The One Where TSL Makes a Goat Curry…

Tags

Boer goat, Cook, Curry, Curry Recipe, Dairy Free, Easy Curry Recipe, Gluten Free, Goat, Goat meat, Goat Recipe, Julia Roberts, Matt Moran, Paleo

Goat Curry TSL-Style
(Image by TSL)

Last week I watched Matt Moran slow roast a goat shoulder on his new Paddock to Plate cooking show. He served it with hummus, mint salsa and salad of chickpeas and tomatoes. It looked pretty good to me.

I had goat meat on my mind…

Love is not love, without a violin playing goat. (Julia Roberts)

Then, on Saturday morning, while on our weekly jaunt to the farmers market, LM and I struck up a conversation with the lovely couple at the Boomer Boers Premium Goat Meat stand. Their farm is in Dorrigo, New South Wales (that’s all the way up near Coff’s Harbour. I know this because I looked it up). They produce Capretto and Chevon Boer goats – them’s eating breeds.

Apparently, approximately 75 percent of the world’s population eats goat meat. That’s quite a lot of people. I figured if its good enough for 3/4 of the planet, then its about time I give it a go…

So, I bought some neck and some diced shoulder and tweaked the recipe for goat curry I took from the Boomer Boers stand. In the interests of full disclosure, I should say that this recipe was definitely better after all the flavours had time to work their magic. Goat is a lean meat, and somehow – like most curries – it just tasted better on the second night.

But, it was easy to make and went down well with the boys. Definitely worth a try if you’ve never had goat before.

Goat Curry TSL-Style
(Image by TSL)

And so, I bring you Goat Curry TSL-Style

Ingredients

1kg goat-meat (diced)
1 x Tbsp ground cumin
1 x tsp dried chilli
2 x large green chilli (sliced)
1 1/2 x Tbsp brown mustard seeds
2 x large onions (finely diced)
6 x garlic cloves (minced)
6 x dried curry leaves
2 x Tbsp curry powder (or garam masala)
1 x tsp turmeric
2 x cinnamon sticks
1 x cup stock (or water)
1 x 400ml tin coconut cream
Fresh coriander (chopped)

Method

1. Heat oven to 180°C/350°F. In a large casserole, brown meat in batches. Set aside.

2. Lightly crush cumin, red chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Heat a little oil in the base of your casserole and add crushed spices along with the green chillies, onions, and garlic. Cook over a low heat for about ten minutes until fragrant and onions are translucent.

3. Add your browned meat, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon and stock. Bring to the simmer. Put the lid on the casserole and pop in the oven for 60-90 minutes.

4. Add coconut cream and cook for a further 30 minutes.

5. Serve with rice (or in our case, cauliflower rice) and sprinkle with chopped coriander.

Goat Curry TSL-Style
(Image by TSL)

If you want to make the meal go a little further, throw in some greens about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time – beans, spinach, broccoli would all work well.

Not a bad mid-week meal in wet, windy Sydney…

TSL’s BEST EVER Ragu Bolognese…

Tags

Alexx Stuart, Best Bolognaise Recipe, Best Bolognese Recipe, Best Lasagne Recipe, Best Pasta Sauce, Best Ragu Recipe, Cook, Dairy Free, Delia, Delia Smith, Dolly Parton, food, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Main Course, Paleo, Ragout Recipe, Real Food, Recipe, Sea Vegetable

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
inspired by Delia
(Image by TSL)

My weaknesses have always been food and men – in that order. (Dolly Parton)

I like to cook. Which is rather fortunate, because I also like to eat. And, as I get older I find myself becoming more particular about what I will eat, and where my food comes from.

There are times, though, when even the most passionate of cooks can’t face the kitchen. I have friends back in New Zealand who have lovely wee lamb cutlets as their ‘go to’ meal when they can’t be bothered thinking about cooking at the end of a particularly long work day. I think they may even have a super-special crumb recipe in which they coat their wee cutlets. They buy the little chops in bulk, do their magic ‘crumb-thingy’, and then freeze them in portion-size packages. Yum.

My go-to ‘can’t be bothered thinking about cooking‘ answer has long been to have portion-sized containers of Delia Smith’s Authentic Ragu Bolognese in my freezer. It’s so good and has a secret ingredient to make it seriously smooth and rich. Chicken livers. Yep. That’s right – chicken livers.

Wanna’ know why we should eat more chicken liver? Among other things, it is:

• high in protein and a rich store of folate
• loaded with iron (for energy and immune system health)
• a treasure trove of certain B vitamins, most notably B12 (guards your body against anemia, good for tissue repair).
• one of the top sources of vitamin A (which promotes good eyesight)

And, even if the idea of liver has you running for the hills, you won’t even know it’s in this recipe. True!

I used to make the ragu as part of Delia’s Lasagne al Forno. That’s no longer an option in the gluten-free, dairy-free world I now cook in at Casa TSL.* So, now I just make the ragu and have it on hand for whenever I can’t face the kitchen…

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
inspired by Delia
(Image by TSL)

Lately, I’ve had a wee bit of a girl-crush on Alexx Stuart of Real Food. Low Tox Living. She is a great proponent of eating real food, which just makes a lot of sense to me (and I like her pragmatic, unpretentious style). I saw her in action at the MINDD Foundation ‘Food is Medicine’ seminar. Now I like her even more!

And, as a result of Alexx’s presentation, I received a metaphorical kick-in-the-bum regarding making my own stocks from grass-fed bones again. So, this past week, I picked up some lovely bones from G.R.U.B. and made a massive batch of beef bone broth. So much, in fact, that I couldn’t fit it all in the freezer.

With all this excess broth and a need to replenish my emergency supplies of ragu, I have adapted Delia’s recipe to suit my needs. And, you know what? It works AND it’s more kiddie-friendly because there’s no wine in it. Delia’s recipe makes 8 225g portions, each serving 2 people. Mine makes more…

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
inspired by Delia
(Image by TSL)

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
(adapted from Delia Smith’s recipe)

Ingredients:
About 500g grass-fed Beef mince
About 500g pork mince (from happy pigs)
Coconut oil (or fat of choice)
About 225g chicken livers
2 x medium onions (chopped)
4 x large cloves of garlic (minced)
About 150g speck (or pancetta), chopped
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
4 x heaped tablespoons tomato paste
500ml beef bone broth (preferably home-made!)
Fresh herb of choice (basil, parsley or whatever you have to hand)
Salt & Pepper
Sea Vegetables (Optional, but soooooo good for you! I use this one)
grated nutmeg (preferably fresh)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 140°C (275°F)
2. Heat your largest frying pan over a medium heat. Add a generous dollop of coconut oil. Gently fry the onion and garlic until softened – about ten minutes. Give it a stir every now and then.
3. Add the chopped speck to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a large casserole (my beloved le Creuset holds just over 4 litres).
4. Add some more coconut oil to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Add the minced beef in batches to brown. I use a wooden fork to break it up in the pan. Add the cooked mince to the casserole. Repeat until all your beef is browned.
5. Do the same with the pork mince. While the pork mince is cooking, rinse the chicken livers and dry them with a paper towel. Trim off any sinew and chop them into teeny-tiny pieces.
6. Once the pork is browned and transferred to the casserole, heat a little more coconut oil and briefly brown the chicken livers. Add these to the casserole.
7. Place the casserole over a direct medium heat and give everything a good stir. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bone broth and a generous seasoning of good salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the nutmeg (and the sea vegetables, if you are going to. Go on – dare you!). Stir again and allow to come to a simmer.
8. Add the chopped leaves of about half a bunch of basil or parsley
9. place the casserole in the oven (without a lid) for four hours. I give it a stir every hour or so. You should end up with a thick, unctuous meaty sauce with only a teeny bit of liquid.
10. Check for seasoning and add the remaining half bunch of your herbs.
11. When the sauce has cooled, divide it up. Delia reckons 225g feeds two people, so that’s the measure I go with. I use my scales.

Some suggestions for your ragu:

• the obvious one – over pasta, gnocchi or noodled squash or zucchini
• as a pizza topping
• as a stuffing for potato, kumara (sweet potato), eggplant, peppers or mushrooms
• as a sauce over steamed or roasted vegetable (my preferred option is over roasted broccoli)
• in shakshuka (baked eggs)
• As a super fancy-schmancy mince-on-toast

Bolognese-stuffed Eggplant
(Image from Taste)

If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart. (Cesar Chavez)

*But, if you don’t have these limitations and you feel like showing your family and/or friends just how much you love them, Delia’s lasagne recipe is an absolute corker. SERIOUSLY GOOD.

Blog Stalking Teresa Cutter – THE Healthy Chef

Tags

Bread, Cook, Dairy Free, food, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Bread Recipe, Grain Free, Health, Healthy Chef, Mindd Foundation, Paleo, Pumpkin Bread Recipe, Recipe, Spike Milligan, Teresa Cutter

Teresa Cutter at MINDD Foundation ‘Food is Medicine’
(Image by TSL)

So, as I mentioned last week, Saturday was the MINDD Foundation’s ‘Food is Medicine’ seminar. I tootled off to attend (and dragged LM along for the ride. Bless him!)

I have the body of an eighteen year old. I keep it in the fridge. (Spike Milligan)

One of my favourite presenters was Teresa Cutter, of the Healthy Chef fame. I’ve been a fan of hers for quite some time, but seeing her in action was great. She made whipping up a fresh pesto in no time look insanely easy, and her presentation style was wonderfully warm and engaging.

Teresa Cutter at MINDD Foundation ‘Food is Medicine’
(Image by TSL)

And, while the title of this post is a wee bit of a misnomer (to the best of my knowledge, Teresa doesn’t actually blog, but she does have a regular newsletter), there are oodles of fab’ and healthy recipes to check out on her website (here).

After seeing the talented Teresa in action, I was motivated to get into the kitchen today. As a result, as I write this, I’ve got an awful lot of nuts currently activating away in preparation for nut milk and a batch of the BEST grain free granola ever (a.k.a. Nutola) AND, I’ve made a loaf of Teresa’s pumpkin bread.

The Healthy Chef Pumpkin Bread à la TSL
(Image by TSL)

Now, I’m not going to tell you that this pumpkin bread recipe beats a fresh sourdough from Iggy’s… BUT, if (like me) you’re unable to eat gluten or you’re grain-free, this pumpkin-y tasting loaf ain’t half bad – especially if you are missing your bread.

It received LM’s tick of approval, too.

If you’d like the recipe to the Healthy Chef pumpkin bred, you can find it at Teresa Cutter’s website (here). Teresa also demonstrated her raw chocolate cake, which she made from her chocolate cupcake base. It looked divine but I don’t need another excuse to eat chocolate, so I’m saving that one for a special occasion…

Pete Evans and His SERIOUSLY GOOD Bliss Balls…

Tags

Activated Almonds, Alexx Stuart, Australia, Bliss Ball, Bliss Balls Recipe, Cook, Dairy Free, food, Food is Medicine, Gluten Free, Health, Healthy Snack Recipe, Manu Feildel, Mindd Foundation, Pete Evans, Real Food, Recipe, Teresa Cutter

Pete Evans – Famous for eating activated almonds
(Image from here)

Pete Evans gets A LOT of air time here in Australia.

Unsurprising, really. He’s published seven cookbooks, and apparently there’s another on the way. He’s both a chef and restaurateur. He and his good mate Manu Feildel front the popular ‘My Kitchen Rules’ show on the telly. He is an ambassador for healthy foodie brand Sumo Salad. Apparently, he has just launched a home fermentation and culturing kit to make real sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir (which I will have to check out).

AND, of course, this year he famously made headlines after his ‘My Day on a Plate’ contribution to ‘Sunday Life’ magazine went viral when he listed activated almonds as part of his über-healthy diet.

The thing is, while I might not be the kind of girl who watches ‘My Kitchen Rules’ or frequents the food halls where I imagine Sumo Salad sets up shop, I do like the healthy food message that Pete Evans espouses – activated almonds* and all.

And, on top of all of it – he looks so damned healthy! Admit it – the man has a permanent glow on…

Pete Evans for Food is Medicine through the Mindd Foundation
(Image from here)

Logical then, that the Mindd Foundation chose Pete to front the banner for their upcoming seminar on Food is Medicine.

If you’re interested in health, nutrition and food as medicine (and you’re in Sydney on Saturday!), then I reckon you should check this out. Clearly, Pete will be there doing some health food demos. But, so will Teresa Cutter (of the Healthy Chef) talking about meals that support digestion; Alexx Stuart (of Real Food and Low Tox Living) explaining the many uses of bone broth; and, many more from the local real food movement.

In an effort to get in the mood for Saturday, when I saw a recipe Pete posted AND also that I had all the ingredients to hand**, I headed straight to the kitchen to whip up some Buzz (Bliss) Balls.

I’m taking Pete at his word, and sharing his Bliss Ball recipe. They tick all the boxes – they’re healthy, easy-peasey to make, and they taste great.

Cook with balls, love and laughter. (Pete Evans)

Pete Evans’ Buzz Balls
(Image by TSL)

Pete Evans’ Buzz Balls (aka Bliss Balls)

1/4 cup of unhulled Tahini
2 tablespoons of Pure Organic Maple Syrup (Pete called for 3, but that was just too much for me!)
1/4 cup of buckinis (activated buckwheat)
1/2 cup of macadamias
1/2 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of dried organic apricots, finely chopped
1/4 cup of desiccated coconut
3 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil
filtered water to get the consistency right if it’s too dry to roll
extra desiccated coconut for rolling

Bung all the ingredients into your food processor and pulse until you reach your desired consistency. If the mixture is too dry to roll add a little filtered water, or if it’s too wet add extra desiccated coconut. Shape into balls and roll in coconut. I used a table-spoon and got 15 balls.

Allow the balls to set in the fridge for 30 minutes before you munch on them.

If you’d like to learn more about the Mindd Foundation Food is Medicine Seminar on this Saturday, check out their website here.

*If you’re wondering, activated nuts are soaked in water to force germination. The theory goes that the sprouted nut activates its digestive enzymes, making it easier to digest and better for you.

**do not ask me why I had activated buckwheat in my pantry – I might end up trending on twitter…

Shoot the Chef – My Favourite Part of Good Food Month

Tags

Anthony Bourdain, Australia, Chef, Cook, food, Food Photography, Good Food Month, New South Wales, Photography, Photography Competition, Shoot the Chef

Ali and Osso Buco by John Mcrae
2013 Shoot the Chef Winner of Critics Choice
(Image by John Mcrae from here)

I’m a decent cook; I’m a decent chef. None of my friends would ever have hired me at any point in my career. Period. (Anthony Bourdain)

It’s Good Food Month here in Australia. In reality, it’s good food month every month here at Casa TSL, so it really makes little difference to LM and me.

And, I can’t really enjoy the Night Noodle Markets as they should be enjoyed because of my wee gluten problem…

But, what I do love is the annual Shoot the Chef photography competition. Professionals, students, (and for the first time in 2013) amateur photographers are invited to literally shoot a chef – with their camera. It always attracts some seriously creative food-loving photographers…

(Image from here)

Say Hello to my little Friend by Teodora Tinc
2013 Shoot the Chef winner of Peoples Choice Award
(Image by Teodora Tinc from here)

Blood and Bone by Steve Evans
Chef James Viles from Biota Dining
(Image by Steve Evans from here)

Shannon Debreceny of Three Blue Ducks by Daniel Sponiar
(Image by Daniel Sponiar from here)

Betty by Lauren Yates
Self portrait in honour of Betty Crocker
(Image by Lauren Yates from here)

If you’d like to see all the entries to the competition, The Star is exhibiting in Sydney from October 10 – 31 and the Rialto Towers has the honour in Melbourne from November 1 – 29. 

I may just see you there…

Luke Mangan’s SERIOUSLY GOOD Osso Bucco

Tags

Anthony Bourdain, Cook, Jamie Oliver, Luke Mangan, Marsala, Osso Bucco, Ossobuco, Recipe, Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks, Slow Cooking, Slow Food, Winter Recipe, Winter warmers

Osso Bucco
(Image from here)

My most popular post ever, by a considerable margin, is the one about Jamie Oliver and his best ever pukka spiced slow-cooked lamb shanks. Thousands of people have clicked on this one. Lovely-jubbly Jamie. His recipes work. I can’t recall ever having had a dud.

But, a girl can only eat so many spiced shanks. And, we can’t turn to Jamie every night of the week, can we?  So today, I bring you another recipe that works. Every time.

Luke Mangan is the Michael Corleone of Sydney. A colossus. Don’t go drinking with him. Last time I hung out with him, I crawled home like a whipped dog. (Anthony Bourdain)

Luke Mangan is a Sydney-based chef, and up there as one of Australia’s best known celeb’ chefs. I know him best as the man behind Glass Brasserie at the Sydney Hilton, but he has his fingers in lots of pies around the Asia-Pacific region and is currently working on cookbook number 5.

Luke Mangan
(Image from here)

This recipe for Luke Mangan’s Osso Bucco is so good, it’s even LM’s current go-to number for the nights that he’s cooking. He always doubles the recipe. And, if it’s good enough for LM…

Osso Bucco with Sweet Potato Mash & Broccolini

Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg veal Osso Bucco
½ cup flour
seasoning
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 onion chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 cup dry Marsala
2 cup veal stock
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
8 pieces broccolini
Extra virgin olive oil
Extra seasoning to taste 

Mashed Sweet Potato
3 large sweet potatoes
¾ cup cream
½ cup butter
¾ cup maple syrup

Gremolata
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

For the gremolata

For gremolata, combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

 
Method

Season flour and coat the veal shanks in the flour mixture; tap off any excess.

In a large heavy pan, heat the oil and butter and sear the osso bucco pieces on all sides, turn bones on sides to hold in marrow and add more oil and butter if needed.

Remove the browned osso bucco and set aside.

Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves and parsley to the pan and cook until softened, season to taste.

Turn heat up to high and add the dry Marsala to deglaze the pan.

Return the osso bucco to the pan adding the stock and tomatoes.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 1 ½ hours or until the meat is tender, basting the meat a few times during cooking. (LM cooks it longer – until the meat is falling apart)

While the osso bucco is cooking, wash the sweet potato and pat dry.

Place sweet potato in individual tin foil pieces, adding a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning.

Place in a pre-heated oven on 180 degrees and cook for 45-50 minutes. (sweet potato will be cooked if a knife can go straight through each piece)

Remove sweet potato from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

When the osso bucco is cooked remove from stovetop and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potato and place it into a sauce pan adding the cream, butter and maple syrup.

Place saucepan back on the stove to re-heat and season to taste.

In a pot of simmering water add 1tsp salt. Place the broccolini in pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, remove with tongs and place on absorbent paper. Drizzle broccolini with extra virgin olive oil and season to taste.

To serve

Place a large spoon of sweet potato on each plate, followed by the osso bucco and sprinkle with gremolata. Arrange broccolini next to the osso bucco and serve.

Bon appetite!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup – TSL Style…

Tags

Bone Broth, Butternut squash, Cook, Graham Kerr, New York, Pumpkin, pumpkin soup, Pumpkin Soup Recipe, Soup, Soups and Stews, Spalding Gray, Vegetable, Winter warmers

Pumpkin Soup
(Image from here)

I think of New York as a purée and the rest of the United States as vegetable soup.(Spalding Gray)

Sorry about the silence at this end. It’s been a dreary old-time of getting over this nasty bug that I picked up in NZ. I’ve definitely been well off my game but hopefully that’s all changed as I move out of my cold-fueled funk and into a period of being more ‘windswept and interesting’… Fingers crossed, anyway!

The weather has turned here in Syders. It’s cold and wet. There’s a definite feeling that winter has now truly arrived. So, really it should come as no surprise – to me, anyway! – that yesterday, I woke up thinking about my favourite soup from when I was a child. This is a seriously good, old-fashioned soup that is hearty and thick and full of flavour and makes you feel all those warm things that good soup makes you feel…

This particular Graham Kerr version, from my childhood that I love so much, is a roasted vegetable soup and I don’t have the recipe. I had a wee look-see online on the off-chance that I’d get lucky. Nope. My Mum is travelling at the moment, so no joy to be had there either. Only one thing for it – shelve Graham’s recipe for another day (I promise to share it with you when I do get it!) and get creative.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.

At this point I should explain, for the uninitiated, LM refers to the two of us as ‘the modern day Jack Sprat and his wife’ because our diets have become a little more challenging in the past year or two. LM can’t eat shellfish or dairy. I have a gluten problem. Fortunately, I have become reasonably adept at managing this (we consume quite a bit of coconut milk!) but it does influence my ingredient choices when I’m getting creative in the kitchen. Just so you know…

So, back to getting creative. I’ve been getting into my bone broths lately, so good chicken stock was to hand. I also had a large butternut staring at me every time I opened the fridge. Someone was trying to tell me something…

Traditionally, I’m a bit of a recipe follower. While I don’t mind substituting the odd ingredient, I like to be reasonably assured my time in the kitchen will result in something tasty and appealing. But, this time, I decided to wing it. (See – getting ‘windswept and interesting’ already!) And, I gotta say’, the result was pretty damn good! So much so, I had to share it with you.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup – TSL Style

Olive oil
Salt (I use Himalayan pink rock salt)
1 x brown onion, chopped
1 x leek, white only, sliced finely
1 x garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp turmeric
Fresh ginger, about a thumb nail sized knob, grated
1 x butternut pumpkin, skin on, halved lengthways
1 x carrot, peeled (I would have thrown in more if I had them)
1 x kumara, peeled and roughly chopped (that’s sweet potato to you northern hemisphere lot!)
1 litre chicken stock (vegetable would work just as well, I suspect)
Coconut milk, about half a cup (cream would be yummy if you can eat dairy)

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F. Place halved butternut, kumara and carrot into a roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season – generously, in my case – with salt. Roast for approximately 50 – 60 minutes, or until cooked. When the butternut has cooled sufficiently, scoop out all the lovely flesh and discard the skin.

2. Heat a couple of decent glugs* of olive oil in a large pot over a low heat. Throw in onion and leek. Cook gently, stirring often, until the veggies soften. While the leeks and onions are working their magic, throw the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, nutmeg, and turmeric into a mortar and pestle for a good pound. Add the garlic and ginger. Pound into a paste.

3. Add the spice paste to the pot. Cook, stirring all the while, until the spices start to do their magic. This will take less than a minute.

4. Add the roasted butternut, kumara and carrot. Add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat back down to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. If you have one, get out your trusty stick blender and whizz until pureed. If you don’t have a stick blender, aside from seriously considering one for your next birthday present, allow the soup to cool slightly before blending it in batches.

4. Once the soup is blended, stir in the coconut milk and check for seasoning. Reheat and serve.

Voila!

…And, if you do try this soup, please let me know. It would make me feel good!

*technical term meaning ‘use your judgment’

Best Sydney Breakfast Spots: Bathers Pavilion Cafe

Tags

Australasia, Australia, Balmoral, Bathers, Breakfast, Brunch, Cook, New South Wales, Plenty, Recipe, Saturday, Shakshuka, Sydney, Yotam Ottolenghi

View From the Bathers’ Pavilion Cafe
(Image from here)

Welcome to the first in a wee series I am calling ‘Best Sydney Breakfast Spots’. I LOVE breakfast. Honestly, it’s probably my favourite meal of the day. So, having a few favourite spots for a good brekky in Sydney up my sleeve is kind of important to me…

We had some friends visiting Sydney over Easter. We wanted to take them somewhere nice for breakfast. And, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the massive cultural phenomenon that is ‘brunch*’ in Australasia, let me tell you it is huge.

Brunch in Sydney is a potential minefield for the uninitiated – especially if a) you want to take advantage of the super harbour views; b) you don’t want to queue for hours; and c) you want good food.

This time, we decided on the ever reliable Bathers’ Pavilion Cafe.

The Bathers’ Pavilion Cafe
(Image from here)

The Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral
(Image from here)

The Bathers’ Pavillion is owned by well-known chef, Serge Dansereau. Frankly, it’s a Sydney institution and offers a number of ways to enjoy eating or drinking within the old beach changing shed pavilion. And, for my money, the café offers one of the better spots in Sydney for a breakfast that ticks all my boxes.

We arrived early – for a Public Holiday, anyway. The café doesn’t take reservations, which is frustratingly common for breakfast service in Sydney. Our party of 6 were all present and correct at just before 9am and we were pleasantly surprised that a table was waiting for us.

We had a lovely time – the food and the service were spot on. The ‘Three egg omelette with goats curd and herbs’ ($23) was apparently “superb”. The ‘Balmoral breakfast of Eggs – your choice – on toast with bacon, sausage, mushroom, potato and roast sea salt tomato’ ($25) was declared “just what you want from a traditional breakfast, and the sausage was excellent”. The ‘Basque style baked eggs with cured ham and chorizo’ ($22.50) were a big hit with the remainder of our party (including yours truly) – if just a smidge light on chorizo.

To be honest, I have had mediterranean-style baked eggs on the foodie part of my brain for some time now. All those onions, capsicums (peppers) and tomatoes sautéed with herbs and spices, then topped with a perfectly baked egg (or two) is my idea of breakfast heaven. Or, at least it is until my next ‘must try’ dish comes along.

I did a wee bit of digging, and as a result, this coming post-farmers market Saturday morning, LM and I will be dining on Yotam Ottolenghi‘s Shakshuka recipe from his cookbook ‘Plenty’, made by me. (Seriously fab’ cookbook, by the way!)

Shakshuka from Plenty
(Image from here)

I may have to bastardise it just the tiniest bit with some Eumundi chorizo, but here is the recipe I will be using…

Shakshuka from Yotam Ottolenghi’s ‘Plenty’
Recipe serves 8

Ingredients

½ tsp cumin seeds
190ml light olive oil or vegetable oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 red and 2 yellow peppers, cored and cut into 2cm strips
4 tsp muscovado sugar
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme, picked and chopped
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ tsp saffron strands
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Up to 250ml water
8 free-range eggs

Method:

In a large saucepan, dry-roast the cumin on high heat for two minutes. Add the oil and sauté the onions for two minutes. Add the peppers, sugar, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and two tablespoons of coriander, and cook on high heat to get a nice colour. Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, adding enough water to keep it the consistency of a pasta sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be potent and flavoursome. You can prepare this mix in advance.

Place four saucepans on medium heat and divide the mixture between them. Break two eggs into each pan, pouring into gaps in the mixture. Sprinkle with salt, cover and cook very gently for 10-12 minutes, until the egg just sets. Sprinkle with coriander and serve. YUM!

Hopefully the sun will still be shining and we can sit outside in the garden…

The Bathers’ Pavilion Cafe at Balmoral Beach on Sydney’s lower north shore is open for breakfast Monday – Sunday from 7am to midday.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook ‘Plenty’, and his more recent and equally fabulous cookbook ‘Jerusalem’ are available through Amazon.

*BRUNCH:A late morning meal eaten instead of breakfast and lunch.

Hopping on the Kale Bandwagon

Tags

Cook, Dairy Free, Health, Kale, Leaf vegetable, Massaged Kale, My New Roots, Olive oil, Omega-3 fatty acid, Recipe, Salad, Sarah Britton

Kale!
(Image from here)

I have become a bit of a kale devotee. Granted, not the sexiest of produce but never the less, seriously good for you AND, it is possible to make it very tasty, too…

Kale is supposedly a nutritional powerhouse. Loaded with calcium, iron, vitamins A, C, and K, and 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids in every cup, it’s no wonder this leafy green is becoming more and more popular among the health conscious.

Of course, there’s a rather large reason why kale gained popularity as a garnish, rather than as the main course – the leaves are incredibly tough and fibrous! At first glance, not exactly the type of leafy green you’d want to feature in a salad.

But wait! – Just by massaging the leaves between your fingers breaks down their tough cellulose structure, making this cruciferous veggie not only taste less bitter, but also making it easier to digest. After just a few minutes of squeezing the leaves between your hands, they will turn a darker green and have a wilted, silky texture. I know it sounds weird, but trust me. It’s a wee bit of magic…

My favourite massaged kale salad (to date) comes from the super talented Sarah Britton of My New Roots, the award-winning blog that has become an online destination for foodies everywhere, not only for its one-of-a-kind recipes, but also for its amazing nutritional information and mouth-watering photography.

Sarah Britton’s Massaged Kale Salad
(Image from My New Roots)

It’s like having dessert with your salad. (LM)

Sarah Britton’s Massaged Kale Salad and Grapes with Poppy Seed Dressing

For the massaged kale:

1 bunch kale, stemmed and sliced into ribbons
1 lemon
Cold-pressed olive oil
Sea salt

1. In a large bowl, dress kale with lemon juice and olive oil onto kale leaves and add a pinch or two of sea salt. Roll up your sleeves and massage kale until it’s deep dark green, soft, and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. (I use a timer. Anal, yes.)

2. Add anything you like: fruits, veggies, cooked or sprouted grains and legumes, nuts and seeds. Get creative. Once you’ve massaged your kale, store it in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Here’s what Sarah added to her massaged kale (It worked for her, so who was I to argue?):

A couple handfuls each red and green grapes
1 ripe avocado
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Poppy Seed Dressing

¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ shallot, diced
1 tablespoon poppy-seeds
Pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon honey

Whisk all ingredients together. Store leftovers in a glass jar for up to one week.

Massaged kale keeps in the fridge and doesn’t wilt like normal lettuce. Honest! A large bunch of kale massaged into one of Sarah’s fab’ salads feeds LM and me for two nights. Try it. I reckon you’ll be surprised at how much you love it.

This is Not a Food Blog but Here’s a Flourless Orange Cake Recipe Anyway……

Tags

Baking, Cake, Cook, Dairy Free, Flourless Cake, Gluten Free, Jamie Oliver, Nigella, Recipe

Flourless Orange Cake
(Image by Mark O’Meara for Taste.com)

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.(Jim Davis)

I know, I know – I said this wasn’t a food blog. Despite the fact that I gave you Nigella’s Chocolate Orange Cake recipe at the beginning of the month (which is sooooo good!). And, not to mention my post about Jamie Oliver’s best ever Spiced Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks. And, then yesterday’s Chocolate Seed & Nut Balls. I wasn’t lying. Honest. But with this dairy-free jaunt that I’m on, one of the biggest things you miss out on are desserts. Think of all the dairy – milk, butter, cream, sour cream, yoghurt, crème fraîche, buttermilk, cream cheese, ice cream – that goes into most desserts.

We don’t eat a lot of dessert, here at Casa TSL – but when the opportunity presents itself, I wanna’ indulge… And the best way to ensure I can do that is make the dairy free dessert myself.

As it so happens, LM and I have a fairly full social calendar coming up this weekend and I have committed to ‘bring a plate‘ to a couple of our functions. This Flourless Orange Cake looks like just the ticket, I reckon. It’s both gluten- and dairy-free.

Flourless Orange Cake

(serves 12)

Cake
Melted butter (or butter-substitute), to grease
2 oranges
3 eggs
215g (1 cup) caster sugar
300g (3 cups) almond meal
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

Orange Syrup

1 orange
155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) springform pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line base with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes (this will reduce the bitterness of the peel). Refresh under cold water. Drain. Coarsely chop oranges. Remove and discard any seeds.
3. Place the orange in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
4. Use an electric beater to whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Add the orange, almond meal and baking powder and gently fold until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.
6. Meanwhile, to make the orange syrup, use a zester to remove the rind from the orange. (Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to peel the rind from orange. Use a small sharp knife to remove white pith. Cut rind into thin strips.) Juice orange.
7. Place rind in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain. Return to pan with orange juice and sugar. Place over low heat and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens.
8. Turn cake onto a serving plate. Use a skewer to gently prick the top. Spoon over syrup. Cut into wedges to serve.

I found this recipe on Taste.com. For those of you outside Australia, Taste.com is a fab’ site for every-day recipes. Not too fancy-schmancy, but loads of great ideas. This particular recipe has had 111 comments about how yummy it is – so, I think I’m onto a winner!