Oh hey, Mr Food Ethics.
Tofu approves of our Naturally Organic delivery.
Monday Bunday: Shoes shoes shoes
There are lots of cute bunny shoes for babies and little girls. But here is a collection of bunny shoes for grown ass women.
Minna Parikka bunny flats: Bugs black, Minna Parikka bunny heels: Angora grey. These and a many more at www.minnaparikka.com.
BC Shoes Hop To It Wedge. Looks a little mousey but look at that tell-tale bunny tail. Sold out over at Modcloth.
Le Bunny Bleu Bunny Motive flats. Comes in mint, pink or black with stars. Synthetics and only $49 and $69 a pair from www.lebunnybleu.com.
Also special mention to these Onitsuka Tigers I’ve blogged about before and these sweet needlepoint loafers.
The Shanghai Chicken Project
The premise
I’ve followed the blog Sybaritica for a while and I enjoy John’s experimental and honest love of Asian cuisine. It was there I found out about The Shanghai Chicken Project and his buddy Stefan’s Gourmet Blog.
The Shanghai Chicken Project is based on a mysterious chili chicken dish of dubious origin with pine nuts and broccoli leaves.
If you have been following my blog for a while, you’ll know I love a good foodie challenge. I also happened to have some premium New Zealand pine nuts and a fermented chili paste I was hoping to play with so it like it was meant to be.
The Shanghai Chicken Project rules:
- Prepare a dish inspired by Bamboo Restaurant’s Shanghai Chicken.
- It has to include chicken, chiles of some sort, vegetable greens, and nuts.
- It could be a known recipe or one of your own — traditional or newly invented.
- Blog about your dish or send Stefan photos and a description of what you did.
Lee Kum Kee’s Chili bean sauce (Toban Djan)
Toban Djan is a Sichuan-style chili paste made from a blend of salted chili, fermented broadbeans and fermented soybeans and garlic. In terms of heat, this is a very mild sauce and I’d have no problem serving it to kids. A good savoury hit and a nice introduction to fermented flavours. Great for dunking dumplings into or for making flavoursome Chinese dishes. I thought the garlic and soy bean component would be a good match for The Shanghai Chicken Project. You should be able to find this at any asian supermarket. I don’t know of any Western substitutes, but you could possibly use the Korean version Gochujang if you had nothing else.
Cavolo Nero
We received a big bag of Cavolo Nero kale in our Naturally Organic box this week. Cavolo Nero is also known as black cabbage, tuscan cabbage, tuscan kale or dinosaur kale and frequently stars in Italian cooking. It has a flavour and dark blue-green colour similar to broccoli leaves. You can substitute for silverbeet (swiss chard), spinach, broccolini or dark leafy Chinese greens like gai lan.
Toban Djan Chicken and Kale Yellow Rice
Serves 2
Toban Djan Chicken Ingredients
4 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
2 tablespoons chili bean sauce (toban djan)
1 tablespoon oil
Kale Yellow Rice Ingredients
1 cup rice
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, skinned and chopped finely
2 tablespoons butter
4 kale leaves (cavolo nero)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
To serve
1 spring onion (scallion), sliced
1 tablespoon lightly toasted pine nuts
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 160°C
- Cook rice as per usual. When cooked, fluff up and reserve until required.
- Make 3 cuts across each chicken thigh. Spoon chili bean sauce on top and rub/brush in to coat evenly.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a ovenproof skillet. When the pan is hot, place chicken cut side down, season with salt and cook over a medium-high flame for 5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet into the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and juices run clear.
- Wash and dry kale, tear out the central stem/rib from each leaf and discard. Roll the kale up and slice into fine ribbons (chiffonade).
- Take a large pan and melt the butter over medium flame. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is just starting to go golden, around 5 minutes. Add the chopped kale, turmeric and curry powder. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cooked rice and stir until evenly combined and rice is evenly yellow. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Serve rice on warmed plates with 2 pieces of chicken on top. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and spring onion (scallion).
The Koala and I both pronounced this dish delicious. The combination of the tasty fermented bean sauce and the juicy thighs was really good and I hope you enjoy this too.
Naturally Organic box 1
This winter, I’m testing out a few CSA and produce delivery companies in Auckland. I have already tried Foodbox.co.nz and the next one on my list is Naturally Organic. Naturally Organic is a market based in Albany, Auckland and their produce boxes are only a small part of what they offer.
Their products are marked organic, spray-free, gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free and local where appropriate, so if that kind of thing is important, you can shop online with ease. They have a huge catalogue of products like baby products, cleaning products, drinks, pantry items and you can get even get Aoraki salmon and Harmony/Freedom Farm pork delivered with your product box.
Naturally Organic, Two Person Fruit & Vege Box, $30, +$7.98 delivery
This week I ordered the Two Person Organic Fruit and Vege Box for $30 plus $7.98 delivery. Unlike other companies that have a set day per week, Naturally Organic offer 6 days a week delivery. Check their website out for specific details for your area, but I can order up to 7 days in advance and get same day delivery Monday to Friday if I order by 9.30am.
First impression
I have to be honest. When I unpacked this box, I couldn’t help thinking to myself, “What have I done?!?”.
There was a mountain of fruit. 40 items of fruit. 5.7kg of fruit. I don’t eat nearly enough of fruit and I guess that is set to change this week.
The Naturally Organic box is big and heavy. Bigger and heavier than any delivery I’ve seen yet. I also notice that the box is is surprisingly clean. Not a snail in sight. Every item has been cleaned and of good organic quality. Some vegetables come in biodegradable bags for extra freshness. Their cavalo nero kale arrived in perfect (non-wilted) condition. Based on past experience of other deliveries, kale almost always arrives a bit wilted.
All up a whopping $9kg of produce. Wowzas.
Vegetables
- Cavalo Nero kale x 1 large bag (300g)
- Bean sprouts (aduki, lentil and mung bean) x 1 bag (100g)
- Winter squash x 1
- Beetroot x 1
- Red cabbage x half
- Carrots x 2 big fat ones
Fruit
- Apples – royal gala x 12
- Mandarins x 13
- Banana (fair trade) x 5
- Oranges x 5
- Pear x 6
Free samples
- A pack of organic chips
- A Naturally Organic reusuable shopping bag
I made the mistake of telling The Koala that we got some chips in the produce box. Of course, the chips have been devoured and he hasn’t touched any fruit yet!
The most interesting thing in the box
Sprouts and All Good bananas.
Next time
One thing to note is that tomatoes, potatoes, onions and garlic are not included in the box and must be ordered separately. Not sure why this is, but ok. Next time I think I will try the One Person Fruit and Vege Box $19 and add a few extra staple vegetables up to the value of $30.
CSA Link Party
If you are interested in CSA and what see what other people around the world are getting each week in their boxes, please check out at the weekly link party What’s In The Box over at Heather’s blog In Her Chucks.
Tofu Tuesday: Bunny shaming
You may have seen dog shaming or cat shaming, but have you seen bunny shaming?
When The Koala and I went out of town for a few days last week, Tofu found his way up onto a chair to a chest of drawers and to this grass bunny gifted to us by Cassie and Flatpac of Food My Friend.
An ear, a nose, an arm and a foot.
Shame bunny, shame.
It’s hard to shame a bunny though. They don’t have the same sense of guilt that dogs have.
Sorry Cassie and Flatpac.
Monday Bunday: Bunny Night Light
If you have ever met a house rabbit, you’ll know the importance of cordless things.
This sweet night light is just $25 at Collected by LeeAnn Yare.
Tequila Joe’s
Tequila Joe’s had only been open for a couple of days when we happened upon it. They don’t get heaps of foot traffic over on Vivian Street, but we passed this place twice a day on our walk in and out of town. The Koala has had a yearning to open a tequila bar in Auckland for the last little while. No such thing exists in Auckland (yet) so when we saw this tequila spot we had to try it out.
Come here for…
California-style Mexican food and top shelf tequilas.
Unexpectedly wonderful…
Caramba Pink Reposado sipped with a sangrita. A delcious tequila with caramel flavours. If you have ever had tequila treat you bad, this is the one to make you fall in love all over again.
The most interesting thing on the menu…
Churros and the Mexican hot chocolate.
I would come back to try…
The snacks and a cocktail or two.
The atmosphere is…
Still working itself out. It’s in a funny part of town and the word hasn’t got around yet.
Expect to spend…
$10-$16 on a good tequila and the same again for an item or two of food. If you want to park on a seat for the evening, you could easily spend $50 each on a drinks and snacks.
The service was…
Good. Staff eager to have a yarn to tequila enthusiasts. Didn’t mind one bit when we ordered tequila for breakfast. Extra points!
Avoid if…
You prefer to slam your tequila and/or regurgitate it into a porcelain bowl.
Tequila Joe’s
Address: 43 Vivian Street, Te Aro, Wellington
Opening hours: 7 days, 8.00am ’til late
Phone: 04 802 5637
Website: www.tequilajoes.co.nz
Sweet Mother’s Kitchen
Thanks to our friend Elijah for this recommendation. I am obsessed with New Orleans cuisine so I was already biased. We ate a breakfast and a dinner shift and would have eaten a lunch too if they were open on Queen’s Birthday. Sweet Mother’s Kitchen stole our hearts (arteries and all). Photos are only of breakfast because night time photography is rubbish.
Is it self righteous to say they play really, really good music when really, I just mean they play all my favourite bands? Maybe.
I was stoked to be able to try chicken and waffles. We don’t eat chicken for breakfast in New Zealand. It’s just not a thing. So for those who have never heard of chicken and waffles, it’s deep fried chicken served with waffles and syrup. Sounds crazy right?
Come here for…
Cajun and Creole dishes from Louisiana and a smattering of Mex snacks.
Unexpectedly wonderful…
Curly fries with Creole mayo.
The most interesting thing on the menu…
- Gumbo, jambalaya, chowder and hush puppies are obvious classics. But I was more interested in the Creole and Cajun dishes I have yet to see elsewhere in NZ like:
- Chicken and Waffles
- Beignets (ben-yay) a deep fried donut with New Orleans/French ties
- Po’ Boys a New Orleans style sandwich. Historically, invented to feed the poor
- The six item pie menu: Apple pie, Pecan and bourbon pie, Peanut butter pie, Rhubarb and strawberry streusel, Key lime pie, and Banana cream pie.
I would come back to try…
All the classics. The Koala was got food envy at someone else’s burger. I admit, it looked good but you don’t visit New Orleans to eat burgers do you?
The atmosphere is…
Bustling. These guys are constantly busy and for good reason. The interior has a well loved, cosy feeling that you might expect of an eating house in the French Quarter.
Expect to spend…
Anywhere between $10 to $40 on food.
The service was…
Decent. Excellent on our dinner visit, lesser on our breakfast visit (It was Saturday morning so it’s possible the staff weren’t fully alive yet). Good suggestions and service. When I get a compliment for ordering the best thing on the menu I feel like I among friends. Clearly passionate staff.
Avoid if…
You are on a diet but not if you are vegetarian as there are plenty of non-meat options.
Sweet Mother’s Kitchen
Address: 5 Courtnay Place, Wellington
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 8am to 10.30ish pm, Friday and Saturday 8am to late
Phone: 04 385 444
Website: www.sweetmotherskitchen.co.nz
Big Bad Wolf – Gourmet Charcuterie
I can’t remember where I read about Big Bad Wolf, but the idea of eating at a gourmet charcuterie (sha-koo-te-ree) had me swooning. Charcuterie refers to (mostly cured) meat products such as bacon (pancetta, prosciutto), ham, sausages and salamis, terrines and pâtés. Ham is one of my favourite things in the world and though I made bacon once I prefer to leave my small goods to the pros.
We visited Wellington last week and when I divulged this place with The Koala he was just as excited as me.
We dropped in for a nibble and beers on Sunday and Big Bad Wolf did not disappoint. We would have come again for dinner if they were open on Mondays.
Come here for…
Gourmet artisan meaty delights. They are basically wizards of meat. They also do spit roast and big breakfasts. Can you imagine working at a place that keeps a pig on a spit out back? The self control the staff must have. Everything can be eaten in or taken away (either cooked or as is). If you want to try a little of all that is interesting, the charcuterie platter comes in $25 and $50 versions.
Unexpectedly wonderful…
The terrines and I’m sure there are a few other lovely surprises. Of what we ate, Turducken Dukkah was fun to say and even more fun to eat. The Koala’s favourite was the alpaca, almond and apricot terrine which was wrapped in a layer of pancetta.
The most interesting thing on the menu…
Where to start? Tahr (a Himalayan mountain goat) introduced to the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Also alpaca, eel and snail may raise some eyebrows. Duck ham or Salmon sausages sounded wonderful.
I would come back to try…
The alpaca bourguignon, the smoked eel ravioli, duck ham and salmon sausages for weirdo/cool factor. The spit roast pork sandwich with sauerkraut, and crackling for $8 sounds like a great value lunch.
The atmosphere is…
Clean and casual. Modern without being pretentious.
Expect to spend…
Between $8 for a spit roast pork sandwich to $70-ish for a 3 course meal with booze.
The service was…
Great and staff were happy to answer questions. There were plenty because the menu is freakin’ interesting.
Avoid if…
You have vegetarians among you or are in any way squeamish about nose to tail eating.
Big Bad Wolf
Address: 262 Wakefield Street, Wellington
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 9am ’til 7pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am ’til 3pm
Phone: 04 382 9111
Website: www.bigbadwolf.co.nz
The Crab Shack
The Koala and I had a gluttonous jolly good time eating our way around Wellington city last week.
One thing that struck me with Wellington is that they are super conscious of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners. The Koala and I don’t fall into either of these categories, but I normally get the feeling that anything meat-gluten-whatever-free is a pale version of the original. Not so in Wellington. Some of the vegetarian dishes looked so good that I ordered them instead of my regular omni choices. That’s not usually a thing. Many of the menus we saw had plenty of selection for even the most discerning eater.
Over the weekend, I will be posting my reviews of the places we ate and loved, from the perspective of an out of towner.
The Crab Shack
First up, the place I had my eye on – due to a severe lack of crab eating in this country – was the newly opened restaurant on the waterfront: The Crab Shack. New Zealanders don’t eat crabs. It’s just not part of our culinary vocabulary. Crabs expect you to work for your dinner and I guess with so many other things to eat, people just choose to eat other things.
The Crab Shack is owned by Nourish Group who also bring you Euro and Jervois Steak House in Auckland. You can blame Simon Gault the MasterChef celebrity for this place on and it is a fancy version of East coast crab and lobster shacks in the US.
Come here for…
The daily specials, the crabs, the sliders and other tasty treats. Prawns by the pint, bivalves by the scoop, kids eat free on Sundays.
Unexpectedly wonderful…
The kilo of chilli crabs we devoured. Who knew that salt, garlic, chilli and parsley would be so divine?
The most interesting thing on the menu…
- Wine on tap
- King crab leg
- Dutch babies
- Buffalo burger
I would come back to try…
Prawns by the pint and clams by the scoop
The atmosphere is…
Happening. We arrived early and they were quiet, but by the time our food arrived it place was packed. The interior is fancy-nautical, bright, fresh, well designed and branded.The design reminds me a bit of Squid Row in Auckland or any modern nautical or Cape Cod themed restaurant.
Expect to spend…
$30 to $60 per person. Spend some time picking at crabs.
The service was…
Excellent. Once our server realised we were getting the crab, she made sure we had everything we needed to tuck in.
Avoid if…
- Avoid the crab if you don’t want to get messy or are short on time.
- Avoid on Sundays before 6.30pm if you’re not into sharing a restaurant with kids. Kids dine free.
- There is plenty for those that don’t eat seafood, but not much in the way of vegetarian fare. You might stay away if shellfish makes you itch or puff up.
The Crab Shack
Address: Queens Wharf, Wellington
Opening hours: 7 days, 11.30am ’til late
Phone: 04 916 4250
Website: www.crabshack.co.nz
Foodbox 4
Foodbox, The Appetiser, $33NZ
First impression
Winter is really here. This weeks box lends itself to roasts and soups. The produce in our Appetiser Foodbox weighed 7.5kg.
Vegetables
- Mushrooms – Portobello x 10 (300g)
- Cabbage x 1 small
- Broccoli x 1
- Leek x 1
- Carrots x 2
- Beetroot x 2
- Kumara (sweet potato) x 2
- Potatoes x 10
Fruit
- Apples – Royal Gala x 4
- Apples – Lemonade x 4
- Mandarins x 8
- Kiwifruit x 4
Add ons
- 1 dozen free range eggs
The most interesting thing in the box
A cute little cabbage and our first winter leek.
CSA Link Party
If you are interested in CSA and what see what other people around the world are getting each week in their boxes, please check out at the weekly link party What’s In The Box over at Heather’s blog In Her Chucks.
Tofu Tuesday: Bunny Trance
If you are confident holding your rabbit, you can invert him. Yip, flip him over and cradle him in your lap. As long as he feels secure, there he will stay.
Don’t believe me? Google image search “Bunny trance”. Go on, I’ll wait.
I get to see this angle on a regular basis. Ridiculous, I know.
Bunny trance.
Monday Bunday: Bunny Sweaters
It is officially winter here in New Zealand and what better way to mark the occasion than with a collection of bunny sweaters. Not bunnies in sweaters, that would be these:
I mean bunnies on sweaters a.k.a. jumpers with bunnies on them. Here are a collection of stylish jumpers with bunnies on them. I think the wearable, monochrome hues help a lot. I would incorporate all of these into my current wardrobe.
They don’t scream Crazy Bunny Lady do they?
Click on the images to be transported elsewhere.
Candy Geek Glasses Grey Rabbit Jumper
Sarah Loves Jumper
ASOS Bunny Jumper
Topshop Mirror Bunnies sweater
Topshop Jumping Rabbits sweater
Miss Selfridge knitted rabbit jumper
Dutch rabbit jumper
Capital of Cool
I learned today that Wellington is the Capital of Cool. I don’t know who coined this term but I guess it doesn’t matter. Someone thinks it true. The Koala and I are visiting Wellington today for a few days. I’m no expert on Wellington but I read enough NZ blogs to know that if Wellington wasn’t the windiest city in the world I might like to live there. Often considered the cool, arty child, Wellington is to Auckland is what Melbourne is to Sydney or San Francisco is to LA.
Some of my favourite Wellington bloggers include:
- The Omnivore
- Hungry and Frozen
- Heartbreak Pie (since moved to Auckland)
- The Culinary Explorations of Mrs Cake
- Eat and Greet
- Word On The Street
- Gutsy Gourmet and Milliemirepoix
- Welly Kai
- Crap Kitchen
- The Kitchen Rebellion
I’m not so so interested at being a “Tourist” (note the capital T) but I do want to see things. We’re car-less and it’s cold out so we will probably aim to stay central and without the typical tourist destinations with the exception of…
Te Papa
…which is on the list for just about every out of towner. An easy way to pass time, rain or shine.
The Warhol Exhibition and a million other exhibits at Te Papa for culture
55 Cable Street
Markets
Wellingtonians sure do love their markets.
Wellington Night Market on Friday night from 5pm
116 Cuba Street
Might Mighty Market on Saturday from 1pm
104 Cuba Street
Harbourside Market on Sunday 7.30am to 1pm
Waitangi Park, Cable Street
Spending
One way to learn how the locals live is to look at what they like to spend their money on.
Good As Gold for browsing
120 Victoria Street
Swonderful for girly wear
241 Cuba Street
Ninja Flower for organic jewelry
90 Dixon Street
Eat and drink
This is a food blog afterall. The following are a list of things that Wellington seem to do better than Auckland. *blows raspberries*
Big Bad Wolf for charcuterie (as in bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, confit etc)
262 Wakefield Street
Golding’s for beer on tap and a Reuben sandwich
14 Leeds Street
The Crab Shack for crabs. The only crab shack in the country. NZers don’t eat crabs.
Shed 5, Queens Wharf
Hashigo Zake for “cult” beer
25 Taranaki Street
Any other suggestions?
Wellington locals and fans, do you have any other suggestions for a couple of creative foodie grownups? We are not high rollers this time so will probably skip the fine dining.
One pot wonder: Chorizo and Prawn Rice
This is a great one pot wonder. Warming, with a little kick and full of flavour.
Fresh chorizo sausages are popping up everywhere. Unlike the traditional chorizo which is firm and cured, fresh chorizo look like regular snags, filled with soft sausage-meat and must be cooked thoroughly.
Similar to paella rice or claypot chicken, the prize in this dish is the tasty hard cooked rice at the bottom of the pan. Still delicious even as leftovers the next day. I used a stainless steel pan for this job. Avoid using a non-stick pan so that you can scrape those tasty bits to your hearts content.
I happened to have saffron needing to be used up but I’m sure you could make this dish without it. Saffron isn’t exactly an economical ingredient.
One Pot Wonder: Chorizo and Prawn Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 chorizo sausages (400g)
250g peeled prawns
1 tablespoon capers
2 cups rice, rinsed and drained (used a mixture of red rice and white rice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cups stock or water (or combination)
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Optional: a pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon of warm milk for 10 minutes
Parsley or coriander to garnish
Preparation
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a hot pan and fry sausages, turning frequently until cooked through. Remove from pan and slice to 1 cm thick. Set aside until required.
- Put pan back on medium heat, add another tablespoon oil and cook onion and garlic until soft. Add the drained rice, smoked paprika, turmeric and saffron (if using). Stir well, coating the rice in the fragrant pan oils.
- Add the stock/water, cover with lid and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes until rice is almost done.
- Fluff up rice with a fork and scatter capers on top, then arrange prawns and sliced chorizo on top of rice, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes or until prawns are cooked through.
- Taste and season with salt if required and plenty of freshly ground pepper, garnish with parsley or coriander. Serve with a bottle of wine.
