DOUBLE HELPING

salad

2009-02-25T03:35:00.000-08:00

a haiku-like salad I made for midweek dinner

a half a cucumber and half an apple: cut into matchsticks,
a spring onion: sliced thinly on the diagonal,
two sprigs of parsley and one of mint: chopped;
dressed with salt and pepper, cider vinegar and olive oil,
tossed with spinach leaves

served with falafels, and sumac-dressed hommus and some harissa

French

2009-02-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

Eating as the French do.

kofta, vegan style

2008-11-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

I found and adapted a recipe for vegetarian kofta from here, substituting the mung beans with yellow split peas and tofu.

I have to say that I have always found vegan versions of non-vegan recipes bizarre, to say the least. But when one's love is committed to harming no living thing for the sake of their own appetite or comfort it's worth going a bit Linda McCartney on the kofta. I'm going to try making nut-roast next.

This is what I did:

to make the kofta you will need

0.75 cup dried yellow split peas; soaked and then cooked until soft
0.75 finely crumbled firm tofu
1 onion, diced
about half a teaspoon each ground cumin and ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
half a teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
salt and pepper
2 carrots, grated and squeezed dry
1 tablespoon of flour

I cooked the split peas until they were soft and then mashed them up a bit. I cooked the onion until transparent in a little oil, then added the spices, waited for the aroma to rise before mixing the onion/spice mixture with the split peas, crumbled tofu, flour, salt and pepper, and carrots. It's important to squeeze the carrots dry once you have grated them otherwise the mixture will be too wet.

Then I made a 'ginger and coriander gravy'.

an onion, diced
a tomato, diced
fried gently in a little oil, with salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp Turmeric & a fresh green chili, finely chopped

to which I added, when nicely soft:
3 Brown cardamom pods
2 Cloves
1/4 tsp Black Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
dry roasted and finely ground in a mortar

and then: 5-6 Inch Fresh Ginger and 2 Garlic Cloves (chopped finely)

...and, when it's all smelling nice, adding water to cover and about half a tin of coconut milk.

This was left to gently simmer while I rolled the kofta mix into ping-pong sized balls and placed them on trays lined with greaseproof paper. They were baked in a moderate oven (note: my oven tends toward hot) for about 20 minutes, and were turned once during cooking (you could, of course, fry them, which is the usual way).

The kofta was then added to the gravy and simmered for a further 20 minutes. I added fresh peas about 10 minutes in and fresh coriander leaves just before serving. Enough for four people, or two people twice, or for six people who aren't that hungry.

In retrospect, I would use silken tofu for the kofta next time, and try thickening the sauce with a paste of cashew nuts, omitting the coconut milk.

museli - it's poppin'

2008-10-29T03:04:00.000-07:00

this is my museli. I've been working on the combination for a few weeks and it just gets better and better.

2 x handfuls almonds
2 x handfuls hazelnuts
1 cup mixed hulled sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds
1/3 cup flaked dried coconut
pinch of salt
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup cooking oil
3 x cups mixed rolled oats, rye, barley, triticale

put nuts into a food processor in small batches and process briefly to break them up a bit. Combine with seeds, coconut & salt in a large bowl, add honey and oil, stir to combine well. Gradually add rolled oats etc and stir well to coat everything in the oil and honey mixture.

Spread the mixture to a depth of about 2 cm on trays lined with baking paper and place in a preheated 140 - 160 C oven. Cook for about 20 minutes until very lightly browned, stirring every ten minutes or so. When you take it out of the oven it will be soft and sticky, but as it cools it becomes crispily good.

Mixed in chopped dried apricots, or nectarines or apples to taste, if you like.

that's about enough for about 2 weeks of breakfasts

Frühling

2008-10-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sautee mushrooms in olive oil with salt, pepper and thyme. Turn off heat, but whilst pan is still warm add crumbled fetta, diced tomato, grated beetroot, radiccio cut into ribbons and lots of lemon juice.

Polenta made with a pinch of chilli flakes to make it less, sort of... pudgy. Then piled with mushrooms and onions sauteed with thyme and sage, poached eggs and a truckload of parsley.

Two meals

2008-10-06T01:54:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Saskia in Flinders - roasted fennel, roasted pumpkin with onions, rosemary and garlic cloves, and steamed aspragus with avocado and lemon. Some earthiness and some freshness for the transition into Summer.

One of those, I don't feel like cooking on my own for just myself, so I will make the fastest fresh meal possible, dinners. Garlic and green beans fried gently in olive oil, then mushrooms added, then loads of chopped parsley and chives, quinoa, salt, pepper and the juice of a whole lemon. Goodness.

anarchist organic

2008-09-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Foodmaiden I've started fetching a $10 vegie box from the food co-op at Jura Anarchist Bookshop. So close to home, and marks a big shift in my cooking habits - needing to use what's there rather than trooping out to buy what i feel like. This first box smelt sweet as the springshine...

two salads

2008-09-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

It felt like a spring kind of thing to do - the combination of broad-beans, almonds and preserved red peppers.

about 2 x cups fresh broad beans
2 x cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper
a handful of blanched almonds, split in half
white wine
2 x tabs mint, finely chopped
a handful of parsley leaves
1 x red capsicum, roasted & cut into thin strips
salad
cider vinegar

pod your broad beans & set aside. Finely chop the garlic and cook gently in olive oil with the almonds until both are lightly browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add broad beans, stir to coat with oil, add a glass of white wine & cover. Steam broad beans until cooked to desired consistency. Stir through mint and parsley. Dress salad leaves with cider vinegar and salt and stir through broad bean mixture and capsicum.

I served this with pumpkin and onion roasted with sumac and thyme; and brown rice mixed with fried shallots.

This is a winter salad I have been meaning to post.

WINTER SALAD
1 large carrot
sesame or vegetable oil (for baking)
salt
1teas. fennel seeds
1teas coriander seeds
½ teas. cummin
½ bulb fennel, cut into 1cm cubes
½ green chili, finely chopped
1 cup cooked chickpeas
cider vinegar
cos lettuce
olive oil

Roast your large carrot: parboil in salted water, cut lengthways in 2, then into manageable pieces, place in a baking dish and toss in oil, place in a hot oven.

Roast spices in a dry pan, grind into a fine powder.

Combine fennel, chickpeas, chilli, salt and spices in a large bowl with cider vinegar and set aside.

When carrot is well roasted, cut into 1cm pieces. Mix with chickpeas and fennel. Leave the whole lot aside for the flavours to develop.

When ready to serve, toss through a few cos lettuce leaves, sliced into ribbons or torn into pieces; dress with olive oil.

listening

2008-08-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Just thought that I would post a few of the food related things that I have been listening to over the last few weeks -

I would recommend listening to the podcasts "Our food, our future" from BBC radio 4. I think that they're only up on the site for 4 weeks, so link here and download now. They're a really interesting overview of the current anxiety around food supplies and climate change. Listen if your feeling brave and strong. The last program is particularly interesting in it's reporting of current research into growing meat in laboratories.

This also caught my attention, from the Science Show on the 16th of August:

Robyn Williams: I must say that having had my poor cat die a few weeks ago there are now telltale signs in the food that you leave out. You can see those gnaw marks, but no other signs. Would that be a black rat, do you think?
Ken Aplin: Almost certainly a black rat, yes. Black rats are the champion, and I think they're actually much more intelligent than the lab rat. It's a species that we know very little about. For example, Pest Animal CRC that's been operating in Australia for a number of years doesn't even have the black rat on its list of target animals, even though it's probably one of our most widespread and damaging pests at the household level.
Robyn Williams: And you say nearly every household in the whole country?
Ken Aplin: I would think so. I think I could find a black rat in just about every house, given a small incentive.
Robyn Williams: What about turning a disadvantage into an advantage, my life's motto in fact. With all those bodies, couldn't you turn it into some sort of industry? Has it been done?
Ken Aplin: It has been done on a huge scale but in limited areas. It depends on people's willingness to handle the animals, and particularly to consume them. In the southern part of Vietnam there's a rat meat industry where rats are harvested out of rice fields on a huge scale; 10,000 tonnes a year of rat meat is collected, taken through to the big cities where it's processed in various ways and then sold in various products, some of which tourists are probably familiar with...I shouldn't be saying this, should I, I'll probably end up...
Robyn Williams: What do you mean? Street food that I might pick up somewhere could contain Rattus rattus?
Ken Aplin: There is one well known street in Ho Chi Minh City that specialises in rats on their menu, so you can go there and buy things that are clearly labelled as rat products. I've eaten rats in many different places. I prefer rat meat to most other meats. It's a fine meat, and they're very clean animals, despite their reputation for being filthy. Having now observed them much more closely than I could ever do before, I appreciate how hygienic and clean they actually are.
Robyn Williams: What do you like about the flavour?
Ken Aplin: It's a distinctive flavour, it's a mild meat, but particularly barbequed and served up with a good Vietnamese beer, it can't be beaten.
Robyn Williams: Very low in cholesterol, I'd imagine.

2008-08-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

FLAT PEACHES or donut peaches are my most favoured fruit right now. Never seen them in Melbourne. originally from China in the 1800s. they look so comical but tastes amazing.

gojiberrieberandie

2008-06-20T00:36:00.000-07:00

james and liv invited me to make drinks for the launch of their much awaited EVERGREEN publication issue 001 so we decided to make this delicious mixture of goji berry infused brandy infused for 2 weeks with one split vanilla pod and a little sugar syrup to round it out.

heartening thrilling detoxifying

i think people liked it

what's in that pie?

2008-06-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

I made this pie on the occasion of a visit to our friend Helen's new place. Mysterious. And vegan. And, I have to say, the combination of chocolate, nuts and apples is redolent of the sensible picnics supplied in children's adventure stories. Ripping! What oh! Enjoy.

pastry: 8oz flour, pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar; 2oz vegan margarine, dry white wine.

Sift dry ingredients together twice. Rub the margarine into the dry ingredients. Add a glass of white wine, and mix with a spatula or with your hands until it forms lumps. Bring the pastry together by kneading briefly, add more wine if it seems too dry.

Rest pastry for half an hour.

Make filling: Roast 120 grams hazelnuts in a moderate oven until they are golden. Rub hazelnuts vigorously in a tea-towel to loosen skins and, when cool, place in a blender with an equal amount of dark cooking chocolate broken into large pieces.

Process the chocolate and hazelnuts just enough to break the nuts up a bit and round off the corners of the chocolate pieces.

Peel 4 large, crisp & sweet apples (I used pink lady apples) and slice into 8 wedges each.

Roll out a little more than half of the pastry to the size of your pie plate (mine is about 25 cm, I think). Place on pie plate, sprinkle with semolina or bread crumbs and a desert-spoon of sugar. Cover with a layer of apple wedges, sprinkle with chocolate and nut mixture. Repeat until you have used all the apple, and hazelnuts and chocolate.

Cover with the other half of the pastry, and seal edges together in a decorative manner. Cut vents in the top of the pie.

Cook your pie in a moderate oven for around half an hour or until nicely browned on top.

For vegan occasions, serve with vanilla soy ice-[cream]. Otherwise with cream, un-whipped.

The addition of a sprinkling of brandy to the filling, or perhaps lightly braising the apples in white wine (or maybe butter/margarine and brandy) before they go in to the pie, may be a welcome addition.

genius

2008-05-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to note that whoever came up with the lunchtime special at Dench Bakery in North Fitzroy last Sunday was an ABSOLUTE GENIUS -

half serve of Minestrone with a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich on the side

even the thought of that will keep me warm throughout winter

!

2008-04-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

lentils & thistles

2008-04-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Bracing for the winter months and vowing to try out more new cook-ups, but Sunday dinner was a happy, whoever was in the fridge affair...

* puy lentils slow cooked with carrot, zucchini, lots of good dried oregano, mint & topped with Dodoni feta and olives

** baked pumpkin and cauliflower (my new favourite thing, baked cauliflower)

*** thistle greens gleaned on an excursion to the ever interesting Rockdale (prime op-shopping, burek and continental vegetables). Greens boiled and dressed with oil, lemon, garlic, s&p thanks to combined tips from Spiros & the grocer. Quite silky ~ delicious!

**** radish & cucumber for some crunch, dressed with oil, lemon, sherry vinegar & the last shakes of dulse.

2008-04-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

Some food we've been eating lately.

Frittata -

several eggs, grated carrot, grated red cabbage, grated zucchini, parsley, turmeric, chilli, pepper, salt, cumin mix

Cold Soba Noodles + Fennel salad

dressing: almond paste, soy, mirin, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, a little bit of boiling water,

sesame seeds, spring onions

Pizza -

with polenta base, goats cheese, tomato, rocket, olives, vegetarian hot salami, basil

Leek and Potato soup!

breathing new life into a timeless classic

2008-04-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

well, by the time it was done it was hardly Cauliflower Cheese anymore.

I have fondness for cauliflower - curried, or baked, or steamed and dressed - but never raw, never underdone ... cauliflower has a subtlety and delicacy of flavor that requires thoughtful treatment.

I have a horror of bechamel sauce, that smothering white gloop that tastes of nothing, so that was the first thing to go. I must have absorbed the information that anchovies and chili married well with cauliflower from the indomitable Jane Grigson, and was guided by the memory of a friend from primary school's mother in some kind of ankle length tapestry dress serving up cauliflower cheese as a Sunday afternoon treat ... a moment that was surprising, and enlightening, a window onto the lifestyle of sophisticated and bohemian people who ate vegetables as a main course.

I divided my cauliflower into manly sized florets and blanched it in boiling salted water, drain, but not too carefully - the water that clings to the cooked vegetable will help to steam it when it is baked later on.

In a large pan, I gently cooked some anchovy fillets, garlic and fresh red chili in a generous amount of olive oil and butter. When the garlic was looking like it may turn golden, I turned the cauliflower gently in this mixture, making sure everything was well coated.

I arranged the cauliflower in a baking dish, added a little milk, gave it a shake, then distributed a reasonable quantity of grated parmesan and breadcrumbs over the top. It went into a hot oven for 10 minutes, then the temperature was reduced to medium, and it cooked for a further 20 minutes, until golden with plenty of crunchy bits.

Exceptionally good end of the working week food, served with a cos and herb salad and a beer.

PIE FLOATER!

2008-03-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Travelling far? Then eat something from yr hometown before you go
This is my farewell meal for Josh

Pea Soup
500g Split Green Peas - rinse and drain then left soaking for 24 hourss
1 Lemon
Ginger
Garlic
I whole leek - sliced and sauteed with the garlic and ginger
Tamari/Soy Sauce
Wine Vinegar
Ground Pepper
Cup Of BonSoy
Half a Litre of Water

No need to use exact measurements - cook to taste - sautee leek,ginger and garlic, throw in split peas and water, boil then simmer till soft, add lemon, pepper, soy sauce, bonsoy and blend - bring back to heat and simmer till serving

We used La Panellas vegan pies on High st but you can also get meat ones or bake your own

Float the pie - stab with yr thumb and cover in Tomato Sauce

2008-03-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

I was trying to think of different ways of cooking tempeh today because i always tend to fry them with soy and it becomes a little unexciting especially when you have to work through a whole slab of tempeh by yourself. So i tried baking them and it turned out really well. the mixture is: mustard, curry powder, salt, honey/agave mixed together and then dip tempeh strips into them and put them in the oven and turn when they start to brown. i also poured some hot water into the bowl with the remaining mixture and used a brush to apply the rest to the other side when it got dry. Also red cabbage and beetroot salad - yum!!

2008-03-28T03:47:00.000-07:00

probably my favourite meal to share,

19 Smith Street in Chinatown Singapore, the la mian noodles are made by the owner of the shop who stands in the kitchen in the back of the shop working the noodles into long lengths, and slightly varying widths. The la mian with been pork sits on 2/3 of the noodle surface and shredded cucumber takes up the rest. These noodles have a joy that it's hard to find in food. I love them.

my dad showed me this restaurant years ago and i go there more than anywhere else, except the pool and kinokunya, when i'm in the city. when you sit down the co-owner, noodle maker's wife, brings you pickled vegetables that are gritty with crushed nut and spicy and sweet. The pineapple tastes amazing with the cold sweet tea.

FAVOURITE CUTS carrot owls

2008-03-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

scone

2008-03-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

I recently had a hankering for scones.

The thing that is appealing about the scone is it's basic-ness, immediacy and connotation of hospitality.

My favorite bit of scone wisdom is from a friend of my parents who lives in rural Queensland - she once told me that you should start making your batch of scones when you see your visitors' car in the distance. The scones I've always made have been wholemeal, due to beginning my baking life in the late '70s. I think that it was the first thing that I was able to make myself.

My other piece of scone apocrypha is from a chef who claims their grandmother as champion scone maker in the A.C.T. She used only plain flour, cream & soda water. Doesn't that immediately conjure up images of a pale yellow kitchen with red laminex bench tops?

This is my recent variation.

Light the oven and turn it to the highest setting. Grease and flour a flat baking tray.
Juice half an orange and marinate a handful of currants in the juice.
Sift together 2 cups of wholemeal flour, a pinch of salt and 4 teaspoons of baking powder. Sift the flour again.
Rub in 60g or two tablespoons of butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Lift the flour way up as you do this (it makes the scones lighter).
Drain the orange juice from the currants into your measuring cup, add the currants to the flour mixture. Stir to distribute currants well.
Top up the orange juice with milk to make one cup of liquid. Add approximately half to the flour and mix with a knife or a spatula. Keep adding liquid and mixing until you have a slightly sticky dough that holds together in a casual kind of way.
Turn out onto a well floured bench top and bring the mixture together with your hands. Pat it into a evenly thick flat shape that's around 3cm deep.
Cut out rounds with a glass or squares with a knife. Arrange close together on the baking sheet and brush the tops with remaining liquid.
Place in oven and turn temperature down to 220C - they should take 12 minutes. Turn the baking sheet once during cooking.
Once cooked, tip the scones onto a clean tea towel and bundle them up until ready to serve.

These are good with butter only, and a cup of tea.

I'm fond of a cheese scone - use grated parmesan, finely chopped spring onion & parsley, and a generous pinch of paprika or cayenne. These are good with a glass of medium sherry.

Plain scones would be good to serve with that plum jam I made a while ago.

For Ian Brackenbury Channell

2008-03-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

In spite of my present interest in gastronomical economy, brought on by the morbidly high cost of quality foodstuffs due to this alien heat, I sometimes feel the need to break the misery of the market and cheer myself up with a small treat now and then (even if it is a little meretricious – if only you could see what I really feed upon.)

I first came across this recipe when I was living at Albion St but never could make it due to the scarcity of some of the ingredients at the time. I am not sure of its origins but strongly suspect that the Golden Bough would point the finger at Bel-tein hence my posting at this time of year. Some friends will know of my fondness for this recipe, and some of them will murmur the word cholesterol under their breaths – but like many another I cannot pay any attention to that for this is a good recipe to know of and has an air of barbaric luxury to it.

THE COLLOSSAL EGG

1 sheeps bladder
1 bulls bladder
48 eggs separated into whites and yolks.

Put into a sheep bladder 48 egg yolks and sew shut. Submerge in boiling water until yolks have set as a semi firm sphere. Peel bladder and place yolk ball aside.
Place some whites in a rounded bowl slightly smaller than the bulls bladder and double boil. Remove when set, and place cooked whites inside the bulls bladder. Sit the yolk upon this biscuit of whites and fill the bladder with the remaining egg white. Sew shut and submerge in boiling water until whites have set. Peel and serve in a large wooden bowl of straw.

2008-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time , i set out to cook something not knowing exactly what i wanted to make - only that it had to incorporate brown rice sweet potato and broccoli. While the rice was boiling, i changed my mind too many times and what resulted from a rough plan of porridge, and then to soup was an accidental risotto. Just boil brown rice with sweet potato for a while then add broccoli and chickpeas, then add a spoon full of white miso, dash of soy, pepper and sambal. Garnish with sesame seeds, spring onions and parsley. LEKKER!

Also you may have noticed my use of the same bowel in several photos. That is because all the plates and bowels in the house have pink rainbow swirls on them and this is the only one which doesn't.

'Japanese'

2008-03-16T15:18:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I cook these meals which I call Japanese, and there are indeed many Japanese ingredients involved, but somehow they are so Australian, too.
The Norwegians used to ask me what typical Australian food is, and other than things like damper, vegemite and anzac biscuits, this is the kind of food I think of, with origins in any number of cuisines, but full of freshness...

Kangaroo fillets cut into strips and marinated in mirin, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and tamari, then braised with onion; avocado with lemon; blanched green beans; pickled ginger; carrot and cucumber salad.

Late Post

2008-03-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

From Stiks' birthday barbeque

with strong flavours

2008-03-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

a curious recipe, worth perfecting by juggling the amounts of each ingredient ... this version is modeled on one I learnt from Elena when I worked at Yelza.
for one or two people:

pasta: either linguine or bavette
salt
olive oil
4 - 6 anchovy fillets, cut small
2 cloves garlic
half a red onion, finely diced, soaked in red wine for a half to one hour
a handful of pine-nuts, toasted
a handful of currants
finely chopped parsley
parmesan cheese, shaved or grated

put the pasta on to cook in salted water.

Over lowish heat, cook the anchovies and garlic in olive oil until garlic starts to colour. Add onions and red wine, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Add currants. When red wine has reduced (to a kind of syrupy consistency), add pine-nuts and half the parsley. Set aside until the pasta is done. Return to heat, add drained pasta, remaining parsley, half of the parmesan, oil to lubricate, if needed. Fold all ingredients through pasta thoroughly. Serve with additional parmesan to garnish, if needed.

the dish is called (in Italian) 'pasta i sapori forti' - pasta with strong flavours. The combination is a subtle and nourishing thing.

bats love mangoes

2008-03-12T03:30:00.000-07:00

My neighbour Elizabeth dressing her mango trees to try and thwart the bats, who are visiting nightly. I love this garden! The view from my kitchen window & she grows so many interesting things down there. I scored all this green fruit in the anti-bat efforts, which have ripened up beautifully on the sill

2008-03-10T02:48:00.000-07:00

Some food i've been eating lately.

grilled salmon soaked in dressing made from soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and a sugar alternative, i use agave, white wine or vinegar or white wine vinegar. i'm also really obsessed with sweet potato at the moment. They are best wrapped in foil and roasted in the oven until they are soft in the middle - it reminds me eating them from street venders in china

I don't really eat out much here because everything is so super expensive. but occasionally i splurge. This was really nice - pumpernickel bagel with goats cheese, honey, walnuts and thyme. what a combination!

I bought this one jar of cashew paste and i just use it in everything as a butter or cream replacement. I made this dish with Tempeh, mushrooms, spinach - it was really delicious.

Since i've been in Amsterdam, i've started to realise how many australian products i eat and use on a regular basis. The other day i went to the Noordermarkt which is an organic market that sells the MOST amazing bread and cheese and nuts, and fresh produce. I saw that one of the stalls, the had bonsoy, and i've come to the conclusion that it really is still the most unbeatable soymilk in the world i think. The other one is teatree oil, i still use that all the time. and of course, macadamia nuts. There's this brand of ice cream here with chains of stores in several locations called 'Australian', it's homemade ice cream, but i have a feeling it is only a holland phenomenon.

LITTLE BIT OF EARTH

2008-03-03T15:49:00.001-08:00

MISO SOUP

i guess its with that end of summer/change of season thing that i get drawn to soups... miso soup especially at the moment; quick to make, earthing, hearty (yet light) and warming.

i start with either of two methods

01. make a sort of dashi broth with water, tamari, mirin, ginger (whole if i'm being lazy or grated), 2 or 3 whole shiitake mushrooms and a 2 inch stick of kombu. after simmering for some time i add a little bit of ume vinegar (to add a pungent element) then add vegetables

02. if i feel like something a little bit richer, i like to fry soaked and drained finely sliced shiitake mushrooms and ginger (sometimes half an onion) in a little bit of toasted sesame oil, then add other ingredients to make broth + vegetables

++ the vegetables i usually like in miso soup are jap pumpkin, radish (whole or cut in half) or daikon, carrot, corn (cut with cob... cob adds heaps of sweet flavour to the stock, i sometimes add a cob if i have one to the stock anyway), wakame and lately just before serving i add finely chopped kale

++ i add the miso paste (i prefer either barley or rice miso from spiral) to each bowl and add enough hot stock to it to mix through then add the soup and stir through. its good not to boil miso as this kills the good stuff (acidophulus etc.)

++ i like to serve with a few drops of sesame oil, finely sliced spring onions and as i haven't had any kombu or wakame lately, a sprinkle of dulse flakes.

++ if i have used kombu i like to take it out of the stock and cut a few thin slices to add to each serve. i do someting similar to the shiitake mushrooms if i have used them whole in the stock.

++ also you can make the stock without vegetables and keep and use to make fresh batches of soup daily

fragrant/hot/sweet

2008-03-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

I made this for Sunday dinner, having in mind something that I have eaten before at a Southern Indian restaurant.

I made a spice mixture with about two dessertspoons of coriander seeds, one of cumin, and about half that again of fennel seeds, roasted in a dry pan and then ground in a mortar and pestle. I mixed this with maybe a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a little less of ground cloves.

In a food processor a reduced half an onion and a piece of fresh ginger about the length of my thumb to a paste, which I mixed with the spice mixture, some turmeric and ground black pepper.

I sliced up the other half of the onion, and fried it slowly in some vegetable oil with a whole dried chilli cut in half. When the onion was browned nicely, I added the spice paste and cooked it until it smelt nicely. I added chickpeas (well soaked and boiled) and some potatoes, cut into large cubes. When everything was nicely combined, I added water, not quite enough to cover, and a generous pinch of salt. Once it had come to the boil, I covered it, and reduced the heat to as low as possible.

When the potato was soft, I added about a dessertspoon of pomegranate concentrate. This last ingredient wasn’t really authentic to South Indian cuisine, but I guess if you wanted authenticity, you could use tamarind, if that’s what they use in Southern India. So I guess my version was a kind of Indian/Persian/general middle eastern one. I was surprised with the result, it was like the dish that I have eaten before at the restaurant – but with more heat, and I think all the more enjoyable that I had made it myself. Making the spice mixture, I felt like a blind man, finding his way by smell.

I imagine you could make a raita to go with this – with grated cucumber, mint or coriander. But it went fine with plain yoghurt, and plain Basmati rice.

Such successes are incentive to eat out at better and better Indian restaurants, to find more dishes to replicate.

mallung meal

2008-02-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

DHAL with RADISH GREENS MALLUNG, TOMATO + ONION SALAD & LIME PICKLE on BURGHUL

[leftovers for lunch today ~ even better than last night. Save for the mallung, which was amaaazing freshly made]

DHAL
--onion fried with the usual spices [bay & curry leaves, mustard seeds, garam masala, turmeric, cardamon, cumin, coriander]
--stir in a cup or so of lentils + garlic & chilli + pepper
--two veg... i had cauliflower & zucchini
--bit of stock then water
--cook til melted together nicely
--season along the way with splashes of mirin + tamari

MALLUNG
he.marli's recipe from the 'pickings' comment OR with a bare pantry i got away with:
--oil flavoured/fried with a whole garlic clove (fine chopped onion is better)
-- add fine sliced radish greenery (or anything else green, or cabbage)
--fry together with a few tablespoons dessicated coconut, turmeric, dried chilli, big pinch of salt & lemon juice to moisten.
--done when greens are cooked... not long

TOMATO & ONION
--fine sliced onion + tomato + juice of a lemon + a little oil + S & P
--mix it with your hands

eaten on coarsish BURGHUL cooked absorption method with a little stock ~pearl barley is even nicer. Both lighter than rice.

with my favourite head-clearing LIME PICKLE ~ Fern's is the best!

the beautiful bean

2008-02-27T00:52:00.000-08:00

I found fresh borlotti beans at the grocer's this morning. I never fail to be enchanted by their mottled pink and white pods, and the delicate white, green, pale pink and maroon beans. I cooked these in lightly salted boiling water, and then incorporated them into a salad with tomatoes, parsley stalks, parsley, red onion, mint, bread, olive oil and lemon juice. This is good with sausages. Pork and fennel sausages work well. Sausages and beans are meant to go together.

chickpea soba noodles

2008-02-26T15:22:00.001-08:00

who knew chickpeas and buckwheat noodles would go so well together!

onions
garlic
carrots
mushrooms
spinach
mirin
water
vegetable broth/ stock
chickpeas
soba noodles
white miso paste

to be added in that order roughly.

1 2 3 GO

2008-02-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

WHITE RICE/PAN FRIED MUSHROOMS with LEMON THYME/CUCUMBER, SNOW PEA and AVOCADO SALAD/PERSIAN KALE/CHICKPEAS with HARISSA and PUMPKIN/OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES and BASIL/ROASTED POTATOES

last week renee and i decided to make a meal together. we shoppped separately but then cooked in the kitchen together, consulting each other but not really with any grand plans. like those rare times when you have a potluck (rarely lucky) and everyone by some collecitve consciounsce brings just the right amount of each course and the flavours seem to sing together (more or less), we syncopated. the meal evolved effortlessly and flavoursomly.

WHITE RICE
a japanese friend of mine taught me how to cook rice, slightly more involved than most methods but worth every grain filled morsel

meth
++ rinse thoroughly 2cups of white rice (i like short grain) until it runs clear (the white suff that runs out is apparently talc...)
++ soak for 20-30mins, then drain
++ bring 2cups of water to a boil in a pot with a well fitted lid and add the rice placing the lid back on
++ bring back to the boil, then immediately turn flame down to lowest possible flutter and place a flame tamer under your pot if you have one (really useful for dispersing the heat evenly on low flames)
++ cook for 20mins (without ever removing lid) then bring flame up to full again for 20 seconds (slighlty toasting the bottom layer of the rice) then remove from heat
++ leave for 5 more minutes then remove lid and fluff rice up to release the steam

quick snack options with freshly cooked rice (white or brown)
++ toasted seeds (pumpkin/sunflower/sesame) + umeboshi + flaxseed oil (stoney creek farm is my favourite) + dulse flakes or fresh parsley

late night pickings

2008-02-19T04:43:00.000-08:00

Even a bolting, forgotten garden is a blessing in busy times...
Prize radish + rocket-cos-mizuna.
Interested in tips on how to use the radish greenery? So lush & folic.

Lunch

2008-02-17T03:51:00.000-08:00

Ceramic cuts

2008-02-16T00:05:00.001-08:00

Rory brought back this ceramic knife from Japan. The blade is made of zirconium oxide which the Kyocera website tells me is second in hardness to diamonds. The knife is really light but has a good central balance, it cuts exceptionally, and although the handle is ugly slate toned plastic it is entirely ergonomic and comfortable. The range is also produced with a black blade, but the white is super attractive - slightly iridescent with the calcareous quality of a cuttlefish bone.

Schweetums

2008-02-15T19:37:00.000-08:00

This is what's classified in Norway as something light to finish off a meal (of mutton ribs, mashed swede and boiled potatoes):

A slab of cream thickened with lime juice. Garnish.

BTW, Sonsa's on Smith Street have the most amazing pomegranates at the moment.

Drunken ostentatious dessert at bourgie rooftop expat bar in Kuala Lumpur:

And the best kind of dessert, or breakfast for that matter - Matthew's aunt's mulberry tree:

people should.....

2008-02-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

today i feel like i'm getting a cold,

and i thought:

why don't people serve freshly brewed ginger tea everywhere?

...especially in a climate as cold as this gets.....

people should serve this in cafes!

so now i'm home this is what i'm doing, washing and slicing ginger, and simmering it in water in a lovely little pot until it is so hot, and then drinking it with some honey and some lemon.

more! from the broadway markets

2008-02-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

once again, the lure of the market pulls me on a saturday morning, but

this time lucky enough to have Petra visit from Figures for a weekend

of eats and constant treats! yeah.

the booty we schlepped back from the market;

english cox apples (usually hate them in australia - always mushy, but here so crisp and complex and just delicious)

apple-pear juice

spelt bread

harissa

olives stuffed with garlic

daikon root

black-kale

cabbage

fennel

broad beans (so sweet...)

beets

shallots

goats cheese-loggins, moulded like a blue cheese

and what we whipped up:

spelt bread with goats cheese, tapenade and harissa:

fennel salad: ( i think i've eaten this salad on average, like, 3 times a week for the last 10 years its my absolute favorite flavour....)

- 1 bulb fennel sliced really finely

- lemon zest (finely sliced rind of lemon)

- lemon juice

- sliced kalamata and green olives

- parsley

- olive oil

- sea salt and pepper

++whip up olive oil with lemon juice, zest, S&P

++ add the fennel, olives and parsley

++ mix and serve!

------------------------------------------------------------

we also sauted black-kale with:

++ shallots in olive oil, sauteded til soft and golden

++ add some salt and pepper and more olive oil

++ add in some fresh fresh sweet braod beans (i like them double shelled but petra likes them single....so this recipe has single shelled beans), cook up quickly

++ add in ripped up black-kale (i take out the stalks coz they are hard to chew)

++ then add some freshly chopped tomatoes and a bit more olive oil, cook a tiny bit more til it looks good to eat

2008-02-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

Banana Cornbread

____________

I combined a few different recipes to make this

it worked out quite well if you like dense bread with no butter and sugar.

2 cups cornmeal

4 ripe bananas

2 tsp baking powder

cinnamon

maple syrup or molasses (if you want it to to be sweet, but i also like it plain)

nutmeg

ground cloves

milk/ water

I'm really addicted to (food in general at the moment), but especially macadamia nuts - so tasty.

2008-02-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hummus Place was the one the best places we ate at in East Village, NY.

Torino

2008-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

A butcher in Turin dedicated exclusively to horse-meat:

Hormone central:

Much respect to the chocolatier who came up with the idea to make a savoy cabbage out of chocolate, and then actually went and did it.

Becky Bellwether with post-Artissima feast from Eataly:

When we first arrived in Turin, someone had said 'you have to go to this place called Eataly, it's amazing', and we were like 'Eataly? That is the worst name in the world, it must be bad', but when you walk in there you find yourself in a supermarket with the most mindblowing range of Italian foodstuffs imaginable, including a full aisle dedicated to olive oil classified by region, a truffle counter which stinks from about ten metres away, super-fresh rabbits and seafood, locally made nougat, piles of fresh oranges, and so on and on... we loved Eataly.

Literary indulgence

2008-02-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

While some we know are skiing the Japanese slopes, attended by butlers bearing champagne, skiing alongside.

From aptly named authors Medlar Lucan & Durian Gray, comes The Decadent Cookbook: Recipes of Obsession and Excess. Not entirely a cookbook, rather an assemblage of decadent writing on food interspersed with recipes, the book enables the reader to re-create such meals as Caligula's dinner of Roast Dormice or the Marquis de Sade's preferred dessert (complete with recommended codes of conduct). One entry of note introduces the keeper of the greatest table in 18th century Paris Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de la Reyniere. As the city's unequivocal host, his parties were the hot ticket, indeed his 'banquet burial', a dinner inspired by death, was attended not only by dining companions but also 300 invited spectators. Aware the reputation of a dinner party relies on scandal, Grimod de la Reyniere shockingly claimed a family member supplied the diner's pork. Though untrue, the false revelation of low social connections so humiliated his parents they had him exiled from Paris.

plum

2008-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

We recently moved to Preston, which is in the north-east of Melbourne. Along with all of our belongings we took about 5 kilos of plums from the blood-plum tree in the garden of our former home. On the advice of my friend Meg - creator of the formidable plum cake once served at the Black Cat Cafe in Fitzroy -, I halved and stoned half of our crop and froze it. This will give me time to plan plum duff, plum crumble, and that German Black Plum Tart in the Claudia Roden book that I made once and loved so much. I might also glaze a bit of duck or pork with some plum puree ... The other, less ripe half, I made into jam. The recipe is adapted from one which is apparently Mrs Beeton's -

for every 450g of fruit, weighed before being stoned, allow 340g of sugar. Divide the plums, remove the stones, and reserve about half to two thirds of the stones for later. Lay the halved fruit face up in a deep dish and sprinkle with the sugar. Continue in layers, until you have used all the fruit and the sugar. Leave overnight, or for 24 hours.

Crack the plum stones and remove the kernels.

When you are ready to make the jam, empty the plums and sugar in a large pan, with the juice of a lemon, and the peel and pith of half of the lemon. Heat gently and simmer for about 20 minutes, throw in the kernels from the stones, then boil vigorously for 15 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent the jam burning on the bottom of the pan. Test for set-ness in the usual way. I place a saucer in the freezer for a while, then put a blob of jam on the saucer and return it to the freezer for 1 minute. If you can draw your finger through it and leave a distinct trail, the jam is set. If not, boil for a further 10 - 15 minutes and test it again.

What I like about this method is it's slow and meditative quality, stretching out the process out over a day or a day and a half. I like the pleasing progress of the plums as the sugar draws out the juices, and the absence of the need to heat sugar in oven and test the jam with a thermometer. It's a recipe with a gratifyingly chunky result.

There is some doubt these days as to whether Mrs Beeton actually wrote, or even tested her recipes ... but I nevertheless like the simplicity and the fact that the method assumes that you have some common sense.

In between halving, sprinkling, cracking and freezing, I went to our local grocery store for a look around and a bit of a shop for necessities. The woman in the store said that she calls these "tiger plums", but the box they are displayed in said they were a "dappled dandy"

the skin is a weird and slightly unnerving dappled green-yellow and brownish red. The inside is so beautiful, so wonderful ... and tastes something like a cross between a plum and a strawberry. Sweet, tart, slightly woody.

winter-ness

2008-02-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

i was shown this place to eat by Kirsty Ogg from the Showroom. It's only a walk away from where I'm working, in a pavilion by the lake in the famous Victoria Park. Traditionally a park for the health and recreation of the working class of the east-end, the area is now well and truly gentrified - serving up hordes of new-ling parents delicacies such as lamb and lentil stew or organic mushroom soup. Oh and they do flat whites with bonsoy. How very Melbourne!

northern inversions

2008-02-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

some east london institutions:

Season

2008-02-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Plums from my dad, rosemary from Stix's mum, lemons from Andrew and Geoff's.

Catching up...

2008-02-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

Bacalao is a Portuguese/Spanish way to prepare Norwegian salted cod. I learnt to make it in Trondheim from a woman named Helga, who had an incredible instinct for cooking.
I only have images of the preparation prior to cooking:

BACALAO

Best made in a great big pot and shared with many.

Ingredients:
1 dried, salted cod (saltfisk) - you can buy them at the Mediterranean Wholesalers, those whole dried fish that look as though they are roaring
2kg fresh tomatoes, thickly sliced
1kg white onions, roughly chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato puree
1 whole bulb garlic, roughly chopped
Loads of olive oil
Water
2kg potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 habanero chillies, finely chopped

Cut the saltfisk into chunks and soak for 24 hours, changing the water 3 times during the soaking period. Keep refrigerated whilst soaking. Drain.

Put the sliced potato in water about 2 hours prior to cooking and leave to soak, then drain. This helps the potato to cook evenly with the fish.

Heat a large, deep pot, put a splash of olive oil, a handful of onion, a can of tomatoes and a handful of fresh tomato (chopped) into the pan and cook until the onion begins to become transparent. This is to sort of start it off.
Then turn the heat off, and layer the pan up in this order, the way you would a moussaka:
Potatoes, fish, onion and garlic, tomatoes, chili, daubs of puree or splashes of canned tomatoes.
The order is important, the fish needs to rest on top of the potatoes.
Layer right up to the top of the pan, then pour on about 1 cup olive oil and 1 cup water or so, such that when you tilt the pan you can see the liquid appear.
Cover and bring to the boil, then lower heat and cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. It is cooked when the potatoes are ready.
Serve with fresh, warm bread (ideally pariserloff), herb butter, and a bowl of olives.

who said food in england was shite?

2008-02-02T10:39:00.002-08:00

on my way to the studio this morning (driven threre by a bout of anxiety that time is a slipping....i mean its a saturday....) and i got distracted a wee bit by the lure of BROADWAY MARKETS. Everyone i've met over the last 10 days insists on it, and so, a freezing but somewhat bright morning seemed perfect to try out what, on approach, made itself abundantly evident that it is THE bourgiest little corner of London (i think - i mean i havent exactly exahusted all the possibilities for this and I'm sure such corners abound)...and we know what this means don't we - the best food on earth.....almost.

like this here fresh pheasant:

and it gets better - wild mushrooms!! and they cook them on site into a "medley of mushroom sandwich"....errr i wish i hadn't eaten that brown rice museli an hour before...

and these quaint wooden barrels full of stuffed olives, tapenade, dolmades, harissa et al...served up by 2 incredibly good looking and somewhat arrogant french ex-patters. That'll be 3 pound 45, please

which i took to the studio and used to spruce up my rather white-looking lunch of lima beans (they call them butter beans here....a garnish of dolmades and extra-oily tapenade that i still seem to be digesting almost 12 hours later....urgh

recepie for lima/butter beans:

1 cup of beans - soaked overnight and simmered slowly until tres tres soft but not falling apart. this can be tricky at times...i often find my beans in a mashy-soupy state and it really is too late once this transformation has occured....i find that the longer you soak the beans (ie. overnight) - the better chance yr gonna have making sure they stay intact during the cooking process. Cook for like, 20 minutes, and be at the pot so as to catch them if they dare threaten to get any softer...

1 leek, chopped
1 onion chopped
lots of garlic
fresh or dried rosemary
sea salt
pepper
olive oil
lemon zest

++ sauted the onion til clear and starting to caramelize (in lots of olive oil....and add water a bit to help soften)...i usally grind in heaps of pepper and add sea salt toward the end of this stage - chilli can be nice too
++ add the leek and rosemary and cook til soft
++ then add the garlic and keep cooking (by the way stirring consistently, adding water to soften etc)
++then add in the cooked beans, more seasoning, more oil, and water and cook away, stiring and stewing until it gets all creamy
++ when done, stir threough lots of lemon zest and some roughly chopped italian parsely

+++ so this is what is above in the image (lunch box)
+++ ontop are some roasted tomoatoes from the night before (which have simply been roast in the oven for about one hour with olive oil and sea salt and pepper)
+++ then a flavor explosion is added from the 2 dolmades and the most delicious tapenade i've eaten in a long time.

brown rice museli-ish breakfast

2008-02-02T01:14:00.000-08:00

I've been eating japanese-style breakfasts most mornings since being in London, tofu, wakame, miso et al.
But this morning was in need of sweetness!

This is something i forgot about until i saw the honey jar on the kitchen table. YEAH!

ingredients
- brown rice - best if its freshly cooked, but i usually have a container in the fridge ready to eat
- fat dried raisins
- dollop of tahini (scott would HATE this....)
- vanilla essence
- freshly minced ginger - or powdered ginger is good too
- little bit of cinamon
- toasted sesame seeds
- honey to taste
- soy milk

process
++ steam up the rice in a double steamer (if you are using from a pre-cooked batch -otherwise cook your rice absorption style), add the raisins in there too - they swell up to perfection
++ while that's cooking, get a bowl, add in the tahini, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, and toasted sesame seeds - mix it all up into a creamy consistency. I find adding a bit of water to moisten is a good trick.
++ add in the hot rice and raisins, and also the sesame seeds, and mix it all together
++ add in soy milk as you would museli

extras
+++ add chopped fruit on top, i had kiwi fruit this morning (was craving greeness...which has been hard to get in a wintery city dominated by root vegetables....) but i think strawberries or any berries are better with this
+++ i always find i need to add extra honey
+++oh and i had some awesome organic soft goats cheese in the fridge which was delicious on top too!

2008-02-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

This is one of the best teas i have ever tasted. i had it at a microbiotic cafe here in amsterdam and it's served with apple juice and honey. MU tea is made up of about 15 different herbs, it's amazing! I must say foods that have been on my mind of late include: soy yoghurt and waffles. the waffles are so addictive here it's insane!

2008-01-31T15:15:00.000-08:00

This is our first house warming meal. i had this sudden craving for damper (butter, salt, self raising flour and water), it was the first time i made it actually and it tastes really great! the soup is an ethiopian lentil soup which has potatos, canned tomatos, mushrooms, green beans, lentils, a mixture of whatever spices are in the pantry, also super nice. the real recipe is from here.

2008-01-30T23:02:00.000-08:00

spanish rice
yeah so this is really one of bianca's recipes (with a couple of minor deviations) but i was in the mood for making it, so delicious...

Ing.
spanish onion (fine slice)
shallots
garlic
cups short grain white rice
pessata
unpitted kalamata olives
coriander root and stalks
chilli
cinnamon stick
tumeric
cumin seeds
thyme
bay leaf (soo much better from a tree than then from the sachet)
danish (or other) fetta

Meth.
++ usual cook up... so i start with onion + shallots in o.oil (lots, i also have a little water in pan/pot before i put oil in), almost till caramelised ( if sticking along the way add little bit water)
++ add garlic + chilli + coriander roots/stalks then other spices (not yet with bay leaf and thyme) stir up
++ add rice and stir making sure that all rice gets coated in oily mixture
++ add pessata + water + olives
++ keep stirring and adding a little water (not too much) till sticky but not sludgy (like
paella rice not risotto) + sea salt + thyme + bay leaf
++ serve with fetta and coriander leaves

salads
+++ the cucumber salad is simple with only salt and a little lemon
+++ fennel salad consists of finely sliced fennel + parsley (flat or fuzzy) + lemon/salt/olive oil dressing
+++ beetroot&cucumber was helen's... anyway it was delicious, i'm somewhat obsessed with beetroot at the moment somthing to do with the darkness and intensity of it