Building our Pizza Oven - Part One

Since we moved to Sydney from the UK, we spend most of the time at home, from August to May, outside.  Either in or by the pool, on the deck or socialising and eating on the balcony.  For us that is part of what living in Australia is all about, being outside and making the most of the climate and our beautiful surroundings.

We have decided to make more of this by building a Pizza oven in our garden.  Eventually it will be pride of place in an outside kitchen that will sit just next to our deck.  I am not sure how long it will take to finish the entire kitchen but I aim to get the Pizza oven ready for the Australian summer in December.

Why a Pizza oven?  Well, I have distinct childhood memories from my Uncle Jean, in Paris.  He was the ultimate handyman and had personally built two houses before he built a bread oven in his garden in suburban Paris.  I remember vividly the ceremony of firing up the bread oven, cooking Pizzas and then huge batches of bread which he then froze for the month ahead.

The first part of building the Pizza oven was to get the ground ready (see the photo below).  From here I need to build the shuttering, the reinforcement and then pour the concrete slab for the tiled area in front of the kitchen.  Then the foundations for the oven and then the oven itself.

I will post updates every couple of weeks over the next few months.

See Next Pizza Oven Post

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My Fast Food - Garlic Chilli Prawns on Turmeric Rice

Sometimes we just want a quick dinner; we don't want to compromise on ingredients or flavour but after getting the kids to bed when it is late, sometimes there is not much time to get our dinner ready.  This is one of our favourites as I can get it onto the plate in the same time as it takes the rice to cook.

For two people you will need:

• Large prawns (8 per person or more if you are hungry)
• garlic, a medium sized clove
• red chili (as much as you want for your taste)
• butter
• Olive oil
• kaffir lime leaves (optional but they make the dish)
• rice (basmati)
• a noddle of fresh turmeric
• small glass of white wine

Put the rice on (a rice steamer is best).  Grate the turmeric onto the top of the rice.

Pour yourself a glass of chilled white or a light red.  

Chop the garlic, chili and the kaffir lime leaves.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan.  Add the garlic until is has softened and is just starting to colour, add the chili and the kaffir lime leaves.  Fry the garlic, chili and kaffir lime leaves until the garlic is just starting to brown but do not let it burn.

Add the white wine and once it is bubbling, add the prawns.  At this stage the rice should be cooked.  Plate the rice, having stirred it to mix the turmeric coloured rice with the plain rice.  Plate the prawns on top of the rice.  Serve!

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The First Asparagus of the Season

Just over a year ago I planted a bed of 15 two year old asparagus crowns. To avoid the worst of the Sydney summer sun I placed them in a relatively shaded part of the garden that gets afternoon sun but no full midday sun. They have done well so far with bushy fronds over the spring and a few small spears that I left in to strengthen the crowns in their first year in the garden.

Last weekend, the first spear of the season tentatively poked its tip into the air. Time to mulch, feed and water and in a few weeks time as we move into spring, we should be eating fresh asparagus straight from the garden.

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This Year's Turmeric Harvest

I have been growing Ginger, Turmeric and Galangal for about three years and over the last two years, I have had great harvests. This year, although my Turmeric has grown really well, I have had no luck with my Ginger and Galangal.  I blame the very wet summer inflicted on us; just as well it is easy to buy both of those in the shops as fresh turmeric is so much harder to find.

Most people use dried and powdered Turmeric but I find that it looses much of its beautiful flavor when dried.  Fresh turmeric doesn't have the vibrant colour that powdered turmeric has so I tend to use some of each, fresh for the flavor and dried for the colour.

I started growning turmeric from a single tuber that I bought from Daley's Nursery a few years ago.  Since then I have split the tubers each season and replanted and now have well over 6 plants growing each year.  This is more than enough to keep us in fresh turmeric for the whole year and, as if freezes so well we are well supplied through the out of season months as well. This is one of my plants just before I harvested it over this weekend.
  

And just after it had been dug out of the ground.

As is is a tuber, it can be quite difficult to clean so after harvesting, I tend to soak the tubers in water for an hour or so and then break of the smaller tubers which I then keep for food use. 

Turmeric is also a very beautiful plant with long elongated, variegated leaves.  They are perfect for serving Asian dishes or condiments and add green lozenges of colour to the table when used this way.  

The main part of the plant (below) gets kept back to be replanted into pots and I then over winter them in the greenhouse ready to be planted back in the garden in early to mid spring.

Turmeric takes nearly no maintenance and doesn't seem to be susceptible to pests or disease.  I love the tropical, leafy feel it brings to our garden and would grown them even if I couldn't eat them.  Next year, I'll be growing more turmeric but I'll also be giving some special attention to my ginger and galangal so that I don't miss another years harvest.

Anyone else growing turmeric?

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