Building the original Little House of Concrete involved a strict budget, working on the principle that payments of $300/month were affordable, and around fourteen years to pay it off would allow Hughesy to escape from the workforce at a relatively early age.
It also meant that apart from the actual house there wasn't much else on the block, apart from a garden shed, so from the get-go it was a case of filling things in as I could afford them, starting with the garden bed on the corner, which had its first incarnation as the Chilli Patch, but was subsequently turned over to the current bougainvillea extravaganza.
We followed that with the garden bed that occupies the other front corner, planting assorted fruit trees and other odds and ends to fill it. The filling in the block activity was ramped up significantly once 'Er Indoors appeared on the scene, with a carport at the rear of the premises, the fence down the side and the garden beds inside it and once Madam's Extension had been added to the end of the original building, there wasn't too much left to do.
By that stage we had Hughesy's retirement firmly on the horizon so it made sense to finish off the filling in before it happened, and a paved pathway and a couple of raised garden beds on either side of the olive tree seemed the way to go.
With the benefit of hindsight, of course, we'd have gone in other directions, but the two bed vege patch seemed like the best option at the time.
The first crop that came off the patch was reasonably abundant, being described at the time as the zucchini plague and the cherry tomato glut, and while subsequent years didn't quite deliver the same abundance, but we've slowly got our act together, particularly in the compost bin department, and this year's cherry tomato glut has left all previous efforts well and truly in the shade.
Here they were back in June, looking promising
while now they've reached this stage
and this is what's sitting in the kitchen after last night's cherry tomato and sausage risotto.
Much of the credit for that goes to the Neighbour Who Knows About These Things, and a proper trellis system that has allowed us to get to an abundant crop.
It took a while for the little devils to ripen, however, and their refusal to start doing so in a timely manner meant that dinner arrangements when The Staggster lobbed on the doorstep moved from chicken with cherry tomatoes towards a curry option, but now, two months later, we've got a serious and on-going glut and the prospect of something similar if we can match this year's trellis arrangements, so what do you do when you've got cherry tomatoes literally coming out of your eyes?
Here are a few of the ways I've tried to keep the incoming flow under control.
First, what I was planning to hit The Staggster with:
Chicken with cherry tomatoes, olives and capers
4 chicken breast fillets
1 onion, cut into wedges
4 whole cloves garlic, skin on
250 g cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup kalamata olives
2 tbsp capers
1 tsp dried herbs (I generally go for basil and oregano, but I figure any of those more or less Mediterranean herbs would do)
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Place the chicken breasts in a baking tray lined with baking paper, add onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes, olives and capers, trying to avoid having too much on top of the chicken breasts.
Sprinkle the chicken with herbs, salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.
Roast for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with a basic risotto, parboiled and stir-fried potatoes or steamed broccoli or zucchini. This one's a long term pre-cherry tomato glut favourite, so we've tried it with all of the above. Actually, thos was the reason I wanted to plant the cherry tomatoes in the first place.
Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, tuna, olives & capers
500 g spaghetti
Extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
500 g cherry tomatoes, halved
185 g can tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked (if you're inclined towards tuna with chilli, use the oil from the tin in the cooking, and top up with the extra virgin)
125 g pitted black olives, chopped
4 tbsp capers in brine, drained and chopped
A dash of white wine
4 tbsp fresh basil
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Cook spaghetti in salted, boiling water and cook until al dente (follow cooking time on the packet, they're usually close to spot on). Drain pasta.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over medium heat and gently fry garlic and chilli flakes until softened. You don't want this to brown, much less burn. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened. Stir in tuna, olives and capers and heat through.
Add drained spaghetti and enough white wine (I use Tahbilk Classic White #2 Cleanskin, allowing myself a glass while the cooking's going on) to prevent things from sticking. Sprinkle with basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately, though in our situation there's usually enough left for leftovers the following day - add a tablespoon of water to the container and auto-reheat in the microwave)..
Spaghetti with zucchini and cherry tomatoes
Per person:
125 g spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 small zucchini, grated (or one larger one, your call)
125 g cherry tomatoes, halved
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Cook spaghetti in salted, boiling water and cook until al dente (follow cooking time on the packet, they're usually close to spot on).
Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add garlic, zucchini and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often until tender.
Drain pasta and add to the zucchini/tomato mixture along with enough white wine to prevent things from sticking and salt and pepper to taste. Toss over low heat, top with parmesan and serve.
Sausage and cherry tomato risotto
Olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
A reasonable knob of butter
1.5 cups arborio rice
1 litre salt-reduced chicken stock, brought to a simmer with a dash of white wine added
4 interesting sausages from the butcher on the corner*
250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
Heat olive oil in a heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened.
Add butter and once it has started to melt, add the rice, stirring to ensure it gets coated in the butter and onion mixture.
Add a ladle of stock, stirring until stock has been absorbed, then continue adding stock at the same rate (a ladle at a time) until all stock has been added and absorbed.
Meanwhile, cook the sausages in a frypan, under a grill or however you usually would (I whack them in the oven, but your mileage may vary) until cooked through. Remove from heat and slice reasonably thickly.
Stir sausage, tomatoes and parsley through rice mixture on the stove, then remove from heat, stand for a couple of minuteswhile you're opening the wine, top with parmesan cheese and serve.
* I've only done this once, with Merlot & Cracked Pepper from the butcher on the corner. If I was cooking for myself (Madam's chilli-averse) I'd be tempted to try it with their Texas Chilli or Hot Mexican.
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