Delicate. Easy. Quick. Creamy.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil and graphite on linen. I have a soft spot for Victorian era or olde worlde looking botannical illustrations. Now this painting is not strictly in that vintage style as I've aimed to loosen it up a bit with watercolour inspired brushwork. The result is rightly a bit more modern, while harking back to an older era where cucumbers were routinely eaten as a sole sandwich filling, and held in much higher regard than they seem to be today.

Did you know that all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store?  If you want to get your mitts on the original, it is drying and awaiting it's professional photoshoot before being allowed in the shop.

To be kept updated on available paintings, get on the mailing list, yellow box top left.

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The meatless meals recipe

It can be somewhat odd making soups in high summer, but sometimes that's exactly what you want to eat. Some people enjoy cold soups at this time of year. I don't enjoy cold soup at any time of year. I did, however, try this soup both cold and warm and I can say that it works either way. So if chilled soup is your thing then you can make this and put it in the fridge. If warm (not hot) soup is your preference, this is delightful. It also uses a good quantity of cucumber which I have discovered grows as prolifically as zucchini. Just so you know, not deseeding or peeling the cucumbers turns this into an entirely different and rather ordinary dish. I am generally not in favour of peeling and deseeding vegetables or of creating extra work in the kitchen. In this recipe it is essential. Peel, deseed then weigh your cucumber. It is absolutely worth it.

1 Tbl olive oil

700g cucumber that has already been peeled and deseeded (about 1.4kg whole cucumber), sliced or grated

4 spring onions, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cups stock

2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill

2 avocados

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

black pepper to taste

Soften the spring onion in oil.
Add grated/sliced cucumber, lemon juice, stock and dill.
Heat until the cucumber is warmed through and softened. It doesn't need to be 'cooked'.
Add avocado and white wine vinegar and puree until velvety smooth.
Serve and garnish with more dill.
Add salt and pepper to taste. A generous amount of pepper works well.

Serves 4.

Refreshing. Zesty. Delicate. Versatile.

Elderflower cordial is made from the flowers of the elder tree (sambucus nigra) in summer. Elderberry wine is made from the berries that grow from the flowers in autumn. This cordial / syrup / squash is wonderful as a mixer in simple cold summer drinks. It's simple to make and far far cheaper than buying a commercial version, if one is even available where you live. I struggle to find it in shops where I am, yet can think of at least three abundant elder trees within two minutes walk. So I make it myself. I first discovered this drink while living in Edinburgh. Just like summer there, the elderflowers don't stay around long enough.

30 heads of elderflowers - the elder tree flowers at the beginning of summer for only a few weeks. That's early December in the southern hemisphere, and early June in the northern. The best time to pick the flowers is on a warm sunny day when the flowers are fully open and when the pollen is at it's height. I've also read that mornings are a better time for picking as by evening the flowers can smell like cat pee, but I haven't personally found this to be the case. It may depend on individual elder trees. At any rate, the flowers should smell heavenly when you pick them. If not, try a different time or different tree.

1kg sugar- yes this seems like a lot but I have tested using less and this amount was the clear flavour winner. Also sugar acts as a preservative, so a large amount means this should keep on the shelf.

1L water

2 lemons

2 oranges (I've read that limes can be used instead, but I haven't tested this.)

55g citric acid - here in Australia this is available in supermarkets in the baking section. I'm told in the UK it is available in chemists. If you get a strange look while purchasing it's because heroin users make use of citric acid, for exactly what I'm not sure. Rest assured that citric acid is a very normal ingredient in cordial making! I've read that tartaric acid can be used instead, according to personal preference, but I am yet to test this.

First clean and sterilize all the cooking implements. It's easy, all you need to do is give them a normal wash, then a quick wash in diluted bleach and finally a rinse under very hot or boiling water. This may be overkill for cordial, but as with all preserves, it's heartbreaking to go to the effort of cooking and bottling only to find three weeks later that everything is growing mould because you couldn't be bothered sterilizing an item. I needed to use a chopping knife, chopping board, grater / zester, giant pot and lid, stirring spoon, 1L bottle, funnel,  sieve and fine mesh muslin.

To make the cordial, put the water and sugar in the pot and heat while stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Put the lid on the pan and leave it to cool to at least luke warm or cooler.

Stir in the citric acid.

Zest all the lemons and oranges and add the zest to the pot.

Then slice the lemons and oranges, discard the ends and add the whole slices to the pot.

Gently shake the elderflowers clean of debris and insects over a sink or bowl or bin and add the entire flower heads minus any leaves to the pot. Do not wash the flowers as you will lose all the lovely scented pollen.

Give the pot a good stir, cover with the lid and leave for 24 hours.

Next day, after giving your hands a thorough wash, firmly squeeze all the liquid from the elderflowers and then discard the flowers.

Gently squeeze about half the liquid from the fruits and then discard the fruits.

Decant your cordial into a sterilized bottle using fine muslin to catch any floaties. A funnel and sieve are very useful here.

Enjoy immediately! Goes well with sparkling mineral water, or gin, as well as with plain water, of course. A refreshing and sophisticated taste, perfect for warm lazy days.

Thrifty. Delicate. Homely. Quick.

Light. Unusual. Delicate. Easy.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. Square pastry pieces. Rectangular pieces of leek. Gentle, elegant shades of greens and creams. How could this be anything else but an understated abstract of these elements? Look for the softly glowing glazing, the ghosted background colours and the linework using sgraffito (that's the fancy term for scratching into  paint). This is a very subtle, understated painting, just like it's recipe is subtle and understated.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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The meatless meals recipe

While perusing the interwebs for winter recipe inspiration I found this simple recipe posted on Taste.com.au. It looked so, well, elegant. Of course I had to try it. Originally by Gemma Purcell from Good Taste September 2007. It has been adapted, of course.

Now some notes from the kitchen. Firstly, don’t try these with mushrooms as I did. Sweet, caramelised mushroom is just disturbing. Trust me on this. I make and eat dreadful cooking mistakes so you don't have to. Well, actually my chickens & dogs do the eating of the truly dreadful ones. Secondly, leek works wonderfully well, so chic and je ne sais quoi. Onion is the acceptable cousin but not quite as, you know, vavavoom.

2 leeks or 4 small to medium onions
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup / 80ml white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
25x25cm sheet puff pastry
125g ricotta cheese

Top and tail your leeks and wash out all the grit. Cut them in half down their length and then into bite size chunks.
If your are using onions, cut them into thick rings.
Gently cook your leeks or onions in butter and oil until softened. For onions, do NOT burn. Golden is good.
Add the sugar to the pan and then the vinegar.
Simmer gently until the sauce thickens, around 5 minutes.
Cut the pastry into 4 equal squares.
Coat the pastry squares with ricotta, leaving a border around the edges.
Top with the cooked leek or onions. Reserve any leftover sauce for drizzling over the cooked tarts before serving.
Bake in the oven
EITHER
at 180 C for 40 minutes on a LIGHTLY oiled tray. Keep out of the hottest part of your oven if possible or the bottoms will go black.
OR
At 220 C on a baking paper covered tray for 15 minutes.

This makes a meal for 4 with the addition of potatoes and a side of greens.

Unusual. Delicate. Versatile. Thrifty.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil and graphite on linen. A modern botannical style representation of the rosehips essential to this recipe. Part oil painting and part drawing. Full of life. A mixed media experiment that worked rather well, don't you think?

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store. A very limited edition reproduction print is available right now. If you want to get your hands on the original, then either keep a close eye on the store yourself, or sign up to my newsletter for collectors to conveniently have a note drop into your inbox when it's available to own. It's the yellow box, top left.

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The meatless meals recipe

Creamy. Delicate. Quick. Easy.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. In this piece I was aiming for a modern damask style arrangement that celebrates the crazy patterns of the walnut which is the centrepiece of this dish.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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The meatless meals recipe

Hooray, another yummy pasta dish that does not involve tomatoes! This is so easy it almost doesn't count as cooking.

pasta for 4, something like spinach and ricotta ravioli is ideal

200g shelled walnuts

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 slices bread, no crust, soaked in milk

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup of the water used to cook the pasta (or other very hot water)

salt to taste ( this may be up to 1/2 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Cook the pasta.

Put the walnuts, olive oil, milk-soaked bread, parmesan and butter in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Taste and adjust for salt and mix thoroughly.

Pour onto cooked pasta and top with the fresh thyme.

Feeds 4.

Creamy. Delicate. Fresh. Light.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin. 

In this piece I was aiming for a fun, quirky and modern illustrative stencil or screenprint style on layers of lush glazing. In some cultures spinach and other leafy greens symbolise money and and abundant crops. So a money tree seemed appropriate.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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The meatless meals recipe

Hooray, a yummy pasta dish that does not involve tomatoes! I'm sure the spinach sauce here could be turned into a very respectable soup, and minus the pasta the dish would make a rather nice warm salad.

pasta for two (risoni is nice with this)

2 teaspoons butter

250g spinach, washed and chopped

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup strong stock

1/4 cup white wine

150ml cream

about 200g broccolini or broccoli, cut into small bite size strips

1 red capsicum, cut into bite size slices

1 avocado, sliced (optional)

100g bocconcini (optional)

Cook your pasta with a pinch of salt and a dash of oil.

Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a pan.

Soften the onion and garlic.

Add spinach, stock, wine and cream.

Simmer until spinach is well cooked.

Remove from heat and puree.

(Add bocconcini)

Meanwhile, put the broccolini and capsicum pieces in a frypan on high heat with the other teaspoon of butter, and basically stirfry until the capsicum has softened and the broccolini is bright green. A dash or two of water may help. If the broccolini starts to grey, STOP COOKING!! That's the sign of impending vege blandness!

To serve, pile the pasta into bowls, top with the veges (plus avocado). Then drown the lot in the spinach sauce.

Feeds 2.

Light. Quick. Easy. Delicate.

Enoki mushrooms, in case you haven't tried them, are a bit like the mushroom equivalent of noodles. They are easily found in asian grocers and are quite delicate little 'shrooms, in looks and in taste.

This recipe is another super quick one to cook. And as a bonus, it can work as a soup or as a meal in itself.

splosh sesame oil

100g enoki mushrooms

75g smoked tofu or similar, cut into thin slices or cubes

6 cups or 1.5L vegetable stock

2 cups chopped leafy greens (approx 100g)

2 spring onions, cut fine

soy sauce, white pepper and salt to taste

To make this into a meal, cook enough ramen noodles for two ready to add at the end.

So, saute the enoki mushrooms in the sesame oil for a few minutes to give them some extra flavour.

Then add the smoked tofu and saute a little as well.

Finally, add the stock and chopped greens and boil for a few minutes.

Serve into bowls (already filled with hot cooked noodles if you're making a meal instead of a soup), adding the spring onion on top.

Season with soy sauce, white pepper and salt to taste.

Makes two big bowls.

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More vegetarian cookbook goodies

Need help with conversions? Download this handy dandy pdf of cooking conversion charts for every cooking measuring system I could find. It should make your life easier.

Want to check out more vegetarian dinner recipes? They're all in the Table of Contents.

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