Hundreds of cantaloupes are flowing from under the large leafy greens in our vegetable garden. They are a glowing orange inside and taste much sweeter than we have had when bought in a supermarket.
We harvested some of the low-hanging grapes early again this year to make a small batch of Agraz. This time we wanted to experiment, so we picked the grapes earlier (mid-January) so they were a bit smaller and had less sugar (maybe none?) than last time. We wanted to see if it was possible to bottle the Agraz without pasteurising it, and if so how long would it keep for. You can see the 25L canisters we filled with the very raw bitter grape juice. Watch this space for the results….
Precision pouring techniques getting the Agraz into the storage canisters from the buckets.
Cleaning the press before we throw all the grapes in!
Some of our neighbours in the Loncomilla Valley grow blueberries, most of the fruits are exported to the U.S but luckily they do keep some back so the locals can enjoy their delicious flavours too.
They grow many different varieties so that they can harvest ripe tasty blueberries from October to March.
The roof is on the ‘comedor’ (dining room building), so we celebrated with the traditional ‘tijerales’ party with all the workers. We had an asado (BBQ) with lots of delicious food and drink; the courgette salad was a surprise favourite with everyone – recipe details to follow…
The beautiful curves have come alive inside the space – now the outside area is being crafted, to create an idyllic spot where everyone can eat our delicious organic vegetables surrounded by the olive groves.
This is the first time we have cultivated our own fields of barley and we can’t wait to taste our first crop!
Here is a verjus recipe from one of our most adventurous testers, Jeremy, who is very excited about the flavours our verjus brings out. He has trained with the best chefs at restaurants around London, he worked at Noma for a while and is now a chef at Dinner, Heston Blumenthal’s Michelin-starred dining experience. We asked him to keep things relatively simple, so he came up with this delicious duck recipe with a verjus sauce. Let us know what you think…
Duck with pine, verjus, stonecrops and cherry
Wrap the duck in new pine branches and marinate overnight.
Set oven to 160 degrees.
Score the duck skin and place in a cold, dry non stick pan. Turn heat to medium high and continue to roast skin side down until skin is golden brown and crisp. Remove half of the duck fat from pan flip the duck over onto pine branches in the same pan, glazing the crisp skin with some of the fat, place in an oven for 5 to 8 mins.
Take out of the oven and rest in a warm area for 10 to 15 mins.
For the verjus sauce:
Reduce 100ml verjus with 1 teaspoon honey, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and the pulped flesh of 2 cherries. The consistency should be a thick glaze.
Split the sauce with same volume duck fat from the pan, then season.
Once the duck has rested, carve the breast in half, square off each side, glazing the flesh with the pan juices. Sprinkle fresh chopped pine shoots mixed with salt on the duck flesh side.
Grill a few baby kale leaves and serve with duck.
Arrange stonecrop seasoned with olive oil and salt over the duck with some slices of cherry.
In our experience great wholesome food is central to a good quality of life – and what makes great food even better is great company. This is why we are building the ‘comedor’ or communal dining space. During the week lunches and dinners for those on the farm will be cooked and served here whilst at weekends we will create a unique food experience for many people to enjoy. The building is still under construction but we are excited about the opportunities this space will offer.
There is a huge old cactus in the vegetable garden, which offers beautiful flowers every so often. Its flat paddles are edible as they are juicy and tender in the centre. We made a nopales salsa which had a freshness like cucumbers but with a stronger flavour. The slimy juices given off in the cooking process are kind of unusual but can be reduced by rinsing the nopales a few times.
First up in our Agraz series is a raw beetroot salad. Quantities are not exact because this is the kind of taste experience that is very personal, so we encourage you to follow our guidelines and then stray far and wide as your tastebuds tell you – enjoy…this has an incredibly delicious and fresh taste.
Raw beetroot salad
2 raw beets grated
3 units olive oil to 2 units agraz
dollop of honey
a few fresh mint leaves finely chopped
salt & pepper
We made quite a bit of Agraz from the green grape harvest in early Summer last year. We have been doing some in depth taste testing trying many different flavours together – and we will post the combinations we loved the most over the next few months to give an idea of how to use Agraz. First one will be our beetroot salad…
