Rich's Garden Tips - Use a cold frame

I love to experiment in my garden ...  this one was fun , and very easy to see the benefits .   17 days in , this is the difference.   I should note I planted these 5 weeks before our last frost date , temps have been pretty mild , thankfully not much frost . 

Consider using a cold frame, I built my three for free .. old plastic from a farm , and a few old wooden bearing crates .



 

Oven Baked Garlic and Chili Scotch Eggs

Growing up , Scotch Eggs were a once or twice a year treat :) Usually when Mum was going to change the oil in the chip pan ...  as deep frying these is the tradition way , and it makes a big mess of your oil .  So ... In the interest of saving some $$ on oil , and choosing a healthier option , I chose to try and bake them .  First time for me , up until this point every one I have ever eat has been deep fried .   Here goes nothing!!

Ingredients:    (Makes 5 Eggs)

1lb of ground pork ( sausages out of their casings )
7 Large Eggs , Free range prefered
1 heaping TSB of Chili Powder
1 heaping TSB of dehydrated garlic chips ( or a couple of cloves minced )
1 TSB of dried basil
Sea Salt and Pepper to your own taste
Several dashes of Lea & Perrins
2 cups of bread crumbs
3 TBS of oven safe oil ( Sunflower )


Step One : Hard Boiled Eggs

Fill a large pot ( i used 8 quarts ) with water , put your eggs in , brings to a soft boil , simmer for one minute and then take pot off the heat to cool down,  leave at least 10 minutes ... then you can dunk the eggs in cold water and start peeling .


Step Two : The Meat

Crack one egg into a mixing bowl , add the pork , chili , garlic and basil and about 2/3 a cup of bread crumbs ... Mix until well blended and has a slightly sticky texture :)
Preheat your oven to 375F

Step Three : Make the Ball

Grab one egg .. and a handful of pork mix , I like to flatten it out , should look like the photo below this , and be almost enough to wrap around the egg, pretend your making large meatballs is the method , and soon the whole egg will be covered







Step Four  : Egg Wash & Bread Crumbs

Pour the remaining bread crumbs onto a plate , and whisk up an egg and a splash of water in a bowl... take each pork wrapped egg, and gently roll in the egg wash , then onto the bread crumb plate , keep going till they are all breaded :)





 

Step Five : Oven Time

Assemble your scotch eggs on a Sunflower oiled baking sheet , and into the 375F oven they go
Total cook time was 30 minutes

 

 

Step Six : Make em Even

 I set my timer to go off every ten minutes .. gently , roll the eggs around on each ten , after twenty minutes they should start getting some colour !

 

 

Step Seven : Rest

On a clean kitchen towel , or paper towel , nestle your eggs in and cover , leave them for five minutes .

 

Step Eight : Enjoy

Hot or cold your choice , I prefer mine hot ...  I like to quarter mine and sprinkle with a little hot smoked paprika .

 

That is it :) I do hope you have enjoyed this post !  What did you think of the new format ? I tried to make it a little more recipe-ish :)

I would love to hear how it went if you try this.

Peace , Love and Happy Scotch Eggs !   

My 7 Pepper Chili , 5 yr old cheddar & a couple of jacket potatoes :)

 My 7 Pepper Chili , 5 yr old cheddar & a couple of jacket potatoes :)

 

Jalapeno, Garlic & Onion Quick Pickle

My whole life I avoided pickles... but slowly over the past year , i have been warming up to 

them , never store bought , and to date just mushrooms and hot peppers were all I was 

able to manage .. so I decided to try making my own .. turns out it was mostly the dill I 

couldn't handle , and something in the commercial spiced ones :)  

This is my second attempt at pickles ... 

Ingredients 

8 to 10 Jalapenos 

1 Large White Onion  

4 Cloves of Garlic 

1 TBS Sea Salt 

2 TBS Honey ( I used local, unpasteurized )

1 cup water 

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup cider vinegar 

2 Sterilized Mason Jars 500ml 

Step 1:  Get all your ingredients out ,  slice the jalapeno ( I left seeds in ) , onion and garlic 

Step Two : Bring Water/ Vinegar/ Salt & Honey to boil in stainless pot , add the chopped goodies .. bring back to a boil, remove from heat

Step Three : Hot Pack into sterilized jars , seal and place in the fridge for at least a couple days, a couple weeks is better :)

Step Four :  Enjoy!!!  

So simple, so GOOD!!   Over the summer I will continue my experiments ..  different combinations & textures .. and also a shelf safe version .  Stay tuned !!

Peace, Love and Happy Pickles !!  

Rich 

Cleaning out the crisper, 8 egg Beef n Veggie Frittata :)

I love Frittatas :) They can range from simple two or three ingredients .. to a massive clean out the fridge version , like this one I'm about to show you .  

Ingredients :) 

8 Eggs , preferable free range ( Feeds about 6 ) 
1 red pepper 
1 jalapeno 
1 large onion 
1 handful cremini mushrooms 
2 green thai chili peppers 
3 cloves of garlic 
1 handful grated mozzarella 
1 handful grated 5 yr old cheddar ( or use your favourite )  
1 crown of broccoli 
1 tomato
1 handful of asparagus 
1 knob of butter 
1 left over home burger or 8 oz of ground beef ( or leave it out for a veggie version )  

 Red & Jalapeno & Thai Peppers, cremini mushrooms , butter onion & garlic , for now :) 

After a couple minutes , add the hamburger to the pan 

When the veggies are halfway cooked , add in the rest of them asparagus , broccoli , tomato ( make sure they are all chopped to bite size :)  and a sprinkle of the cheeses on top for good measure .  

I used a large measuring cups to lightly whisk the 8 eggs together with a good pinch of the cheeses ..   pour over the entire pan , trying to keep it relatively even .  

About half way up the veggies is what I aim for :) 

Add the rest of the cheeses , and a few cracks of black pepper , give it a minute of the pan , then into a preheated 350F oven 

 After Twenty minutes or so ... it should be set .... 

  and slide right out of the pan :)   

Slice, serve and enjoy !   We had this with a nice Caesar salad :)  

That's it , Simple Good Food !   Took just over 30 minutes from start to finish , and can be served as a meal on it own ... or enjoyed with salads, chips , toast ... just about anything really !  Enjoy

Peace , Love and Happy Eating