The Mornington Peninsula has long been known as our food bowl. Although some of their produce could be found in good Melbourne stores, visiting the farms, meeting the farmers could be a great trip and certainly an experience to share.
Over fifteen years Greg and Sue O’Donoghue have been cultivating their farm in Red Hill. They established a vineyard; built a farm kitchen and store; launched farm classes, tours and tastings; created their own farm brand of food, cordials and wines, which is now known as the Green Olive at Red Hill.
During my wine tasting tour in the Red Hill and Main Ridge region, I always make Green Olive my last stop. Imagine a sunny day, 3pm in the afternoon, after a great meal and lots of tasting nearby, stopover and relax at their vineyard; soak in the sun, enjoy a great cup of coffee and a piece of dessert, kids have fun jumping on their trampoline, perfect!
Last but not least, get their cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Here is a simple recipe with this olive oil which you can prepare at our cottage, after visiting the vineyard.
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
Make 8 pieces as appetiser
Ingredients
2 ripe small tomatoes, seeded
1 garlic clove
1 tbs of extra olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
8 basil leaves, tear into small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
Baguette French bread
Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for drizzle
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. Dice the seeded tomatoes into small cubes, mix with 1 tbs of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt and pepper to taste
3. Slice the Baguette on diagonal making 1.5cm thick slices, sprinkle with dash of sea salt, drizzle with olive oil
4. Toast the baguette slices about 6 mins or until lightly brown, while it is still hot, rub one side of each slice with garlic
5. Top the baguette slice with tomato mixture, lightly drizzle each slice with olive oil. Serve while still warm.
I would pair this dish with a local pinot or rosé.
Thanks for reading!