Of Pretty Things, Young Girl and Old Apples

A couple of months ago I went to the annual Arts, Craft and Quilting Exhibition, a rather big do I should add. It was my good friend Leigh's birthday and being a very handy lady with a needle she jumped at the invite to attend. Leigh was most taken with the quilts and I couldn't stop her from touching nearly all that we saw (even though the signs clearly stated "do not touch"). It was exciting stuff. We simply had to thoroughly check them out; it's called admiration. I don't think the security lady saw it that way.

As for me I was going nuts at the huge wall of the prettiest aprons you ever did see. It stirred me to the extent that I considered reacquainting myself with the sewing machine. And boy has it been a while. I bought this beautiful fabric and I imagined seeing myself in a very pretty, dare I say it, "sexy" little number. I noticed many of the aprons had a "desperate housewives" kinda style and I kinda fancied one for myself.

Mmmm. On completion of the garment I thought to myself it looked a little skimpier than I'd imagined. I did after all make the larger size. Never mind.

I decided to have a little photo shoot of my creation so off I went in search of a model. As luck would have it I found this beautiful maiden with wild hair roaming in the woods and she agreed to wear it. Wasn't that lucky. Her name was Nicole.
















I was really pleased with the outcome except for one thing. It looked great on beautiful maiden but I looked like a total frump in it. It was cute, skimpy, not very protective and almost french waitress kinda stuff if you know what I mean. What was I thinking? I think they call it mutton dressed as lamb. Looks like the lamb scores it. Hope you enjoy your new apron Nicole.

Everything has it's price. In exchange for the maiden's time, I promised to reward her with an afternoon treat. Considering all I had was one packet of cooking chocolate (and trying to ignore chocolate for this week), I went with the three neglected green apples (turning brown) in the fruit bowl.

I peeled them, stewed them with cinnamon, sugar and lemon and allowed them to cool. I grabbed some puff pastry from the freezer, covered the sheets till slightly thawed; cut into quarters; topped with the apple and attempted to shape them into apple turnover lookalikes. With a sharp knife I slit them, brushed generously with egg white and sprinkled well with sugar.



After bunging them in a preheated oven, twenty minutes later and hey presto they were sitting on an oven rack waiting to cool down. So easy.



They were absolutely scrumptious. Those old browning apples served their purpose and turned into the most delicious turnovers I have eaten in a long, long time. What, did I think that younger, fresher apples would have made better turnovers? Goes to show, never judge a book by it's cover. Actually this old bird just might give that apron another try. Hang on. I think I see the maiden running back into the woods, bows on her back and turnovers stashed in her pockets. It's not been my day.

A Mediterranean Morsel

There seems to be a "chocolatey" and dessert theme happening out there in the blogosphere. And given the nature of my last two posts, I feel the need to eat something healthy. Does that mean I will compromise on taste and gastronomic pleasure? Not on your Nelly. I feel like something good and wholesome yet luscious and brimming with all those Mediterranean flavours I love. Something that will satisfy the appetite, pounce on the palate and leave me feeling completely nourished yet slightly spoilt.

Well it was a bit of effort to reach that point; but, my oh my was it worth it! Really, I can't tell you how good it made me feel and I will pass on dessert thank you and just have a nice glass of red. Simply magnifique. I'm happy.

Lamb Bruschetta with Zucchini, Eggplant and Garlic Yoghurt.

First of all I purchased two mini trim lamb round roasts. I think it is the part of the leg that has been deboned and you are literally left with nothing but beautiful meat. What I like to do is tie them up as tightly as possible with some twine. Then I smother them with wholegrain mustard and generously scatter them with coarsely ground black pepper. In a very very hot pan with a little olive oil, sear all sides of the lamb till nice and brown. Each side should take no more than one and a half minutes. Place them on a rack over a baking tin with a little water and place in a very high preheated oven. I baked these for about 40 minutes.

I like to rest them on a plate. This way any juices that escape can be reserved. As I slice the meat finely I douse the slices in the juice so that it can be reabsorbed back into the meat. For best results, it is preferable to allow the meat to cool down, refrigerate, take back out, bring to room temperature and then slice. See what I mean about a bit of effort. But that's me being fussy. You can of course slice and eat it right away, its just that the meat is less likely to tear. Either way she tastes great. I use these cuts often and the meat is very versatile with loads of uses. My hubby loves slices of lamb on fresh bread with cheese and tomato relish. Jeepers we are out of relish and I think I know what my next post is going to be. It also works really well with green lettuce, caramelized onion and aioli. It's also terrific presliced, wrapped up and then presented on a platter outdoors or on a picnic. We had a gathering at the farm a while ago with some of hubby's soccer mates and when I put the lamb out on the table it went down a treat. It was an absolute hit. Try it.

Take a couple of small zucchini and mini eggplant. Slice them into even rounds.




I fry them separately. Eggplant takes marginally longer to cook than zucchini. Heat some olive oil in a frypan then toss in the eggplant. The eggplant is likely to soak up the oil very quickly. Add some water if necessary to help it cook through. Eggplant is one of those veggies that really needs to be cooked through. When it is almost ready throw in one green shallot that has been roughly chopped. Cook for one more minute then turn out onto a plate. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked black pepper. I also like to add some uncooked white spring onion for a nice contrast in texture and flavour.


In the same pan heat some more oil and toss in the zucchini. I like to fry these on a higher heat because they do not take as long to cook as the eggplant. I love to get some nice colour on them as well; makes them so much more appealing. When almost done add some more chopped green shallot and follow the same procedure as with the eggplant when you turn it out onto a plate. It is really important to add the vinegar, seasonings and spring onion to the veggies whilst they are still warm because then they take on the flavours so much better.

To make your garlic yoghurt simply take a couple of tablespoons of some really thick Greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, one clove of crushed garlic and mix till really well combined. Put back in the fridge till ready to use. If you have some fresh mint handy then feel free to put in a chopped tablespoon. I didn't have any and I refuse to purchase a whole bunch when I only need a little. I decided that I would enhance my bruschetta with some homemade roasted capsicum that had been marinating in olive oil, crushed garlic and balsamic for about one month. When I opened the jar I couldn't believe the intense aroma that hit me. Just glorious.



Now the fun part begins. I cut some slices of fresh ciabatta and assembled two on a plate. On one I placed some red oak leaf lettuce, topped with lamb, eggplant, garlic yoghurt and yellow marinated capsicum.




On the other I placed some green oak leaf lettuce and rocket,topped with lamb, zucchini, garlic yoghurt and finished off with red capsicum. You could drizzle with a little more olive oil if you like but I was happy with mine as is.



Yum, yum, yum. I call these little morsels 'food from the gods'. Thank you lord.



Amen.

Win Your Weight In Chocolate Competition

I was rummaging through a neglected, dusty pile of old folders, when a bright, pink folder caught my eye. A smile sprung to my face as I pulled it out and opened it up to the first page. The events of that day came flooding back. It was 13 years ago, goodness that long ago. May 31st 1996 to be precise.

On the afternoon of May 30th I was driving home with a car full of groceries glad to be supermarket free for the next few days. After unloading and packing groceries away, I sat down with a cup of tea to read some of the newspaper before setting about to cook the dinner.

This very small segment captured my attention.



I read it and I turned the page. I flipped the page back and read it again. Goodness this challenge is tomorrow. No way, not enough time. I turned the page and tried to forget it. But I couldn't. It kept niggling away at me, this little voice saying 'you need to do this'. For about an hour I tossed up in my mind the reasons for why "I should" and the reasons for why "I shouldn't".

After all this mulling, I snapped. I'm doing it. Crazily I recall dashing through the cupboard searching for all the "cakey ingredients I might require. I didn't have enough cooking chocolate or pouring cream. I was literally assembling the cake in my mind and I kid you not, I had never before made the creation that was evolving.

Since the theme was chocolate, I imagined a zesty orange, grated chocolate sponge, split and filled with alternating layers of chocolate creme patissiere and jaffa chocolate mousse, covered with grand marnier cream and decorated with lacey chocolate triangles and whole cumquats piped with extra dark chocolate. Not so hard; right?

Damn, I had to race back to the shops. And race I did. I was in mission impossible mode now.

After dinner was over my cake making marathon commenced. By midnight I had the baked cake back in it's plastic film covered tin with four layers of the fillings as I described. I rested a plate on top to assist with the pressing and in the fridge she went. Tomorrow (actually today as it had just passed midnight), I'll finish assembling it.

Next morning I recall not getting much sleep and I got up feeling really nervous and edgy. Pulling cumquats off the tree, beating cream, piping chocolate I wasn't feeling any better, infact I started to get shaky. What the hell? I remember thinking I should call the whole thing off and just let the kids tuck into this "monster" because this amount of stress was just not worth it. I decided that if I wasn't satisfied with the end result then that is exactly what I would do. That helped a little. I completed the cake, took a good hard look at it and decided she was going to compete.

Just after ten o'clock I said I was going to drop off the cake when low and behold everyone decided they would come too. My husband backed out the car a little too fast for my liking and I bit his head off. Take it easy!!!!!!!! I shrieked. After all my effort how could he be soooo inconsiderate. (Actually I am laughing my head off right now remembering how seriously I took the whole silly thing). Sigh.

We got our cake there at 10.30am. The people there began to deliberate about which category my cake should go in. I said the cake section. They disagreed and put it in the dessert section. On closer inspection of the entries there, the desserts were by far the nicer. That'd be right. Just my luck to put me in the hardest category. We went home. Back for the judging at 2.30pm.

Well that had to be the longest three hours of my life. I had never entered anything before or done anything like this. I recall seeing my eldest daughter Larissa pacing up and down the hall and in the lounge with her eye constantly on the clock. I think it was the longest three hours of her life too. The thing is, when we were there she had thoroughly checked out the other entries and became very excited because she really thought I was going to win!

The others were quite normal and acted as though nothing majorily exciting was happening. Infact my seven year old son was mightily miffed that we would be going back for what he considered to be a total waste of time. Playing leggo was much more appealing to him.

Armed with a camera (just in case) we headed off for the judging. Now I should explain that there were three categories; the slice category, the cake category and the dessert category. The winner of each section would win a ten kilo block of solid Cadbury milk chocolate. The overall supreme winner would win their weight in assorted Cadbury chocolate. Holey dooley. Unimaginable.

As the crowd gathered and waited for the announcements I remember feeling excited that I had done this and whatever the outcome, at least I had participated and I was happy with my entry. You can only do your best.

As the slice and cake winners stood on the stage, the dessert winner was announced last. It was me. To top it off, I was the supreme winner too. I had to stand on the scales before everyone while the radio announcer declared I weighed 65.2 kilos. Yep. I feel flushed actually remembering it all. But what I remember more than anything was the relief on Larissa's face and the feeling that her belief in me paid off. That was probably the best feeling of all.

Three days later my prize was delivered; 66kgs of chockies.

The ten kilo block we took home that day so we could begin celebrating right away. Check out the three happy faces with little Nikka's eyes set firmly on the prize.



That was my year of chocolate. I remember I gave away heaps; for raffles at the school; for teachers to use as rewards for kids and to friends and relatives. I recall with fondness as I took over a load for my neighbour Gayle and her brood of five kids. I think they all thought Christmas had come early that year.

But the funniest thing was instead of having a fruit bowl on the kitchen table for a year, we had a chocolate bowl. We stored the chocolate in the garage in a cool spot so it didn't spoil, and I topped up our "fruit" bowl regularly. Years later my son confessed to going in the garage and nicking the Cherry Ripes because they were his favourite. I should have reminded him about his "waste of time" comment regarding the contest. So so funny.

Well there is my "nostalgia" post for today. A wonderful trip down memory lane. Sweet memories. Literally sweet memories. And may I mention the beginning of my run of entering competitions. Food magazines had just begun to emerge at this time and competitions were regularly run. For five years I had lots of fun and that is why I have a competition folder. It contains the results of my successful entries.

Today I share with you my very first win but also my most affectionate win; mainly because of the joy it brought my kids. And others too. But mostly for the joy it brought me in giving and sharing.

As I turn the page of my dusty pink folder I see other times that brought me so much pleasure. I think I have bored you all enough for today and will save that for another time. In the meantime I shall leave you with a little clue? How does meeting Jamie Oliver sound.

A Time For Comfort

After five days interstate, mostly dealing with nursing homes; I leave behind my aunt who is now in the unenviable position of being totally dependent upon others. Depressing is one word that certainly comes to mind however I have been consumed with being orderly and carrying out all the procedures and paperwork that need attention. Together with the rain and awful weather it has been a rather grim and gloomy time.

I feel like something homely, safe, comforting and of course delicious. And I'm not at all concerned about any calories; I just want comfort. Immediately my good old apple cake comes to mind and I do not hesitate for a moment. Canned apple? Never. I only ever use fresh green apples and if I don't have any I won't make it. Plain and simple. Fortunately all the remaining ingredients are common pantry staples so it is fairly straightforward.

Mariana's Apple Cake

3 green apples, peeled & diced into even pieces

extra sugar

cinnamon

125gm unsalted butter

3/4 cup of castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 free range eggs

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

Place peeled apples into a saucepan; sprinkle generously with cinnamon; add three tablespoons of sugar; shake pan well to ensure all the pieces are coated. Pour into this approximately three quarters of a cup of water; bring to boil; simmer until the apple is cooked but please do not overcook. I do not like a mushy apple texture; just cook till the apple holds its shape. Drain in a colander but reserve the liquid; then set aside to cool.

Place butter, sugar, vanilla extract into a bowl; beat till light & fluffy; add eggs; beat further till well incorporated.



Fold flour & milk into this; beat till just combined. Pour mixture into a greased & lined cake tin. Carefully scatter all the apple pieces over the top of the mixture. Do not press as the batter will rise above & over the apple during baking.



Place into a preheated moderate oven; bake for approx 35 to 40 minutes. Put cooked cake onto a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully turn out onto another rack after this time. Set aside to cool or if you prefer as my son does; tuck into it while still warm.



I made a custard following the instructions from the packet. Simply add two tablespoons custard powder & 1 tablespoon sugar to 500mls milk. Stir over a low heat till custard comes together.



You may like to try my apple brandy syrup which adds a very luxurious, ultra comforting touch. Take 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid after the apples were drained & place in a very small saucepan. I actually used one of my ibriks (a small cooking vessel for making black coffee). Add one tablespoon of brandy; cook for about seven minutes. It should have reduced slightly but it won't be too thick.


Arrange your apple cake pieces onto a plate. Pour over the custard.



Take a couple of tablespoons of the syrup and drizzle over the cake.



I am ready to be comforted now.

Eurovision Night

Well it's come again that crazy time that we know and love as "Eurovision". It hits you like a cyclone and then it's over leaving us to reflect and lick our wounds as none of us (yet again) have chosen the winner. But the usual anticipation, the dissection of each and every act and then our marking from first to fifth before the voting results commence. It's been a tradition of ours ever since the kids have been able to talk and hold a pen. For me it's been a tradition ever since SBS began to telecast the event back in the seventies. We love it.

There used to be a time in Australia when we used to ask people "did you watch Eurovision" and they didn't know what the hell we were talking about. Times have changed. These days we also make sure not to watch any commercial TV or listen to the radio on the day because the results are announced the minute they find out from Europe. So as not to spoil our "tradition" we stay away from it all.

I learned the hard way when two years ago I heard that Serbia had taken it out that year before it was televised. I put up a brave face going along with our usual antics throughout the song contest knowing the winner the whole time. Fortunately the others didn't know. The sting was particularly bad for me given my Balkan roots and the absolute joy I would have felt with the narrow win as Ukraine and Serbia battled it out for first place. Thank you Channel seven news, I have not forgiven you and I never will!

Last night I chose Germany to win (what the hell was I thinking), Mitch and Nikka chose Ukraine and Issy chose Portugal. Norway was for all of us in the top five but there you go, they took it out. Alexander (the guy from Norway) was as cute as a button; he reminded me of a little creature from the woodlands; big bright eyes; gorgeous features and he moved with such agility. Not sure about Issy but none of us begrudge him for the win. Well done Norway.

Upon reflection I wish I had gone with the acts that touched me the most and quite frankly they were firstly Russia (so powerful), Denmark (a bit cheesy but really catchy) then Iceland.

Nikka really liked Estonia, (the leading girl had the most exquisite face I have ever seen), and hubby and Issy also really like Bosnia. Mitch chose Norway for second followed by Deutschland, Bosnia and Iceland. There you have it. Our Eurovision analysis for 2009. See you in Oslo.

For my menu today I have chosen a little mixture from Europe. Since I really, really, really liked Russia I decided to use a very popular ingredient in their homeland and that is beetroot. Also one of my favourite veggies. Toss in a little yoghurt and mint and you add some Turkish and Greek. A splash of balsamic vinegar (where the hell were the Italians) and some continental parsley and olive oil and you virtually encapsulate the entire Mediterranean. Pita bread reflects much of the middle east and dukkah from Egypt (let's just pretend they were there, okay).

Beetroot Dip with Dukkah Coated Pita Crisps

150gm roasted beetroot

1 clove garlic, crushed

1tbsp chopped continental parsley

1tsp chopped mint

2tsp extra virgin olive oil

1tsp balsamic vinegar

2 heaped tbsps thick Greek style yoghurt

cracked pepper & sea salt

Coarsely grate the beetroot; place in bowl with garlic, parsley, mint, olive oil & vinegar. Mix thoroughly.

Stir through yoghurt & season to taste.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow flavours to meld.

Brush pita bread lightly with olive oil; scatter generously with dukkah.

Cut the pita into wedges; bake in a preheated oven for only about 10 minutes. Watch closely as it does not take too long to brown. Excess pita crisps keep really well stored in an airtight container.

Grab your favourite vino and "Salute" to Eurovision!

Lilly Pilly Jelly

I'm chuffed. Really chuffed. There is nothing like good old fashioned work with fruitful reward at the end to make me feel really, really, well; chuffed. For the moment however I shall digress.

Last Sunday it was Mother's Day. Happy wishes from happy kids is all I want. Barr the presents. I'm so over everyone feeling the pressure of giving for the sake of giving. Anyway thanks girls for the beautiful cup and saucer, little bowls and David Gray CD. Next year, hugs, a drink, a little mezze and chatting over the kitchen sink will suffice.

Later that afternoon Hubby took me for a drive out to our property. It was a beautiful, sunny day. He started up the quad and and we meandered our way right up to the top of the farm, stopping to say hello to the cows and bully along the way. Sitting on top of the world up there, we admired the rolling lush green hills and the 'pretty as a picture' landscape.

On our way back we rode over the hills and on our descent he stopped the quad to show me a 'lilly pilly' tree in the distance. Making our way to the tree I had to walk through some pretty long grass, and that always worries me. After all it was only a few months ago that my son nearly stepped on a death adder.


Reaching the tree I was blown away with all the pink 'marbles' of fruit suspended in the air. Hubby remarked he thought they would make a great jam, probably never expecting that I would embark on a mission to find out. And find out, is exactly what I did.

Two days later armed with my gum boots, bucket and mobile phone (to call for help in case that snake gets me), I set about trying to find the tree again. Not as easy as you think when there are literally hundreds of trees dotted on the place. Spotting some cows on a rather steep embankment, I stopped to talk to them, turned my head and there was the lilly pilly tree. Bliss, I found it, now off to do some picking.


I figure all I want is about a kilo or so to experiment with because what is the point of making heaps if it ends up tasting awful. Not long into picking I realised this was gonna take a while cause lots of little 'marbles' are needed to get to my one kilo. The day is gorgeous, the cows are munching, the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing (a little too close actually) and I am feeling really connected to this environment. The shops are the furthest thing from my mind right now and I am really enjoying this fresh air, the sounds of nature and the experience of picking this native fruit straight from the tree.

Scouring through the internet I find some articles that seem to recommend making jelly rather than jam with the lilly pilly. That's fine by me, after all who wants to be deseeding all this miniature fruit; it took long enough just to pick it. Jelly it is.

The fruit taste very distinctive, slightly tart and very little flesh to it, but I rather like it. This may be promising. I admire the rosy, pink fruit. It is a beautiful colour actually. I feel a little excited.


It's a bit finicky but the fruit really needs to be clean; so a few rinses in water is required along with time to remove any remaining stalks, bits clinging to the fruit and checking for spoilt ones. Quite a bit of time to be honest. Place the fruit in a pot, stainless steel is best, and pour in enough water till the fruit is just covered. Bring to the boil and then cook till the fruit is soft and stripped of all the colour.

Take a colander and line it with some muslin that has been well rinsed in super hot water. Place this over a container to catch the juice from the fruit. Pour in the cooked fruit. It is imperative to not squeeze the fruit at any time otherwise your final product may have a cloudy appearance. Tie the muslin onto a strong support and suspend it directly over the container. Leave overnight.



The muslin will be heavily stained with that stunning rosy pink colour but do not discard. It washes out and can be used again for other preserves.



The liquid from the lilly pilly should be a gorgeous deep pink colour.



Now the cooking of the jelly can commence. Measure out the liquid; for every cup of liquid you will need a cup of sugar. I had almost 500mls of liquid so I added 500gms of sugar. To this put in the juice of one lemon and bring to the boil. Stir slowly; when all the sugar has dissolved; refrain from any further stirring. I had quite a bit of scum developing so I skimmed that from the sides during cooking. Test for the setting of the jelly. Place a saucer into the freezer; place a drop onto the cold saucer and if when you press into it there is no runniness then you will have achieved a good setting. Otherwise lift some with a utensil and see how set it looks.



I was absolutely delighted with the setting and it only took about ten minutes after I brought it to boil, so not long at all. Beware though because the size of the pot you use makes a difference to the overall time. My pot was really large. My gosh, this looks absolutely perfect to me. I'm really, really pleased.



I have a little taste preview and I find it tangy but not at all bitter. It has a real depth of flavour; but I find I cannot compare it to anything. Hang on, maybe a little 'berry' like. If this is what lilly pilly is meant to taste like then thumbs up for me. I'm happy.

Wash some jars and lids in very hot water. Place them standing upwards in an oven on a low temperature till they are hottish and there is no sign of water clinging to them. You have to make sure they are ready to go because once the jelly is cooked to the correct consistency you need to pour it into the jars immediately. You may prefer to seal straight away, however I allowed mine to cool a little before lidding.

I look forward to my cup of tea with some fresh pasta dura bread, butter and home made lilly pilly jelly. Oh my gosh. It is just gorgeous. Just a few days ago I didn't even know that tree existed and here I am today enjoying the lovely treats that this native lilly pilly tree has offered me. I will be back for more of it's fruit to make some more of this new taste sensation.



I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed creating it. For some reason I feel really satisfied and particularly chuffed.




Update:  Check out my latest post of another lilly pilly I discovered at the farm.   From this I made a purple cherry jelly and I'm very happy with it.

Savoury Afternoon Tea

This was supposed to be my post about three weeks ago. I had the pictures ready to go and I had enjoyed eating some of the content. However everything was up in the air after I dashed off to Sydney. My aunt had a massive stroke and her life will never be the same again. She still may not even survive. I have left her in God's hands. Many thanks to those of you who left best wishes; so very kind of you.

So here I am trying to regain some kind of normality. As I recall this baked ricotta is so easy, delish and above all healthy so whats not to like about it. You can replace the sundried tomatoes with olives or capers or whatever you like. Try not to complicate the ricotta with too many ingredients. It keeps for about a week; that is if it lasts that long.

I love Italian breads, particularly their ciabatta. Sometimes I cut even slices and bake them till crisp right through. They are my substitute for cracker biscuits. Well sealed in a plastic bag they can keep for ages. Use for dips, spreads or toppings.

The capsicum morsels were so fresh and so full of goodness. Red capsicum is one of my favourite foods ever! There is lots of connection with the past; baking capsicum aromas often filled the kitchen that I grew up in. Only roll up what you intend to consume because they do not keep as well. The basil leaves inside the roll become soggy and tend to oxidize rather quickly when left too long. Still the components are easy and they are quick to assemble if you have the urge to eat them.

Baked Ricotta Pot

200gm ricotta
1 small egg
3 sundried tomatoes, chopped
5 large basil leaves, shredded
1 tbsp pinenuts
salt & pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl; mix through till really well combined. Oil a baking container & line the bottom with baking paper.Place a nice basil leaf on the bottom; press the mixture into the container.You may prefer to use two smaller baking dishes. Bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes or till golden & puffy.




Capsicum Rollettes

100gm ricotta cheese
good squeeze fresh lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
fresh basil leaves
roast capsicum slices, skin off

Mix the ricotta with lemon & salt. Slice the capsicum into even sized lengths. Place a basil leaf onto the slice; spoon some ricotta onto the leaf; roll up; secure with a toothpick. Drizzle with some olive oil if desired. Sprinkle with some fresh sage leaves.

A delightful afternoon tea or snack at any time packed with loads of nutritional goodness.