All posts filed under: Culinary Adventures

GIVEAWAY 2: GIAPO’S GOLDEN TICKETS

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Today’s giveaway is redeemable only in Auckland so if you are from out of Auckland but plan on visiting us this year, you may also enter this competition. I recently blogged about Giapo’s amazing creative ice cream. Gianpaolo has generously donated a 2 pieces of his ice cream heaven. I am happy to announce as part of Bunny Eats Design’s 3rd year anniversary celebrations, two lucky readers will receive a Giapo Golden Ticket each worth $25 to be redeemed at Giapo on Queen Street. These tickets are exclusive and only two special tickets have ever be printed, designed by yours truly. I’m excited for you! Giapo Ice Cream, 279 Queen Street, Auckland City. (Edit: as of 2017, Giapo has moved to 12 Gore Street, Auckland) http://www.giapo.com To enter, please fill in the form below including a prize question. THE SMALL PRINT Terms and Conditions: Open to NZ residents only, it is the responsibility of the prize winners to redeem their prize at Giapo before 31 December 2013. This prize may not be exchanged for cash and must be …

THE HONESTY BOX 3

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I’m testing out a few CSA and produce delivery companies in Auckland. If you are curious about CSA and like 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. First impression Once again, a branded The Honesty Box arrived with a smart but simple typographic print. There was 10.5kg of produce in this box and at $37.50NZ including delivery, the average cost was about $3.5NZ per kilo. Good value. My first impression was that this box was very optimistic of the season. It’s early spring yet eggplants, capsicum and strawberries!? Amazing! No doubt, grown in greenhouses, it’s pretty awesome to see these in the box. It should be noted that the vegetable and fruit ratio was almost even this time round at 54% vegetables, 46% fruit. Vegetables 5.8kg Fancy red lettuce x 1 Celery x 1 Baby potatoes x 25 Eggplant x 1 Avocado x 1 Capsicum (red pepper) x 1 Carrots x 2 Onions x 2 Kumara …

Friday the 13th: A Gory Fruit

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Happy Friday the 13th! Last week, a coworker and I devised a plan to dress up in black today and order Hell’s Pizza for lunch. Almost everyone at work agreed to join in so it must have been a good idea. Hope you enjoy yourself a kooky-fun day too! Today’s slightly morbid, semi-gory post is in response to this post. “Way, way back in the late ’80s, a young boy at Glenholme Primary School in Rotorua, New Zealand accidentally slammed his fingers in the classroom door. I will never forget it because he also happened to be holding a tamarillo at that precise moment. The horrific tamarillo mess will be forever etched into my mind. As the news spread that someone had squished their fingers in the door, the fact that he was also holding a tamarillo dropped away. To our active imaginations, it was finger guts that bloodied the classroom entrance.” Until I shared my tamarillo memory, I didn’t realise that tamarillo were uncommon in other parts of the world. A little research suggests …

Our Growing Edge August round up by Palachinka

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A big thank you to Marija from Palachinka for her beautiful round up of Our Growing Edge August. What a delicious collection of new food adventures we had last month! It looks like the pages of an amazing foodie magazine. The calibre of entries this month was top notch! Check out Marija’s round up over here on Palachinka and if you also have a food blog, please join us in September’s edition. I’m still looking for a host for December and future editions so comment or email me if you are interested. Have a great (and delicious) weekend!

The most creative ice cream in the world

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Last week, I was invited to visit behind-the-scenes with Gianpaolo Grazioli at his quuintessential gelato shop, Giapo on Queen Street (Edit: since 2017, Giapo has moved to 12 Gore Street, Auckland). Giapo is the name his mother called him and therefore Gianpaolo = Giapo. Giapo has just one location and has carved a niche for very fine ice cream, gelato and yoghurt and most of their flavours are organic using locally sourced ingredients. This newly renovated institution is much more than an your average ice cream parlour. Not a single store-bought rainbow sprinkle, pink wafer or Snickers in sight, the flavours they do have are smart, original and  very good. While I was there I sampled a range of gelato, ice cream and yoghurt flavours such as dark chocolate brownie, vanilla cardamom and eggplant, banana yoghurt, hazelnut chocolate, tiramisu, finishing off with a classic digestive: green tea ice cream. I was impressed to learn that everything was made on site daily. The stainless steel kitchen was small and spotless and Gianpaolo and his expert crew …

Stinky horizons

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I’ve met a some friendly, slightly unhinged goats in my life. I have a fondness and respect for them. Pictured above is a friendly nannie goat and I at a friend’s family farm. Good times. But I have always been terrified of goats cheese. It is too pungent for my taste and if you are Chinese, you may know the word “Soh”. “Soh” refers to a despised goat/sheep smell, not exactly endearing. A couple of years ago, I realised that goats cheese was tolerable as an ingredient. Like any pungent food, like anchovies, fish sauce, even garlic, on their own, they can be overwhelming – but paired with other, gentler foods, they can be wonderful. I mean, I love using fish sauce but I wouldn’t knock back a shot of Golden Boy’s smelly brew. Always looking to expand my growing edge, to broaden my stinky horizons, I decided to take the beaded lady by the horns and cook something with goats cheese for the first time. No stock risotto I’ve opened Pandora’s box and it …

The Honesty Box Menu 2

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Another well thought-out box from The Honesty Box. This is what our 11kg of produce is being turned into this week. The Honesty Box Menu 2 Items in bold are from The Honesty Box Porterhouse steak with The Koala’s fried potatoes and broccoli with cheese sauce Creamy scrambled eggs with spinach, garlic, thyme, onion with Swiss-style cheese on toast Deviled sausages with onion, kiwifruit and apple. Served on potato pumpkin mash with steamed broccoli Beetroot and Chevre (soft goats cheese) risotto with fresh thyme and lemon slice (pictured) Pumpkin and rosemary soup with soft buttered bread rolls Spicy chicken nibbles with pumpkin and rosemary wedges Braised beef, carrot and beetroot with star anise, cinnamon and soy. Served on rice Smoked salmon and spinach fettuccine with garlic parmesan butter sauce Cheeseburgers with beef patties, red onion, beetroot, avocado and wasabi mayo Sangria (with fruit)

The Honesty Box 2

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Way, way back in the late ’80s, a young boy at Glenholme Primary School in Rotorua, New Zealand accidentally slammed his fingers in the classroom door. I will never forget it because he also happened to be holding a tamarillo at that precise moment. The horrific tamarillo mess will be forever etched into my mind. As the news spread that someone had squished their fingers in the door, the fact that he was also holding a tamarillo dropped away. To our active imaginations, it was finger guts that bloodied the classroom entrance. I have honestly never bought a tamarillo in my  life. I guess subconsciously, finger guts are pretty far down on the list of my preferred fruit. It’s a shame really, because I just found out that The Koala adores tamarillos. This winter, I’m testing out a few CSA and produce delivery companies in Auckland. If you are curious about CSA and like see what other people around the world are getting each week in their boxes, please check out at the weekly link party What’s …

Street Eats Auckland 2013

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The Scene Thousands of Hungry Hungry Hippos Aucklanders flocked to Street Eats at Shed 10, Queens Wharf, yesterday to gorge themselves with cheap and cheerful eats. Local cafes and restaurants offered a handful of dishes each priced mostly $5 to $10 and the atmosphere was festive despite the “shed” location. Matched with a tipple of your choice, it was a fun way to try a bunch of food on a budget. Advertised as a family affair and appealing to the everyman, the crowds were larger than expected which was both a curse and a blessing. The event was advertised for 10am to 7pm but when my friend Coco and I arrived in the early afternoon some places had completely sold out. With the success of this inaugural event, it should mean many years of Street Eats to come. Street Eats is part of Auckland Restaurant month and more info can be found at: www.biglittlecity.co.nz/auckland-restaurant-month/ The Eats Even though we were low on cash, the EFTPOS line snaked back three days long so we decided to spend …

The Honest Box Menu 1

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Since the success of my first pulled pork, I’m doing another twice the size this week with plenty of leftovers to play with. The Koala does not mind one bit! This week we received a whole pumpkin from our F&V small box from The Honesty Box. Sharing a 2.4kg pumpkin between two means  it features heavily in this week’s menu. I’m not a fan of pumpkin but I know what I like and as long as it’s cooked with plenty of aromatic spices I’m good to go. The pouch of herbs will be thrown willy nilly into soups and stews. The Honesty Box Menu 1 Items in bold are from The Honesty Box. Orange pulled pork with smashed garlic, onion and bay leaves Pulled pork rolls with lettuce, red onion and sour cream Pulled Pork Tortillas (see notes below) Rice noodles with pulled pork and broccoli Spiced Pumpkin and kumara soup with smoked cheddar toasties Pumpkin and chickpea curry with garlic, onion and tomato paste. Served on rice with a dollop of sour cream Sirloin steak medium rare …

THE HONESTY BOX 1

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This winter, I’m testing out a few CSA and produce delivery companies in Auckland. If you are curious about CSA and like 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. The Lowdown The Honesty Box has a great name and refers to unmanned roadside stalls all over the New Zealand countryside, where you purchase produce by leaving money behind in the honesty box. I don’t know if this is common in other countries but around here, it’s looked upon fondly, though dishonesty is slowly taking over and honesty boxes are less and less common. With The Honesty Box, the name actually refers to their corporate programme where companies can purchase a box of fruit for the office and employees can buy fruit at work by way of honest box. A healthy alternative to the chocolate bar and chips snack box. The Honesty Box also offer home deliveries which is what we went are …

Hoisin Pulled Pork

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The Koala asked me if I had any plans for the weekend. I replied “pulled pork” which he thought it was code and I that was feeling frisky. To be fair, he wasn’t disappointed with what I had in mind. I frequent blogs and forums with US inhabitants and I often suffer from major food envy. Pulled pork has been the object of my affection. Pulled pork is not a common dish in New Zealand though this is slowly changing. There are American-Mexican joints in Auckland now who all serve slow cooked pork in tortillas. This recipe is incredibly easy to make and could be doubled or even tripled if you are feeding a larger group. This recipe fed five adults for dinner but judging by how quickly it disappeared, it would be better suited for four. Pork has this annoying habit of shrinking which is a good reason to buy slightly more than you think you need. No one ever complained about pulled pork leftovers! Hoisin means “seafood” I added a Chinese touch by …

Auckland Restaurant Month on a budget

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I enjoy eating out just as much as I enjoy cooking and in a few days it will be Auckland Restaurant Month. Testing out the promotional menus is a great way to get out of a winter hibernation funk. With over 20 foodie events and 120 restaurants participating, get into Auckland and eat something new this month. More info can be found at: www.biglittlecity.co.nz/auckland-restaurant-month/ Street Eats at Shed 10 The number one foodie event I’m looking forward to during next month is Street Eats at Shed 10 on Queens Wharf. Entry is free and you can expect a feast from 10.30am to 7.00pm on Saturday 10 August 2013. “Taking place at Shed 10 on Queens Wharf, Street Eats is a family friendly event with our favourite chefs serving up their most beloved street food.” I am hoping Street like the restaurant section of my favourite food festivals but without the entry fee. The lineup for Street Eats includes: Besos Latinos Atico Cocina Ima Cuisine Mecca Cafe Toto Merchants of Venice Monsoon Poon Faro Korean Restaurant Thai Street …

NATURALLY ORGANIC MENU 3

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We didn’t receive a lot of vegetables in our Naturally Organic this week so our meal plan reflects this. Hope to stretch a few meals so we can have leftovers for lunch but it might not happen. Plenty of fruit to snack on this week though! Naturally Organic Menu 3 Items in bold are from our Naturally Organic box. Hoisin pulled pork with apple slaw on floury baps (pictured) Chicken and leek soup with garlic butter toast Bangers and mash with kiwi caramalised onions (see recipe below) with sautéed garlic silverbeet Spicy udon with beef, onion, egg and cabbage, topped with pinenuts Pumpkin and silverbeet curry with home made roti Orange roasted chicken drumsticks with pumpkin and carrot Apple hand pies with butterscotch sauce and ice cream Butterscotch and banana smoothie I’d like to share a quickie recipe with you that I whip out for bangers and mash occasions. Call it a lazyman’s chutney. It’s chunky and delicious. The flavours of caramalised onion, kiwi and butter work really well together and this would be great with steak, sausages, chops or chicken. This …

Happy meat makes me happy

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I’ve always wanted to buy meat direct from a farm, but I thought that was reserved for people with chest freezers in the basement. We have neither chest freezer or a basement. We are really lucky here in New Zealand to have many independent farms who offer meat to the public. If you follow Bunny Eats Design on Facebook, you might have noticed me recently gloating about the 20 or so kilos of beef we have in the freezer. The skinny Steve and Pip delivered the meat from their 1300 acres in Wairarapa direct to our home. It really doesn’t get much easier. Eketahuna Country Meats raise their own deer, lamb and Angus beef. Eketahuna Country Meats offer: Angus beef (whole $1300, 20kg packs $300, half or quarter*) Lamb (whole $220*) Pork (whole $600, half $300*) Someone who has been buying beef this way for years gave me a wise tip: Don’t eat all the steak first. With 9 packs of mince and 7 packs of sausages in our lot, I can see why. The …

Naturally Organic 3

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This winter, I’m testing out a few CSA and produce delivery companies in Auckland. I have already tried Foodbox.co.nz and now I am trying 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. Unlike other companies that have a set delivery day, Naturally Organic offer 6 day 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 Our first Two Person Box was overwhelming and the One Person Box wasn’t really enough so this round I requested the Two Person Box with more vegetables than fruit. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen and once again we received heaps of fruit. 44 pieces of fruit! As before the produce is of excellent organic quality and the box was huge but felt a bit empty. I ordered some chicken this week and these were were individually wrapped in …

Bastille Day Wine Tasting

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Our Bastille Day Cheese and Wine Tasting was a barrel of laughs. Tasting different wines side by side was awesome. You taste a little of each and then go back for more until it’s all gone. The wines changed as we drank them and some that I didn’t like at the start were delicious at the end. I suspect a combination of booze and air affected the taste. At our wine tasting, there were ten wine tasters and six bottles of red wine. There were three French wines in honour of Bastille Day, two Australian wines and one New Zealand wine. A good mix. I asked each guest to bring either  cheese or a red wine that they hadn’t tried before, with a price limit of $20. Loose lips and dutch rudders Being the slightly crazy foodie that I am, everyone was encouraged to take notes on the wines based on some key points. Strong opinions and poetic license were held in high regard. Our rating system from 0 to 10: 0 = yuck 5 = …

Bastille Day Cheese Tasting

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At our Bastille Day Cheese and Wine Tasting, there were ten cheese enthusiasts and six cheeses. Coincidentally, there were three French cheeses in honour of Bastille Day and three New Zealand cheese. I did a cheese and wine tasting back in 2011 which was a lot of fun. I can’t believe it’s been 2 years already. It’s a delicious, fun and good value entertainment. I asked each guest to bring either  cheese or a red wine that they hadn’t tried before, with a price limit of $20. Political discussions and strong opinions on gardening Being the slightly crazy foodie that I am, everyone was encouraged to take notes on the wines based on some key points. Strong opinions and poetic license were held in high regard. Our rating system from 0 to 10: 0 = yuck 5 = yeah-nah 10 = yum The scores have been averaged out and presented at the end of each set of notes below. Check back tomorrow for some entertaining reading on the wines we consumed. IMPORTANT: These tasting notes …

Make Risotto

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I go weak in the knees for smoked salmon risotto. If it’s on the menu at a restaurant, it is what I’m going to order. Still, I always did feel a little naive paying $20 for a rice dish. After I ordered some Aoraki Hot Smoked Salmon from Naturally Organic, I figured it was finally time to attempt risotto. I used the stainless steel sauté pan that Mum gave me and it was perfect for the job. You need something with decent sides but also plenty room for the rice to absorb liquid in. While it might be possible to use a skillet, you would have to be extra careful while stirring. In hindsight, I could have added a little more stock at the end. While the rice was cooked, it absorbed even more liquid on standing. Some sources say to stop just before the rice is cooked. Once upon a time, you could only get cold smoked salmon but now you can find both in equal abundance. I prefer hot smoked salmon but I …

Naturally Organic Menu 2

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We had one of those weekends where you divide up your day into two-hour slots so you can get everything done. I attended Creative Mornings last Friday and witnessed the entertaining magic of Otis and Sarah Frizzell’s taco truck adventure. Inspirational stuff. When you look upon their setbacks, I think most sane people would have quit long ago. I learned that sheep scrotums taste like bacon. Considering how many sheep we have in this country, perhaps this is a largely untapped market? On Saturday The Koala and I happened to chance upon The Lucky Taco in Ponsonby so we shared four tacos and their flagship rice milk drink. I tried not to fan-girl too hard, I popped my head in the side door and maybe I gushed. Hopefully, Sarah and Otis were too busy to notice. I met up with my friend Vanessa to help her set up a blog and she sent me home with a gang of lemons from her tree. I’m super excited this week to play with the lovely delivery from …