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Our lovely neighbours gave us a pumpkin last week. I love that kind of sharing, when it’s not about getting anything in return, it’s just about doing something nice for someone else, purely for the sake of being nice. I know amazing right?!
The girls and I decided to put that pumpkin to good use by making gnocchi. It’s one of those easy meals to make with kids and they love the prep work; it’s squishy and loads of messy. After a trim and clean the veg is boiled until soft, then mashed and strained if needed. It’s mixed with egg, nutmeg, cheese and flour, kneaded and rolled out into sausages then cut into individual dumplings. It’s so easy to make, and kids will eat it. Heck I reckon they’re likely to eat most things that they’ve had some part in the preparation of, and eventually their plates are clean.
The girls also had a part in the pesto making process.
Around March/April every year we go to these two walnut trees and collect a big basket of walnuts to dry out and to eat as a quick snack or to save for use in cakes and pesto.
A quick mix of rocket, spinach, peccorino, pines nuts and olive oil are mixed with the walnuts and a beaut little pesto is born. If there is one thing my girls like, it’s pesto pasta. And with these little pumpkin gnocchi dumplings the pesto works really well.
Home-grown pumpkin and foraged walnuts. The meal was put together with little effort, the kids were involved. It’s so easy. So why do people complain that it’s too hard and buy pre-made dinners and re-heat them?
I saw this lady at the IGA (Independent Grocery Stores of Australia). She was dressed in gym clothes, sweaty hair and all, it must have been a good workout. It was obvious that she’s trying to look after her body. I spotted her at the frozen food section, she was struggling to make a choice of which Weight Watchers frozen TV dinner to buy. I couldn’t figure out why someone so intent on looking after her health would go and buy frozen food when the fresh vegetable section was only metres away. Have people become too lazy? Or is it a matter of a generation that doesn’t know how to/want to cook for themselves? Maybe someone can enlighten me. Maybe I live in a bubble. But I have two daughters, work a job, do all the same things other busy parents do. So how come I can manage it? I know I’m not a perfect Dad but I try to give the kids real whole foods.
Whole Larder Love 
What’s the recipe!?
Too true mate. I own a home brew shop, Brewers Choice, in the Yarra Valley. I see guys every day leaving the supermarket with a slab of beer. On the dole and buying crap beer. You can make much better beer for around $9 a slab brewing your own. Check out MY website http://www.brewerschoice.net.au
I think the part about not wanting or knowing how to cook is definately true.
I think that alot of people know on some level that readymade from the supermarket is not necessarily the best way to go but wanting to change and being willing to embrace that change is just too hard – especially if that is all you have ever known.Me – I love the fact that each member of our family loves getting into the kitchen to help or prepare dinner based around whats fresh from the garden from hubby and I down to our 6 year old.
Looks delicious! Can we please have a recipe for the gnocchi? I think my 1.5 year old would love it, she’s really keen on pumpkin and little things she can feed herself. Think I’ll head out to the local farmer’s roadside stall now and grab a fresh pumpkin! :-)
ro, darl, don’t forget that, for many people, there are other good things that fill the parts of their brain that eating well does for you and i. take my best friend. hates cooking with a passion, but fights for human rights all day long, so i figure that her quick, somewhat joyless (to me) meals are perfectly justifiable.
at (almost) 41, i know for a fact that i am part of the last generation of people whose parents cooked regularly from scratch, and while that saddens me, it is something to think on. i think sue is on to something – that change is tricky for some.
things are changing, though. at least in the middle class. hmm.
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I understand what you’re saying. I know that there is a reason why people eat what they do. Sometimes I wonder if we where to put the food issue aside and looked at our general approach to life, I think we’d find there are other facets of daily living that are treated in the same way we treat our food (in the context that we go for the easy ‘convenient’ option). Entertainment for example. The easy option is the telly or the game station. In fact I wonder if the reason we have so much time to be entertained is because our lives aren’t so much busy with tasks to survive but freed up with conveniences? I don’t know really. I’m just spit balling here.
I’m not sure there is any real lifestyle out there that couldn’t allow for simple cooked whole foods, really it’s not hard to boil some pasta and pop in some broccoli and grate over some cheese? There will always be plenty of people that will disagree with me and I accept that. Yesterday I admit I spent an hour cooking a mushroom risotto for dinner (feed 2 adults, 4 kids with two left over serves) and my big weekly bean and greens cook up that feeds me for breakfast each morning. I guess my ‘convenient’ food has a bit of planning put into it. Which isn’t for everyone. But I just think that if I can do it, when I work so much and I have kids to look after and a place to manage then I can’t see why other people can’t also make it a priority. Am I being too strict? I’m too hard line aren’t I?
no way, ro, are you too strict, nor are you too hard line. it’s just about priorities in people’s lives, and largely, it is about what they themselves were brought up to learn to prioritise as small people.
my mum cooked with love, but i went to school with people whose mothers were 1970’s femminsts, determined to not be chained (however lovingly mine was) to domesticity as their mothers were. those friends did not (and do not, now) view cooking as anything other than a drudge, and it’s fascinating stuff to me.
completely agree that broccoli and pasta is simple, nourishing fare – nothing more straightforward and divine in my book – and that re-scheduling downtime (gawd, what a nasty phrase that is, sorry) to include prepping for the week repays in spades, but sometimes, people can’t see that or don’t even really know where to start. it’s a great conversation to be having, but here, in your beautifully designed space, where we all agree amiably with one another as we’re all grokking the same back-to-the-land dream, everything is slightly (and I mean this in a good, deeply flattering way) skewed.
a shift to people’s general approach to life – A-MEN to that, ro. that is what, by showing the simple spoils of it all, we can maybe do to change that mindset in others, but it’s a slog sometimes…
You make a great deal of sense for an almost 41 year old ;-)
Lucy, I couldn’t agree more with everything you’ve said – your response is half optimism, half realism, and a whole lot of sense. Rohan, I think your ethos is incredibly inspiring (which is why I follow your blog) – but it’s not for everyone. People lead very different lives informed by very different priorities. Likewise, different things bring different people joy and comfort. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way per se – but rather a right and wrong way for every individual (same holds for your recent post about ‘stuff’). You’ve clearly found the way of life that works for you, and that’s fantastic. Ultimately though, to each their own, right?
I think life experience changes people. We had our first child 7 months ago and by wanting the best for him we’ve assessed what we cook and eat for ourselves. We try to buy organic as much as possible or as price allows, and if not, as fresh as possible. Sometimes it takes a fresh perspective in order to realise what is best for us.
Hey Mitch, that’s an interesting result. It’s great to hear the experience has brought about some positive changes!!
Well I slow cooked a lamb shoulder for 2.5 hrs on Saturday (hung over mind you). The last night I made ‘proper’ Shepherd’s Pie (Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe from his Meat recipe book). Now today I’m eating it for lunch at work.
1 lamb shoulder = $18. Plus some potatoes and pantry staples. Feeds 2 people for 3 days.
I wholeheartedly agree Ro, it’s sad but I just learn to accept people’s foibles and just focus on me, my family and those around me I can hopefully inspire to eat well.
Dec
Can you mail me down a serve of that pie? I’kk eat it out in the field wearing my Barbour
I would if I could mate. I have this neat Barbour shoulder satchel at home in the cupboard that I don’t use so I could package it up in that. Might be a bit squishy though :-(
Send me the satchel by itself thanks!!!!
You’re doin it right and setting an awesome example for your girls. When folks say they don’t have the time, I think they don’t know how easy it is and how the satisfaction factor increases dramatically with scratch work.
Thanks Leslie!!!!!
Somehow media has convinced people that convenience only comes in a packet. Omelettes or frittata are my ‘convenience’ food.
It is rediculous isn’t it!
Its the same with lunch box foods. How do families afford to buy all that packaged food. Whats wrong with a dicing cheese yourself or scooping yoghurt into a re-useable container? And can’t fruit be just that – a simple piece of fruit (rather than a roll-up or in a tub of syrup).
I know…the kid thing is ridiculous! I saw a cereal packet the other day that had a ‘mums checklist’ with all the ‘benefits’ for her kids, gluten free, sugar free, real food free etc.
It’s like ‘we’ have become so stupid we need to be told in print what to do in regards to feeding our kids. Sure I give my kids treats, but on the whole I try to feed them good whole foods.
You’re so right with the convenience foods. Tortilla is my convenience food. Like an omelet it’s super easy and can be stored in the fridge for a sneaky snack. Eggs, Spuds and onions. It’s not Rocket Surgery.
We have found baking the pumpkin or potatoe prior to making the pasta dough makes for a far less sticky end product and in pumpkins case the baked flavours are delicious!
Yeah it depends on which variety though. I started baking the veg for gnocchi then moved to boiling.
But with some spuds the best way is to bake them with skins on, and then scoop out the fluffy inside….that stuff is gold!!!
Lots of wisdom from everyone here.
I took away a quote from Michael Pollen last Sunday night at the Town Hall ‘To take back power, cook for yourself’
Yep! And grow it!
No mate you’re not in a bubble. There’a a few of us out there. But where you’re coming from and I and I suspect many people who follow your blog is a place where you have an interest in food. You may have inherited it from a simpler time, I from a necessity to cook for myself and a love of good food and strong flavours. I’ve never met your gym girl but she may have never been exposed to the simple pleasure and ease of uncomplicated cooking or eaten well in her home life. And some people just don’t like cooking.
I think your kids and mine and many others who are exposed to gardening and cooking and doing things for themselves will find this way normal and whatever their future be it an accountant in the big smoke or a plumber they will know how to feed themselves and to do it well and it won’t be an effort or an impost on convenience. It will be just normal. And i believe they’ll be better for it.
I’m inclined to think that programmes like ‘Masterchef’ and crazy cookbooks featuring a 1001 exotic ingredients have a lot to answer for. They make people think that they need to put ‘restaurant quality’ food on the table and practice fancy-pants techniques to cook when really there is nothing in the world like good plain cookery. Which is why I carry the CWA Classics and Tasmanian CWA cookbooks in the shop- simple and fresh is truly the best.
On that note I must admit I am a very lazy cook these days- I am all for the convenience of egg!- but I buy as good as I can get in my basics. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring or shit, in fact I think that is when each little bit sings. That pumpkin gnocchi would be heaven with just parmesan and a nob of butter… so good!
oh! and I had the funniest experience overhearing two 20 year olds in the shop one Saturday
‘when I move out of home I’m going to buy lots of cookbooks and work my way through each recipe’
had me wondering who was doing the cooking at home and why she had to wait until she moved out…….
My 13 year old nephew told me at Xmas he was going to take cooking at school this year as he felt it was a damn fine skill to have under his belt. I smiled in joy.
could it just be that you don’t see those of us who are at home, prior to dinner time, cooking beautiful wholesome food {from scratch} for our family… we’re not standing in the supermarket aisle, we’re at home, out of sight and out of mind, but happy living in our simple way none-the-less. my point is, i think that there are plenty of people living the way that you are, it’s just not so visible.
I went to see Michael Pollan talk the other night – I think his book “In Defense of Food” & “Food Rules” have the answer to your questions…it’s about convenience and the fact that that fridge from of frozen diet meals seems healthier than “real food” as it’s plastered with the words “low-fat” etc. Sadly it’s the Western Diet. Food is no longer food, it’s low fat this or low calorie that.
You’re lucky that you get to roam the woods and forage. I don’t get to do that in my Sydney flat (I do have a small balcony garden but it certainly wouldn’t see me through the winter)…nor do I have loads of time to cook with over 2 hours commuting to work each day.
It’s really only recently that I’ve started making more things from scratch, that I’ve become more interested in “real food”…and that’s because of blogs like yours and reading books like Michael Pollan’s.
I’d love see recipes for the gnocchi and the pesto. Both seem very simple to make (or will they be in your book)?
I think that if people approached their meals, their relationships, their own selves the way you approach food Rohan, we’d probably all be a much more content and peaceful lot! It’s meditative to consider each part of the process of feeding ourselves and our families – we learn to value our connectedness to the bigger world…
Love the blog – there’s lots of us in similar bubbles!!
“So why do people complain that it’s too hard and buy pre-made dinners and re-heat them?”
Coz they’ve had the life sucked out of them and they just don’t give a flying feck?
I have a real love / hate relationship with your blog – I love the recipes, photography and ethos, but much of your writing is so brazenly smug and naive! Just so you know – yes, you do live in a bubble. I think your joyful outlook is wonderful, but a reality check would help you to preach to more than just the converted.
I’ve never really been called brazenly smug before.
i think some people (who count calories) don’t like fresh food as there isn’t a calorie value assigned to it, so they don’t know how to count it in their diet. crazy but true!
What a great recipe to make with your kiddos! I just stumbled on your blog and really enjoy it so far! If everyone could take a step back from the hustle and bustle of our “modern” lifestyles perhaps we could start enjoying some of the simple pleasures again like cooking with our families in the kitchen. Here’s a gnocchi recipe I made for Thanksgiving, it turned out delicious. Thought I’d share! http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/2010/10/gnocchi-mac-cheese.html
Last weekend, I spent the day at a jam-making & canning demo at a local farmer’s market here in New York state. A friend of mine has a small jam business and she offered her services (for free!) to make a couple of batches of jam using local fruit from vendors at the market, in an effort to show people how easy it is, and drum up sales of local fruit. (I was there as moral support and an extra pair of hands.)
We made a black currant jam and a blueberry lemon. The black currant was the star of the show: the berry itself is so amazing, rich, savory, complex, that simply combining it with sugar and cooking it down yields an intense, flavorful jam. I can’t tell you how many people asked to buy the jam: nearly everyone who tried it. But we couldn’t, according to the rules of the market, sell the jam: only offer free tastes. However, the farmer selling the very same black currants was just two stalls down, and we kept pointing out his fresh black currants and saying, “You could pick some up and make it at home.” Even with an in-person demonstration, a printed recipe card, and fresh ingredients steps away, the look on someone’s face when we told them to make jam at home! It was astonishing. They were taken aback, shocked even; there were some Looney Tunes-quality double-takes, huge eyes, and the body language was amazing; people literally backing away, hands up defensively, eyes turned down and away.
It was an education. So yes, I think that those of us who care about what we eat, and who are not only not afraid, but are inspired or excited by homemade food, ARE living in a bubble of sorts. At least it’s a very tasty bubble.
Just putting my hand up as a busy 25 year old who loves nothing more then spending time cooking from scratch – we do exist! (and those younger than me exist as well)
My friends are always commenting on my cooking and wondering how I find the time. My answer is I make time because I love it. The whole process of preparing food is a joy for me. I guess it’s not that important for other people – everyone has different priorities. Luckily I’ve also got a very unfussy partner who will try anything I put in front of him. He is also in charge of growing our garden so it’s a prime example of teamwork. For me, the simple pleasure of eating something that I have cooked straight from the garden is the height of perfection. I love that some nights I will walk in to the garden without a plan for dinner, see what is ready and come out with a meal.
Since growing our own I’ve come to love the process more and more, and I now can’t eat some things from the supermarket because they just don’t taste anywhere near as good. I guess it’s also the awareness and connection to the food that we have. I’m currently trying to find new ways to source meat – there’s a lot of sharing in my family so if Mum gets a deer from a hunting friend or goes fishing we inevitably are given some trout or venison. In return I pass on my chutneys and jams, and my disappearing pickles that never seem to be around long enough for me to eat.
I’m nowhere near perfect, and there are nights I simply don’t have the energy to cook, but I’m doing what I can and working towards my ideal. I’ve been reading your blog for a little while now, and I love your photos and stories. Makes me want to live out of town and off the land more and more.
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That looks delicious, I’ve never thought of making gnocchi with pumpkin. What an interesting thread, too. I don’t think it’s that you live in a bubble, or that people are necessarily lazier nowadays. I am sure, though, that not everybody has had the good fortune to have been exposed to the type of childhood you enjoyed (I’m guessing). Exposure is a wonderful thing, and I am so glad that our own kids have had the opportunity to go on foraging expeditions, to fish during their holidays, and that I’ve had the luxury of time to turn those ingredients into home-cooked meals. My teen enjoys catching, filleting and cooking his own fish, and that’s because he’s grown up seeing people around him doing those things. For him, they’re normal, everyday activities. It’s alien to most of his friends, but they are only too keen to learn when given the opportunity – what teenage boy wouldn’t enjoy a fishing or squidding expedition, and then feasting on their catch? So I think it’s great that you are inviting people into your world (not bubble, that sounds too exclusive!) through this blog.