe, this means they are red all way through, not just the skin.

Bruschetta refers to the bread, with garlic and olive oil... but what I am going to give you the recipe for is the topping.

Tomato topping for Bruschetta Recipe
Ingredients
5 ripe roma tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped)
2-3 cloves good garlic, preferably organic
fresh basil
2 tablespoons or more of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Mix everything together and taste for seasoning...

If you're feeling lazy... don't bother peeling and seeding tomatoes.. it will give you a more watery mixture and some added texture, but still delicious.

Lokum

Lokum, Loukuoumi or, of course Turkish Delight?
I do believe I have finally founded a recipe for Turkish Delight (Lokum) that works... Lokum, dates as far back as 15th Century Turkey and today refers to a confection based on a 'gel of starch and sugar'. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Delight)
Apparently, premium varieties have a greater ratio of chopped dates, pistachios and hazelnuts or walnuts to 'gel'. Personally, I love the gel.. and the nuts as well... I don't like the gel too gooey (is this a word?) or too sweet.. and I like the scent of rosewater for my gel, and the green crunch of pistachio for my nut.
I used a recipe last year from Gourmet Traveller and it was such a disaster... gooey and way too much, we threw it out
This recipe (below) is only slightly adapted from a beautiful cook book by mother-in-law gave me for Christmas: "Food from many Greek kitchens" by Tessa Kiros. The book is worth buying for the photos alone. It results in around 12 to 15 pieces of Lokum, so you can't over-indulge.. and might I also suggest that it is a wonderful gift, placed in a tin and wrapped...

Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup of cornflour
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
2 teaspoons rose water
20 gms shelled pistachios, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon juice of fruit in season for colouring eg cherries, blood plums
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour

Method
Place 2 cups caster sugar, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in pan. Stir to dissolve, then brush the sides down with water to get rid of any sugar crystals. Bring to a steady boil until the toffee reaches softball stage. (On my thermometer softball is 116 degrees celsius, but I had to cook it till it was close to hard ball on the thermometer for it to act as a soft ball in my bowl of cold water.... more later on confectionery..)

At the same time, place 1/2 cup corn flour and cream of tartar in small saucepan and gradually add 1 1/2 cups of water, stirring constantly. Place over a medium heat and stir till the mixture is thick. (I like a spoon whisk for this.)

Pour the toffee into the cornflour mixutre, stirring constantly. Place on a lower heat (simmer mat is good) and cook for at least 1 hour,15 minutes... until the mixture is golden. (I add my teaspoon of red juice towards the end of this stage.)

You may want to check the consistency of the mixture by placing a small amount in a bowl of cold water.

Mix through rosewater and pistachios.

Line a small or square rectangular pan with plastic film (oil first) and pour in mixture. Cover and leave in fridge overnight.

Mixture the 2 tablespoons of cornflour with icing sugar and place on a cutting board. Tip out mixture and cut into 3cm squares and toss in icing sugar mixture


Keep in tin or box, not an air-tight container.

For the gluten intolerants: make sure you use the corn based cornflour (as opposed to the wheat based variety) and check your icing sugar (there is a gluten free one available.)