|
Here's a selection of the most requested recipes from New Zealand Gardener magazine, plus recipes for making the most of Brussels sprouts while they're in season!
If you have a recipe you'd like to share with us, send an email to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz
Recipe by Helen Lewis, Waikanae
Ingredients
3kg chokos, chopped
1kg onions
1 cup plain salt
1.5 litres malt vinegar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon mustard powder
5 tablespoons flour
1kg brown sugar
Peel and chop chokos and onions into small chunks and sprinkle with salt. Cover and leave overnight, then drain and rinse. In a bowl, mix curry powder, turmeric, mustard and flour. Blend until smooth with a little vinegar and set aside. Place chokos and onions in a pot, just covering with the rest of the vinegar. Bring to the boil, uncovered, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in flour and spices, stir until sauce thickens, then simmer for 7 minutes and bottle.
If you have a glut of lemons, try this recipe by Maureen Whiting.
Ingredients
75g butter
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons of cornflour
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
Combine butter, sugar, lemon juice and rind in a microwave bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high power for 1-2 minutes until melted. Stir once during this time. Beat together cornflour and egg. Gradually beat in water. Whisk egg mixture into lemon/sugar mixture. Microwave, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes, stirring 3 times during cooking. Pour into clean jars and seal while hot. Keep refrigerated.
Christchurch gardener Lorna Garden makes this old family recipe with cauliflower, onions, cucumbers, beans and tomatoes but you could also make a winter pickle using celery, brassicas, onions and carrots.
Ingredients
2.7kg mixed vegetables
2 handfuls of salt
2 tablespoons mustard
450g white sugar
900g golden syrup
3 litres vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon curry powder
a little flour
Cut up vegetables, sprinkle with salt and let it stand overnight in a large bowl. Drain and place in a large pot with the rest of the ingredients, apart from curry powder and flour. Bring to the boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 20 minutes, then add the curry powder and a little flour to thicken. Simmer until it reaches the desired consistency then bottle.
This recipe is a favourite with Bay of Plenty gardener Claire Nicholson. It's originally from Luigi Baratteiri of Volare restaurant in Tauranga.
Ingredients
15 lemons
2x 750ml bottles of vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
Carefully zest the lemons, avoiding the bitter white pith. Place the zest in a large glass jar and pour over one bottle of vodka. Cover and leave at room temperature for 10-40 days in a cool, dark place. The longer it rests, the better the taste.
After the rest period is over, combine sugar and water in a large pot and cook until thick (5-7 minutes). Cool the syrup then add to the lemon vodka. Add the second bottle of vodka and allow to rest for another 10-40 days. Strain and bottle, discarding the zest. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.
Janet Smith has made this drink on and off for 40 years. "The first time I made it in the baby bath as we were farming and I couldn't find a more suitable container!"
Ingredients
1kg rhubarb, washed and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
700g white sugar
3 1/2 litres of water
zest and juice of 5 lemons
Put all ingredients in a large non-metal container. Stand for 48 hours, then strain and bottle liquid. Leave for 3 weeks before opening.
This recipe is from Diana Mackenzie of Ashburton.
Ingredients
120g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
2-3 cups peeled and sliced apple
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. Add egg and beat, followed by dry ingredients, dates, nuts and apples. Mix well. Spoon cake batter into a greased and sugared 20cm ring tin and bake for 30 minutes at 180C. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning cake out on a rack. Serve warm with whipped cream or yoghurt.
Before WWII, NZ Gardener advertising manager Angela Moon-Jones' grandad worked as a sugar boiler in a confectionery factory, making fruit jubes and spearmint chews. During the war he was assistant cook in an army camp, but Angela says he was most famous for his chutneys and pickled onions. "He grew his own tamarillos to make this chutney and Nana always had to clean up the splatters off the stove and walls."
Ingredients
1kg tamarillos
500g onions
500g cooking apples
12 whole allspice berries
3 slices of root ginger
170g seedless raisins
2 cups vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
750g brown sugar
Blanch, peel and chop tamarillos into small pieces. Peel and chop onions and apples. Tie allspice berries and ginger in a piece of muslin cloth, then place all ingredients into a large saucepan and simmer for 2 hours, stirring. Pour into hot jars and seal.
Carol Lee of Half Moon Bay always keeps her pantry stocked with red onion jam. The jam, she says, is delicious served with cold meats.
Ingredients
3 large red onions
1 tablespoon salt
2 red capsicums
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup dark cane sugar
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
Peel and finely slice the onions into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for one hour, then rinse in cold water and drain well.
Cut the capsicums in half, remove the seeds and stalks, and cut into thin slices (similar in size to the onions). Heat cider vinegar and sugar in a large saucepan, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Then add the onion and capsicum and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 45 minutes until most of liquid has reduced.
Finally, add the chilli sauce and stir until the mixture is thick and syrupy. Spoon into hot, clean jars and seal.
Pickled onion recipes are a matter of personal taste, according to New Zealand Gardener editor-at-large Lynda Hallinan. You can use white or malt vinegar, make a clear or cloudy sauce. You can soak the onions overnight in brine to soften them, or steep them for a few hours for a crunchier result. "I like mine crisp and I think they're prettier in a jar of golden liquid, but I'm biased: that's how my mum makes them!"
Ingredients
2kg pickling onions, peeled
1 cup soft brown sugar
2 litres of malt vinegar
2 tablespoons pickling spice
Peel onions (do this outdoors) and soak in a bowl of cold salted water for a few hours. Boil the vinegar, sugar and pickling spice for 15 minutes. Cool. Drain onions and stack neatly into a large glass jar. Cover with vinegar solution. Leave for 2 weeks before opening.
 The rich green colour of this winter soup is hearty and inviting. It's great served with grilled cheese on toast or bacon and cheese mousetraps.
Ingredients
8 silverbeet leaves
60g butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 celery stick, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash the silverbeet leaves and remove the centre white stalk with a sharp knife. Melt butter in a heavy-based stockpot or saucepan. Wash the leeks well, separating the rings and add to the pan with the potatoes, onion, celery and garlic, then cover and lower heat.
Sweat together for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until potato has begun to soften. Barely cover with hot water, and add bay leaves and thyme. Simmer uncovered until potato is tender (about 10 minutes). Remove bay leaves and thyme. In a food processor or blender puree the soup. Season well with salt and pepper. To serve, reheat to boiling point. Serve in small bowls sprinkled with extra black pepper.
Carol McGregor from Temuka shared her favourite way to use Brussels sprouts with this quick and easy soup recipe.
Cook about 20 cleaned and trimmed sprouts in water (enough to cover) with 1 teaspoon of chicken stock powder. Boil for around 10 minutes. In another saucepan make cheese sauce.
Cheese sauce ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 cup cooked diced bacon
1 teaspoon curry powder
Add sauce ingredients to pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir through until absorbed. Cook for another minute. Add milk to achieve a thick consistency while stirring with a whisk then add grated tasty or blue cheese to taste.
Drain the chicken stock/vegetable water into the sauce then mash the sprouts with a potato masher and combine with the sauce mix and serve while hot.
Recipe sent from Tanisha Wardle in Johnsonville.
Ingredients
24 Brussels sprouts
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 onion, chopped
1 cup rice
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
1 cup grated cheese
8 soft tortillas
Plain yogurt for dipping
Cook rice, drain and set aside. Sauté onion then add oregano and shredded chicken. When chicken is heated through, add tomatoes, puree and sprouts. Simmer for 15 minutes. Heat tortillas on a warm pan. Spoon rice on to tortillas, followed by the tomato mixture and sprinkle cheese over the top. Serves 4
Coral Beattie from Otago says "On a visit to Gran's when I was young, she would serve these with chips. We thought they were marvellous. It wasn't until we grew up that we realised what we were eating all those years ago!"
Ingredients
Brussels sprouts
toasted breadcrumbs
flour, seasoned with salt and pepper for coating
oil for frying
1 egg, beaten
(Adjust quantities to suit number of serves required)
Use 'tight' Brussels sprouts. Trim and boil in salted water for 5-8 minutes. Drain well in a colander. When cool enough to handle, coat with flour. Dip into beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs. Deep fry until golden brown. Serve sprouts with bacon or sausages or with any main roast meal. They can also be fried in batter, which is delicious!
Recipe sent by Deb from New Plymouth. "This will feed 2-4 people - depending on how hungry they are. Rarely does anyone know they are eating Brussels sprouts!"
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
4 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper
12 Brussels sprouts
3 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup grated cheese
In a bowl, beat together flour, milk, cream and eggs until smooth. Add oil and chopped chives with salt and pepper.
Grease an ovenproof dish and place a layer of thinly sliced, cooked Brussels sprouts over the bottom. Cover sprouts with the egg mix. Place sliced tomatoes over the top and sprinkle the grated cheese and more chopped chives if desired. Bake at 180C for around 40 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Vicky Youngman from Waihi used to hate Brussels sprouts as a child, but for the first time in years, decided it was time to try them again.
Ingredients
500g Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
125g butter
salt and pepper
lemon juice
Trim sprouts and remove any wilted leaves. Cook in a little water until just tender. Strain sprouts then toss in butter, toasted nuts and seeds. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Recipe sent by Melissa Steele of Pleasant Point, South Canterbury.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 rashers bacon, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds
20 Brussels sprouts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil in frypan and cook bacon, shallots and almonds until the bacon is crisp and the almonds are golden. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook Brussels sprouts for 3-5 minutes. Drain thoroughly, then add sprouts to the frying pan. Toss together and season with salt and pepper.
Amy Bode of Nelson says "My favourite Brussels sprout recipe is my own adaptation of a Molly Katzen idea I read years ago."
First make honey mustard dressing by combining 1/2 cup of natural unsweetened yoghurt with 1-2 teaspoons of runny honey to taste (you can alternatively melt regular honey for 20 seconds in the microwave), and 1-2 teaspoons of mustard (I prefer a 50/50 split of Dijon and Wholegrain).
Halve or quarter Brussels sprouts depending on their size and stir fry in butter until lightly browned and smelling nutty. Season to taste with salt and pepper then serve combined with sauce.
Rolleston gardener Rita Spadoni says, "SAVE THE SPROUT". Try her recipe for sprout puree!
Ingredients
400g Brussels sprouts
1 rounded tablespoon butter (or 2 tablespoons of cream)
salt and pepper
Trim the Brussels sprouts and, if large, cut each sprout in half. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add sprouts and boil until tender but still bright green. Drain throughly and tip into a food processor. Add the butter or cream and a little salt and pepper. Whiz to form a fairly smooth, light-green puree and serve.
Joy Lamb of Waikanae, "I adore Brussels sprouts and eat them almost every day."
Wash sprouts and remove stalks at the base plus any old leaves. Cut sprouts in half and slice finely. The other half of the salad is made up with small portions of: blanched green beans and peas, sliced courgettes, celery, green pepper, spring onion, broccoli, herbs, parsley and mint. Add 1 cup or more of shredded/diced cold meat. Toss all ingredients together and serve with your favourite dressing.
|
  
|
