A major computer issue is something very alarming and hard to deal with in isolation . However, I’m up and away again !!!
I’m still planting the Birches and will be for a few days yet. We have had glorious calm days and some are even hot. Our plan for the weekend is to plant 60 Acer Fremanii Jeffers Red ( Canadian Maples ) down the drive and my job was to drive into Wanaka and collect the post hole digger from Hire Pool ready to start the next day.
We had been given a shoulder of Venison and although it had been beautifully marinated in red wine and fresh herbs . I felt I didn’t do it justice and although I treated it the same as I would for any slow cooked meat – browned, cooked it slowly and added stock it was still dryer than I would have liked.
I served the Venison with baked cauliflower and polenta topped with mushrooms and parmesan cheese.
Polenta Baked with Parmesan Cheese and Topped with Mushrooms .
Polenta: 2 cups water, 2 cups milk, 1teaspoon salt, 200 grams fine polenta, 1cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 3-4 tablespoons olive oil , 2 cloves garlic, crushed.
In a large saucepan bring the water, milk and salt to the boil.
Pour in the polenta slowly in a steady stream, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and continue stirring until the polenta starts to come away from the sides of the saucepan. – 5-8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in half the parmesan cheese. Pour the mixture onto a board or baking sheet, spreading it out to about 5 mm thick. Allow the polenta to cool and set. Cut the polenta into squares. Place on a baking dish. Combine the olive oil and crushed garlic. Drizzle over the top of the polenta. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake at 200 C for 15 minutes, until the polenta is crisp and golden.
Roasted Mushrooms, Olives and Thyme
¼ c olive oil, 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme, 1kg of mushrooms – swiss brown or button, trimmed and halved.
Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil. Season and add thyme. Cook until softened and liquid has evaporated.
Left over apple cake was a treat while enjoying a morning coffee sitting in the sun. A relaxing break from planting trees and a good ‘pick me up’ The original recipe for my cake came from my ‘Dinner in a Basket’ book where I used pears . But, because of our abundance of apples it was obvious I had to make use of them.
Apple and Hazelnut Crumble Cake
250 grams butter, 6 apples, peeled, cored, and quartered, 1 cup castor sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder , 1 cup sour cream( I only had 1/2 cup so made up the remainder with yoghurt )
Crumble
¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup castor sugar, ½ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (combine all ingredients)
In a bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Add the remaining cake ingredients and combine gently. Spoon the batter into a 26 cm spring form cake tin. Place the sliced apples, cut side down around the cake tin on top of the batter. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top. Bake 180 C for 60 minutes, or until firm to touch. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Travel Memories
I want to dedicate my travel memory photos to my best friend Charles who is my magnificent guide in Italy / France and Scotland . He is isolated in Edinburgh and I hope starting to enjoy the beautiful Spring in Scotland with his wife Lissa and Banjo the adored Australian Terrior. To Alberto my bus driver in Italy / France who has been isolated for such a long and certainly traveling on a bus will be very different for a long time. And to my Venetian guide Cristina who has suffered the death of her beautiful mother during lockdown and the complete loss of her income until tourism returns . We are all in this together and the Pandemic has been so cruel. I use guides on all my tours and their knowledge and personalities make my tours so successful and personal. I have made many friendships for life and they have added immensely to my tours with their beloved tour favourites and passions.
XXXX We are in this together . Stay in touch .