The harvest is starting, but due to the lack of rainfall we're not having the success I'd hoped for. Still, as our first year in a new district I guess it is to be expected that things don't always go, well, as expected!
So far we have managed to harvest:
1 kg Zucchini
3 kg carrots
6 (good size) leeks
250 grams blueberries
2 kg Beetroot
4 kg potatoes
1/2 kg cherry tomatoes
Mostly it is picking a few bits here and there, but within a few weeks we will be harvesting kilos of tomatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, pumpkins and melons each day. For the moment we're able to use what we pick as we pick.
My wife bought me an early Christmas present, a book called
Whole Larder Love. It is a collection of recipes and tips by a former chef who's virtually living off the land from his home grown produce, hunted and scavenged foods. One recipe he has is perfect for our current produce of eggs, leeks and potatoes Tortilla Espanola. I've modified it slightly, but my recipe is based substantially on his.
The basic ingredients are 6 eggs, 6 potatoes and 1 onion. I substituted the onion for leek, and also added a small capsicum. Once I got it into our frying pan, I also realised I needed more eggs, so I added another 4 eggs, but next time I'll just use a smaller pan.
The first step is to par-boil the potatoes, and then slice/cube the potatoes to fry up in some oil. It only takes around 7 minutes on a hot stove, plus I added the leek to get it cooking.
After browning the potatoes and leeks, you pour those back into a mixing bowl with the beaten eggs, paprika, salt and pepper. Then the whole mixture goes back into the frying pan to "set" the sides. If your pan can go straight into an oven, you can cook it for around 20 mins in the oven. Ours isn't oven proof, so I mostly cooked the tortilla on the stove, transferring it to an oven tray for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
The end result: a great tasting Tortilla Espanola!
Happy harvest to all those Down Under!
