Dandelion & Mallow | Food & drink

Dandelion & Mallow

Phone: +61 411 439 602

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25.01.2022 Tuesday tip! How to cook brown rice. Soak 1 cup of brown rice overnight or for 8 hours in plenty of filtered water, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Drain and rinse rice well. Place into a saucepan with 1.5 cups filtered water or broth and a pinch of salt. With lid on, cook on medium-high until water starts boiling, then bring down to a low simmer. Check often, for turrets forming on the surface, as in the photo, and that all water has been absorbed. I... do this by tipping the saucepan to the side to see if there is any water left. When all water is gone, turn off the heat, place a clean tea towel or paper towel between the lid and the pan to absorb any extra water, making the rice fluffy, not gluggy. The same method can be used for other rice, such as jasmine or basmati or long grain, just use a ratio of 1:1 instead of 1:1.5 after soaking.

25.01.2022 I first dabbled in a food business about 12-13 years ago. It was one of those multi-level marketing companies selling high-end cookware. I had two kids at the time and was looking for flexible work (up until then, all I knew was a corporate world in a male dominated industry). I would go into people’s homes, demonstrate a few dishes and then try to sell the company cookware at the end. I absolutely loved the cooking part, but couldn’t bring myself to push products onto peop...le, so was quite hopeless at the sales! This paella dish has stuck with me over the years since that little venture. I think the original version had chicken and chorizo. All three kids love it and we mix it up with different meat and add heaps more veggies than the original recipe. Being a one-pan dish is a bonus too, with less washing up. Always a crowd pleaser! What is your crowd pleaser meal?

24.01.2022 Looking forward to an afternoon in the sunny kitchen garden with @penny_sadubin today. It’s been a long while. The garden is overgrown and in need of some serious TLC. Weeding. Pruning. Removing. Feeding plants with worm wee. Getting ready for Spring sowing.

24.01.2022 Going to bed tonight dreaming of sunshine and dry days, like when we catered for the Channel 10 crew here at @thebeachhouse_gerroa Thank you rain, I think we’ve had enough for now! Styling by @shadyfig Photography by @rachaeltagg Food by @dandelionandmallow

24.01.2022 The reason I keep my business small is because I don’t want to be spending all hours of the day sitting behind a laptop doing admin! I love working IN my business as much as ON my business, so a balance between interacting with customers via email, the necessary admin and marketing and full involvement in the kitchen and garden are a must for me. Anyone else still make the effort to be ‘hands-on’ in their business because they love it? by @hayneshayley

23.01.2022 Congratulations to The Pines and Kiama Farmers Market for their awards! So grateful to have wonderful producers in our region

22.01.2022 If you are staying in Berry with a small group of friends or family, why not create a special in-house dining experience. We have some fantastic local cater...ers who specialise in intimate dining events. There are plenty of options on offer including grazing boards like this gorgeous creation from Dandelion & Mallow, sit-down dinners, casual lunches or cocktail style. Check out local caterers at https://berry.org.au/caterers/ Thanks for the beautiful pic Dandelion & Mallow

22.01.2022 ‘Sit & Share’. This option is fancy drop-off catering, served by us into your bowls and platters, ready to eat. It could be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a morning or afternoon tea. I always look forward to plating up at this gorgeous private house in Rose Valley. Jackie and her sister-in-law Anna, have a beautiful new business @dustyluxe featuring genuine antique French finds. My idea of heaven...think vintage copper saucepans and old wooden chopping boards! You will find their collection @dirtyjanes_bowral Also look out for a write-up about them in @countrystylemag someday soon!

20.01.2022 Tuesday tip: keep and use your beetroot leaves in cooking! However, this comes with a caveat. Only if your beetroot is grown by you, a friend or a farmer who uses organic principles. And they look as lush as these from @kiamafarmersmarket and @terrewahfarm last week! Use them in the same way you would use silverbeet or spinach. I like to finely slice and add during the last few minutes of cooking a one pot meal, so nutrients are retained.... Also, have you noticed that supermarket beetroot never have their leaves? That’s because they are old, and not so fresh. Beetroot leaves deteriorate quickly once picked out of the ground...and that’s not so appealing to the customer, so they chop them off! #knowyourfarmer

18.01.2022 Hope you get time this weekend to do some of the things you love After catering a few events, I’m hoping to sneak some time in the garden, plant some more radish and tend to the unruly tomatoes before they go berserk!

18.01.2022 Roasted beetroot, buckwheat, apple and fennel salad. With loads of fresh garden herbs, activated styrian black pumpkin seeds-sunflower seeds-hemp seeds-almonds. Dressing of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, s + p. Recipe inspired by @darrenrobertsonfood

17.01.2022 We are loving the abundance of leafy salad greens from @kangaroovalleyharvest right now! Beautifully fresh and light, picked each week. My working lunch last week was this salad of leaves, lamb patties, fresh ewe’s curd and kale + almond pesto. And a drizzle of EVOO/ACV dressing and hemp seeds. Was bloody delicious

17.01.2022 When beautiful women create beautiful things...thank you @thebrainchildstudio @jade.fisher.artist @hayneshayley

14.01.2022 One day, my street verge will be lined with fruit trees, edible shrubs and veggies...a neighbour and I are hoping that we have an abundance of lemons! Many thanks to local friend Nat for the recent supply from her Rose Valley farm We have a draft plan thanks to @penny_sadubin , now just need to put it into action. The wonderful @spiralgarden provides a weekly tip of climate solutions we can all implement. This week, the action is to plant out your verge. The more variety ...of plants we have growing in our soils, the more diverse the living creatures and microorganisms. Grass just don’t cut it! But make sure you consider all aspects of your verge before planting out, such as power lines, public footpaths, postal access and what’s under the ground (dial before you dig). I love how @wollongongcity recently got on board and developed guidelines to encourage residents to plant their verge. It’s the future! See more

12.01.2022 Dinner for two with a view, tonight at Dovecote.

12.01.2022 GATHER & SHARE is a drop-off catering package where we spend half an hour preparing the food onto your (or your holiday property’s) bowls and platters, ready to eat. Nutrient dense food is prepared and made fresh on the day using produce from our own kitchen garden and local farms, plus certified organic produce from @heart_and_sol_organics

12.01.2022 Summer. Sunshine. Swimming. Sundress. Sunhat. Sandals. Sweaty. Shade. Sea. Surfing. Skateboard. Sunday. Oh, and Salads, always. #itsalmosthere #summer by @rachaeltagg

11.01.2022 Tuesday tip: look after your wooden boards for longevity and hygiene. Rub a little coconut oil into the board with a soft cloth. Coconut oil is quite shelf stable, meaning it stays solid and fresh at room temperature for most of the year, with the warmer months being soft and melting - anyone else get excited with the ease of using it when melted? The reason for using coconut oil is that it won’t go rancid quickly like other seed oils, but will nourish the board and keep it safe for use. The longer we can look after, keep and use our kitchen items, the better it is for our Earth as we aren’t constantly consuming new ones.

11.01.2022 This highlights how important it is to support your local growers and producers, and grow a little food yourself.

11.01.2022 Spending this cold and windy morning catching up on emails in the dining room sun, then into the warm kitchen for the afternoon to prepare for the weekend. I love working from home. It was a pie in the sky dream that took years for me to muster up the courage to make happen. The first steps were to ignore that little voice inside my head that kept telling me that I wasn’t good enough. Self-belief.

11.01.2022 ‘Community Supported Agriculture offers consumers not only good health and food security, but an insight and understanding into how their food was produced and why. It’s a learning experience that brings communities together and hopefully instigates the kind of inter-generational change that our society desperately needs.’ Kirsty, Terrewah Farm in Kangaroo Valley. Interested in being part of the revolution? Email [email protected] for information on their upcoming Summer CSA

10.01.2022 Our ‘Grown & Gathered’ grazing boxes are a great idea when you are travelling a little distance to see friends or family. The box allows you to get creative too, just make it up on a wooden board or big platter when you arrive at your destination. Start with laying out the cheese (chopping hard cheese into small slices or cubes makes it easier to eat), and place dips and olives into small bowls. Add fresh fruit and vegetables, savoury items (frittata, meat or vegan loaf) and ...the sweets. Make sure colour of the items are spread across the board and are not concentrated in the same one spot. End with the little gap fillers...honey, dried fruit, blueberries, kiwi, nuts, edible flowers and herbs. Graze away!

10.01.2022 Welcome back oregano! Each Winter I worry that I’ve killed off a few of my herbs through lack of attention (like my oregano, sage and thyme). Then Spring arrives and they bounce back to being green and lush. Phew!

09.01.2022 Many people booked in for grazing or sitting down to a good hearty meal this weekend. I’ll be in the kitchen cooking! What are your weekend plans?

09.01.2022 Grazing into the weekend, with a different perspective.

07.01.2022 Each one is unique. Last weekend I was asked to create two grazing platters on different days for the same group of people. No problem! For the second one, there were oat + spelt crackers instead of spelt lavosh, gherkins rather than olives, @bundarraberkshires ham instead of vegetable frittata, pumpkin hummus instead of beetroot dip, different cheeses, fruit and nuts and some turmeric sauerkraut - great for digestion with the meat. Even the garnish was changed from parsley to fresh coriander sprigs. They noticed and appreciated the change, and I’m sure their bodies loved the variety of nourishing food eaten that weekend!

06.01.2022 Our ‘Communal Feast’ is a complete package. Our friend, the creative Michelle from @shadyfig will arrive earlier in the day to set and style the table. Then we arrive about one hour before service to prepare and cook the food. We prefer to cook everything fresh on the day we serve to you, so we cook as much as we can at your property. We serve each course, with the main meal being share style down the centre of the table. Then we clear and clean-up afterwards, leaving you with the ability to sit back and relax the entire time with your guests.

04.01.2022 Winter fennel, growing in the market garden @terrewahfarm Did you know Terrewah also have two farm-stay cabins? You can find details and book through their website. Also, our next newsletter is coming to your inbox later this week. If you’re not signed up and would like a sticky beak, click the link in our bio and sign up for the free shopping list template. Double bonus! @ terrewah farm

02.01.2022 ‘Through your breath, food and all you touch, your microbiome is an extension of you. If you isolate yourself from nature and her biodiversity, you will falter in your self-identity, immune function, and in your mind.’ ZACH BUSH MD

01.01.2022 Do you make your own kitchen basics? I find that the amount of time it takes to walk or drive to the shops to buy it, you could make it in the same time at home. But only if you have a good store of pantry staples. I recently made worchestire and BBQ sauce. Both took a few minutes to put the ingredients into a saucepan and about 15 minutes of cooking time. Learn about what pantry staples are good to have on hand in my ebook, available on my website.

01.01.2022 A couple of weeks ago, I had @thepickledfarmer message me before the huge rains, asking if I’d like some rhubarb from her garden. I had a job that weekend that needed rhubarb, so I said ‘yes please’ to two bunches. Now, if you’ve ever grown rhubarb, you would know that it is normally an inch or so thick. When I went to pick them up, the two bunches took my entire arms to wrap around and pick them up! So heavy too. They were so lush, red and thick, some stalks were two inches thick! So, there’s been rhubarb in everything, including our popular brownies

01.01.2022 Did you know...it takes around 2 hours in total to bake and make all the goodies for our ‘Grown and Gathered’ grazing platter? Creating the platter or box is the easy part! We take pride in the fact that we know and willingly choose every ingredient in the food we provide to you. No crackers with industrial seed oils, artificial additives or preservatives. Our spelt lavosh is made of organic spelt, fennel seeds or fresh rosemary, @murrayriversalt @kangaroovalleypasturedeggs @organictimes butter and filtered water. Simple food, the way it should be.

01.01.2022 Did you receive my newsletter today? In there I mention the book Retrosuburbia. Wonderful in hard copy as a reference book, but also available online.

01.01.2022 Garlic harvest 2020. Small, but rewarding.