Eggplant with Pork, Thai Basil & Coriander.

For lunch today, I just had one dish involving my harvested eggplant supreme...impromptu recipe! Eggplants go fantastic with pork mince and pork mince goes excellent with thai basil and coriander... Ingredients : Eggplant sliced into 1cm thickness and fried in a pan with some olive oil. Minced pork. Tea tree mushroom (washed, soaked lightly, remove stubs, retain a little water). Garlic chopped, coriander chopped, thai basil leafed, chilli cut. 1-2 tsp of Japanese miso paste. 1 tsp of oyster sauce. 1. Fry the eggplant slices in a pan of heated olive oil. Remove. 2. Fry garlic in more oil, add pork, miso paste and oyster sauce. 3. Continue frying, add mushrooms with its water. Simmer. 4. Return eggplant slices to pan to allow them to soak in sauce. 5. Add thai basil, chilli and coriander. 6. Stir fry more and remove from heat.

Tea tree mushrooms (available in Asian grocery shops) Thai basil, coriander, hot chilli harvested from garden.

The final look...taste even yummier!

Stir-fry Black Pepper Beef (Recipe)

Still about yesterday. Son was using the computer while I had a look out of my front garden. The rain was a cool refreshing change. The patch where there is a rose shrub and dying-down calla lilies...that still requires further work. I plan to plant hydrangeas or kangeroo paws and some other flowers. It is too boring at this moment. However, hubby wants me to take my time as I am burning up my budget every month! The pittosporum golden sheens are doing well but I wish they would grow bushier faster and taller! The sweet potato creepers among the sheens are doing great :

The two white nettings are where my other two tomato silvery firs are planted. Doing great. In the foreground are my sanorita and vietnamese mint in pots.

Two conifers flank the small gate. My eureka lemon in that square patch.

The yellow capsicums harvested and spanish (red) onions ready for my beef stir-fry.

Two slices of blade beef steak sliced into thin pieces.

Onions and capsicum fried in ready-to-use black pepper sauce (which I bought). Add beef. Fry till cooked. No need to add water.

Kebbah Using Mint

Today I tried out a new recipe for dinner...Kebbeh...taught by a Brazilian friend from my lifegroup. It is a lebanese dish which uses lots of mint. I love growing mint but have not really used it for any of my cooking. This dish is delicious. Another ingredient is onion...good way of eating it for those who hate it as it is finely chopped. It turned out great. Here is the recipe for sharing :

_________________

250g burghul wheat (available from lebanese shops) 500g mince beef 10 sprigs of common mint (chopped up leaves finely) some cumin 1 tsp of salt some black pepper half an onion or several shallots (chopped finely) sunflower oil for brushing baking pan

_________________

1. Soak the wheat in about a glass of water for minimum of 2 hours to soften it. 2. Mix the beef, black pepper, salt, onion thoroughly. 3. Add to the wheat and mix well. 4. Add the mint and mix well. 5. Form into rolls about 5cm long and 1.5-2 cm diameter. 6. Grease the tin with thin layer of oil. 7. Bake the kebbeh at 180 deg celsius till meat cooks (around 20 mins)

Common mint harvested. Kebbah

When I was preparing the kebbeh in the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of the backyard out of the window and rushed for my camera. The evening sun's was caught on the two tall trees far away. It was a beautiful sight. I would miss this open view, the two fields beside the house and the reserve behind when I move to my new house.

Revamping the Patch Next to the Garage.

Today's weather was great...sunny enough, not cold enough to make me hibernate, so I put on my garden gear and spent two hours at my new house doing a tiny area next to the garage while my son went kinder. The 'tiny' area did not turn out to be too tiny after all. I could not finish my work in one go but was pleased with what I have done, at least getting all the irritating weeds out the of the patch. I removed the old rotting existing weed mat with all its pebbles and replaced it. Weeds were growing all over the old mat. A new weed mat, a few layers, will help stop weeds from growing for months. I was also glad to see a few fat earthworms in the earth. That is a good sign.

1/6 of the tiny area with weeds growing among the pebbles and rotting weed mat beneath. Clearing the pebbles and laying of new weed mat...half of the tiny area done.

5/6 of the area done. 1/6 of it was planted with daffodil bulbs after loosening soil and adding blood & bone and composted cow manure.

A bucketful of parsley harvested.

Leftover parsley growing at shady Patch E.

After working at the tiny patch next to the garage, I raked up all the fallen leaves of the plum tree at the main lawn. I am intending to use them for leaf mould. Also dug up some baby dandelion weeds. I am a little optimistic seeing some of the lawn seeds sown some time back germinate. Although new dandelion weeds have sprouted as well but I only found two dandelion flowers to pluck off. If things remain this good, I would be able to save thousands and not have my lawn re-done again.

____________________

I cooked a pot of seafood hotpot for dinner using the parsley and rosemary and thyme from my garden. Hmm it was yummy! Here's the recipe for sharing :

____________________

200g boneless white fish fillet (cut into 2cm)

150g prawns (shelled)

6 mussels (frozen ones are easy to use)

2 squids (cleaned and cut up)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion (cut into 1cm)

1 garlic (crushed)

A few sprigs of thyme

A few sprigs of rosemary

Chopped parsley (for garnish)

400 g can canned tomotoes

1/3 cup white wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

____________________

1. Heat olive oil and fry onion till soft.

2. Add garlic, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme and white wine and simmer.

3. Add fish when broth boils. Allow to cook for around 2 minutes.

4. Add the prawns, squids and mussels and allow to cook some more.

5. Add lemon juice and parsley.

____________________

This dish is simple and quick to prepare, healthy and yummy and goes well with pasta or rice.