chioggia beet salad and a 'year round harvest' workshop with grown & gathered

This is part one of a photo story of a sunny and blustery Sunday at Kelmarna Organic City Farm in the heart of Auckland with Matt and Lentil from 'Grown & Gathered' and Little Bird organics.

Before I begin, I'd like to say that these next few posts have been a long time coming.  Partly because I’ve been busy with some exciting projects, but also because I've felt the photographs from the 'Grown & Gathered' 'year round harvest' workshop at Kelmarna, were just too beautiful to have not been thought through. Whilst I've caught snippets of time here and there I somehow haven't been able to commit my full attention to editing and piecing it all together, something which easily happens when my mind is full of many things.  It also happens with things I feel are so special that I become almost fearful of publishing them,  in case I don't do them the deserved justice.  In any case, here is part one of my photo story of how this special day unfolded...

We began sitting beneath a giant tree around a table adorned with buckets of foraged wildflowers, while Matt and Lentil talked about Trading and their Flower Exchange at the Melbourne farmers market.  Instead of selling the flowers they grow on their farm for money they instead trade them for some other form of non-monetary consideration. This concept really struck a note with me - both because of the way Lentil described it but also as trade is something I seem to be doing quite a lot of lately through my photography. Yes, trading something you have in abundance, are good at, or passionate about, directly with another seems like a much more meaningful and beautiful way to transact. In any case the table of wildflowers, which you see in the photographs, were foraged by Matt and Lentil for the purposes of trading with workshop guests - a sample of the Flower Exchange in Auckland.

Following this, we walked with Matt and Lentil around the astounding 1 and half acre property of Kelmarna. Established in 1981, Kelmarna is a community garden and farm which has been organically managed for 32 years.  Complete with a pony and cows, bee hives, chickens, worm farms and compost, native trees, and organic fruits, vegetables and herbs. Kelmarna is an amazing place and the perfect backdrop for Matt and Lentil to share their knowledge.   

We learned about many things – taking care of herbs, bees, foraging, composting, harvesting and how to plant a new garden.  

We drank teas made with fresh herbs and we ate salad and drank juice made by little bird, with vegetables harvested from the gardens. 

To accompany this post, I have included a variation of little birds freshly harvested salad with chioggia beets.  This was served at the workshop with a raw cashew cheese and their raw almond based crackers.  

After living in Sweden, I have come to adore dill but you could substitute with a different herb such as parsley or chives in the recipe for the lemon cashew dip.  The dip is also great as a snack on it's own served with crackers, carrot or celery sticks.

I've also included a basic pickled shallot recipe, as Matt and Lentil love pickling vegetables from their farm. Pickled vegetables are also something I miss from Sweden, so all the more reason to include them.  Enjoy!  

chioggia beet & greens salad with pickled shallot & lemon & dill cashew dip

• 1 large handful of organic leafy greens per person
• 1/2 medium chioggia or other type of beet per person, alternatively half a rainbow carrot
• 1 Tbsp cold-pressed olive or nut oil such as macadamia nut or hazelnut
• juice of half a lemon or a splash of quality vinegar (apple cider, red wine for e.g.)
• pinch of sea salt or himalaya mountain salt

1.  Mandolin the beet or carrot thinly on a mandolin.
2. Toss the greens and beet in 1 Tbsp of olive oil a pinch of salt and 

pickled shallot

• 2 medium shallots finely sliced on a mandolin
• 1 Tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp agave syrup or raw honey
• pinch of sea salt or himalaya mountain salt

1. Mix ingredients thoroughly and leave to marinate for 1/2 an hour minimum.  Stir a couple of times while the mixture is marinating.    

lemon & dill cashew dip

• 1 cup of cashew nuts, soaked in filtered water for a minimum of 2 hours
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice and zest of one lemon
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup filtered water
• 1 garlic clove
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt or himalaya mountain salt
• 1 - 2 Tbsp finely chopped dill
• 1 - 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional - this will give the cream a cheesier flavour)

1. Rinse cashew nuts in filtered water.
2. Blend all ingredients excluding the dill, in a high speed blender, until smooth.  
3. Stir in finely chopped dill.  

We recommend enjoying this salad combination together with a raw cracker or bread.   

kinfolk, fennel & radish

A celebration of all things "Beneath the surface".  Here is some beautiful imagery (provided by talented Steph and Robin of Bubblerock, plus a few of my own), and a recipe from the Tauranga Kinfolk gathering at Ataahua Garden Venue a few Sundays ago.  The gathering came together as a collaboration of talented creatives headed by the beautiful Shaye of 'On my hand' (also responsible for the stunning table styling).  I styled four of the five course menu put together by Nadine of Devour Catering, while Dannielle of Spongedrop provided the lavish gingerbeer dessert. Blackbird  Gem put on a fabric dying workshop using onion skins between courses. Oh what a day it was!

I'm so incredibly grateful to have been a part of all that you see in these stunning photos.  Kinfolk came about when times were low, and I am honest in saying that it was in part my saving grace.  A week before  the event I suffered a misscarriage. Following this I spent the ensuing days sat on our living room floor with a plate from Houston Design co, planning how to style the radish salad and dandelion root main.  Taking the time for myself to create something beautiful with ingredients I love, couldn't have been a better comfort to take my mind away from the circumstances.  

Working together  with the ladies I've mentioned above, was also an experience I will cherish. There is nothing quite like the power of a combination of passions coming together to create something special.  I'm still starting out in my food adventure and so establishing new contacts, and making new friends.gave me a sense of belonging and confirmed that this is something I want to keep doing . Yay!

The salad I am compiling here and sharing with you is called 'radish'.  It was the third course and chef Nadine's intention was for a light, refreshing palate cleanser between the main event 'dandelion root' and the scallop and kombu broth (pictured above).  She captured this well with the cooling flovours of the radish, fennel and cucumber, married withthe zingy citrus dressing

The secret to making the salad look stunning is to mandolin the fennel and radishes thinly lengthways, and to place them in iced water prior to plating.  This gives them the beautiful curl which you hopefully can see in the pictures. The same applies to the spring onion which I cut thinly cut on the bias (i.e. on an angle).

The other secret is vibrant leafy greens which make the salad ping in front of your eyes.  I used an organic mesculin mix, handpicking mizuna and beet leaves for their pretty colours and shape. 

I've made a few further adjustments to the recipe, compared with what is pictured. To make the dish dairy-free, I replaced the baked ricotta with avocado. I've also replaced fried capers, with dried cranberries for a burst of sweetness, and added activated pine nuts for a nutty crunch.

In my next post I plan to share more Kinfolk scenes, plus a vegan take on one of the delicious "Ottolenghi" style dips we served as a starter.  Until then, have a lovely week and feel free to bombard me with any questions or to just say hi!  =) 

fennel & radish salad

serves 1

• 1/2 fennel bulb sliced thinly on a mandolin length ways 
• 1 radish thinly sliced lengthways (about 2 mm thick)
• 1/4 -1/2 spring onion cut thinly on the bias
• 1/2 avocado 
• a  handful of pretty leafy greens for e.g. a mesculin mix with beet leaves, mizuna, baby spinach etc
• 10cm length of cucumber sliced on mandolin (approx 2 mm thick)* 
• small handful of dried cranberries**
• 2 tsp activated pine nuts ***
• small handful of radish sprouts (optional)

how to

Mandolin fennel and radish lengthways and place in iced water for 10 mins or until the vegetables start to curl. Cut spring onion thinly on the bias and place in iced water with the fennel and radish. Mandolin cucumber and roll into curls as shown in the photos above.  Remove the half avocado carefully from it's skin and place on the inside edge of a shallow bowl.  Compile the rest of the components of the salad around the inside edges of the bowl (so the salad and avocado has the aesthetic of a wreath shape). Drizzle with citrus dressing and garnish.   

*2 - 4 rolls of cucumber will be sufficient, you may have a few pieces left over.

**  choose organic dried cranberries and be sure to check that they are not the sort injected with a lot of sugar =)

*** 'activated' pine nuts means that I have soaked the nuts overnight, and then dehydrated them in a dehydrator.  This step brings the nuts 'to life' and makes for easier digestion (yay!), but can be omitted if preferred.

citrus dressing

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp manuka honey
• 1 tsp chopped shallot
• pinch of himalaya mountain salt or sea salt

garnish

edible flowers, fennel fronds, small mint leaves

watercress, avocado & cucumber

Beautiful, green, culinary art with simple flavours.  The salad form of this dish is something I'll often feel like when life is feeling busy, cluttered or full of uncertainty (the latter being something I am very prone to worrying about).  Stripping back to a few clean flavours (rich in green) inherently seems to balance me back into feeling grounded and happy. Like an automatic slow down button - even though it's associated with the act of eating.  Taking the time to prepare something beautiful is also medicine in itself to me. Working slowly... attention to detail... playing around with where the flower sits best... choosing the most beautiful green leaves.  This process takes me to another place where I am incredibly focused. A form of meditation like the feeling I get from early morning yoga.  Flow...  This feeling is a good feeling =)  Yes, culinary art is something I am extremely passionate about, and I feel happy to say that these shots embody my form of culinary art.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.  Have a lovely week dear friends xo 

watercress, avocado & cucumber

cucumber sliders

• 10 cm piece of cucumber slided on a mandolin (thick enough to be used as the base for the cucumber sliders) 
• 1/4 cucumber sliced thinly on a mandolin and rolled as shown above
• avocado guacamole (below)
• watercress leaves dressed lightly in vinaigrette (below)
• 1 Tbsp shallot thinly sliced or diced
• thin strips of nori, white sesame seeds and edible flowers for garnish

1. Place 2 Tbsp of avocado guacamole on each 10 cm cucumber length.
2. Top with shallot, watercress, rolled cucumber pieces, nori strips, white sesame seeds and edible flowers.

salad

• 1 large handful of watercress
• 1/4 cucumber thinly sliced on a mandolin
• 1 Tbsp thinly sliced shallot
• thin strips of nori, white sesame seeds and edible flowers for garnish

1. Dress watercress and shallots in a bowl with a small amount of the vinaigrette below.  
2. Roll cucumber as shown in the photos above.
3. Place half the avocado mixture in the middle of a plate and surround with the watercress and shallots.
4. Insert desired amount of cucumber rounds at random in the salad.
5. Garnish with sesame seeds, nori strips and edible flowers.

avocado guacamole

• 1 large avocado
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• juice of 1 lime
• pinch of sea salt

Smash avocado with the back of a fork and then mix in the other ingredients.

vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp organic red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp filtered water
• 1 tsp miso
• 2 tsp coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• pinch of sea salt

Mix all ingredients in a high speed blender.

kale, kaffir lime & pineapple salad

Hi again!  I love salads. They are my all time favourite food. Sometimes I'll even eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  And, if you don't mind me naming  favourites,  this salad with kale, pineapple and kaffir lime could be The One.  Since about last autumn to be precise, which was was when kaffir lime popped up out of some other ingredient stratosphere, and moved into my kitchen. Like a new favourite piece of furniture. But kitchen furniture I guess... or plant furniture. It's funny how ingredients you've not really been exposed to can do that. I love it!

And kale, we'll yes... I probably should mention I have a love affair with that too. Our first introduction I believe, was stir-fried in cream on a Swedish smörgåsbord way back in 1993.  Given the fuzziness of this memory though, I'm not sure whether kale made much of an impression at that point.  Back then I was more excited about eating pickled herring...  (what??).  But anyway, I love kale, especially in salads.  And, particularly in this salad where the bitterness of the kale marries with the sweetness of the pineapple, the zing of the kaffir lime, the tangy caramel of the simple balsamic dressing, the fatty avocado and umami from the shallot or spring onion. It gets me every time...  

how to tips:

In the recipe, I recommend massaging the kale in olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of either himalaya mountain salt or sea salt.  For those that haven't worked much with kale before, massaging kale breaks down the fibres, aiding in digestion.  Think of it as like a kick-start to the digestion process. In terms of massaging, literally do this with both hands until the kale softens. I also recommend massaging the kale in a separate bowl to the one you will be 'plating' on. By doing this, you won't have an oily plate when you put the salad together.

garnish ideas:

Although not shown in the pictures, I strongly recommend adding torn shreds of my raw carrot and onion crackers, to the salad like croutons.  It adds another dimension. The dill in the crackers does surprisingly work nicely with the salad flavours, although another idea would be to flavour the onion bread with  2 Tbsp of coriander seeds.

Other ideas for garnishes are activated cashew nuts, coriander, micro greens.  Here I also garnished with some fancy lettuce leaves I had on hand, which is why the kale is a bit hidden in the final shot!  Oops! 

recipe: 

Serves 1

• 2 large handfuls of kale leaves (I used purple kale)
• 1/2 avocado chopped
• 1/2 carrot sliced on a mandolin, chopped into chunks or spiralised
• 1/3 cup of pineapple chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 kaffir lime leaf
• 2 cm spring onion finely chopped, or 2 tsp chopped shallot
• sliced green peppar (optional)
• 1 tsp cold-pressed olive oil 
• squeeze of lemon juice
• pinch of himalaya mountain salt or sea salt
• fresh coriander, edible flowers, and micro greens for garnish
• simple balsamic dressing
• raw onion bread crackers

how to:

1. Tear the leaves of the kale from the stalks.  (The leftover stalks can be used for juicing).
2. Massage the kale in olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of either himalaya mountain salt or sea salt (see 'how to' tips above). 
3. Transfer kale to serving plate and assemble avocado, carrot, pineapple, shallot/spring onion, green pepper and torn carrot and onion bread (see 'garnish ideas' above).
4. Finely chop kaffir lime leaf into small pieces and sprinkle over salad.
5. Drizzle over simple balsamic dressing, season with salt and garnish as desired. 

Let me know if you have any ideas for variations or just your favourite kale salad recipe!

Aimee xo

 

backyard summer salad

I’d love to share a very simple salad, which came about while I was living with my parents in Papamoa beach, putting hope & organic together.  This was a time spent mostly on my own…  adjusting… finding my ‘writing voice’, learning about light, my camera and exploring a deeper inner-self.  It was a time of holistic beach jogs and walks, outdoor showers, salty unwashed hair, no phone, no shoes and a number of bikes (but that’s another story!).  All in all, a different world to the lifestyle I had for a long time been immersed in. 

My Mum and Dad, John & Kathy, have a modest garden at the back of their house.  It can be hard for things to ‘take’ given the sandy beach-soils and kale-loving caterpillars. However, there are a few things that have thrived this summer.  An abundant patch of purple kale, some wild rocket, a strawberry plant, parsley and three tomato vines.  It was the tomato vines that came to life in the last week of my stay.  Green ornaments for the duration of the Christmas holidays, seemingly, out of no-where started turning red and excuse the analogy – “dropping like flies”.

That week also coincided with the perfection of my carrot, dill and onion crackers recipe and my Mum bringing home the most beautiful avocados from her work on 'Matakana', a small island on the East Coast of New Zealand.

And so this little salad came about, and became my sustenance during the days before hope & organic came to life.  The think I like best about it, is that it is seasonal, inherently local and beautifully simple.  xo

backyard summer salad

• one large handful of wild rocket, kale, or other bitter leafy greens
•  in season tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 - 1 avocado
• fresh herbs of choice for e.g. flat-leaf parsley (optional)
• lemon juice
•  cold-pressed olive oil
•  sea salt &  cracked black pepper
• simple balsamic dressing
• carrot, dill & onion crackers

Toss the greens in cold-pressed olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and sea-salt. If using kale, massage lightly to soften.  

Compile salad (chopped tomato, avocado, and greens), as preferred.  Drizzle over simple balsamic dressing and season with cracked black pepper & extra sea-salt if desired.  Serve with carrot, dill & onion crackers.  

Eat mindfully, and savour!