Tag Archives: mandarins

Red Cross & kitchen secrets

It’s a special belly today, celebrating 100 years of the Red Cross with a bit of history and a call to arms – get thee to a kitchen, and bake a cake.  And then I will bring you a wonderful session from the recent Byron Bay Writers Festival, ‘Kitchen Confidential’, with Simon Marnie, Christine Manfield, Steve Snow and Jim Hearne.  Find out what chefs really think of customers and critics, dusts and foams, why you should really invite a chef to dinner, and much much more.

 

The Red Cross in Bangalow is looking for local cooks who can contribute a cake by this Friday, August 15.  They are looking for 100 cakes, and hopefully will get even more.  So get along and support them by buying a cake too.

The BIG CAKE BAKE is a Red Cross fundraiser.  Take your cake, or cupcakes, to the Bangalow RSL Hall, Station Street by 8.30am for judging (or just donate a cake, you don’t need to compete).  Or go along and eat cake!  $5 for a slice of cake and a coffee or tea, from 10 am.  Call Trisha for more info on 0429 882525.

Today’s guest, Trisha Bleakley, has kindly contributed her own seasonal cake recipe to get you inspired.

 

MANDARIN AND ALMOND CAKE RECIPE – GLUTEN FREE

 

3 mandarins (large) or 4 medium washed
250 g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
6 eggs
250 g almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
icing sugar, to serve
Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection),
reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1
teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All
herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All
vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are
55-60 g, unless specified.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Wash the mandarins and cook in the
boiling water for 2 hours. Drain, allow to cool to room temperature, then
puree. This step can be done ahead of time.

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 22 cm spring form cake tin
with baking paper. Beat the eggs and caster until well combined. Stir in
the mandarin puree followed by the almond meal and baking powder. Pour the
batter into the prepared tin and dust the top with extra caster sugar. Bake
for 1–1¼ hours, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the
centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar, cut into slices and serve.

Tips

You can replace the mandarins with 2 oranges (Large)
If citrus is not in season you can use tinned mandarins, puree
Substitute almond meal for hazelnut meal (but it does give it a stronger
flavour)

Fresh and juicy art

On air on bayfm 99.9 community radio Byron Bay on May 7, 2012

 

 

"February" - from "Produce-d" by Karena Wynn-Moylan

 

So one day the artist went to the market… The far North of NSW has attracted artists for many years, and now we have a lovely fresh produce market pretty much every day, so maybe it was inevitable that they would come together and create beautiful things.

Bayfm’s Arts Canvass presenter, Karena Wynn-Moylan, was inspired by the beautiful produce of her local Bangalow farmers market.  She photographed a year of fruit and veg, and documented it in watercolours and oils.  She also asked the farmers for their favourite simple recipes, and has done a lovely artist’s cookbook.  See below for some recipes.

We also have potters and fabric artists and cooks and ikebana magicians, and people on a mission to bring colour to our tables.  I was lucky enough to go to an exhibition in Ballina that is on all month and brings many of these people together.  I would really encourage you to go, the gallery itself is a lovely place, with a cafe and big old trees to sit under.

Here are some details :

Three Exhibitions are on, all on and around food and the table, until Sunday 27 May 2012

At : the Northern Rivers Community Gallery, 44 Cherry street Ballina
ph 6681 6167        free entry

All details click here

But I would be going along to this weekend’s Table Manners Makers’ Market, which has demos of ceramic hand-building and wheel-throwing by potters Suvira McDonald and Malcolm Greenwood.   You can also learn how to paint or draw your food.  Thank you very much to Karena for giving a place in her watercolour workshop on May 20 to one of our lovely subscribers.  If you’d like to go, ring  the gallery.   (It is $65pp inc. materials, 9.30 to 2pm).

If you can’t get to the exhibition, Karena’s number 1 bit of advice for anyone starting on painting or drawing still lives (aka food around here) is to think of the light.

And the lovely Miss May, Alison Drover of Fork in the Field, as well as lots of in season deliciousness for May, also had a crop of sustainable produce inspired, and very easy on the wallet, ideas for making your table and your food look beautiful.

Miss May's mandarins

 

Miss May Alison Drover

Preserve and conserve – yes it is the time for citrus much needed in winter.

Make marmalade, preserve lemons make compote and candied peel.

Find out more about my classes at the Byron Community Centre coming up next weekend

http://issuu.com/echopublications/docs/byroncollege-april-june-2012

 

Planting in May

Miss May says time is running out so get out in the garden and start planting so that you will have the abundance of vegetables through to winter.

Now is the time to plant broccoli, broad beans, beetroot, coriander, cabbages and Asian greens. Visit the Sustain website for a local regional planting guide. http://sustainfood.com.au/index.php?page=grow-what-s-in-season-vegetables.

This is also the time to save seeds from your summer crops so that you have them for the next year. Saving seeds helps safeguard the food security of the plant and is also a great way to ensure that the seeds you sow grow.

 

MANDARIN COMPOTE RECIPE – enough for breakfast for the week

 

· 20 mandarins

· 1 cinnamon quill

· 3 tablespoons raw honey

· 1 sprig thyme

15 ripe and sweet peeled mandarin. Separate them mandarin segments. I did not remove the transparent skin of the mandarin pieces, but I did open them to remove any seeds and to allow for the juice to come out while marinating them. Put the mandarins in a medium saucepan and cover with water marinate for 1 hour. Add honey and thyme, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes, adding water when necessary to keep the mandarins covered at all times.

Remove and serve with yogurt for breakfast cold or warm slightly. The compote can be used as a side serve to a winter pudding or plain cake. You can also vary it by adding apples!

 

 

A big thank you to Karena for the permission to reproduce some pages from her artist’s cookbook, “Produce-d”.  The originals are double page spreads with the basket of produce paintings by Karena on the left, and the recipe on the right.

 

 

from "July" in "Produce-d" by Karena Wynn-Moylan - leeks and mandarins are definitely in season - and following the rose petals on the footpath is usually the easy way to find the Bangalow Farmers Market

 

From "July" in "Produce-d" by Karena Wynn-Moylan

 

From "May" in "Produce-d" By Karena Wynn Moylan

 

 

From "May" in "Produce-d" by Karena Wynn-Moylan. Heather and her family sell tomatoes at the Bangalow and Byron Farmers Markets. They often have seconds which need to be used pretty quickly. This is a great recipe to use whenever the rain gods are a bit rough on the tomato patch.

 

Check out more of Karena’s art on her website (I particularly love the Woodstock turnip from Produce-d).  There is also a recipe by Karena herself in the book.  I haven’t managed to get the pecan pikelets one from her yet – maybe ring her up while Arts Canvass is on (Thursdays 9 to 11 am) and beg her and the rest of the pecan fiends on her street in Bangalow to share with the rest of us – apparently they get together and cook and eat at the drop of a hat, under a big pecan tree in Bangalow.  If your street or neighbourhood does something like that, us bellysisters would love to hear about it.  Meantime, here’s Karena’s lovely sweet potato recipe.

 

KARENA’S SWEET POTATO AND FETA BAKE

 

A good mix of white, purple and orange sweet potatoes

I large onion ( Spanish or purple)

6 cloves of unpeeled garlic

Fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs

Sea salt, ground pepper and Paprika

Feta Cheese

Parsley

 

Peel the potatoes if you wish or just scrub, then chop into bite sized pieces and place in a

large baking dish sprinkled with olive oil.

Add cloves of whole garlic and fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs.

Season with salt and pepper and ground paprika.

Toss together to coat pieces well.

Bake at 200c for about 30 mins or until pieces are slightly crispy.

5 mins before serving add cubed fetta cheese, return to the oven to soften.

To serve squeeze baked garlic over veges and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley

May: mushrooms, mandarins and mystery sounds

on air on Bayfm 99.9 on May 2, 2011


It’s the first belly of May, so as usual we talked about some of the delicious foods in season this month.  Ms May (aka Alison Drover) brought some  cooler weather recipes, she’s been all over Australia to see what’s in season.
It’s also the first belly of a new bayfm 6 month programming season, so I marked the occasion with our first ever mystery sound – so mysterious that nobody rang in – I would have been very surprised if anybody had recognised it in fact.

MMMMMMISS MAY’S MONTHLY ROUNDUP

Seasonal Fruit And Vegetables in Australia in May

Fruits:

apples : bonza – braeburn – cox’s orange pippins – fuji – gala – golden delicious – granny smith – jonagold – jonathan – mutso – pink lady – red delicious – snow – sundowner
bananas, cumquat, custard apple, feijoa,
grapes : purple cornichon – waltham cross,
kiwifruit, lemons, limes,
mandarins, champagne melons,
nuts : chestnut – hazelnut – peanut – walnut,
pears : howell – josephine – packham – red sensation – williams,
persimmon, quince, rhubarb.

Vegetables:

asian greens – bok choy, – choy sum – gai laan – wonga bok,
avocados : fuerte – sharwill,
beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, daikon, eggplant, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, leeks, lettuce,
mushrooms : wild – field – pine – slippery jacks,
okra, olives,
onions : brown – spring,
parsnip, peas, potato, pumpkin, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, squash, swede, sweet potato, taro, tomato, turnip, witlof, zucchini.

MANDARIN CAKE

makes one 24 cm cake, serves 10 – 12

3 mandarins
250g (1 cup) caster sugar
6 eggs
230g (2 cups) ground almonds
to serve
60g (¼ cup) caster sugar
zest of 2 oranges

This is a great cake and ideal for all those that  need gluten and wheat free. It is a cake that not only tastes good but the vibrancy of the orange mandarins  that make it look so good. I often decorate it with nasturtium flowers and serve yogurt with it.

Put the mandarins in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours, adding water when necessary to keep the mandarins covered at all times.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas 3).  Grease a 24 cm (9 inch) springform cake tin well.
Drain the mandarins and cool to room temperature.  Once cooled, split them open with your hands and remove any seeds.  Puree the mandarins, including the skins, in a food processor.  Add the sugar and eggs and mix together until combined.  Add the ground almonds to the mandarin purée and stir thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the cake looks set in the middle, springs back when touched and comes away from the edges.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.
While the cake is cooling, put the extra sugar in a saucepan with 60 ml (¼ cup) of water over a low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Add the orange zest and boil the mixture until it just starts to caramelise.  Lift the zest out with a fork and cool it on a plate.
Serve the cake with caramelised citrus zest and a sprinkling of icing sugar.

MUSHROOM BREAD SOUP

This is an easy mushroom soup. May is a time that mushrooms grow well as the temperature is cooling down. Visit your local farmer market and see what is growing and be adventurous. With your mushroom types.

500g mushrooms – try to buy from Farmers Market as you will taste the difference in flavor and be sure to find varieties that provide all the wonderful textures.
4 cups chicken stock
2 slices sourdough bread, crusts removed

Simmer sliced mushrooms in stock with bread for 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Blend soup and season to taste. Garnish with chives and creme fraiche.

VEGETABLE STOCK

Celery stalks, coarsely chopped
Carrots coarsely chopped
Leeks white parts only, coarsely chopped
Onion coarsely chopped
Garlic cloves bruised
White peppercorns
Bouquet garni – this is a mixture of herbs used to flavour the stock. You can make this easily by using parsley stalks, thyme sprigs, rosemary, bay leaf, clove of garlic and tying them together so they are enclosed in a piece of muslin. The bag of herbs is placed in the stock and removed afterwards.

For vegetable stock, combine ingredients in a saucepan and add bouquet garni. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and lightly simmer, skimming occasionally until stock is flavoured (30-40 minutes). Remove from heat, strain through a muslin-lined fine sieve (discard solids). Cool to room temperature then refrigerate stock until chilled (2-4 hours). Makes about 2 litres. Stock will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to several months

PLANTING IN MAY

Miss May says time is running out so get out in the garden and start planting so that you will have the abundance of vegetables through to winter.
Now is the time to plant broccoli, broad beans, beetroot, coriander, cabbages and Asian greens. Visit the Sustain Food website for a local regional planting guide. http://sustainfood.com.au/index.php?page=grow-what-s-in-season-vegetables.

This is also the time to save seeds from your summer crops so that you have them for the next year. Saving seeds helps safeguard the food security of the plant and is also a great way to ensure that the seeds you sow grow.
I have some heritage tomato seeds that my neighbour gave to me in Sydney and she has had them for over 30years. They grow and are so resistant and produce the juiciest tomatoes.

Alison Drover a.k.a. Miss May

 

THE MANDARIN POEM

Yes the beautiful mandarin, loved in China for many centuries as much for its scent as for its taste.  This is a poem about the first mandarin of the season being presented at the imperial palace.

LIU HSUN  – AD 462 -521

On the morning of the first frost,

the gardener plucks and presents it;

its perfume extends to all the seats of the guests,

when opened, its fragrant mist spurts upon the people.

 

THE MYSTERY SOUND

Apologies to anyone who thought their radio was broken – the mystery sound was very odd

If you’d like to listen, go to

http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2010/06/25/listening-to-snapping-shrimp/

and for sound + good explanation

http://www.ieee-uffc.org/ultrasonics/symposia/2003/hawaii03/plenary_session.html

The loudest sound under the sea, would you believe, is prawns, or shrimp – usually called snapping shrimp.  They make a sound that can be over 200 decibels, louder than a jumbo taking off.  They use the sound for hunting, to stun their prey.  They are very common in sub-tropical waters, and they are spreading with warming seas, so don’t be surprised if your bucket of prawns makes strange noises.

If you know of any other edible animals (or plants!) that make odd noises, or you have a good cooking sound that doesn’t just sound like static and would be good for a guessing game, please send it to the bellysisters.  Next time I will try to organise a prize for the first correct guess.  Of course the glory is probably enough.

Love and chocolate covered prawns,  sister T

MUSIC

Bellydance, Undercover (with ya lover)

James Grehan, Miss Mayhem

the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, a bunch of whales and dolphins, Jean-Pierre Jacquillat conducting, Danse Lente, from Trois Danses by Durufle’

Burt Bacharach, Another spring will rise

Keren Ann, the end of May

Bianca Meier, Walk the earth