Red Curry

I cheated this week. I felt like red curry, but didn't have time or ingredients to make the paste from scratch so I picked up a jar of Charmaine Solomon's red curry paste from the Emporium in Berry. Yum. So easy to make a delicious curry with all those fresh Green Box veggies. A few hardboiled eggs filled it out, but you could use whatever meat/ tofu you like. When I have a bit more time to get creative, I use Charmaine Solomon's recipe to make red curry paste at home - will post the recipe soon.
Jane

Moussaka

It must have been the trip to visit Michael Stathos at his fig farm, but I've been inspired to do more Greek cooking! I picked up my mixed veggie box from Green Box this week and to my delight found some lovely looking eggplants, freshly dug potatoes from Robertson and plenty of mushrooms (amongst other delights). Having some visitors for dinner gave me a perfect excuse to make moussaka, vegetarian-style.

It may not be the most photogenic of meals, but it is certainly one of the most delicious. I used my Dad's recipe (he's not Greek, but he's a great cook). Basically, layer slices of cooked potato, fried slices of eggplant, a lamb and tomato sauce spiced with garam masala and cumin (or for vego version use finely chopped mushrooms instead of minced lamb) and finish with a bechamel sauce.  Ideally, serve with a Greek salad (don't hold back on the feta and olives, all available from Green Box).

Enjoy, Jane.

Green Box to table in 15 minutes!

 I love a meal that is fresh, delicious and takes lets you get dinner on the table in under 15 minutes, especially when a hungry 2 year-old is asking what's for dinner. Luckily for us, our Green Box order had just the right ingredients to whip up a quick and tasty meal after work. A tomato, feta and parsley omlette, salad greens that have been picked that day, and slices of olive sourdough bread to mop up any extra olive oil and balsamic dressing at the bottom of the salad bowl. Yum!

Comfort food

The temperature has dropped and I'm in the mood for comfort food, Green Box style. This week, a creamy mushroom risotto fit the bill. Luckily, there was enough leftover risotto to use as a stuffing for my golden nugget pumpkins, roasted the next night while the weather was still cool. While the oven was on I took the opportunity to try out a variation of one of my favourite Greek dishes - roasted cherry tomatoes with feta and chillies. I added some green beans to round it out and it was delicious, although perhaps not entirely authentic....

Recipes
I'm terrible at using recipes and tend to just make things up, but here is a risotto recipe that looks like mine - http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Mushroom-Risotto-L1121.html
To make Baked Tomates, Feta and Beans - place trimmed beans, halved cherry tomatoes and broken up feta in an oven-proof dish, with 2-3 large chillies and 2 cloves chopped garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and crack some pepper to taste. Bake at 180 degrees celsius for about 15 minutes. Serve as a side dish, or with some crusty sourdough to mop up the juices.
Καλή όρεξη!

Escargot!

Well, the prize goes to Ben for being the first Green Box member to order snails, a new addition to the Green Box order form. He has been kind enough to share some recipes with us, so if you are interested in trying something new, why not whip up one of these escargot recipes when you place your Green Box order this week? We love to hear what our members are doing with their Green Box produce, so send your tips and photos to us to info[@]greenbox.org.au

Jane.

ESCARGOT STUFFED MUSHROOMS 24 escargot White wine 1/4 c. Panchetta, cooked & finely chopped 24 lg. mushrooms 2 sticks butter 2/3 c. chopped garlic 1/2 c. chopped parsley 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard Dash Worcestershire sauce 1/3 c. finely chopped almonds 2 tsp. white pepper Simmer escargot in white wine for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside. Divide Panchetta among mushroom caps. Top with escargot. Combine remaining ingredients. Cover each escargot with mixture. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve with French bread slices.

ESCARGOTS A LA FETTUCINI

24 (7 1/2 oz. can) very lg. sized escargots, drained

4 tbsp. butter
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pt. heavy cream
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. frozen peas
Salt and pepper
1 lb. fettucini

Drain escargots, melt butter in heavy saucepan and saute escargot and garlic for 3 minutes. Pour in heavy cream and simmer until mixture thickens slightly. Add grated cheese, peas and seasonings. Cook a few minutes longer until escargots and sauce are hot. Do not overcook.

While sauce is cooking place fettucini in a pot of boiling (salted) water. Cook 3-4 minutes. Drain pasta and mix with escargots sauce until pasta is well coated.

FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY

Inspired by tomatoes being in season and basil smelling fantastic, I had to make this bruschetta when I picked up my Green Box order this afternoon. I persisted, however a cool change and a surprise stalk of rosemary in my Green Box steered me towards some garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes to go with a lentil and veggie casserole. Thanks Juliet for thinking of us Green Box-ers and sharing your homegrown rosemary!

TAPAS TIME

With its variety and fresh summer flavours, this week's Green Box order has inspired me to get a little Spanish. Too many fabulous flavours to let just one veg take centre stage. So why not try tapas-style tasting plates and let them all shine?
 It was the mushroom and garlic combo that started it all really. Mushrooms panfried in lots of butter, garlic and chopped parsley. Mop it up with some delicious sourdough. But what to go with it?
 With freshly-dug spuds from Terara new to the order form, some crispy wedges seemed a good idea. Serve them with a side of South Coast Dairy yoghurt and maybe chilli sauce or a salsa verde made from all your herbs. And for some colour, saute green beans in a fresh tomato puree, more garlic perhaps, and season well.
 Then simply add a bowl of olives, a fresh garden salad, a balmy sunset and a chilled glass of vino - and enjoy.

New season potatoes on the menu