I’m excited to share this quick recipe with you because it is the perfect tropical summer dessert.
I made this recently for family members and they loved the flavour and the way it dissolves in your mouth.
They’ve already asked me to make it again—and it hasn’t even been a week yet!
While immensely popular in its native habitat in South America (villages even hold competitions to see who can find the biggest ice cream bean pods), it doesn’t enjoy the same celebrity status here in Australia, where it grows wild in the tropical north.
It’s a shame because the white, spongy flesh inside the seed pods is delicious!
So named because the flavour has been described as similar to vanilla ice cream, I think it’s closer to that of a custard apple.
It’s soft and spongy in texture and the juice that comes out when you chew it is quite sweet.
Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan recipe which literally translates to peasant salad.
Like so many recipes from Italy, it makes use of common ingredients that would have been available to even the poorest families, hence the name.
It’s usually based around stale bread, tomatoes and onions. Three ingredients that are always on hand in every Italian kitchen.
At my family’s recent New Year gathering, one of my jobs was to bring along a salad. I didn’t want just any old salad though, I wanted something different, something interesting . . .
I started thinking about what is fresh and in-season here in the tropics in summer.
I started thinking mangoes.
What’s that? You thought I’d given up on my blog?
It’s ok, I thought I had too but to be honest I’ve missed it so much that, well . . . here I am!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with friends and family.
I know I did.
So what was on your dinner table over the festive season? Lots of fresh local produce I hope because as we all know, you just can’t beat it for flavour.
You may notice that there are a few changes around here. First of all, the name of my blog has changed. It’s now called All You Can Eat and has a new address at www.allyoucaneatblog.com
The decision to re-brand was made after a lot of soul searching over the last few months.
While the philosophy behind Grow it, Catch it, Make it has not changed, I’ve expanded the concept slightly.
Don’t worry, All You Can Eat isn’t a food blog about my favourite $10.95 smorgasbord at the local club. I won’t do that to you, I promise!
Forty years ago Innot Hot Springs farmer Bill Godden planted one of the few pecan nut orchards in the Far North.
Each winter, the nuts are harvested and sold mostly through word-of-mouth and local markets, providing top-quality produce for those who are lucky enough to be in the know.
I visited Bill at his property recently and found not only a first-class product, but also a true character of the Australian bush.
To tell you the truth, up until about a week ago, I didn’t know much about pecan nuts. Sure, I had heard of them – even used them from time to time – but they were always just something I’d bought off the supermarket shelf, with no idea of where they came from.
I just assumed they were something I couldn’t source locally . . .
Few things are as satisfying as a hot bowl of pumpkin soup on a cool, winter’s night. share this quick recipe with you. It’s a favourite in my house at this time of year, when the nights are cool and clear and you need something to warm your insides . . .
Not sure how to make pumpkin soup? Here’s a simple recipe for you that you’ll love.
This pumpkin soup recipe is a favourite in my house at this time of year, when the nights are cool and clear and you need something to warm your insides . . .
Ever since I was a boy, early morning fishing trips in search of the humble doggie mackerel have been a winter ritual.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve sat in a small aluminium dinghy in the pre-dawn cool as it glides over the swells of the Coral Sea, on the way to one of the local hot spots.
I didn’t come from a fishing family. My father, and grandfather for that matter, weren’t fishermen.
But for me, it was different. I loved fishing . . .
Well, it’s been four months since I started my blog and as anyone who has been down this path will tell you – it ain’t easy!
For me the hardest part is dealing with the frustration (and at times disappointment) that comes from having a head full of ideas for my blog but lacking the time and (if I’m honest) confidence to turn them into something I can share with my readers.
So much so, that for the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about closing my blog down and walking away from it.
Sounds a bit dramatic, I know, but I have a habit of starting what I think are really good ideas at the time, then losing patience with them before they can fully bloom . . .
At least a couple of times a week, I try to go for a walk in the afternoons. Partly because I need the exercise, and partly because I live near a river and it’s relaxing to walk along the bank and enjoy the view.
I usually take my two English staffies with me (they enjoy getting out of the backyard), and occasionally my teenage kids join us.
I follow a footpath which runs along its eastern bank, flanked by houses, then under a bridge and up alongside the town’s high school. The high school hasn’t always been a high school though.
For a long time, it was a TAFE College where adults could study a variety of courses designed to help them find a job, change their job, or start their own business.
I was a teenager myself when it first kicked off and it was a roaring success. It had all sorts of subjects on offer and in its heyday, had a lot of really cool infrastructure in place.
One of these was an orchard.
Making cordials at home is almost a lost art but creating your own refreshing blend is surprisingly easy.
It’s certainly the time of year for citrus here in the Wet Tropics and I think everyone would agree it has been a bumper crop.
Every tree I see, whether it be orange, mandarin, lemon, lime, grapefruit or lemonade, is dripping with fruit.
With such a bounty, it’s hard to ensure as little as possible goes to waste. . .
Grow , Catch , Cook 