Eat a Pie Floater and Prosper

First, let me apologise for a lapse in posting lately. Life doesn't always allow time for the luxury of blogging, but never mind - here I am now. I would normally share a new recipe on my Kayzy's Kitchen page, but given the number of times we have eaten pie floaters recently, and before the Aussie weather gets too warm to enjoy this dish, I have decided to feature my version of the great South Australian Pie Floater here as well. I hope you will be inspired to give it a go!

PIE FLOATER - KAYZY STYLE

 

The star of this dish is the soup, which is delicious on its own - and addictive! But if you want to use it as the main component of a homemade Pie Floater  (South Aussie classic), this soup will raise the floater to a higher level of culinary delight!

Curried Green Pea Soup with extras

500g frozen peas

200g cauliflower, chopped

100g Silverbeet or spinach, chopped

50g reduced fat butter or margarine (I used Devondale Light)

2-3 Tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons curry powder

4 cups water

3 teaspoons chicken stock powder

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

salt, pepper

Optional: ½ cup evaporated milk, cream or fresh milk

1. Boil water in a large saucepan
   
2. Add peas, cauliflower and spinach to water, reduce heat and cook until tender.
   
3. Remove vegetables and water from the pan to a bowl. If you have a stick blender, proceed to step 4. If not, puree the vegetables, mint and a little of the vegetable water in a food processor or blender until smooth, then proceed.
   
4. Heat butter in the pan, add flour and curry powder, stir until combined. Remove pan from the heat.
   
5. Gradually add vegetable water to the pan, stirring well to combine and prevent lumps forming.
   
6. Return pan to the heat, add stock powder, and stir until stock boils and thickens.
   
7. Reduce heat, add the vegetables and fresh mint to the pan, and blend with stick blender.
   
8. Reheat the soup, test for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. If desired, add optional evaporated milk, cream or milk to the soup and reheat before serving, but I think this soup is delicious enough without this option. Serves 4-6.
   Note: Cauliflower and spinach may be omitted from this recipe without affecting the flavour, but I think their inclusion makes the soup yummier.

Pie Floater Instructions

1. Buy (or make) meat pies – any variety will do, but plain meat pies are fine. (I will add a recipe for meat pie at a later stage.)
   
2. Reheat pies in a moderate oven until hot (15 minutes).
   
3. Pour a good serve of curried pea soup in a large soup or pasta bowl, allowing room for the addition of a pie.
   
4. Place a pie (upside down if you are a traditionalist) on top of the soup in each bowl, and watch it sink!
5. Swirl a splodge of tomato sauce or ketchup on top, and serve! If you are really bold, add a dash of vinegar also. I don't think this adds anything to the dish, but some pie floater officianados swear by it.
   Note: You will need a soup spoon to eat this culinary masterpiece.

What can a Koala find to eat around here?

Keiffe (pronounced Keef) had just been 'born'. That is, Nana Kayzy put the final touches to the young koala, gave him a squishy hug, and said, "Well, little man, you're ready to face the big wide world."

While she was making Keiffe, Nana taught him many things about 'the big wide world'. She told him that 'out there' a little koala could have wonderful adventures. In Keiffe's impressionable young mind, the biggest adventure seemed to be climbing trees.  Nana had said that koalas spend most of their time living in trees, only coming down to the ground when they need to move from one tree to another, because they are always looking for the best leaves to eat. "Mmmm, leaves must be good," thought Keiffe, as Nana Kayzy sewed his tiny mouth to his chubby face. He couldn't wait to taste those yummy leaves!

Nana Kayzy, having finished Keiffe, wandered outside to enjoy the wintry sunshine, leaving Keiffe near the open door.

"Let me see," said Keiffe, "Nana told me that koalas climb trees, and live in them! But there are so many trees out there - which are the ones with the best leaves for me to eat?"

The sunshine beckoned him, and birds seemed to be calling to him also, so Keiffe responded. He moved out into the sunshine and headed for a promising tree, far distant from the house.
 
Climbing it was easy, and the tree's shiny leaves and pretty flowers looked good, so . . .

 "Yuk! These couldn't be the right leaves," exclaimed Keiffe, and he quickly climbed down from the offending tree and returned to his search for the 'right' tree.

Not far away he spied another tree, this one with lovely orange, yellow and red leaves. "Ooh, they look so good, they must be the right leaves!" Keiffe cried, and his little legs carried him as quickly as they could to the beautiful tree.

He shinned up its trunk and found a nice branch. "Now for a feast," he said, and reaching for a beautiful orange leaf he took a bite. How disappointing! Maybe the yellow and red leaves are better? No. All the leaves were dry and tasteless. Again Keiffe climbed down from the tree, rather discouraged that his first adventure was not turning out to be much fun.

However, determined to find the right leaves, he persevered, going from tree to tree around the garden, but each time he was disappointed, and what's more, getting very hungry!

The sunshine was starting to fade, just like Keiffe's enthusiasm for adventure. He decided to head back towards the house. As he drew near, he spied a rather small tree right near the back door. He hadn't noticed it before, but he supposed it was worth a try.

Keiffe slowly climbed the tree and found a comfortable fork to sit in. Its leaves, although not very impressive looking, had a yummy smell, and when Keiffe took a bite he was in koala heaven.

"Wow, these leaves taste so good!" he shouted - so loudly that Nana Kayzy, who had been looking for him,  heard his cry and came running.

"What are you doing up there, little man?"

"All day I've been everywhere looking for good leaves to eat, and they all tasted yucky, but these are great! What are they, Nana?"

Nana laughed, and lifted the little koala into her arms, along with some of the yummy leaves he couldn't stop eating. "You funny little fellow! These are gum leaves, and this tree is a gum tree. This is what all koalas love to eat! Why didn't you ask me to help you find the right tree? I would have shown you straight away."

"I wanted to do it myself," said Keiffe, snuggling up to Nana Kayzy. It was getting pretty cold now the sun was going down.

"Ah, well, you've certainly had a big adventure today, and you're home now - that's all that matters,"   and Nana Kayzy took the little koala into the cosy house and sat him in front of a lovely warm fire.

As he happily shared the events of his day with the bears gathered around the fire, he even offered to share his gum leaves with them. The bears were polite but unenthusiastic, preferring the toast and honey provided by Nana Kayzy instead.

CHRISTMAS RECIPES TO SHARE

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I'd share a few favourite recipes of mine - those that I dig out each year because I know they work, and take minimal effort! Maybe you would like to try them too. 

 The pictures are not my own, but copied from the web, just to give you an idea of what the food will look like. I will replace these with my own photos when I make the recipes again this year.

The first recipe is a standby on Christmas Day, if vegetarian guests are expected. It is always enjoyed as a substitute for Christmas roast meats.

KAY’S NUT LOAF

315g unsalted mixed nuts, finely chopped

100g peanuts or sunflower seeds, or cashews, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

100g wholemeal breadcrumbs made from stale bread

125g ricotta or cottage cheese

2 teaspns chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspn chopped oregano

125mls tomato sauce/ketchup

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients and season with S&P to taste.
2. Press mixture into a lightly greased 15 x 25cm loaf tin. Bake at 180^oc for 45 minutes or until firm. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Turn out to cool.
   

 This shortbread recipe is great to use for Christmas gifts. You could include the recipe with the shortbread as a bonus gift!

 


 SHORTBREAD

500g butter

½ tsp vanilla

½ cup icing sugar

1 cup brown sugar

5 cups plain flour

castor sugar

Lemon rind and juice of ½ lemon (optional)

1. Cream butter and vanilla. Add sugars (and lemon rind/juice if using) and mix well.
2. Mix in flour a little at a time, beating very well between each addition. Dough is done when it pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and feels slightly dry (rather than sticky) to the touch. This may take slightly less or more than the 5 cups of flour.
3. Knead dough lightly and press out ½ inch thick onto a baking tray, and score the dough into fingers – this is the easiest way. Sprinkle with castor sugar.
4. An alternative is to roll the dough to about ½ inch thickness and cut into shapes with biscuit cutters (stars, hearts, etc.). Place biscuit shapes on a baking tray lined with baking paper (optional). Sprinkle with castor sugar.
5. Bake for 20 minutes at 150C, or until light brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with more castor sugar.
6. If you have used my easy method of pressing into a tray and cutting fingers, immediately rescore the cuts on the tray to make sure the fingers will break cleanly when you separate them.
7. Leave shortbread to cool.

 
KAYZY’S FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS CAKE
 This is by far my favourite Christmas cake recipe, and terribly addictive.

1 kg mixed fruit (or 250g. chopped Raisins, 125g chopped glace cherries, 125g chopped mixed peel, 250g. Sultanas, 250g. Currants)

125g. chopped blanched almonds

^{2/3 cup brandy OR orange juice}

210g. plain flour

60g. self raising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon mixed spice

250g butter

250g. light brown sugar

2 tablespoons marmalade OR dark jam, 1 dessertspoon vanilla essence

4 eggs

Optional Topping: see below.

1. Line an 8" round cake tin with two layers foil and two layers greaseproof paper. Mix all the fruits, peel and nuts together and sprinkle with the brandy OR orange juice.
2. Sift together the flours, salt and spices.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add the jam and vanilla essence and beat again.
4. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each one, then alternately add the fruit and flour mixtures.
5. Mix thoroughly.
6. Place the mixture in the prepared tin. Topping 1: Decorate top of cake with blanched almonds. Topping 2: see step 8 below.
7. Bake in a slow oven for approximately 3½ hours. Cool in tin.
8. Topping 2: The day before you use the cake arrange on top of the cake pieces of your favourite nuts, e.g. walnuts, almonds, pecans - cherries, glace pineapple, ginger, Raisins and Sultanas.
9. Make a toffee glaze by boiling together equal quantities sugar, water and sieved apricot jam. Drizzle this over the fruit 'n nut topping and leave to set.