Violet Syrup

the 'dog violet'

after recently bumping into a recipe online for violet syrup (see the 'life's a lasagne' blog, here), I gave it a go myself. there's quite a few clumps of violets growing in the hedges around my garden so I didn't have to travel too far. If you are planning on making this recipe it does take quite a lot of flower to make 1 cup (240ml) of syrup.

 

if only for the colour itself it's worth making this vibrant syrup. it's apparently that's what I made it for too. I found out after smelling my syrup that it didn't smell much of violets at all! I discovered the violets I used were 'dog violets' which don't really smell at all. oops! the fragrant variety is called 'sweet violet' and bears a yellow centre. that's the violet to use for this recipe, so I did the leg work for you! now you know.

 

i'm planning on devising a cocktail with my syrup so stay tuned for the follow up post to this one. possibly a violet prosecco cocktail? I mean, whats better than after a good day in the garden than a refreshing drink? a partially foraged one.

after steeping for 1 day in water, the colour has bled out of the flowers

the finished syrup

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Violet Syrup

makes 1 cup (240ml)

1/2 cup (120ml)sweet violet flowers
1/2 cup (120ml)boiling water
1/2 cup (120ml)caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

• place your flowers in a heat proof bowl
• pour the 1/2 cup of boiling water over the flowers
• cover for 24 hours
• strain the flowers from the liquid with a fine mesh strainer or a sieve lined with muslin
• place liquid in a small sauce pan and add lemon juice
• bring just to the boil and add the sugar, stir until dissolved
• pour the hot syrup into a sterilized jam jar and seal tightly. let cool
• store in the refrigerator

Green Garlic Dressing

purple sprouting broccoli shoots, kale buds, pea shoots, ruby steaks mustard, baby kale, green garlic and chive

its hard to believe that yesterday was the first day I got a whole salad out of the garden. everything seems a month behind at the moment, the spuds only just got their heads in gear, the over wintered cabbages are yet to form heads (will they?) and my peas just poked through the soil a week ago.

 

the salad bed (from bottom left to top right): easter egg radish (with mixed leaves to follow), ruby streaks mustard, garlic, little gem, garlic, beetroot, snow pea and ruby streaks mustard

this year I took a page out of joy larkom's creative vegetable gardening book and planted my salad bed with contrasting colours and texture, as well as planting the rows on the diagonal for visual interest. as you can see from the above picture its still has a bit more to fill out but the idea is starting to shape out.

 



a small garlic shoot for thining and using as green garlic

I only recently learned about green garlic (a.k.a wet garlic) as an ingredient. before the garlic reaches maturity the whole bulb and stem can be used, I picked mine very early as a thinning measure. its great in soups, dressings and marinades. the flavour is more subtle than mature garlic lacking the strong spicy edge. think: chives but better.

 



green garlic

the great thing about growing garlic yourself is a) its super easy and b) you can have a go with green garlic in the kitchen. (I've only seen it one or twice in the green grocers ) the use of green garlic is starting to pop up more in cookbooks and restaurants lately, so if you don't grow you're own you might see it popping up at a good green grocers soon. 

 

 

among the usual mixed baby leaf mix I've sown a few specialty lettuces and greens in my salad bed. the ruby streaks mustard has a nice spicy kick to it. contrasted by the snow pea, which is grown for its sweet tender shoots. I also threw in a row of little gems which I prefer to the larger cos lettuce, I find it hard to beat I nice crunchy lettuce leaf, i'm looking forward to cooking with the little gems too!

 

my purple sprouting broccoli just started going to flower, which is great because the flowers work well in salads too, the shoots seem to get more delicate and leggy  just before they bloom too.



i'm not claiming to be a tidy cook!


for this green garlic dressing I went for a lemon based vinaigrette to add freshness to the garlicky pong of the green garlic. its a standard 1:3 ratio dressing, 1 part acid to 3 parts oil. with a small dollop of dijon mustard to emulsify everything together. the dressing will keep for a good while sealed in its jar in the fridge, try using it to toss cooked broccoli or carrots with before serving, or substitute the creamy dressing in a potato salad.



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Green Garlic Dressing

makes 1 cup (240ml)

2 tablespoons finely minced green garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• place all the ingredients in a jam jar with a sealed lid
• shake thoroughly until emulsified
• serve
• store any remaining dressing sealed in the fridge for a week or two

Smoked Butter

yes it's true! smoking butter at home is quite simple. you need a metal box with large-ish holes punched in it, wood chips, a pot with tight fitting lid, a plate and some butter. I saw this recipe first in the Lark cookbook. (to read the FWDR review on the book click, here.) it instantly got my attention, the chefs at Lark were equally as inspired by the NOMA Cookbook, where they first discovered smoking butter.

 



smoking butter is such a great and simple idea - we smoke cheese, why not butter? it adds a lovely flavour to country bread and is great tossed with steamed veggies, you can make a killer beurre blanc sauce with it too, as they do in the Lark Cookbook.

my attempt at smoking butter was a bit of trial and error. I used fine oak shavings my carpenter friend gave me, the recipe first called for chips. I used a roses tin for the smoke box. which I needed to make the holes a bit bigger. i'd say half a centimetre would have been best.

 



Cookbook Review- Lark: Cooking Against the Grain

Lark: Cooking Against the Grain by John Sundstrom, (head chef of Lark, Seattle) was recently gifted to me by my good friends back in Seattle. Lark first opened its doors in 2003. before then  john sundstrom worked in the acclaimed seattle restaurant: the Dahlia Lounge as well as being head chef at Earth & Ocean in the W hotel, Seattle.  John has been featured on the Food Network’s “Best of“ Show as well as ”Food Nation”. Also John was featured in the PBS original series “Chefs a-field”, which was nominated for a James Beard Award. John was named “Best Chef Northwest” by the James Beard Foundation. john sundstrom obviously knows what's up with food.

 

after working in the food industry for a number of years myself and discovering how hard it can be to run a business, i swore i'd never want to open my own place. while reading this wonderful cookbook i was won over by the romance of running a restaurant, selecting quality ingredients (local and from afar), cooking them with care and then sharing the bounty of great food with others. food with a story. i then began to have second thought sof my own. I've come to my senses since, but the power of this cookbook is still there. every time i open it i see something i missed the last time, its held its place by the bed for some weeks now. most books last a few nights if their lucky! 

 

the book itself is organised into seasons, the pacific northwest is generally a mild climate and lacks a real wintery cold period, much like Ireland. so, John Sundstrom breaks the seasons into three distinct categories: Mist (nov-march), Evergreen (april-july and Bounty (aug-oct). the menu at Lark changes weekly depending on whats available and at its peak from vegetables, foraged food, whole pigs, lamb and cheeses. with this in mind the book is not entirely devoted to staying local. how can you beat real parmigiano reggiano, anyway? some great foods are just worth the air miles.

i was absolutely sold on the book when i came across this recipe with smoked butter, prawns and Brussels sprout leaves. smoked butter? yes! in a sauce? wow. the books recipes are clearly written along with encouragement to mix and match the recipes to your liking and what you have in season at your given time.

i love the emphasis on vegetables as a main ingredient, a trend that is getting stronger as of late in the food world. veg isn't just a second thought on the table, its in the spotlight. just look at this yummy plate of beetroot three ways, cooked, pickled and raw. heaven.

Homemade Chicken Stock

chicken bones, carrots, celery, garlic, cheese rinds, herb stalks, and cauliflower stems

homemade chicken stock is a great thing to make when you've got extra bits left over from dinner. i'm sure many of you have made chicken stock before at home and know the joys and the world of difference it can make to your own home cooking.

throw in some onion and a couple bay leaves and your in business the 'stock market'!

i don't have a specific recipe and really its just scraps thrown into a pot and covered with water. one thing that really makes the stock special is the addition of cheese rinds, the ends of hard cheeses like parmesean are great to throw into stock. the dried out ends seem to and an extra savoury depth, without melting too much and getting all gooey. so, next time you have some hard cheesey bits left over just throw them in the freezer for your next batch of chicken or veg stock.

simmer for two hours, strain out the bits and you're done!

the consensus with stock is to always use the holy trinity of veg: carrots, celery and onions. from there its all up to you! once your chicken stock has finished cooking and cooled down you can store it in the fridge or in the freezer till needed.

Rhubarb Jelly Doughnuts with Lavender Sugar

 

here's another spirit lifting recipe for those of you experiencing this crazy 'spring' weather. its been mostly windy and rainy the past week, but the soil has warmed up. there's new life emerging in the raised beds at last! all the garlic is up with some radish, beetroot and frilly red mustard, too. we are also due for the hatching of some new chicks, from our lavender pekin bantams. so these doughnuts are also a little tribute to them, too.

is spring here, yet? it better be!

 

 

i wanted to call these dough nuts: 'rainy day rhubarb doughnuts' because they are perfect for a rainy day afternoon spent in the kitchen. these doughnuts may seem tricky to make but with a a couple hours, a few basic ingredients and tools - you'll be in jelly filled doughnut heaven. i've always wanted to make jelly doughnuts, mainly because im a sucker for deep fried foods, and who isn't? (i even tried beer battered bacon once!) but also because a good jelly doughnut is complete bliss and as it turns out - very obtainable in the home kitchen.

i couldn't wait to put rhubarb on the blog, either. after the winter we've had its a welcomed bit of colour and tang to the gardener's kitchen! im fortunate to always have friends or family who grow rhubarb, so i've never planted my own crowns. the crowns take a year or so to establish before harvesting, which doesn't really fit into a semi-nomadic lifestyle. but saying so, every working veg patch should have a couple rhubarb plants, for a 'hungry gap' fruit boost. maybe this is my year to plant my own?

this recipe is completely from scratch, all the way to making the rhubarb jelly filling. but you could use any jelly or jam you have in the house, just beat it a bit before piping into the fluffy doughnuts. the lavender sugar coating is super easy to blend up, so give it a whirl. but if you don't have lavender buds plain sugar will do! or maybe a different herb (i.e: rosemary or thyme)?  the lavender has a calming effect for when you really want to be outside but the weather won't allow it.

doughnuts as medicine? why not!

 

Garden Layout for 2013

a look back at 2012's plants, the spuds on the right created a lovely wind break from prevailing sea winds. i'm going to try and contain them more this year, some vines reached around 6 feet!

Garden Layout 2013:

this is my new garden layout for the coming season. im trying my best to incorporate a bit of 'no-dig' practices and proper crop rotation. im failing a bit with the rotation side of things, so i'll incorporate more nutrients into the soil with homemade seaweed/nettle/comfrey fertilizers and well rotted manure. rotation has been a bit difficult, since im trying to place contrasting colours and textures together in my planting. im excited to get the plants going and i have plans for putting up a wooden arbour over the central seating area, for sweet peas and vines! im also trying to add height to the garden with wooden pea/bean wig wams and creating a useful wind break on the left side of the garden with broad beans and orache.