by Syd Pemberton

Potato gnocchi are perfect to serve with rich stews, or make a delicious entree served with burnt butter sauce.

Potato Gnocchi

600g even sized waxy potatoes, such as desiree

150g plain flour, approximately

Cook unpeeled potatoes in simmering salted water until tender. Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel and pass through a mouli or a ricer.

Place potato on bench, season to taste, add 2/3 of the flour and mix to form a soft dough, adding more flour if necessary.

Divide dough in two, roll each piece into a sausage shape about 2 cm in diameter, and then cut into pieces 3cm long.

Cook gnocchi in batches in simmering salted water until they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in an oiled dish.

Burnt Sage Butter sauce

100g unsalted butter

1 cup sage leaves

Heat the butter in a shallow frying pan over a medium heat, until golden.  Add the sages leaves, and cook until the butter foams and the leaves are crisp.  Spoon the golden brown butter over the gnocchi.

Winter’s festival of citrus continues - such a lovely contrast to those earthy root veggies!  We’ve been parboiling some roughly chopped veggies - jerusalem artichoke, baby beetroot, parsnips and brussels sprouts are the current favourites - and finishing them with a little olive oil and chili on the stove top.  A squeeze of lemon, and presto - a bowl of delicious winter colour.

Cumquats
Grapefruit
Lemons
Limes
Mandarins
Nashi
Oranges (navel and blood)
Pears
Pecans
Pomelo
Quince
Rhubarb
Tangelo

Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Fennel
Jerusalem artichokes
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Silverbeet
Spinach
Swede
Turnips
Witlof

by Syd Pemberton

Cumquats, like Seville oranges, are in season for only a short time, and make one of the most flavoursome marmalades. This recipe makes about 5 x 375g jars.

Ingredients:

1 kgs cumquats

1 litre of water

Sugar (see below for quantity)

Directions

Wash the fruit and thinly slice on a plate to catch any juice and pips.  Tie pips in muslin bag and place into a bowl with the juice, cumquats and water.

Leave overnight in a cool place.

Pour into a preserving pan and gently bring to the boil.  Cook for about 1 hour, then remove from the heat, cool and leave overnight.

Measure liquid and cumquat pulp in a measuring jug.  Add approximately the same amount of sugar to the fruit.  Place in a preserving pan, and slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Cook at a rapid boil until setting point* is reached.  Remove from the heat and pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal.

* 105°C on a sugar thermometer.  If you don’t have one, drop a teaspoon of the marmalade onto a chilled saucer, put it in the fridge to cool enough to touch, then push a finger across it. If the surface wrinkles, it has reached setting point. If not, return to the boil for a further 5 minutes, then test again.

The days are getting longer but the temperature just keeps dropping.  Time to warm up by the stove - and perhaps whip up a batch of marmalade and preserve some of that fabulous citrus while you’re there!

Cumquats
Grapefruit
Lemons
Limes
Mandarins
Nashi
Oranges (navel)
Pecans
Pears
Pomelo
Quince
Rhubarb
Tangelo

Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Fennel
Jerusalem artichokes
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Olives
Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Silverbeet
Spinach
Swede
Turnips
Witlof

Winter - what a great time to indulge in comfort food, using the best cool-weather produce from local growers!  Follow up Alison’s parsnip soup with a classic winter dessert like pecan pie or apple and rhubarb crumble, or just tuck into a freshly-cut navel orange… perhaps with a little dark chocolate on the side?

Apples
Grapefruit
Lemons
Limes
Mandarins
Nashi
Oranges (navel)
Pecans
Persimmons
Passionfruit
Pears
Pomelo
Quince
Rhubarb (ok, we know it’s not a fruit.  perhaps we should call this list ‘things you might like to make dessert from’)

Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Fennel
Jerusalem artichokes
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Olives
Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Silverbeet
Spinach
Swede
Sweet potato
Turnips