When your backyard garden is overflowing with fruits and vegetables but nobody is around to enjoy them, what then?
When the COVID-19 lockdowns hit Melbourne during 2020-21, forcing the Heide Museum of Modern Art to shut down its onsite eatery, gardener Alice Crowe found herself in this predicament. Heide Kitchen , however, the organic kitchen gardens supplying the restaurant kept thriving.
The museum started distributing the produce among community groups and employees. However, this initiative sowed the seeds for a fresh undertaking: A Heide Harvest The hardcover book, featuring photographs taken by Robyn Lea, serves as an equally divided combination of a seasonal recipe guide, a gardening calendar and a record of Heide’s extensive history in promoting art, artists, and nature.
Twelve chefs from Victoria, who are enthusiastic about farm-to-table cuisine, have developed special fixed-price meals inspired by the museum and its large gardens. Included among these contributors are Annie Smithers Of the highly acclaimed restaurant Du Fermier in Trenthar, former Heide Kitchen head chef Scott Eddington (who now owns and runs the establishment as owner-chef) Arnold’s in Kensington ) and Dom Gattermayr along with Rose Richards from Florian café in Carlton North.
These recipes, crafted by Gattermayr and Richards, featured under the menu titled "Sumptuous Picnic Fare," are perfect for an outdoor event akin to those commonly savoured in Heide’s gardens.
Picnic pie
No dish embodies a picnic better than a pie, particularly when it incorporates plenty of veggies into your menu. You have the flexibility to enjoy it either warm, at room temp, or even cold. This unconventional crust is remarkably robust yet remains tender and easy to slice, perfect for carrying in a picnic basket. For the filling, cheddar is recommended, though parmesan, pecorino, or another type of hard cheese—or even vegan alternatives—can be used instead (it’s fine to omit the cheese entirely too). When working withnettles, remember to wear gloves until they’re fully cooked as cooking neutralizes their stinging properties.
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
- 400g plain flour
- 100ml olive oil
- 100ml white wine
- pinch of table salt
- 1 egg
- sea salt
Pie filling
- 500g kipfler potatoes, peeled
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 leek, roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 1 bundle of young green onions, coarsely sliced
- 2 bunches of greens (such as spinach, warrigal greens, ornettles), thoroughly rinsed but not dried, can be roughly chopped if needed
- 150g ricotta
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 200g cheddar, coarsely grated
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of newly ground black or white pepper
- 1 bunch of parsley, with leaves removed, washed, and coarsely chopped
METHOD
- For preparing the pastry, mix together the flour, olive oil, wine, and salt in a big bowl then knead until you get a smooth dough ball. Wrap it up using plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about half an hour.
- As the dough rests, prepare the pie filling. Place the potatoes in a big pot and fill it with lightly salted water. Let them come to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer until they become tender—this should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes once done, allow them to cool down briefly so you can handle them comfortably before slicing each one into thin discs.
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Warm up the vegetable oil in a frying pan set at medium heat. Include the leeks, shallots, and spring onions then let them simmer for several minutes until they turn transparent. Throw in your choice of greens next; the exact timing depends on their toughness—spinach, warrigal greens, or nettle might require merely two minutes to get tender enough.
Should these veggies look like they're starting to dry out despite having some moisture left from when you first added them, feel free to sprinkle in an extra touch of liquid to keep everything moist without burning. - Heat up the oven to 190C fan-forced (210C conventional).
- In a big bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, cheese, salt, and pepper. Remove any extra moisture from the greens, then crumble them up before incorporating into the ricotta blend. Include the leek mixture, parsley, and sliced potatoes, ensuring everything is thoroughly mixed with an even distribution of veggies throughout.
- You will require approximately two-thirds of the dough to create the bottom crust, setting aside the rest for the top crust. Roll this portion of the dough into a circle about 40-50 cm in diameter and roughly 2-3 mm thick (since the pastry is robust, feel free to roll it rather thin). Place this rolled-out dough at the bottom of a shallow 30cm circular baking pan or pie dish, ensuring some excess hangs over the edges. Evenly distribute your filling across the base layer.
- Roll out the leftover pastry into a circular shape for the lid. Position this atop your filling and press along the edges to secure it with the excess pastry from the bottom layer. Use a fork or the pointy end of a sharp knife to make small punctures across the surface at regular intervals. Whisk an egg, then evenly coat the lid as well as the exposed sides using the beaten mixture. Add a sprinkle of sea salt on top before placing it in the oven; cook for about 45 minutes or until you achieve a golden hue on top. Once done, take it out of the oven and let it rest to cool down.
- Serve alongside dressed greens and green tomato chutney (refer to recipe for details).
Serves 6
Green tomato chutney
A quality chutney ought to be an indispensable item in every household's storage, transforming basic dishes into something special. It's a must-have for outdoor meals too. You can prepare this particular recipe solely when green tomatoes are available towards the close of summer, hence it's wise to create a large batch and keep it stored for consumption across different seasons.
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5 kg of green tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1.5kg brown onions, chopped
- white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, enough to fully cover
- 1 kg caster sugar
- pinch of paprika
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tbsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- seaside salt and coarsely milled
- black pepper
METHOD
- Put the tomatoes and onions into a deep saucepan and pour in enough vinegar to fully submerge them. Include the sugar and spices, then let it simmer for about an hour or until the mixture has thickened.
- Adjust the seasoning according to your preference and move the mixture into sterilized containers (refer to note), ensuring they're still warm. Close the jars tightly and keep them in a cool, dark spot like a pantry for up to half a year.
Makes 7-10 jars
Note: To sterilize glass jars, preheat your oven to 120°C fan-forced (or 140°C conventional). Clean the jars along with their metal lids using hot soapy water, then thoroughly rinse them off and put them on a baking sheet. Bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes. Take out the jars once done and let them cool down completely before you fill them up.
Cucumbers seasoned with dill, tarragon, and buttermilk
This refreshing summertime salad can be whipped up in no time and effortlessly scaled for any number of guests. The heirloom cucumbers, being more petite compared to most commercially available ones, bring distinctive flavours that enhance the dish beautifully.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
- 220 grams (approximately 1 cup) of sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
- 1 cluster of tarragon (approximately 40 grams), finely diced, along with additional for garnish
- 1 cluster of dill (approximately 50g), finely diced
- finely grated peel and squeeze of 1 lemon
- ocean salt and coarsely milled black pepper
- 4 Lebanese cucumbers (or a similar weight of heirloom or garden-grown cucumbers)
METHOD
Put the shallots, buttermilk, sour cream, tarragon, dill, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Whisk everything together until well combined. Add some salt and pepper for seasoning. Remove thin strip-like peels from the cucumber, then cut them into fine round slices. Toss these pieces with the buttermilk mixture and add more black pepper as needed.
Serves 4-6 servings as an accompaniment
VARIATIONS
You can finish this dish with a touch of trout roe, or opt for a vegetarian alternative by frying some capers in vegetable oil until they pop and unleash their taste. Pat them dry on kitchen roll.
Pour the dressing over pieces of cos lettuce, garnish with chives, and enjoy it alongside a summertime grill-out, or offer it as a refreshing dip for raw vegetable sticks.
This is an excerpt from the revised content. A Heide Harvest By Alice Crowe and Maximilian. Photographs by Robyn Lea. Published by Thames & Hudson Australia, priced at $64.99.
