I can make relish, jam and pickles, but I always assumed marmalade was in the advanced category. I think it’s because every recipe I read gave finicky and painstaking instructions regarding the removal of pith, zesting the skin, fine slivers of lime peel curling like the eyelashes of kittens…I’m as impressed by a croquembouche as [...]
Tagged adventures in cookingThere’s no point stockpiling and taking advantage of autumn’s abundance if you’re not laying down the groundwork for next season: For the record: today I planted shallots, broccoli, beets and snow peas. (This is less about writing an informative blog post than it is about reminding me what I planted.) Having pulled up all the [...]
Tagged abundancebethini had a pickle party and nobody was invited but her and Gojira becuase THAT’S WHAT MAKES A PICKLE PARTY Y’ALL. Tight. (Also a friend dropped by and asked how it was going. It was going well.) I did relish; I did carrots; next up: backyard sourcing. Time to harvest some beets, friends. Frosts are [...]
Tagged abundanceAs you can see, I’m pickling. The earth turns, seasons change, the kitchen moves with it. Pickled carrots combine two of my fav-our-ite things, so let’s go! I used this recipe from My Own Ideas, and it was easy as anything. (I haven’t tasted the results yet, which makes this blog post arguably premature.) Put [...]
Tagged abundanceIt’s wintry lately. Fog on the Brindabellas, frost on the car, etc. I could go on, but you get it. Winter draws its sexy cloak o’er the land and the fruits and vegetables swoon from the stalks. It’s stockpile time! Food traditions are interesting: in particular, I get a kick out of “use it up” [...]
Tagged abundance, adventures in cookingMy Dadini just came back from a trip up towards the north coast. While away, he stayed with some old friends who are avocado growers. Guess what I have many of? Many delicious, uber-ripe green friends are now crowding my fridge. A mix of Shepherd and Hass, if you’re interested. I’m not even sure how [...]
Tagged adventures in cooking, banging onI’m a writer, not a photographer. Stewed quinces! Yay! Peel, core and slice quinces; mix a spoonful of sugar and pour about two cups of water over. Add whatever spices plough your paddock: I used cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and nutmeg (in descending order of quantity). Boil until the quinces become lush and soft and [...]
Tagged banging on, foodEveryone! Check out my post title! It’s a pun! Today I made shakshouka, and I was all “what’s shakshouking?” but that didn’t make sense so I had to flip it around. So now it’s like “Hey, shakshouka, what’s shoushaking?” Pretty clever, huh? And my cleverness doesn’t end there! I’ve been whisking up cleverness into a [...]
Tagged awesomeThe trick to making the besterest felafels, as discovered by M this week: don’t use cooked chickpeas. Use dried ones, which you boil for ten minutes and then leave to soak, heat off, for a few hours. Add seasonings of choice and a little flour, mash it all up in the food processor and chill [...]
Tagged adventures in cookingI think while I’m cooking, mostly about the process of cooking (multitasking has never been a strong skill), but also about things in general. I think about money, priorities and time, and how those things constantly have to be considered through life, readdressed, rebalanced, reshuffled, almost every day. I think about how awesome sleep is [...]
Tagged food