Blogging, or the writing of a web log, is not something I ever considered before December last year, or even understood, until trying it. The concept of writing an online diary to an unknown audience for no gain other than to share is a tad strange, but then so is twittering (which I still don’t…
Month: January 2010
I have a confession to make…I’ve got worms
Ok, I have been blogging for a few months now, so I think I can open up to you. It’s time we got down and dirty and I confess something…something some of you may already know, but some of you may not. Maybe I should feel embarrassed by this, but I am not. I can…
Andrea’s Pomegranate and pistachio salad
My cousin Andrea is over from Belgium at the moment on holiday in Australia. She made a salad similar to this one, and it is simple, delicious, and isn’t smothered in mayonaise (which is weird for a Dutch person). Ingredients 1 cup cracked wheat boiled water 1/2 pomegranate 2 handfuls unsalted pistachio nuts Bunch of chopped coriander…
Great Ocean Rd adventures
The weekend was lovely. We escaped from the burbs and took too to the hills – Lavers Hill to be exact. Lavers Hill is located on the Great Ocean Rd, and lies inland on the ridge, in between Apollo Bay and the 12 Apostles. It probably isn’t very memorable to most tourists as they fly through on…
Chocolate coconut brownies
The quest for the perfect brownie is well understood by chocolate brownie connoisseurs. The relentless quality control that goes on until one day, there it is….crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, deep rich chocolate flavour. I only make one type of brownie, and it’s this one. Comes from the Edmonds cookbook again, and it…
My greatest gift to you – my fav Persian food!
If I could pass one of the most precious recipes I know onto you, it would be this one – Broad bean and dill rice (aka Green rice). This dish is Persian and is called Baghali Polow. It is extremely common in Persian cooking. I have had the pleasure of eating this rice since I…
Broad bean and dill rice (aka Green rice or Baghali Polow)
This dish takes half a day to prepare, and may involve the whole family shelling broad beans. But hey, it’s worth it! Ingredients 500g long grain rice (I use basmati) 4 tablespoons of salt 100ml vegetable oil (I use sunflower) 20-30 saffron pistils 6 grains sugar 60g clarified unsalted butter 2kg in pod or 1kg…
The price of being so picky – how can we change the problem we have created?
I wrote a blog about the price of being picky a few weeks ago, regarding bananas. In today’s Age there is another article along the same vane: A blight on us for a perfectly fruity fetish. It is a good read. Seems we are caught in a futile and downward spiral here. Consumers are to blame for…
Chilli pork spare ribs
When making bacon, I buy a Otway Ranges free-range pork belly. I comes with the ribs attached. If you were making bacon and air-drying it, the ribs protect the underlying meat. But we have the modern-day convenience of putting our bacon in the fridge or freezer, hence the ribs are spare – so to speak.
Semolina & Almond pudding (Griesmeel pap)
The Dutchies LOVE their desserts. When in Holland, they serve dessert immediately after dinner, and it is commonly either custard, yoghurt or Griesmeel pap. They call this pudding Griesmeel (sounds like Grease-may-el) and it is basically a semolina and almond pudding. Whenever I have been to Holland I seek it out over all other desserts….
Another first – this time beetroot
Ok…so I have never cooked beetroot. I rarely buy it (maybe a few years ago I purchased tinned beetroot for burgers) and I have never grown it. I will happily eat it, quite like it, but for some strange reason I have overlooked this vegetable. Perhaps I associate it with doilies, pickled onions and mini-gerkins (like a…
Roasted beetroot cous cous salad
Ingredients
Getting re-rooted 