Loquat Pie

 

Intro

For a few years a Summer highlight for our family was the Organic River Festival at Kimberly River. The Festival went through a few changes and is no longer held which is a dam shame. However, back to my story.... Couple of years back I helped a good friend on his stall. He manufactures gorgeous organic fruit juices and apple cider vinegar under the label Coral Tree. We sold organic plums from his orchard but he also had this massive crop of loquats from lovely old tree. We decided to try and make something from the loquats using organic ingredients as far as possible. A hunt around the internet, a few trial batches and voila - Loquat Pies. 

Recipe

Prepare 4 cups of washed, seeded and chopped loquats (use flesh and skin only) . Simmer together with half a cup of water until soft and pulpy (about 30 minutes). 

Sift these together:

• 2 tablespoons flour
• quarter teaspoon all spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar

Add to the fruit and stir over heat until mixture thickens. Cook for 1 minute.  Allow to cool then use as a pie filling. I used this Sweet short pastry recipe but used organic flour and organic honey instead of sugar. A simple fruit crumble topping completed the pies.

Mushroom Rolls

Intro

I seem doomed to be forever surrounded by bloody vegetarians. My kids bring them home now; my daughter has had 2 close friends who didn't eat meat and my son's gorgeous wife is a vego too. Fortunately Bloke #2 was a vegetarian and over the 7 years or so we were together I gathered a few good recipes up. He loved pastry and pies and these 'sausage rolls' are so tasty I stopped making meat-ones altogether. 

Recipe

• 500g mushrooms - finely chopped by hand or in a food processor,
• 2 large onions, finely chopped by hand - they bruise in a food processor,
• 4 tablespoons olive oil,
• 3 large garlic cloves - finely chopped,
• 2 teaspoons curry powder,
• 1 teaspoon tumeric,
• 40z fresh breadcrumbs (fresh bread slices in food processor),
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley,
• 2 eggs,
• salt, pepper,
• flaky pastry - prerolled sheets or a block rolled out 2-3mm thick.

Heat the oil in a frypan, add the spices and garlic and cook gently for a minute or so. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes then add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Add the parsley and breadcrumbs and stir through. Remove from heat, cool a little then add the eggs, allow to get cold. Assemble as for your favourite sausage rolls. 

Method

Lay out rectangles of pastry (cut pre rolled squares in half), place the mushroom filling in a long sausage shape down the middle. Fold pastry over sealing edges with water. Make a few slashes or decorative cuts in the top. Glaze with beaten egg, sprinkle on a few grindings of coarse sea salt, cracked pepper or dried herbs. Cut into pieces as big or small as you like. Place on a greased baking sheet spaced apart to allow for pastry to rise. Cook in a hot oven , about 210 degrees, until pastry is golden and well risen.