tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13764308568857019882024-03-14T21:03:24.931+11:00An Australian Kitchena haven for food, wine and trivial conversationAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-81669927125577731332012-10-01T16:44:00.000+10:002012-10-01T16:44:01.387+10:00Where I ate today: Le Terminus, CruzyOkay, so I didn't technically eat at <a href="http://www.restaurantleterminus.com/en/" target="_blank"> Le Terminus</a> today. In fact, it was
(sniff) nearly 3 months ago, but skimming through these pictures I was unable to resist
a cheeky post. <br />
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The meal was delightful; gorgeous food, balmy weather, idyllic
setting. The hosts, <span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Gaëlle and
Sébastien Caille,</span> are the kind of effortless French chic that renders
your carefully put together ensemble immediately frumpy and pedestrian. But the food... moan... the food. Exactly the kind of unpretentious bistro fare that you hope to find in a regional restaurant, with generous portions and a respectful nod to its Spanish neighbours. Every meal we saw come out of the kitchen made us jealous, in particular the diner-style burger which dripped with cheese and avocado, pickles spilling out of its sweet toasted bun.<br />
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The restored train station (now bar) next door to the main dining space serves tapas on Friday and Saturday nights, and the restaurant patio offers a grassy backyard playground, with swings, a hopscotch path and some logs for jumping across and balancing on. Even better, this area is behind a screen of plants, far enough away that your fellow childless diners won't be irritated but you can still keep an eye on the little ones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55FNm8Akd12q7v4lrsI4iaQeHPbTiFoIFfG3FBxMb0US8JwHufUSx3izmi_tW7AQtqbm0JnOrVqemwMLH5apGDWkbzB1_KTU4emwKTktNnHbQbDuUoczwVaWYpL3Ib3ATpyHPJ_eVYJQ/s1600/DSC_0007-006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55FNm8Akd12q7v4lrsI4iaQeHPbTiFoIFfG3FBxMb0US8JwHufUSx3izmi_tW7AQtqbm0JnOrVqemwMLH5apGDWkbzB1_KTU4emwKTktNnHbQbDuUoczwVaWYpL3Ib3ATpyHPJ_eVYJQ/s320/DSC_0007-006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">slow roasted lamb shoulder</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhDSp7R51ak_6Xtu4EJ8qjdEdH554xVQKUBvYIknPYvd_UuIrva3l7-0rRDJrGeWbLaP-ElhclSvqWVshn4lbYMSnJUDR6dFSWJx7YAr5_dzMo8hE-soH1V_yI2aMx0waTWcPfc4PlGw/s1600/DSC_0006-005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhDSp7R51ak_6Xtu4EJ8qjdEdH554xVQKUBvYIknPYvd_UuIrva3l7-0rRDJrGeWbLaP-ElhclSvqWVshn4lbYMSnJUDR6dFSWJx7YAr5_dzMo8hE-soH1V_yI2aMx0waTWcPfc4PlGw/s320/DSC_0006-005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">prawn fajita</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRdoVPthJAyQqN4d8dmsMlQ6qUp4Ju_Up41GC7bjYQDszOtlIrBx6xufKvFBRg6q7hqJxtri5YuXvXtWuyxoYazFIkFEYxaHa5xVuiNga2ToJQV3qBXmb4yT2hTINBbPELr3mv9A61E8/s1600/DSC_0010-006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRdoVPthJAyQqN4d8dmsMlQ6qUp4Ju_Up41GC7bjYQDszOtlIrBx6xufKvFBRg6q7hqJxtri5YuXvXtWuyxoYazFIkFEYxaHa5xVuiNga2ToJQV3qBXmb4yT2hTINBbPELr3mv9A61E8/s320/DSC_0010-006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">spiced duck breast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS59bEDYdX0Wh9UlouYn2qZ7LglKqa4mX9ZSGjBy73MZMIjgwGodvfU2Nf3tmNncuU8O_L_5KjFX8aJdS1U4_pJed1n2CnRE96KGalI9pa47ZdzG5rfeRpYcDppu59UFZwlteVJibgy9g/s1600/DSC_0012-007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS59bEDYdX0Wh9UlouYn2qZ7LglKqa4mX9ZSGjBy73MZMIjgwGodvfU2Nf3tmNncuU8O_L_5KjFX8aJdS1U4_pJed1n2CnRE96KGalI9pa47ZdzG5rfeRpYcDppu59UFZwlteVJibgy9g/s320/DSC_0012-007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fish in a bag with vegetable confit and puy lentils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdqWneV0qeOaUg5wEj26Cy2z6OpsHiVmsmpLJjmkCjfmrzljVgbeqIF7UKRAdwGPZG0ESB_33N_9RBAubDO3yEBcGEQ-WOZRdn3vySmpeoM-UjOBSTk0ZhLKOcA39u0fZeTcR-XRSO2M/s1600/DSC_0014-006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdqWneV0qeOaUg5wEj26Cy2z6OpsHiVmsmpLJjmkCjfmrzljVgbeqIF7UKRAdwGPZG0ESB_33N_9RBAubDO3yEBcGEQ-WOZRdn3vySmpeoM-UjOBSTk0ZhLKOcA39u0fZeTcR-XRSO2M/s320/DSC_0014-006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pistachio parfait</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fac-snhMcIyiEMwIPmwa4MXLcR-GTATn9Ou4T6b7xy1Sq0dV9Q2FvMC9zC0NueKrZ2yEFzbp-o16Q1N4B3R2z73oA6k86Qufx3tpcl0m16My03tVBQ4U1JjobqievENaDOOF6IZy6Zk/s1600/DSC_0017-006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fac-snhMcIyiEMwIPmwa4MXLcR-GTATn9Ou4T6b7xy1Sq0dV9Q2FvMC9zC0NueKrZ2yEFzbp-o16Q1N4B3R2z73oA6k86Qufx3tpcl0m16My03tVBQ4U1JjobqievENaDOOF6IZy6Zk/s320/DSC_0017-006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pannacotta with wild strwberries and lemon sorbet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Restaurant Le Terminus - Avenue de la Gare - 34310 - Cruzy<br />
<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com4Cruzy, France43.355679 2.94059743.309497 2.861633 43.401861000000004 3.019561tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-75273652274398594362012-07-11T02:36:00.002+10:002012-07-11T02:36:50.020+10:00Le MarcheThis is why people move to the south of France. Some images from the markets around Olonzac.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDs9GZ5FMUM-KbagneGl8YP_WLMbK8CtG8Vxbre9M8wTqi4eMbnGHb_uVX7LE72BH2I1f2gTR-tllOYOngQHib8LMsZubJaTrmVAXYdtS8_YqOLo764KiCfCRYqETzy6JM4Rx00bjRTmQ/s1600/DSC_0015-006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDs9GZ5FMUM-KbagneGl8YP_WLMbK8CtG8Vxbre9M8wTqi4eMbnGHb_uVX7LE72BH2I1f2gTR-tllOYOngQHib8LMsZubJaTrmVAXYdtS8_YqOLo764KiCfCRYqETzy6JM4Rx00bjRTmQ/s320/DSC_0015-006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com2Olonzac, France43.284351 2.730112943.238115 2.6511489 43.330587 2.8090769tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-58552141937446239902012-07-06T01:48:00.001+10:002012-07-06T01:48:50.063+10:00What I ate today: pig's face terrine salad??After a second failed attempt to eat at the <em>Hotel D'Alibert</em> in Caunes-Minervois (it has been closed for lunch twice so far), we happened upon a little restaurant in Rieux-Minervois, <em>Le Logis de Merinville</em>. It is run by a couple, Cathy and Pierre Morin, who have been there for 35 years. He is the chef and she works front of house. The decor was quirky, the food very authentic and homely. We opted for the Menu de Jour, which included this interesting salad of terrine, cucumber, lettuce and tomato:<br />
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We believe the terrine was made from pig's snout, ears and tongue with some aspic to glue it all together. The flavour of the meat was very nice, but personally, I'm not a fan of aspic. It lends everything a gelatinous texture that just quite doesn't work for me with savoury dishes. Perhaps I'm not comfortable enough with traditional French dishes (I don't know how Julie Powell made it all the way through the aspic chapter of Julia Child's book). The flavour of the salad dressing was delicious, though and the vegetables very fresh and crisp.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-60462033519464321802012-06-27T05:39:00.000+10:002012-06-27T05:39:15.496+10:00What I ate today: MejillonesMmm... mussels. <br />
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The last time I was travelling through Europe for purely recreational purposes, we calculated that one of my companions had personally made it through at least 500 mussels (not all in one sitting, obviously). Tasting the mussels on the Mediterranean at this time of year, you can understand how this is possible.<br />
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I picked up a kilo at the local fish market yesterday (or was it the day before??). We weren't sure that we would get through them all, but like magic, the mussel bowl became emptier and the shell bowl more full.<br />
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<em><strong>Steamed mussels in Catalan</strong> <strong>ros<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">è</span></strong> <strong>and garlic</strong></em></div>
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1 kg mussels, scrubbed and debearded<br />
olive oil<br />
1 clove garlic, finely sliced<br />
1/2 glass of dry ros<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">è</span><br />
handful parsley, chopped<br />
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Heat a large pan or stockpot over a medium heat, and add the olive oil and garlic. Fry for a minute or two, until the garlic is softened but not brown. Throw in the mussels, then the wine and cover. Steam the mussels for around 5 minutes, or until cooked (they will open up like an eager young virgin when they are ready to be devoured). Toss in the parsley and serve immediately, with lots of crusty bread to soak up the delicious liquor.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-54735369416710041502012-06-24T05:48:00.000+10:002012-06-24T05:48:11.758+10:00What I ate today: Spanish cooking class at Cook & Taste<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Frank Camorra was not wrong (of course). This was no beginners guide to Spanish cuisine, but rather an insight into how seasonal ingredients can be used in traditional ways to create exciting, delicious food. The Cook & Taste cooking school is housed in a beautiful old building, just off Placa St Jaume, but the kitchens inside are modern and very clean. Our chef/ teacher, Maria has an infectious enthusiasm for Catalan cuisine, and happily shared both family secrets and insider tips to Barcelona's food scene. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8zTZFx7a_jiUEsBYLCMok6HEQtpBFgmNudL77_NEViMEtsLxivNIvf9awGhJpF3qKOS2rvt_xhnD0a9adyC-dRw953brKOD3gqxLgl_-C7KPK5b9SZXQyBjYJbTx7qlBzmr0WOUYr-g/s1600/DSC_0054-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8zTZFx7a_jiUEsBYLCMok6HEQtpBFgmNudL77_NEViMEtsLxivNIvf9awGhJpF3qKOS2rvt_xhnD0a9adyC-dRw953brKOD3gqxLgl_-C7KPK5b9SZXQyBjYJbTx7qlBzmr0WOUYr-g/s320/DSC_0054-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anchos a la plancha con melon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chupito de sopa de pimento roja</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxdIOp-W49A76laPU7oUwotMp8Lo2rY3lEw0HaFR0hvGWLfelnar59okOfjsMVBK7b3S78osdg8xd_JPJpB3XXBfPbZK8UttCxMUfvGWGbPzGfVMzobfG5P-BcTaBMY5_fS9-nd4kWWU/s1600/DSC_0039-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxdIOp-W49A76laPU7oUwotMp8Lo2rY3lEw0HaFR0hvGWLfelnar59okOfjsMVBK7b3S78osdg8xd_JPJpB3XXBfPbZK8UttCxMUfvGWGbPzGfVMzobfG5P-BcTaBMY5_fS9-nd4kWWU/s320/DSC_0039-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paella de marisco</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paella de marisco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">paella de marisco</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pana con Tomaquet</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crema Catalana</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crema Catalana</td></tr>
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<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-83499652869195948532012-06-20T15:41:00.002+10:002012-06-20T15:41:36.377+10:00What I ate today: Euskal Taberna, BarcelonaMmm... Pinxtos. <br />
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This place was just up the laneway from the Picasso Museum (Placeta Moncada), which we walked right past, headed directly for the tapas (don't worry, we are not completely devoid of culture - we plan to go back). The salt cod croquettas were a highlight; my 6 year old travelling companion also rated the Marguez sausages very highly.<br />
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It was tricky to take good pics, as the bar was significantly taller than me, but I gave it a crack.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLessK7NVccqxV0hn07W_sCgeNcCJFs1BvYE3Dvwf_uRoGGZBQDrUz2bQKuEhaZi1Vqoeq9OxJIUiY7l8gpveNRtRZ47bOTgML6G3zlIV1viCXBORYWzzu_d_ACLCyXhvpqM0dfEsjkpw/s1600/DSC_0042-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLessK7NVccqxV0hn07W_sCgeNcCJFs1BvYE3Dvwf_uRoGGZBQDrUz2bQKuEhaZi1Vqoeq9OxJIUiY7l8gpveNRtRZ47bOTgML6G3zlIV1viCXBORYWzzu_d_ACLCyXhvpqM0dfEsjkpw/s320/DSC_0042-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-11686759184851173292012-06-20T02:11:00.000+10:002012-06-20T02:11:11.676+10:00To Mercat, to Mercat...In the late afternoon we visited the Mercat le Boqueria. I may have actually jumped up and down with excitement, but I can't be sure, because I think I might have passed out a little bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNS-txD_5RRYR72Pt4p0bADdzddf6m5rMybUi78Tt54IxDSlSasJYIw2-VuLFGYIKvYsJxF9yhfCImxw0APeHf4l6ZIGy3S74me6lz_TSklb1GshOjQG6fp6P3SDQuxTBhnazC1_Nat6Y/s1600/DSC_0008-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNS-txD_5RRYR72Pt4p0bADdzddf6m5rMybUi78Tt54IxDSlSasJYIw2-VuLFGYIKvYsJxF9yhfCImxw0APeHf4l6ZIGy3S74me6lz_TSklb1GshOjQG6fp6P3SDQuxTBhnazC1_Nat6Y/s320/DSC_0008-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fruit stand La Boqueria</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0o-2Ih-Oa191BpfHQ5VrtduuCsyEqN3PoFva2vdpZ_eIt-pjrtVCCHhFGf0KjizLRa0q3DzXIjZA3baAw2ZDy8mxMuXaqJw4plQl1dkKMHIL-UbChaUTiOOoivtW-0mEleQjmPuwEXns/s1600/DSC_0009-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0o-2Ih-Oa191BpfHQ5VrtduuCsyEqN3PoFva2vdpZ_eIt-pjrtVCCHhFGf0KjizLRa0q3DzXIjZA3baAw2ZDy8mxMuXaqJw4plQl1dkKMHIL-UbChaUTiOOoivtW-0mEleQjmPuwEXns/s320/DSC_0009-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mmm... chocolate... La Boqueria</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa7BRpjYJrRHpZbq2denQ-2MDP7Fogl_qlPCflXl3rL2BT_fvmHXlQ2Cy6PZXQe-YAADXCknNqwzB6DPhc7j3ESKN7dtbLiZqD8kAzd9giidWP6c_JsWjzpshpvUEkwI3OxBhP7llBp4/s1600/DSC_0010-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLa7BRpjYJrRHpZbq2denQ-2MDP7Fogl_qlPCflXl3rL2BT_fvmHXlQ2Cy6PZXQe-YAADXCknNqwzB6DPhc7j3ESKN7dtbLiZqD8kAzd9giidWP6c_JsWjzpshpvUEkwI3OxBhP7llBp4/s320/DSC_0010-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cherries (for one)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSlTB5KnYGGuj1yS9x9TtJJdY90sHSl3w89q4nGv-FKMoo6VbK-RB3EFqqD5Kmi3_kEcTwcnwL0FmudMQMnWL-JGls7UVx_hXX20SO2QSBc5TbhV93XazbC5M9jiaKFbh7MPIkDeqBHI/s1600/DSC_0012-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSlTB5KnYGGuj1yS9x9TtJJdY90sHSl3w89q4nGv-FKMoo6VbK-RB3EFqqD5Kmi3_kEcTwcnwL0FmudMQMnWL-JGls7UVx_hXX20SO2QSBc5TbhV93XazbC5M9jiaKFbh7MPIkDeqBHI/s320/DSC_0012-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">flowers outside Mercat de la Concepcio</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBvZhabQ8fk7JwdtT3zil8EDgzWE2mxa2mJDjajxcVNbtocLDPT_rDF4qmAj97X8Lt_1GCE5zUbnVG-Dd-be2zwWTOECltFy7xH-l5CpCi_cjU4ZeeP2q_0KuPLjUxc48P9YJ1Q1Lap0/s1600/DSC_0012-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBvZhabQ8fk7JwdtT3zil8EDgzWE2mxa2mJDjajxcVNbtocLDPT_rDF4qmAj97X8Lt_1GCE5zUbnVG-Dd-be2zwWTOECltFy7xH-l5CpCi_cjU4ZeeP2q_0KuPLjUxc48P9YJ1Q1Lap0/s320/DSC_0012-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oh, the jamonity! (sorry)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII3jFIeFJBEWmg26ACnHpRWWeYc0Td_Gv9mPSZrU2xfR1x3b6oCFuVip8wcJSQgcAQmVMM0vtMZk4IRFkdosqSMHLjetDxXPcYiVRQVAvxaOKeiCHaYdoUGO8noYMs1lIAz-Jqf_2eio/s1600/DSC_0007-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII3jFIeFJBEWmg26ACnHpRWWeYc0Td_Gv9mPSZrU2xfR1x3b6oCFuVip8wcJSQgcAQmVMM0vtMZk4IRFkdosqSMHLjetDxXPcYiVRQVAvxaOKeiCHaYdoUGO8noYMs1lIAz-Jqf_2eio/s320/DSC_0007-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamon at La Boqueria<br />
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</tbody></table>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com4Barcelona, Spain41.387917 2.169918741.292614 2.0119902 41.48322 2.3278472000000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-55737796676152885942012-06-19T17:06:00.004+10:002012-06-19T17:06:42.801+10:00What I ate today: Tapas at home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dad and me in the Mercat... it was like Homer in Chocolateland. We chose a smaller market near the apartment for our supplies, the Mercat del Ninot. Good decision. It was very quiet, no seedy, pick-pockety types, and plenty of wonderful produce to choose from. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAGt1wQX4XTWm4fq-A-0-o7Xlzxs58SHxVklAS0whbIZ9TCcghpL45YIXLbxNcUkXaqDLMyoPShppZ1Mdc8CoQPEwhOJMZ7MRq5Pp1XSPSNipLTeXHvbIsShfRJyyGJtlCcREht29fdM/s1600/DSC_0021-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAGt1wQX4XTWm4fq-A-0-o7Xlzxs58SHxVklAS0whbIZ9TCcghpL45YIXLbxNcUkXaqDLMyoPShppZ1Mdc8CoQPEwhOJMZ7MRq5Pp1XSPSNipLTeXHvbIsShfRJyyGJtlCcREht29fdM/s320/DSC_0021-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White anchovies and Roma tomatoes with salt and balsamic</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cGy_sphkGJsVp34daaZVoXyU1fyTY6V7e5f4CrVUF_sxxTvAovlnQhajkEdLh9M-9WUUB1npKn3P1MjROBtEZzXYdWmbsHesUCrxCFGqykMOi9r-GyQhTSfZn92j4VLPXZS4PrV4x_c/s1600/DSC_0020-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cGy_sphkGJsVp34daaZVoXyU1fyTY6V7e5f4CrVUF_sxxTvAovlnQhajkEdLh9M-9WUUB1npKn3P1MjROBtEZzXYdWmbsHesUCrxCFGqykMOi9r-GyQhTSfZn92j4VLPXZS4PrV4x_c/s320/DSC_0020-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt cod fritters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5L4Gf4JT6Mibl2NR37qmJH6f5Vtrg5JulLeHLq7jjLhvUQUzY1mrnPa82Kv9FUXimLxEcG1jS0ngEw3-ty3wl3SvAYWhVReZu08LUmyoN65VHVPlDDtNDvrTahT9v4e1QzcGfjHpNgo/s1600/DSC_0025-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5L4Gf4JT6Mibl2NR37qmJH6f5Vtrg5JulLeHLq7jjLhvUQUzY1mrnPa82Kv9FUXimLxEcG1jS0ngEw3-ty3wl3SvAYWhVReZu08LUmyoN65VHVPlDDtNDvrTahT9v4e1QzcGfjHpNgo/s320/DSC_0025-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tinned razor clams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiYT3QfyGDUfAyoQzlUvLzol-FGumYzpYf-PUI6jhXc0RL9OEicVs0mmA38YKe3Hb2DTUCo518XQiw9CjvCWMUsbpqsMTtOzSgGN0_0HiDOgivSg0SKfj-csbV78Xqdbv22r5poN5MNE/s1600/DSC_0019-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiYT3QfyGDUfAyoQzlUvLzol-FGumYzpYf-PUI6jhXc0RL9OEicVs0mmA38YKe3Hb2DTUCo518XQiw9CjvCWMUsbpqsMTtOzSgGN0_0HiDOgivSg0SKfj-csbV78Xqdbv22r5poN5MNE/s320/DSC_0019-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marinated olives</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinM0aG6I-3v4ZG82E7I9sih5WmrcLcpZ9lB4EvcQg_IUfFO2pP-naR8i4LgChDI1EoDiRZ7WTq5EG4tBbL2c6WQhd9vPutgLL7gR5UifbvJXXwZSlIJw37TsijFz0mzFPclxoYfzh0otg/s1600/DSC_0018-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinM0aG6I-3v4ZG82E7I9sih5WmrcLcpZ9lB4EvcQg_IUfFO2pP-naR8i4LgChDI1EoDiRZ7WTq5EG4tBbL2c6WQhd9vPutgLL7gR5UifbvJXXwZSlIJw37TsijFz0mzFPclxoYfzh0otg/s320/DSC_0018-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaches & jamon </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com1Barcelona, Spain41.387917 2.169918741.292614 2.0119902 41.48322 2.3278472000000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-40983198610429471752012-06-17T22:53:00.002+10:002012-06-20T01:58:12.227+10:00What I ate today: Bar Velodromo, Barcelona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqaVgAiyx4MDCPffd9O0vZsNecY3Ov9vy_QXoy77CzVmjpR0lm8akhV1S2IGH2AKsCJaaBnkJR-x2Erc6KMWMoFwlPQfkAi1fj-CCdSXDqzg5TVtbs8HN4s1lO_IWCvaL-IOEGDsloYs/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqaVgAiyx4MDCPffd9O0vZsNecY3Ov9vy_QXoy77CzVmjpR0lm8akhV1S2IGH2AKsCJaaBnkJR-x2Erc6KMWMoFwlPQfkAi1fj-CCdSXDqzg5TVtbs8HN4s1lO_IWCvaL-IOEGDsloYs/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Apparently Bar Velodromo is iconic. Excellent news, when you are a jet-lagged visitor, staying in an apartment only 5 blocks away. Note - we also ate their delicious version of Patatas Bravas (with chilli relish and mayo - yum), but ate it all before we could take a picture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLeJ9wLVSFV53itW-x52sBpBYJG4cXJbc3L5U9WDiVUNMe9ZuIpfCU_RWsBonPUgVFvVlFtFmWZn9kyCr0yxP_BHyEy-skagRO4jJETKn066rybW9h9p7NR82OnR1jG3fow7PBwMmp3k/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLeJ9wLVSFV53itW-x52sBpBYJG4cXJbc3L5U9WDiVUNMe9ZuIpfCU_RWsBonPUgVFvVlFtFmWZn9kyCr0yxP_BHyEy-skagRO4jJETKn066rybW9h9p7NR82OnR1jG3fow7PBwMmp3k/s320/DSC_0016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little duck burger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtl3zItV7tV4P7EirXQ8bcN7z4nhe4QNhNVIqm5drR28JDw_bAuYB82y4iqLzJSNVejiqcK85lqCRWwAv_we-Q1niKOyAG0YmMUG7GYtXnSo-EXBdFCKt0YB6iKlIbkgW6bYveHkmYyQ/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtl3zItV7tV4P7EirXQ8bcN7z4nhe4QNhNVIqm5drR28JDw_bAuYB82y4iqLzJSNVejiqcK85lqCRWwAv_we-Q1niKOyAG0YmMUG7GYtXnSo-EXBdFCKt0YB6iKlIbkgW6bYveHkmYyQ/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anchovies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBD4URPECNCkU_gJqH6ienjP7zioEwNZVMp1l77Yp80h9d8xhqF0nU_c3YRMomYBrrPLR9N2z2SyaqvMNE4PAqQ3AS0c10ciYbJxNyZBvuPxokFUVnnX2vCr9HyKKity-GauarjFpm0k/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBD4URPECNCkU_gJqH6ienjP7zioEwNZVMp1l77Yp80h9d8xhqF0nU_c3YRMomYBrrPLR9N2z2SyaqvMNE4PAqQ3AS0c10ciYbJxNyZBvuPxokFUVnnX2vCr9HyKKity-GauarjFpm0k/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calamaris</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_l09m5fQLrUqJRkjUd3fpKd7A3s-yXQ4J_AeMHvx2x7gVxQ_v2KdJSdohbJn_GCC5D_C-CnbEMr64mQ-o5hfPiA81mpmXHEbCqke5aLkjxA9xn-3TQzCMuqTRqqEdEo4LHmgSc8HAWM/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_l09m5fQLrUqJRkjUd3fpKd7A3s-yXQ4J_AeMHvx2x7gVxQ_v2KdJSdohbJn_GCC5D_C-CnbEMr64mQ-o5hfPiA81mpmXHEbCqke5aLkjxA9xn-3TQzCMuqTRqqEdEo4LHmgSc8HAWM/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt cod croquettas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKnSXARw27t7_LU2M0DUJ8xIOnGFkCKBcfl4V7PWCRz6HyEseksJkfszTeKnxhSjy6E90wd-0B2jQ3YjheiFW5Lob2jvbL7HhWbUu1jlCrR1KowT13HHpAI1ko0bB1-TwGsg_1JC8mJ4/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKnSXARw27t7_LU2M0DUJ8xIOnGFkCKBcfl4V7PWCRz6HyEseksJkfszTeKnxhSjy6E90wd-0B2jQ3YjheiFW5Lob2jvbL7HhWbUu1jlCrR1KowT13HHpAI1ko0bB1-TwGsg_1JC8mJ4/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pa amb Tomaquet (toasted bread rubbed with tomato)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI7rntD1fCDg_w0UjabpiasbyWMcHVibcsxom3Ei6M5uFYdzIKA4zY3p0MI_ZakNk-xWDuUk8s_20TZVWI8Emkv57gpF-1X50ofdCv4es416hz76hqc_xSTd-SJK_9QhxILdXqQeaYJI/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI7rntD1fCDg_w0UjabpiasbyWMcHVibcsxom3Ei6M5uFYdzIKA4zY3p0MI_ZakNk-xWDuUk8s_20TZVWI8Emkv57gpF-1X50ofdCv4es416hz76hqc_xSTd-SJK_9QhxILdXqQeaYJI/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selection of Catalonian cured meats (and a nice Rose)<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-39161276266836556942011-12-20T08:41:00.000+11:002011-12-20T08:41:30.825+11:00StrasbourghAfter a long hiatus, I felt compelled to share these pictures.<br />
I could never live in Strasbourgh. I would, quite frankly, become both too fat and too poor. There are far too many wonderful shops and epicerie to be healthy. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IQ54vG-GnkvbDW0l1tGI-SiG3PkrKoS2mmGiETuKkuZxpU3WUSNXWrZZ0jRgzPY3uCRdrkF8trqHqgWQPzXBgOyMxuaF0jznAzGLmc8tQ3YEXaRlxpJ3LY1WaYcJRNUvOE9cUpszdTk/s1600/DSCN0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IQ54vG-GnkvbDW0l1tGI-SiG3PkrKoS2mmGiETuKkuZxpU3WUSNXWrZZ0jRgzPY3uCRdrkF8trqHqgWQPzXBgOyMxuaF0jznAzGLmc8tQ3YEXaRlxpJ3LY1WaYcJRNUvOE9cUpszdTk/s320/DSCN0742.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous cakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsFhTutnTzcQJ5Hoai-daQR22MXq-voRQHEjoDyIHmvFltkX0g-3G2aWVivr8f7AdQIguYx5dFWyCgvIlYyJSRCP__jKVm0jXqCDGqqNck-Shi6wC4tEOY7Ymb2SaKbTMc9Xpf4K8A_U/s1600/DSCN0747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsFhTutnTzcQJ5Hoai-daQR22MXq-voRQHEjoDyIHmvFltkX0g-3G2aWVivr8f7AdQIguYx5dFWyCgvIlYyJSRCP__jKVm0jXqCDGqqNck-Shi6wC4tEOY7Ymb2SaKbTMc9Xpf4K8A_U/s320/DSCN0747.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese (Käse, Fromage... let's call the whole thing off) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVpcjZQtl7zbD-WCg7MAxZXZRgQ6kbTg4CzJKpqeVu7ricGyH2xv6FYBLSFs04zF6nzoGBBsHeD89H49d54Ptnu57w4d6AFLmBmaX3wuICP2Cxy0Wu4-cdK9BxEoL0JGgdGBr90T-r_A/s1600/DSCN0745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVpcjZQtl7zbD-WCg7MAxZXZRgQ6kbTg4CzJKpqeVu7ricGyH2xv6FYBLSFs04zF6nzoGBBsHeD89H49d54Ptnu57w4d6AFLmBmaX3wuICP2Cxy0Wu4-cdK9BxEoL0JGgdGBr90T-r_A/s320/DSCN0745.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to choose?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-D46ucMx0kf0xHzjXLj8PxN-Jh6C8g_vLN1yZIAhQ9Qv6tV_bo1T6BEIppGpY5cqW-6fvVpgju4YsWOycZ2oGO4Z8k_IMLt6G8_qdj2avlTL7dw3lLxjxngvmZnoijYVjd3fiEQdc_4A/s1600/DSCN0750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-D46ucMx0kf0xHzjXLj8PxN-Jh6C8g_vLN1yZIAhQ9Qv6tV_bo1T6BEIppGpY5cqW-6fvVpgju4YsWOycZ2oGO4Z8k_IMLt6G8_qdj2avlTL7dw3lLxjxngvmZnoijYVjd3fiEQdc_4A/s320/DSCN0750.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plätzchen at the Christmas market. <br />
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<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="center"></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-53062440702511190342011-01-19T18:00:00.001+11:002011-01-19T18:01:00.774+11:00Great British Menu<span style="font-family: inherit;">(or, Reason For Time Out Part 1)</span><br />
<br />
English (Saturday 26th June, 2010)<br />
<br />
Potted Prawns <em>delicious. April 2010</em><br />
12. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/640/n/Roast_beef_and_yorkshire_pudding">Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings</a> <em>Sean Connolly</em><br />
<br />
There is actually an excuse for me not having updated this blog for so long, or indeed having continued on my Food Safari Challenge since April last year (actually, it was June, but we'll come to that later). <br />
My hopes of hosting a banquet about once a month were always going to be overly ambitious once the school year began, and my resolve for balance shrivelled and dried up as quickly as my red pen as soon as I began marking the piles of year 12 English essays. So, when the winter holidays came along I decided that my next challenge was long overdue, and invited some friends over to lie back and think of England with a Food Safari British feast.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlyXGxn3TkFVuQivXGMt26wlc8VW6g2sv1PhVBFW5fmQA28HviZY60hxjo5AF81r758AWKR68FOgtb7Rxp-0pPNibgKTBB7NrJFRRwFPUIm7G-zG_W4Oy3-LIkzd-3BXyWQc4ok_xLGE/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlyXGxn3TkFVuQivXGMt26wlc8VW6g2sv1PhVBFW5fmQA28HviZY60hxjo5AF81r758AWKR68FOgtb7Rxp-0pPNibgKTBB7NrJFRRwFPUIm7G-zG_W4Oy3-LIkzd-3BXyWQc4ok_xLGE/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As per usual, I needed a couple of additional dishes outside of The Book, and given that the whiting rollmops with Beetroot Compote didn't seem super-appealing, I sought out an alternative entree. The potted prawns in the Easter edition of delicious. were perfect; light and buttery with a little bit of a kick (recipe to follow in Part 2).<br />
<br />
I chose not to muck around too much with the roast beef recipe, as I haven't cooked a scotch fillet whole before (couldn't stretch to the Wagyu rump alternative suggested in the recipe), but it did take longer to cook than I had expected. The recipe suggests 1 1/2 hours in a 180° oven, but we needed about an extra 15 minutes until the beef was perfectly cooked.<br />
<br />
Whilst it was resting (half an hour) I cranked the oven to 220° prepared the yorkie mixture, using melted beef dripping (remarkably easy to find; it was in the supermarket dairy case, right next to the lard. Who knew?). We were supposed to heat this to smoking point in a muffin tray before pouring in the thin batter until each pan was three quarters full. With the assistance of my knowledgeable English friend, we managed to get the batter to just the right consistency. I check the dripping, which was heating in the oven, and noticed that it seemed to be taking quite a long time to heat until smoking point (I know, you can sense this coming to a head). I opened the oven, and realised that it was no longer hot, but was in fact cooling down. The fan seemed to be working, to thermostat hadn't been knocked or tampered with by any small children, but that oven just was not hot. <br />
<br />
Oh, the drama. My roast beef was by now, well-rested. The roast potatoes were nice and crunchy, the carrots and parsnips were waiting patiently to be devoured. I had prepared the gravy to pour atop those puffy little boats of goodness, which I just knew would be the making of the meal. I knew that there was now no hope for my citrus delicious pudding for dessert, but I was not prepared to give up on the yorkies.<br />
<br />
I turned to the ideas men. By this time, they had all consumed a reasonable quantity of red wine, and were imbued with a sense of confidence that an alternative could be found. "What about the Weber?" suggested one, hopefully. <br />
<br />
"No," (I was glum). "It will take too long to heat up. Everything else will be cold." <br />
"How about the barbecue?" asked another. He eyed the resting beef.<br />
"What, with the lid down?"<br />
"Yeah... I reckon we can get it hot enough."<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zhJFR6jeSUNHedvcg2XPcCBMAQzPMPhNvnASGXaGdsu-iZSJwf4hPsDUHUaDFPKco70n9-khLBV2ge4PDvBbIvUg5qQRBvLYRVbGhAo5LFY9VIGNCcKLsy9KVkIpsoKNfnlo-PDRRdo/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zhJFR6jeSUNHedvcg2XPcCBMAQzPMPhNvnASGXaGdsu-iZSJwf4hPsDUHUaDFPKco70n9-khLBV2ge4PDvBbIvUg5qQRBvLYRVbGhAo5LFY9VIGNCcKLsy9KVkIpsoKNfnlo-PDRRdo/s320/DSC_0030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ puddings Take One.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And so we did. We got the dripping smoking hot, we poured in the batter and it instantly spat, bubbled and cooked on the outside. Clearly, this fat was too hot. The puddings would be burnt to a crisp on the outside before the batter was even cooked through in the middle. <br />
<br />
Desperate with hope and a desire to not be beaten by my own appliances, I fetched the remaining dripping and we tried again. This time we got the dripping hot, but not too hot. We poured in the batter, and put the tray back in the barbecue with the lid down (I say we, because the Cooking of The Yorkies had by this time become a physical challenge for all those present). <br />
<br />
Our only error really, was to think that we had time to go upstairs to gather all of the other elements of the meal.<br />
<br />
The first I heard of the Great Barbecue Fire Number Two was my husband calling out from the deck, "The puddings are on fire!"<br />
<br />
We all raced downstairs as he pulled the tray from the hotplate. The barbecue was indeed on fire, but more importantly, most of the Yorkshire puddings were not to be salvaged. The muffin tray had to be thrown in the bin, as the non-stick lining had melted. The following day it had dried into some kind of highly toxic, black powder, coating the bottom of each pan. The barbecue, luckily, was fine.<br />
<br />
This is what dinner (eventually) looked like:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-2U2ko6gVAWaGxoW7PxQYD87PUmB8eXaOwajINlZJfYR9k7i5FxKzg2UN2rDrvD1YCkx6QU3Asm8HGXwmWKoa55PPJb7mfexh-Is-FGglLs4lSiWQGYmC_EI6Zg0wKs23t2erBqa-YQ/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-2U2ko6gVAWaGxoW7PxQYD87PUmB8eXaOwajINlZJfYR9k7i5FxKzg2UN2rDrvD1YCkx6QU3Asm8HGXwmWKoa55PPJb7mfexh-Is-FGglLs4lSiWQGYmC_EI6Zg0wKs23t2erBqa-YQ/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz6CWa7MNQLJAXA-iX7NXiCHcPGGZ0JeKSwIG2_ORaapqSrS1HNODJnYg0qky8YTC7yscz6S6_1xMAW9UUP3mR0fp4Ja-AZ0v8JqgUWWEUw2Oa-O4XETpxYIgPZyejMkOMz6BPxvj_bI/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz6CWa7MNQLJAXA-iX7NXiCHcPGGZ0JeKSwIG2_ORaapqSrS1HNODJnYg0qky8YTC7yscz6S6_1xMAW9UUP3mR0fp4Ja-AZ0v8JqgUWWEUw2Oa-O4XETpxYIgPZyejMkOMz6BPxvj_bI/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To be continued....</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-87511343476956171962010-04-11T17:51:00.000+10:002010-04-11T17:51:09.586+10:00Harvest Lunch @ Five Oaks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3fDwhyjvCWSxJLe6nGkO7cbP1ZBImOOS7xIUL-6uODLc5723NqnoP2YjcoVzFLkKBav5GvHe8ZT7ahuSwHsTVmzqdgPabQvdCEYSIOH1ducYFCB3hCjcIM55JLTxeG3i5gAPb-yBqF4/s1600/DSC_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3fDwhyjvCWSxJLe6nGkO7cbP1ZBImOOS7xIUL-6uODLc5723NqnoP2YjcoVzFLkKBav5GvHe8ZT7ahuSwHsTVmzqdgPabQvdCEYSIOH1ducYFCB3hCjcIM55JLTxeG3i5gAPb-yBqF4/s320/DSC_0076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> A couple of months ago, we decided that we would very much like to attend the inaugural Smaller Wineries of the Yarra Valley Harvest lunch at Five Oaks winery in Seville. The menu was e-mailed to me and looked irresistible. Three courses (as soon as duck is mentioned anywhere on a menu I find it impossible to concentrate) plus canapes, and a lovely selection of Yarra Valley wines. Best of all, it was scheduled for the 28th March, the first weekend of the school holidays and one, convenient week after my birthday.<br />
<br />
Unable to secure a five-seater taxi (Silvertop: we can take you there, but can't guarantee a pick up), my husband took matters into his own hands and booked a limo. <br />
<br />
"People will think we're wankers," I fretted. <br />
<br />
"No, they will think we are very responsible alcoholics."<br />
<br />
It was white with an electric blue interior. Although the cringe factor was high, it was a wise decision, as it turned out, because rather than a choice of three wines per course, we were acutally provided with three full glasses of wine per course. Hmm. Hilarity, as you can imagine, ensued. The atmosphere was jovial, the food comforting and delicious and the wines plentiful. According to Five Oaks wine-maker Wally, the notorious (and now cancelled) Grape Grazing festival had become less like a harvest festival and more like a buck's party. In response, the small wine-makers guild came up with this series of lunches, designed to take the Yarra Valley events back to the old-school. A true celebration of the grape.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKeVUdNfgEXO2bpq7HWHHAok8Z0YYNrPjGJudplrDtsXUFi-AdqR0BGwJ0t30kA7wkYKDFZOai6rfLjuGfRYVA4-3ShKll0C35bQd-fMzpzxiWGiQOxZmF9HN0Fh-cQCX3frAAQvpNuo/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKeVUdNfgEXO2bpq7HWHHAok8Z0YYNrPjGJudplrDtsXUFi-AdqR0BGwJ0t30kA7wkYKDFZOai6rfLjuGfRYVA4-3ShKll0C35bQd-fMzpzxiWGiQOxZmF9HN0Fh-cQCX3frAAQvpNuo/s400/DSC_0069.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><i>Twice-baked crab souffle with salad dressed with red wine and raspberry vinegar reduction. </i><i><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrqZm50FWWC1FS81lDuMeY_VuzHzBh7r5EDyuSUotMu3YO5dDi00vK4WrCSEk7evuKr4kvV-R72P8xMFlOXJTnwoJBDWll8-9WvSWvIa_rHf1CeuZyFHAuqS3CZ4sNYO6OOze-RqTYd4/s1600/DSC_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrqZm50FWWC1FS81lDuMeY_VuzHzBh7r5EDyuSUotMu3YO5dDi00vK4WrCSEk7evuKr4kvV-R72P8xMFlOXJTnwoJBDWll8-9WvSWvIa_rHf1CeuZyFHAuqS3CZ4sNYO6OOze-RqTYd4/s400/DSC_0079.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Duck confit served on garlic mashed potatoes, with seasonal vegetables and pickled cherries.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F6RZo-SU6xHYvYfozWosvQ0NBgTRHXfNHQ2b3WWeJP9x75GQQ_VNWGCsGrdxK_kFYT8BrKoYytgwIUh7TabPOoyzvQJvyc5L6YK435s3kqAP-JbR0IFLVtvNNILeiLTfd-iCGBMl4R0/s1600/DSC_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F6RZo-SU6xHYvYfozWosvQ0NBgTRHXfNHQ2b3WWeJP9x75GQQ_VNWGCsGrdxK_kFYT8BrKoYytgwIUh7TabPOoyzvQJvyc5L6YK435s3kqAP-JbR0IFLVtvNNILeiLTfd-iCGBMl4R0/s400/DSC_0082.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Hot ganache chocolate pudding with ice cream.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-WtfuJWETWYXctLMym3gEVFm6gssog2kZdtHc4BzVfGixR6xTYYfnRiVOff2TvM-t4deshTlhQvHC0QnDL8Pd50JFsSejec4yuA6S6QKzOQOQSpTIPly4X6yDaLy3q372dFyjEugyHk/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-WtfuJWETWYXctLMym3gEVFm6gssog2kZdtHc4BzVfGixR6xTYYfnRiVOff2TvM-t4deshTlhQvHC0QnDL8Pd50JFsSejec4yuA6S6QKzOQOQSpTIPly4X6yDaLy3q372dFyjEugyHk/s400/DSC_0073.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Too many glasses.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">By this time, the people at the table next to us were singing. </div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-91047209604924846952010-04-05T22:30:00.002+10:002010-04-05T22:35:09.342+10:00Mexican Fiesta10. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/72/n/Guacamole_dip">Guacamole</a> <i>Lupita Feint</i> <br />
11. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/73/n/Pico_de_gallo_salsa">Pico do Gallo</a> (Tomato Salsa) <i>Lupita Feint</i> <br />
Quesadilla <br />
Mole Chicken <br />
Cointreau and Chocolate Mousse <i>delicious</i>. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkMw5cJ7_H2s7KesJhWuArOMggVmh72We8DYBTJnqgnk-TRmXgzl4XMsfV6Ry-hSiADQQ5vbB1s1xYARuHlGV32q4-_vn_VVIL5vr0a2y1Pu70K3ZrGUODvuC4Sdho-5OsPWWghnRW6c/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkMw5cJ7_H2s7KesJhWuArOMggVmh72We8DYBTJnqgnk-TRmXgzl4XMsfV6Ry-hSiADQQ5vbB1s1xYARuHlGV32q4-_vn_VVIL5vr0a2y1Pu70K3ZrGUODvuC4Sdho-5OsPWWghnRW6c/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I am slightly irritated by the fact that I spent lots of time preparing and cooking a large number of dishes for this Mexican Fiesta, yet only two of them actually came from the book. Must improve on this in the future. <br />
<br />
The planned Mexican feast came with a number of hurdles. First, I was organising a surprise dinner party for a friend, so a) couldn't moan about how much work I was doing and b) I had to hold it on a Friday night, so as to coincide with afore-mentioned birthday. I don't normally 'do' Fridays. They pose problems in terms of preparation, and having to be organised diminishes the exquisite relief that the end of the working week brings. It also means that I can't have the bottle open before I have even put my bag down. Instead, I have to get my shit together... get changed, find recipes, start dicing... frankly, it's all a bit much. Fridays should be reserved for slovenly behaviour. A quick pasta, a few wines, some trashy TV and potato chips on the couch.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULn6EHWRViqtv4LsZPz_eo8YKRezeCsJvlHcZpg0WMZS7OremSZzGE7VyeDh2sEc-EOQDDNRldF5cyrYbbiR9odmq4x716IUXkAcZnbuLzQBBMc8V6t7Y585qPkj2F4VUm18tlZIyT2Y/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULn6EHWRViqtv4LsZPz_eo8YKRezeCsJvlHcZpg0WMZS7OremSZzGE7VyeDh2sEc-EOQDDNRldF5cyrYbbiR9odmq4x716IUXkAcZnbuLzQBBMc8V6t7Y585qPkj2F4VUm18tlZIyT2Y/s320/DSC_0037.JPG" width="320" /></a>Having resigned myself to this sacrifice early, I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to cook and how long it would all take to prepare. This did not mean that I was able to come home early and begin preparing it. What it meant was that we didn't eat until 9pm. Luckily we had plenty of nibbly, tappasy stuff to tide us over. The two Food Safari dishes were lovely, and made me fell a little guilty that they were the only 'challenge' items on the menu. I was a bit concerned by the absence of garlic in the guacamole, but managed to adhere to the recipe and we were duly rewarded. The tomato salsa was definitely improved by the inclusion of the last of the tomatoes from our garden (those not ravaged by the evil hail storm). I served it with a quesadilla, the recipe for which I actually saw on - ahem - <i>Sunrise</i> a few years ago. It's basically just grated cheese, fresh coriander and finely chopped jalepeno squished between two flour tortillas. <br />
<br />
Back to the hurdles. Obstacle number two: Mexican stuff. Once again, I failed to procure the authentic ingredients I needed. This time, I didn't even pretend to try. One quick Google search revealed that the only Mexican warehouse in Melbourne is location in Tullamarine. If you're not from Melbourne, that's near the airport. A long way from the Dandenong Ranges. They may even have a different breed of possum out there (one which has developed a resistance to aviation fumes). So, rather than modify the recipes, I decided to find recipes that I could work with. Hence the tomatillo-free mole. Sorry Mexicans. You can rest assured that it was missing that special something, which may have been tomatillos, but I wouldn't know for sure, because as I've mentioned, I would have to drive for an hour and a half and spend about $15 in tolls to buy some, so I've never tried them. <br />
<br />
City-link inspired digression. Sorry.<br />
<br />
I used my trusty <i>delicious.</i> recipe index to find a suitable recipe for mole. I got a bit excited when I found it actually, as it seemed quite authentic (apart from tomato-tomatillo substitution). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwh-kCRO6XRoil1DdfREv0HKxSl13_eV3FSCfoZf8y0e4BdARntLLJTqDCW5IayjubjiJDIM47uuru3e1GSKP8NVkY4aE-YflFLEeiKNa-uqJorNFRW8TSpoH23mBMlnxcwH_nGMeYak/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwh-kCRO6XRoil1DdfREv0HKxSl13_eV3FSCfoZf8y0e4BdARntLLJTqDCW5IayjubjiJDIM47uuru3e1GSKP8NVkY4aE-YflFLEeiKNa-uqJorNFRW8TSpoH23mBMlnxcwH_nGMeYak/s320/DSC_0042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b>Recipe: </b><b>Chicken Mole</b><br />
<b><i>delicious</i>. June 2004, page 64</b><br />
<br />
2 onions<br />
4 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
1 large chicken, jointed<br />
2 sprigs coriander (including roots), plus extra leaves to garnish<br />
2 dried red chillies<br />
410g can chopped tomatoes<br />
4 tbspns toasted sesame seeds, plus extra to garnish<br />
1 tspn smoked paprika (pimenton)<br />
1 tspn ground cumin<br />
1 tspn ground cloves<br />
1/2 tspn allspice<br />
2 pieces day-old bread, crusts discarded, chopped<br />
2 tbspns olive oil<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
25g Mexican chocolate<br />
Steamed rice, to serve<br />
<br />
Roughly chop 1 onion and place in a casserole dish with the garlic, chicken pieces and coriander, the nadd enough water to cover chicken. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and skim any scum from the surface. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.<br />
Remove the chicken and set aside. Strain the poaching liquid, discarding solids and reserving the liquid. Remove 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the cooking liquid and pour it over the dried chillies. Allow to soak for 30 minutes, then place the tomatoes, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin, cloves, allspice, bread, chillies and their soaking liquid in a blender and process until smooth.<br />
Finely chop the remaining onion. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan and cook onion for 1 - 2 minutes over low heat until softened, then add the the chocolate and chicken. Add enough of the reserved poaching liquid to just cover chicken and simmer, uncovered, for a further 25 minutes. <br />
remove the chicken, cover loosely with foil to keep warm, then reduce the sauce until it is a thick enough consistency to coat. Season with salt and pepper.<br />
Coat the chicken in the sauce and garnish with the extra sesame, coriander leaves and serve with the rice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I began my preparations enthusiastically. It is all a bit labour intensive (anything with 'stages' tends to make me a little antsy), but not difficult. I was chatting away happily (the margaritas possibly contributing to my buoyancy) to my guests, and happened to comment to one, 'this seems like it will have a bit of a kick - I hope you like chilli'. <br />
<br />
As I watched her face fall, I immediately realised my error. I should not have said anything. Non-chilli loving guests would then have eaten my offerings, with me, totally oblivious, and perhaps bitched about me later. Instead, I was now RESPONSIBLE for ensuring that the meal was not too hot. I privately cursed my friendly off-handedness and considered my options. The chillies were soaking in the poaching liquid which was dangerously read and full of seeds. I had no alternative main course. I was torn. Mexican is supposed to be hot. My guest of honour had requested Mexican. My need to avoid upsetting anyone was causing me to panic. At the last minute, I decided to replace the lava-esque chilli liquid with some fresh poaching liquid.<br />
<br />
I was both relieved and dismayed to discover upon serving the dish that it was rather mild. To me, it was missing the kick I had anticipated (although, as I've already mentioned, that could have been the tomatillos). Having said that, all guests were able to eat, and luckily, by the time main course was served, most were sufficiently lubricated that it probably didn't matter (little voice in my head is screaming, "but it matters to ME!!!!"). I now have no choice but to make the dish again. And chilli it up, I will.<br />
<br />
We finished with a cointreau chocolate mousse, which was probably a bit too dense for me. Does this make me a hypocrite? In saying this, I am I not just like someone who claims not to like chilli?Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-72767276026482037462010-02-28T13:16:00.014+11:002010-04-05T20:26:07.969+10:00Spanish Part 1Manchego y Jamon (Cheese and Cured Ham)<br />
7. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/87/n/Garlic_prawns_(gambas_al_pil_pil)">Gambas al Pil-Pil</a> (Garlic Prawns) <em>Penelope Lopez</em><br />
8. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/86/n/Paella">Paella</a> <em>Carlos Lopez</em><br />
9. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/89/n/Asadillo_de_pimientos">Asadillo</a> de Pimientos (Roasted Capsicum Salad) <em>Frank Camorra</em><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Pan con Chocolate (Chocolate with Bread and Olive Oil) <em>Frank Camorra</em>, (<strong>MoVida</strong><em> Rustica)</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv1eEhBxpcPEQL5HM36kcDzHz77RugqiPyVTF7HkOZkPaMTi_utd2WaVDXVpZZRQ4tIaShwuhNFqbAlplfeGiDGxZN6OGc0skeQ_Uw6ukXClmTI7NpI3rFvue_OqC4mN5iGM5DyD2oJU/s1600-h/DSC_0011.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443131418451757250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPv1eEhBxpcPEQL5HM36kcDzHz77RugqiPyVTF7HkOZkPaMTi_utd2WaVDXVpZZRQ4tIaShwuhNFqbAlplfeGiDGxZN6OGc0skeQ_Uw6ukXClmTI7NpI3rFvue_OqC4mN5iGM5DyD2oJU/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" style="float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Apparently, you don't need to know anything about cheese, cured ham or sausages to work in a gourmet deli. Whoever is doing the buying for Maxi Foods in Ferntree Gully knows what they're doing - evidenced by the Jonothan's sausages, Barossa Valley ham, Shaw River buffalo mozzarella and the Meredith goat's cheese. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not seem to extend to the teenage deli staff. Cheap labour is obviously of greater importance to the management than an ability to understand what it is that you are trying to proffer.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I picked out the manchego by the colour (very white - logic tells me that this must be a sheep or goat's cheese), the zig-zaggy wax coating, and the Spanish writing (Maeve says that you should look for 'queso puro de oveja' on the label), next to a drawing of sheep and goats frolicking in a picturesque, mountainous location. My deli assistant then spent 5 minutes looking through a long list of cheeses for a name matching that which I had selected. Eventually, he called another juvenile over for help, and they flipped through the list together, for another 5 minutes or so. They then asked me what the cheese I had selected was. I told them I was pretty sure it was manchego. Eventually, they gave up searching and charged me $24.99 a kilo (bargain). From there, we moved on to the Serrano Jamon, which proved impossible, despite the fact that I had seen it there before. I was irritated enough to breach supermarket etiquette and argue with the slightly more experienced adolescent about the difference between Sopressa and Serrano. Spectators began to gather, some gawping openly, some feigning disinterest, clearly thrilled at the prospect of witnessing a public fracas about the origins of cured meat. I eventually settled for some nice proscuitto. Sorry, Spain, but I was more concerned about my appearance as the Crazy, Ham-obsessed, Lady than adherence to cultural boundaries. Finally, I confounded him with my accurate pronunciation of the word 'chorizo'. It ended with the kid exhaling with relief as I turned my trolley towards the spices, and me sounding like a wanker in front of a small crowd of locals. Excellent. Sometimes I rue my idyllic, foothills location.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The rest of the hunter-gathering was a little simpler; I knew I wouldn't be able to find any fresh crab or pippis for the Paella, so I had already planned to substitute some fish (I chose some lovely snapper) and scallops. I managed to get my hands on some excellent fish stock so I didn't have to make my own (it was $12.99 a litre, so I only bought 500ml and planned to top up with water). It appears that only three banquets into the <a href="http://anaustraliankitchen.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-been-long-time-coming.html">Challenge</a>, I am becoming a bit laissez-faire regarding the utensils, as I had not even bothered to try to source a cazuela for the prawns, deciding that the base of my large tagine closely resembles the clay pans the Spanish use to cook and serve their tapas (North Africa, Southern Europe - same, same).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Given that the only Spanish dessert listed in Food Safari is rice pudding (which you obviously can't serve after Paella, unless you want the meal to resemble a poorly planned wedding with a 'alternate settings' menu), I knew that I needed an alternative. Luckily, I had received the MoVida Rustica cookbook for Christmas (unlikely to get much of a look-in given the Food Safari thing I've got going on, but a good cookbook should be able to stand the text of time), which includes a Spanish variation on chocolate mousse, which you sprinkle with salt and serve with very thinly sliced, toasted bread and sweet olive oil. Mmm. This I prepared first, as it needed to set in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. As usually happens when preparing chocolate mousse, the chocolate split as soon as it came into contact with the egg. I have no idea how to avoid this (feel free to enlighten me). Maybe the eggs need to be at room temperature, or something. I just kept stirring it until it came back together again, then added the butter.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After sorting the mousse, I prepared everything else. I roasted and sliced the 12 capsicum, cleaned and chopped the squid, sliced the meat, blanched and peeled the tomatoes, chopped the garlic and chilli, diced the onions, scrubbed the mussels - I even chopped up the herbs. It was all very TV chef; you know that excessively annoying thing they do, where they tell you something takes five minutes to cook, when actually, all of the ingredients are cut up and measured out in little glass bowls by their minions, and are then left waiting to be added to the dish. I once saw a documentary about the "Jamie Oliver LIVE!" stage show, which included a funny scene where his food stylists/ prep staff were sniggering as they impersonated Jamie claiming something could be prepared from scratch in the same time that it would take to order and receive delivery of a take-away. Anyway, I did all of this work so that I could take everything outside and cook my gambas and paella on the new barbeque. The little dishes took up one dishwasher-load on their own, but it was nice being able to cook in the presence of the dinner guests (who were embracing the spirit of the evening by enjoying the balmy, late summer weather over some Spanish wine), rather than being confined to the kitchen. I had to send a runner back to the kitchen for forgotten utensils and ingredients about every 60 seconds, but other that that, it was lovely.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpeYoLSBM7u8RcBM34-lfKOiCOIX6vU4MJ8IfNBpqNaSwigr1I76luiqeTvayISl88UHuUIFedAsWHw-wMV_mAu-fCON0_wMTq8E_q4cXVPDL7d-5QMpgYJ87hGITMBmgvlTP9OlnHaA/s1600-h/DSC_0001.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443149998660333426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpeYoLSBM7u8RcBM34-lfKOiCOIX6vU4MJ8IfNBpqNaSwigr1I76luiqeTvayISl88UHuUIFedAsWHw-wMV_mAu-fCON0_wMTq8E_q4cXVPDL7d-5QMpgYJ87hGITMBmgvlTP9OlnHaA/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 214px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a>The manchego and jamon/ proscuitto must have been great, because it disappeared very quickly as our starving guests waited for the prawns. The tagine worked surprisingly well as a gambas vessel. They were juicy, garlicky and delicious, and we had cleverly put aside some of the bread to soak up the oil after all of the prawns were gone.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I assembled the salad, then started on the paella right away, because experience has led me to the conclusion that risotto and paella always take about twice as long to cook as their recipes suggest - even without counting all of the chopping and measuring. I had also, somewhat defiantly, decided to add chorizo to the Paella, because it just felt all wrong without it. I set the paella pan (a wedding gift, but let's pretend that I got off my arse and bought one especially) right on top of the barbeque grill plate, as I wanted an even heat and don't own one of those fancy gas rings that Maeve says she uses (the woman must have a whole room devoted to her specialist equipment and appliances). It worked well; the rice crackled nicely, it all bubbled evenly once I'd added the stock, the chicken and squid were not overcooked and the mussels looked quite spectacular. But... it just didn't taste as totally awesome as I wanted it to. The prawns had been so full of flavour that, by comparison, the paella seemed a bit (gasp) bland. Maybe I am being harsh - I should probably say the flavours were 'subtle', or something. It was improved with lots of lemon juice squeezed over the top (not in the recipe, but I always serve Paella with lemon), but if I do it again, I will add more of everything - more garlic, more paprika, more saffron and more salt.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeZUqcEatMF7jP3MajcQirW7bOdYXKF6H4LuORJBacxaW_8Leg4ykX7f3YA98LnVqTdbNV65Bonc3nEwAvuzEdQ5ltA-kQfQ3FJRmuq4ek37ThbEtjH8WQBhDtS8_TElhw5BouRDJ7gc/s1600-h/DSC_0012.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443150403721450882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeZUqcEatMF7jP3MajcQirW7bOdYXKF6H4LuORJBacxaW_8Leg4ykX7f3YA98LnVqTdbNV65Bonc3nEwAvuzEdQ5ltA-kQfQ3FJRmuq4ek37ThbEtjH8WQBhDtS8_TElhw5BouRDJ7gc/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a></div>The Asadillo was lovely and sherry vinegar is the best thing. I used some yellow capsicum as well as the red ones, just to add a bit of colour. We had piles of it left over (after all of the cheese, ham, prawns and rice there wasn't much room, and we were saving ourselves for the chocolate mousse), but we ate it the next day with chicken wrapped in flour tortillas, with sour cream, coriander and avocado (Spaxican??).<br />
<div></div><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The mousse had set very nicely, though was a bit tricky to get out of the tin. I was supposed to invert it onto a serving dish then slice it. That was never going to happen, so I tried to slice and remove it one piece at a time, but I ended up having to squash a couple of the bits back together and smooth over the cracks with a knife. Presentation was never a strength. </div></div><div></div><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I served the <em>Chocolate</em> with Phillipa's incredibly thin, toasted almond bread, because I couldn't be bothered toasting my own <em>Pan</em> (some would call it laziness, but I like to think of it as prioritising). The salt, olive oil and bread somehow prevented the mousse from being overwhelmingly rich, but we did have some left over which, tragically, I was unable to face the next day and kept forgetting to take with me to work. Eventually I had to throw it out.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Spanish Part 2 may have to wait a while, as the <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/88/n/Saint_Jacob">San Jacob</a> (unbelievably delicious-looking crumbed pork, filled with cheese and ham) <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/90/n/Rice_pudding_(arroz_con_leche)">Arroz Con Leche</a> (creamy rice pudding) look to be more wintery fare. Instead, the next challenge will be <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafaricuisine/index/cp/16/n/Mexican">Mexican</a>, which, I predict, will be more challenging than the old man and the cute little kid in the Old Elpaso 'Stand and Stuff' ads would have us believe.</div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-48416539156554354172010-01-26T10:17:00.012+11:002010-02-13T20:28:22.269+11:00Lebanese Part 22. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/59/Eggplant_dip_(baba_ghanouj)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Baba</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ghanouj</span></a> <em>Katya <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Faraj</span></em><br />3. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarirecipe/index/id/58/n/Hoummus"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hoummus</span></a> <em>Greg <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Malouf</span></em><br />4. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/68/Tabbouleh">Tabbouleh</a> <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Samira</span> Saab</em><br />5. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/69/Kafta"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kafta</span></a> <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Fouad</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Sayed</span></em><br />6. <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/60/Stuffed_zucchini_(kousa_mahshi)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Kousa</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Mahshi</span></a> (Stuffed Zucchini) <em>Judy Saba</em><br /><br />In some ways, I feel like this was the real start to the <a href="http://anaustraliankitchen.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-been-long-time-coming.html">Food Safari Challenge</a>. <a href="http://anaustraliankitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/Lebanese">Lebanese Part 1</a> was a bit of a trial - just one recipe that looked pretty, but that I didn't even get to taste. This was the first banquet with invited guests and excessive planning. I warmed myself up by watching the <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipeindex/RecipeByCuisineMain/12/1">Lebanese episode</a> from series one of Food Safari. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Meave</span>, her usual <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">resplendent</span> self, was an inspiration, '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">mmm</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">ing</span>' her way <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">orgasmically</span> through every sampled recipe.<br /><br />I had been yammering on about venturing forth into as yet unexplored (by me) areas of Melbourne to source tools and ingredients. Of course, I left it too late, and was forced to rely upon the fresh food market and General Trader at my nearest shopping centre.<br /><br />My first challenge was to find a <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">manakra</span></em>, a small tool that looks a little bit like a cross between an apple-corer and the thing you use to get crab meat out of claws (what's that called?). I needed it to hollow out the zucchinis for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Kousa</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Mahshi</span>. As you would imagine, despite visiting numerous foodie shops, I was unable to find a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">manakra</span>. I discussed it with a foodie friend at work. She suggested using a small melon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">baller</span>, but when I explained that the zucchinis needed to stay whole, she agreed that this probably wouldn't work. I considered the pointy, end bit of my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Zyliss</span> peeler. It is the same shape as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">manakra</span>, but I figured was probably not going to get me right down to the bottom of the zucchini. In the end, I used a metal 1/4 teaspoon measure that has quite a long arm. It did the job well enough, but the lack of handle made it all a bit slow and eventually painful, and I was quite pleased that I only had 7 zucchinis to stuff, rather than the prescribed 10. The zucchini was, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">surprisingly</span>, the stand out dish. I'll return to that later... first the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">barbeque</span> fire.<br /><br />Yes - Fire. Complete with flames and Fear Of God.<br /><br />As I needed to make a couple of dips, I decided to do the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Baba</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Ghanouj</span> the day before. I don't have a gas stove in my kitchen, so wanted to use the wok burner on my barbecue to blacken the eggplants so that they would have that lovely, smokey flavour. What I didn't know was that a spider had decided that the pipe connected to the burner would make a lovely, snug home in which to have lots of spidery babies. When I started the gas up and tried to light the burner, the whole thing caught fire. Given that the wok burner is positioned directly above the gas bottle itself, I panicked, and almost lost my voice screaming for my husband's assistance. What can I say? I live in the hills. Flames scare me.<br /><br />The upside was that it meant I needed a new barbecue. Shopping for appliances being one of the great joys in life, we headed off to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Barbeques</span> Galore the following day, and procured a shinier, bigger and altogether sexier new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">barbeque</span>. Fortuitously, the store was relocating, and we managed to score some outstanding floor stock at around half the retail price. We were thrilled; there is nothing more satisfying than an unsolicited Barry Bargain, particularly of such magnitude.<br /><br />This was all too late for the eggplant, which I had prepared directly after the Great Fire (straight back on the horse) turning to the trusty camp stove to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">baba</span> my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">ghanouj</span> (or is<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfkSycydQ7Jo4xPClQXUlvpk-BGSxf7RXqVzEJsNcZDN05WdgCgIEf5eY7hl5lgaZ3uSACiEqJnTlciA2GtiENluO8MfJx-ETL4ht4_w3lw-x29EUgZbzMts0jX9AS3xUgJl7HqUT0pI/s1600-h/DSC_0003.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437603194628474370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfkSycydQ7Jo4xPClQXUlvpk-BGSxf7RXqVzEJsNcZDN05WdgCgIEf5eY7hl5lgaZ3uSACiEqJnTlciA2GtiENluO8MfJx-ETL4ht4_w3lw-x29EUgZbzMts0jX9AS3xUgJl7HqUT0pI/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" border="0" /></a> it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">ghanouj</span> my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">baba</span>?). It was worth the threat of death. The flavour was so fresh that I was afraid it wouldn't taste as good the next day, but I needn't have worried. The smokiness had mellowed slightly - probably a good thing, as it had been almost overwhelming the day before. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">hoummus</span> was good but a bit dry, so I added extra garlic and lemon juice. This may have been because I didn't use the '9mm chickpeas' recommended by Greg <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Malouf</span>. I toyed with the idea of tracking them down, but then the rational (smaller) part of my brain took over, and convinced my perfectionist self that measuring chickpeas would, quite frankly, be taking the whole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">gastro</span>-adventure thing a step too far.<br /><br />As I said, the zucchinis surprised me. I was a little concerned about the fact that they were to be cooked in simmering water with tomato paste. Even <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Maeve's</span> '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">mmms</span>' had left me unconvinced. To digress for a moment, I have a theory that you can tell if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Maeve</span> is genuinely in awe of dish, or if she is just being polite by the pitch of her '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">mmm</span>' and the comment she follows it up with. An 'Oh my God...' means that something is really awesome, whereas a 'wow, that's really good,' not so much. This was definitely an 'Oh my God'. People who do not normally go for cooked vegetables were asking for take-aways and/ or the recipe. A good sign. I wouldn't recommend following the recipe's suggestion to make any leftover stuffing into meatballs and add them to the sauce to simmer, though. They basically fell apart as soon as I tried to remove them from the pot, and ended up resembling <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">bolognese</span> mixed with a little bit of rice.<br /><br />The tabbouleh was a revelation. I have eaten great Lebanese before, at <a href="http://www.ablas.com.au/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Abla's</span></a>, in unpretentious suburban restaurants such as <a href="http://www.dunyazad.com.au/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Dunyazad</span></a>, and have had as many middle of the night <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">souvlakis</span> as anyone else who has lived and studied in Melbourne. Never before has tabbouleh floated my proverbial boat in such a manner. It may have been the freshly picked herbs and garden <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR4q0tbLZgczUVOvsbcwXT0BtswaClPISdTUMH4A6Tz2WEjtuKjkIItF188exAhOx5C8DjFmcTXVJJxRfEWxoFwFyVMiQkEZcmd0Hc-UEeSfzaKDHE_ySZUca_f7hsyx9VOBeuZIy1gM/s1600-h/DSC_0010.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437604211047782402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR4q0tbLZgczUVOvsbcwXT0BtswaClPISdTUMH4A6Tz2WEjtuKjkIItF188exAhOx5C8DjFmcTXVJJxRfEWxoFwFyVMiQkEZcmd0Hc-UEeSfzaKDHE_ySZUca_f7hsyx9VOBeuZIy1gM/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" border="0" /></a>tomatoes, or perhaps it was that the cracked wheat was soaked in lemon juice rather than water and retained a bit of crunch. Whatever it was, it was incredibly zingy and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">moreish</span>, and worked perfectly with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">kofta</span>, bread and dips. These we ate, as instructed, by folding the large pita, which had been spread with some dip and the tabbouleh, around the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">kofta</span> like a napkin and sliding it off the metal skewer. You then tear off small pieces of the bread, pick up a little meat and salad and get to work. Thus allowing you to dispense of vast quantities of food without really noticing that you've eaten enough to feed the cast of the Biggest Loser. Be warned, pants, you will be unbuttoned.<br /><br />While it's great fun to cook my way through the <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/shop/product/category/Books/2486/Food-Safari-cookbook">Food Safari Cookbook</a> banquet-style, it provides somewhat of a dilemma. Not all cuisines include recipes for desserts, multiple side dishes, or a great enough variety of meat. Of course, I need to try to remember that there is always too much food, but nevertheless, this week I felt I needed more. One of my guests, Ann-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">marie</span>, came to the rescue with some delicious baklava from Vanilla Cakes and Lounge in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Oakleigh</span> (interestingly, they have their own appreciation society on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Facebook</span>), and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Guil</span> picked up the bread from her local Lebanese bakery. Having just linked all of the recipe titles to the Food Safari website, I discover that it is not just the recipes featured in the book, or even on the episodes, that appear on the site. This makes me a little nervous, as I am sure that I will now be compelled to 'pad out' my banquets with additional dishes from the site. This week I added a <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/174/Fattoush_(Lebanese_summer_salad)"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Fattoush</span></a> sans the bread (had run out of energy for preparing more ingredients by that stage), because I felt we needed a little more green. Totally unnecessary as it turned out, but excellent.<br /><br />Although Lebanese is now off the list so far as the challenge goes, I am already craving another round of that amazing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">baba</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">ghanouj</span>. Maybe this is what's going to happen every time. Instead of each banquet making me curse strange tools and impossible to find ingredients, it will leave me feeling slightly guilty, like I'm just skimming the surface of each culture (which clearly, I am).<br /><br />I get the feeling that the safari may not end with the book.<br /><p>Next challenge: <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafaricuisine/index/cp/21/n/Spanish">Spanish</a></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-33200514549648991072010-01-08T10:35:00.008+11:002010-01-15T17:06:25.925+11:00Lebanese Part 11. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tarator</span>-Style Salmon <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Greg <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Malouf</span></span><br /><br />Looks amazing, smells amazing, tastes.... not sure, but we'll get to that later. I decided to cook this one first for two reasons. One - because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Maeve</span> said it was the best thing she had ever eaten and two, because I already had the fish. Well - almost. I had a trout. Near enough.<br /><br />Every year, my uncle catches an prepares a trout for Christmas Day. It may be just an excuse to go fishing during the hectic lead up to Christmas, but it is an excuse we are all prepared to let slide, given the end result. Usually, he steams or smokes it, stuffing it with lemons, dill and parsley.<br /><br />In late December, when my father and I were surrounded by magazines and cookbooks, bickering about what to prepare, this was the dish we agreed upon first. I also quite liked the fact that it looked a bit fiddly, mainly because it annoys my mother, who likes to hover around during the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">afore</span>-mentioned recipe search, screeching, "just do something easy!" This is most likely motivated by the fact that she is often one of those left to deal with the carnage that is the kitchen after a couple of days of food preparation. Let's just say that our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mis</span>e en place is not so much "en place" as "all over the place." Anyway, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tarator</span>-style Salmon (trout) was an easy decision; the central focus of what became a Middle Eastern themed Christmas banquet.<br /><br />We didn't have enough room to prepare the meat and the fish at home, so the plan was that my Uncle would ring for the cooking instructions on Christmas morning. This is where we began to seriously deviate from the recipe. Greg/ <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Maeve</span> instruct us to bake a 4 kg salmon for 20 minutes on either side in a 150 degree oven. The fish should be seasoned with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in baking paper before being placed in the oven. This, I related to my father, who, in turn passed the instructions on to my Uncle. The following conversation ensued.<br /><br />Uncle: What, with noting in it? Not even wine?<br />Father: "He wants to know if he can put wine in it.<br />Me: No. No wine. We need to follow the recipe. Greg knows best.<br />Father: She says nothing else on it.<br />Uncle: It won't be cooked evenly. I should cut it half.<br />Father: He says he should cut it in half so that it will cook.<br />Me: No! Turn it over half way through, like to recipe says. Anyway, we have a 2.5 kg trout, not a 4kg salmon. I'm sure it will be cooked. You might even need to reduce the cooking time.<br />Father: She says don't cut it.<br />Uncle: Well it's too big to fit in the oven, so I'll need to cut off the head.<br />Father: He wants to cut off the head.<br />Me: No! #$%@! It needs to be a whole fish!<br />Father: Look - you talk to him yourself!<br /><br />Uncle agreed to follow my instructions (his exact words were: your wish is my command) but went ahead and threw in some wine, garlic and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">chilli</span> anyway. The fish did remain whole, though.<br /><br />A couple of hours later, well into the prep, my Uncle's partner arrived, bearing fish. "Ian's not coming," she proclaimed. My first thought was that I'd pissed him off with my pedantic adherence to the recipe, but according to Jenny, he had 'food poisoning'.<br /><br />Allow my to digress for a moment in order to briefly discuss my thoughts on food poisoning. From my understanding, food poisoning occurs when some bug or another gets into your food. Everyone who eats the food, gets sick at a around about the same time, give or take a few hours. Reactions to bacteria in food can take between 6 and 72 hours to take effect. Apparently, nine times out of ten, when someone thinks they have food poisoning, what they actually have is viral or bacterial <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">gastro</span>. They blame their last meal because chucking it up is so unpleasant. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Gastro</span> scares me. There is nothing worse than feeling like death, as the same time everyone else in your household feels like death. Not only that, you can't eat anything, which is just evil. The only positive side-effect is the weight loss. The last time we all had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">gastro</span> was last Easter, on holidays with two other families. Six adults and four children. We all went down like flies, one after the other.<br /><br />When quizzed, Jenny confessed that others in the household had been sick in the previous week. "Did Ian do the fish?" I asked, trying to disguise my alarm.<br /><br />"Yes, but I made him wash his hands!"<br /><br />I decided at that moment that I was quite happy to prepare the fish, but that I would not be eating it. So, I made the dressing, the salad, roasted the walnuts and even scattered a few pomegranate seeds over the top. It looked gorgeous. Quite a lot like the picture, except the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">tahini</span> dressing slid off a bit, so it probably needed a bit more <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">yoghurt</span>. The fish was also a little bent (as in 'not straight'), which gave it the appearance of trying to leap off the platter, as it was too big to fit in the oven.<br /><br />Apparently it was delicious. And nobody got sick.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-84036722183046646922009-12-22T14:59:00.004+11:002009-12-22T16:23:15.952+11:00It's been a long time coming....Where have I been for the last (almost) two years?<br /><br />In short, I've been working.<br /><br />All the time.<br /><br />And I'm over it.<br /><br />Having said all of that (rather dramatically), I should explain that I have been inspired by a recent re-reading of Julie and Julia (read the book a couple of years ago... still haven't sen the film, though) and an early Christmas gift. In an ideal world, I'd been eating my way around the globe in a tatslotto-fueled frenzy, but obviously my ambitions need to be revised to reflect a) the responsibilities of adulthood (sigh) and b) my teacher's salary.<br /><br />So, instead I've decided to cook my way around the world's cuisine. The plan is to make my way (that is, all the way) through Maeve's O'Meara's <em>Food Safari</em> cookbook. For those of you who are unfamiliar, <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/show/food-safari">Food Safari</a> is an SBS TV show in which the <a href="http://anaustraliankitchen.blogspot.com/2007/07/greek-banquet.html">colourful Maeve</a> travels around Australia in search of pockets of international cuisine. It is foodie-voyeur heaven.<br /><br />And now they have a book (just in time for Christmas). <em>Food Safari</em> is subtitled: "glorious adventures through worlds of cuisine". It is 270 pages of recipes, organised alphabetically by location. Each section is prefaced with some introductory info (thanks, Maeve) and a glossary of 'flavours', seemingly provided to assist in sourcing essential ingredients. In addition, each dish has an explanation of its own, including how the dish should be eaten, what you should be cooking it in and what it should be served along side of.<br /><br />I cannot pretend to be undaunted by instructions such as, "you will need four <em>dolsot </em>bowls, available from Korean grocery stores" (<em>Dolsot Bibimbap</em>, Korea) and "this national dish is cooked very slowly, traditionally overnight in a copper pot..." (<em>Ful Medames</em>, Egypt). I will no doubt be setting forth in search of ingredients and equipment with a copy of <em>The Goods</em> under my arm.<br /><br />It will begin with Lebanon, quite madly, on Christmas Day. The first dish will be the Tarator-Style Baked Salmon, by Greg Malouf (mmm... Momo).<br /><br />I'll keep you posted (promise).Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-56020958822142422992008-02-12T15:00:00.000+11:002008-02-12T15:33:29.725+11:00Review: Oakdene Winery and Restaurant<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7rFL6pUdA2_BeHE_g2oG5kBjBSWdekfDa2jNvCcd05l4uwkXSlPGVCH4UDeYmk32Fax5t3wbTb1pf2Fx5gYhEJemL4v_-sj9O5Hp9JbPvOGwUUDI7EV_2XQJBtBJXrIOwrb4w8JZSA4/s1600-h/pork.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7rFL6pUdA2_BeHE_g2oG5kBjBSWdekfDa2jNvCcd05l4uwkXSlPGVCH4UDeYmk32Fax5t3wbTb1pf2Fx5gYhEJemL4v_-sj9O5Hp9JbPvOGwUUDI7EV_2XQJBtBJXrIOwrb4w8JZSA4/s400/pork.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165944189089058866" /></a>There is something I find particularly enticing about winery restaurants. We held our wedding at local Yarra Valley gem, <a href="http://www.roundstonewine.com.au/">Roundstone</a> and find it difficult to book holidays or weekends away in regions that don’t offer great food and wine (if you weren’t impressed before that I have given up alcohol for an entire month, you should be now). There is nothing more intoxicating (pardon the pun) than meeting a passionate vintner committed to sourcing local produce that not only compliments, but enhances the experience of drinking their wines. It is on this front that Oakdene excels. Plugs for local providers of (for example) rabbit, mussels, berries and Angus beef is a little reminiscent of the of Alla Wolf Tasker’s produce outline at <a href="http://www.lakehouse.com.au/">The Lake House</a>. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ45nMvgdb2r9dVRbMrdKsXCq1y8ZjBGDVNmZ6W51NdM9fxMW_fgPz5DBkusa_lvtAFfI_LrjXDxBi2leKIy5lGUHnxZVXe3-VNC1Vpg4s5RuYddm2Jx5nZQ_ZbxP7T2N50BU-3Pu1H-Y/s1600-h/scallops.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ45nMvgdb2r9dVRbMrdKsXCq1y8ZjBGDVNmZ6W51NdM9fxMW_fgPz5DBkusa_lvtAFfI_LrjXDxBi2leKIy5lGUHnxZVXe3-VNC1Vpg4s5RuYddm2Jx5nZQ_ZbxP7T2N50BU-3Pu1H-Y/s400/scallops.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165944201973960770" /></a>There was a clear consensus (well, there were only two of us, but we were pretty firm about it) that the highlight of the meal was the perfectly seared King scallops, wrapped in Istra pancetta. They were served with an absolutely delicious black truffle butter (let’s just say that had I been at home, I would have licked the plate), and local samphire. My dining partner ordered the lightly battered Port Phillip Bay calamari with lemon, chilli and parsley, which was excellent, but just not in the same league. <br /><br />At first I was a little disappointed (but on reflection, unsurprised) that the only wines available by the glass were the vineyard’s own, but I recovered as soon as I tasted the lovely 2006 Chardonnay. My only concern was that the wine was a little too chilled for the reported flavours of ‘melon, peach and fig’ flavours to really come out, and I was a little too greedy to give it time to warm up a bit. <br /><br />After the high calibre entrées, I very eagerly awaited the main course. I am not sure whether it was the fact that my entrée was so outstanding, but I was a little disappointed with my choice. The Siketa pork belly (top) had a delicious flavour but was a bit dry, and its teaming with the polenta crusted, soft shell crab and green papaya salad a little confusing. It was as if (as Gordon Ramsay might say) there was just too much going on the plate (actually, Gordon would probably say that there was, "Too much f***ing sh*te on the f***ing plate", but I am neither that rude, nor that incensed). My partner’s choice was better; the eye fillet was a perfectly cooked, juicy medium rare, and the accompanying mash with red wine sauce (sorry, ‘Shiraz jus’) and wood mushrooms was delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed their 2006 Pinot, and would have ordered another glass, but needed to leave room in my alcohol stomach for an after-dinner Tokay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1DjDnQWp4TMXAtLQDt0PC8kvTZzerpamc_VLq2NgMTYZDQLs43hVo0zw2GKFE6PRUhv5AFYfiowZLzOWXvxCL8HMZP6_Py3GuZFN8wF0xxwv_H7gWgD4eFdVuW2HFiGOCMC4xCvpg6Y/s1600-h/tasting+plate.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1DjDnQWp4TMXAtLQDt0PC8kvTZzerpamc_VLq2NgMTYZDQLs43hVo0zw2GKFE6PRUhv5AFYfiowZLzOWXvxCL8HMZP6_Py3GuZFN8wF0xxwv_H7gWgD4eFdVuW2HFiGOCMC4xCvpg6Y/s400/tasting+plate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165944206268928082" /></a>Having witnessed several impressive dishes emerge from the kitchen, I was absolutely determined to fit in dessert (despite having eyes considerably bigger than my belly). So, rather ambitiously, we ordered the enormous tasting plate, of which the simple, Wallington strawberries were the absolute star. The strawberry and passionfruit pannacotta was lovely, as was the chocolate fondant, but we just could not polish it all off. Sigh. It pains me to watch a good coffee sorbet melt into oblivion, but it was either that, or recreate a rather unpleasant Monty Python dining scene.<br /><br />The timing of the service, along with its relaxed and friendly quality, was excellent; the floor staff effectively provided the diners with a floor-show in their efforts to move a large gas heater closer to a chilly guest (ces moi??). We were also rather impressed by the eco-friendly outdoor dining area (fake grass and fairy lights) and the busy, eclectic décor inside. Very welcoming. The prices (between $20 and $30 entrées and up to $42 for a main course) probably ensure that this is a Big Night Out destination for locals, but the restaurant was bustling the night we visited, so maybe this isn’t an issue. Or perhaps its just that Oakdene, along with some fantastic food and wine, offers that special kind of service and atmosphere that makes you want to become a regular customer. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.oakdene.com.au/">Oakdene Vinyards</a><br />Bellarine Peninsula <br />255 Grubb Street<br />Wallington (near Ocean Grove)<br />Restaurant phone: 03 5255 1255<br /><br />Open for lunch and dinner, Wednesday - Sunday<br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wineries" rel="tag">wineries</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/restaurant+reviews" rel="tag">restaurant reviews</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bellarine+peninsula" rel="tag">Bellarine Peninsula</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/oakdene" rel="tag">Oakdene</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/ocean+grove" rel="tag">Ocean Grove</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-62096986272131926312008-02-07T11:11:00.000+11:002008-02-07T11:48:19.307+11:00Grow Your Own Roundup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHueU6QyOhb9y35EIurag1acuGQ4brCPLLcyxWdGaOTBiugr5w5l-xrVNN5hXNUOJiscBI32951QZY0PlvG4_4LyV2MTuvSb7rbKD_63awH6vgwD5EpxXjqq_wzhsn-n6gknsglCvF0ts/s1600-h/grow_your_own_seeds_200.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHueU6QyOhb9y35EIurag1acuGQ4brCPLLcyxWdGaOTBiugr5w5l-xrVNN5hXNUOJiscBI32951QZY0PlvG4_4LyV2MTuvSb7rbKD_63awH6vgwD5EpxXjqq_wzhsn-n6gknsglCvF0ts/s400/grow_your_own_seeds_200.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164030519425228130" /></a><br />Just a short one to let you all know that the <a href="http://www.andreasrecipes.com/2008/02/03/grow-your-own-6-roundup/#more-449">Grow Your Own #6 Roundup</a> has been posted by Andrea. It's very exciting to see home cooks from all over the world sharing their 'food miles' free recipes (buzz words keep my mind off the drink).<br /><br />PS. Did anyone catch <a href="http://www21.sbs.com.au/foodsafari/index.php?pid=episode&cid=1181">Food Safari</a> last night? Don't you just want to give Charmaine Solomon a cuddle? If you think I'm mental, read <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_in_time/Transcripts/s847402.htm"> this cute interview</a> by George Negus for the ABC in 2003 (try to overlook the obligatory 'George looking pensive' image on the page header).<br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipes" rel="tag">recipes</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/growing+vegetables" rel="tag">vegetables</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/kitchen+garden" rel="tag">kitchen garden</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/gardening" rel="tag">gardening</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging+events" rel="tag">blogging events</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grow+your+own" rel="tag">grow your own</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+Safari" rel="tag">food safari</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Charmaine+Solomon" rel="tag">charmaine solomon</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-79377416225364416372008-02-03T15:36:00.000+11:002008-02-03T15:56:21.078+11:00Febfast (aka month of torture) has begunI am sincerely beginning to question why I decided to embark on this whole non-drinking journey. I am repeating 'Doin' it for the kids' over and over in my head like a crazed, Robbie Williams inspired mantra. For some reason, the image of Corey Delaney keeps popping into my mind; I cling to the hope that the recipients of the drug and alcohol programs I am raising money for are not nearly so aggravatingly smug. Not very charitable, I know. "You're a nice teenager, so you can have my money, whereas you are a git and clearly don't deserve any help". <br /><br />I put my attitude down to the fact that Febfast has begun and I am feeling its effects; the thought of it hovers around like a nasty puritan waiting to catch me in a sinful act. I am not planning to outline my teetotal experience in great detail here, but if you're interested in a daily update (or would like to donate money for this worthy cause) visit my irritatingly tweely named <a href="http://www.everydayhero.com.au/anaustraliankitchen">"Hero Page"</a>.<br /><br />Wish me luck, folks.<br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/alcohol" rel="tag">alcohol</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Febfast" rel="tag">Febfast</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fund+raising" rel="tag">fund raising</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-36476542611595905762008-01-20T14:40:00.000+11:002008-01-20T15:31:47.715+11:00Grow your Own: Nana's Zucchini Slice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEXAgYzIdq6_kpoH2XDQZajb-dLIi2FO75yhTYN5nt213yzwrDXufXVDyeJaZ1avCvxs6CxQWPhHcX1RyN0kQFZIiR-R2rgV8EEhJ8XCoReB4q4Pkrbm5VAEqRQUz_dJuWEok0vne9JE/s1600-h/zucchini+slice.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEXAgYzIdq6_kpoH2XDQZajb-dLIi2FO75yhTYN5nt213yzwrDXufXVDyeJaZ1avCvxs6CxQWPhHcX1RyN0kQFZIiR-R2rgV8EEhJ8XCoReB4q4Pkrbm5VAEqRQUz_dJuWEok0vne9JE/s400/zucchini+slice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157405034877532178" /></a><br /><br />Something new: I have decided to enter a dish into <a href="http://www.andreasrecipes.com/gyo/">Grow Your Own</a>, run by Andrea of <a href="http://www.andreasrecipes.com/">Andrea's Recipes</a>. I stumbled (happily) upon on this event on the <a href="http://www.ismyblogburning.com/">Is my Blog Burning</a> site. For those of you unfamiliar with blogging events (as I was, until rather recently), foodie bloggers from all over the globe publish recipes and then submit or link them to a host site, whose author provides a round up of all entries after the event has closed. Cool, huh? I may never have to buy a cookbook again (although to be honest, that is a rather unlikely consequence of this discovery).<br /><br />As my regular readers know, we are currently experiencing what can only be described as a zucchini glut, and I have been working feverishly to concoct delicious recipes to reduce the abundant supply. This one is actually an old family favourite; my Nan passed it on to me several years ago, and it continues to grace our table with considerable regularity. I've fiddled with the original a bit, I hope to its benefit.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ingredients</span>:<br />400g grated zucchini (excess juice squeezed out) *<br />1 cup of grated cheddar<br />4 eggs<br />1 cup SR flour<br />just under 1/2 cup olive oil<br />100g (couple of rashers) of good, smokey bacon, diced<br />1 onion, diced<br />seasonal fresh or dried herbs - couple of teaspoons, or to taste<br />Sea salt and freshly ground pepper<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">To serve:</span><br />Tomato Passata (with sautéed garlic and mushrooms - mmm)<br />shaved parmesan<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Directions</span>:<br />Preheat oven to 190˚c. Grease a large ovenproof dish with olive oil.<br /><br />Fry off the onion and the bacon until the onion is soft and the bacon a little crispy. Stir through herbs. I like to use dried oregano, but fresh basil works very well. Allow to cool.<br /><br />Whisk eggs in a large bowl, add flour and oil and stir vigorously (the mix should resemble a thick cake batter). Fold through cheese, onion mixture, grated zucchini and season to taste.<br /><br />Pour into the dish and place in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and cake is cooked through. I prefer to use a high sided casserole or cake tin, but If you are using a shallow dish, reduce the cooking time. <br /><br />Allow to cool slightly before serving with tomato passata and shaved parmesan.<br /><br />* This is also delicious with a little bit of grated pumpkin (say, half a cup), which can be cooked off slightly with the onion and bacon.<br /><br />Serves 4.<br /><br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipes" rel="tag">recipes</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/growing+vegetables" rel="tag">vegetables</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/kitchen+garden" rel="tag">kitchen garden</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/gardening" rel="tag">gardening</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/blogging+events" rel="tag">blogging events</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/zucchini" rel="tag">zucchini</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grow+your+own" rel="tag">grow your own</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-57984361700926543352008-01-15T14:42:00.000+11:002008-01-15T15:09:01.723+11:00A Month without AlcoholSo I have decided to bite the bullet and try to go for one month (February, being the shortest, of course) without consuming any alcohol. This will be no easy task. I'm doing it for a couple of different reasons; the most important one is that I feel like I should probably drink less, as, incidentally, do many of my friends.<br />Actually, to clarify that, they don't think <span style="font-style:italic;">I</span> should drink less (although they might after the antics of Kris Kringle Day; now there's an event best forgotten by alcohol-induced amnesia), they think that they themselves should also drink less. <br /><br />I know it's a killjoy kind of attitude, but I keep having these niggling worries, like the fact that liver damage, not to mention the dreaded alcoholism, can creep up on you, and that each glass of wine kills thousands of my finite number of brain cells... just minor concerns, really.<br /><br />Being a person of extremely limited willpower, I decided that it would be really hard to commit to this decision unless I added another element. So I've signed up to Febfast, a fund raising campaign tackling teenage alcohol and drug addiction. Participants pay a registration fee (there's my commitment) and seek sponsors to encourage their abstinence efforts. I figure the more sponsors I attract, the less likely I am to succumb to the power of a nice bottle of red. Or white. Or beer. Etc.<br /><br />If you would like to support my efforts (or to sign up for Febfast yourself) <a href="http://www.everydayhero.com.au/anaustraliankitchen">click this link</a>.<br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/alcohol" rel="tag">alcohol</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/febfast" rel="tag">febfast</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/fund+raising" rel="tag">fund raising</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-6619785651252755802008-01-05T15:27:00.000+11:002008-01-05T16:04:22.131+11:00Beef StroganoffOkay, so I know that it’s not really Beef Stroganoff weather (or ‘Beef Strongenough’, so named by one reader of the Jamie Oliver forum) right now, but just before Christmas, Melbourne threw down one of those characteristic wet and cold patches that make you want to yank the Le Creuset out of hibernation and crank up the electric blanky.<br /><br />It was during this wild week that I happened to catch an autumn episode of Jamie at Home, and found myself salivating as he prepared a fetchingly dark and succulent Beef Strog. Big chunks of meat, garlic, onions, mushrooms and the seemingly out of place pickled gherkins to go with the usual sour cream and parsley sauce. I wasn’t sure about the gherkins, but I was prepared to give it a crack, especially given that years ago, Jamie put me on to anchovies in stew, and I’ve never looked back. I may well <a href="http://anaustraliankitchen.blogspot.com/2007/02/why-i-love-and-hate-jamie-oliver.html#links"> complain about him a lot</a>, but it’s definitely thinly disguised jealousy, because I will ogle his food and his garden at any opportunity. It’s practically stalking. Lucky he lives in the UK.<br /><br />So, despite Channel Ten’s advertisements claiming that Jamie at Home recipes were available on their website, there were none to be found. As a matter of fact, the blurb on the program page still says ‘not currently showing – new episodes coming soon’. Might I tactfully suggest that the PR Ho-Ho-Hoes at Network Serious get their shite together? Anyhoo, I googled the recipe, found afore-mentioned Jamie forum, which contained recipe queries from several similarly inspired Australian viewers. I also happened upon <a href="http://www.insanitytheory.net/kitchenwench/2006/07/21/jamies-beef-strog/">this old thread</a> on Kitchen Wench’s blog. If you don’t have time for a look, let’s just say that there is a lot of anti-gherkin sentiment out there. In fact, the recipe itself did not receive rave reviews. In the end I decided to go with a combination of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/beefstroganoffwithma_71568.shtml">Rich Stein’s recipe</a> (thanks Wench-reader-Mellie) and the Bill Granger version from the August '04 <a href="http://www.deliciousmagazine.com.au/">Delicious.</a> (does anyone else find that full stop annoying?) that I have been using faithfully for the last couple of years.<br /><br />As you can see, it’s still not the most photogenic of dishes, however I do think the tomato paste adds a bit of richness to the colour (and flavour). This one we ate with steamed rice (because that is what Mini Chef requested), but it is lovely with fresh buttered noodles. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMDMcGCL_A2Y2XIcm3WW2bn-ok8fcXm3JIifFzUCt7SnMYEFDIbJhdbkG-neFafrCmYLPPuGX2dB4El-NYQkKGilpzFohUD2tQczPMJVeSsviDyTlj2vTYEooVn1JvLYznqM1U1rid-o/s1600-h/strog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMDMcGCL_A2Y2XIcm3WW2bn-ok8fcXm3JIifFzUCt7SnMYEFDIbJhdbkG-neFafrCmYLPPuGX2dB4El-NYQkKGilpzFohUD2tQczPMJVeSsviDyTlj2vTYEooVn1JvLYznqM1U1rid-o/s400/strog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151847939901995010" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ingredients:</span><br />6oog beef fillet or rump steak, trimmed and cut into thick strips<br />1 tablespoon butter<br />1 tablespoons of Hungarian paprika<br />1 large red onion, thinly sliced<br />2 garlic cloves, finely chopped<br />400g mushrooms - I prefer swiss browns, but whatever takes your fancy<br />2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves<br />2 tablespoons tomato paste<br />1 tablespoon Dijon mustard<br />1/3 cup chopped parsley<br />1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream<br />fresh pepper and sea salt<br /><br />fresh lemon and hot buttered noodles, to serve<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Directions:</span><br />Melt butter in a large heavy-based frying pan and cook onion and paprika until onion is soft and sweet. Add garlic, thyme and mushrooms and fry gently for a few minutes. Remove to plate. <br /><br />Heat olive oil in the same pan and add the meat in batches, seasoning with pepper and sea salt as you go. Brown the meat quickly on all sides, remove to a plate and add the next batch until all of it is done. <br /><br />Turn down the heat, return the meat to the pan and add the tomato paste and mustard, cooking for about a minute. Add the mushroom mixture, stir, then add the sour cream and parsley. Stir through and simmer for no more than a minute, then remove from the heat. Season if necessary.<br /><br />Serve with the hot buttered noodles, a squeeze of lemon juice and a blob of sour cream.<br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipes" rel="tag">recipes</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/celebrity+chefs" rel="tag">celebrity chefs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Jamie+Oliver" rel="tag">Jamie</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Rick+Stein" rel="tag">Rick Stein</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Stroganoff" rel="tag">stroganoff</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-54599330601945830792007-12-31T14:58:00.000+11:002007-12-31T14:54:38.173+11:00December Vegetables and Salutations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjQ_2hf3RXIAmZiu5aYR0ukBkpjDZHWpRFB7akTMt0LWhkYrTrwklpxBJGJfVY5nxEmQI_xfXjbKiXHsWt6EqJOySkh0KZpZFRbKws8fz3ts0MvjQv9nrAWgk6X48z6p9UAl4xSjGvAo/s1600-h/yellow+zucchini.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjQ_2hf3RXIAmZiu5aYR0ukBkpjDZHWpRFB7akTMt0LWhkYrTrwklpxBJGJfVY5nxEmQI_xfXjbKiXHsWt6EqJOySkh0KZpZFRbKws8fz3ts0MvjQv9nrAWgk6X48z6p9UAl4xSjGvAo/s320/yellow+zucchini.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149626772221219138" /></a> I am so in love with our veggie garden right now (apologies to David Lebovitz readers, otherwise known as <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/12/five_cooking_te.html">those who profess to hating the word veggies</a>. I shall continue to use the word unashamedly). We have harvested multiple batches of lovely zucchinis, which we have grilled on the barbecue, grated into zucchini slice (or 'cake', as Mini Chef wishes it to be known), shaved on a mandolin and drizzled with vinaigrette for a carpaccio, and stuffed with goat's cheese and topped with pepper and fresh mint, wrapped in foil and thrown onto the Webber. I can't wait until the little experimental eggplanty ones are ready to simmer with our green chillies (not yet taken by possums - fingers crossed it stays that way) in a curry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyRsJVQr8JRwd97QYxX8Yar1WesOhqSEFHi0JBGbRJjiqNU3LIT7Tornk5CO7DFAu4J-gwUjpiV5Ml5HTEKle62X7lRGxg2B1PZbafzJpfs0CTJrrxZT1da3KYup-RuMd-W_-puUdovQ/s1600-h/tomatoes.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyRsJVQr8JRwd97QYxX8Yar1WesOhqSEFHi0JBGbRJjiqNU3LIT7Tornk5CO7DFAu4J-gwUjpiV5Ml5HTEKle62X7lRGxg2B1PZbafzJpfs0CTJrrxZT1da3KYup-RuMd-W_-puUdovQ/s320/tomatoes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149628730726306130" /></a>We've also harvested plenty of cherry tomatoes, however I think our grape tomato plant is one of those high yield, low taste varieties. To overcome the issue, we roasted them with garlic and fresh thyme, then added them to breakfast pizza and pasta dishes (recipes to come at some stage in the not too distant future).<br /><br />The Rosemary looks extraordinarily healthy... since planting it out last year it has just gone wild, maybe because we eat so much of it that it's constantly being pruned.It has served us well with many stews and roast lamb dishes. My personal favourite involved an entire bottle of rosé - minus the glass I had to have during the preparation, of course. I'd quite like to use this particular variety of rosemary as an edible border in the front garden, as it's bushy enough that it will probably make for quite a good sound barrier (unfortunately we are located down wind of an RSL with an all night liquor licence). It's so hardy that even if you just chop off a bit and plop it in the dirt, it manages to take root.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WHYeCf29UykOZVorTKDH_Ql53XVxqz-XePJZDjxjnMCmXeJScpBFiJJ0YXzf_lRfYe3HIKbf2twREobfKWRUqdGVave6NDxi2nwWcL0wJSNkVmPk-8evNDH0h_nVM6iMNvMZ-z7Uc7c/s1600-h/rosemary.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WHYeCf29UykOZVorTKDH_Ql53XVxqz-XePJZDjxjnMCmXeJScpBFiJJ0YXzf_lRfYe3HIKbf2twREobfKWRUqdGVave6NDxi2nwWcL0wJSNkVmPk-8evNDH0h_nVM6iMNvMZ-z7Uc7c/s320/rosemary.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149629997741658466" /></a> What I'm most excited about though, is the latest trial plant, the Lebanese cucumbers. Clever Husband made a little teepee for the three plants to climb up, and they seem very pleased with the arrangement. One of the plants has a cucumber that's ripe for the picking, and I plan to do just that this evening. I was thinking I might make a little salsa with the cucumber, vine-ripened tomatoes, red onion, garlic (also from the garden) yellow capsicum and maybe some of the green chillies if I can find any that look big enough to eat. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6S6tECSaXYb5wzVidHGRmDrSKhmHKudErMTBFiJ-WuxWAn3PdaF-3Yst6CEMxbR1sYJf6C3gbmBgMXAp88gpn4BgE-l2Ht_B1_NDVkLtLJ2YdMwbPhYSBjuQ4hF6CkiZNpgNy0HChVw/s1600-h/cucumber.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6S6tECSaXYb5wzVidHGRmDrSKhmHKudErMTBFiJ-WuxWAn3PdaF-3Yst6CEMxbR1sYJf6C3gbmBgMXAp88gpn4BgE-l2Ht_B1_NDVkLtLJ2YdMwbPhYSBjuQ4hF6CkiZNpgNy0HChVw/s320/cucumber.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149630075051069810" /></a> I've always appreciated the thrill of skimming through a cookbook or food magazine to plan the perfect meal, but the whole experience becomes so much more exhilarating when the ingredients are coming from your own garden. Makes you feel sort of creative and a bit smug... and for some reason, the voice in my head has a British accent when I write (or think) about the veggie garden. I must be channelling Monty Don, or Alan Titchmarsh, or someone. Admittedly, Clever Husband does most of the growing... I weed, prune and pick and, well, cook.<br /><br />Wishing all the growers, cookers and eaters out there a delicious New Year's celebration meal... let's hope that 2008 is filled with more tasty treats than our food-obsessed minds can conjure.<br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipes" rel="tag">recipes</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/growing+vegetables" rel="tag"> growing vegetables</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/kitchen+garden" rel="tag">kitchen garden</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/gardening" rel="tag">gardening</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/vegetables" rel="tag">vegetables</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/rosemary" rel="tag">rosemary</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/zucchini" rel="tag">zucchini</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tomatoes" rel="tag">tomatoes</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cucumber" rel="tag">cucumber</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1376430856885701988.post-85275767590557505412007-12-26T16:34:00.000+11:002007-12-26T16:49:28.746+11:00Cassoulet RevisitedFor those of you who were interested in my earlier, <a href="http://anaustraliankitchen.blogspot.com/2007/07/do-i-really-want-to-cook-cassoulet.html">Cassoulet inspired post</a> ...<br /><br />I was doing a bit of browsing in my (clearly copious) spare time, I came across this amazing blog entry (with even more amazing pictures) about the famed dish. Have a look at <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/11/camp_cassoulet_1.html">David Lebovitz's</a> gorgeous food blog. Imagine how cool it would be to be this into food AND live in France. Mmmm.<br /><br />Technorati tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food+blogs" rel="tag">food blogs</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/food" rel="tag">food</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Food+and+Drink" rel="tag">food and drink</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipes" rel="tag">recipes</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cassoulet" rel="tag">cassoulet</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/french+food" rel="tag">french food</a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08298056305188260281noreply@blogger.com0