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Foggy Days and Fireplaces

Foggy Days and Fireplaces

by | Jun 8, 2020 | Hygge, Vineyard Cottges, Wellness, Winter Stays, Winter Weddings

We’re into the first week in June and it’s certainly got that wonderful winter feel about it. My morning walks with the dogs have been very very foggy. Usually it means we’re in for a stonking sunny day and I watch as the mist rolls away over the vineyard to bright sunshine and a chill in the air. 

This weekend was the weekend we tackled the wood pile. Feeding 8 log burners throughout winter and spring means we get through around 10 sq metres plus of chopped wood between May and October. Of course with Covid 19 turning 202 on it’s head, the fireplaces went on in March, more for comfort than necessity. 

When we first came to VC we were getting wood delivered two or three times a winter. It was expensive and took a lot of time away from the day to day winter tasks. Over the years, I got a bit smarter, keeping my eyes open for people wanting to get rid of wood from their properties in early spring or seeing if any arborists were wanting to offload wood cheaply. 

We started making Swedish log piles at the front of the property which were visually lovely as well as practical. The logs would spend summer in the sun seasoning for winter. 

Why do we season the logs? By seasoning or drying the logs we reduce the moisture content by about 50%. They reduce in weight and burn a lot better, without the natural oils and resins spitting in the fire. 

Last spring I arranged for a local arborist to deposit a truck’s worth of logs on the grass outside the house. The logs were double the size I’d seen (or glanced at speed) in the photos and when Barry arrived home from work, he took one look and announced he wasn’t cutting them up! Cue the log splitter. 

The logs spent summer in the garden and yesterday we lopped and chopped firewood into chunks. I’ll be honest there is still a huge amount to go, but between us we filled the bins and tackled at least half the piles. Fuelled by the dhal we grew to love during lockdown, by sunset it felt like a good job jobbed!

The fireplaces at Vineyard Cottages are much loved by everyone that stays here and are a real highlight for our winter wedding photography. We use a mixture of hard and soft wood to keep the rolling heat from the fires continuous throughout the evenings. Many of the guests will head out to dinner, so we pop in to throw a log on the fire and make sure it’s still warm for when they return. Last year I sat with one of our regular guests, now a lovely friend and we drank tea, ate cookies and watched the fire in the log burner. When we topped the fire up with macadamia nut shells, they cracked and made little clinking noises as they burnt.  It was the simple notion of just being there watching the flames that we loved and she remembers the most. 

Come and stay and enjoy the fires. 

Elle

Dhal – ing comfort food

by | Jun 8, 2020 | Vineyard Cottges

Simple and fabulous Dhal

 

Over the duration of lockdown cooking for the team at VC became my source of comfort. For the first couple of weeks we were all in a bit of a daze wondering what was happening with the world. Dhal became the simple answer to a nutritious lunch, made in large quantities to feed us either on the run or in front of the 1pm news bulletin. 

As a child the moment my mother mentioned split peas or lentils, I threw a wobbly at the idea and various dismissive expressions that I watch children do now and think “just you wait, one day you’ll love it!”

From India to the West Indies, the dish is made from lentils or split pulses. Literally translated from Sanskrit it means “to split” and has been a staple in many nations around the world. During lockdown Chef and Author Sabrina Gahyour kept me entertained on her instagram feed with simple four ingredient recipes she was making in her kitchen with her camera shy mum. Green lentils, curry powder, tomato puree, onion and water – Dhal, so easy!

 

I make ours from split peas. We have bags in the cupboard and for a few $’s it’s a great value meal. It’s a great recipe to bung in a pressure cooker or slow cooker too.

 

2 cups of split peas (washed in a sieve to remove all the dust)

One onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1inch ginger root, skin removed and grated (or 1tbsp ground ginger if you don’t have fresh)

2 tbsp curry powder

2tbsp oil

1tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp fresh chopped chilli.

6 cups of chicken / vegetable stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Rinse the split peas well until the water runs clear. 

Heat a large pan and add the oil.

Gently fry the onion and garlic until translucent.

If you have fresh ginger add it now and fry until fragrant. 

If you are using ginger powder add to the curry powder and add to the pan. Fry gently until you can smell the aroma of the curry powder. 

Add your tomato puree and mix, followed by the split peas and stock. Bring up to the boil and drop to a simmer stirring regularly for 45 minutes if soaked to 90 minutes if straight from the packet. 

If you are cooking this in a slow cooker you probably want to leave it cooking for 5 hours. 

Of course the quickest way to make this is with a couple of cans of lentils!

 

Season the dhal when the peas are soft and serve with chopped chilli and flat breads. 

 

Extra flavours you can add during cooking:

Cardamon, cumin, garam masala, fresh coriander, fresh tomatoes, grated vegetables, cauliflower, peas. Tart it up with fresh coriander, fried curry leaves and a dollop of yoghurt.