I, like many others, fall somewhere in the middle. I have an uneasy relationship with my old friend transition. Initially I am excited about the idea of change - I get excited when I find a path through, and initially I am philosophical about transition but, lordy, when that process of it coming to fruition takes too long, things get a little shaky. I start to doubt my choice and then many of the above emotions begin to surface. When I get caught up in these emotions, when I become the tail wagging the dog, life can feel a little difficult. When I step back and get a better view over my internal landscape and trust that these emotions are just part of the landscape of my and other's humanness, I feel connected to everyone and ultimately, a whole lot better.
Spring puts us through that transitional state every year. There we are, cruising through winter all nice and cosy and quiet, when we feel a little tap on our shoulder, a little tickle in our noses. We turn around and there is cheeky spring, calling us outside to play. We want to rush off and carouse, but energetically we are still in winter's dormancy and even though we can feel spring's changes, there is still a chill in the air, a sudden downpour or two to come and a wind that whips up when we least expect it. This is Melbourne after all.
So just as we need to accept our emotions when we are in the process of our personal change, so we need to look after ourselves and accept what is needed during spring's transition from yin to yang.
Food is a good place to start. It can heal our body. It can harmonise our energy and mind. It can warm our hearts when it brings loved-ones together.
Here is my version of a delicious spring pie based on a recipe from the marvellous wholefoods cook, Jude Blereau. Silverbeet, swiss chard or spinach need to be cooked with dairy due to their oxalic acid content, which hinders calcium absorption.
Hunza Pie
Serves 6-8
Crust
1 cup brown rice
1 egg, whisked
melted butter (or olive oil), for greasing
Filling
melted butter (or olive oil) for greasing
large bunch of swiss chard or silverbeet
Olive oil for frying
1 onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g fresh ricotta
100g fetta, crumbled
1-2 tbsp lightly toasted pine nuts
3 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 egg
freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
Preheat oven to 180C.Brush a 26cm pie dish with the melted butter or olive oil to lightly grease.
To make crust, wash rice, place in pot, cover with water (to 2cm above rice) and bring to the boil with lid on. Reduce heat and simmer until tender and liquid has been absorbed. Cool the rice for a few minutes then combine with the egg in a medium bowl and mix well. Press mixture over the base and sides of greased pie dish using the back of a spoon. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
To make the filling, wash chard/silverbeet well. Remove the stem and ribs right up into the leaf. Cut the tender ribs and stems into very fine slices (discard the tougher ribs and stems). Shake the leaves dry and cut into small slices.
Using a little olive oil, cook the onion,
garlic, chard ribs and stems and mush-rooms over a low heat, for about 7-8 min-utes or until the stems etc begin to soften. Turn into a mixing bowl.
Heat another teaspoon of olive oil in the frying pan. Add the chopped leaves and cook over a gentle heat until they are wilted and soft. Be careful not to over-cook them. When they are ready, drain off the liquid and add the leaves to the bowl. Add the egg, ricotta, fetta, pine nuts and black pepper to the mixture. Mix well.
Spoon the mixture into the brown rice crust and bake for a further 30 minutes.
Serve with beetroot chutney and a
delicious green salad.
And here is a picture of Maggie, Chino and Dusty being dogs in spring that will make you smile...
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