Picnic at Willunga Courthouse Creek

Willunga Creek Picnic

I don't know if you know this but Willunga has a secret treasure... behind the Old Courthouse there is a babbling, spring fed creek that runs all year round. Around it is lawned and there are picnic tables and a little bridge. Its always cool and comfortable down by the creek under the shade of the willow trees that line it...I grew up with creeks and absolutely love bringing my children here with a picnic...I bring a blanket, pillow, the paper and some foodie magazines and the children play in and around the creek while I rest, read and relax!

Today it was hot and horrible and all my children were off at plays so I went to the creek with my dear friend Anne...and this is what we packed....

Antipasto Loaf with Rocket Salsa Verde and Salad

A word on baking with yeast...

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a mother who baked bread and yeast based sweets regularily... and this is what I know from my mother... about baking with yeast...

 YEAST SMELLS FEAR !

You have to use yeast with confidence and complete faith that it will work...

Yeast is actually a living food in a dormant state when we buy it from supermarkets in sachets.. you can also use fresh yeast but I prefer the sachets.

To make two loaves of bread this is what I do...

First you get the yeast working...it requires sugar and luke warm (not hot ~ this will kill the yeast)water...So I place 2 x 7g sachets of yeast in about 1 cup of warm water and about 1 teaspoon of honey..you can use 1/2 tsp sugar here also...mix the ingredients until its generally combined and looks like this...

After a few minutes in a warm place it starts to froth up and looks like this....this is the little beasties eating up the sugar and producing gas...this always makes me think of year 9 science and wonder who the first person who did this was?!...

Now you can add your flour... to this I add 1kg of strong plain flour...Lauke and Lighthouse do breadmaking flour...the type flour does make a difference to your end result and I highly recomend using the right sort...

At this stage I also add 1 cup of olive oil and 3 cups of water and a sprinkle of salt (1/4 teaspoon)...and mix it with a wooden spoon until it looks like this....

 

Now its time to get kneeding.... For about 5 minutes or until your tuckshop lady arm bits hurt... kneed... I have a big piece of marble on my kitchen bench that I love to work bread dough and pastry on but any floured surface will do... after place a litttle bit of oil in the bottom of the bowl that you mixed in and return the dough to it... the oil stops the dough sticking as it proves... it should look like this...

Cover this beauty in a damp fresh tea towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size...its magic! And will look like this...

 Punching down is my favourite bit of bread making... you do just that... PUNCH IT!

This causes the dough to colapse and then its back to Kneeding Town...floured surface and another 5 -10 minutes of kneeding... There are some hard core breadafites that do the rise punch down thing again but I'm too impatient to do this! Own your cooking style I say...

Now...we can make the Antipasto bread.... YAY!!!

To make you will need...

Dough for two loaves as made above

1/2 cup of polenta

1 cup of antipasto vegetables ~ things like pitted olives, roasted capsicum*, semidried tomatoes, marinated artichokes

1/2 cup of chopped herbs ~ basil, thyme, chives... what ever you like really...oregano...

a large baking tray or individual loaf tins...

First...get your oven on...about 220c 

Take your lovely dough and divide it into two... working on one loaf at a time here folks....with your hands on a floured surface flatten out your dough to about a 20cm by 30cm shaped... think rustic here... perfection is not the aim... cut into 3 strips keeping one end joined...Then using things like pittted olives, roasted capsicum, artichokes, semi dried tomatoes and fresh basil dot the dough....the little bit of oil that comes with your antipasto bits is great and makes for a brown and moist loaf...

Then you plat the dough tucking in the bits that try and escape as you go...tuck the ends of the plat under and place in a a baking tray that has had its base covered with a dusting of polenta... this is such a cool way to bake, stops the bread sticking AND also gives the loaf this really yummy crunchy base... I learnt this from an Italian friend! Repeat the dot and plat process with your second piece of dough...

Leave these loavelies in a warm spot to plump up...takes about ten minutes... Yummm...

Now they are ready for baking...I always put a sprinkle of polenta for extra crunch on the top...but is by no means necessary...Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes...keep an eye on them dropping the temp to 200c if they start to get too brown...They are done when they are brown and when tapped make a kind of hollow sound...

WARNING: your house is going to smell amazing!!!

While your loaves are baking you can make your Salsa Verde.... this just means green sauce but how much cooler does salsa verde sound than green sauce!

Rocket Salsa Verde

This recipe can be used for any herbs you have about... things like parsley and basil are great

You will need~

The zezt and juice of one lemon

about 500g of rocket leaves

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 teaspoon of rock salt

200ml of good olive oil

In a blender put in the lemon juice and zest. Add the rocket leaves and start to combine... in a mortar and pestle grind the garlic and salt until it goes all fluffy...yes fluffy ...then add to the rocket lemon mix...now add the olive oil and fully combine... taste and adjust seasoning with either more lemon juice or more salt... place into clean jars and cover with a thin layer of olive oil...this stops the salsa verde browning and preserves it... place in the fridge and it will keep for about a week...

Anne and I had this with our Antipasto Loaf....

And here are a few snaps of the Willunga Courthouse Creek...



*Every year about this time when the capsicums are in season and plentiful I roast up and preserve a big batch...olive oil, garlic and thyme... and then we eat them in everything...salads, dips, sandwiches, pasta, tarts...