Inside weather again today.
Spring tends to give us four seasons in one day, with the sun shinning just after a hail storm, ace. At least the garden loves it, rain, sunshine, rain, sunshine, then surprise…rain!
At least it gives me a chance to look over some recent photos, and more importantly cook a nice meal! The Purple Sprouting Broccoli is in full bloom at the moment improving the aesthetics of the patch. We’ve been sharing it with friends and family and eating as much of it as we cane, making the most of it’s short season. If I had more space in my yard I would have staggered my plantings but alas because of space constraints I’m now consuming a lot of broccoli ALL ready NOW! I cooked a Broccoli orecchiette for a lovely ABC Journalist that came to interview me about, well you guessed it….my garden and food philosophy ( I think I damaged her ears with my ranting about how stuffed our food system is….sorry Margi). We had a good chat, and the Broccoli orecchiette was so tasty, a simple fresh meal to make. A stark contrast to the meat fest I cooked for my Dad on fathers day over the weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked lamb cutlets before, but they were pretty divine marinated with their best buds, rosemary, thyme, garlic and olive oil! I served the cutlets with roasted mushrooms topped with my home pickled olive tapenade (an idea I stole from a meal at this place, great food by the way!) I also made some asian lamb bombs, which I realise now I should have just eaten more of and forget about social politness! We don’t often eat lamb, but when we do it’s always appreciated as a real treat.
For my European and American friends, I hope your start to Autumn is spectacular with leaves a changing’ and mushrooms a growin’
For my Aussie mates, get in the bloody garden already!
mad love
I had no idea that there was purple broccoli! looks fantastic, is the taste different? About “American and European friends”, here in Spain we are waiting for the field is full of mushrooms to give a good account of them.
Pick some mushrooms for me Luis!!
That broccoli looks amazing! For all your heartiness, I find it hard you’ve never done cutlets – I’m sure they were a ripper first batch. Your fare incites abnormal meat cravings . . . so cruel when heading out to a pre-planned vegetarian restaurant for dinner. I can always pretend my sate bean curd is a meatball . . .
All my heartiness…..love it!
Actually I rarely cook farmed meat like beef and lamb. But when I do it’s such a taste change from eating wild game!
YUM!!!!!
We’ve had a wet, cool summer this year so it feels like it has arrived just in time to say goodbye. The temperature is in the mid-20s and the sun is bright. The only hint of fall is the salmon in the river.
Jas, thats what we had last summer! I real weak sumer. I’m hoping for a better season this year. We need the sun! Come on SUN!!!
PS. Don’t tease me with “Salmon in the river” talk.
Not fair! ;-)
That looks absolutely amazing, mate! I also didn’t know about the purple broccoli variety. What’s the flavour of it like?
It’s pretty well much like the Green Sprouting variety, just looks amazing raw. When it’s cooked it looses it’s colour a great deal, which really sucks because it’s such a striking colour. I tend to garnish my meals with some raw stuff so we can enjoy the colour, a bit fancy but why not celebrate one of our most beautiful veg!
we got sunshine a-plenty, my friend. if only we had the rain…
Trade ya some yellow zucchini for purple broccoli?!!!
Can’t wait for your cookbook when do you think it will all come together?
Well it’s almost finsihed, the writing stage that is, but the production stage takes a while. Late 2012 is the set release time….
That broccoli orecchiette looks divine – something about those fluffly little bundles of parmesan…
I had five plants of purple sprouting broccoli last year, and though it was a lot for the two of us, I could have even taken more. I’ve got 20 small plants going now; I’ll put in some and give the rest away. I hadn’t grown it before last winter, and I fell heartily in love. Unlike in the UK (and apparently Australia), purple sprouting broccoli is very hard to find here in the US. Most folks have never heard of it. I can’t wait to share my seedlings so people get their own taste. And isn’t is just beautiful?
Ah, lamb. One of the high schools in my district still has an ag problem, despite all the odds to the contrary. We bought a whole lamb from the student who raised the it this summer, and we’ve been in heaven since. It is the queen of meats, so flavorful and unique.
Like everyone else, I’m looking forward to the book!