Swiss Bircher Muesli - Summer's Porridge!

Over a year ago I watched an episode of 'River Cottage - Everyday' all about breakfasts.  Hugh talked about making Swiss Muesli the way it was initially intended, soaked overnight so that it is soft and easy to digest in the morning.   His recipe is here on Channel4 Food's website. 

I was intrigued but didn't get the chance to try it at the time.
Fast foward over a year to find me sitting in Mileto's Cafe on Chapel Street in Melbourne, while on holiday.  (Incidentally I loved this small cafe which had a comfortable, country feel to both the decor as well as the menu). While pondering the breakfast options I spied Swiss bircher muesli and decided that it would be a good, healthy and hearty breakfast to keep me fed for a while.

Out came my meal and it was love at first sight.  I mixed the puree, apple, yogurt and museli together and tasted it.  Wonderful!  I think I actually thought the words "I want to eat this every morning for the rest of my life!"   But then... I can be a bit dramatic like that.

Fast forward a little to a few days before Christmas when my parents accepted my invitation to breakfast with myself and Mr R at our new home.  I thought about what I could cook for them that would be a new experience and not leave too much washing up.  Swiss bircher muesli came immediately to mind so I set about finding a recipe that suited.  I ended up using this recipe by Food 52 because the addition of flax seed (linseeds) interested me and because toasting the oats and flax seeds as called for makes it a step up on the special rankings.  And Christmas day is pretty special!

I made a very minor change to the recipe in that I changed the hazelnuts for pistachios and instead of whole almonds I used flaked almonds.   Because I didn't change the recipe that much, I'll leave you to check out the original recipe on the Food 52 website.

But the general gist of how it came together was that I toasted the oats and ground flax seed and also toasted the nuts seperately.  The juice, almond milk and oats/flaxseed mix were mixed together, covered and left in the fridge overnight so the oats would gently soak up the liquids.  In the morning it had a consistency like thick porridge.   The toasted nuts are then stirred through the mushy muesli.

The muesli is served up cold in a bowl, with grated apple, yogurt and perhaps some extra fancy thing like blueberries, extra nuts or a pureed fruit or low-sugar jam.   Stir together and eat! 

Leftover museli mixture can be returned to the fridge, covered, for the following morning.  I like to make a half batch of the Food 52 recipe which lasts me two mornings.

I've since remade the recipe with other changes, such as using grounded wattleseed in place of the cinnamon and using pear instead of the apple.    When you think about it, there are so many combinations of sweet spices and toppings that you could do with this wonderful, filling and healthy breakfast! I've also remade the recipe without toasting the oats and flaxseed.  Though it did lack the rich, nutty flavour that toasting brings, it was still pretty tasty and a good alternative when you don't have time for fiddly toasting the night before.

If you make swiss bircher muesli, I'd love to see a pic, or hear how it went and if you enjoyed it as much as I did.

First Harvest of the New Garden!

Less than three weeks in our new home and already I've been able to make the very first harvest from my new garden.

On Christmas Day I made Apple Blossom Cooler, a refreshing non-alcaholic drink recipe by Margaret Fulton.  The first step of the recipe requires making a sugar syrup flavoured of cinnamon and mint.

As luck would have it,  the previous tenants had over 10 mint plants in the ring of herbs in my back yard.  This was the very first 'harvest', if I was to be pedantic about it.

Since then I have also taken oregano for homemade pizza from the herb garden, as well as a few more mint sprigs for a strawberry, ginger and mint cocktail concoction.

I also used my herbs as well as a cutting of cucumber leaves, flowers and tendrils for a herb bouquet to decorate my table for a tiny dinner party on New Years Day.

But supposing that some think that a 'harvest' should involve the picking of a fruit or vegetable,  the very first harvest from my new garden is this teeny cherry tomato!  It went into a small lunch salad the following day along with some beans picked fresh from my flourishing garden.

Not a big harvest by any means, and though it was all due to the hard work of the previous tenants I still had a little thrill and enjoyed eating something which I had plucked with my own hands.

But how about you folk?  How have your gardens been growing?  Have you been able to harvest any edibles from them lately? 

A New Home and New Plans

Why hello there!

I've been reminded about how long it's been since I wrote here.

And I have a new house (still renting) and new plans.

My husband and I were tired of spending so much money, time and energy on commuting to work (roughly 45-55 minutes each way by car and a minimum of a 20 minute car ride to the nearest train station.)  Mr R pointed out to me that the money we were spending on fuel, parking, wear and tear on the car, more regular services, higher insurance and use of the new Clem 7 tunnel could be put into paying higher rent for a place nearer the city.   Somewhere we could walk to work.

So we looked and looked and eventually the perfect house fell in our laps.

As of 3 days before Christmas last year (2012) we moved into a 1870s worker's cottage within a 30 minute walk to work for both of us.   The house is renovated but only in ways that retain the charm of the old building - so there are still charming old worlde elements around, like a double-shute fireplace, stained glass windows, old style light switches and sash windows.

I have moved the chicken mansion with us and have permission to get chooks.  So that's on the cards.

The garden I have inherited already has a small herb garden with mint, oregano and basil in it.  I hope to add more herbs and create another garden upstairs on the wide verandah, just outside my kitchen window for easy pickings.

Also in the garden are 3 banana trees, still young, a few cherry tomato bushes, a cucumber vine, some beans and a pumpkin vine.  I hope to add more veges to that list and add some companion plants and beneficial insect attractors.

The soil here is terrible and water drains straight down.  The previous tenants were trying to improve and build up the soil by mulching and keeping two chickens over the garden area.   I hope to work towards this goal as well.

My worm farm is going to be set up anew with a fresh batch of worms.  Between them and the chickens, most of my food scraps will be covered.

So- captured in a list, here are my goals in my new home:

1) Walk or cycle to work.  During drastic weather (major storms) use public transport.
2)  Set up the chicken run and get 3-4 chickens.
3)  Develop the existing herb garden
4)  Create a mini herb garden outside the kitchen sash-window on the verandah.
5)  Plant more vegetables.
6)  Build the soil quality on the property.
7)  Set up the worm farm and keep the worms fed and alive.
8)  Get back to meal planning again
9)  Get back to cooking meals again and return to wholefood cooking.
10) Get back to producing ingredients at home (eg. bread, herbs, eggs, veges, mayonnaise *wink*)

I hope you've all been prosperous in 2012 and have some exciting goals and projects to look forward to in 2013!