GARDEN TO TABLE

Today was our first day of Garden To Table. The class was split into two groups - the FRUIT group worked in the kitchen, with Virginia and her helpers, preparing our tasty dishes while the VEGETABLES group spent time with Sarah learning about our composting system and the tool shed. 

The Recipes for this week's Garden to Table:

Pakora

Ingredients

250g chickpea flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

250 ml water

600g any vegetables (onion, potato, beans, silverbeet,carrots, cauliflower, etc)

oil for frying in

What to do

1. Mix flour, baking powder and spices altogether.

2. Slowly add the water until you have a smooth, thick batter.

3. Add the cut up vegetables and mix well.

4. Heat a small amount of oil in the frying pan.

5. Carefully drop in teaspoons of the mixture into the oil and leave to cook for 4 minutes before turning and letting the other side cook.

If they are browning too quickly turn down the heat.

6. Keep the cooked fritters warm in the oven at 100 degrees.

Herb Raita

Ingredients

3/4 cup plain yoghurt (thick is best)

1 teaspoon lemon juice or cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt 

mint leaves and coriander leaves

What to do

1   1.  Mince the herbs (cut into little pieces).

     2.  Put chopped herbs into a bowl with yoghurt, lemon juice or vinegar and salt.

     3. Mix well.

4.  Serve with pakoras, curry or as a dip.

Lemon Shortbread Biscuits

Ingredients:

150 grams softened butter

⅔ cup icing sugar

Finely grated lemon rind of one lemon

100 grams cornflour

120 grams plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

What to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

1. Put the butter and icing sugar into a large bowl. Using the electric beaters cream the butter and icing sugar together.
2. Using the lemon zester take the lemon rind (the yellow skin only, the white underneath is the pith which is bitter) off the lemon and put into the butter mixture. Put the lemon back in the fridge.
3. Sift the cornflour, flour and baking powder over the butter mixture. Stir to mix in all the flour, but don't mix too much.
4. Put the bowl in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
5. Put small teaspoonfuls of mixture onto a baking tray and squash down. Leave space for the biscuits to expand.
6. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
7. Cool on a cooling rack.