Squash & Fennel soup

Course: Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

minutes

Total time

hours

With these cold and stormy spring days, we couldn’t wish for a better dish than a warm soup, full of flavour from the fennel and aromatics, sweet and creamy from the squash.

Ingredients

Veggies
2 Squashes
5 Onions
10 cloves of Garlic
2 Fennels
500gr Chickpeas
Aromatics
10 leafs of Sage
2 branches of Rosemary
Black pepper
Sea Salt

Directions

Wash and cut all your veggies into cubes.
(Save 2 onions and 5 cloves of garlic for step 4).
Spread the veggies on a tray, season with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Put the tray in the preheated oven at 180º for about 1 hour.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions and garlic you had set aside.
Pour all the veggies from the tray into the sizzling pan(mix everything).
Add 2.5 L of boiling water.
Let the mixture reduce for 30 minutes.

Recipe Video

Louise’s rainy day cacao cake

Servings

servings

Prep timeminutes

Cooking timeminutes

Ingredients

525 grams sugar
263 grams flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1.5 tablespoons baking powder
375 grams butter (or margarine or 250 grams sunflower oil)
5 eggs
3 deciliters boiling water (or milk or juice)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 175c hot air setting
Mix sugar, flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl
Melt the butter (just melted, not too hot)
Add melted butter, eggs and boiling water with the dry ingredients while mixing. Make sure the batter is not too clumpy
Grease the pan with oil or margarine, and add the bater to the pan
Bake for 25-35 minutes depending on the oven. Check with a fork to see it it’s done. Soft crumbs = done, wet dough = more time. Enjoy!

Notes

Louise’s farm focaccia

27. February 202513. February 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Louise’s farm focaccia

Servings

20-25

servings

Prep time

hour

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

250 grams oats
1100 grams wheat flour
3 packs of magic mac yeast (27 grams)
950 ml lukewarm water
2 tablespoons salt
100 ml olive oil
Optional toppings: garlic, fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes

Directions

Mix the water with the yeast until dissolved
Mix the dry ingredients
Add the water and yeast mixture, and the oil to the dry ingredients and mix
Let the dough rest for 45-60 minuters
Preheat the oven to 200c warm air setting
Grease a big pan with olive oil thoroughly
Add the dough to the pan and gently push the dough to the edges (like a focaccia)
If you are using, add the some toppings mixed with olive oil, being careful not to use too much oil
Bake the bread for 35-45 minutes
Let it cool a bit before serving

Notes

Louise’s lemon cake

31. January 202530. January 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Louise’s lemon cake

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

150 grams sunflower oil
250 grams sugar
2 lemons (peels and juice)
4 eggs
200 grams wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180c – with a warm air setting if you have it
Grate the lemon peel
Mix oil, sugar, lemon peel, and eggs in a bowl. Add lemon juice (minimum 4 tbsp)
In another bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt
Add the dried ingredients with the wet ingredients slowly
Grease a pan with a little bit of sunflower or other tasteless oil
Add the cake batter to the pan
Bake for 30-40 minutes. Depends on the oven and the pan. Keep a close eye on it so you don’t bake it dry! Prick the middle of the cake as you go – there should be moist crumbs but not wet dough.
Cool and serve!

Notes

Dio’s whole grain tart with peppers, yogurt & cheese

31. January 202524. January 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Dio’s whole grain tart with peppers, yogurt & cheese

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Tarts are super easy to make, salty or sweet, with butter or olive oil, they are a favorite to cook here. They are fast and efficient as you can put any kind of filling and they can keep you full for a long time!

Ingredients

For the crust
150 grams whole grain flour
150 grams all-purpose flour
1 egg
80ml olive oil
100ml water
salt
For the filling
400 grams peppers
1 big onion chopped in slices
300 grams feta cheese
2 eggs
300 grams yogurt
1/4 bunch of dill
1 clove of garlic
salt and pepper

Directions

First, prepare the crust by adding to a bowl the flour, salt, egg and olive oil, mix with a spoon until smooth and then work it with your hands until dough comes together. It should become a smooth paste that doesn’t stick in your fingers. If its too sticky add some flour, if too hard add some water. When it’s ready let it rest in the fridge while you’re preparing the filling.
Cut the top of the peppers and take out the seeds. Cut in slices the peppers, onion, garlic, and cook them in a frying pan with some olive oil for 10 minutes on high fire. When they are ready place them in a bowl with the eggs, feta in pieces, yogurt, dill, salt, pepper and mix.
Take the dough out from the fridge, place it on a straight surface like a table and start working it with a dowel rod from the middle to the outward toward edges. When you achieve the desired thickness (not very thick), place it in a oiled oven pan. Add the filling mix that you prepared earlier and put it in preheated oven for 45 minutes at 200°C.

Notes

Dio’s stuffed peppers with feta cheese grilled in the oven

24. January 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Dio’s stuffed peppers with feta cheese in the oven

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

This dish is best served with some rice, a fresh cut salad and maybe some other grilled vegetables like eggplants from the garden. The recipe is so easy and fast, that it can save you in situations that you have some unexpected visitors or sudden craving for a salty but healthy snack.

Ingredients

10 medium size peppers
200 grams feta cheese
parsley
olive oil
salt, pepper
paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200°C or the grill
Cut the top of the peppers and remove the seeds from inside
Fill them up with feta cheese
Place the peppers in a pan where you have put some drops of olive oil first to prevent getting stuck in the bottom
Add salt, pepper and paprika to seasoning
Grill for 20 minutes
Serve with fresh parsley on top

Notes

Dio’s Imam Biyaldi

24. January 202523. January 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Dio’s Imam Biyaldi

This is a typical Greek dish (in common with Turkey) consisting of whole aubergine stuffed with tomatoes, onions and garlic simmered in olive oil. It is better served at room temperature or warm. But it is also delicious cold in the summer!

The legend (and name) says a Turkish imam passed out from pleasure after trying the dish (or maybe from eating to much of it!).

Ingredients

5 eggplant
2-3 onions
7-8 cloves garlic
3-4 tomatoes
4 peppers
100 ml olive oil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
400 ml hot water
persil

Directions

Peel the skin off the eggplants in stripes. Cut them in two and spoon a little the inside. Put in salty water for about half an hour to draw out the bitterness. Dry them off and fry them in oil until the flesh changes to a golden color.
Chop, the onions, peppers and garlic as fine as possible and fry them in olive oil until they have softened.
Chop the tomatoes (peal them if you are in the mood!) and add them to the onion mixture together with the seasoning. Cook for about10 minutes and turn off the heat. Add the chopped persil.
Place the eggplants in an olive oiled oven tray. Fill the eggplants with the tomato mix and poor the rest around.
Cook in the oven for 45min.

Notes

Dumplings in the Dio

31. January 202523. January 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Dumplings in the Dio

Course: Recipes

Making dumplings can be surprisingly easy! Especially since we have so many canned goods like sauerkraut and onion confit on the farm, they require little cook time.

Ingredients

Dumpling dough
Water
Flour
Salt
Eggplant and basil dumpling filling
Eggplant
Basil
Salt
Creamed chard dumpling filling
Chard
Butter
Heavy cream
Raisins
Sauerkraut and onion confit filling
Sauerkraut
Green onion confit

Directions

Dumpling dough
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add water while stirring to combine. Use a 4:1 ratio of flour to water. Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and soft. Form the dough into a ball and cover with a thin towel for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into two large pieces. Then, roll out each piece to make them long and thin. Cut these long pieces into 1/2 inch pieces. These are your dumplings.
Take a dumpling and roll it out until it is thin and forms a circle. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the dumpling. Take two pieces on opposite ends of the dumpling and bring them together. Then pinch along the crease to close the gap.
To add detail, press a fork along the edge of the dumpling.
Eggplant and basil filling
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a pan. While that is cooking, chop eggplant and basil.
Place the eggplant and basil in the pan, and cover with olive oil
Sauerkraut and onion confit filling
Simply take the sauerkraut and onion confit from the can, mix them together, and place in the roll dumpling dough! It is also easy to substitute these canned goods for kimchi.
Creamed chard dumpling filling
Heat the butter, add the chard, cream and raisins and cook until wilted.
Cooking the dumplings
Fry in oil or boil in water.

Annabelle’s food preservation and sterilization methods

31. January 202522. January 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Annabelle’s food preservation and sterilization methods

There are various ways of preserving food, including sterilization

Important points 🚨
Hygiene is very important for successful sterilization: clean cloths, work surfaces, equipment and hands. This will prevent the proliferation of bacteria, and more specifically botulinum toxin, and ensure successful sterilization!

Equipment

Clean jars and lids
Clean dish towels
Large saucepan or oven

Directions

Preparing the jars
Check that the jars are in good condition and not chipped.
Wash the jars in hot, soapy water and pat dry with a clean towel.
For vinegar-based preparations or jams, sterilize the jars in boiling water (10 minutes at 100°) or in the oven (20 minutes at 140°).
Sterilize the seals by scalding in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Turn the jars out onto a clean cloth.
Preparing the vegetables or food
The quality of your jars depends directly on the quality of your food 😊 choose the freshest vegetables possible, never thawed vegetables.
Clean vegetables thoroughly.
Blanching vegetables. This technique involves plunging vegetables into boiling water for a very short time and then plunging them into cold water to stop the cooking process.
– Hardy vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, courgettes, green beans, etc. can be blanched for between 2 and 3 minutes.
– More sensitive vegetables or small fruits such as tomatoes, mushrooms, cherries, etc. should be blanched for just 1 minute.
Drain well.
Putting the food in the jars
Fill the jars with the still hot food, up to 2 cm from the rim, taking care not to leave an ‘air pocket’ in the jar.
Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean kitchen towel.
Close the jar by tightening the lid. At this point, the lid is still “raised”!
🚨 Sterilize: there are several ways to sterilize: oven, pan of water, sterilizer, etc. 🚨
Oven sterilization
Place the jars in a tray at the lowest point in the oven, in a pan of water. Important: to avoid thermal shock, place the jars in the oven as soon as they are switched on. Do not preheat the oven.
Heat the jars for 1 hour at 150°C.
Leave the jars to cool in the oven for 40 minutes before removing them.
Sterilization in a saucepan
Choose a fairly high saucepan, at least 5 cm taller than the jars.
Place the jars in the pan, without them touching the bottom or each other, to prevent them from colliding. To do this, place cloths between and under the jars, or a wire rack underneath.
Fill the pan with water up to 2-3 cm above the jars.
Heat the water to 100°C. The cooking time for the jars begins when the water comes to the boil.
Each vegetable or preparation requires a specific cooking time. See the notes below.
Turn off the heat and wait for the jars to cool completely before removing them from the water. ⚠️ The lid is now sucked inwards.
How do you know if the product has kept well? Before storing the jars:
Check that the jars are airtight by turning them upside down to check for leaks. If small bubbles appear, sterilization has failed. In this case, eat the contents quickly.
Check that the lid is pressed down slightly! If these two points are correct, sterilization has been successful. Congratulations! 😊
Storage
Stick a label with the contents, date and year on each jar.
Store the jars in a dry place away from light.
First in, first out: rotate and place new jars at the back.

Notes

Artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, green beans, carrots, peas, parsnip | 100c | 90min
Mushrooms, spinach | 100c | 60min
Onions | 100c | 70min
Tomatoes | 80c | 30min

Alsacienne sauerkraut

31. January 202522. January 2025 by Dio Pigadia

Alsacienne sauerkraut

Course: Dinner, RecipesCuisine: German, FrenchDifficulty: Easy

Cooking time after fermentation

hour

minutes

Fermentation time

weeks

One spring we had a lot (35kg) cabbage. Luckily we had all the ingredients to make it ferment and save it for later: some salt and a big sealed container! Pretty easy right? Here are the few steps and tips to turn beautiful big cabbages into savory sauerkraut.

Ingredients

For the lactic fermentation
4 big cabbages
Salt (2% of the total cabbages´weight)
Ground pepper and juniper seed (2/3 of the amount of salt)
To cook the sauerkraut
Carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaves and pepper
White wine (10 cl per person)
Potatoes (100 gr per person)
Sausage (1 per person)
Olive oil
Lard

Directions

How to ferment cabbages ?
Take of the big and bad leaves of the cabbages, put aside some of the big green leaves for later.
Clean and shred thinly the cabbage (as thin as possible: like a spaghetti size).
In a large and sealable container (with some joint on the lead) put a layer of cabbage (around 5cm) some of the spices and repeat until you used all the cabbage.
Put the leaves of the cabbage that you saved at the beginning on top of everything, press and add some previously cleaned rocks (or other weight).
Seal the container well, put it in somewhere with moderated temperature (15 to 20 degrees) and away from the light.
2 weeks after the sauerkraut is ready to be cooked: the cabbage should be softer and have a fermentation taste. You can leave it longer if you want the taste to be stronger or put it in the fridge to stop the fermentation.
How to make sauerkraut
The raw sauerkraut can be eaten, it has a lot of good properties but a real Alsacienne sauerkraut is cooked for a long time with some seasoning ingredients. In a nutshell:
Rinse the raw sauerkraut, put half of it in a pot with some oil, add the sliced lards or chopped carrots: Put the other half and add the rest of the seasoning ingredients (onions, garlic, bay leaves and pepper).
Let it fry a little and then deglaze it with the white wine for 1 hour at low heath and with a lead.
Add the chopped potatoes and keep it on cooking for 50 minutes (make sure at the end of that time that the potatoes are cooked and tender)
Add the sausages if you have some and cook it for 10 minutes more ! Here you go with a little bit of patience you got a fantastic dinner.

Notes

Make sure the weight is evenly spread on the sauerkraut during the fermentation.
You can easily do it meat-less by forgetting the lards and the sausages 🙂