My cumquat tree is ladden with fruit and has been for a good 3 months.... A favourite way of preserving this bitter little mini mandarine looking fruit is to turn them into sweet little citrus balls of golden deliciousness....
Preserved Cumquats are super easy to make and take no time at all... They taste delicious served on a plater with some good Blue Cheese, spooned over ice-cream or custard and the syrup is delicious poured over a freshly baked buter cake....
Here's how I preserve my Cumquarts..... Simmer 1kg of cumquats in a pot of water for 15mins, drain. Make up a sugar syrup while the fruit drains like so; mix 1 cup of water with 600g of sugar and bring to the boil. Add the drained fruit to the sugar syrup and simmer for 20mins. Using tongs, stack the cumquats in sterelized jars until full, then top up jars with the syrup. These need to be stored in a dark cupboard or they will discolour. Preserved fruit will last for 6-12 months. I get 4x250ml size jars from 1kg of fruit.
The mood struck today to make a Spinach Pie.... We love these in our house, especially when they're made with home-made Ricotta....
So while a fresh batch of Ricotta hung from the kitchen tap, draining, I went out to the garden and picked a big bunch of coloured chard (similar to silverbeet)....
After only 10mins hanging my Ricotta was ready,
fresh and creamy and tasting better than anything you'll every buy in the Shop's!!!!
So armed with freshly picked coloured chard, home-made cheese and a few other ingredients I made a Spinach Pie for lunch (which we finished off for tea)....
Here's my recipe....
Spinach Pie
Big bunch of Coloured Chard/Spinach/Silverbeet, chopped.
1 onion diced
3 eggs
200g Ricotta
1/2 cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper
Freshly Ground Nutmeg
And that's it!!!!
Heat the spinach in a pan until it is a 1/3 of its harvested size, put aside.
Saute onions, put aside.
Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl, add the Spinach and onion, mix well.
Spoon mixute into a loaf style dish and bake at 190'C for 45mins.
If you feel like a little bit of a crunch use 10 sheets of buttered filo as a base for your pie.
This is great served cold with salad or even sliced thinly and used as a meat substitute on a salad sandwich for lunch is delicious!!!
What have you been making today???
This looks and sounds amazing Jodie...it is making me SO hungry! Your cheese looks fantastic, thanks for sharing. I hope you are enjoying the holidays x
ReplyDeleteMy nan and pop had a cumquat tree and Nan used to make jam with them.
ReplyDeleteSpinach pie sounds delicious.
x
hi jodie..thanks for visiting my blog..your cumquats look so pretty..i've done them a similar way but i used brandy and sugar..and your spinach pie looks delicious..jane
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to try and make my own ricotta. My little one can only eat limited dairy but apparently ricotta is one of them. I'm yet to find one he likes.
ReplyDeleteYours looks delish :-)
You have reminded me that I need to make some more spinach pies. Silverbeet and spinach are one of the few things remaining in the garden right now. I've made ricotta a few times and the only issue I have is that I eat way too much of it!
ReplyDeleteThe picture of your spinach pie makes me want to drop everything and make it NOW. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeletethankyou i will try this pie and making my own ricotta.xx
ReplyDeleteYum Yum !!!! All looks great.
ReplyDelete.thanks for viewing my weblog..your cumquats look so fairly..i've done them a identical way but i used brandy and glucose..and your green spinach pie looks delightful.Rs To Gold
ReplyDeleteWorld of Warcraft Gold Kaufen Billig
Cheap RS 2007 Gold