Category Archives: Food Glorious Food

Party shoes and churros

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churros- a little late night snack

Churros. Pretty much a spanish doughnut, is what it could be compared to. There are so many variations of these in many Spanish-speaking countries. Served for breakfast, street food, or a late night snack. It seems the world loves them.

Usually I would have never made something like this. I’m not a big doughnut fun, and the healthy factor always stopped me from trying to make these before. Its dough fried in oil, rolled in sugar, not for the faint-of-healthy-hearted!

However I had been perusing a Gourmet Traveller magazine and damn it, the photography got to me. It was a Spanish special and no sooner than you could say “Yo no soy marinero soy capitan, soy capitan“, I had a spanish meal plan at the ready.

Much to an amused husband, I declared that I should give these Churros a crack. Although he was a little dubious, was also enthusiastic, as Churros dipped in Hot Chocolate is a happy food memory for him traipsing about Spain in younger days. With a backpack on his back, party shoes on his feet and a churros in hand, Spain was his oyster.

Churros

275gms ‘OO’ strong flour

1 tbs olive oil

1 tps salt

600mls water

Bring water, salt and oil to the boil in a large saucepan. Stir in flour, beating with a wooden spoon until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag with a fluted nozzle. Heat oil in saucepan, pipe dough into 7cm lengths into oil, cutting with scissors. Cook until golden, drain on absorbant paper. Toss in sugar and cinnamon.

Hot Chocolate

200ml cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cinnamon quill

150 gm dark chocolate

2 large strips of orange rind

*adapted recipe from Gourmet Traveller Magazine.

Eat these hot and straight away. They do not keep, as they will be oily little flaccid sticks if you keep them for the next day.

Honey Ricotta Bread

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“Mama, this tastes better than cupcakes!”

Recently while watching Italian Food Safari a few weeks ago, they cooked up a wonderful looking Ricotta Bread but they hadn’t laid out any recipes on the website- much to my disappointment. Not finding any other recipes elsewhere that seemed just right, I decided to venture out in to the unknown by myself.

It was a little nerve-wracking, there was a dash of timidness, and a sprinkling of hope. I have only been playing around with breads a relatively short time, and I wasn’t exactly sure it was time to be branching off and making stuff up just yet… hasn’t stopped me before though. So feet first (so to speak of course) I dove into that dough. I figured at worst, it will be stodgy little brick and I will still have to eat it. At best, it will be delicious bready loaf and everyone gets to eat it.

Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial had given me the heads up on a place that sold bulk bakers flour. So with 12.5 kilos of strong bakers flour sitting on my kitchen bench, it was time to get crackin’.

Honey Ricotta Bread

1 cup polenta

2 1/2 cups strong bakers flour

2 tps dried yeast

2 tps salt

250g ricotta

4 tbs honey

400ml water

With a dough hook, mixed everything up in the mixmaster. Once thoroughly mixed through, I left it for 10 minutes. A gentle knead on a floured surface then put in slightly oiled bowl, covered with cling wrap for 1/2 an hour, (or until doubled in size.). Another gentle knead, flattening the dough to an inch thick, folding over into 1/3, then folding again from the other side. Back into the bowl and then repeating the process in another half an hours time. Form into the shape that you want to cook in and let the dough rise for another 20-30 minutes or until risen by about a 1/3. Cook at 240 C until golden and sound hollow when knocked.

(Time varies depending on the shape you have cooked it in, ie. Bread rolls vs loaf)

Outcome? It was delicious! Thats when Monkey Boy said “Mama, this tastes better than cupcakes!” Now, if that isn’t a tick of approval I don’t what is.

Like Water for Chocolate

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The movie poster for Like water for chocolate

Like Water for Chocolate movie poster

Like Water for Chocolate- by Laura Esquivel, has always been a book that I have savoured. A book that involves romance, tragedy and food. Three key ingredients that can hardly go wrong in a best selling novel. A sumptuous feast of a book that follows the main character Tita, and her life long love Pedro.

Writing about  mindfulness recently, I was reminded of it, so I re-read it again.  This book talks of emotions being felt when cooking and the taste of that emotion in the end result. Causing anyone that eats the food to be effected by it. When the main character is in love, the love comes out in her cooking. When she feels sad and bitter while making her sister’s wedding cake, the eating result is everyone is left with a tearful longing, ending with a collective vomiting.

The scene of the final wedding feast where everyone has paired off after eating chillies in walnut sauce, makes for wonderful imagery.

I wanted to cook like Tita. Or at least a little Mexican influenced. So with Mole on my mind I did an easy version. Not because I wanted it to be easy, but because time availability dictates what I can cook. (The monkeys are busy business.) I wanted to play around with the flavours of different spices, the chicken, and the chocolate. To be cooked as mindfully as I could, and to put as much love and attention in as I could muster.

Having never tasted a dish like this before, I was unsure of what to expect. But I liked every ingredient that went in, so it had a good head start.

Tasting it, after I had made the sauce, my taste buds weren’t sure what was going on. It had an almost earthy taste, I’m guessing from the 85% Cocoa I had put in. A curious taste that had my mouth, zinging from one side to another  to find another different subtle taste to briefly savour. It had certainly been cooked mindfully, the monkeys were sidetracked and I could put all my love and attention into my little mexican novel cooking inspiration. But had I put too much?

Making the mole the the day before. The next day, I cooked it in a baking dish with chicken legs and added some tomato passata. I felt it needed the added zingy-ness that you get from good tomatoes. Cooked for about an hour at 200 C.

The end result?…

Not bad. I didn’t think “Woohoo Mama!”, and launch myself at my husband, but I didn’t start sobbing and vomiting either. It was certainly flavoursome, packed a chilli punch, and it was a stray out of the usual food street I walk. Served with some rice, flaked almonds and sesame seeds on top.

And when it really comes down to it… it was really all about the book anyway.

Chilli Chocolate Chicken

A good dollop of olive oil

1 diced onion

4 cloves of diced garlic

1 1/2 tps cinnamon

1 tps smoked paprika

1 tps nutmeg

2 tps cumin

2 tps coriander

1 tps dried chilli

salt to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup masala

1/4 cup muscavado sugar

250mls vegetable stock

50 grams 85% cocoa chocolate

Everything cooked in that order, with the broken chocolate added in at the end when the sauce has been turned off the heat.

Baby whale song

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Listening to a 1 year old sing, is a bit like listening to a whale sing its ocean song. Its enchanting, emotive, and brings a soft smile to your lips.

A 20 month old might not sound like a baby to some, but he is my baby. While he is still learning words and and a lot of what comes out his mouth is still gabble, to listen to him singing is enchanting. I turn my head at a tilt just so I can hear it better, just as I would as if I was listening to the magnificent creatures of the deep.

The soft lilting singing, the intonations, the placid look on his face while he goes about his monkey business singing as he does. This makes me want to squeeze him harder. This makes me want to stroke his downey soft baby curls on his head. This makes me want to plant kisses on the back of his sweet soft neck. I don’t though. I stop myself and hold back those hands, hugs and kisses. Hoping to let nothing side track him and detract from his baby whale song.

Apple Plum cake

125 grams butter

2/3 cup raw sugar

2 tps vanilla

3 eggs

1/2 cup natural yoghurt

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

100 grams ground hazelnut

1 tps cinnamon

1 apple and 4 plums pre-cooked

Add butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mixing in the 3 eggs and natural yoghurt. Add all dry ingredients. To a springform pan (20cm) add half the mixture, then a add a layer of the cooked fruit mixture. On the outside of the pan add the remainder of the cake mixture, leaving a hole in the middle for the fruit. Add any remainding fruit mixture to the middle and cook for 45 mins at 180 C or until golden.

Capital L for Locavore

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Locavore

A relatively new word that was added to the Oxford Dictionary just a few years ago. Refers to some one who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius. Sometimes called the 100 mile club or for us Aussies it’s a 160km club (but that doesn’t have quite the same ring to it does it.)

Encouraging people to either eat from food they have produced themselves, from farmers markets or within the radius. Locally grown food cuts down on food miles, encourages people to eat healthier, and sustains smaller independent growers that could possibly be bought out by bigger corporations. Eating fresher and seasonally are just added bonuses to eating as a locavore.

I was starting to think maybe we should challenge ourselves and see if we can eat solely as locavores for a week. I was all enthusiastic about it, and then I had a reality check. We live in Sydney, far from the wheat belt of NSW, and I’m not so sure I can convince the monkeys that they don’t really need to eat that toast, porridge, weetbix for breakfast. Or be missing out on any pasta and rice for dinner, (I think they are the only kids on the planet that don’t like potatoes.)

To be a true locavore, is it a lifestyle choice that is simply not accessable to everyday people due to budget constraints?

If I was a single person, I could easily eat as a locavore. However incorporating a budget, and two small children’s tastes, I’m not so sure. So what to do?

Try to find some locavore products that would replace our normal everyday groceries without blowing out purse strings. We already eat as seasonally, healthy, making as many things from scratch as possible. Also keeping in mind organic, locally made and fair trade options. Can I find even more alternatives that are within our locavore area?

What am I aiming for?….Locally grown

If I can’t get that….Family farmed.

If thats still tricky…..make it organic,

and if it simply can’t be organic….Make it fair trade.

First up. Lets see where 160km actually gets us.  http://100milediet.org/get-started/map

Milk is a big thing in this household, a lot is consumed each week. I wasn’t sure I would be able to source some milk straight from the supplier, but then remembered I had seen a stall at the South Sydney Markets a while ago and decided to revisit.

Milk- bought from South Sydney Markets, each week on a Sunday. Supplier- Country Valley

At $5.00 for 2 litres, it is more expensive then your average supermarket milk. Taste wise though, milk isn’t just milk so I discovered. It was really creamy and tasted a lot different. It tasted fresher, more flavoursome, and sort of rolled around your mouth more. My husband agreed. The monkeys, they just drank it, as milk is milk after all for some.

This milk hasn’t had to be sent to another processor, so they can bottle and sell the milk from where they are located in Picton. On further reading through their website, I liked what I read and think that it would be good to support them. I also found that there were a lot more stockists about, carrying the milk. Which is great! I like milk options.

Especially locavore milk options.

In my kitchen this weekend…

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Following on from Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. (A delicious blog where I know if I have any foodie questions, I’m sure she has the answers.) A look at what is happening in my kitchen this sunny weekend.

I made some butter after seeing it on Real Food has Curves. Oh, oh, oh… so soft, so delicate. That really was a something else. Will definitely be enjoying that one.

Getting to flick through my new subscription to Sanctuary magazine… ahhh, so many inspiring houses.

A little espresso action. Maybe, just a tad too much, as things are getting done a lot quicker than they normally would.

Made some bread, to go in a birthday hamper for my sister. I’m still toying with the olive oil dough from the Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook.

Frugal Friday #2

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Its the end of the week again, and the fridge is looking a bit slim. I actually don’t mind when it comes to Frugal Friday, as it’s a bit more of a challenge to make something tasty out of not much.

I have a few different breads on my brain this week. Flicking through the lovely ‘Bourke Street Bakery ‘ cookbook there is much to be inspired by. Each recipe makes my heart swell. If there is any cookbook to lay under my pillow at night this would be the one I would choose.

I have been toying with the idea of making a sourdough starter, but have been holding back as it just seems so much work for something I’m not sure of what I am doing- lazy I know. Also lack of space in this little kitchen. Also lack of time, the monkeys they take a lot of it. Excuses, excuses I know. Who knows maybe next week I will change my mind.

I ever entered a bread phase. All I feel like doing is surrounding myself with beautifully risen doughs. There is something quite soul uplifting in kneading, proving, baking, and then eating a food that has been around for ever. I love the science of it and the fact that one tiny little change can completely change the end result.

I grew up with the smell of fresh bread in the air. My mother would make it every third day for the majority of my child hood. When I think of bread, I think of huge rising mounds of proving doughs, rising on the same table that I made pasta on 2 weeks ago. Filtered winter sun coming through the windows, and the kitchen already warm from loaves already baked. It’s such a feeling of comfort to eat bread still warm from the oven.

So I settled on a olive oil bread recipe in the cook book. A little different to any bread that I had made before, but timing it with a monkey nap I could actually put in the mindful attention that it needed and ‘voila‘. Some happy little bread rolls. Sure they didn’t look exactly like the picture- but thats a only a guide right?… and I reckon the next time they just might though.

So budget meal- yes indeed. Resourcefully using a few ingredients that are floating around the fridge with mutterings of”eat me, please eat me”.

Leek and Potato Soup– In a pot put a lovely dollop of olive oil, 2x sliced leeks, 4x potatoes, some vegetable stock, a little  seasoning- and whizz it up. Doesn’t get much easier than that.

Serve with some delicious warm bread.



Peanut butter and marzipan

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Musing one day I was thinking of what foods would sum me up in a nutshell… (why can I not write that without thinking of Austin Powers- “help, help I’m in a nutshell!”) I digress…

Five foods that are me. Foods that define who I am, what I am all about, combined together equal one city hippy farm girl. Five foods if given a week and could only eat these five foods, I would be quite happy. Five foods (not dishes) that are truly delicious and are me, me, me.

Peanut butter– crunchy, and slapped on so thick your tongue gets lost in the fog of it all. The natural one is the best, when its just crushed peanuts. Just quietly, I have been known to eat just with a teaspoon.

Coffee– Its the ritual, the aroma, the kick, and those damn cute little cups. I wouldnt waste my time with instant, its just not the same. The stove top precolator is my weapon of choice. Never to be rushed, always to be enjoyed.

Marzipan– the texture is quite unique don’t you think. It’s kind of gritty, it’s sweet, your not quite sure, so you have a little more. So the circle continues.

Granola/Muesli– it keeps me going and is just the kind of breakfast (or late night snack) that works for me. Lots of seeds and nuts added. Either eaten just with milk or with a dollop of yogurt.

Sourdough– the grainier and fruitier the better. I seriously will have to be cremated with a whole stack of sourdough when its my time to leave this earth. Then everyone can smell just how delicious sourdough is, when they are thinking of me. (a little odd, but think about it…its a good idea isn’t it.)

What would your top 5 be?

Running to the beat of a birthday cake

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It all started with grappling with my ipod. It wasn’t behaving, wouldn’t go to the next song and was trying to deafen me with the volume. That ipod had firm ideas of what it wanted to do and didn’t want to involve me. It wanted it loud and not to skip any songs. Once I had shown it who was boss, and my running had got some sort of rhythm my thoughts turned to cake… as it so happens sometimes.

As my knees began to complain, and my lungs heaved under the strain, my brain was in its happy place. I was thinking about what cake to make my husband for a birthday coming up. See these sorts of things need a lot of thought time to put in to it. I can’t just make ANY cake. I’m the sort of person that starts planning the week AFTER his birthday what sort of  cake I could make for next year. Odd I’m sure. But I like birthdays, I like making cakes and like thinking about  what sort of deliciousness I can make for the following year… a birthday is a lovely excuse to make an effort.

Something that you are not going to find in the cake tin on a Thursday afternoon, (unless your birthday falls on a Thursday of course.) Last year I made an adapted version of a Tiramisu Cake from Smitten Kitchen- oh my! That was a good one.

As my thought were firmly on cake, (and keeping one foot in front of the other) I did think briefly that there was rather a lot of fog about for this time of year. As the sun rose, it was filtering through looking all mystical and lovely. Fellow exercisers ran on regardless, looking like Tolkien’s orcs running a silent battle run through the mist.

Then my thoughts turned back to the cake.

This year had to involve chocolate (of course.) The man had only one requested key ingredient. As long as it involved chocolate he was happy. Who am I to argue?

Running… what about a simple mud cake….

Running…. doesn’t the sunrise look beautiful….

Running….should the cake have different layers.…

Running….darn ipod.…

Running….butter icing?….

Running….oh look the sun is glinting off the city sky rises- so pretty!….what cake would look pretty?

On it continued until I finally thought of….

A FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE…. Of course.

Dense and moist, chocolatey but delicate.

Chocolate Hazelnut Flourless Cake

200 grams chopped dark chocolate (50%)

150 grams unsalted chopped butter

3/4 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

5 eggs separated

250 grams ground hazelnuts

1/2 tps baking powder

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tps cinnamon

1/2 tps nutmeg

Melt the chocolate. set aside to cool. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Add buttermilk. Fold in melted chocolate. Add all dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture.

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour into 20cm lined cake tin. Cook for about an hour at 170C or until skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

Orecchiette

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Italy is very important to me. It’s the country where my adored exchange student family is from. This is where I lived for 6 months as an exchange student when I was 16. This is where I returned to as a 19 year old and again as a 22 year old. This is where I felt loved and valued, and embraced as an Australian sister.

Back then Italy taught me how to short sheet a bed, (well actually my sister did). I tell you hours of giggly fun for two 16 year olds in there!

Italy taught me the love of the espresso. Still to this day 16 years later, when ever I hear and smell that stove top espresso pot percolating quietly I am transported back to Italy.

Italy also taught me the love of the simple margarita pizza. Pizza was never the same again.

If only I had had the interest of food that I have now back then. If I did I would have asked Nonna just how exactly to make those delicious Pugliese thumb pressed pasta pieces, known as orecchiette. I ate it with gusto. If only I had the foresight to ask how she made it 16 years before. I would kill now for a hands on pasta lesson from Nonna in the beautiful region of Puglia.

This week I was struggling to find a great orecchiette recipe. The recipe seems to vary a lot from equal parts flour to water and rest over night to 4:1 ratio. So I harnessed the Italian nonna within and decided to gauge it myself. Using a fine semolina, tepid water and a little salt. It was quite a hard dough, and was a bit of a labour of love. Usually I wouldn’t be able to designate this long to cook but the monkeys were napping and then other adults were on hand to entertain while I finished off. (We had gone away for the weekend so I was making full use of a much, much larger kitchen and other adults to keep the monkeys out of mischief.)

Quietly, and methodically rolling and knifing.

It was so quiet. The laugh of a far off kookaburra, the air outside so still, and the pesistant buzz of wandering fly.

Knead, cut, roll, slice, knife…..knead, cut, roll, slice, knife…. until half the table was filled with many beautiful ‘little ears’.

These are the quantities that I ended up using, which produced some happily eaten pasta. Possibly would vary with the type of flour that you use- so go slowly and jiggle.

900 grams fina semolina flour

400mls water

1 dessert spoon salt

Make a well on the bench with the flour and salt, slowly pouring in the water and mixing it to a stiff dough. Knead until smooth.

Cut off a portion, then roll into a long snake, then slicing off small portions. Then pressing down with a knife, push until the little circle starts folding in and looks like a thumb hat. It needs quite a bit of pressure. Orecchiette should be thiner on the bottom with thicker sides to hold the sauce. This is not a smooth pasta.

Would Nonna approve?… not sure.

Does it look right?… a little ‘rustic’ but passable.

Would it pass the  Italian taste test?….?

Will I make them again?….. yes indeed.

Farmers Markets- a love story

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Farmers Markets. Oh how I love you all.

Good ones that is. The ones where it really is locally produced food. Food that has been made with love and care. Food that isn’t mass-produced and tastes divine.

Be it a crispy celery picked the day before, a hand crafted cheese, some aromatic fair trade coffee, an organic free range piece of meat, a back yard grown punnet of strawberries or some lovingly tempered chocolate.

I love it all.

There is nothing that gets me happier than a morning spent in a great Farmers Market. I feel like a kid in candy store. The promise of all things delicious. I try not to clap my hands with glee, but I tell you, when its a specially good one. A little clapping with glee may happen.

Good food miles- check.

No unneccessary additives- check.

Different ideas- check

Supporting small businesses- check

Super fresh- check

All looks delicious- check

Having recently travelled north for 10 days, I was lucky enough to go to 3 lots of farmers  markets that were just beautifully timed for our holiday. (and yes, I may have planned our holidays around one of them..)

Getting to see what the locals are producing is wonderful, and it’s certainly not long before my purse is hemorrhaging money,  my fridge is looking bountiful, and my tummy is looking rotund.

One of the markets was in Port Macquarie for the Hastings Valley Markets, when a stall caught my eye…

Goat Meat. Now this red meat I had been wondering about for some time. The taste, the cost and where to buy it, as it sure as eggs isn’t bought any where near where I live. So whacked it in the freezer and to be cooked at a later date.

I was also was very happy to see some locally produced garlic. Why is it the beginning of April already and I’m yet to see any Australian garlic in the local shops? It’s the garlic season people! Come on. I don’t want my garlic to be chemically treated and come from Argentina, China, and Mexico if it doesn’t have to.

Some gorgeous tomatoes were bought. Tomatoes that actually taste like a tomato, and has not had the taste bred out of them in order to look good. These were knocked back as quick as I good get them out of the bag by the monkeys.

I love buying things that I’m not sure what they are, or have heard off but not eaten or cooked before.

Its the taste sensation possibility factor that I love the most.

I didn’t get any great sour doughs. They didn’t seem to be happening which was a bit disappointing as they are a firm favourite with us. However, I did get some knock out individual sticky date puddings the size of tennis balls. Even I, had to pause mid way through eating one of these little beauties that had a grand total of 57grams of fat in each serve. Oh sweet mama!….best not to think of it really. I didn’t, and bravely soldiered on.

I can see all our holidays planned in times to come, planned around when the local foody markets are on.

Farmers markets and possibly where to get a great massage… two very important things when thinking of ones next holiday.

The secret of the picnic

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To me the perfect Sunday is spent under a shady tree in the park, in the company of wonderful people, and with a  scrumptious selection of delicious-ness spread out on a picnic rug before me. Lucky for me this was just how Sunday was spent.

A group of people not seen for 5 years, but the conversation commenced like it was just the day before that we had all gotten together. We had all changed a little. Three little ones that weren’t there last time, some hair was lost, some hair was greyer, some weight was gained, and some was lost. The minor details were incidental, the excitement of being there and not a phone call away was wonderful. Catching up on events, news and wishes. Monkey Boy made a campfire of twigs and cooked us some ‘soup’ and the Little Monkey flaked out in his pram with his little monkey pal.

A gorgeous day followed by coffee and hysterical monkey giggles back at our place.

Thats what I love the most. Easy conversation amongst people that I respect and value their company… (with a little cake on the side.)

Orange and Coconut Cake

Serves 8-10.

2 oranges

185g butter

1  cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup desicated coconut

1 1/2 cups of self raising flour

Preheat the oven to 160C. Cook the chopped orange flesh up a little until soft, add the grated rind of the two oranges. Process them until lumpy consistency. In to the processor add the butter, sugar, eggs, coconut and flour. Process until smooth.

Line a 22cm round cake tin with non-stick paper. Bake for 1 hour 20 mins.

(Adapted from a Donna Hay magazine recipe)