All posts filed under: Culinary Adventures

Meal Plan Week 3

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Eat your vegetables I’m an omnivore and while I adore meat, I know we eat too much of it. The Koala doesn’t like vegetarian food. He doesn’t say so, but you can tell by the way someone eats if they love it or not. There is a loop hole. He adores soup. A meat-free soup isn’t considered a vegetarian meal around here. So, this winter, I’m adding meat-free soups to our menu. It’s cheap, filling and a great way to enjoy the stunning bread that we’ve been getting. We are at Week 3 of our CSA subscription and I’m writing a meal plan each week  to help get through all this produce. This week our CSA box included: Vegetables only 2 bulbs of garlic (self certified organic) 4 kaffir lime leaves (self certified organic) Half a crown pumpkin (certified organic) 1 cabbage (conventional sprays) 7 carrots (conventional sprays) 2 broccoli (certified organic) 2 silverbeet (certified organic) 1 stick of rosemary Meal plan week 3: Mince and cheese pie with mash and creamy garlic* silverbeet* Pumpkin soup: Spiced pumpkin* kaffir lime leaf* and …

OOOOBY BOX WEEK 3

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To get more efficient in our grocery shopping this winter, we are replacing the 2 to 3 trips per week to the market, with a weekly CSA delivery. I plan on topping this up with a fortnightly trip to (or maybe even delivery from) traditional supermarket and a fortnightly trip to Nosh (a local gourmet food store). Local CSA project OOOOBY has a great concept and ethic and we are in week 3 of our subscription. This week our CSA box included: Vegetables only 2 bulbs of garlic (self certified organic) 4 kaffir lime leaves (self certified organic) Half a crown pumpkin (certified organic) 1 cabbage (conventional sprays) 7 carrots (conventional sprays) 2 broccoli (certified organic) 2 silverbeet (certified organic) 1 stick of rosemary Fruit and sweet vegetables There is no fruit this week as we’re trying out OOOOBY’s vegetable only box. We still have kiwifruit left over from last week so we aren’t entirely fruitless. I got an Add On of kumara sourdough instead of ciabatta this week for a change. For those not in kiwi-land, kumara is the Maori word …

Kale chips and a CSA box review for Week 2

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The Koala: “What are you making?” Me: “I’ve already eaten them. They were kale chips.” The Koala: “Kale?…Chips?!? What were they like?” Me: “Like dry, crunchy leaves. I ate the whole bowl.” The Koala was unconvinced and secretly glad there were no kale chips left. Even I’m not convinced, but I did eat all of them before I realised what was happening. A good way to get rid of an abundance of kale I guess. This recipe is easy and you might as well give it a try if you have kale. Maybe you’ll like it. Or maybe you’ll find that you ate the lot before you could decide if you liked kale chips or not. Just make sure you keep a close eye on these suckers in the oven because they can burn in a heartbeat. Kale Chips Makes a bowl enough for 1 or 2 as a snack Ingredients 1 bunch of kale 1 tablespoon olive oil A sprinkle of salt, paprika, and/or garlic salt Preparation Pre-heat oven to 170°C/340°F. Pick the leaves from …

Beetroot

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I loved the 7 baby beetroot we received last week in our CSA box. The colour was glorious and the flavour intensely sweet after cooking. I grated a couple of beetroot with carrot for a balsamic vinegar salad and roasted them chicken and again for a roast vegetable pasta. Roasted beetroot is by far my favourite way of eating beetroot but I almost had kittens the next day! Consider this a public health warning.

Junk Food Day

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Next Saturday is Junk Food Day. Who knew that junk food needed it’s own day? I’m sure the fact that it falls on a Saturday this year will give us all a good reason to gorge all day. We’ve got a whole week to think about what naughty things we can gorge ourselves on. Some celebratory ideas: Have a junk food shared lunch or picnic Junk food quickfire challenge (cook/prepare something using junk food as ingredients) Invent a new junk food Junk up a healthy dish (bacon and potato chip salad) Make a home made version of junk food for dinner (burger, pizza, fried chicken, potato chips etc)

OOOOBY BOX WEEK 2

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To get more efficient in our grocery shops this winter, we are replacing the 2 to 3 trips per week to the market, with a weekly CSA delivery of fruit and vegetables. I plan on topping this up with a fortnightly trip to (or maybe even delivery from) traditional supermarket and a fortnightly trip to Nosh (a local gourmet food store). Local CSA project OOOOBY has a great concept and ethic and we are in week 2 of our subscription. This week our CSA box included: Vegetables Half a cauliflower (conventional sprays) 1 big red kumara (certified organic) 8 carrots (conventional sprays) A huge bunch of red russian kale (certified organic) 7 baby beets (certified organic) Fruit 6 pink lady apples (conventional sprays) 10 gold kiwifruit (certified organic) Only 2 varieties of fruit this time, and while my list and email both suggested that I was to be gettting mandarins or tangelos, they didn’t arrive in the box. The weirdest thing in the box is: Kale. I’m looking forward to using it because for some reason it isn’t …

OOOBY BOX WEEK 1 – Review

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Our first week trial run of local CSA company OOOOBY was a success. Every single item from last Tuesday’s CSA box was eaten before the next box was delivered although for a moment it looked like we weren’t going to get through all the fruit. But a solid weekend of fruit eating got us through the lot. I picked up a trick via Youtube on how to prepare kiwifruit and having pieces of ready to eat fruit on a platter made it more enticing. It was so much fun peeling kiwfruit this way, once I started, I couldn’t stop. Last week our CSA box included: Vegetables 1 garlic (self certified organic) 1 red skinned turnip (self certified organic) 6 carrots (conventional sprays) 1 fennel (certified organic) 2 brown onions (certified organic) A couple bunches of silverbeet (certified organic) 6 agria potatoes (certified organic) 1 large bunch of Italian parsley (Certified Organic) Fruit 6 newstead gold apples (conventional sprays) 3 mandarins or naval oranges (BioGro certified) 9 green kiwifruit (certified organic)  Meals for week 1 included: Baked …

OOOBY BOX WEEK 1

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CSA CSA is a way for locals to support their local food growers and producers but subscribing to a set price per season (or month) in return for a weekly delivery of produce. I’ve written about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in 2009. Back then I wasn’t in a hurry to sign on because of lack of control over what we received. 3 years on, I appreciate the concept more. CSA is a great way to get variety into your weekly meals with local, seasonal and organic produce. It connects local growers and their communities together in the most efficient way possible. CSA usually involves fruit and vege, but there is also CSA for meat and eggs, and CSF which stands for Community Supported Fishery. In the summer, I adore my walks two to three times a week to the various local markets to buy fresh food. But now that it’s winter, the days are short and cold and it’s dark by the time I get home from work. No part of me wants to leave home and walk …

New Zealanders love their pies

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I was once told by someone, that something I once said while eating struck a chord with her. “Every now and then, a girl needs a pie.” The cut off date for the Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards was yesterday and from now until July, pie makers all over the New Zealand will be perfecting their pies leading up to judging day on the 19th July. This excites me. If only I knew someone who needed a human guinea pig for their pie perfecting month. Last year, a fruit pie shocked the nation (ok, slight exageration) when it beat 4,400 entries and took the coveted top pie award. Fruit pies are ok, but I’m a meat pie kind of girl. Mince and cheese to be exact. New Zealand beef with a layer of melted cheese in a buttery puffy pastry case. Oh gawd. Pies in New Zealand are a traditional food (borrowed from England) and eaten for breakfast by kids on their way to school, everyone for lunch and others for dinner with an optional …

Cook Curry Goat

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Since I saw Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall’s curry goat episode on River Cottage, I’ve been obsessed with trying curry goat. Curry goat is curry goat. Do not call it goat curry. There’s a difference. I’m not sure what the difference is, but asking for goat curry at any Jamaican eatery is sure to have you ridiculed and branded as a floundering noob. I tried a delicious Carribean curry goat over the summer at Splore Festival (pictured). The food stall was run by catering company Jamaican Me Hungry and the goat was divine (though it could have done with a little food styling). I couldn’t wait another two years to try curry goat again so last week, I made curry goat at home. Goat Meat Goat meat isn’t popular here in New Zealand. No, our prized beast here is lamb. But as tasty as lamb is, it can can be expensive and often reserved for special occasions. I have never cooked with goat meat and I can’t say I’ve eaten it many times, but I’ve enjoyed it every …

I’ve been paying too much.

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It turns out dear reader, that we’ve be scammed. We kind of all knew it, but maybe we forgot about it. Maybe the trip to yet another specialty store got streamlined to the supermarket. Maybe those cute little matching packages were irresistible. Even though they didn’t weigh much in our hands. Herbs and spices from the supermarket are incredibly overpriced and this week I visited the Bulk Food Savings store near my house. Maybe you have something similar near you? Mums and hippies go there. It’s all healthy, unbranded stuff. My local store is tucked away in a carpark and has no street presence.  This little shop is a treasure trove of unbranded goods. When it opened a couple of years ago, no one noticed. I only know of its existence due to the drive through at Wendy’s on Dominion Road. Ironic. I got change from a tenner after buying these bags of aromatics (cardamom pods, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds) and bought a few other bits and pieces there too. A bargain! Do …

Winter to do list

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It is impossible to imagine that winter is starting back home in Auckland. We are finally acclimatising to the the heat of Thailand but due to fly home to the start of winter very soon. Even though it is warm here, I’m glad that I’ve been pondering my winter to do list for quite some time. These are 10 things that I’ve always wanted to eat, cook or experience. 1. Make Spaghetti alla Puttanesca A dish to get promiscuous with. This quick, fiery dish is reputed to be named after the ladies of the night (ie. Whore Pasta). I tasted it for the first time for breakfast in Thailand (of all places) after a night on the turps. It is made using ingredients from the pantry and is a tasty pasta to serve to any sluts in your life. Perhaps wait until after you have all eaten to tell your friends they have just eaten Whore Pasta. They’ll either think it’s funny or hold a grudge. 2. Cook curry goat I saw Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall’s curry …

Autumn To Do List Summary

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As the Autumn season draws to a close it’s hard to believe we’re almost June already. The next few months will fly by and once the silly season hits, it will be over once again. I have this weird sensation over the last few months, that we are hurtling. Time won’t sit still. I feel like I’m in a shopping trolley that’s crashing down a steep hill. The flat nowhere in sight. I want some stillness. Being in Thailand and Laos over the last 4 weeks has been a good mix of stop and go. It’s been hot. Real hot. Not long now until we come home to the emergence of winter. This Autumn as been great. Auckland has had many warm, sunny days. Easter for example was all promise of torrential rain, but turned out to be beautiful blue skies all long weekend. Autumn fashion is hawt. I like tailored stuff more than showing skin. Tailored coats and cute jackets. Smart hats and sexy boots. Dresses, tights and colourful scarves. This Autumn, I wrote …

Try A New Fruit

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On the way to and from Pam Bok Waterfall in Pai, Thailand, there is a farm. Huge cracks in the ground appeared a few years ago (and continue to grow in number) means that the owners can no longer grow as many crops as they used to. With the land deemed worthless and crop production down, this can mean very hard times for a farmer. In a stroke of genius, they have opened up what is left of their farm to the visitors that pass every day to get to the waterfall. After a day of exploring the nearby hot springs, canyon and waterfall by bike, we stopped by the “crack farm” for a refreshing roselle juice. Roselle are a hibiscus flower that look more like rose hip. If you have had hibiscus juice before, it is similar to that, if not, I guess it tastes like a watered-down glass of cranberry juice. As the only visitors there and just one table, you really feel like you are guests in someones home. Our friendly, Thai-speaking …

Siam Rice Thai Cookery School

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This week, I made a Tom Yum Gai (hot and spicy chicken soup) at Siam Rice Thai Cookery School. Read about my Tom Yum experience here. Cookery school is a great value way to spend the day at 900 baht($38NZ/$28US) per person, includes hotel transfers, ingredients, class, market tour, 6 dishes, 1 curry paste and a vegetable carving session. I purposely chose to cook 6 different dishes to those I cooked at Baan Thai. If this were a science experiment, I would have repeated the dishes. You will not need to eat anything else on the day, so the price includes your meals for the entire day. A full day course runs from 9.30am to 3.30pm and runs at a good, relaxed pace. There are half day and evening classes available for those with limited time (Evening course: 800 baht. Half day course: 700 baht). No hard sell on anything at all. If you wanted to buy beer or souvenirs, you had to get up and enquire, but they were reasonable 50-70 baht for a …

Make Tom Yum

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I made this bowl of Tom Yum Gai for one at the Siam Rice Thai Cookery School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, so you’ll have to pay them a visit if you want the exact recipe. Tom Yum (or Tom Yam) soup is the hot and sour soup of Northern Thailand and Laos and I first got hooked on this spicy broth back in my student days. We were flatting on K Rd, with a pretty good Thai place just a few doors down at Lim Chhour Food Court. Cash poor but still wanting to eat something with punchy flavours and actual nutrition (instant Mee Goreng and Yum Yum noodles can only take a girl so far) Tom Yum with tofu and vegetables plus a box of steamed rice cost $7 all up. Tom Yum and many other Thai soups and dishes feature 8 fragrant ingredients: Lime juice Kaffir lime leaves Galangal (Thai ginger) Lemongrass Chili (Bird’s eye chili) Palm sugar Spring onion and coriander (cilantro) Fish sauce Fish sauce is a key ingredient in Thai …

No Big Players in Laos

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Like many others, one of the things I most look forward to when traveling to exotic locations, is the local cuisine. I always try to sample a nation’s well known dishes, as well as their lesser known ones. Far from home, the food can be challenging, comforting, and humbling. But even so, after just a few days of authentic food, all I want is a sinful pizza or burger or pasta. What is it about these kinds of meals that grab a hold of you and why do I feel so guilty indulging? While traveling through Laos last week, quite probably my favorite country to visit out of all the countries that I have been to so far, I was struck by how ubiquitous the pizza, burger and pasta menu is. Laos food is simple, fresh and delicious and I love how good it makes me feel. I am no food scientist, but it’s possible the free range and organic ingredients are the culprits. Almost every restaurant offers local Laos fare as well as pizzas, …

Do Something With Eggplant

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As well as attempting to try new beloved recipes this autumn, I put “Do something with eggplant” on my list of things to try. You can read more about my autumn list here. Eggplant is one of those vegetables I loathed as a child. Shiny and sinister looking, their heft is light beyond their size. Slimy and bitter and neither egg nor plant, this weird looking vegeta-fruit was not a friend of mine. I hated mushrooms – which I adore now, courgettes (zucchini) – which I also love now. Over the summer, eggplant made appearances at a few BBQ feasts and I let my guard down. Maybe it was time to be a grown-up and try eggplant again. I decided to cook with eggplant for the first time ever. Maybe I should have introduced it slowly, as a minor part of a meal, rather than diving in and making it the star of the show. We had two eggplants and ate them with an orzo salad. I picked yellow and red tomatoes and rosemary from …

Make A Chowder (Salmon Head and Mussel Chowder)

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Salmon. I love it raw. I love it cooked. I love it smoked. I love it poached. I love it pan fried. I love it baked. I love it steamed. It is creamy, fishy and super rich. Everything I’ve read says that salmon makes too strong a stock. I’m not afraid of a strong fish stock, but if a strong stock makes you queasy, this recipe is not for you. I’ve wanted to make a chowder for the longest time and a quiet, Autumn weekend at home last month was a good time for it. You can easily spend too much on seafood for a chowder. Sure, it will be delicious, but what about making a delicious chowder using cheaper ingredients? I picked up 2 salmon heads for cheap at my local asian market. Fish heads are usually cheap and I’ve been eyeing these up for a while now, wondering what to do with them. To prepare, make sure the gills are removed – they usually are. Cut the fins off with a pair of …