Residents and staff at Mercy Place Rice Village planted their very own vegetable garden in 2016 to grow fresh produce to use in their daily meals. Five years on the garden is still thriving and yields an abundance of salad greens, silverbeet, lemongrass and fresh herbs.
The garden is maintained by resident Theresa Brennan and Mercy Place Rice Village Food Services Manager Barbara Bath. Barbara uses it all the time to add freshness, flavour and zest to meals.
Mercy Place Rice Village Food Services Manager Barbara Bath uses herbs from the garden to add freshness and flavour to resident meals.
“Our aim at Mercy Place Rice Village is to give residents tasty and nourishing home-cooked meals made from as many fresh ingredients as possible,” says Barbara.
“I use the herbs in just about every meal — oregano in lasagne, basil in pasta sauces, tarragon in chicken with bearnaise sauce.”
“The residents love to be served those kind of comforting meals that they know and love — roast dinners are also a particular favourite. Adding in fresh herbs from our garden gives familiar dishes a wonderful freshness and flavour.”
Mercy Place Rice Village resident Theresa Brennan loves to maintain the vegetable garden.
The garden was created with the help of a generous grant from the Maggie Beer Foundation, which was established in 2014 to improve the quality of food for older Australians and particularly those living in aged care homes. At Mercy Health, we share this mission by providing our aged care residents with wholesome, tasty meals made from good quality, fresh food. Treating people in our care with dignity and respect is at the core of our values.
We hope the following recipe, provided by The Maggie Beer Foundation, inspires you to cook some delicious meals using seasonal ingredients and a dash of fresh herbs.
Roast cauliflower soup with bacon, pear and white beans
by Amanda Orchard for the Maggie Beer Foundation
Ingredients
1x large head cauliflower
60ml extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
20g whole garlic cloves
175g good quality bacon
diced (if you can get this
smoked even better)
260g diced onion
5g sage
2.5g sprigs of thyme
250g pears cored and diced
2x 400g cans white beans
drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
To serve
Extra virgin olive oil
Cracked black pepper
Finely grated vintage cheddar
Drizzle of cream (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a flat tray with baking paper.
Break down the cauliflower into florets and place in a bowl with whole garlic cloves and 30ml of extra virgin olive oil. Toss and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Evenly space on an oven tray and place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.
Over a medium to high heat place a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a stock pot and cook the bacon, remove from the pan and set aside.
Turn the heat down to low, add the remaining extra virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of butter to the pot. Add the onions and cook slowly for 5 minutes, then add in the sage and thyme and continue to cook the onion mix for a further 5 minutes until caramelised.
Into the pot with the onions pour in chicken stock, add the bacon, roast cauliflower and garlic, pears and white beans. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes
Turn off the heat. Add two good-sized tablespoons of butter then blend the soup down to achieve a smooth consistency. Taste and check for seasoning, adjust if necessary.
To serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a touch of cream, a sprinkling of finely grated vintage cheddar (or a touch of parmesan) and cracked black pepper.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Credits: recipe and image provided by the Maggie Beer Foundation.
Last reviewed August 13, 2021.