Tarts

Well, life has been busy....And I thought our move to the country will bring a more relaxed and slow lifestyle....but far from it.

But I can hardly contain my happiness at living in this little town. I just about love everything about our life at the moment. Making new connections, meeting amazing and like-minded people, discovering the joys of family bike rides. Watching seasons change is such a dramatic way at our doorstep. And as I write this, I am observing two rainbow Lorikeets feast on the bird feeder outside my window...

And lets not forget the joy of seeing our children greedily absorb all they can from their busy days. Busy in a very relaxed kind of way....with playing, creating, imagining and just rolling in the grass watching the clouds float by. On our 'home-days', the three disappear into their own world and only emerge when their tummies grumble or when a bruised knee needs some mama attention. Well, do I need to say more...

Onto some food lately discovered:

I like tarts and pies but I never took to making them. To use bought pastry does not seem right and to make my own, well, who has got the time?

The other day however I was watching a friend make this dough with wholemeal spelt flour. She used olive oil and water and it just looked so simple. No chopping of cold butter, no chilling...easy.

The very next day another friend arrived at my door asking for a pie crust recipe for a filling she had already prepared. She was looking for something more wholesome that the Pampas frozen sort. So I passed along the above mentioned. So with her filling and the pie crust recipe I had to try it out....So here is my version:

Pumpkin, Split peas and Feta Pie

Filling:

1 small jap pumpkin, cut into cubes

1/2 cup green split peas

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 block of Feta

2 tbs cottage cheese or ricotta

some spinach or rocket

herbs such as basil, rosemary or thyme

Pastry:

2 cups wholemeal flour or spelt

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 water

Blind bake the pie base at 200C for about 15min. As a variation, I sprinkled some sesame seed onto the base before blind baking it. When your Pie is done, start layering the filling as follows:

Start by roasting your pumpkin with some olive oil and sea salt and your chosen herb. Then saute the onion in some oil, add the peas and then water to cover. Boil the peas until they are tender, adding more water as needed.

Mix the flour with the salt and lemon rind. Drizzle over the olive oil and water and mix to form a soft dough, divide in half. On a floured table, roll one half into the size of your pie tin. Press base into tin and poke holes into base with a fork. Chill for 30 min.

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  First spread your peas onto base, dollop the cottage cheese evenly over, then the pumpkin, spinach and feta.
  
  
  

Finally, cover the pie with your remaining pastry.


Don't forget to make a small incision on the top of the pie lit to let out the steam while baking. You may want to glaze the top with some egg or milk and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Enjoy with a crisp salad.



Another variation I made today and is saucy and delicious!!

Lasagne Tart

this is inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers Heidi from 101 Cookbooks. Check out her recipe for this tart. She is amazingly creative and an inspiration when I feel like something very healthy and wholesome for the family.

Instead of ricotta I again chose low-fat cottage cheese and topped the tart with sliced zucchini, tomato sugo, mushrooms,grat ed mozzarella and some leftover Feta, to appeal to the little ones and Mr. P who loves his gooey lasagna...

Delicious on a rainy and dark Saturday

some days

This morning we had cuddles in bed, followed by 20 minutes of tantrums (or being pc, an expression of assertiveness) which saw me being hit, pinched, bitten and my hair pulled. During that intense physical period, I had requests from curious bystanders (being the other 2 darlings) for a book and breakfast. I was speechless for once. Children seem to be oblivious to other screaming children, or at least don't find it the least distressing or annoying....A talent I wish I had.

Anyway, after T had vented his frustration we were all smiles and cuddles again and ready for breakfast, was there not the issue of which chair to sit on....but this time I was on the ball and averted another screaming match....On we went cooking scrambled eggs with sauteed balsamic mushrooms (yes, we love mushies now), muesli for G and a hot coffee for me. Finally, greeted by this luxurious breakfast, all was quiet. For a few minutes.

It is only 9.30am

Beautiful sunshine has the kids outside playing in their sandpit. I take the opportunity not to tidy the house, fold the mountain of clothes, clean the grime in the bathtub, wash dishes and mop the floor but to create a post. I haven't had contact with a human over 5 in 48 hours I feel desperate to get some of the words in my heat out....Is it weird that I am sitting on a computer and the 'chat' is really only a virtual one? Maybe it is the only way to sometimes escape from the mondain tasks and demands. From being on call 24/7, having to soothe tears, wipe noses, answer hundreds of questions and provide food on a 2 hourly roster. That is besides the cuddles, kisses and hugs and the physical task of getting everyone dressed (appropriately for the season).

And lets not forget that this mama here does not function without a hot, strong coffee. Well, a hot shower would really get me going but that would be greedy....

But we are here to talk about food, right? Well, I've got something very tasty to share with you.

Chicken baked in

Yoghurt with Spinach

and Jasmine Rice

2 tbs olive oil

2 brown onions, peeled and sliced

4 chicken breasts on the bone

1 kg Meredith sheep's milk yoghurt or

equivalent Greek style thick yoghurt,

drained for 2 hours

2 eggs beaten lightly

3 tbs plain flour

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely

2 tsp dried mint

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

serves 4

Preheat the oven to 175C. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions over medium heat heat until softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Saute the chicken breasts in the pan until browned, then transfer to an oven-proof dish with the onions on top. Put the drained yoghurt in a large bowl an mix in the eggs, flour, garlic, mint, cumin and salt and pepper until well combined. Pour over chicken, making sure the mixture covers the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the yoghurt mixture has set and the chicken is tender. Serve with some steamed rice and sauteed spinach.

Mr P gave this dish a 7 / 10 but that's only becuse it is not an italian pasta dish with an onctuous sausage sauce...

The kids loved it being soubtly lemony (no lemon, but the yoghurt is a bit tangy). The mint an cumin give it just mild flavour, so you could add more of both if you whish. Also, make sure the yoghurt mix is well salted as it can be a bit bland if not salted. Otherwise it is perfect. Easy, tasty and healthy.

This is one dish you actually want to have leftovers as it heats up very well. Just put everything (rice, spinach and chicken) in a pyrex dish, cover with foil and warm up. Yumm.

Winter warmers

Ok, so its not Winter yet and we have been spoiled with some wonderful weather. Or should I say cursed with lack of rain and too much sunshine? Well, admittedly, the rainfall has been pitiful but I can't help but smile when the sky is blue and we have one more day of warmth and short sleeve T'shirts.

But this morning it all changed when the temperatures dropped overnight and the morning was cold and grey. While it didn't yet change my mood for the day, it did call for something warm in our tummies. And what better breakfast is there than a creamy porridge.

But, you might say, porridge is not exactly gourmet food or particularly sophisticated. True, and I have only come to appreciate its nutritional value since spending so much time with Anglo-Saxons. And I am the first to cry out when I am served with grey slop. Mr. P is a great fan of oats. Let me rephrase that. Rolled oats in all shapes and forms is the only breakfast he will eat. Except of course Bacon and Eggs, but that's a weekend treat.

I am sure you all know how to prepare a basic porridge. And I would not bore you with such a recipe except to say that I always add a good pinch of salt to the oats while they are soaking in water. And I never use milk to cook porridge. And we sweeten with raw sugar or honey. That's all I have to say about porridge. Here are some variations I use to jazz up the gruel:

Dried fruit (Apricots, dates, cranberries)

Cinnamon/Vanilla

Banana

Grated apple and cinnamon

Stewed fruit from the previous nights crumble (very tasty)

Frozen Berries (Very popular!!)

And since today, we have

Porridge with diced apple, cinnamon and toasted almond flakes

And together with a warm woolen jumper and thick socks this would be the best way to start a cold day