Autumn Skirlie

This is an adaptation of an old Scottish dish. We've eaten it a lot lately in the cooler evenings, rushing into the house after 6pm five nights a week and juggling homework, vision therapy, showers and sibling rivalry... somewhere there I try to feed us more than vegemite toast and this fits the bill pretty well.

The boys love it, and reheated with scrambled eggs in front of the fire the next morning, it's pretty close to wonderful.

~Autumn Skirlie~
(serves 3 as a main with a bit leftover)

4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (or spring onions, leeks etc)
2 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
1.5 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
about 1/3 cup boiling water?
1 cup tinned red salmon, drained and flaked
1 large lemon, zested and juiced (2 if they're small)
2 large handfuls spinach, washed and roughly shredded
(or any other greens - kale, par-cooked broccoli, red lettuce are all good)
freshly ground black pepper


Heat the oil on low in a non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and cook until transparent.

Add the thyme leaves and oats and stir well. Cook on a lowish heat, tossing every few minutes, until the oats are beginning to colour -  about 5-10 minutes.

Add the lemon zest to the boiling water and pour over, stirring well and cook a couple more minutes - the oats will soften slightly but keep their shape. Add more boiling water if needed.

Stir in the salmon, lemon juice and black pepper, then pile the spinach on top and put the lid on to steam the spinach. When the spinach has cooked down, stir it through and serve - preferrably in front of a fire!

Mather Street Tuna Pasta

The boys helped me create this recipe when we lived at Mather Street. T was only 4 but he chose what veges to add, and the result was delish.


~Mather Street Tuna Pasta~
6 single handfuls dry spiral pasta (can substitute cous cous)
4 large broccoli florets, cut small
1/2 large sweet potato, cubed into 1cm squares (sustitute pumpkin/zucchini/squash)
1 large tin tuna in oil
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 finely sliced scallions
handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
black pepper
(parmesan to serve)

Cook pasta and drain cooking water into large serving bowl to warm the bowl.

Steam the veges, drain oil from tuna, then combine all ingredients in the (empty) serving bowl and toss well.

Serve with plenty of grated parmesan.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

This recipe was adapted from a Sunbeam food processor book circa 1997. For years we used Oskar to grind up peanuts at harvest time. Shell and all, processed fine, so the moisture level of each truckload of nuts could be monitored - moisture content of the peanuts was a critical factor affecting quality, for both grades and contamination, and we managed our harvest around it. In the off-season, after some scrubbing, Oskar did duty in the kitchen, and this recipe was one of my favourites. My ex-husband didn't like it much because he was a fussy beast, which only adds to it's appeal ;)

The kids and I love it, so this is dinner tonight for us. I'm hoping to grow lots of broccoli in our vege patch this year :)

~Cream of Broccoli Soup~

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 large onion

1 large potato

1 tab butter

1 tab oil

750g broccoli florets

6 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon thyme (I use fresh)

black pepper

1/2 cup skim evaporated milk

Roughly chop the onions and potatoes and saute gently in the butter and oil, with the garlic, until the onion is soft.

Add broccoli, thyme, stock and pepper and bring to the boil, Simmer until all is tender.

Puree until smooth (I like to use a hand blender these days).

Add evap milk (or cream or milk or whatever you like) and reheat gently to serve.