HAPPINESS HOMEGROWN
Create the perfect garden to suit your individual needs
AN EVER-INCREASING population and booming property prices means sections are getting smaller, but you don’t need the perfect section to grow food. Whether you have a small urban plot or a rambling, shady backyard, Homegrown Happiness will help you create the perfect garden to suit your individual needs.
Elien Lewis is an advocate of the low-maintenance, no-dig gardening method and says this book is everything she is passionate about — food, gardening, foraging and low waste.
Homegrown Happiness is sustainable, low-cost living at its best — providing easy-to-follow seasonal guidelines for creating a robust and healthy garden ecosystem. It follows a calendar year with comprehensive advice.
KU¯ MARA GNOCCHI with a BUTTERY WHITE WINE SAUCE
Sweet, light ku¯ mara gnocchi in a fragrant wine sauce is the ultimate winter comfort meal. These pillowy ku¯ mara dumplings can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for up to two days before cooking. Alternatively, once cooked they can be frozen for later use.
Ingredients Gnocchi
500g ku¯ mara
250g ricotta cheese, drained 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup/150g white flour (plus extra for dusting)
1–3 Tbsp olive oil
White wine sauce
3 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped 1/2 cup/125ml white wine 1/4 tsp salt cracked black pepper to taste To serve parmesan cheese, grated fresh thyme
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C (or 180C fan bake).
Pierce a few holes in the ku¯ mara with a fork, then bake until completely soft inside. Alternatively, the ku¯ mara can be microwaved until soft, about 4–5 minutes on one side, then another 2–3 minutes on the other side.
Once cooked, peel the ku¯ mara while still hot and discard the skins. Mash until smooth, then mix in the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg and salt and combine well. Add in the flour and knead together gently until just combined into a dough ball. It should be soft and slightly sticky. Tip the dough onto a well-floured bench and divide it into four even sized pieces.
Gently roll out one piece at a time into a long rope of about 21⁄2cm thickness. Cut the rope into 2cm pieces. Place each piece on a flour dusted board or tray and ensure the gnocchi aren’t touching each other. Continue with the remaining dough.
At this stage, the gnocchi can be refrigerated until needed or used straight away.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Once boiling, add in a pinch of salt and gently lower in one-third of the gnocchi pieces. Cook the gnocchi until they rise to the top of the pan, then use a slotted spoon to remove them and let them drain. Continue with the rest of the gnocchi.
In a frying pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Fry the gnocchi in batches so they are crispy on each side (1–2 minutes each side) with more oil as needed. Once they’re fried, place them on a plate and start on the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat the same frying pan over medium heat and add in the butter and the garlic.
Fry until the butter begins to lightly brown, then add the fresh thyme, white wine, salt and pepper.
Simmer the sauce for 4–5 minutes until slightly reduced, then return the gnocchi to the pan. Coat with the sauce and warm through.
Serve hot with extra parmesan and chopped thyme.
SERVES 4 / VEGETARIAN / NUT FREE