RECIPE - Fish Pie

At last someone is selling fish at the Farmers Market and I bought some smoked filleted kawhai on the weekend. Kawhai is a NZ sea trout and the flesh holds firm when its smoked and is a bit "gamey" I guess if a fish can be gamey. Its a bit cooler today & at last raining after the driest 2 months on record here in Taranaki, so a hearty fish pie was perfect for tonight's dinner.

I amended my normal recipe to make this a little healthier than normal but using soy milk instead of normal milk, rice flour & kumara (sweet potato) instead of starchy spuds.


This was so delicious I ate WAY too much of this tonight and currently sitting on the couch about to pop!

SAUCE

50g butter
2T rice flour
2c soy milk
1c chicken stock
1c smoked fish
1 c prawns or scallops (frozen fine)
1T chopped parsley
1 med diced onion
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper

Melt butter on LOW heat, add onion & cook until soft then remove from heat. Stir in rice flour until thoroughly mixed. Stir in 1 cup of soy and return to LOW heat. When mixed add chick stock, mix, then add 2nd cup of soy and mix thoroughly. Add parsley, bay leaf & seasoning.The sauce shouldn't get gluey but should still be "stiff" (see pic for consistency). Add in prawns and fish and turn off heat once prawns are pink. Remove bay leaf.TOPPING
4 largish kumara
Parmesan shavings
salt n pepper

Boil kumara and mash.

Oil a small but deep dish and pour in sauce. Top with kumara mash and run fork through so you get rows of ridges. Sprinkle on cheese & season and place in centre of 160 degree fan oven. Bake for 20-30 mins and grill top for last 5 mins. Let pie sit for 10 mins before serving. I like this served with a big spoonful of peas. Ugh I am so full but this was so YUM!

My Christmas Tree

The poor old Xmas tree decorations are a bit sparse. A few beads & tin baubles. And an old dolly come angel perched on top.

And this is why!! Oh dear. Oscar wants to drag the beads around playing choo choo trains with them. He's having so much fun with this game but I am waiting for little tiny beads to spray everywhere any minute now. I might need to get some kitchsy tinsel to put up so it doesn't look so sad & bare.

Aunty's New Pinny

Now the weather is warmer I'm not wearing my big jacket at the market each week and have a serious lack of pockets for cash, phone and snacks. What no pockets! Yep. So I whipped up an apron in between baking and amusing my toddler which I have just this minute finished so I can unveil it at tomorrows Farmer's Market.

I wonder if my mother will notice I have made it from a skirt she gave to me some months ago to mend?? Hmmmmm!

Look snappy functional velcro tab too! And contrasts nicely with my stall tablecloth. I think I need to make matching oven mitts now!

Xmas Macadamia Muesli Gifts

Jingle Bells Jingle Bells! I have become very festive since I made these Xmas gifts for the market stall . A nice healthy gift for someones Nana or friends peraps. I thought the cranberries looked really Xmassy mixed in with the macadamias & loved recycling some old Xmas cards that Ive been hanging onto.

Are you tempted to buy a jar??

RECIPE - Chocolate Tarty Tart Tart !

More wonderful things to do with homegrown strawberries! I have looked at a few recipes for strawberry tarts and my friend on the Happygas blog posted me a really yummy recipe but alas, not enough homegrown strawbs for a whole tart. So I've made a decadent super chocolate tart with a scattering of strawberries on top. Looks and tastes like something from a French patisserie. It tastes really special too and is really good for you *ahem*

CHOCOLATE TARTY TARTY TART

BASE

150g butter
2c plain flour
3T icing sugar
iced water

Place flour, icing sugar & butter in a food processor and mix until dough is like fine crumbs. Add enough iced water to form a soft dough. Remove from processor and knead lightly, then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30mins. Roll pastry out between the cling film so it doesn't stick to your bench top. Roll out to a flat circle slightly bigger than your greased tart dish & squish it in so its nice and even in the dish.
Line pastry with baking paper and add some heavy dry beans or barley and bake at 160c for about 20 mins (conventional no fan). Take out the paper and beans and bake for another 10 mins but don't let it brown.

If you cant be bothered with the above use shop bought shortcrust pastry. I won't tell (-;

FILLING
15g dark chocolate pieces
4 organic eggs
1 T good dark cocoa
1/2c brown sugar
2cup cream
1 shot of a good liqueur like Cointreau, Kahlua, Grand Marnier

In one pot on low heat combine cream, sugar, sieved cocoa, liqueur & chocolate stirring until chocolate has melted. Put aside until just warm. Whisk eggs & combine with choc mix. Pour filling into tart case and bake at 160c for 30mins or until the the tart is just set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to cool before serving & top with sliced strawberries.

Strawberry season at my house

I cant believe I am eating strawberries in November - that I grew!


Couple of close calls - a bird pecked at one below, and Oscar was very curious as they got riper & riper.
But they mostly made it.

I had some on my muesli for breakfast this morning.Taste 100 times better than supermarket/hothouse strawbs.

I'm going to grow them every year!

Hollard Gardens Market Day

Sunshine! grass under feet! lots of happy gardening people chatting about gardens!


The Taranaki Farmers Market hit the road out to Hollard Gardens out by the mountain for the opening of the National Rhodedenron Festival.



I loved the Eastern European accordian music playing in the background & Aunty's stall looked splendid with grass underfoot (-:


The scenery was picture perfect. Clear skies, snowcapped mountains, flowers in bloom. Wish the Farmers Market was held there every weekend (-: