Really must try triple ginger pecan biscotti

This recipe has travelled around our neighborhood and having sampled at Rina's house a couple of times I finally managed to get a copy the recipe. For lovers of ginger its worth making a double batch because believe me the biscuit tin won't stay in the cupboard for long. Sorry i can't credit the origins of this recipe but its lovingly written with lots of attention to detail so you cant go wrong. One tip - you can replace walnuts with the pecans.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of fresh ground black pepper

5 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (if you only have salted perhaps reduce the amount of salt)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 Large eggs

1 tablespoon peeled and finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger

1 cup pecans

1. Position two racks near the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 160. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, salt and pepper. set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until well blended about 1min. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping dowm the sides of the bowl as necessary. beat in the fresh ginger and vanilla extract. At a low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. stir in the crystallized ginger and pecans and mix until combined.

4. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and gather it into a disk (the dough will be quite sticky). Divide the dough in half. sprinkle the surface with more flour and shape each piece into a 12 inch log. Transfer the logs to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart (the logs will spread). With the heel of your hand, flatten the logs slightly, until they are 2 inches wide. Place the baking sheet on the upper oven racks and bake for 35mins, or until the logs just start to brown lightly. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 10mins. Reduce the oven temp to 150.

5. Slide a pancake turner under each log to loosen if from the parchment paper. carefully transfer the logs to a cutting surface. Line the baking sheet with clean parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices cut side down and 1/2 inch apart on the two baking trays. Bake for an additional 18 -22 minutes switching the position of the baking sheets halfway through the baking (perhaps even turn the biscuits over) until the biscotti are dry and barely beginning to colour around the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Tomato Sauce for snags 'n stuff

Once you try this recipe you will never bother with store bought sauce again. Its pretty straight forward - throw it all in a pot, cook, wizz and bottle. I make it around this time most years, I keep aside sauce bottles during the year so i when its time i am ready to go. Usually I half the quantities as this seems to make enough to keep us supplied for the year. Thanks once again to Edmonds Sure to Rise Cookery Book.

Tomato Sauce

3.6 Tomatoes

1 litre Vinegar

125gms Salt

1kg Sugar

1 tsp pepper corns, 1tsp Whole Allspice, 25g Cloves in a muslin bag ( i make one by cutting a pice of muslin, place spices in the middle and bundle up with a piece of string that i then tie to the handle of the pot)

1kg Apples

6 Large Onions

1tsp of Cayenne Pepper (if a hot sauce is desired I omit this for ours)

Cut tomatoes, apples and onions. put all ingredients into a heavy based large pot. Boil for 3 hours. Strain through a colander (i just wizz is up with the bar mix) and bottle in sterilized bottles ( place them in the oven 150 for 15mins should be fine).

spicy plum jam and spicy plum chutney!!!

Recently i was quietly thrilled to be invited into the secret garden at the bottom of our road. i walk past on the way to the tram and often wondered how i could gain access to the bounty that I could catch a glimpse of behind the tall wooden fence. My neighbour Nancy dropped by recently and we compared notes on the number of plants going missing from the nature strip or in her case front yard when she mentioned the plums ripening in the garden down the road. It turns out that the block is owned by another neighbour and they allow Nancy and her husband to house their chooks, grow some vegies and pick the fruit etc. The next day Mariana and I were guided through the hole in the fence by one of Nancy's daughter and had some fun filling a bag of little plums. While they weren't much good for eating they made perfect fodder for jam and chutney. I had a feeling there were better recipes than the British inspired standard 1:1 kilo fruit to kilo sugar and came across this recipe at Taste.com which i tried. Vito describes it as for mature tastes so if you need help determining if you are grown up or not give it a go - it is subtly laced with Cinnamon, Annice and black pepper and its delicious!! I also made a spicy plum chutney recipe which i think could be similar to an apricot one i tried before christmas. I will let you know if i manage to track the apricot version because it was the best chutney ever!!! (this is a subtle message to remind my contacts to pursue the recipe for me!)

Plum Jam

Ingredients

• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp anise seeds
• 6 cloves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 dried bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1.25kg white sugar
• 2 kg plums (try amber or blood plums), quartered, stoned
• 1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice

Method

1. Place a couple of small saucers in the freezer to chill. Place spices, bay leaves, wine and 1 cup sugar in a large, wide, heavy-based saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave to cool. When cool, strain though a fine sieve over a bowl.

2. Return strained syrup to pan with 1 cup water and plums. Bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low-medium heat for 35 minutes.

3. Uncover pan. Add lemon juice and remaining sugar. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, skimming any scum from top, for 45-50 minutes or until jam jells when tested. To test, place a small spoonful on a chilled saucer then return to freezer for 1 minute. Run your finger through chilled jam; it should be the consistency of honey and wrinkle slightly when pushed. Once at this stage, pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.

Spicy Plum Chutney

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cut up pieces of plums, pits removed, skins left on
• 3 lemons, cut into small pieces, seeds removed
• juice from 3 more lemons
• 1-2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated (a microplane works great)
• 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups brown sugar
• Throw everything except the sugar in a sauce pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit starts to soften.dd sugar and cook until it thickens to a consistency you like. Soft enough to dip apapadum piece in it is a good goal. Remove cinnamon stick after cooking.
• thanks to www.evilmadscientist.com for this recipe

splendus hibisicus

Shame i didn't take a photo of this earlier in the day, such a beautiful apricot colour. We haven't had many flowering plants in the garden until recently we made room by removing a Wattle that was past its best. We are trying a few native hibiscus as a screen to soften the front fence. This one is call Hibiscus splendens x heterophyllus, not sure if being hybrid disqualifies it from being strictly called a native? Happy to be advised

Sour dough Bread

I had fun making this bread recipe over the weekend. It's quite a long involved process but overall the results were well worth the effort. I am not sure of the origins of this recipe, however the recipe and sourdough starter were given to me by my friend Rina and i believe a friend of hers from Gippsland passed it on to her. I have made my own sour dough starters in the past by adding water to a quantity of flour (whole meal organic best for this) although this one was quite firm more like play dough consistency. i am happy to build up my starter and share if any one is interested.

Sourdough Instructions

Feeding

let starter sit for 1 hour at room temp (20 degrees C)

To 50g starter at 50g flour and 25g water.

mix and briefly knead into a stiff smooth dough

Note do not use tap water as it may kill the starter

Sourdough Recipe

Step 1 6 -8 hrs Friday Morning

Tear off 25g starter and break into pieces

Mix in 50 g flour and 25 g water. Mix until all the flour is absorbed. Knead for 2 mins.

Lightly cover with oil and leave to rise 6-8 hrs ideally at 25 degrees C.

Step 2 6 -8 hrs Friday Afternoon

To the 100 g of starter add 200g flour and 100 g water

mix and knead as for step 1

leave to rise for 6 - 8

Note you can leave up to 20hrs before the next step. leave in the fridge and then bring back to room temp before use.

Step 3 1 + 1+4 hours saturday morning

Tear off 300g of starter

Break into pieces and then add 300g of water (tepid)

Add 400g flour and 12g salt (you can also add 1 dessert sp of sugar to assist yeast)

mix and knead for 5 mins - the dough will be very sticky, you may need to add a little extra flour, try not to add too much

- you can add 150g of dried fruit, nuts etc at this stage

Rest for 20 mins then knead again for 5 - 10 mins

Oil and cover for 1 hr

deflate and give 2 business letter turns and let rise another hour

defate and give 2 business letter turns then let rise 4-5 hrs

Step 4 3 -4 hours Saturday Afternoon

Shape and let rise 3-4 hours in a tin if you are using one

Bake in a pre heated over at 220 degree C for approx 30 mins

to test if cooked take loaf out of the tin and tap on the bottom it should sound hollow if not put it back in the oven.