Recalibrated

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There are some things in life that just make me sit back, take a big outward breath and smile. There are some things that always make me feel like this and some things that take me by complete surprise. With that big deep breath taken, all momentary worries are gone. All stresses have been shelved and happiness raises its sunny head. It can be so brief, but with that moment taken, everything gets recalibrated.

The monkeys are going mental and the very average morning looks like its dragging into a very average long day. Then with the tiny few words of Monkey Boy saying something completely out of the blue. It stops me. That breath is deeper, actually filling my lungs, I smile, and everything gets re-aligned. Completely changing the rest of the days attitude.

Black cockatoos do it too. From a young child these beautiful birds seem to have had a spell over me. They are flying over head at dusk, looking for a place to rest for the night. Their slow and deep cry speaks to me. Stops me in my tracks, pulling my eyes towards them, watching their slow flight over head. That mournful cry, tugs at me. Making me smile… re-calibrated again.

The simple process of making bread at the moment is what I feel I need to do. The process of making, baking and then eating such a simple thing, really gives me a lot of pleasure. The simple tastes of freshly made bread, butter and my own jam. Can make a hungry stomach, a happy one with just one bite. With just a few mouthfuls, energy re-stored, mind re-aligned and city hippy farm girl re-calibrated once again.

Turkish Bread

Turkish Bread

* adapted from sbs Food Safari recipe

1 tbs dried yeast

pinch of caster sugar

375 ml warm water
480 g strong bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg
50 ml milk
sesame seeds

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 125 ml of the warm water and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes until frothy. Use your fingers to work 90g of the flour into the yeast to make a sloppy paste. Sprinkle lightly with a little more flour, then cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes to form a ‘sponge’.

Put the remaining flour and the salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the sponge, oil and remaining water. Use your fingers to work it to a soft, sloppy dough. Should be quite sticky.

In a mixer with a dough hook, on a low speed for 10–15 minutes until very smooth and springy. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, then cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Divide the dough in two, then form into rounds and leave, covered, to rest for 30 minutes. Mix the eggs and milk to make an egg wash. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Use the heels of your hands to press and flatten each piece of dough out to a 20 cm oval.

Brush the surface liberally with the egg wash. Dip your fingertips into the egg wash and mark rows of deep indentations across and down the length of the dough, leaving a narrow border.  Sprinkle with nigella or sesame seeds and bake for 8–10 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Locavoring @ Fox Studios Farmers Market

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A morning spent at Fox Studio’s Farmers Markets. My wallet a little leaner, my fridge a little fuller and my locavore selection criteria for the day, well and truly ticked.

Shopping list

Free Range Ham– Bought from Quattro Stelle, a small Italian family run business that runs out of  Kingsgrove . All products are made from Berkshire free range pork. The Berkshire pig is a heritage breed, ( like a heirloom tomato). This ham was sooo tasty. When you compare the taste of normal shop ham and then this one…. phew! No comparison. Thumbs up for this one for sure.

Fetta– Bought from Small Cow Farm. Located in Robertson, Southern Highlands. This company also runs cheesemaking courses- which sound fantastic. Taste wise, pretty good too. There are two fetta wheels in the little bucket, and priced at $14.50 for 400 grams. Monkey boy couldn’t get enough of this stuff.

1 kilo Sausages– Bought from Spring Hill Beef. Located in Burrawang, Southern Highlands. A company that farms grass fed Black Angus cattle.

1 large bag of assorted vegetables– Bought from family owned business located at Horsely Park in the Sydney basin.

Freshly ground coffee- 3 Amigos/Cafe East Timor, is my favourite coffee. At this stage they are only selling it at the markets, or you can call up and they will post you out some. Grown in East Timor, roasted in Sydney, and ground when you order it. 100% Arabica beans are used, organically and fairtrade produced. This is a lovely fresh coffee. I get a little antsy when our stock is running low, until we buy up again. I have tried a lot of different fairtrade coffees available and this one consistently still sticks out.

the chocolate gene

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Chocolate.

Chocolate seems to play a very big part in this family. I wasn’t so fussed on it until I met my husband, otherwise known as Mr Chocolate. He doesn’t need chocolate, chocolate needs him. If he stopped consuming, the whole chocolate industry may just tumble down. So it’s safe to say after we first got together, he has slowly infiltrated my chocolate past, to a home now that is not complete unless there is a little dark something hidden away somewhere.

The monkeys came along and they too have inherited the dreaded chocolate gene. Other sweets thrown aside and scorned, their eyes only on the good stuff…. chocolate.

Monkey Boy is rather partial to a piece of dark chocolate, and will happily savour it, holding it in his hand and slowly nibbling at the outsides. The Little Monkey will suck up anything in his path to get to it. With a spark in is eye, and very fast feet… “Choklo! Choklo!…. CHOKLO!”

A friend recently challenged Mr Chocolate on a Chocolate Extravaganza (who could eat the most), I was quietly skeptical, but remained cheerfully optimistic. My pint sized girl friend had not seen my man in action you see. She thought her modestly gutsy efforts in consuming a packet of Tim Tams would match the “why stop when there is still more” attitude of my husband. The Chocolate Extravaganza was cancelled. Scared off, with the rather sombre face of mine, and whispered words of “You don’t have a chance…. you will NEVER win against him…”

When I first met Mr Chocolate, any chocolate would do. Sure he had his favourites, but when it came down to the line, he wasn’t that fussy. Years have gone by, and more than a few kilos of chocolate later, that line is in a completely different position. We try to be as mindful as possible, on what brands and types we buy. A sucker for dark chocolate, we really like Whittakers Dark Ghana. It’s a New Zealand company, that uses Fair Trade Chocolate, readily available and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The Dark Ghana comes from Ghana (duh) and is bought through the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative. This Fairtrade certified cooperative of cocoa farmers has 45,000 members. Selling this way keeps the prices higher and more stable for the seller. Also investing in better farming methods that are more sustainable for their themselves and their industry.

Its great that there are more and more chocolate companies looking at changing their sourcing methods and encouraging fairtrade practices. This must mean that through greater awareness people are changing things with their spending dollars.  An example is Cadbury . Cadbury Schweppes is one of the largest producers of chocolate in the world  and has recently started producing a fair trade option for their Dairy Milk range in Australia. Be it a little controversially.

I know there are loop holes in these methods and problems will remain with things like child labour, but the more people talk about it and the more the consumer makes a choice with their shopping dollar the more, (I am ever hopeful) changes will come of it. There are more and more fairtrade chocolate options being made available, just have a peek.

so High Tea

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High Tea. Just the words bring lovely images to mind. Those cute little sandwiches, those fluffy scones, and sweet little cakes up the top.

What to do when a good friend is returning back to her home country. How do you say goodbye?…. Well saying goodbye in style is a good start, and high tea at The Observatory Hotel, Sydney just might be the place to do it.

Its Mothers Day and a few other people have thought it might be a nice idea to have high tea at the hotel as well. So they have upped the price and moved people around their two rooms used for dining. Now they were a little cheeky in that it is advertised as $49 for high tea, a booking was made at this price. Then my friend who had made the booking was contacted and told that seeing as though it was a special occasion there would be a price increase to $79 would we still like to keep the booking? Yes, yes, we will still be there. Then on arrival, right down the bottom of the menu is $89 for high Tea. A little cheeky yes, were we going to do anything about it?..No. A girly afternoon with out kids, this doesn’t happen often…. no indeedy not often at all.

The room we are in is lovely with murals on the walls, and tables not squashed together. A glass of sparkling wine starts us off, and a selection of 6 different teas is offered. The 3 tiered high tea comes out and it does look really inviting.

The sandwiches are small and daintily cut, the mini quiche lorraine buttery and melt in your mouth. The scones I thought a little on the small side but they were light and tasted good. The strawberry jam chunky, and the cream… well the cream has a couple of long fibres in it. I say fibres in the hope they weren’t hairs. Because I sure as hell don’t want hair in my $89 high tea cream!

The cakes were daintily presented, with the creme brulee being a stand out. The pannacotta was a lost cause- insipid tasting, with a watery strawberry sauce on top. Overall the presentation was elegant and restrained as I would expect a five star hotel high tea. I didn’t expect a big chip in my teapot, and I have to say it did detract… just a little.

The Observatory Hotel
89-113 Kent Street
Sydney
02 9256 2222
www.observatoryhotel.com.au

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.

Mindfulness

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Mindfulness. It seemed to be a word that just kept coming up last year for me. I thought about it, thought thats an interesting concept. Wonder if I could be more mindful and then sort of let it go, with the word just sitting there, slightly sticking out so as not to forget it.

A word that I know I should look into more as I feel my life would be more fulfilled if I did.

Mindfulness- being completely aware and present in that moment. The body and mind in harmony. Paying attention to the present moment and allowing the person to disengage from mental clutter- creating a clear mind.

My children are more fulfilled when I am mindful. Taking that moment to see what Monkey Boy is showing me, rather than giving a “ah huh. looks good” answer, and then continuing trying to complete whatever I was doing. He’s happy because I have taken the time to listen to him and see what he is involved in, so less inclined to keep interrupting me with what ever I am doing.

I think if I was more mindful in everything I am doing, things just might flow a bit easier.  I get caught up in the small things just like lots of other people, but I think it might be right time to take a step back and just see what happens for awhile. Rather than trying to be on top everything, all the time. Time to de-clutter the mind.

I’m going to try to look at it on a really basic level, and then if I can master that, go further with it in terms of its Buddhism background. Certainly not two things that can be compared, but a good place to start.

Mindfulness in cooking I have always been aware of, just not always put it in to practise. It makes a huge difference. The bread that has been mindfully mixed, kneaded, proven, and then baked. Of course it will taste delicious. So much better than the loaf that was interrupted with, kids fighting, phone call taken, and negative thoughts of other things. If mindfulness has been put in to cooking you can taste it.

The simplest of dishes can taste amazing if made with care, awareness and perhaps a dash of love. Compare that with a dish that has been made in haste, while side tracked with other things, slapped down on the table and then eaten without any thought. It doesn’t compare.

So can I do it? Can I bring myself to be more mindful in everyday life? Mindfulness brought to my cooking, my daily chores, my conversation and most importantly to my husband and children?

I’m sure going to try.


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.