Warming up winter with ginger spiced cookies

It’s winter, the rain gauge is about to overflow and there is no way I’m stepping foot outside the back door today let alone playing in the garden. So it’s the perfect time to play with some of my favourite ingredients: spices.

I mentioned their amazing benefits during my turmeric chai latte recipe post, as well as my guest blog for Mura Pathway to Wellness. Just to summarise, spices can be used to  lower blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, treat headaches and toothaches, and are anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial and high in antioxidants. 

This ginger spiced cookie recipe features cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, which are all known as warming spices because they raise the body’s temperature – just what you need when it’s cold and rainy. 

I’ve also used black molasses, which has its own range of health benefits thanks to a healthy dose of iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium. The molasses and coconut sugar lend a rich caramelly flavour to the cookies. If you don’t have any besan or tapioca flour handy, 2½ cups of normal plain flour or gluten free plain flour will do. The chia seeds will work fine whole or ground. Powdered ginger can be used instead of fresh.

Super unattractive when wet...

Perfect once baked.

Ginger spiced cookies

½ cup black molasses

½ cup coconut sugar

2 tablespoons margarine

1 cup besan flour

1½ cups tapioca flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp grated ginger

¼ tsp cinnamon

¹/₈ tsp ground cloves

¹/₈ tsp ground cardamom

1 tbs chia seeds

Preheat the oven to 160° Celsius fan forced. If you don’t have a silicon baking mat, lightly grease your baking tray.

Gently melt the molasses, sugar and marg together in a small saucepan on the stove, and let them cool slightly.

Put the chia seeds in a small bowl, add three tablespoons of water and set aside for five minutes.

Mix the flours, baking soda and spices in a bowl, and stir in the syrup and chia seeds. Use a dessert spoon to dollop the dough in small mounds on the tray. Don’t worry about shaping them, they’ll cook into a nice shape anyway.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the house smells all lovely and gingery, allow to cool and enjoy with a pot of chai tea.

Roasted eggplant and garlic soup

I love how gardening continues to surprise me. Several weeks ago I sowed a green manure crop around my eggplants, deciding not to pull them up in case there was another eggplant or two left in them. The green manure crop all but grew over the top of them, so it was a fantastic surprise to peek under the leaves today and find literally dozens of huge eggplants, the biggest by far of the season.

 

I don’t think I’m alone on this late flush – there were head-sized eggplants for sale at the fantastic local Capital Region Farmers Market last weekend. With the basil putting on one last glorious flush of verdant growth and freshly cured garlic in the kitchen, I couldn’t resist creating an exceptionally creamy roasted eggplant and garlic soup that was oh so perfect on a cold almost-winter’s day.

The garlic quantity is only a rough suggestion – to me, the more garlic the better and you really can use up to a couple of bulbs. Roasting garlic transforms it into a savoury caramelly creamy yumminess so the garlic won’t overwhelm the dish. Dry-frying the spices isn’t essential but will awaken and improve their flavour. Basil’s delicate flavour can be destroyed by heat so add it to the pan just before blending. I’ve used cashews in the recipe but those with nut allergies can simply substitute sunflower seeds or a tin of coconut milk.

Roasted eggplant and garlic soup

Four large Lebanese eggplants, or 1-2 normal eggplants

Several cloves of garlic, skin on

¼ cup tahini

½ cup cashews

Olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Handful of basil, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish

The juice of half a lemon

Salt

Soak the cashews in a cup of water for a couple of hours, then blend with the water to make cashew milk – there's no need to strain.

Roast the whole eggplants and garlic cloves in a 180 degree fan forced oven (200 degree conventional oven) for 30 minutes or until soft. Once they are cool enough to touch, roughly chop the eggplants and squeeze the garlic out of its skins.

Put a clean, medium-sized saucepan on the stove over a medium heat. Add the spices and dry fry them for around 30 seconds. Add a slosh of olive oil, the eggplant and garlic, and stir to coat with the spices. Add the tahini and cook the mix for a couple of minutes, before adding the cashew milk and a cup of boiling water. 

Stir and gently heat the saucepan’s contents until they have just reached a simmer. Turn off the heat, add the basil and immediately blend the soup until smooth. Add the lemon juice and a good dose of salt – I’m talking a good 4-5 pinches or until it tastes exactly how you like it.

Garnish with basil and serve immediately.

Capsicum, eggplant and zucchini terrine with thyme-infused olive oil

Autumn is here! It’s only two weeks late but still, time to pull out the fading summer crops and get the winter crops going. 

The capsicums are still going strong.

This week I’m planting out my garlic – a little early but I want to make the most of the residual warm soil temperatures, green and purple broccoli, and purple cabbage. Broad beans and peas will follow soon. My community garden plot’s soil is getting tired from constant use, so I’ll sow a green manure crop – mustard, peas, barley – this will naturally fumigate the soil from plant diseases and add nitrogen. I’ll chop down and dig in the plants when they are 40cm tall and leave them to break down over the winter. Come spring, my soil should be rich, refreshed and ready to go again for the summer crops.

Thyme, basil, capsicums, small eggplants and zucchini

Right now, I’m making the most of those last summer vegies and basil with my capsicum, eggplant and zucchini terrine with thyme-infused olive oil. Just like everything else on my blog, it’s easy to make. It’s also very rich, thanks to the cashew cream, which perfectly complements the grilled vegies.

To make cashew cream, simply soak a cup of cashews in water with a good pinch of salt for a couple of hours. Drain and blend the cashews with another pinch of salt until you’ve got a smooth consistency. Either a blender or food processor should work. I’ve got an Oscar Neo cold press juicer which turns nuts to nut butter in under 10 seconds, amazing stuff.

I don’t remove the skin from my capsicum but if you prefer to do so, just stick the freshly-grilled capsicum slices in a plastic container or cling wrap for a several minutes to sweat, then peel using your fingers. Discard the capsicum skin.

The final layer of the capsicum, eggplant and zucchini terrine

Capsicum, eggplant and zucchini terrine with thyme-infused olive oil

1 large eggplant (or 2-3 Lebanese eggplants)

1 large capsicum (or 2-3 skinny capsicums)

1 small zucchini

1 sprig of basil

¼ cup cashew cream

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 spring of thyme or lemon thyme

Line a small bowl with cling wrap, leaving several centimetres of overhang on each side, and brush lightly with a small amount of olive oil.

Slice your eggplant, capsicum and zucchini thinly lengthways – about 1-2mm thick and toss in olive oil then grill for a few minutes on each side, so that the eggplant and zucchini are nicely browned and all the vegies are tender.

Place a first layer of vegies in the base of your lined bowl. This will become the top of your terrine so think pretty – I used a simple pattern of eggplant in across the centre with capsicum on each side.

Add another layer of vegies, perhaps zucchini this time, crossing diagonally from the previous layer. Top with 2-3 basil leaves, and add a thin layer of cashew cream.

Repeat with two layers of vegetables, then basil and cream until you reach the top of the bowl, finishing with a layer of vegetables. Fold the clingwrap overhang over the terrine. 

Place a decent weight on top, such as a jam jar or a tin of asparagus, and stick the terrine in the fridge for several hours to overnight.

Thyme-infused olive oil

When ready to serve, very gently heat the olive oil and thyme in a small saucepan on the stove for a couple of minutes, then turn off the stove and leave to infuse for about five minutes before removing the thyme.

To serve the terrine, take the weight off the bowl, unfurl the clingwrap overhang, and place the bowl upside down on your serving plate. Use the clingwrap to gentle lift the bowl off the terrine. Discard the clingwrap.

Drizzle the thyme-infused olive oil over the terrine and serve immediately with a simple side salad.

Capsicum, eggplant and zucchini terrine with thyme infused olive oil