Experimental

In our front yard this week, we finally were able to finish building the 4 new beds that replaced 2 larger, cumbersome ones.  When I say 'we', I mean Gnomeo, who did most of the work - many kisses for him.

The beds were planted out with broadbeans, peas, spinach, lettuce, carrot, parsnip, shallots, onions.  Beetroot, broccoli, leek and radishes are already well on their way...  Hurrah.

With the demolition of the old beds, we got a few potatoes and pumpkins from the huge vines that had grown.  After harvesting pumpkins, Gnomeo took a mower on the mulching setting to the vines, to chop them up for the compost, but was horrified to find that he had grated up a few largish pumpkins he hadn't seen earlier.  We called this 'The Grate Pumpkin Massacre' and will never speak of it again.

In the kitchen this week, I have been experimenting.

Most of my ideas were borne out of a challenge on Facebook from Willie's Cacao company to come up with a meal idea using Cacao...

My first thoughts sprang to a snack that I have been hankering after - Popped quinoa and chocolate sticks as seen on http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2006/03/chocolate_quinoa.php.  Imagine the flavour possibities as super foods unite!

My attempts to pop quinoa, in the manner of cooking pop corn resulted in:

• The popcorn maker smelling a bit burny, 
• Two burnt saucepans and an evil smell through the house,  
• A single popped grain of quinoa..

I haven't given up trying to make this, but I won't try again for a little while... Down but not defeated.

After experiencing the lovely flavours in Willie's mushroom risotto, my second thoughts went to

Cacao Stroganoff...  

500g kangaroo fillet (or beef, lamb)

500g mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 large onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

150mls sour cream

Pinch paprika

2 tablespoons grated cacao.

Stock

1/2 cup red wine

Fry up onion in oil
Then brown meat
Add mushrooms, then add wine and stock and cover and cook for 1 hr (more or less time allowing)
Before serving, add paprika, cacao and sour cream and stir through.
Serve with rice....

The red wine and cacao made a great combination - shavings of cacao over the top of the dish helped with the aroma as the dish came to the table, with cacao shavings melting into the sauce as we took the first bite...

I used kangaroo in the above recipe, because my husband won't eat other meat - and contrary to common  thought, it can be stewed, becoming tender over the longer cooking time, though you could get a better result with beef or lamb stewed over a similar timeframe.

It was delicious, though as I'm getting used to the idea of adding cacao to savoury food, I'm pretty sure it could add something to a lot of different dishes.

***
Regarding my tea party idea - we haven't started reading Alice in Wonderland yet, but I have some ideas in the works for an Easter tea party brunch...  For our reading, we will re-name Alice as Alan, if only to repeatedly mimic the clip below - 'Alan! Alan!!! Alan!!!!!!!!!!!!'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV6I1_o6vrY&feature=player_embedded