Hubby is definitely the seafood expert around here. After the scallop entree, he pan-fried some salmon, and served it with sauteed fennel and beans, with rocket, parsley and steamed rice.
Fish and rice goes really well together. It is definitely on of my favourite meals.
We have been splitting the cooking between us most weeks. On Valentine’s Day we split the courses. Hubby was responsible for our entree – pan-fried scallops and bacon (from our corner butcher) on rocket leaves – not our own unfortunately since the rocket bolted early.
The garden has been a work-in-progress ever since I moved in 3.5 years ago. It started off as a lawn with some vintage shrubs and hodge-podge of trees (weeds, as I found out) that have been left to grow on its own for way too long.
There was a general clean-up done after moving in, but things were still pretty bare back then.
But in the last two years, we have built a vege patch and reaped a decent harvest. We were eating lots of kale and chives throughout the first season. In our second season we planted silverbeet, celery, tomatoes and soft herbs. Here they are in the spring.
And here they are in late summer.
The tomatoes had mostly died by then because of the excessive rains, but we harvested lots and lots of silverbeet, celery, and plenty of soft herbs too, reducing a little off our grocery bill. Now all our chilli plants are fruiting, although my husband is more excited about that than I am. He really loves hot food.
We still have a long way to go with regards to vege gardening, and gardening in general, but the garden is definitely looking better than ever.
Meanwhile, I was hanging out for the WA speciality – marron, served with roe, orange butter, and a salad of fennel and herbs.
It was my first time tasting marron. The taste is between prawn and lobster. Yummo.
Margaret River produces some excellent seafood, and that was the second thing that we sought at Leeuwin Estate. BB had a magnificent plate of Geographe Bay squid and pea puree.
As I mentioned before, Manjimup is famous not only for its trees, but its truffles. It is the largest, and most successful, growing area in the Southern Hemisphere. Truffles are rather heady subterranean fungi that chefs love. They grow best near the roots of hazelnut trees.
So what does a truffle growing area look like? Hazelnut groves as far as the eye can see.
To round off our mid-winter meal, we finished with my first ever pie – apple and blackberry. I made it using a recipe in my trusty Australian Women’s Weekly cookbook. Here it is baking in the oven.
I’m quite proud of it because I made the shortcrust pastry myself – with the help of the food processor – and also the filling. BB was a huge help – he was the apple peeler!
In the end the crust was a little burned (I put it on the top shelf at the beginning of cooking – should have been low-middle shelf), but it still tasted lovely.
The bread accompanies a warming bowl of pea and ham soup. Our local butcher does a mean ham hock – he has his own smokehouse out the back. The smokeyness the hock gives to the soup really lifts its flavour above any other soup I’ve made, making this my favourite soup.
Last Christmas I got what has proven to be the best of gifts – a bread maker. Before this, I had never made bread before – working with yeast and dough seemed so daunting, and time consuming. Now I can make loaves like this. Well, the machine does.
My bread maker has rarely gone into a cupboard since I got it because I’m addicted to the smell and taste of freshly baked bread. Who wants to eat store bought bread after this?
My orange tree is a twiggy, little thing, so I was quite content with this modest crop. The oranges were sweet enough to be enjoyed, and provided a week’s worth of oranges.
Static and Silence 