All posts tagged: food

Hello Autumn, my good friend.

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The first weekend of Autumn is here and it’s certainly starting to chill. That humid, sticky-air feeling is giving way to a bite and the wind is almost unbearable. I haven’t succumbed to wearing a jacket yet, but I had to give into a scarf last night. Denial is fun. Autumn is my favourite season. Autumn in Auckland is usually warm enough still to do things, but not so hot as to need to shower or swim afterwards. I usually relish in Autumn after a long hot summer. We’re just not ready for it yet. I was reluctant to make a to list this season as we’ve got some big events planned which will take me away from my kitchen, but once I got started on my list, I was away. I managed to stop at 10. Probably overly ambitious as usual but I don’t know what I could cull. I’ve yet to complete any of my lists so far, but I’m a dreamer. I don’t need the smug satisfaction of reaching all my goals. Most …

Roll Sushi

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In the very early ’90s, sushi became popular in New Zealand and I found out the sushi that I already loved, wasn’t cherished among my peers. Not then anyway. Before this discovery, my sister and I had been happily enjoying raw fish sushi in uncool bliss. At school, instead of bags of chips, we snacked on small packs of dried seaweed. When The Koala and I visited Osaka, Japan in 2008, we were surprised to find sushi we are familiar with here in NZ, is quite different to Japanese sushi. Like so many imports, sushi has morphed away from tradition. Tried and true is great, but weird reproductions can be great too. NZ was not ready for raw fish in early ’90s. There had to be another way. Chicken sushi, which is novelty in Japan, converted hoards of New Zealanders to sushi and it’s unlikely you’ll find a sushi joint in NZ that doesn’t offer it. Where would we be without wacky combinations to humour our palates? Some less than authentic sushi I’ve enjoyed over …

Summer is Peachy

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As we officially set upon the final week of the New Zealand summer, it feels like the climate is stubbornly refusing to let go of the heat. Sometimes I can’t decide if it’s hotter inside than out. Things are sticky. Especially after a hot afternoon nap. We’ve been cheated of summer this year with monsoon rainfall that is common in other exotic islands. So while Autumn will hit us in a couple of weeks, it still feels like mid-summer. Who knows? Maybe we’ll still be picnicking in April. It is peach season and I have no hard feelings for the fuzzy skinned fruit. I can eat it without peeling. But the salsa I made this week is more about flavour than the texture. This salsa tastes zingy and fresh. I haven’t added any chili to it, but you can add a sliced chili if you prefer. Serve with fish, chicken, steak or sausages. Tasty enough to add just a spoon but moorish enough to eat like a side salad. Use a nectarine if that’s all you have handy. Peach Salsa …

Seeing Red

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On our Valentine’s Day, we enjoyed a scarlet feast of both sweet and savoury with friends in our backyard until late. Red is one of my favourite colours and it was fun to eat and dress for the occasion. There are loads of red foods and drinks out there and everyone really got into the spirit. Our read feast included: Red velvet cupcakes, jam tarts, pies, cheerios (cocktail sausages) with tomato sauce, home made salsa with nachos, spaghetti and meatballs, plenty of red wine, virgin and non-bloody mary drinks. Instead of having two or three courses, we  put everything on the table and as we pleased. Much like a children’s birthday party, where you don’t distinguish  the appropriate order of eating chips, lollies, fairy bread, sausage rolls or cake. It was a fun way to eat…even if a little sickening. I’m already thinking of the next excuse to have a themed pot-luck.

Celebrating VD

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The freakiest, exotic and un-romantic meal I’ve eaten with The Koala was in Vietnam. At a restaurant where such things happen, The Koala killed a snake and I swallowed it’s raw heart in a shot of vodka. Then we proceeded to eat the rest of the snake over 8 courses cooked by professionals. Supposedly an aphrodisiac, but after we washed down our snake soup shots of Hanoi vodka, we were feeling more sloshed than sexy. Our love is a rom-com. With that in mind, there is world of sexier feasts out there and this coming Tuesday could be a day to eat them. Caviar, oyster and chocolate sellers must look forward to this day. Even if these foods don’t actually get the juices stirring, the purpose is people want to think they’re getting into the mood. The whole aphrodisiac thing is more about rituals than medicine. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, and because it is red and has a cool name, I leave you with a recipe for Virgin Bloody Mary Shooters. No …

Takoyaki and other street food delights

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Like many others I went to the Lantern Festival at Albert Park over the weekend and gorged myself on an array of street food, witnessed the horrid karaoke and adored the display of lanterns. Armed with my camera and a 50mm prime lens, it was a learning experience for me and the first time I’ve ever taken my manual focus only lens out. Having to manually focus every shot gets tiring, but thankfully, my friend Miss C was very patient with me. I make no secret that I love street food. It’s one of the highlights of my travels. Even if my body doesn’t always agree. I’ve had meat on sticks in many countries and I love when stalls specialise in a single or few items rather than try and do many dishes poorly. When presented with so many potential delights to choose from, my criteria was simple: pick a dish you don’t make at home. Takoyaki Japan These takoyaki hit the spot. For those that are unfamiliar with these piping hot Japanese snacks, a …

Land of Milk and Hammy

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Milk Last night I saw that local food store Nosh, was offering 2 litre jugs of milk for $2 to raise awareness of high milk prices in New Zealand. We a lot for milk even though we are one of the world’s biggest dairy exporters. $2 litres of milk usually ranges from $3.50 up to $6. Today, the New Zealand Herald reported that Nosh’s February only offer was being extended until the end of 2012 and other chains are now tipped to follow suit. Milk wars on!!! Good on you Nosh for being a pioneer on the price of milk. Nosh are a very small reseller of milk so good on them for taking on the giants. Full article here. Some comments on this is that Nosh will have to increase the price of other items to pay for the drop in the price of milk. Since I didn’t buy milk at Nosh before, this hike in everything else would affect me. I guess we will have to wait and see. Nosh’s gourmet positioning turns people …

Do something with rhubarb

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“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” – Brian O’Driscoll I think you can consider a rhubarb as a vegetable in the same way that a tomato is a fruit. Rhubarb is completely alien to me. I recognise the word, but I I can’t say I have eaten rhubarb before. If I have, I mustn’t have been paying attention or maybe it was cooked with fruit and I wasn’t sure where the fruit ended and the rhubarb began. I was determined to do something with rhubarb this summer, and to know for sure what it was (and if I liked it). It’s a bit embarrassing that I wasn’t  sure what rhubarb looked like. I couldn’t identify it in the wild, although I’m generally pretty good at identifying edibles in the ground. I thought maybe it looked like silverbeet or celery only bright red. I was on the right track. I even claimed that I’d never seen rhubarb in any shops. Surely if I …

Summer Rolls with Surimi and Nectarine

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When I was a kid, many weekends involved a family visit to at least one fish market. Sometimes, cousins, uncles and aunties and grandparents came along. It was a social occasion. It was sight seeing. A big aquarium alternative where everything can be fashioned into a meal. To quieten us and keep us content until our yum cha lunch or dinner, our parents would buy us crabsticks to snack on. I think they were 50 cents and I’m sure we knew they weren’t real crab, but it didn’t matter. According to Wiki, the word “surimi” literally translates to “fish puree or slurry” and I suppose things like other kiddie favourites like chicken nuggets, hot dogs and cherrios (saveloy) are similar in build. These days I forget often about surimi as an ingredient. At my market, surimi comes in frozen vacuum sealed packs of 500 grams ($4) and 1 kilo ($7). This week the big Australian supermarket chains have frozen 1 kilo packs for just $5. Maybe that’s too cheap. You can often find surimi from …

Auckland Seafood Festival 2012

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Today, armed my sister, Joey, and our cameras, we tackled my first Auckland Seafood Festival. I always suspected that it would be an expensive exercise that wouldn’t be worthwhile. I was wrong. This festival really celebrates New Zealand seafood and the new location of Wynyard Quarter is perfect. Surrounded by water and boats old and new, the festival was beautifully decorated and it was often hard to figure out what props had been brought in to entertain the sea theme and what were already there. We arrived a little after 11am to a queue shortly after the doors opened. Greeted by seafood on ice, this was a nice preview of what was to come. If you don’t like seeing eyes on your food, then keep walking. We made our way around and quickly found something we couldn’t turn down. The Wild Seafood Challenge. There were 6 different items for $2 for each item or $9 for a platter of all 6. This included: kina, prawn killers, turbo shells, sea cucumber, octopus and kina shots. The …

Auckland Seafood Festival – coming up next

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I’ve been gorging myself on seafood lately. Prawns, salmon, white fish, sea cucumber, squid, more salmon, more prawns, more salmon…That’s just the last few days. I do love seafood and it generally seems to be the more politically correct “meat” to eat. It’s a long weekend here in Auckland as we celebrate Auckland Anniversary weekend. The Auckland Seafood Festival is on all weekend so if you are a seafood lover, it’s worth checking out. This will be my first time at the event so stay tuned for my report back this weekend. My sister Joey and I will be going on Saturday armed with appetites, cameras and general silliness. Tickets are $20 each and more more info can be found over at the event website: www.aucklandseafoodfestival.co.nz Things I have my eye on at the Auckland Seafood Festival: Scampi – If you like prawn, you really should try it’s hulking cousin. The meat is sweet and firm. Wild Seafood – If you’re into eating non-farmed food and are feeling a little adventurous, there is a Wildfood Seafood passport …

Trying new food properly 2

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Don’t judge a new food until you have tried it properly. I have commented on others judging a new food from just one encounter but I didn’t realise that I am guilty of it too. I tried Nasi Lemak for the first time in Sandakan, which is in the northern part of Borneo in Malaysia. I didn’t like it and I made my mind up. Dish eaten and dismissed. But I have to add, I tried it at an airport. Airport food has never been a good measure of a dish. So today, in Auckland, at a reputable local Malaysian restaurant, I tried it again. I liked it. Moral of the story, don’t judge a new food until you have tried it properly. At least once. Made by professionals.

Surf & Turf Mac & Cheese

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Surf and turf is an American export and combines seafood and meat together in a single dish. It has gluttonous origins and suggests extravagance by combining two of the most expensive things off the menu. Can’t decide between the steak or the lobster? Have both! Gluttons unite! Here in New Zealand – a country that has an abundance of great seafood and meat – we don’t really do surf and turf. In true kiwi style, extravagance only goes with a slice of humble pie and what is more humble than mac and cheese? This recipe uses 3 elements and the oven but as long as you read the recipe through before you start, you’ll be ok. There’s plenty of time to do everything even if there is a little multi-tasking involved. Clean up as you go, there’s 15 minutes of downtime at the end to take care of the dishes and throw together a quick salad. Surf & Turf Mac & Cheese Enough for 2 dinners and 2 lunches (or a nuclear family) Ingredients 250 …

Have a picnic at the beach

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We just got home this week from a holiday in Tairua in the Coromandel. The weather wasn’t the best, but we made the best of what we had. We had a well stocked fridge and BBQs just about every day. Heaven is day after day of epic feasts with friends. We are back to work next week, so being the last weekday of the holidays, we decided to head to the beach one more time. Today we went out to Goat Island which is just over an hour north of Auckland and worked up an appetite by swimming and snorkeling at the marine reserve. Sometimes, the best picnics are the ones where not a single thing is prepared at home, but instead, collected from your local supermarket, assembled and enjoyed somewhere beautiful with friends. A hot roast free range chicken, cheesy buns, fancy bread, salads, chips, crackers, cheese, stick shaped vegetables and loads of dips. Dig in.

Make an edible gift

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Fudge When my sister and I were kids, we used to go to the Takapuna Flea Markets and 50 cents would buy us a small paper bag of russian fudge to share. It was buttery, sweet and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I never knew russian fudge actually contained butter until I decided to make it this Christmas as an edible gift. Plan A I used the classic Edmonds Cook Book recipe, but tried and true it may be, after over 24 hours, including some freezer time, it just wouldn’t set for me. Big fail! What to do with squishy russian fudge? Well, of course, there was always ice cream or sauce. But what about using it as a spread? A few ticks later, I devised a Plan B. Plan B I cut out puff pastry shapes using cookie cutters, sprinkled with raw sugar, baked at 170°C for  10 minutes until just done, cooled for a bit, cut in half and filled with the still soft russian fudge. Serve with coffee for Christmas afternoon treat or with Christmas breakfast. …

Make Ice Cream

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Merry Christmas everyone. I hope your day is filled with yummy treats and that your stretchy pants look as good this year. I look forward to catching up with family and eating lots of delicious things. Namely, a glazed ham. I dream of ham year round. The weather has really turned bright and hot for us this Christmas and with summer weather comes demand for ice cream. I successfully made ice cream for the first time and I stirred in a bit of home made russian fudge for a buttery flavour boost. No ice cream maker required, just an egg beater and plenty of bowls. I found this easy ice cream recipe online here by a user named Marble. I’ve reblogged it just in case that page ever disappears. I have very limited kitchen space so never had the desire to hoard a food processor or an ice cream maker. I love how the fanciest tool required for this recipe is an egg beater. No food processor or ice cream maker required! ICE CREAM Use 3 bowls …

Salad for Super Skin

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With my skin still in the wars and a list of things NOT to eat, I decided to eat foods I should include. Most of the stuff I read about eczema is about stuff to avoid, but finding foods to eat is much more fun. I really enjoy cooking from a list of superfoods that I keep stored in my memory and more so when they’re delicious superfoods. There are a few foods out there that are good for your skin. These include salmon, avocado, olive oil and pinenuts (in pesto) which are all in this recipe. With half a bag left of orzo, I made this delicious salad for super skin. For those not on a restricted diet, some halved cherry tomatoes would be a lovely addition. Add some parsley too and hey look! You got yourself a red and green festive looking dish just in time for Christmas. Is this health food? Maybe. Does it work on eczema and other skin problems? I don’t know. Would I eat it regardless? Yes. Orzo Salad with smoked …

A Week in Foodie TV

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I haven’t been watching much TV lately, but a quick nosey shows that there are some foodie things to watch on “free to air” TV in New Zealand at the moment. A week in foodie TV Monday The Chef’s Apprentice, 6.30pm on Prime The Naked Chef, 7.30pm on Prime The Supersizers Go…, 8.30pm on Prime Tuesday The Chef’s Apprentice, 6.30pm on Prime Donna Hay: Fast, Fresh, Simple, 7.30pm on Prime Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen, 8.00pm on Prime Rick Stein’s Christmas, 8.35pm on Prime Wednesday The Chef’s Apprentice, 6.30pm on Prime Thursday Kitchen Nightmares, 9.30pm on 2 Saturday Harvest, 4.30pm on Prime Food Culture, 5.00pm on Prime Jamie’s Best Ever Christmas, 7.30pm on Prime Economy Gastronomy, 7.30pm on Prime Sunday Celebrity Masterchef, 3.30pm on Prime There’s nothing currently on Friday (making it a good “go out” night) and Tuesday is a foodie marathon over on Prime. I love watching food on TV. I find it comforting, voyeuristic and inspiring. We don’t have Sky, mostly because I feel like paying for TV would make me feel like I …

Cook Ribs

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Ribs The ribs at Al Brown’s new restaurant, Depot are incredible. Lamb ribs with harissa sauce sounded great and I liked the inclusion of roasted capsicum. Al’s recipe can be found on his restaurant website for those that live outside of Auckland or just want to be able to make the dish at home. What a giver! I also have a soft spot for Lonestar ribs. It’s the only thing we go to Lonestar for these days. Ribs shouldn’t be a special occasion food, so I figured that was time to attempt to cook ribs at home. I put together this recipe after reading a bunch of recipes online and also incorporating some flavours that would work well with pork. Roasted capsicum is easy to do. Just cut a capsicum into quarters, remove the seeds, smear with a little oil and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes. In hindsight, this sauce would be badass with a slow cooked hunk of pork. Think pulled pork with coleslaw, potato salad and fresh buns. Oh boy. Kaitaia Fire Kaitaia Fire is …

Roasted Garlic

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Garlic is always unreasonably cheap and I use a lot of garlic in my cooking. Sometimes though, I do buy too many bags of garlic to use before it starts sprouting, so roast garlic is a great way to eat up garlic quickly. Roast garlic is some kind of voodoo magic where the flavour vastly differs to the raw stuff. Roast garlic is really mellow, smooth and sweet. The cloves shrink inside their pods making them easy to remove from the paper. They are squishy, so you can either dig each clove out with a butter knife or use your fingers to squeeze them from of their papers. Or as I do, squeeze them out and pop them into my mouth. To use, mash with a fork, or crush with a knife to make a roasted garlic paste. If you are smearing into toast, you can just spread a whole roasted clove as you would a pat of butter. This recipe makes 4 bulbs of roast garlic but you can easily do more or less, just …