Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Eating well

Preparing and eating food is a pleasure/passion I enjoy in both my lives.  

"We're eating well" - I say when we have just finished another meal
that looks as good as it tastes, that is well balanced- aroma, flavour, and texture - and leaves us feeling happy and content with our lot in life.  

On the farm, when we have more time to prepare, present and eat our meals, often using our own produce, I seem to be saying those words a lot.
Some highlights from July.

Fried stuffed zucchini flowers, shrimp, green beans and sage leaves
4th July ribs
Peach cobbler and Mark's homemade vanilla icecream 
Left over grilled ribeye made into a salad with a tangy lemon dressing, tomatoes and green beans from our garden

Salade Nicoise - also with our tomatoes and beans

Zucchini, pea and corn saute with farfalle pasta

Roast local pork chop on a corn fritter,  green salad with a mustard thyme dressing and peach mojo
Sunday night's roasted corn risotto

I am looking forward to August

Bon appetit!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Last of the summer corn

Tonight we ate some fresh sweetcorn grown by our friends Steve and Dawn.  
Possibly the last that we will get our hands on this summer.

This recipe for Roasted Corn Risotto is one I have cooked on both sides of the world for a quite a few years.  It is one of my favourites.  The corn's roasted sweetness- slight caramelised, the creamy stock and just cooked arborio rice is a fresh and summery version of a traditional comfort food meal.

I would never have attempted this if it was a hot night - but at 80F with a fresh breeze we have had a perfect afternoon and it tempted me to the stove to stir my rice and stock, accompanied by a glass of a wine - a classic Californian chardonnay. What a match! And perfect later with the risotto.


Our verdict, the last of the summer corn is the sweetest.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Fried Green "Tomay-toes"

Following on from my recent post on local specialties -
I had some fried green tomatoes on my recent trip into Kentucky.  These are a regional specialty of the Southern states.  

The idea of them has appealed to me since I read the book and saw the movie, 
Fried Green Tomatoes (at the Whistle Stop Cafe) many moons ago. 
(Must read/see that again while I am here)

I had them a while back on a visit to Memphis and at the time I felt they were a bit heavy on the oil, without much real flavour.  I thought perhaps that was what green tomatoes must taste like - but it didn't match with what I had read or imagined and I had no interest in tasting an uncooked green tomato.


They are not readily available in Illinois or Missouri so when I saw them on the menu at Shandies in Paducah as Fried Green Tomato Crisps - pickled green tomato with pink peppercorn ranch dressing- I immediately knew I had to have them again.

We shared a plate of these tasty morsels - the tang of the pickling really elevated their flavour, there was a  crunch of, I think, cornmeal in the batter and they were light in spite of being fried and dipped in the dressing. I think the pickling was the key. 

I have been researching recipes and will give them a try soon.  


We have plenty of green tomatoes at the moment.


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

City highlights and a disappointment


A couple of highlights from my road trip to Paducah Kentucky- in case you are ever in the area! 

The stunning impact of the  floodwall that protects the historic downtown from the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers overflowing their banks.  Beautifully rendered painted murals by Robert Dafford cover three blocks and because they are lit at night it was very comfortable to view after the heat of the day.  Each one captures a significant a moment in Paducah's historyI can't stop thinking about the murals and their stories.




It was really interesting, and there was not one bit of graffiti!
Strangely enough the murals were not highlighted on the official Paducah Travel website.

We also enjoyed the National Quilt Museum even though we don't quilt ourselves. 
A wonderful and diverse exhibition of quilts - some over 200 years old and other more modern examples.

I took this photo before I was told that photography was forbidden. 
I don't think my i-phone did any damage.

Some are still being made totally by hand, although this is becoming increasingly rare.  The use of  machines, as well as being quicker has created a whole new style of quilt - which we thought was more like a wall hanging.  I appreciated the hand made quilts more- for their history, the time commitment and talent it takes to make one.  I can't imagine having the concentration and patience to do that, ever.
We treasure a few old quilts here on the farm that Mark's grandmother and other relatives made. 

Check what's open before you go.
According to the Paducah Convention Bureau the town has a thriving arts district, a wide variety of cultural pursuits, rich history, urban cuisine and eclectic accommodations, and  offers an incredible array of experiences.... 



Just not on Sunday and Monday!  
The historic downtown district had what looked like some great restaurants, buildings and stores but deserted on Sunday afternoon - with only one store open, a cafe, and one restaurant open... Monday there were a few more places open, but it was also obvious that many of the shopfronts on the blocks just three back from the river were boarded up - not just closed.


Midweek it may be different as the large convention centre obviously draws people to the city then.


A sign of the struggling economy - but disappointing as a weekend visitor.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Trash or treasure?

Had a quick and enjoyable trip on Sunday/Monday to Paducah Kentucky with my friend Nanci. 
One of the things we like to do together is antiquing.
We are not collectors of any specific collectibles.
We both mostly look for home furnishings and decorator items, we are happy to find a bargain and we know immediately if we step into a store if it is likely to have any treasures for us.
We still quickly look around just in case we spot something hidden- but it is a real pleasure when we enter a store that has creative and thoughtful displays, is clean, the staff are helpful and knowledgeable and it doesn't look like it is a room of junk.

However, we all know that one person's trash is another persons treasure.

This is my treasure from the last two days.


A pressed tin ceiling panel I think will end up on a wall  in the farmhouse.
A watering can for Mark.


My favourite piece - this beautiful old stone bottle.
Late 1800s - early 1900s apparently...
I love it.
The feel of it in my hand, its colour and sheen and history.
I wonder who owned it and where it has been.


A jar that is very similar to the bottle, but not as pretty and a kerosene lamp.
These lamps are available everywhere - but it was a great price, in good condition and I have been looking for one to add to two I already have in the bathroom.

What do you think - is this trash or treasure?


Corn - an update

The temperatures remain high and any slight breeze we get is very dry - it is already 100F in St Louis at 11am.

For crop followers, our corn is speeding towards maturity with these  record high temperatures and no rain.
An updated photo of ears of corn from our fields. 


An update from Mark 
"Due to the heat and dryness anywhere from 5-10 kernels per row that had pollinated, have not filled out and are a total loss. The ear on the left of the tape had great potential but the heat during pollination led to only a handful of kernals on the ear actually pollinating. We will have some corn- many fields in the area are likely near  zero yield and the dairy farmers have been chopping silage for days as the corn is rapidly drying down in the heat"

An update from me
It may be too late to save the corn crop- but I can't wait for the temps to drop and some rain to clear the dust and freshen the garden. I am over this heat.



Sunday, July 22, 2012

Spotted this morning

Seen this morning in a field on the side of the road near our farmhouse.  



We were close enough to count her spots and this beauty didn't even think about leaping away

 So pretty

Friday, July 20, 2012

Pizza night!

It's Friday and we are firing up the wood-fired oven tonight.  


When we are in Sydney and thinking about our outdoor oven here, we have plans to keep it going 24/7.  Sliding bread dough in to bake into crusty loaves, slow roasting meats overnight after cooking pizza, trying new recipes from this new WFO cookbook.
 (This book was our idea but the authors beat us to it.)



I have been here 4 weeks and we have only done pizza once and roasted a couple of chickens.
It has been too hot to think about standing in front of the 700F+ oven!

Tonight we have some friends coming over and thankfully it is cooler today.

The WFO is a great way to entertain - you can prepare all the little dishes of toppings in advance, lay them out, pour the wine and beer and and then get the guests to make a pizza. Easy!

It's a lot of fun and people of all ages seem to enjoy it.


Right now, Mark's dough is rising and I am prepping the toppings.







Some of the toppings options on the menu:

Freshly made tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella  and basil
Sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese and basil
Sauteed kale, caramelised onions, pinenuts and feta
Portobello mushrooms, olives and mozzarella

Will post some pizza photos later tonight.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Another scorcher

Temperatures were heading upwards rapidly as I took myself  off early to do a 5k walk on the Carlyle Dam before a 1k swim this morning. 
Are you impressed?

One of my goals while I am here and have more free time is to up my daily exercise.  
This is proving harder than I thought due to the heat wave.
It is too bloody hot to get out and exercise at any other time of the day for very long- so I am trying to pack it into the early part of the day.

As hot as it is, I keep expecting to see more people swimming at the pool 
during the lap hours from 8-9am.


Not so - this is the pool this morning.

The water is a tad warmer than I generally like - but it still feels great.

Also entertaining - as country music is played loudly throughout my laps.

Back home by 9.30am I have the day ahead of me - these days mostly spent inside in the air conditioning.

I have to say the heat has been very conducive to keeping me focussed on some work projects I  continue to do while I am here. I have had a very productive day.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Summer produce in a drought

Even though our corn crop has been severely affected by the 2012 Cornbelt Drought
 with careful watering of our vege garden we have managed to now have some wonderful summer produce.


  
Some sweetcorn grown by our neighbours and just picked one hour before we cooked it, added to our summer meal tonight.  This specialty crop of sweet corn grown on 1/4 of an acre and looking so much better than our field corn, benefitted from 10,000 gallons of  irrigation.  
Imagine that- unheard of in Australia.  A drought with unlimited water.  
But not obviously, available for wide-sacale farming.
Still...   No water restrictions here.   


In the meantime our dinner tonight included zucchini, the just picked sweet corn and sweet peas from our garden.


Dont worry, you will see more of the tomatoes over the coming weeks/months!

Do you have any special tomato recipes for everyday meals?

Please share.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Unique property for sale


 On my way to town I pass this lovely old church that has been for sale for some time


The Hopewell Methodist Church erected in 1876. 
Its design is very simple, in the style of original and local farmhouses.
It is located on the bend of a pretty road, amongst fields of grain.


Such a positive and hopeful sounding name. 
The worn entry stairs reveal the numbers of people who came through its doors over the years to pray or seeking salvation. 
A place that has good karma, I would think.



I often imagine what it could become in the hands of a new owner.

A great destination farm restaurant -
in the style of those in rural France or Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York state.
It would be patronised by locals but also attract customers from our closest big city, St Louis
and other nearby towns.
A place renowned for long Sunday lunches and special events,  giving people a greater understanding  and connection to the land. 
 It would feature produce from growers and producers in the surrounding area and would have its own vegetable and herb garden as well.
It would serve simply prepared food, in season, in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere and accompanied by good value and quality wine.


I can dream, can't I?

Could it work?  

Or does something like this have to be closer to a big city? 

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Local specialities

Food,  being one of my major interests in life,  is one of the many pleasures I enjoy when travelling to other places. 
I thought it would be fun to do a series on local specialities served here in the Mid West, in Sydney and other destinations I happen to be in.

Starting with a local speciality - on the shelf at Rural King in Illinois.


Somethings take more courage to eat than others.

I am not sure about these. Has anyone tasted them?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Just picked


Fresh from our garden for dinner tonight


The last of the peas, green beans and new tomatoes.

Update:

Salade Nicoise

This was our dinner.

The presentation was from the cookbook  Patricia Wells" Salad as a Meal 

She is one of our favourite cook book authors and the salad was a fresh take on this Provencal classic.

We really liked the separation of the individual components- the vegetables were individually tossed in a light lemon and oil dressing ( I added touch of garlic).

Patricia used fresh tuna, grilled- we do not have that available locally so we tried two types of Trader Joe's canned tuna- the yellow fin and solid white - both in oil.

We liked the yellow fin best- it has more solid pinker chunks as seen on the top of the plate.  It was very similar to our favourite Italian tuna which is readily available in Sydney - Sirena  

The Bandol Bastide Blanche 2011 Rose was a perfect match.

Scary movie material

I see this sign on my drive to town.

I have heard of  trapping animals for a variety of purposes including food, food, wildlife management, hunting and pest control.  It is fairly common in this area.

But "youth"?

Its makes my active imagination run to horror movies, murder and mayhem.

This is the road that the sign directs us to. 

Would you drive down there alone?


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Corn - a reality

The heat has taken a huge toll on the corn crop this year all over the corn belt. We have had 10 days here over 100F- not heard of in our area since 1936. 
The rain here on Sunday was too late to really help.  

Mark picked some samples yesterday from our fields and also from some neighbours

Local corn


Our corn

Normally at this stage of growth it would be looking more like the sample fourth from the left.
Talk on the local radio as I drove to yoga this morning was about the impact this will have on the price of grain for farmers  and subsequently the price of food for consumers.

live with a grain trader, who is always talking about crops.  I know this happens all the time around the world and I am aware of the severe droughts that occur in Australia. It is part of our life there.

However,  living in the country really brings it home.


Would anyone else like to comment on their corn corp?

Friday, July 6, 2012

City v Country Swimming


I am enjoying a swim at the local pool here while the temperatures are high.
I love swimming - in pools, harbours, surf beaches.  
Not lakes so much - although a dip in Carlyle Lake on Tuesday was good once I got past the slimy shoreline.

I like swimming laps best in a pool. 
Once I have got my into my swim groove - the laps click by. 
44 today ie 1,100 yards = 1006 metres! 

Swimming in the country is different than swimming in the city.

It costs less - $1 per visit (compared to $10 in Sydney).
There are less people in the pool - 6 this morning- so no-one is chasing me up the lane or passing.
I feel like extending my swim  because I don't have to rush here or anywhere afterwards.
Although it takes me 15- 20 minutes to drive 10 miles to the pool here it can take the same time to drive 5 miles in Sydney. 
Parking is free.



You can't, unfortunately, get a cappucino.  
Nothing better than a great coffee after a swim for me.

The city view isn't bad either.



Thursday, July 5, 2012

Food on the Fourth


I have often been on the farm for 4th July, and our story was even immortalised a few years ago in St Louis Magazine AT HOME 
(with photos taken by our friend Steve Adams)

Due to different schedules, we haven't had an Independence Day party for a few years. 
This year we planned a celebration based around traditional American food with a multicultural twist that recognised our worldly appetites.

Most of our friends had driven over an hour to get here, so a Bellini - a puree of our white peaches dolloped into a cold flute of Prosecco  - was a very refreshing welcome on a 100+F day.

Appetisers included Manchego and red peppers on crostini, spicy Asian chicken wrapped in iceberg lettuce and garlic shrimp, sizzling from the wood fired oven (WFO).

Photo: Steve Adams
Our main was something we hadn't cooked before in the WFO - baby back ribs. 
I think these are so American and for me symbolise summer here and the 4th July.
We have always wanted to try making them.  I found 2 recipes,  one for a dry rub and one a marinade.
Both were excellent - with only a few bones left on the platter. 
Most people had a favourite- I enjoyed having the two tastes on my plate.
Marcia brought two delicious salads - a lightly pickled cucumber and a peach coleslaw,  I made Jamie Oliver's "mother ship" tomato salad and a basil pesto potato salad.



Photos: Steve Adams
Dessert was my mother-in-laws famous peach cobbler - which I made using our peaches and served with Mark's homemade vanilla ice cream.

Photo: Steve Adams
We could even see some local fireworks in the distance as the night ended.

I wonder if we will ever celebrate Australia's own Independence Day?

These brilliant photos were all taken by Steve Adams and while my post has focussed on the food, his blog has more photos of what we got up to between courses.






Monday, July 2, 2012

Getting ready for 4th July

Really, believe me, I am not one for visible patriotic gestures on either side of the world.

No flags, no bunting or other displays.


However, these three chairs just happen to line up this way each 4th July.

Strange.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

A pergola raising

A big weekend.  
A new addition to the homestead complete in one morning!  
Not without thorough planning by Mark and our friend Walt - who had previously constructed a pergola at his own home and came over with his detailed plans.


 Mark had pre-ordered the materials from a local supplier and they were prepared, ready to go on  Saturday at 6am. 
With forecast temps 106F (or 42C)  they wanted to get an early start, while there was a bit of shade .
By the time Marcia and I got up an hour later the first side was up. 


Our neighbour joined the build, bringing much needed tools.

Another friend came at the end to see what was going on and offer advice.

Q: How many men does it take to build a pergola
A: 2+2
By 2pm it was almost complete - with only the top cross beams to add.

It looks fantastic - beautiful cedar, which will fade to that wonderful grey.
With some landscaping, paving  and vines to be planted - in time we will have much needed shade
and another place to enjoy food and wine closer to our wood-fired oven.

Thank you Walter!