Cooks' Corner

[Maggi Young]

Maggi - Have you tried arugula pesto?  Made the same as basil but you can add a teaspoon olive paté and you can sub walnuts for pine nuts which seem to be at premium prices these days. Beauty is it lasts so long unfrozen if covered to the surface with saran wrap and refrigerated.  After 3 weeks it is still fine and keeps its colour.  Often have it on gnocchi when on the run.

johnw

 .... not YET!

[Kristl Walek]

Meanwhile, needing to clean seeds of Crataegus shraderiana, I spent some extra time to extract the seeds from the pulp to make some jelly. It tastes like strawberry jell - a little bland for my taste as I like a sharper jelly, but very pretty.

ah, Anne, a woman after my own heart....starting down the seed road a few decades ago, i could not bear to compost all that lovely "pulp" from pommes, berries and fruit when i was cleaning my seed, and this is, how in fact, i learned to make all sorts of wonderful (and odd) concoctions from what would have otherwise become ordinary seed-cleaning debri. Because I eat so much yogurt, my leanings were often towards fruit sauces that were later used to top this.

a bowl of greek yogurt, which is heaven, on its own, topped with some prunus, vaccinium, gaylussacia or rosa....is bliss.

  

[maggiepie]

Not sure how I ended up on the site that had this recipe earlier today but I couldn't resist making it, didn't want to waste my last granny smith.

Giant apple cinnamon pancake.
We have scoffed the lot.
Am feeling a bit queasy as a result.

[Arykana]

and you have dare to eat by yourself? keep it warm, I would be there in a minute

[johnw]

Erika - Clever! Does the silicon mold go in the bottom of the pan?  Meaning the top of the bun is actually the bottom?

I would love to see one of these molds if you have your camera about.

johnw

[Ragged Robin]

Anne, that's a fabulous pot of clear jelly - I think it would have won a prize in a village show 

I love homemade pesto and I know you can use other herbs - in the market herbs are looking really good at the moment and good value so I'm going to try coriander pesto.  Meanwhile, adding walnuts sounds interesting as a change from pine nuts that are also expensive but delicious.

[Lesley Cox]

According to the elderly couple at Otago Farmers' Market who offer a small quantity of pine nuts each year, they have to be harvested and cleaned by hand so it takes a lot of time and effort to produce a very small packet of pine nuts. No doubt in the Mediterranean countries there are more sophisticated ways to preduce them but so far as I know, these at my market are the only NZ pine nuts available. They are sold by Charlie Ell (aged 87) and "The Duchess," his wife, just a couple of years younger.

[Anthony Darby]

Pine nuts are sold in all supermarkets and delicatessens in the UK.

[Arykana]

Erika - Clever! Does the silicon mold go in the bottom of the pan?  Meaning the top of the bun is actually the bottom?

I would love to see one of these molds if you have your camera about.

johnw

like those http://www.lidl.hu/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_hu/hs.xsl/index_13184.htm

[johnw]

Thanks Erika. The one you use gives a very polished and sophisticated look.

johnw

[maggiepie]

Erika, you would have been most welcome.
Saved us from ourselves.  

I have been looking at items at the link you gave for the moulds.
Can't believe how cheap things are compared to here.
2$ Can for a bottle of Italian wine.
Do you know any houses for sale???
Packing my bags.

[Arykana]

here is a nice small house in my neighborhood, if you are ready only 96000 dollars  .but your wage would be only about 440-500 dollárs per a month 

[Lesley Cox]

Pine nuts are sold in all supermarkets and delicatessens in the UK.

They are here too Anthony, but all imported and an astronomical price!

[annew]

The Crataegus seeds are for Kristl, and the jelly is for our village show next year, if there is any left.

[Arykana]

Kristl needs all of the seeds?