Gourmet Worrier | Live Eat Dream

March 2009 Archives

Cupcooley

By Ms.Gourmet on March 31, 2009 8:04 AM

I think I have found the essential accessory for the eco conscious caffeine drinker and it's called a cupcooley. The cupcooley is to the café latte drinker what the stubby holder is for the quintessential beer drinking male (or female if you are so inclined) - a practical necessity. Hence, this reusable silicone cup cosy has the reverse function of a stubby holder in that it protects the coffee drinker from the often scolding hot contents of your take away cup.

What I like about this nifty little gadget is that it's reusable. Just stop for a moment and think - if you're getting a take away coffee every day that's a heck of a lot of cardboard you are also taking away with you. By choosing to reuse the cupcooley in place of the countless number of cardboard sleeves you are doing your little bit to help the environment by reducing the amount of landfill.

The cupcooley is inexpensive and comes in reuse green, fusion pink and coffee brown. It fits all standard takeaway cups, keeps your hands cool and is slip resistant. The cupcooley is compact enough to be stored in a bag, jacket pocket, handbag or car console. Most importantly it's reusable and dishwasher safe.

Pudina Tal Hobz - Chocolate and Fruit Bread Pudding

By Ms.Gourmet on March 30, 2009 7:45 AM

Growing up we were not allowed to leave the table until our plates were clean, and by clean I mean we had to wipe them clean with a thick slice of crusty bread. If by chance there was anything left over mum would resourcefully turn it into something else the next day. I think this mentality of not wasting a thing had something to do with both parents having lived through the food shortages that were endemic on the island of Malta during the Second World War.

The chocolate and fruit bread pudding or Pudina Tal Hobz as it is referred to in Maltese is yet another great example of not letting anything go to waste. And so the humble, stale loaf of bread is miraculously transformed into a delicious chocolate bread pudina.

Saħħa Tadam - Goodbye Tomatoes

By Ms.Gourmet on March 27, 2009 7:51 AM

Without a doubt autumn would have to be my favourite season of the year. I love that we still have sunshine and moderately warm days. I also love watching the trees change as they prepare for the inevitable cold of winter. I love long afternoon walks by the river with the children. I enjoy treading on fallen leaves and crunching them underfoot. I love how picturesque Daylesford is this time of year and try to visit at least once during the autumn months, especially when the Swiss Italian Festa is on.

The only thing I am going to really miss about summer is tomatoes as there is nothing quite like sun kissed, vine ripened tomatoes. This summer I think I had to have tomatoes every day. I adore them in salads on whole wheat crackers with cheese and I also love tomato and onion sandwiches. But most of all I like biting into a warm, juicy, ripe tomato and eating it as one would eat an apple. The kids think I'm crazy - maybe I am, crazy about tadam.

Photo - Enzo Maisano (2008).

During the winter months I refuse to buy those apostate tomatoes that you see at the supermarket. No matter how much I am craving lush, red, juicy tomatoes I refuse to buy into the lie. Those wannabe, red round balls that have been cold stored for months are just evil imposters preying upon my waning self-control.

I rather bide my time and wait until spring, plant my seeds and watch my vines grow. My patience will be rewarded with a bountiful crop that will see us through the summer months and I will be in tomato heaven once again!

Saving Mum

By Ms.Gourmet on March 26, 2009 7:45 AM

I was recently asked to review the book 'Saving Mum' by Amy Pleydon and Tiana Johannis, who also happen to be the creative genius behind savingmum.com.au. Saving Mum is a wonderful online resource for modern Australian mums with children aged between birth and six. It's a place where mothers are able to share practical, real-life ideas about how to save time and money. Hence, Amy and Tiana are passionate about getting back to basics and want to support other mothers in their task of caring and raising children and are also committed to running more efficient and environmentally friendly households.

Saving Mum is an easy-to-use book (or should I say compendium) that taps into the collective wisdom of all those sensible, sturdy mothers who have gone before us. Flicking through the 'green living' section I was reminded of the many conversations between mum and my grandmother where invaluable antidotes and tidbits where exchanged.

Conchiglioni Al Forno - Baked Stuffed Pasta Shells

By Ms.Gourmet on March 25, 2009 7:52 AM

It was only after I began to write up this recipe that I realised that there seems to be an unconscious theme emerging with my cooking. - it appears that I like to stuff things! I stuff vegetables with savoury meat, peaches with amaretti biscuits, chickens with lemon, garlic and bay leaf and enormous pasta shells with spinach and ricotta. I dare not even Google to see what Freud would have to say about all this 'stuffing' business.

In defence of my stuffing tendencies I must say that I did not always stuff helpless pasta shells, instead I use to stuff cannelloni. The problem though with cannelloni is that they tend be fiddley and time consuming and because of this I tend to not make cannelloni that often. So when I clapped my eyes on a bag of conchiglioni shells the other day the first thing that came to mind was 'these are big enough to stuff' - and that's exactly what I did.

Meet us in Wonderland

By Ms.Gourmet on March 24, 2009 7:52 AM

On Sunday we were invited to Alessia's first birthday party as it has been a year since she came into the light. The invitation arrived earlier in the week and both Hoover and Fussy were most excited as the invite read 'Meet us in Wonderland at the rabbit hole under the big old tree' to celebrate Alessia's birthday.

Due to the inclement weather forecast for Sunday there was a change of venue at the last minute. So rather than gather at the Carlton Gardens we all toddled off to Alessia's grandparent's house and home as fate would have it, to an amazing old elm tree. Over the years we have spent many an afternoon under that magical elm tree drinking, eating and feasting on Asado as the children play happily well past twilight.

Portuguese Pineapple & Caramel Cake

By Ms.Gourmet on March 23, 2009 7:56 AM

I don't know why it has taken me this long to get around to making Tessa Kiros' Portuguese pineapple cake because it's pretty straight forward, incredibly moist and completely delectible. The fact that I recently found my Piri Piri Starfish book under a pile of other books that I had tossed in a corner may have had something to do with it. So the other day when I was at the greengrocers and found myself staring at a lovely ripe pineapple I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

Of course the minute I said 'cake' Hoover ran to get her apron. Before I had all the ingredients laid out she already had her sleeves rolled up and was asking to lick the bowl. As there was no bowl to lick (yet) I gave her a loaf tin and a slab of butter and asked her to grease the tin. After promptly completing that task Hoover then wanted to help with arranging the pineapple. Tessa is careful to note at this point that you should try to 'imagine' what the cake will look like when you turn it upside down to serve.

Moments of Indulgence

By Ms.Gourmet on March 20, 2009 11:42 PM

I have been taking Mr Fussy to the Koko Black salon in the historic Royal Arcade in Melbourne for years now. So whenever I suggest to Fussy that it's time for some one-on-one time with Mama he usual asks if we can catch a tram into the city and go have afternoon tea at Koko Black. We have tried the Carlton and also Collins Street Salons and although they are deliciously quaint and offer the same menu, we still both prefer the Royal Arcade Salon.

The Perfect Poach

By Ms.Gourmet on March 19, 2009 6:35 AM

I love poached eggs but I am pretty crap at getting them perfect. So the other day I got myself a nifty little Poachpod and could not be happier. The Poachpod is a flexible silicone cooking gadget for poaching eggs. All you need to do is crack your eggs into the nonstick pods and then float them in a pot of boiling water like a 'lily pad on a pond'. When the eggs are cooked you then flip the pod inside out and voila - perfectly domed-shaped poached eggs every time!

The Poachpod is dishwasher and microwave safe, made from FDA food safe silicone, heat resistant to 357°C/675°F and flexible. The pods are reasonably priced and for just AUD$20 you get two cute pods, one dark green and one light green.

Middle Eastern Lamb pizza

By Ms.Gourmet on March 18, 2009 8:16 PM

Before children I was a successful vegetarian for nearly seven years. Well if truth be told I was an 'almost successful' vegetarian who had a weakness for bacon. Every now and then I would momentarily relapse if I so happened to come into a one mile radius of a pan filled with fried bacon. I don't know what it is about the smell of cooked bacon but it gets me every time.

I then fell dismally off the vegetarian wagon for good during the second trimester of my first pregnancy. The fact that I was growing a 9.4lb mini human inside of me, coupled by the fact that I had rather low iron stores may have had something to do with my sudden urge to consume meat. So rather than stand firm in my ideals I decided to go with the moment and that moment has now lasted approximately eight years.

When I say 'I now eat meat' I mean that I may eat meat once a week as we still predominantly cook and eat more fish and vegetable meals. So the other day when I was having a meat craving moment I decided to make these Middle Eastern lamb pizzas for dinner. It goes with out saying that Mr. Man, Hoover and I had the spicy Middle Eastern pizzas while Fussy was content with his signature Margerita pizza with 'nothing green on it' please.

How it came to Bee

By Ms.Gourmet on March 17, 2009 6:47 AM

Today someone made a rather nice comment about the little bumblebee and honeycomb device on my blog. If truth be told this person was the first to make the connection between the bee motif and the honeycomb. After a friendly email exchange about our mutual love of bumblebees I thought I might take this opportunity to explain the seemingly inconsequential bumblebee to you and its relationship to me and in turn Gourmet Worrier.

Quite simply my father is originally from the island of Gozo, Malta's sister island. Gozo is a tiny island and it is predominantly Catholic. Traditionally parents would name their children after Saints - Mary, Marija, Joseph, Josephine, Nazarene, Victoria, Victor, Anthony, Antoinette, Francis, Francesca et al. As you can imagine there are a whole lot of Joe's & Mary's running around on that tiny island. One of the ways they overcame this name overlap was to give families nicknames. So Joe Bonello would be referred to as Joe tal Korkos (which is in fact my paternal grandfathers family nickname). Don't ask me what 'Korkos' means, or to translate it into English or how it came to be. I have asked my relatives this at least a hundred times and every time I am met with that look that says 'what island are you on?

'Coming Home' - Mgarr Harbour, GOZO 08'

Spiced Ricotta & White Nectarine Tart

By Ms.Gourmet on March 16, 2009 7:45 AM

In Melbourne we are coming to the end of summer stone fruit so when I saw this Spiced Ricotta and Nectarine Tart in this month's Gourmet Traveller I knew I had to act fast and I am so glad I did. For those of you in the northern hemisphere who are slowly beginning to thaw I suggest you ear mark this one as it will not disappoint.

As per usual I tweaked this recipe to suit my taste. The recipe suggested that the nectarines be baked in brandy. That just didn't gel for me so I decided to bake them in Marsala instead. I often poach stone fruit in Marsala over the summer months so I always have a bottle handy. I was a little more generous with the cardamom, ginger and cinnamon too because if you're going to call this a 'spiced' ricotta tart then it makes sense to taste the spice.

I picked up a kilo of white nectarines at my local greengrocer so I decided to bake the lot on Saturday night. This made making the tart the next day a whole lot easier as all I had to do was make the pastry and sort the ricotta. It also meant that we were able to stuff ourselves on baked nectarines and vanilla bean ice cream on Saturday night.

Honest Scrap

By Ms.Gourmet on March 15, 2009 8:43 AM

Ana from Chef Wanabe has sent me a meme. From what I can gather this early in the morning it's a whole lot of me's and smells vaguely chain-letter-ish. But out of courtesy I thought I should respond - so here is the me, me, me...

1. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content & design.

2. Show the 7 winning blogs you have cited and links on your blog and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with 'Honest Scrap'.

3. There really is no prize, no bells & whistles - but they can keep the naff icon if they so choose.

4. List at least 10 honest things about yourself (Ana I need to take the kids to swimming lessons so there can be only 10)!

So here's my Honesty...

Tied to the Levantine

By Ms.Gourmet on March 13, 2009 10:22 PM

The word 'Levant' historically refers to that handful of countries (Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and parts of Turkey) that are situated to the East of the Mediterranean. And so 'Levantine Cuisine' refers to the culinary delights that emanate from this geographical region. I have always favoured food from the Mediterranean, but of late have come to embrace all things Levantine. It was only after doing a bit of research into the etymology of the word that I came to realise just how far my taste buds had roamed.

Thankfully, Melbourne is having a Levantine renaissance of sorts and in recent years we have seen some wonderful restaurants opening their doors that would fall into the Eastern Mediterranean genre. One of my favourite places at the moment and an absolute stand out in the crowd would have to be Shane Delia's Maha.

They don't cost the Earth

By Ms.Gourmet on March 12, 2009 7:41 AM

I can't believe after all the campaigning that I still get asked if I want a plastic bag even though it's completely obvious that I have an eco-friendly shopping bag hanging over my shoulder. Hoover and Fussy both know that plastic bags are taboo, so if they are out shopping with me and I get asked for plastic they both bellow back in unison - 'say NO to plastic'! Yes there are times when I find their loud antics amusing.

I recently picked up a couple of eco-friendly E String Bags and have been quite impressed with how sturdy these bags are as they can hold up to 14kg. They are also reasonably priced and come in a wide range of bright colours, so coordinating your string bag with your outfit is not going to be a problem.

When not in use the string bags can fit easily into a pocket, handbag or the glove box of your car. The other added bonus is that E string Bags is an Australian owned, family run company and they supply their eco-friendly bags anywhere in the world. These bags don't cost the earth and at just $3.35 AUD, $2.48 USD and £1.79 GBP you can afford to grab one in every colour.

What to cook for the Astrophysicist and the Doctor...

By Ms.Gourmet on March 11, 2009 7:54 AM

A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend and her husband from Brisbane were in Melbourne for a week. Being the clever academics that they are they both had a full week of conferences, lectures and endless meetings to attend. Towards the end of the week they were both up for some home cooked food, so rather than catch up at a restaurant they opted to come over to our house for dinner.

What to cook for an astrophysicist and a doctor who are craving a home cooked meal - lasagna. I decided rather than the usual meat version I would try something different. So I ended up making a tray of roast pumpkin and ricotta lasagna with walnut and sage butter sauce. Fortunately this gorgeous couple are very easy to please. And history has proven that if there is enough wine flowing throughout the course of the evening and the ride home is in a yellow taxi - even better.

Vincotto Originale

By Ms.Gourmet on March 10, 2009 7:41 AM

I briefly mentioned yesterday that I often serve those 'Chocolate Puddles' with fresh berries that have been drizzled with Vincotto and then realised that some of you may not be familiar with Vincotto. I have only ever used 'Vincotto Originale' so here is a little bit of information about the Calogiuri family's Vincotto and how to use it.

Vincotto is made by the Calogiuri family in the very Southern part of Apulia in Italy. It is obtained by using the locally grown Negroamaro and Malvasia grapes which have been allowed to further mature and wither on the vine for an additional 30 days. After the grapes have been pressed the must is then cooked and allowed to reduce and then aged in oak casks for at least four years. Vincotto has no alcoholic content and is free from added colours or preservatives.

The end result is a full bodied sweet, sour, velvety vinegar that goes well with roasted meats, fish and poultry. You can also drizzle Vincotto over fresh berries, ice cream, panna cotta, zabaglione, baked peaches, natural yogurt or even pancakes.

The Calogiuri family have been producing Vincotto since 1825 and have since expanded their range. Vincotto is now available in orange, lemon, raspberry, carob and fig flavours.

A dozen Chocolate Puddles

By Ms.Gourmet on March 9, 2009 9:01 AM

Whenever Miss Hoover is in a baking mood it usually means that she is hankering after chocolate. And so the other day when she suggested we don on our aprons and have a baking afternoon she insisted we make 'Chocolate Puddles'.

These 'Chocolate Puddles' are basically individual flourless chocolate cakes and the recipe below makes a dozen delicious dense, moist cakes. We often finish them off with a rather generous blob of ganache. Sometimes I add Frangelico to the ganache to give a hint of hazelnut and other times I add Grand-marnier to get that choc-orange effect. Often when we have a party or family get together I just double the recipe and end up with twenty four of these gorgeously decadent things.

Très chic apples and a pair of cosy slippers

By Ms.Gourmet on March 8, 2009 9:23 AM

I think it's safe to say 'Farewell' to the long, hot, dry summer in Melbourne. With open arms we welcome autumn with its promise of rain, healing, cooler days and delicious offerings. Apples are beginning to make an appearance and this seemingly boring autumn fruit will soon be transformed into an apple tart, apple and rhubarb crumble, the archetypal apple pie or a chic apple Tart Tartin.

Don't you think everything sounds so much better in French? Upside down apple tart or très chic Tart Tartin? I'm particularly attached to 'Merde' at the moment as it works well with my non French speaking children. So I can *merde* to my hearts content without being reminded by Hoover and Fussy that I am suppose to be giving up 'rude words' for Lent!

And so, 'merde' was the first thing that came flying out of my mouth the other morning when we woke to find that it had rained through the night and that the house was unexpectedly - freezing! I fumbled around trying to find my slippers and could hear Miss Hoover carrying on (doing her merde kind of equivalent) as she struggled to put on last years slippers on her now 'big girl' kindergarten feet.

So after 'girl time' on Friday morning we both went shopping for some new cosy slippers to see us through the colder months ahead.

Pioneers at Heart

By Ms.Gourmet on March 6, 2009 7:59 PM

Last Sunday afternoon I ducked out of the house to have a moment of peace. With the March edition of Gourmet Traveller tucked under my arm I set off to a local café for an afternoon espresso and a quick flick through my magazine. Amongst all the gorgeous recipes was an article about The Agrarian Kitchen, a sustainable farm-based cooking school situated in a 19th century schoolhouse at Lachlan, forty five minutes from Hobart in Tasmania's Derwent Valley, Australia.

I was so taken by Rodney and Séverine's pioneering spirit that I decided to contact them and let them know of my intention to feature them on my blog. Rather than re-hash information I asked Séverine to explain the 'journey' in her own words so that readers would gain a personal insight into their world. Séverine was a little reluctant to do so, because she stated that 'Rodney is the writer in the family' as he used to be a food editor for Gourmet Traveller. I am so glad that I insisted that she have a go because this is what she had to say.

Photo - Amanda McLauchlan (2009).

Bang your grinds in style

By Ms.Gourmet on March 5, 2009 8:55 PM

Just in case you haven't figured it out already - I *really* love kitchen gadgets! I like smart, sleek design that not only looks good but also has an everyday practical application to my life in the kitchen. I also like gadgets that don't require one to have a PHD in order to figure out how to use them. True genius (I think) is found where simplicity and expediency intersect.

Most of my girlfriends love kitchen gadgets too. What does that say about the company I keep? Well I'd like to think that it says I'm in good company. So come birthdays, Christmas and house warmings you won't see me bearing flowers, chocolates or a token indoor palm tree for some inconspicuous corner. No I usually come bearing food in one arm and a much loved kitchen gadget in the other.

A glass of wine in one hand and a silicon spatula in the other

By Ms.Gourmet on March 4, 2009 7:24 AM

Most meals I cook generally start with onion, garlic, carrot, celery and fresh parsley sautéed gently in some extra virgin olive oil. With a glass of wine in one hand (that's if it's after 5pm) and a silicon spatula in the other I gently stir, wait and hope for inspiration. With two ravenous children chomping at the bit hurling dinner requests at me faster than the speed of light, I fossick through the pantry and fridge to see what else I can add to this finely chopped aromatic blend. Like a resounding gong, Hoover and Fussy cry out every three minutes or so wanting to know - 'what's for dinner Mama' and 'is it ready yet?'

The end result is greatly determined by how successful my reconnaissance mission was. Hence, dinner could be - thick minestrone, Maltese minestra, chicken, fish or lentil soup. Or a rich bolognaise or Napoli sauce that I can then toss through some fresh pasta. Maybe even a rich, flavoursome slow braised beef ragout or cassoulet if the children can hold out that long.

There is a method to this seeming madness, which in turn serves as a flavour base and foundation to most meals eaten in this house. The foundation of course is 'gli odori' which is the fancy name for that earthy, heady mix of finely chopped onion, garlic, carrot, celery and parsley sautéed in good extra virgin olive oil. I often throw in fresh rosemary, bay and thyme as I find that this particular flavour base elevates the most humble of ingredients to surprising greatness.

From the Camel drivers of Egypt

By Ms.Gourmet on March 3, 2009 7:45 AM

Dukkah is essentially a dry blend of roasted hazelnuts seasoned with aromatics and lightly toasted sesame seeds and is a much loved speciality in Egypt. Some have suggested that Dukkah originated with the camel drivers of Egypt, who after a long day's journey would dry roast nuts, spices and sesame seeds and then crush and eat the spice blend with bread generously dipped in oil.

Hence, today Dukkah is commonly served this way as an appetizer where one dips pitta or Turkish bread into the spice blend after it has first been dipped into some good extra virgin olive oil. Dukkah also goes well with soft boiled, poached or fried eggs, grilled cheese such as haloumi or can be used to season grilled fish, chicken and vegetables or simply sprinkled over a salad.

In Australia it would appear that the art of dipping your oil soaked bread in an aromatic blend of dukkah has superseded the once fashionable trend of dipping bread into a shallow bowl of balsamic vinegar. Thus in Australia dukkah has become so popular that there is now a glut of Aussie, Outback, Bush and Native dukkah available in selected gourmet food stores, delicatessens and can even be found on supermarket shelves.

The dukkah I am currently using is Greg Malouf's 'Classic Egyptian Dukkah' a little on the pricey side, but well worth it I think. If you are feeling adventurous you could always try and make your own dukkah as there are a plethora of recipes out there. One of the better recipes I think is Claudia Roden's one which you can find in her book Tamarind & Saffron.

Bacon Breakfast with a slight twist

By Ms.Gourmet on March 2, 2009 7:40 AM

Miss Hoover doesn't go to kindergarten on Fridays so we have decided to make Friday mornings - 'Girl Time'. After we drop her brother off to school we then go to a local café for a leisurely breakfast and a good old chinwag. It's proving to be a great time of bonding for us and we also get to debrief about her rather hectic week. You'd be surprised how much stuff a 4yr old has to debrief about. In the short space of an hour we managed to cover - Bling, favourite books, ballerinas and how to make gingerbread men.

I decided to have the poached eggs with Istra bacon on sourdough toast which was divine. I have never tasted Istra bacon before but have had several girlfriends rave about it. Hoover had cereal before we left the house so she decided to have pink milk and a gingerbread man. Being the bacon freak that she is she then proceeded to devour most of the bacon off my plate after she had just scoffed her gingerbread man and downed all her pink milk. I decided to grab some Istra bacon to have for breakfast on Saturday morning and this is what we had.

Can someone pass the milk please?

By Ms.Gourmet on March 1, 2009 8:31 AM

I was flicking through a magazine the other day and came across a gorgeous photograph of some of Alyssa Ettinger's iconic porcelain bottles from her 'Milk Collection'. Seeing these bottles reminded me of my childhood as we use to get our milk delivered directly to our door in one litre glass bottles. My siblings and I used to fight over who got the cream at the top of the bottle as our morning Milo tasted so much better if it came with a dollop of fresh cream. *Sigh* - I am getting old!

« February 2009 | Main Index | Archives | April 2009 »

Pudina Tal Hobz - Chocolate and Fruit Bread Pudding

Conchiglioni Al Forno - Baked Stuffed Pasta Shells

Amber Crumer: Your mum's recipe for keeping the family happily together in read more
Clemente & Mary Zammit: Well done, Maria! Your mum's recipe for keeping the family read more
Anne-maree: Wow! Chocolate is a fantastic variation on this beautiful concept. read more
marie-claire: oh yum! read more
Laurrie Piland: That looks wonderful! Thanks for a great recipe. If you read more
Ancient Chinese Inventions: It is amazing to know that many people have no read more
Christie @ Fig & Cherry: Luscious and I'm all for adding a little splash of read more
Lily: Sounds really sublime.I adore chocolate! read more
bain femme: Awesome, I like your post. read more
Goodwill: This looks like paradise. I crave for a vacation at read more