All posts filed under: Eats

Spicy garlic beef and eggplant

Published by

This recipe is inspired by a dish that led me to fall in love with eggplant. I used to hate eggplant. For reals. I found it absolutely disgusting in flavour and texture. Now I love the stuff. I rejoice when I see eggplants for under $1 each at my local Asian grocer. Weird right? I’m constantly amazed at how my palate has changed and this blog has been a great record of the changes.  The Koala also used to hate eggplant but likes it now too. Have eggplants changed? Have we? Spicy garlic eggplant can be found at many of the Chinese restaurants along Dominion Road and I think I first tried this at Shaolin Kung Fu Noodle, though Barilla Dumplings also does a mighty fine version. Vegetarians and meat eaters will enjoy this tasty dish. I’ve adapted this to include beef because well, I like beef. Feel free to skip the beef or replace with another vegetable such as mushroom (or more eggplant) for a vegetarian dish. Spicy garlic beef and eggplant Serves 2 with …

Baked Mayo-Cheese Mussels

Published by

We dined with friends at a local yakitori restaurant last week. Although one of our favourite restaurants in Auckland for their tasty morsels of individually selected skewers, it had been a long time since we had visited and it wasn’t quite the same. My favourite dish, scallops wrapped in bacon were disappointing this time and the other dish I was looking forward to (chicken hearts) was unavailable. They did however, have a special on the blackboard: 4 mussels for $5. These were baked, cheesy, creamy, a little sweet and very different to how I usually cook mussels (steamed with sauce added). I don’t know exactly what was in the dish but I figured there was mussels, cheese, mayo and perhaps something sweet for balance. Boom I wanted more. The Koala and I split a portion and 2 mussels each is just a tease. So when our Foodbox delivered a kilo of mussels yesterday, I took it as a sign from the universe that I should try and recreate it at home. This recipe is deceptively easy, very quick, and uses just …

Tasty hot dogs and a meaty giveaway

Published by

L’Authentique (law-thon-teek) is a small local charcuterie run by Frenchmen. Charcuterie (sha-koo-ta-ree) is the culinary art of turning meat (mostly pork) into delicious things such as sausage, bacon, ham, terrines and pates. Known primarily for their handmade sausages, I love L’Authentique’s gluten free, dairy free and free range meat products. There are no fillers here and definitely no carcinogens (for those who worry about recent food headlines). The Koala and I have been eating lots of L’Authentique sausages this year. We tried the whole range of sausages so far and they are great to serve up at home or to take to a barbecue where you want to impress. I’ve yet to meet a sausage lover who doesn’t fall in love with L’Authentique sausages. Summer collaboration L’Authentique have just released two summer sausages for the Kiwi barbecue. In collaboration with Javier Carmona, Executive Chef at Orleans, a hot and smokey Louisiana Andouille (ahn-DOO-eee) sausage that comes in a 4 pack; and in collaboration with Hallertau Brewery, the Asian-inspired Peking Maximus which is made with Hallertau Maximus …

Fancy Steak and Chips

Published by

This is a sponsored post. The Koala and I love a good steak, but I don’t order steak when dining out because it’s so easy to cook at home for a fraction of the price. I often go for the fattier steaks because that’s what my tastes buds like, but when I heard there was a leaner steak coming out that still tastes good, I was all for it. The flat-iron steak is a relatively unknown cut to the kiwi palate. A butcher’s secret, this cut is for people in the know. It is called the oyster blade steak in NZ and Australia. It is known in the US as the flat-iron steak and in the UK as the butler’s steak. Affectionately known as the ugly steak, this flat, rectangular cut comes from the shoulder and is trimmed to make it very lean. Because it is so lean, it’s important not to overcook a flat-iron steak. Just 3 minutes on each side in a hot pan and 5 minutes resting time. This month, Silver Fern …

Whitebait fritters fit for kings and queens

Published by

Spring is whitebait season here in New Zealand and as a North Island girl, whitebait has always been a slightly unattainable delicacy. So imagine my delight when The Koala’s parents visited from the South Island with a precious cargo of whitebait for me as an early birthday present. Having never done anything with whitebait before, I thought whitebait fritters was the best dish to cut my whitebait teeth on. Known in New Zealand (particularly the South Island) to be a casual seasonal treat, served with lashings of butter on soft white bread this simple dish is a delicacy us North Island folk can only dream of. Fresh whitebait is best (if you can get it), I froze mine so that I could take some time to think about what to do with it. Thaw whitebait in the fridge overnight and make sure you drain it well before working with it. Fritters served with lemon, asparagus and a pale ale, this is a spring time lunch fit for kings and queens. Dig in with your hands or use …

Balsamic garlic mushrooms

Published by

We are obsessed with mushrooms at our house. I disliked mushrooms as a child but now I don’t go more than a couple of days without eating mushrooms. I love that mushrooms are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and you can bet that I have eaten them at all times of day. In fact, I have distinctly awesome memories of eating mushrooms from The Burgerie on K Rd late, late at night (or is that early hours of the morning) after a night out. If you haven’t had those mushrooms before, they are dangerous morsels of delicious molten lava. You have been warned. Four mushrooms or a handful is considered a good daily dose to reap all the benefits mushrooms offer. Mushrooms can be eaten raw or cooked, raw is healthier, cooked is tastier (in my opinion). It doesn’t take much time to prep mushrooms and even The Koala can rustle up some tasty mushrooms. Thanks to Meadow Mushrooms I have a mushroom prize pack worth $25 to giveaway to one Auckland mushroom lover. …

Asparagus for adults in spring

Published by

It might only be the start of spring but it feels like the tail-end already. We’ve had bright sunny days that suggest that summer is just around the corner. Daylight savings has begun, which means I get to photograph food in natural light in the evenings instead of having to save it for the weekend. This means (potentially) more recipes and more blog posts! Yay!   Last week, The Koala and I went to Cornwall Park to see the spring lambs. They were super cute. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, I would advise seeking out a lamb visit. It’s worth it. After our visit with the lambs, we invited a couple of friends over for the first barbecue of the season. It’s been all of winter since we taught ourselves how to use our charcoal barbecue and we’ve still got the skills we picked up in summer. I don’t remember spring barbecues being a thing, but going by the lovely smells in our neighbourhood, we’re not the only ones barbecuing in spring. Spring also means asparagus season. I …

Pumpkin Soup for Pumpkin Haters

Published by

I know I sound childish and not at all like a sophisticated foodie when I say, “I hate pumpkin”. Maybe hate is too strong a word, but I have a strong dislike for it. Whenever we get roast dinner takeaways (best hangover food) I transfer my pumpkin pieces onto The Koala’s plate. The Koala loves pumpkin so he accepts it happily. I say pumpkin, you say squash Before I go further, I should mention that here in New Zealand, we call all things in the squash and pumpkin family simply, “pumpkin”. So when I say, “I hate pumpkin“, elsewhere, I would say, “I hate squash“. Anyway, I know it’s good for you and when it’s in season, it’s everywhere. Since The Koala loves pumpkin and pumpkin soup, and since pumpkins keep appearing in our Foodbox, I’ve been experimenting with pumpkin soup recipes. This recipe is for the pumpkin haters among us. Spices I’ve used garam masala and cinnamon, feel free to also try turmeric and ground coriander. Spices make pumpkin palatable. A little cream doesn’t hurt either. …

WOOP – a review

Published by

I am pleased to announce a special promotion for my readers. Just use the promo code BUNNYVIP to receive $25 off your WOOP order. I was recently invited by Thomas Dietz to try a new food delivery service in Auckland called WOOP. Thomas is a (former) Parisian, foodie and the entrepreneur responsible for TOMeTTe, those beautifully branded, ready-to-eat French meals we first tried at The Food Show in 2012. Since then, Thomas has launched a new initiative called WOOP (World On A Plate). Branding One thing about both TOMeTTe and WOOP, is the branding is right on point. A flash silver box arrived, the ingredients packed with the skill of a Tetris master. This box can easily fit on a shelf in your fridge – which I would recommend since they’ve packed it so snug it would be hard to beat. Convenience A weekly delivery of 3 meals for two or four people, these feature gourmet meals that take an average of 15 minutes to prepare. Sitting somewhere between cooking from scratch and “heat and eat” meals, much …

Sliders Party

Published by

  The Koala and I had friends over for a sliders party last weekend. We love home made burgers and make them all the time. With The Koala as captain and me as his prep chef, we usually create towering cheeseburgers with all the trimmings that require you to unhinge your jaw to feast upon. Having a burger party was on my foodie bucket list. Having never made sliders before, we might have been too ambitious with our five slider menu. Luckily we didn’t have many guests and everything went smoothly (if a little frantic). We made 50 sliders but this was too many as the sliders were more filling than anticipated. Our eyes were much bigger than our stomachs so we sent everyone home with extras and we grazed on leftover sliders all night. It was hard to pick the winning slider, but the top three were: (in no particular order) Crispy Pork Belly Pan-fried Fish Peking Duck All the sliders were good, some were just better. In future, I would just make the top three flavours. Five kinds was too much …

Banh mi in winter

Published by

Early 2000’s, The Koala and I arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam at 6am local time during the coldest month of the year. We’d just flown in from balmy Kuala Lumpur and had been awake for at 24 hours. We weren’t prepared for the cold but we dumped our stuff at our hotel and went exploring. The city was wide awake, bright and bustling. Big baskets of bread stacked on the footpath and banh mi sellers bundled up and huddled together like winter birds cozied up on a branch. What is banh mi? For those unfamiliar with banh mi, the word “banh mi” (pronounced BUN-mee) just means “bread” in Vietnamese but has come to mean a single serve baguette sandwich. The French colonials left behind baguettes and pate when they left Vietnam in the 1950s and the locals created this awesome fusion sandwich before fusion was a thing. Stuffed with pork or chicken, pate, mayo, cucumber, coriander (cilantro), pickled vegetables and sometimes chillies, they are made fresh to order so you get to choose (in our case point) the …

Baked butter & maple figs

Published by

  The following post is part of a series of recipes celebrating figs. This is a simple recipe, great for dinner parties as you can get the figs prepped ahead of time and then pop them in the oven for 10 minutes shortly after dinner. I’ve written this recipe for 2 people, but it’s easy to multiply for more, just allow 2-3 figs per person. I was happy with 2 figs but my sweet tooth friends preferred 3. This recipe is gluten free. Most ice creams are gluten free but if serving with ice cream, double check the ingredients list. Greek yogurt is gluten free so that’s a safe option. Baked butter & maple figs (with yogurt or ice cream) Serves 2 for dessert Ingredients 6 figs Maple syrup 2 slivers of butter Greek yogurt or ice cream to serve Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, cut a cross in the top of each fig, and place on the sheet. Insert a sliver of butter into each fig and …

Honey grilled figs with prosciutto and blue cheese

Published by

The following post is part of a series of recipes celebrating figs which are currently in season.  From my investigations into figs and ways to eat them, a prosciutto (pronounced: pro-SHOO-toh) and blue cheese combo seemed very popular. Most recipes I saw didn’t specify quantities and since I’d never bought prosciutto before, I bought way too much. Prosciutto is expensive and a little goes a long way. About 50 grams (just under 2 oz) will be enough for 10 figs. Similar quantities for the blue cheese. I used Mahoe Blue (pronounced: MA-ho-ee) which is an organic, semi-firm farmhouse blue with a sharp flavour but a creamy texture. I did consider Marin Blue which is a super creamy buffalo cheese, mild with only a hint of blue. These are award winning New Zealand blue cheeses, so use whatever local cheese you can get your hands on. With blue cheese, buy the best quality blue cheese you can afford. I made a version of this without the prosciutto for my vegetarian friend. It was still delicious. Honey grilled …

Spiced duck with honey roasted figs

Published by

  The following post is part of a series of recipes celebrating figs which are currently in season.  I’m in love with Saveur Duck (also sold under Gameford Lodge). I found these duck breasts in the frozen section of my local specialty food store. Pop them in your freezer if you like the idea of having duck breast on hand. They are very easy to work with, just thaw overnight in the fridge and you’re ready to go. Out of the four dishes at our four course fig feast, this dish was The Koala’s favourite. This recipe serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter. Spiced duck with honey roasted figs Serves 2 Ingredients 1 whole duck breast (2 halves) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon 5-spice powder 4 figs, halved, stems removed Honey Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Pat the duck breast dry with a clean tea towel. If using a whole breast, cut into two halves. Using a sharp knife, score the duck skin diagonally both ways about 2 cm between cuts. Be …

Figs with soft goats cheese and balsamic syrup

Published by

The following post is part of a series of recipes celebrating figs which are currently in season.  I visited Sabato in Mt Eden for advice on cheeses to go with figs. There were a few recommendations but I was sold on the value of the Pico Affinė, a soft goat’s camembert with a yellow rind from France. You could substitute this for chèvre or regular cow’s camembert. This recipe is gluten free, refined sugar free and vegetarian. Out of the four dishes at our four course fig feast, this dish was my favourite. Please check out my tips at the end of the recipe for alternate options.  = Figs with soft goats cheese and balsamic syrup Makes 20 pieces Ingredients 10 figs, halved 2 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 100 grams (3½ oz) soft goats cheese Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Melt butter in a sauce pan and add balsamic and honey. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes until syrup is thickened. Line a baking sheet with parchment …

42 figs

Published by

  Around this time last year, I started noticing fresh figs in my blog feed and on Facebook. Figs might have a rich and colourful history, but I didn’t grow up with figs. I didn’t know much about them so I bought a couple of figs at a crazy $4 each and cooked them up. I was naive and paid way too much for those figs, but I did enjoy them so tucked my fig love away for the day when figs were more affordable. Fast forward a year, I saw that Te Mata Figs in Hawke’s Bay were offering a special deal to their Facebook followers. One tray of figs for $27 delivered. I had no idea what a tray of figs looked like but it sounded like it would be more than 7 figs. I was in for a surprise. A huge tray of 42 figs arrived a couple of days later. Figs are highly perishable so I carefully moved them to a bowl and refrigerated them (the tray wouldn’t fit in our …

Recipes for Easter

Published by

From ages 9 to 18, I attended Catholic schools. I wasn’t a “Catholic school-girl”, but I was a “Catholic-school, girl”. Easter is a big deal for Catholics. Bigger than Christmas. I understand the ins and outs of Easter, I attended Easter mass and observed Lent for all my pre-teen and teenage years. But at the end of the day, for non-religious people like myself, Easter is a couple days off work, a whole lot of chocolate, hot cross buns and some feasting. Have you got any eating or cooking plans this Easter? Here in New Zealand it’s autumn and no doubt there will be many families firing up the barbecue for one final pow wow before winter. Here’s a round up some of my recipes for Easter. I’ve included lamb, hot cross buns, eggs, more eggs and a carrot cake just for the Easter bunny. Most of them teeter on the fence between sweet and savoury. Enjoy! Hot Cross Buns with Custard and Cognac (bread and butter pudding) A decadent version of bread and butter pudding using hot cross buns. Use traditional sultana …

Diving into fish tacos

Published by

  Warning: May contain innuendos. I love fish tacos. I dream of staying near the coast in Mexico and gorging on fresh fish tacos every day. We’ve enjoyed tacos at home a few times, specifically pulled pork tacos so when we received some lovely fillets from our delivery last week, I figured it was time to explore the fish taco at home. I’d never made them before, but it seemed pretty straightforward to me. I just made up the process as I went along. The perfect fish taco has a good balance of fish, salad and condiments. I hate a dry taco. Saucy tacos FTW! My preference is soft shell tacos, specifically corn tortillas. I first tried Tio Pablo’s corn tortillas last year when I was going through a gluten free phase, but turns out, I prefer the flavour of corn tortillas over flour tortillas. I used tarakihi fillets, but any medium white fish will do. Snapper, red gurnard, or trevally would also be suitable. Other types of fish such as flounder, turbot or salmon would probably be amazing. Feel free …

Yakitori-Style Scallops and Bacon

Published by

    Warning: Food in this post may cause incoherant babbling and sighs/moans of agreement. Scallops wrapped in bacon make me weak in the knees. I always order them if I see them in a Japanese restaurant and The Koala is a big fan of them too. The ingredients are a bit expensive, but making them at home is far cheaper than eating them at a restaurant and you’ll probably get much more. Fresh vs. Frozen It’s no longer scallops season here, but not long ago my seafood guy was peddling some fat scallops from Nelson. Although they were frozen, I thought I’d give them a spin. While fresh scallops are always better, frozen scallops are better than none at all. If using frozen scallops, defrost overnight in the fridge and make sure you drain them very well because a lot of liquid will appear on thawing. Never thaw scallops in water as this affects the texture and flavour. I think I was supposed to receive a dozen scallops, but I actually got 14 scallops. I took …

Bacon Jam

Published by

The Koala and I spent Christmas in Christchurch. Our first meal off the plane was at Terra Viva Cafe with The Koala’s parents. When I saw Hot smoked salmon and bacon jam salad on their menu, I didn’t look any further. I didn’t have to. Nothing could beat that combo for me. The salad was both tasty and light, the perfect meal for a “just got off the plane and I’m going to have an epic dinner later”. You can read my review and photos over here. Since then, I’ve been dreaming about bacon jam. “But Genie, what the hell is bacon jam?” I hear you cry. Well, bacon jam is bacon (of course) cooked down with onion, garlic and sweet gummy goodness until it is caramelised and crazy good. I had to make it. I had a browse at some recipes and decided on this one from Dinner With Julie. I’ve simplified an already simple recipe. Seriously, if you are a fan of bacon, you need this in your life. This recipe will make your house smell …