A new address!

To all who have followed this blog, please note that I will be discontinuing this site. You can continue to follow my cooking and gardening exploits at http://rieskitchen.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year to you all

Rie

Gluten Free - overcoming the challenges!

As many of you may be aware, I have recently been diagnosed as Coeliac. This means I must remove all wheat, rye, oats and barley from my diet. For a keen cook this has provided me with a challenge.

Challenge 1 - create fresh, homemade pasta
After 3 failed attempts (or 3 successful attempts at making hot glue:) I have successfully created home made fettucine. The recipe still needs some tweaking as it did not survive a pasta machine, but after handrolling and cutting the fettucine, the results were very delicious. I will continue to refine the recipe so that I can get the pasta thinner, but here is the simple recipe

TIP: replace all plain and 00 flour (as per previous recipe supplied on my blog) with Orgran pasta flour (gluten free and contains GFG). Only use potato or rice flour for dusting.

Challenge 2 - create gluten free orange and cardemon shortbread for Christmas
First attempt at this looked to be a success, until I moved the shortbraed from the tray to the cooling rack. After 10 minutes, when I returned, the majority of biscuits had crumbled through the racks.

TIP: allow to cool slightly on the tray until beginning to firm, then place on the cooling racks. My "normal" recipe calls for 3/4 cup rice flour and 1 1/2 cups self raising flour. I was successful with 1 cup of rice flour and 1 1/4 cups of orgran self raising flour (contains GFG)

Happy cooking for Christmas :)

this one is a bit of a challenge

It took me by surprise, but 2 weeks ago I was given the formal diagnosis of coeliac disease. My hope over the previous four weeks was that the blood tests were all a false positive. This means I must now stick to a strict diet of gluten free. Gluten is a component of wheat, barley, rye and oats - it is what helps stick things together. Hence wheat is used in many unexpected things to thicken or "stick" flavourings.

The obvious no goes for me are most bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, cake, biscuits etc.
The less obvious are potato chips (wheat is used in the flavourings), soy sauce (as a thickener), ice cream (as a thickener) etc. So now I need to read labels carefully.

I also need to modify my famous tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauces as they both contain malt vinegar (another gluten derivative). All a challenge for Rie's kitchen to overcome. But first on a personal quest, I need to perfect gluten free fresh ravioli :) When I get this right, I promise to post the recipe to this blog. So far we have had 2 goes. The first created ricotta clag soup, and the second although edible had the wrong texture - very stodgy. I will get it eventually!!

For anyone wanting more info on coeliac disease, or gluten free diets, check out the following website http://www.coeliacsociety.com.au/

now we have both kinds!

For those who like a little more tang then sweet, I am pleased to announce that "Rie's Kitchen" now has Blood Orange Marmalade for sale. It has a deeper colour and quite a tang without being tart.
It also led to me becoming a member of "Campbells Cash and Carry". Now that is a dangerous place to shop! but does offer me easy access to 15 & 25 kg bags of sugar.

so now with 80 or so jars of marmalde on hand, I only need 1 or 2 more products to hit the markets and see how I go :)

If you are interested in purchasing a jar, only $5.50 + P&H

ready, set ...

I am very excited to launch the first range from Rie's Kitchen.

Luckily for me, it was cold and wet outside yesterday, so Myles did not go Mountain Bike riding with his Dad. Instead he stayed at home and assisted me in the printing of my labels, and also putting it all together.


The most time consuming part was the ribbon. I wanted a practical way to show that the jar has not been opened. Pop lids are more than 3 times the price of regular jar lids, and for small scale operations like mine, are cost prohibitive. A trip to "Spotlight" and ribbon at $0.45 a metre does the trick with a bit of flair! Getting the ribbon centered and under both the labels (the back has the nutritional guide, mandatory for all food produce sold in Australia) almost takes 3 hands. Luckily, a trip to "Officeworks" and a box of black spot stickers did the trick and reduced my frustration :)


Together, Myles and I added the wax seal. A big plug for "Wax Seals Australia." I had the proofs for my seal within hours of my initial contact, and the seal and wax express posted to me within 24 hours!

...and it's such fun.

We also managed to label the Tomato Sauce I had made earlier this year. These are not for sale, but will be next year when Rie's kitchen is in full swing.


I would like to thank the many friends and family who have given advice regarding "Rie's Kitchen" , especially to Karen and Lisa who provided expert marketing advice regarding label design. This label is a long way from the clip art versions I used to produce, and your ideas and encouragement have helped it to this point. Thank you.

I hope to have an online service for sales of my produce in the coming months. It is a bit technical and I am getting advice. Until then, Marmalade, 270 mls $A5.50 plus postage and handling.

It's just like a sausage...!

High compliment indeed!

Last week I was lucky enough to attend a traditional Italian Salami making class. It was great fun and I came away inspired. Myles's first question was "what new kitchen gadget did you buy?". None I replied I can do it all with my own equipment, although in hindsight a mincer with funnel attachment would be very useful :) Using a piping bag was hard work!

Fresh Pork and Fennel Sausages

1 kg pork shoulder; 1 tblsp fennel seeds

15 grams salt; 1 tblsp freshly cracked pepper

15 mls red wine; 1 tblsp dried chilli (optional)

8 tblsp capsicum sauce (or good quality home made tomato sauce)

sausage casings

Mince pork to medium grind (or ask your butcher to do this for you). Add all other in ingredients and mix well using your hands. Allow to sit for min 3 hours (over night is best)

Insert into casings ensuring that your funnel nozzle does not create a vacuum in the casings. If air pockets occur, do not be shy about pricking with a sterilised needle. When sausages have reached their desired length, pinch in the middle and twist

As there are no preservatives in this receipe, sausages must be eaten within 24 hours, or frozen.

Vintage 2008 - the launch

I am pleased to announce the launch of 2008 Vintage from Mulgrave Heights.

And did you notice the groovy "zorks" capping the bottles. A very clever little closer that seals the bottle and can be easily removed (but not recapped). At less than A$0.50 a great Aussie invention for the small producer like me - no machines required, just a rubber mallet and gentle persuasion :)

Vintage 2008

Last weekend saw Andrew Osborne and family return to "Mulgrave Heights" for the annual "pruning of the vines fiesta" This is serious work, with our wheelie bin filled to capacity.
Every year we think we have overdone it, but each year both vines spring back, strong and vigorous.

On tasting this years vintage (I have been slack and they have not been bottled) the wine had an excellent bouquet, was fruity on the tongue but a very "muddy" back palate. Almost ready to tip it down the drain, I took a sample to be professionally tested (I wanted to see if I could turn it into red wine vinegar).

To my surprise the results are that the wine is chemically near perfect. pH 3.3 (desired range 3.0 - 3.4), alcohol content 7%. The diagnosis:

• our soil is heavy clay and as such the vine is short some minerals - a drop of copper sulphate removed the "muddy" taste
• our vine is probably a table grape (yet to be formally identified), but the experts were surprised at the quality of what we had produced (pity they didn't try last years! - our best so far).

They suggested 2 remedies for this vintage

• adding caster sugar to each bottle -sounds like cheating to me :)
• blending with a sweet wine such as Lambrusco - using ours as a base

I will try the latter suggestion to save this years vintage.

Rie's Kitchen is official!

I have registered the business name of "Rie's Kitchen" and all the paperwork is beginning to fall into place. I have formalised the financial setup, and I am very close to finalising a deal with a commercial kitchen to allow me to start production (once council approval has been finalised). Rie's kitchen is probably still 3 months away from being "on the shelves" but it is beginning to look less like a hobby and more like a business.

... and yesterday I purchased 150 jars as I have more oranges arriving next week - so more marmalade on the way :)

A moment of truth!

It was not until I saw the photos that Myles took of my pasta making day, that I realised quite how silly I look in my apron and shower cap :).

As a great shopper, I set out to rectify this situation, and returned from "Chef's hat" (South Melbourne) with a hat, tunic and 3/4 apron. I look forward to being photographed now, looking more the part. After all, when you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you cook great!

Ravioli

Having been inspired by my Organic pasta class (see earlier post), I set out to make some ravioli using a traditional Maltese filling. Myles was heavily involved - he took the photos and was experimenting with his new lighting rig. Overall, it was an exhausting day for us both - but a great way to share an afternoon :)

Maltese Ravioli recipe

1 quantity of pasta dough

1.5 kg ricotta cheese (the fresher the better)

1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped

2 free range eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Mash all filling ingredients together. If the ricotta is more than a few days old, it will be a little dry and an extra egg or alternatively a dash of cold milk may be required. The correct consistency should see the potato masher make a "squelch" noise when lifted from the bowl of filling.

Roll pastry into sheets at size 5 on the pasta machine.

Place tbsp of filling approx 3 cm apart in middle of the sheet. Brush around each sheet with a little water.

Fold each sheet in half to cover filling. press down edge.

Using a scone cutter or tumbler glass, cut the ravioli into individual pieces. Place on a floured tray until ready for the pot.

Add prepared ravioli to boiling salted water. Ravioli will float when cooked (3-5 minutes usually).

serve with napolitana sauce.

Napolitana Sauce

1 onion

1 clove garlic crushed

140 g tomato paste

water

pinch sugar

Fry onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste, water and sugar - stir until combined. Cook for 10 minutes and serve

Date scones

My partner Myles has a soft spot for date scones. They are the perfect snack for when he returns home on a Sunday after his 20 klm mountain bike ride.

Myles is a meticulous cook. He and I struggle to cook together because I rarely follow a recipe and he is looking for exact measurements! He also does not like a recipe written as prose - dot points in chronological order is his nirvana.

Scones are something that is simple, and the rewards are instant. By the time the espresso machine is warmed up, the coffees drawn, they are ready from the oven. Last weekend, Myles made the scones. (Even yummier when made for you !)

I discovered a twist to the traditional recipe when reading The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander. Her recipe has 1/2 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg. This makes such a difference

Date Scone recipe (from Stephanie Alexander)

250 g self raising flour

1/2 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg

pinch salt

20g unsalted butter

2 tbsp sugar

150g dates pitted and chopped

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup water

preheat oven to 210 degrees C

• grease baking tray
• sift together flour, salt and nutmeg
• rub in butter
• add sugar and dates
• combine milk and water and add to make a soft but firm dough
• Knead together quickly
• press out onto a floured surface and cut into squares.
• Bake for 7 minutes, then reduce heat to 180
• bake for further 8 minutes until golden

Marmalade

Those Jam jars are coming in handy! Thank you to Brenda who donated 2 kgs of oranges from her garden, which combined with lemons and limes from mine have created a fabulous marmalade.

Now I am not really a fan of marmalade, but my partner Myles is. He also is a fan of photography, and this exercise turned into something we could share - I cook, he takes the photo and of course eats!

Tips

Marmalade can be tricky. It is important to remove the scum from the top after you have added the sugar, otherwise this forms crystallines in your jar and are not attractive! Another tip, to ensure that your fruit does not float to the top, is to let the marmalade cool slightly before you pour into the jars. This keeps the fruit even - see above photo.

One other tip I have learned, jars with a pop lid, need to be inverted after filling for a few seconds this creates the heat seal. As the lid cools, you will hear a "pop" and the jar is well sealed.

My recipe is a combination of many with a strong influence from Stephanie Alexanders "Seville Marmalade."

Marmalade recipe

1 kg oranges

4 large lemons

2-4 limes (optional)

2 litres water

2 kgs white sugar

Remove zest from fruit with a vegetable peeler and cut into fine julienne. (There is no short cut here!). Juice fruit and reserve pips. Cut remaining pith into strips and put into a muslin bag with the pips. Tie firmly. Put all ingredients except sugar into a non reactive pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 hour with the lid slightly ajar, until liquid is reduced by half. Cover pot and leave to cool overnight.

Next day, preheat over to 180 degrees. Squeeze muslin bags very firmly into reduced liquid. Discard muslin bag. Bring liquid back to the boil with pot resting on a simmer mat. Meanwhile, warm sugar in the oven. Add sugar to pot and stir until dissolved. Boil briskly for 5-10 minutes until it has reached setting stage. Bottle in hot sterilised jars (see note above)

Chilli Jam

With a bumper crop of chilli this year, I thought I would try my hand at a new delicacy- Chilli Jam.

My 1st batch has not been a success.

I turned away to sneeze at exactly the wrong time in the jam setting stage, and after washing my hands, my jam was quite dark. It still tasted OK. I bottled (see jam jars post earlier) and gave the jars away to trusty "tasters" for unbiased testing.

The results are back :

1. delicious with cheese and crackers


2. need to eat the whole jar on opening - it goes rock solid after 2 days (1 was stored in the fridge, the other in a cupboard)

I haven't given up yet, and with plenty more chilli to pick I will try batch 2 this weekend with the same recipe to have a comparison.

Mushrooming

Today, my professional women's group, "Breakfast Club" (or as our husband's refer to it as "Secret Women's Business") went mushrooming on the Mornington Peninsular. Our guide, Cameron is a real enthusiast. He was quick to caution us all about eating mushrooms where you are not sure of the variety. many of the mushrooms we have in Victoria are poisonous, including some that are lethal!

Despite his intensive knowledge he always carries a reference book to double check on the variety before eating!He recommends:

A Field Guide to Australian Fungi by Bruce Fuhrer Publisher: Bloomings Books Publication date: 2005

Golden rules of mushrooming:

1. never enter someone's property to pick mushrooms without first asking permission
2. always only take what you need for that day
3. always use a knife to cut the mushroom, leaving the "root ball" in the ground to sprout again
4. do not place mushrooms in a plastic bag - they will sweat and turn to mush!

Pine mushrooms I found during our walk.

The day concluded with mushroom soup, mushroom and feta tarts and fresh mushroom pizza - fantastic! Being based at T'Gallant winery, we also explored the marriage of Pinot and mushrooms - definitely a match made in heaven.

Organic cooking class: pasta

Last weekend I joined a class at "Peaceful Gardens Organic Cooking School" located at Koonwarra in East Gippsland, Victoria. The topic of the day was pasta.

Many friends queried why I was doing a pasta class. Despite years of making Ricotta Ravioli with my dad (the traditional Maltese way), I had never made pasta with eggs or used a pasta machine.

Two girlfriends, Carolyn and Rhonda joined in, and in an intimate class of 4, Tina guided us through the intricacies of making Lasagne, ravioli (chicken filling) and fettuccini. In just over 4 hours, we all had shared many cooking tales, swapped recipes and looked forward to dining on the fruits of our labour.

A highlight of the day was the enthusiasm of Tina, our mentor in the benefits of organic produce.

I am now on the hunt for a pasta machine, and looking forward to experimenting with one of my favorite foods - pasta.

Pasta Dough recipe (courtesy: Peaceful Gardens Organic Cooking School)
500g plain flour, 2 eggs, 1 dessertspoon olive oil, water

• Place flour in a bowl and make a well
• Add eggs to centre of the well and slowly mix in the flour
• Add olive oil and a little water
• Knead these together until the dough is uniform in texture and colour.
• Wrap ball of dough in tea towel or cling wrap and let rest for 10 minutes
• Cut the dough into small portions.
• Using one portion at a time, pass the dough through the machine set to number 1. Fold in half and run again through machine.
• Repeat this process through the different thickness settings. Remember to pass the dough through each setting twice, folding the sheet in half before taking it through again.
• When the process is finished, flour your dough so as not to stick. Hang fettuccini over a broom handle to prevent it sticking together. Sheets can be laid between layers of baking paper.
• Repeat with other portions of dough.

To cook: place in boiling water for approx 6 minutes.

NB pasta can be frozen raw, defrosted and cooked as above.

Jam Jars

As I begin to "beef up" my repertoire of sauces, relishes and jams I have come to realise that raiding the "jar cupboard" and the local op shop was not going to meet my need for clean, food quality containers.

"How hard could it be?" I mused as I searched the Internet for glass producers. Very easy if I was looking for pallets worth! I have found 2 suppliers in Melbourne, happy to sell me 100 jars at a time(of each size), however lids only come in packets of 1050!!

Self doubt steps in! Will I ever sell enough jars to make the outlay worth it? Of course I will, but where do I store them! That is a problem for my partner Myles who has an uncanny knack of getting the most out of any storage space.

I intend to make chilli jam this weekend and if anyone has any insights where to access about 20 40ml jars with lids I would be most grateful :)

Mulgrave Heights - our vines

Much speculation has occurred as to the variety of our vines. as yet, I have been unable to definitively categorise their variety. Both vines were well established when my partner Myles and I, bought the house in 2000.

The vines are prolific producers. In 2007, we picked over 40kgs of grape from the north facing vine alone! The bunches are large, often greater than 40 cm in length and weigh up to 750gms -1 kg each. This vine is netted ever year. Due to the position of the westerly vine (against the garage wall and inside a raised vegetable patch,) the westerly vine is left to the birds and possums, with us coming a distinct 3rd.

The grapes have a deep purple skin, a white fruit and small seeds. They are not fabulous as a table grape, but we certainly eat a few as we pick them :)

Mulgrave Heights 2008 Vintage

Our back garden hosts 2 grape vines, both of the same variety (as yet unknown). One vine sits on the garage wall and is westerly facing, the second and larger vine is located on the northern fence line. Both vines are approximately 25 years old.

This year, the westerly vine had a small infestation of vine mite and as such none of the grapes were used for wine production. The northerly vine was infestation free.

With the assistance of our winemaker, Andrew Osborne (Ossy), and his 2 year old daughter Charleah, the grapes were harvested on March 9th 2008. 10.5 litres of must was achieved. Due to the unusually hot temperatures experienced that day (34) we were unable to second crush the skins or keep the must on skin for any period of time. Despite this, the must in 2008 has a much deeper colour than previous vintages.

We transferred the must from the 20 litre flask, to 2x4litre flask on 12th April. At this time our Specific Gravity was 950. Now the chemistry lessons I missed in high school become useful!