Strawberry, coconut and praline trifle

As a gardener, I eagerly anticipate every season: apricot season, broccoli season, broad bean season, asparagus season and – hooray – strawberry season. Right now is the best strawberry season I’ve ever had, and I can only put it down to the incredible rain we had over winter. And the fact I let the runners from all of last year’s strawberry plants grow into a bajillion new plants.

Strawberries are super easy to grow. You can always buy a plant at your local nursery but if you have a friendly gardener and a bit of patience, wait until the end of strawberry season when the plants put out runners. This means they literally grow another strawberry plant, which they plant nearby, all by themselves. 

Give the new plant time to grow some roots then cut the stem that’s connecting it to the mother plant and transplant that baby to a sunny new home in rich soil that’s full of compost. Mulch around the plant and under the leaves to stop mud splashing up and damaging the fruit. Water regularly until the plant settles in and again when it’s flowering. Ease up on the water when the flowers turn into fruit as too much water can spoil strawberries. Pick them when they reach the most beautiful deep red, but before the slaters get to them or they go mushy. 

Like most berries, strawberries taste best when eaten within about 15 seconds of picking – the supermarket versions can’t even hope to compete. If you have too many to eat fresh, you can simply freeze them and use them in smoothies, or you can try this delicious strawberry, coconut and praline trifle. The brandy strawberries can be used within two days but will last much, much longer if you can hold out that long. If you’re not a fan of brandy, try white rum, vodka or even balsamic vinegar, or simply roughly chop fresh strawberries, add some finely chopped mint or basil, and use that as the berry layer. 

For the praline, I’ve used I Quit Sugar’s method but substituted the nuts for buckwheat, almonds and sunflower seeds – feel free to use which ever nuts or seeds you have available.

Strawberry, coconut and praline trifle

1 cup of strawberries

½ cup of brandy (see above note on alternatives)

1 can Ayam coconut cream

½ cup rice malt syrup

½ cup almonds

¼ cup buckwheat

¼ cup sunflower seeds

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

The zest of half an orange

Dark chocolate

3-7 days out

If using the alcohol/balsamic vinegar option, halve or roughly chop a cup of strawberries and loosely pack into a clean jar. Add brandy (or your preferred liquid) until the jar is approximately two thirds full of the liquid. Screw on the lid and stick the jar somewhere out of direct sunlight for at least a few days.

24 hours out

Refrigerate a can of good quality, pure (no guar gum) coconut cream – you need to do this at least several hours in advance.

On the day

To make the praline, preheat your oven’s grill to high. Gently warm the rice malt syrup in a small saucepan on the stove, stir through the nuts and seeds, pour onto a lined tray and stick under the grill for five minutes until the syrup is golden and bubbly (don’t let it or the nuts burn). Cool completely then pulse in a food processor or roughly chop. If making early, store in an airtight container.

Building your trifle

To make the whipped coconut cream, get the can from the fridge, open, and scoop out the cream, leaving behind any liquid left in the bottom. Don’t shake the can at all to ensure the cream and the liquid stay separate. Put the cream in a bowl with a drizzle of vanilla essence and a shake of cinnamon, and whip gently until smooth. 

In two small glasses, add a layer of strawberries and their brandy, a layer of coconut cream, a layer of praline, some finely grated chocolate and orange zest, a layer of coconut cream, a layer of strawberries and their brandy, and top with the praline, chocolate and zest. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later.

Quick and easy pumpkin curry

It’s a sunny winter’s day, the kind that might make you think of Spring if it weren’t for the icy wind howling around the house. It’s the perfect day to cook up a quick pumpkin curry and curl up on the couch with the cat and a good book (who am I kidding, Netflix it is). 

The wonderful thing about pumpkins is that they are planted in Spring, grow prolifically through Summer, are harvested in Autumn and will store beautifully right through Winter to be cooked up in an array of comforting meals. 

Once the fear of frost has passed, find a sunny spot and sow a couple of seeds direct into a pile of really good soil, enriched with compost or old manure. If both seeds germinate and emerge as little seedlings, pull out the weaker of the two. You need a bit of space to grow a pumpkin plant but they will grow beautifully up a fence or trellis if you don’t have a decent patch of ground.

March 2016...

...April 2016

If left untamed, the pumpkin plant will happily rampage across the yard, with glorious large flowers that bees love. You can pick (and cook) the flowers to reduce the number of pumpkins so the plant can focus its energy on the few you keep – I didn’t last summer and got 13 beautiful large pumpkins from two plants. Harvest the pumpkins around the time of the first frost, keeping several centimetres of stalk attached to the pumpkin, which will help them last longer. 

There’s a slight trick to this pumpkin curry – cook it until the pumpkin is tender, then for a few minutes more but without turning the pumpkin to mush. This really enhances the sauce, as it caramelises a little, giving it almost a satay flavour. You won’t need to add much (or any) salt because of the lovely savoury flavour provided by the spices. An alternative to the coconut cream and stock is to just use ¾ cup of coconut milk instead. The curry goes great with rice but the nuttiness of quinoa (cooked in equal parts coconut cream and water) really complements the creaminess of the curry. 

Pumpkin curry

Makes 2 serves

1 tsp chilli powder, or 1 small fresh chilli

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tbs avocado oil or another vegetable oil

350g pumpkin

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup coconut cream

1/4 cup vegie stock

Nutmeg and parsley to garnish

Dry fry your ground spices and bay leaf in a medium saucepan over a moderate heat for 30 seconds, then add the oil, the pumpkin and the ginger and stir for a few minutes. Add the coconut cream and stock, cover and gently simmer for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Season to taste and remove the bay leaf. Garnish the curry with a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley and a little freshly grated nutmeg and serve.

Simple, delicious tomato soup

Ah, the magic of summer, the time when I barely step foot in a supermarket. I have apricots from my tree, zucchini, tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, okra and herbs from the garden, and so much more from family and friends.

I haven’t blogged too many recipes so far this summer. That's because when it’s all so fresh I just keep it oh so simple with salads and lightly grilled or sautéed vegies.

Tomatoes are exceptionally easy to grow if you have a decent patch of soil, although I’ve never seen a potted tomato produce more than a few good tomatoes despite all the love in the world. Plant the seeds into trays of seed raising mix in late winter. In Canberra and other frosty winter climates you’ll need a greenhouse or a sunny indoor spot beside a window. I use a cheap plastic tub to grow my tomato babies – it acts as a greenhouse outside during the day and is carried inside for the night. Keep the seedlings moist but not wet, to reduce chance of disease. 

When the chance of a frost has passed (around early November in Canberra) and the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, transplant them to the sunniest place in the garden, in soil that has been enriched with compost and manure. Plant them so that half the stem is buried – it will grow extra roots and help the seedling to grow healthy and strong. Also plant a tall wooden stake at the same time, so you can tie the plant’s branches to the stake for support later on. By putting the stake in at the start, you avoid disturbing the plant’s roots. Water your plants regularly, adding soluble potash or a teaspoon of Epsom salts to the watering can every fortnight to help the plant to flower and fruit.

Your first tomatoes will ripen around Christmas, and continue through until early March. When the last tomatoes refuse to turn red and the plant’s leaves are withering and yellow, it’s time to pull up the plant and throw it out. Don’t compost it to avoid spreading disease to next year’s crop.

Right now is when my crop is reaching its peak. The plants have already started to wither and die, but not before giving me one last mega pick of around 50 kilos of tomatoes in the last two weeks. 

Big reds and black russians - two delicious tomatoes

Now is the time for preserving your tomatoes for the rest of the year, in soups, sauces and pastes. Last year I shared my recipe for roasted tomato pasta sauce. This tomato soup is even simpler with only three main ingredients – tomatoes, garlic and basil. If you don’t have basil, use oregano or thyme instead. I’ve also added a couple of silverbeet leaves but you could leave them out or use another leafy green or other summer vegies instead. This soup also doubles as a zingy, fresh pasta sauce, to be tossed through pasta or zoodles or used in your favourite lasagne, cannelloni or stew. Either way, it’s super quick and super easy.

Gorgeous homegrown garlic, basil, silverbeet and tomatoes

 

Tomato, basil and garlic soup

1.5 kilos of tomatoes

A good sprig of basil

3 garlic cloves

2 silverbeet leaves (optional)

1½ cups vegetable stock or water

Salt and pepper

Roughly chop your tomatoes and put them in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Smush the garlic cloves using the flat side of a knife, remove the skin, and add the cloves to the saucepan along with the basil and the silverbeet (if using). Put the lid on and let it all simmer away for 25-30 minutes.

Using a stick blender, blend the tomato mix until you’ve got a consistency that you like the look of, either chunky or smooth. Season to taste. At this point you can serve as a pasta sauce, or bottle as a pasta sauce or tomato soup “concentrate”. To make it a soup, simply add the water or stock, stir through and serve hot or cold.

You can’t get any easier than that. What's your favourite way to eat tomatoes? Inspire me :)

Tomato soup garnished with fresh basil and tomato leather