Merryn's Menu: Prawn and Bacon Salad with Macadamia Nuts

Merryn's Menu: Prawn and Bacon Salad with Macadamia Nuts: I think the title says it all.  I was walking along the break wall this morning and on the return journey thought about what to cook for dinner.  The lake inspired me, with the sweet crisp prawns that are netted from here, they are so fresh.  The macadamia nuts are a decadent addition.

Prawn and Bacon Salad with Macadamia Nuts

I think the title says it all.  I was walking along the break wall this morning and on the return journey thought about what to cook for dinner and also what to eat for lunch.

Our northern break wall is a refreshing walk, everyone says "Good Morning", it is superb. 

Locals and tourists alike delight in the morning walk and the pleasantries exchanged.

On my return walk and inspired by the beautiful lake I decided to buy fresh, local prawns for lunch.

The taste of locally caught lake prawns is insurmountable.  They are so sweet and crisp.

It is so simple, on a gorgeous sunny day to create a luscious, colourful salad for one, for lunch.

Prawn and Bacon Salad with Macadamia Nuts

100g fresh, locally caught prawns, peeled, deveined and washed
3 rashers bacon
4 large lettuce leaves
10 whole macadamia nuts
8 cherry tomatoes
Ranch dressing
salt, pepper

Fry the bacon in a little olive oil until crisp.  Cool, then slice finely.
Wash and chop the lettuce leaves, I used cos, iceberg and red coral lettuce.
Place the lettuce on a large plate, sprinkle with the shredded bacon and cherry tomatoes.
Top with the washed prawns and place the ranch dressing liberally over the top.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then top with the macadamia nuts.
Serve, with a glass of icy cold water.

Ideally, eat outside on a warm day. 

Bon appetito, Enjoy Merryn.

Merryn's Menu: Easy Red Velvet Cake

Merryn's Menu: Easy Red Velvet Cake: A few years ago, I think between Children No 2 and 3 our dear friend came to have Christmas Eve dinner with us.  Her husband was working and she came over for an Indian feast.  Little did I know she would have a food reaction to the red food colouring I used.

Merryn's Menu: Quick Baked Strawberries

Merryn's Menu: Quick Baked Strawberries: We have a big strawberry patch, in fact we have two patches.  Two is usually better than one. This past month saw me lifting out the strawberries to weed and renew them.  There were sufficient to bake with sugar, lemon zest and verjuice.  Delicious.

Quick Baked Strawberries

We have a big strawberry patch, in fact we have two patches.  Two is usually better than one.

This past month saw me lifting out the strawberry plants and extracting weeds from their roots.

Hubby topped up the bed with compost and dirt and laid new straw on top of the bed.

Then the strawberry plants were replaced into the rejuvenated bed and now they are flourishing.

Look at these lovely plump strawberries.
The gorgeous hippeastrums were gifted from a dear, sweet friend. 

These are so simple to bake.   I popped in a bowl full while my Red Velvet Cake was cooking.
This recipe came from an old, dear Italian friend who also loves her garden produce.

Baked Strawberries

2 cups strawberries

1/4 cup castor sugar

grated zest of one lemon

3 tablespoons verjuice

Wash and hull strawberries then place into an oven proof bowl.

Sprinkle over the sugar and lemon zest then splash with the verjuice.

Cover with alfoil and bake at 170 celsius for 15 minutes, until soft.   

Isn't it amazing how we learn and offer so many good food ideas with our friends.

Bon appetito, enjoy Merryn.

Easy Red Velvet Cake

A few years ago, I think between Children No 2 and 3 our dear friend came to have Christmas Eve dinner with us.  Her husband was working and no one wants to be alone on Christmas Eve.

I was heavily into cooking Indian food at the time (I still adore Indian food - the hotter, the better).

We had a wonderful night and a fantastic dinner with six courses of gorgeous Indian food.

Around 10.30pm our friend bade us goodnight with kisses and warm Christmas wishes.

She called on the 30th December to wish my husband a happy birthday and told us that when 

she arrived home on Christmas Eve her body was nearly red all over with a rash.

So, our dear friend spent Christmas in a hospital bed.

What did you put in the food that caused a food allergy? she wanted to know.

I cooked with all of the usual ingredients, but added red food colouring to the Tandoori marinade.

Sine then, I have been very cautious about using red food colouring, 

hence my red velvet cake is not as red as some I have seen.

The red colouring is purely colouring, not flavouring so therefore entirely optional.

This dear friend, is still a dear friend I am pleased to say.

So tell me, have you ever poisoned a friend with your cooking?

Red Velvet Cake

2 free range eggs

1 1/4 cups castor sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup (250ml) rice bran oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup (150ml) milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar added to it

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 2/3 cups plain flour

2 small tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon red food colouring

Preheat oven to 170 celsius.

Whisk eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl.  While whisking pour in the oil in a steady stream and continue whisking until well combined.  

Pour the cider vinegar into the milk and add the sifted bicarbonate of soda.

Mix the sifted cocoa with the flour.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir gently until mixed through.  Add half of the milk mixture and stir through.

Than another 1/3 of the flour, mix, then the rest of the milk and finally gently stir through the remaining flour mixture.  Mix until well combined.  Add the desired amount of food colouring.

Pour into a round 20cm paper lined and greased baking pan.

Place on middle shelf of oven and bake for 45 minutes.  

I iced mine with a simple icing of 2 cups icing sugar, 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons milk.

Heat butter and milk together in a small bowl in the microwave, then add the icing sugar until well mixed.    Purely because my family do not like butter cream or the heavier icings.

Served here with a lovely, plump baked strawberry.

Bon appetito, enjoy Merryn.

Eggplant and Tomato Galette

I had to smile this morning when opening the mail. 

 My Mother is in New Zealand and sent me this card.

The information is not very detailed but I know she is in Auckland and she is well,

plus she is thinking about us.

Minimal information

that is quite endearing.

Mum is not very 

electronically minded

but she has a heart of gold.

It confirms the theory that less is more,
much like this simple Eggplant Galette.
technically simple yet full of warmth.

This is one of those those simple, straightforward recipes where you put it together, 

place it in the oven then find 40 minutes later, lunch is served.

There are variations to this recipe but I love that the eggplant can be sliced and added, stress free.

This recipe is loosely based on one I found here tomato and eggplant galette.

Galette Pastry

1 1/2 cups plain flour

pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/4 cup ice cold water

Place flour, salt and butter into food processor and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Then add the water in a slow drizzle until it comes together as a ball.  You may need to add another tablespoon of water.  When ball stage is reached, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Eggplant Filling

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 eggplant, cut into 0.5cm round slices

3 large tomatoes, cut into 0.5cm slices

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

2 extra tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 egg yolk mixed with 3 tablespoons milk for an egg wash

Preheat oven to 180 celsius.  

On a floured surface roll dough to a 35cm circle.  Place dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.   Brush the extra virgin olive oil over pastry, leaving a 5cm border at the edge untouched. 

Distribute the mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the fresh parmesan cheese over the base, leaving the 5cm border bare.  

Place a row of eggplant slices on top of the cheese, slightly overlapping them.  Add a row of tomatoes on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little basil.

Place one more row of eggplant slices on top with another row of tomatoes on top of the eggplant. Season with more salt and pepper and the remaining basil.  Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.

Fold up sides to make an open pie.  

Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle over the remaining parmesan cheese, including onto the pastry.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden and the vegetables are soft.

Roll the dough and place cheese then
vegetables on top, leaving a 5cm  border.

Lift up sides of pasty, brush with egg wash and sprinkle all over with fresh parmesan cheese.

The side view when sliced.

I will bake this for lunch for my parents when my mother returns from NZ.

Bon appetito, enjoy, Merryn.

October in My Garden

This week I picked the first snow peas.

Every day now I will be picking more snow peas.

It was about 5 weeks since I planted the seeds in the ground before they started flowering.

There will be a continual supply now for approximately 6 weeks.

I weeded the asparagus patch and hubby topped it up with compost, dirt and bark.

You can see the spears peeking through, then I cut them off just below the level of the dirt.

I store them in a glass of water at room temperature for a few days until there is enough for a meal.

Here is a haul of freshly picked peaches and nectarines.

There are fruit fly traps hung on every flowering tree
and we have to net every tree to protect the precious fruit from birds.

I was so happy to see this artichoke head emerging from the top of the plant.

They will be ready in December for picking (cooking and eating, yum).

This is a second peach tree which is a different variety from the one that is fruiting now.

It is great to have unique types so they flower at different times.

There is small fruit on this tree as well.

The blossoms are purely delightful and brighten up the garden.

I have papayas and paw paw growing together in a clump. 

The papaya are a darker orange colour then the pawpaw

and I love to eat the slices with lime juice squeezed on top.

The radishes have grown so well and quickly

that we have been eating them already for 6 weeks

They are still a good size to pick and enjoy.

They stay fresh in the ground. 

I was delighted to find this lavender

'Strawberries and Cream' at the nursery on the weekend.

My bees might produce white pollen!

Broccoli in abundance, pest free, although I did accidentally 

cook a caterpiller in a batch recently;

much to the teenagers' disgust.

The first of the new season's zucchini.

We will be able to pick flowers and zucchinis for the remainder of this year.

These are the highlights of my October garden.

I am also growing lettuce, spinach, leeks, chard, endive, cauliflower, tomatoes and cabbage as well.

Bon appetito, enjoy Merryn.
P.S.  What is the strangest insect you have found in your cooking?

Breakfast Food

My Morning routine; 

Feed children, feed cats, walk outside to feed goldfish and give chickens some greens.

Then feed myself!
The best start to the day is fried (or poached) eggs.

It only takes 5 minutes till on the plate.

Above are 2 organic eggs with chopped green chilli fried in olive oil.

On top of multigrain toast, with a sprinkling of chilli furikake,

served with lightly fried home made haloumi.

Accompanied by Pure orange juice and followed by a lovely coffee latte.

Here are 2 organic fried eggs with chopped red chilli served on toast with a little 

XO sauce placed on top after cooking.  

Eating breakfast in the sun with a glass of orange juice

with an inspiring book to read.  

2 perfectly fried eggs with 4 stalks of fresh picked asparagus.






Notice my common breakfast theme.
2 fried eggs with healthy toast and juice will
sustain me for most of the day.

Our gorgeous chickens dutifully lay them daily so we know they are organic and free range.

Bon appetito, enjoy Merryn.