Seasonal Secrets – What’s in the box 29/30 June
Well folks, it is a sad week for Adelaide Food Connect subscribers. No link to this week’s box, but for all the details on the demise of Community Supported Agriculture in it’s current form in Adelaide, check here.
You will note I said “in it’s current form”. While there is a great deal of disappointment in the Food Connect community, there is far more goodwill and I urge you all to bring it with you when you attend the (yet to be announced) public meeting. The meeting will be held to address the issues of account settlements, but will also be an opportunity for us all to look at new ways carry on the future of CSA here in Adelaide. Please bring all of your ideas and enthusiasm to this meeting so that together we can help raise a phoenix from these ashes.
In the meantime, this weekly post will not stop – it will just alter it’s name slightly and will henceforth be known simply as “Seasonal Secrets”. It may take me a little longer to change the title on the blog page – I’m having a little problem with that. (Any help from Thesis buffs gratefully received.)
So – on to this week. It’s a glorious day today, but I’m told that winter is on its way back this weekend and what better way to challenge it than with a big pot of soup? There are plenty of soup options in the boxes this last week and, if you are looking for spinach suggestions, might I suggest shredding it finely and bunging it in with whatever soup you make. Leek and potato is a favourite in our house, dead simple and can be instant greened up by the addition of the shredded spinach towards the end of cooking, but before the mulching part of the procedure. Broccoli soup is another simple dish and the spinach won’t be spotted by even the most vigilant teen in an already green soup.
The perfect accompaniment to soup is a fresh, warm, cheesy savoury muffin and, depending on what you put in them, they can just about be a meal in themselves. They are also very easily frozen – brilliant for a weekend bake-up to save time on school lunches during the week. These are limited only as far as your imagination and I’ve put some suggestions at the bottom of the recipe – so knock yourselves out!
Ingredients
- 2 cups SR flour (white or 1/2 wholemeal, 1/2 white)
- approx 1-2 cups of additions (see suggestions)
- 1 cup milk (or 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup milk)
- 125 ml oil or melted butter
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven 180C.
- Grease or spray muffin tray.
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Mix wet ingredients together.
- Blend together, mixing until only JUST combined.
- Spoon into muffin pans and bake 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and spring back when touched.
Quick notes
It is generally wise to combine grated cheddar with parmesan for a cheesy muffin or the fats in the cheddar will be too heavy for the muffins.
Variations
A combination of grated cheddar cheese and grated parmesan, cubed feta, grated zucchini, carrots, pumpkin, chopped capsicum, chopped roasted capsicum, mushrooms, olives, finely shredded spinach, chopped sun dried tomatoes, chopped bacon or ham, finely chopped fresh herbs, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.
Cooking time:
Number of servings (yield): 12
Subscribe to Lambs' Ears and Honey
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Kate
02/07/2011
Great minds cook/think alike ! I have just done a root veg soup in the crock pot. I served it with crispy bacon and cheese on top.
Anna Johnston
04/07/2011
Mmmmmmmm… Cheesy savory muffins. Or perhaps a sun dried tomato savory muffins. Want, sooooo good. 🙂 Stay warm sweetness, we are in for awful weather too. I look like an eskimo, I have like 20 layers on to battle the gail force snowy winds. 8)