Cheese and Zucchini Scones

What could be more perfect than a lazy Saturday lunch in the garden.  These cheese scones are fast to prepare and go well with a hunt through the fridge to make up a ploughman's platter.  Ideal for school or work lunches, they freeze well.

Ingredients


1 small zucchini
2 cups Self Raising Flour
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 cup coarsely grated mature or vintage cheddar
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1 cup buttermilk (extra to brush)

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Butter and lightly flour a square cake or slice tin.

Coarsely grate the zucchini and squeeze all liquid out.
In a bowl, combine zucchini, flour, sugar, cheese, chives and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Gradually add the buttermilk and mix with a knife and then your hands until a soft dough forms, you may need to add extra flour if too wet.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 2 cm thick disk.

Use a scone cutter dipped in flour to cut out scones, place in tin.
Continue cutting and knead remaining dough until all scones are placed in the tin, approx. 14.

Brush with buttermilk.

Cook until golden approximately 18-20 minutes.

Serve with Ham, pickled onions, good cheese and chutney,


Mamma Marmalade

Toad in the Hole

Comfort food at it's finest.  Combination of fluffy Yorkshire pudding and quality sausages with onion gravy.  This one pot wonder can be tweaked to suit your taste buds.

Ingredients

4 free range/organic eggs
1 sliced red onion
garlic clove, crushed
1/2 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup Milk
4 of your best thick sausages
2 spring onions, chopped
Olive Oil
Salt

Method


Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
In an oven proof dish place garlic, olive oil, onion an sausages.
Cook in the oven for approximately 10 minutes (or you can use already cooked sausages).

In a separate bowl, crack eggs and whisk, pour in a little milk and add a little flour at a time, whisking between each addition. Repeat until all mixture is combined.
Add a pinch of salt and chopped spring onions.

Remove casserole dish from oven and pour over egg mixture. Return to oven and cook for a further 15- 20 minutes.

Serve with onion gravy.

Mamma Marmalade

Gooey Cheesy Vegetable Pasta - veggie odds and ends - fried all crispy oozy

Sometimes dinnertime needs to be relaxed, comforting and sneaky.  This is a great way to combine a big variety of veggies with some pasta and a little cheese – an easy way to use the last bits of the cauliflower or zucchini – so versatile. You can add bacon or shredded BBQ chicken if you wish, but the veggies are equally delicious on their own.  Enjoy!  Colleen

 

Preparation     10 minutes

Cooking           15 minutes

Ingredients

I have not included amounts as it depends on how many you are feeding –  leftovers are great reheated the next day too.

I usually chop/slice

Onion

Garlic

Zucchini

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Red capsicum

Spinach leaves

Green beans

Mushrooms  -   mix and match depending on what I left left in fridge

Option:  sliced pitted black olives

Sliced sun dried tomatoes

Finely sliced salami or pancetta or bacon or shredded BBQ chicken

Adding

Olive oil

Herbs – usually thyme or oregano - fresh or dried is fine 

then mint and parsley for garnish

Pinch of dried red chilli flakes and some ground black pepper

Boil some pasta - until al-dente   - I like to use spiral Fusilli  or  Penne ridged tubes

And some grated cheddar cheese (not an excessive amount)

And grated parmesan for garnish

Method

Boil the pasta until just al-dente.  Drain really well.

While the pasta is boiling, heat a little olive oil in a large pan and start frying the onion then add the garlic.

Add the sliced vegetables in order of hardness.  Usually cauliflower first etc etc then the softer ones such as zucchini.

Cook the meat through if using.

If using, stir in the sliced olives and sundried tomatoes.

Veggies should start to get golden and a bit crispy.

When pasta al-dente and well drained, toss through the almost cooked veggies and allow the pasta to brown a little too in the residual oil.

Finally stir the grated cheddar cheese and let it become oozy and golden and melt into the veggies and pasta.

Season to taste

Finish off with shredded mint and/or parsley and a final sprinkle of parmesan.

Eat!   Enjoy!  Colleen