A Dutch Garden and Roasted Tomato Sauce with Sausage

A Dutch Garden and Roasted Tomato Sauce with Sausage

It is cozily stormy and wintry in my part of Australia today, so it is a perfect time to close my eyes and imagine that I’m back in the warm, lush gardens of the Kroonluchter Atelier De Rode Hoeve outside Amsterdam.

Being the only one in the garden enhanced the sense of utter serenity and stillness I felt as I sat on a rough stone bench by the pond and absentmindedly stroked the soft fur of a kitty who nuzzled my hand and purred loudly.

rusted iron fence

 

I smiled at the delightful hodgepodgery of the garden, a modern swing in chrome and black just down the path from a perfectly splendid Scandinavian gate intricately carved and painted a marvelous blue.

 

blue garden gate

 

I was smitten by the pretty little cottages alight with the glow of dozens of chandeliers hanging inside them.

 

white garden cottage

 

Wrought iron swans sat gracefully among the reeds while wrought iron geese cavorted in a gently burbling creek.

garden pond

This was my favorite cottage of all. How I’d love to have one like it in my garden someday, a whimsical blue hideaway perfect for long afternoon naps and cozy afternoons losing myself in a good story.

blue garden cottage

After such an inspiring day in the fresh air, comfort food is definitely in order. Pasta is always comforting to me, especially with homemade sauce and cheesy garlic bread.

This is one of my favorite sauces, particularly rich and flavorful because I roast the tomatoes with garlic before I puree them and add caramelized onions and savory sausage. Roasting the tomatoes adds time to the cooking process, but it’s absolutely worth it.

I like this dish best with my brother Ryan’s garlic bread: a lovely crusty loaf sliced and spread thickly with a mixture of butter, mayonnaise, grainy mustard, green onion, fresh garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Place slathered bread under the broiler until the topping bubbles and browns. Serve hot.

 

roasted tomato sauce with sausage

What is your favorite comfort food on an overcast day?

Roasted Tomato Sauce with Sausage

Ingredients:

20 Roma tomatoes, washed, dried and halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 tsp fresh herbs of your choice, chopped fine (rosemary or oregano or basil)
1 pound good quality ground sausage
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Line baking sheet with baking paper (tomatoes will stick to aluminum foil).
  3. In large bowl gently stir tomato halves, minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper until tomatoes are coated.
  4. Place tomatoes on baking sheet cut side up.
  5. Bake for 45-60 minutes (or longer) until tomatoes are well-roasted and garlic is lightly browned.
  6. Let cool 5-10 minutes.
  7. While tomatoes are cooling, heat olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and fry, stirring regularly, until onions are almost caramelized.
  8. Add fresh herbs and cook 1-2 minutes. Pour onion into large saucepan and set aside.
  9. Return frying pan to heat and add sausage, frying until well-browned. Add to saucepan with onion-herb mixture.
  10. Pour tomatoes into food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
  11. Add to saucepan with onions and sausage. Stir to combine and heat to boiling. Lower heat and simmer gently twenty minutes.
  12. Pour over hot pasta and top with freshly grated Parmesan.
Meandering in a Dutch Garden and a Smoked Salmon Brunch

Meandering in a Dutch Garden and a Smoked Salmon Brunch

I love when a rather uninteresting day turns into something special through a simple twist of fate.

It was a dark and cloudy day in Amsterdam – rather like today in Australia – and my brother and sis-in-law were in dire need of light fixtures for their new flat. So we piled into the car and headed waaaaay out into the country to a spot that boldly proclaimed itself as having the largest selection of chandeliers in Western Europe – the Kroonluchter Atelier De Rode Hoeve.

Fully expecting a gray, austere warehouse filled with gaudy lights, we were absolutely delighted when we turned down a tree-lined country lane and pulled into the prettiest little spot plucked right out of a scene from the English countryside.

 

stone garden path

 

The “store” was a collection of beautiful old homes and cottages connected by winding stone paths, overgrown gardens and all manner of unique odds and ends.

I left my sibs to their shopping and spent a very happy couple of hours wandering and photographing.

 

pink hydrangeas

 

Everywhere I looked was a treasure trove of delights: a cast iron stag head mounted on a wall, lichen-covered statuary almost hidden in the bushes, and lovely old urns and pots holding carved boxwood.

 

Dutch garden

 

I loved the many clever containers used to hold the numerous flowers: rusted cast iron baskets, stone boxes, and battered old pots that looked perfect on the mossy pavers.

 

pink hollyhock

 

There’s something nice about being “forced” to stay in a place for hours on end. Often when I visit a garden, I motor on through, retaining only a cursory memory of loveliness. Not here. While my siblings hemmed and hawed over styles of lighting, I really got to know this garden. And I loved it.

The exquisite hodgepodge of manicured hedges and wild undergrowth made my heart happy and gave me all sorts of ideas for a garden of my own.

 

sculptured boxwood

 

This ivy-covered arbor and gate-way was so wonderful it made my heart ache a little. Can you imagine traipsing through that to get home each day? Bliss.

 

ivy covered gate

 

On such a day I would love one of my brother’s famous brunches.

We’d start off with a bowl of fresh fruit: kiwis, plums and oh-so-ripe peaches, followed by perfectly toasted grainy bread, and scrambled eggs studded with sun-dried tomatoes and topped with luscious slices of smoked salmon.

Afterwards we’d linger over steaming cups of strong Dutch coffee topped with froth so thick you can spoon it up like cream.

 

smoked salmon breakfast

I can’t wait to show you more of this gorgeous Dutch garden.

Where is your favorite garden?

A Few Good Things and Gingery Lentil Stew with Swiss Chard

A Few Good Things and Gingery Lentil Stew with Swiss Chard

cold wind is howling around my little house, evidence that winter is alive and well in Queensland. I love it because I’m warm and cozy indoors and don’t have to be out in the bluster and blow, dodging flying tree branches and other detritus from the farmyard.

I’ve been sick as can be this week, and still am, but in spite of that, it’s been a good week.

The weather has been scrumptious with sunshine and brilliant blue skies.

Queensland blue sky

I’ve spotted all sorts of signs that Spring is on its way: tiny flowers peeping up in cheery yellow and purple, lime green blades of new grass pushing up through brown earth and rocks, orange blossoms on one of my seedlings, and animals strolling and napping in the sunshine.

Queensland spring

 

My friend Ann surprised me with a drive in the country, heading out to the rolling hills of Killarney. It was so good to get out of the house and be cozy and warm in her truck as we motored past tidy little farms and cute towns with names like Tannymorel, Yangan and Emu Vale.

We stopped at her friends house and while they had their meeting, I got to sit on a sun-drenched porch in a comfy yellow chair, so deliciously warm as I rested and looked out at the hills and gardens and trees.

 

chair in the sun

 

I had a small stack of library books with me, and happily passed the time reading and thinking. I perused an art book and decided that while Art Deco is interesting, it is Art Nouveau that really sets my heart aflutter. I do love reading in the sunshine.

 

books in the sun

 

Today I am hunkering down in my big, green chair, weathering this storm with copious amounts of hot tea, warm bran muffins slathered with butter and steamy dollops of this admittedly ugly but oh so delicious Ginger Lentil stew with Swiss Chard (silver beet). Simmered with fresh ginger, turmeric, coriander, and cumin, it is savory, hearty, spicy, and oh-so-comforting.

 

Ginger Lentils with Swiss Chard

 

What is the best book you’ve read recently? I’d love your recommendations. 🙂

 

Gingery Lentils with Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

1 package red lentils (sorted and rinsed)
enough water to cover by 2-3 inches
1/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced thinly
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 bunch Swiss chard (remove and discard cores) washed, and chopped (silver beet, kale or spinach work well too)
(NOTE: if you want this dish less spicy, halve the amount of fresh ginger you use)

Directions:

  1. Pour rinsed red lentils into heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover with water 2-3 inches. Bring to boil and remove any scum.
  2. Stir in turmeric and first amount of fresh ginger, cumin and coriander.
  3. Return to boil then lower heat and simmer with lid slightly askew for 30-45 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.
  4. At the 25 minute mark, pour vegetable oil (or ghee) into heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. After oil heats (about one minute), add second amount of cumin, coriander and fresh ginger. Stir until fragrant, then add chopped silver beet, stirring to coat leaves.
  5. Cover and heat until leaves have wilted, stirring occasionally.
  6. Remove sliced ginger from cooked lentils then pour over silver beet, stirring well to incorporate. Cook over medium-high heat for 20-30 minutes.
  7. I served this with hot roasted chicken for a simple, hearty dinner.
A Little Break at a Mexican Beach

A Little Break at a Mexican Beach

“Rest when you’re weary.
Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit.
Then get back to work.”
Ralph Marston

Dear ones, I’ve been taking a little break to recover from a rather bad flu/cold/thingamajig.

I hope to be back on the grid soon, but until then let’s rest a while by the Caribbean Sea, basking in sunshine and ocean breezes and oh-so-warm water.

Cancun lifeguard station

 

“Rest is not idleness,
and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day
listening to the murmur of water,
or watching the clouds float across the sky,
is hardly a waste of time.”
Sir John Lubbock

Cancun beach

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest”
Ashleigh Brilliant

crashing surf in Mexico

 

What is your tried and true way to restore yourself after an illness?