
"French Recipe: Spinach Gnocchi
This is a great cold-weather dish: rich, warm and flavoursome. Ideal for lazy nights in.
Preparation: 40 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Serves 6
600g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
350g spinach, trimmed and washed
150g flour, plus extra for dusting
1 egg yolk
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
75g butter
100g blue vein cheese
a bunch of basil
Place the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain, return to the pan over a
low heat and, shaking the pan, allow the excess moisture to steam off. Mash the potatoes until smooth.
Cook the spinach in a large pan over a medium heat with no added moisture, mixing constantly until wilted and soft.
When cooked, place in a clean kitchen cloth. Gather the corners together and twist tightly to squeeze out
every last drop of moisture, then finely chop the spinach.
Place the mashed potatoes, spinach, flour, egg
yolk and seasoning in a large bowl and mix until evenly
blended and a soft pliable dough forms. Dust your hands -and a board or tray with flour.
Take small nuggets of the dough, roll it into balls and place them on the board. You should end up with about 60.
Using a fork, gently flatten each ball, allowing the tines of the fork to make indentations across the top.
Heat a large pan of water just to boiling point then reduce the heat. To the simmering water add just enough
gnocchi so that they have room to
roam around, and cook for 2 minutes or until they rise to the surface.
Remove and drain well, and cook the next batch.
Heat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Lightly butter a large low-sided ovenproof dish.
Place a layer of the cooked gnocchi in the dish, then crumble in some of the blue
cheese.
Continue to layer the gnocchiand cheese, adding seasoning and the remaining butter cut up into little
pieces as you go. Cook until golden and bubbling: about 10 minutes. Scatter torn basil leaves over the top
and serve.[1]"
"Vegetarian frittata with potato
This recipe is best made close to serving.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
620g fresh baby potatoes with butter and parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium (200g) red capsicum
1 small (80g) brown onion
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 eggs, beaten lightly
½ cup (40g) grated parmesan cheese
Method
Microwave potatoes according to package instructions. Cut potatoes in half or quarters.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan (base measures 22cm base);
cook the capsicum and onion, stirring, until softened. Add cooked potatoes.
Add basil, parsley, salt and pepper to eggs; pour into pan. Cook over a low heat for about 8
minutes or until edges are set.
Sprinkle top with cheese; cover pan handle with foil and place pan under a hot grill until just set.
Serve with green salad, if desired.
Not suitable to freeze.[2]"
Reference:
[1].Extract from The French Kitchen, Written by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde. NSW Australia:
Transworld Publishers, 2002.
[2]. From ninemsn Australian Womens Weekly
Amazon eBay:
Water-spinach - This introduction from Southeast Asia is a popular
cultivated green vegetable in China, India, Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, the
West Indies, and Central America. Due to its aggressive growth rate, waterspinach
has great potential to invade moist cultivated areas, such as rice and
sugar cane fields, and wet areas such as the
Everglades, natural lakes and rivers, drainage canals,
and ditches. In Florida, isolated populations have
been found floating and creeping horizontally along
shorelines and over water for long distances,
especially in canals and lakes.
Why water-spinach must be
managed:
A single water-spinach plant can branch
profusely with stems growing to over
70 feet long. This fast growth rate,
approximately 4 inches per day,
represents a significant threat to flood
control and native plant habitats,
especially in central and south Florida.
Environmental damage
caused by water-spinach
populations:
R Water-spinach creates impenetrable
masses of tangled vegetation
obstructing water flow in drainage and
flood control canals.
R Water-spinach infests lake, pond, and river shorelines, displacing
native plants that are important for fish and wildlife.
R Water-spinach forms dense impenetrable canopies over small ponds
and retention basins creating stagnant water conditions that are
ideal breeding environments for mosquitoes.
Because of its aggressive growth
rate, never plant water-spinach in
Florida’s ponds, lakes, rivers and
canals. The possession of waterspinach
is prohibited without a
special permit.
Water-spinach is a creeping, herbaceous vine that is cultivated in some cultures as a vegetable.
It is recognizable as a member of the “morning-glory” family.
Distribution: Native to China, but widely cultivated and naturalized in Africa,
Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands, and South America.
LOOK FOR FIRST:
Vine growing on or near the water’s edge
Arrowhead-shaped leaves
“Morning-glory” funneled flower
Leaves: alternate, simple, with smooth petioles 3-14 cm (1-6 in) long; leaf
blades generally arrowhead shaped but variable, smooth (rarely hairy), to 17 cm
(7 in) long, with tips pointed; blades held above water when stems floating.
Stems: herbaceous, trailing, with milky
sap and roots at the nodes; usually to 3 m
(9 ft) long but can be much longer.
Flowers: showy, white, or pale pink to
lilac; broadly funnel shaped, “morning-glory”
like; solitary or in few-flowered clusters at
leaf axils.
Fruit: an oval or spherical capsule, woody at
maturity, about 1 cm (1/2 in) wide, holding 1-4
grayish seeds, these often short-hairy.
Spinach Crop Profile for New Jersey
Production Facts
??State rank : New Jersey ranks 2nd nationally in fresh market spinach production
??New Jersey's contribution to total US production: fresh market = 15%; processing = 8%
??Yearly fresh market production:
??1998 = 180,000 lbs.
??1997 = 238,000 lbs.
??1996 = 210,000 lbs.
??1995 = 160,000 lbs.
??1994 = 162,000 lbs.
??Annual production costs
??spring crop, including growing ($749.89), and harvesting and marketing ($1464.47) =
$2214.89/acre (1986 figures)
??fall crop, including growing ($879.70), and harvesting and marketing ($1674.94) =
$2554.64/acre (1986 figures)
??Percent of crop for processing and fresh market: 67% processing; 33% fresh market
Production Regions
Southern New Jersey (area south of Trenton)
Nearly all spinach, Spinacia oleracea L., is grown in the southern half of southern New Jersey.
The soils in this area are coastal plain, generally light soils ranging from sand to sandy loams, but areas of
heavier, clay and silt loam soil do exist. Elevations are low with most of the area less than 200 feet in
elevation. The warmest, seasonal temperatures occur in the extreme southern part of the state with the
Salem County area being the warmest.
Cultural Practices
In New Jersey, spinach is a cool season crop that is raised in the spring, fall, and overwinter. Fields are
planted as a series of beds, each comprised of several narrow-width rows to enhance machine harvesting.
Planting dates of beds are staggered so that not all of the spinach in a field is ready for harvest at the same
time.
The spring seeding typically occurs from March 12th to April 20th, placing harvest between May 20th and
June 7th. This represents about 30% of the total acreage. The fall seeding typically occurs from August
10th to August 31st with harvest from September 25th to October 10th. This represents about 50% of the
total crop acreage. The overwinter seeding typically occurs from October 1st to 15th, with harvest in the
spring. This represents about 20% of the total crop acreage.
The method of harvest and relative size of fields planted depends upon how the crop will be marketed.
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