Wanna see my kitchen?! There’s a sneak peek below, but our entire house was recently featured on Apartment Therapy. Head on over and have a look – our place has *never* been so tidy (I even dusted)! Photos are by the super-talented Natalie Jeffcott – you can find her fab work here.
[Recipe 1] SUNSHINE CHUTNEY (pineapple, mango and lime) transforms into
[Recipe 2] CHICKEN TOSTADAS with SUNSHINE CHUTNEY
[Recipe 3] PULLED PORK TACOS with APPLE SLAW and SUNSHINE CHUTNEY
[Recipe 4] MAPLE-GLAZED PORK FILLETS with SUNSHINE CHUTNEY
We’re chutney chompers from way back, and the top shelf of the fridge is home to oodles of jars. Sunshine Chutney (pineapple, mango and lime) is our fave. Make it and you’ll be dolloping it on just about everything, I promise. It makes a nice gift too – my boys teachers each scored a jar for Christmas.
Mango season is over in Australia, but this chutney can be made with frozen mango cheeks, and there’s no greater way to ward off seasonal sadness than a sweet, sticky spoonful of sunshine on your slow-cooked Winter meat. I’ve shared our three favourite ways to enjoy Sunshine Chutney below.
TOSTADAS are crispy mini tortillas, topped with classic Mexican ingredients. We love tostadas el pollo, topped with avocado, leftover shredded roast chicken, a dollop of Sunshine chutney and scattered coriander. These are ace for a party, but you can be Cher in Moonstruck and serve hors-d’oeuvres for dinner too!
PULLED PORK TACOS – my version of the Mexican classic, tacos al pastor. My 8 year old would happily live on these.
MAPLE-GLAZED PORK FILLETS – if you haven’t cooked pork tenderloins before, go add them to your shopping list pronto! These are the perfect mid-week dinner. They take 20 minutes to roast and they’re SO juicy and lovely, especially with a hefty plop of Sunshine chutney.
[Recipe 1] Sunshine chutney
Ingredients: (makes 1.5–1.8 kilos/3.3–4 lb chutney):
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 long red chillies, de-seeded, finely chopped (retain seeds for extra oomph, if liked)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1½ tablespoons freshly-grated and chopped ginger
6 large or 8 small just-ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped (approx. 5 cups chopped mango)
1 small ripe pineapple, peeled and chopped (approx. 3 cups chopped pineapple)
1 large firm pear, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
60 ml (¼ cup) lime juice (from 1–2 limes)
2 teaspoons lime zest (from 1–2 limes)
1½ cups verjuice (verjus)
2 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar)
½ teaspoon sea salt
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chilli and mustard seeds. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until just softened; taking care not to burn.
Add all other ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 1– 1¼ hours uncovered; or until thick and jammy. Stir occasionally, and keep a close eye on the chutney towards the end of the cooking process, to ensure it doesn’t stick and burn. It should look like a thick, sticky orange puree with softened pineapple chunks, and it will firm up further on standing.
Divide the chutney among hot, sterilised jars. Store chutney in a cool, dark place.
[Recipe 2] Chicken tostadas with Sunshine chutney
Ingredients (makes 25):
25 x 9cm tostaditas (deep fried tortillas)
1 large avocado, sliced
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (from ½ a roast chicken)
♦ ½–1 cup Sunshine chutney (see Recipe 1, above)
1 red (purple/Spanish) onion, thinly sliced
Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
Arrange tostaditas on a large serving platter, or little individual plates (pictured).
Place 2 slices of avocado on each, top with 1 tablespoon shredded chicken, a couple of thin slices of onion and ½ tablespoon Sunshine chutney. Scatter with fresh coriander and serve at once.
[Recipe 3] Pulled pork tacos with Sunshine chutney
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 x 14cm soft white corn tacos (tortillas)
2½–3 cups pulled pork (recipe here), warmed
Apple slaw (recipe here)
♦ 1 cup Sunshine chutney (see Recipe 1, above)
Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped, to serve
Lightly oil a non-stick frying pan. Pan-fry the tortillas in batches, for ten seconds each side, until softened. Wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm, as you prepare the remaining tortillas.
To serve, spoon reserved pulled pork down the centre of each tortilla. Top with apple slaw and a good dollop of Sunshine chutney.
Scatter with fresh coriander and serve at once.
[Recipe 4] Maple-glazed pork fillets with Sunshine chutney
Ingredients (serves 4):
2 free range pork fillets (tenderloins), 250-300g each
1 tablespoon olive oil
♦ ½–1 cup Sunshine chutney (see Recipe 1, above)
Glaze ingredients:
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 heaped teaspoons smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon dried chilli powder (or more, as liked)
½ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 200°C (390ºF).
Mix glaze ingredients together in a small bowl, and brush over the pork fillets with the back of a soup spoon.
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add pork and sear on all sides until nicely browned, 4–5 minutes total.
Transfer pork to a tray lined with baking paper, and drizzle with any remaining glaze.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 15–20 minutes, until pork is cooked through. Remove from oven. Transfer pork to a board, cover lightly with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
To serve, cut the pork into thick 1cm (½”) medallions. Arrange on plates and drizzle with any juices left on the tray. Serve with a dollop of Sunshine chutney.
Howdy! Here’s a wee glimpse at what I’ve been cooking, making, coveting, looking at and thinking about lately. Have really missed blogging and connecting with my cyber penfriends; but haven’t found any free time in yonks (mainly ’cause I no longer wake at 5.30am, and work/life have been super busy this year); so there are some Christmasy things listed below too!
The originator of the stock-taking concept is Pip at Meet me at Mikes, and she kindly provides a blank list at the bottom of her #takingstock posts for you to copy, if you feel inspired to join in. What’ve you all been up to? xx
COOKING: my first ever Yule Log, using Nigella’s recipe.
MAKING: edible pine cones! Found the idea at Handmade Charlotte. We don’t have the stipulated Chex cereal in Aus, but Milo Cereal worked a treat and looks exactly like ‘real’ pine cone pieces I reckon!
DRINKING: gin and tonic. Have rediscovered it after years and years.
READING: Purity. Finally! Loved it.
WANTING: to thank my mum publicly. She’s our Fairy Godmother, occasionally letting herself into our house while we’re at work; to tackle a stack of dishes. Thanks ma! You should leave a scattering of fairy glitter as your calling card.
LOOKING: at holiday snaps. Can’t believe our dream vacation was a year ago.
PLAYING: UNO.
DECIDING: to break out my renovator soon. Husband gave me one for my birthday after I’d expressed interest in trying log carving. Last night I was given a log!
WISHING: Summer hadn’t ended.
ENJOYING: rice bowls for dinner. Our fave is Tsukune (teriyaki chicken balls), pulled from the freezer and nuked, sticky sushi rice with quinoa (recipe from my guest post on Simple Provisions), kimchi from The Fermentary, sugar snaps, asparagus, avo, carrot, cuke, pickled ginger, black sesame seeds and a beer!
WAITING: to see Pee Wee’s new movie.
LIKING: Instagram. Joined last year, utterly addicted!
WONDERING: if I’ll ever get around to sorting 10 years (seriously!) of digital photos into albums.
LOVING: the sculpture walk on Herring Island in the Yarra River, accessible by punt. Utterly surreal, bush-walking so close to the city!
CONSIDERING: a holiday in Sydney.
WATCHING: our own Dean Jones mini-festival for our semi-regular Family Movie Night: That darn cat (family fave), Blackbeard’s Ghost and the first three Herbies. All highly recommended!
HOPING: to have another burger at Changz. They make all their own sauces too!
MARVELING: at my friend Chris’s amazing cakes! Check out Miffy ♥
NEEDING: a hair cut.
SMELLING: a bit woofy, after walking to work. 2.8km! Planning to do it once a week.
WEARING: my mum’s 60s ski jacket with fab sun pattern.
FOLLOWING: landscape/architecture/suburban life photographers on IG – Shit Gardens, Sad Topographies, Sublurb, Ben Blacket and Hayley Eichenbaum.
NOTICING: my boys growing up; and feeling happy, sad, incredulous and proud. They’re both lovely 🙂
THINKING: about my friend J, who has moved to Dubai after finding a creative dream job. Miss you heaps petal.
FEELING: well rested after our camping trip to Wilson’s Prom. Swam in Tidal River every day – it’s like a massive cup of tepid Earl Grey, brown-hued from the marinating leaves.
ADMIRING: Our local galahs (pink-chested Aussie cockatoos); and also Melbourne creatives like Anna, Sandra, Pilgrim, Alice, Esther and Neryl. Lady artists rule!
SORTING: my vintage tea towels (this mushroom beauty is one of my faves).
BUYING: more vintage illustrated cookbooks. Hellllllp! Can’t stop!
GETTING: hungry.
BOOKMARKING: Anonymous works.
DISLIKING: our Government’s inhumane policies on Asylum Seekers and Refugees.
OPENING: another issue of Epicurean. Scored a stack of these incredible 60s/70s Australian food/wine mags from a friend’s mum. Art Directed by one of my design heroes, Les Mason. Will share some pics soon.
GIGGLING: at the Katering Show (new episodes coming in April, 2016)!
SNACKING: on Peacamole – guacamole with peas in place of avocado. Recipe by Clotilde at Zucchini & Chocolate, one of the first food blogs I ever followed. PS. There’s an avocado shortage in Australia, blamed on rain, bushfires and conspiracy.
COVETING: one of Kirsten Perry’s hand-made rings.
HELPING: my 8 year old make (and eat) choc chip cookies.
HEARING: the Undertones right now (this track, one of my fave 80s tunes); and warbling magpies in our backyard (classic Aussie sound). PS. Did you know a group of magpies is called a Mischief?
One Equals Two is Four! Every year on my blogiversary I host a Christmas Giveaway. This year’s prize pack is the bee’s knees, with one lucky winner scoring 9 fabulous food-related things (7 from Melbourne designers)! The competition is open to everyone, anywhere in the world, so get cracking! Official rules below the photo.
Here’s how to enter:
• Head over to the Facebook competition link.
• Submit your email address in the field provided (I don’t store or use email addresses, they’re just for contacting the winner). The winner will be randomly selected via woobox.
Entries close 7th December 2015 at 10.30pm (AEST). The winner will be contacted, and announced right here on the blog and on Facebook, on 8th December.
Here’s the list of loot:
1. Large enamel ice cream keyring in gift box by Bride & Wolfe, Melbourne. Fab keyring made from vitreous enamel, oven blasted and stone polished. The steel split-ring features Bride & Wolfe’s signature round charm. 12 x 4.5cm (4.7 x 1.8″).
2. ‘Notebook’ throw by Arro Home (Beci Orpin’s homeware range), Melbourne. 100% linen big, bold throw for the bedroom, lounge room or dining room – imagine it on the table for Christmas lunch! 130 x 180cm (51 x 70″).
3. ‘Travel Tips’ nougat nail polish by Obus, Melbourne. Vegan, high-shine, chip resistant formula containing only non-toxic ingredients. In mouth-watering creamy nougat shade. Made in Australia.
4. Pass It Down and Keep Baking! by Beth Ellen Wilkinson, Melbourne. Independently produced, beautifully designed cookbook featuring over 40 family recipes. The venture of sisters Laura Jean and Beth Ellen. See it here.
5. ‘Daisy’ apron by Arro Home (Beci Orpin’s homeware range), Melbourne. Very cute half-length retro-inspired polkadot apron! 100% cotton.
6. Tea towel by Wirely Home, Melbourne. Wirely collab with artist and costume designer Shio Otani. Designed and printed in Australia, made from a highly absorbent linen-cotton blend.
7. ‘Mouk in New York’ kids pouch by Marc Boutavant for Petit Jour, Paris. Featuring Mouk and his pals on the front, and a fab cookie and cake pattern on the back. Oilcloth with zip closure, 26 x 13cm (10 x 5″).
8. Hand-made vintage Christmas gift tags x 6 made by me from deceased Little Golden Books. Backed with kraft paper, with butchers twine for fastening.
9. Sweet Treats Kit by Meri Meri, London. Accessorize your home-made jams and cookies! This kit includes 18 decorative tags in 3 designs and twine to tie everything together.
Update 8/12/15: Huge congrats to Cecilia Warrick, the randomly-chosen winner!
PS. This is not a sponsored post. I selected and paid for everything all by myself.
Please see official rules below photo.
One Equals Two 2015 Christmas giveaway. Official rules.
Participation in this promotion is subject to the following terms and conditions.
One lucky winner will win the 9 items described and pictured above. The competition is open to everyone, worldwide. Shipping/delivery costs will be covered by One Equals Two.
Only one direct email entry, via the official entry form, per person is permitted. Each entrant may also be awarded 1 bonus entry if the competition is shared on the entrant’s Facebook timeline and a user clicks and enters from the entrant’s shared link.
The Competition starts on 26/11/2015 and ends on 7/12/2015 (10.30pm AEST).
This is a game of chance, and the winner will be randomly drawn via woobox on 8/12/2015. The winner’s name will be announced on the One Equals Two Facebook page and the One Equals Two website (right here).
To take part: please visit the official entry form link, and submit your email address via the field provided. Email addresses are required to contact the winner only and will not be stored or sold. One Equals Two will notify the winner using the email address provided. It is up to entrants to ensure the email address provided is accurate and valid! If the potential winner cannot be contacted or fails to respond to the winner notification within 7 days (by 15/12/15 at 9:00am AEST), One Equals Two reserves the right to then randomly choose a new winner.
You must be a member of facebook.com in order to enter this competition; however this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to One Equals Two and not to Facebook. By participating in this promotion you agree to a complete release of Facebook from any claims.
Prizes are awarded ‘as is’ with no warranty or guarantee. One Equals Two is not liable for any damages or loss that may occur during shipping.
Good luck!
[Recipe 1] HOME-MADE CHUNKY COOKED TOMATO and RED PEPPER SALSA transforms into
[Recipe 2] SOUTHWESTERN BLACK BEAN and CHICKEN SALSA SOUP
[Recipe 3] MEXI BURGERS
[Recipe 4] NACHOS
So, I’ve become a serious Insta addict since signing up in April. Nobody warned me how dangerous it was – there are vintage SHOPS on there!!! For a hoarder collector like me, that has meant a conga line of parcels arriving in the mail. My modest set of 3 vintage Japanese ceramic veggie dishes, found in local oppies (thrift stores), has blossomed to become a collection, thanks to @precious_junk, @touchwood_kollektiv and @teenagevintageboy.
My favourite is the green pepper, shown off below as a receptacle for home-made chunky cooked tomato and red pepper salsa. May I just say that this salsa is a knockout! My secret ingredient is biber salçasi (Turkish red pepper paste), available from Middle Eastern stores. It’s thick and rich, similar in consistency to tomato paste, made from sun-dried red peppers.
Below are three totally mexcellent ways to use the home-made salsa.
Southwestern black bean and chicken salsa soup takes literally minutes to prepare as the ingredients are simply dumped into a saucepan and simmered. It’s perfect for a quick mid-week dinner or weekend lunch. We first sampled this soup on our US trip early this year. My recipe is loosely adapted from this one by Betty Crocker.
Mexi burgers are a recent revelation, inspired by a visit to our local burger joint, Grill’d. I cheekily asked our waitress what their secret burger spice was, and she shared that their burgers contain 30% tomato relish mixed in with the beef! This allows them to use low-fat mince, with the relish adding juiciness. I copied their idea, using salsa instead, and Phwoar!
And lastly, Nachos! Seriously, is there a better afternoon schnack?
[Recipe 1] Chunky cooked tomato and red pepper salsa
Ingredients (makes approx. 1½ kilos/3 lb; or 5 x 300g/10 oz jars)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium red (purple/Spanish) onions, finely diced
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 kilos (4.4 lb) very ripe tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded, chopped (about 5 cups)
1 small red capsicum (red pepper), or ½ large, de-seeded, finely diced
2 large red cayenne chillis, de-seeded, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon seeds retained
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons mild biber salçasi (Turkish red pepper paste)
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup lime juice (from 2–3 limes)
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over low-medium heat. Cook the onion for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
Add all other ingredients except coriander and simmer gently, uncovered, for 40-55 minutes (cooking time will depend upon the juiciness of your tomatoes), stirring occasionally, until thick with a little liquid remaining. Stir through coriander.
Scoop into hot sterilised jars and store for up to 6 months in a cool dark place, or freeze for up to 3 months in plastic containers.
Allow salsa to cool completely before using.
♦ You’ll need 2 heaped cups (about 600g/20 oz) for Recipe 2 (soup), 1 heaped cup (about 300g/10 oz) for Recipe 3 (burgers) and 1 heaped cup (about 300g/10 oz) for Recipe 4 (nachos).
[Recipe 2] Southwestern black bean and chicken salsa soup
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
♦ 2 heaped cups (about 600g/20 oz) reserved salsa (see recipe 1)
1½ teaspoons cumin
4 cups chicken stock, store-bought or home-made
1 x 400g (15 oz) can black beans, drained, rinsed
2 cups leftover chopped cooked chicken (from ½ a roast chicken)
1 cup uncooked corn kernels (cut from 1 large corn cob)
Salt
Fresh chopped coriander (cilantro)
Place all ingredients, except coriander, in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10–15 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.
Season to taste (if you’ve used store-bought stock you may not need salt).
Ladle soup into deep bowls and scatter with coriander.
Inspired by this Betty Crocker recipe.
[Recipe 3] Mexi burgers
Ingredients (makes 8 burger patties, 4 to be frozen for later):
1½ kilos (3 lb) minced (ground) beef
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup dry breadcrumbs
♦ 1 heaped cup (300g/10 oz) reserved salsa (see recipe 1)
1 large egg, lightly whisked with a fork
Olive oil, for cooking
To serve:
4 brioche buns (or other hamburger buns, as preferred)
Cos (romaine) lettuce leaves
♦ Reserved salsa, extra (see recipe 1)
Pickled jalapeños
Thinly sliced red (purple/Spanish) onion
Sliced tomato
Mix and squeeze the beef, salt and breadcrumbs together well with your hands. Add the salsa and egg and bring together until well combined. Form into 8 patties (refrigerate or freeze 4 for another time).
Brush a BBQ or ridged grill plate with olive oil. Grill the patties for about 4 minutes each side, until just cooked through.
Meanwhile, split your hamburger buns. You can toast them if you like.
To assemble place a lettuce leaf on each bun, followed by a patty, a good dollop of extra salsa, a few pickled jalapeño slices, onion, one or two lettuce leaves and sliced tomato. Pop the lids on and tuck in!
[Recipe 4] Nachos
Ingredients (serves 4):
200g (7 oz) corn chips
♦ 1 heaped cup (300g/10 oz) (see recipe 1)
1 cup (100g/3.5 oz) grated tasty cheese
1 large avocado, mashed
Sour cream
Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
Preheat oven to 180°C (350ºF).
Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Arrange the corn chips into 4 piles, and sprinkle with half the grated cheese. Spoon reserved salsa over, and top with remaining cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven.
Top each serving with mashed avocado and a dollop of sour cream. Slide nachos stacks onto four separate plates, scatter with coriander and serve immediately.
Call me crazy but I started my Christmas gift buying months ago. Last-minute Chrissie shopping gives me the heebie jeebies! If you’d like to get in early too, here’s some inspiration. Everything below is food-related, and made with creativity and love in my home town, Melbourne.
Let’s support artisans and small businesses instead of the soulless multi-nationals. Happy shopping! xx
1. Aacute Soy candle with gingerbread scent. $22 USD. Hand poured 100% natural soy wax candle, packaged in a miniature retro oven box. Available on etsy, along with the full Bakery Range of 24 scents, including Hot Jam Doughnut, Choc Brownie, Buttery popcorn and Crème brulée!
2. EAT.ME.DO Tea Time socks. $18 AUD. 100% cotton socks featuring your fave Aussie bickies! Available here and at these stockists, along with other delectable wearable treats like jelly baby earrings, Iced Vovo brooches and Cheezel rings!
3. BrewSmith Bacon-making kit. $22 USD. Yes, bacon you can make at home (OMG)! Contains cure, salt, sugar, meat thermometer, recipes, curing bags and instructions. Available on etsy, along with homebrew beer and cider kits.
4. Lene Kuhl Jakobsen Round square bowls. $55 AUD for a set of 3. Small bowls, each hand-thrown from a cube of clay hence the beautiful uneven rims. More info here, available from these stockists.
5. Full Tilt Nanna Hand crocheted fortune cookie with custom message. $11 USD. These cute little cookies can carry announcements, secrets or any other special wishes. You could place one on each Christmas lunch plate! Available on etsy, along with crocheted carrot, eggplant and chill pepper baby rattles!
6. Neryl Winter Harvest (detail). Limited edition archival ink giclée print. A3 size $95 AUD. Original hand-drawn illustration inspired by Australian label Gorman’s Winter Harvest dress. Hand-numbered and signed, printed on natural cotton rag art paper. Created by artist Neryl Walker. Available here, along with more beautiful art, cushions and stickers.
7. Evie Barrow Tooth fairy pouch. $14.81 USD. Hand-made ode to the most important food-eating tool! Cotton/linen, hand embroidered and lined inside to keep teeth safe and easy for the Tooth Fairy to retrieve. Comes with a hand numbered booklet. Created by Melbourne maker Evie Barrow. Available on etsy, along with gorgeous original art, one-of-a-kind textile characters and gift tags.
8. Lucy Folk Taco friendship band. $65 – $75 AUD. Colourful bracelet with silver or gold taco, by Melbourne’s queen of wearable food. Sterling silver, yellow gold plate, rose gold plate and cotton. Available online here, at these world-wide stockists and in-store at 1A Crossley St, Melbourne.
9. Kitiya Palaskas Chicken drumstick brooch. $20 AUD. Double-layered laser cut acrylic, gold-plated pin back, packaged on a riso-printed backing card. Available online here, along with Kitiya’s fab felt-cut food art, stickers, patches and jewellery.
10. WirelyHome x Zin+Bert Concrete platter and side table. $48 USD (for platter only, stand sold separately). WirelyHome collab with concrete artist Erin Devenish (Zin+Bert). Concrete platter treated with food-safe honeydew wax that fits on Wirely’s plant stands, converting them into side tables. Available here, along with Wirely’s stylish candlesticks, oven door hooks and tea towels.
11. Kirsten Perry Hand-built ceramic jug. $200 AUD. Imperfectly perfect sculptural jug by Melbourne ceramic artist Kirsten Perry. Available here, along with Kirsten’s uniquely beautiful cups, planters and cushions.
12. Arteveneta Pasta measure. $33 AUD. Never cook too much or little pasta again! American oak or walnut pasta measure hand-crafted in Prahran by a father/son team. Available here, along with cheese boards, pepper mills and salt cellars.
13. Emma Dilemmas Emporium Nautical gingham reversible apron. $33.32 USD. Classic red gingham self-backed half apron made from vintage cotton, with appliquéd anchor and ric-rac trim. Available on etsy, along with cute cushions and lots more vintage-style aprons.
14. Esther Sandler Fruit salad stickers. $2.96 USD. Stickers printed from an original hand-embroidered piece. Use them to brighten up your snail mail or decorate your Christmas presents! Each pack features 7 fruits. Available on etsy along with Esther’s colourful bags, purses, cushion covers and magnets.
15. Takeawei Fried egg brekky plate. $35 AUD. Handmade in North Melbourne. Fried egg plate to make your mornings sunny side up. Perfect for toast! Hand-painted, food safe, dishwasher safe and microwave safe. Available online here, along with lovingly hand-crafted mugs, tumblers, and plant hangers.
Footnote: This is not a sponsored list. These are all items I genuinely love!
Be sure to check item availability with the sellers and stockists; and confirm that delivery is possible before Christmas.
Etsy shop prices are in USD. All other prices are in Australian dollars. Here’s a currency converter.
[Recipe 1] TWO ROAST CHICKENS with HERBED VEGGIES
[Recipe 2] NASI GORENG (Indonesian fried rice) with leftover roast chicken
Excuse my OTT enthusing but these two meals are massive box tickers. Cheap? Yep! Easy? Yep! Tasty? Yep! Kid-friendly? Yeppity yep!
First up is classic roast chicken. Roasting your own chook is an absolute cinch, and it takes no extra time to cook two; allowing for planned-overs to use during the week. Feel free to brush the chickens with olive oil, but I’m from the Margaret Fulton school of cookery and prefer lashings of butter.
One of the best ways to use leftover chicken is in Nasi Goreng. I’m a Dutchie (born in Amersfoort) and have always loved Dutch-Indonesian meals such as bami and loempia. Nasi Goreng was our family favourite though, cooked up in an electric frying pan with deep-fried prawn crackers for scooping. My dad always added the traditional dollop of fiery sambal oelak, but nowadays I prefer a good squirt of sriracha. My parents’ secret ingredient was Conimex Nasi Goreng spice mix, made in the Netherlands and still available today. I’m not a huge fan of packaged spice mixes though and this one contains nasty palm oil and MSG. The spice paste recipe below is my copycat version!
Roasted belachan (dried shrimp paste) is essential for a proper Nasi Goreng. It smells like a dead animal, but adds the most pungent salty kick to fried rice. It’s readily available in Asian food stores, and large supermarkets including Woolworths in Australia.
Eet smakelijk (enjoy your meal)!
[Recipe 1] Two roast chickens with herbed veggies
Ingredients (serves 4 people for 2 meals):
2 free range chickens, 1.75 kilos (3.8 lb) each, rinsed and dried with kitchen paper
60 grams (2 oz/½ stick) butter, melted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small limes
6–8 chat potatoes, peeled, halved
2 large red (purple/Spanish) onions, peeled and quartered
4 small–medium carrots, peeled, cut into thirds
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), de-seeded, cut into eighths
2 zucchinis (courgettes), trimmed, halved lengthwise and crosswise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme and/or rosemary, as preferred
Steamed green beans, to serve
Preheat oven to 190°C (370ºF).
Bring chickens to room temperature for half an hour, while you prepare the veggies.
Place the chickens on a rack in a large roasting pan. I use a cookie rack over a large, deep tray that came with my oven, but two smaller pans side by side will suffice.
Remove and discard any white blobby fat and large loose pieces of skin from around the chicken cavities. Brush the chickens all over with butter and season well with salt and pepper. Place a whole lime into each cavity, tie the drumsticks together with butchers twine and turn chickens breast-side down (ie. legs down, wings up).
Arrange the potato pieces around the chickens and drizzle with remaining butter.
Roasting stage 1 (50 mins): Roast for 50 minutes, tossing and basting the potatoes with the chicken juices after 25 minutes (or drizzle with a little olive oil if your chickens haven’t produced enough juice yet).
Roasting stage 2 (40 mins): Carefully remove tray from oven and turn the chickens breast-side up. Add onion, carrots, capsicum and zucchini to the pan. Baste chicken and vegetables with pan juices; and scatter veggies with herbs, salt and pepper. Return pan to the oven and roast for a further 40 minutes, gently tossing the vegetables after 20 minutes; until the chickens are golden brown, and juices run clear when the thick part of a thigh is pierced with a skewer. If juices run pink, return to the oven for a further ten minutes and test again.
Total cooking time is 1½ hours (see notes below).
Allow chickens to rest on a board, lightly covered with foil, for ten minutes.
Remove and discard limes. Cut one chicken into quarters and serve immediately, with roasted veggies and steamed green beans.
♦ After dinner, strip off and discard the skin from the remaining chicken, and remove all the meat. Chop or slice the meat and store in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
[Recipe 2] Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice)
Ingredients (serves 4, plus leftovers for lunch the next day):
2 cups uncooked basmati rice
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or peanut or vegetable oil if unavailable)
125g (4.5 oz) bacon, chopped
1 brown onion, finely diced
♦ 2 cups reserved roast chicken, chopped (see Recipe 1)
600g (1.3 lb) raw veggies (I use ¼ cabbage, shredded; 2 corn cobs, kernels removed; 2 carrots, grated; ¼ green capsicum, diced and ½ cup frozen peas, defrosted)
4 eggs
Cracked black pepper
To serve:
Lime wedges
Sriracha sauce
Pre-cooked prawn crackers (optional)
Nasi Goreng spice paste:
20g (.7 oz) roasted belachan (dried shrimp paste)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup Kecap manis
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 teaspoons dried ground cumin
Prepare Nasi Goreng spice paste by pounding belachan, garlic and salt with a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small bowl and add other spice paste ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days until required.
Cook rice according to packet instructions, by boiling rather than absorption. Rinse with cold water, drain well and allow to cool completely, covered, in the fridge. Rice can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
Heat oil in a large wok over a high heat, until just smoking. Add bacon and onion and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
Add prepared Nasi Goreng spice paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add prepared vegetables and stir-fry over a high heat for 2 minutes.
Add the cooked, cooled rice to the wok with the reserved roast chicken. Toss gently for 2-3 minutes, until warmed through and well-coated in spice paste.
Meanwhile, fry the eggs in a non-stick frying pan until cooked to your liking.
Divide the Nasi Goreng amongst four bowls; reserving any leftovers for lunch the following day. Top each serving with a fried egg and scatter with pepper. Serve with lime wedges, sriracha sauce and prawn crackers.
Leftover par-boiled potatoes from this recipe transform into
BREAKFAST BURRITOS with CRISPY FRIED POTATOES, SCRAMBLED EGGS and PAN-FRIED SALSA
On our road trip through the US we ate and ate. And ate. I look way porkier in the photos taken towards the end of our holiday, but it was totally worth it! We traveled mainly through the Southwest, so that meant the 3 B’s – burgers, burritos and the occasional brisket. Oh, and beer!
If you can bare more holiday photos, scroll down past the actual recipe for snaps of some of the diners, cafes and taquerías we visited – all free-standing (a feature we don’t see in Melbourne), mostly family-run and all utterly beautiful.
I reckon I ate my weight in Breakfast Burritos. El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico (one of our hotel highlights) served up theirs with crispy fried potatoes, and… oh my gawd! We’ve long been fans of scrambled egg burritos for brekkie, but the addition of crunchy spuds elevates this simple dish to a complete meal. Since we’ve been home, we’ve enjoyed these babies for dinner a couple of times and they’re immensely satisfying.
The recipe below is my take on El Rancho’s burritos. My Proper fish and chips allow for a planned-over stash of cooked potatoes, which I usually throw into a Spanish tortilla for dinner the following night; but they’re equally beautiful fried ’til they’re golden and crispy, stuffed into a burrito, with creamy scrambled eggs, a spoonful of pan-fried salsa (tomato, onion and green pepper) and a splash of hot sauce. ¡Buen apetito!
PS. If you’re serving this up to kids, you’ll be a hero! Older children will love it as is. For littlies, omit the pan-fried salsa and it’s basically an egg and chip wrap 😉
[Recipe 1] Breakfast burritos with crispy fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and pan-fried salsa
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 cup olive oil (+ extra ½ cup if required)
♦ 4 cups reserved par-boiled potato pieces, cut into small cubes (see Recipe 1 in this post which allows for leftover cooked potatoes)
1 small red (purple/Spanish) onion, diced
1 green poblano pepper, de-seeded and diced (or ½ green capsicum)
12 cherry tomatoes, or baby Roma tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon butter
8 free-range eggs
¼ cup full-cream milk
Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
4 large (or 8 small) flour tortillas, wrapped in foil, warmed in a low oven for 10 minutes
To serve:
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
Mexican hot sauce (we love El Yucateco)
Heat 1 cup of oil in a large cast iron or heavy non-stick pan, until shimmering.
♦ Dry reserved par-boiled potato cubes with kitchen paper.
With a slotted spoon, carefully add potato cubes to the hot oil in a single layer, pressing them down lightly. They should be almost covered with oil – add the extra ½ cup oil if required. Cook without stirring, on medium to high heat, for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the potatoes over and fry for a further 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Season well with salt and pepper, and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
Pour oil into a jar to re-use another time (see these tips), leaving a small amount in the pan. For the pan-fried salsa, add the onion and green pepper to the pan and fry gently until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir gently until warmed through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Melt butter in a small non-stick saucepan. Lightly whisk together the eggs and milk, and pour into the pan. Cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes, until the eggs are set and scrambled. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide fried potatoes amongst the warmed tortillas. Spoon the scrambled eggs alongside, top with pan-fried salsa and a splash of hot sauce. Roll up to enclose and serve immediately.
So ridiculous but I’ve been procrastinating over this post for ever! I’m going to attempt to summarise our road trip through Southwest USA, and whittle down 2000 photos, in one post. Here’s a speedy summary:
Started in LA (Disneyland!) > Palm Springs > along Route 66 through Arizona > side trip to Monument Valley > back down to New Mexico > along Route 66 through Texas and Oklahoma, then home. About 1700 miles of driving, and it was beyond amazing. Here are just a few highlights:
I met my ‘penfriend’. Kim is a fellow blogger, and super talented maker of mobiles (which you should check out). We’ve connected through our blogs over the past few years, and never dreamed we’d actually meet, but we did, twice! Kim blogged about it here, with more photos. Our families caught up for dinner at the fab Cindys in Eagle Rock LA, where I tried grits for the first time (ahem, an acquired taste I reckon). That’s us below (Kim left, me right). We also hung out at the mind-blowing Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena. A big mwah to you lovely Kim and family. Hope we can meet again one day.
Palm Springs, LA. I suffered camera elbow there. Too much mid century goodness! I won’t bore you with photos of the houses, but you can see ’em on Instagram (if you like).
Noah Purifoy’s Desert Art Museum, Joshua Tree. In the middle of the desert and just incredible. Our boys were enthralled as they were able to walk through, touch and explore everything – not your average museum!
We made s’mores. One of our motel highlights was the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The owners, Kevin and Nancy, put on a barbecued s’mores feast for us and the other guests. S’mores, where have you been all my life? So simple, so gooey, so damn delicious!
Wigwam Motel, Arizona. We stayed in many cool mom n’ pop motels along Route 66, but the concrete teepee was an absolute family favourite!
Monument Valley, Utah. We had a little cabin right on the edge of the valley, and pinched ourselves each morning. The views! We did actually see a real live road runner, but no sighting of Wile E. Coyote.
Tinkertown Museum in Sandia Park, NM; created and hand-carved by one man, Ross Ward, over 40 years; and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe are the best museums in the world in my humble opinion. I almost cried in both. I have no words. Our boys adored them too – all those mini dioramas!
Route 66 itself was a revelation. Call me mental but I’ve been contemplating starting another blog to share more photos – the signs, the big things (so many dinosaurs and muffler men), the wildlife (burros, mustangs, gophers, elks), the beautiful decay, the diners, the trading posts, the rock shops, the people, the cars, the things our kids loved… The Mother Road is worthy of way more than a snippety blog post.
Will share food memories and US/Mex/Tex recipes soon. USA we ♥ you!
PS. If you’re still awake, and can bare looking at even more holiday snaps, the husband and I signed up to Instagram just before we left. Yikes! Another screen addiction! You can find me here, and my man here.
Helllooo! My first post for 2015. Where did all that time go? 2014 was frankly an awful and emotional year, with the loss of three beautiful family members (my dad, stepdad and grandma) and I came pretty close myself with a nasty dose of sepsis.
By contrast, this year is looking great. We had a fab holiday after Christmas in Apollo Bay with friends; reading, wining, chatting, swimming and lounging around – exactly what the doctor ordered. A food highlight was our brekkie of Baked oatmeal (recipe from the talented Chef in Disguise), served with yogurt and fresh cherries. So yum.
We were back home for a day of frantic washing and re-packing before setting off on a camping trip to Wilson’s Promontory. For years friends have been shocked that we’ve never been to ‘the Prom’, and now I know why! It’s a spectacular conglomeration of almost every element of nature – river, surf beach, massive boulders, bush, hiking trails and so many furry friends. Our nightly visitor was an elderly cantankerous wallaby. I took so many photos of him one day that he hopped over and chomped me on the hand. The husband scored a bite on the knee from an angry wombat, also for getting in too close for a photo. Bloody city slickers we are, serves us right!
We worked our way through an almost embarrassing amount of food, including chilli con carne (see below); a family favourite that is nearly always in our freezer. It’s perfect camping fare with smashed avocado and rice.
See you all soon. We’re ticking off one of our lifetime dreams tomorrow and are heading to the USA for a 6.5 week road trip along Route 66. We’ve found a house-sitter, packed our bags, researched our butts off and are so excited. I (finally!) signed up for Instagram yesterday, so do join me there or on Facebook for holiday updates. Bye lovely readers. xxx
[Recipe 1] MEXICAN BLACK BEAN and CORN SALAD with QUESO FRESCO
transforms into
[Recipe 2] FLATHEAD TACOS with BLACK BEAN SALSA and CHIPOTLE MAYO
It’s entertaining season around here, and ‘stealing salad’ is a sneaky way to get two meals from one. Mexican black bean and corn salad is perfect for a potluck or BBQ and by pilfering 3 cups of prepared ingredients (before adding the avocado and Queso Fresco) and 3 tablespoons of dressing; you’ll have a ready-made salsa, to spoon into tacos with crumbed flathead and chipotle mayo for dinner the next day. My ten year old’s verdict – DELICIOUS!
I served this up at two Christmas lunches last week. The recipe is adapted from one my son made at school – he’s lucky enough to be part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen program, where ingredients are plucked straight from the school veggie patch and cooked up by the kids.
This salad is a bowl of health, choc-full of raw veggies, and lots of texture and colour. I mucked around with the original recipe, adding mild chillies and onion, swapping lettuce for shredded red cabbage and replacing fetta with Mexican Queso Fresco. Damn I LOVE this cheese. It’s admittedly tricky to find, but well worth the hunt. it’s smooth and mild, holds its shape well and has a little kick of saltiness – the perfect salad cheese.
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. See you in 2015! xx
PS. I had to share my vintage Japanese ‘Hostess’ brand salad servers. I love the wood/ceramic combination and the crazy colours. I found the red ones a couple of weeks ago. Do three sets constitute a collection? I hope so, as calling myself ‘a collector’ surely justifies me buying more…
[Recipe 1] Mexican black bean and corn salad with Queso Fresco
Ingredients (makes salad for 8–10 people, plus tacos for 4):
250g (9 oz) dried black beans, soaked overnight (or tinned beans – see notes)
4 firm, ripe tomatoes, seeds and core roughly scooped out and discarded, chopped
2 cups uncooked corn kernels (cut from 2 large corn cobs)
1 white salad onion, peeled and finely diced
3 cups very finely shredded red cabbage (from ½ a cabbage)
2 red capsicums (bell peppers), de-seeded, finely chopped
2 long red chillies, de-seeded, very finely chopped
Lime dressing:
100 ml (3.4 oz) lime juice (from 2–3 limes)
½ cup olive oil
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
(Note: you’ll be reserving 3 cups of the above salad ingredients, and 3 tablespoons of lime dressing, for the tacos in recipe 2)
To serve:
2 avocados, diced
1 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
125g (4.5 oz) Queso Fresco (replace with firm fetta if unavailable), crumbled
Corn chips, smashed (optional)
Drain soaked black beans, place into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 40–50 minutes until just tender. Take care not to overcook them as they should retain a bit of bite. Drain, rinse and place in a large bowl. Allow to cool.
Add tomatoes, corn kernels, onion, cabbage, capsicum and chillies. Toss gently.
♦ Reserve 3 cups of salad mix for the flathead tacos with black bean salsa (recipe 2).
To make the lime dressing, place ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well.
♦ Reserve 3 tablespoons dressing for the flathead tacos with black bean salsa (recipe 2).
Refrigerate salad ingredients and dressing separately, covered, until ready to serve. Both can be prepared the night before.
To serve, gently stir the large quantity of dressing through the large bowl of salad ingredients. Scatter with avocado, coriander, crumbled Queso Fresco and smashed corn chips (if using). Serve immediately.
[Recipe 2] Flathead tacos with black bean salsa and chipotle mayo
Ingredients (serves 4):
♦ 3 cups reserved salad mix (see above)
♦ 3 tablespoons reserved lime dressing (see above)
400g (14 oz) flathead (or other firm white fish, such as whiting) fillets
½ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil for shallow frying
8 blue corn tortillas (see notes)
Chipotle mayo
♦ To make black bean salsa, combine reserved salad mix and reserved lime dressing. Dredge flathead fillets in flour, dip into beaten eggs and coat well in breadcrumbs. Refrigerate, covered, until required.
Pour oil into a large non-stick frying pan, to about 3mm (.1″) deep. Shallow-fry the crumbed flathead fillets in batches for about 2–3 minutes each side, until light golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Warm tortillas in a dry non-stick pan. Arrange flathead fillets and a good plop of black bean salsa on each. Drizzle with chipotle mayo, and serve immediately.
8 sleeps ’til Christmas! I’ve had the most mental lovely couple of weeks. We set up our Christmas tree, visited the Myer windows and I’ve been on a catering frenzy: 50 cupcakes, 60 meatballs, 4 cakes, 2 kilos of chutney, a kilo of ugly but super delicious Syrian red pepper, pomegranate and walnut dip (see below), and a huge load of Keema mattar (to take on our upcoming camping trip). Also somehow squeezed in some work, Christmas parties, gift shopping and present-wrapping. I need a nap.
I also spent an entire day cruising the Wild West. I live in Melbourne’s south, and last year I lead a group of Western and Northern suburbs lovely lady friends on an op-shop crawl of my area. Our Yarraville pal reciprocated recently with a sight-seeing daytrip around the West. We’ve become a group of little old ladies with our self-organised tours!
Our Western excursion started with tacos at La Tortilleria in Kensington. Melbourne peeps, if you’ve not eaten there yet, run! Afternoon tea was the holiest cannoli at T Cavallaro and Sons in Footscray – just look at that perfect crunchy pastry and glistening custard!
We finished our day with a stroll through Little Saigon Market and Sweet Grass Bonsai, fabric shopping at Maze and Vale (how cute is the mushroom fabric?) and a spot of junk hunting (I scored a magnificent Viking tapestry).
Our friend Andrew, one of my favourite cooks, had toiled in the kitchen while we were out and laid on an amazing dinner of Puy lentil and fig salad, falafel and teeny quail eggs with dukkah and za’atar (photo below). All in all, a jam-packed, perfect day!
I’m guessing it’s a crazy time of year for you too? Wishing you all the very best for whatever you’re celebrating; Christmas, Mawlid al-Nabi, Chanukah or Summer/Winter Holidays! xx
YAY! It’s my blogiversary – One Equals Two is now 3 years old. It’s also time for my annual Food-related Christmas Giveaway, and this year’s prize pack is the biggest and best yet! One lucky winner will score eleven fab items; including an Arro Home geometric apron, Gorman socks and some ace stuff for kids too!
This competition is open to everyone, anywhere in the world. See official rules below the photo.
Here’s how to enter:
• Head over to the Facebook competition link.
• Submit your email address in the field provided (PS. I don’t store or use email addresses, they’re just for contacting the winner). The winner will be randomly selected via woobox.
Entries close 7th December at 10.30pm (AEST). The winner will be contacted, and announced right here on the blog and on Facebook, on 8th December.
Here’s the list of loot:
1. Ice cream notepad by Poppies for Grace, Melbourne.
440 sheets (220 circles in 11 colours + 220 triangles in 6 colours). Ideal for place settings, bunting, a giant confetti wall or combined to make paper ice creams.
2. Geometric apron by Arro Home (Beci Orpin’s homeware range), Melbourne.
Cotton geometric print apron with contrasting coloured binding.
3. Eco shopping tote by Mogu Takahaski, Japan.
100% cotton silkscreened tote with handmade button sewn on the nose. Great for farmer’s markets! PS. The cat is saying ‘Who are you?’ in Japanese.
4. Mouk in Australia plate by Petit Jour Paris.
Melamine kids plate featuring Mouk and his pals on Kangaroo Island by Marc Boutavant.
5. Jam jar ‘chalkboard’ stickers by Cocobohème, France.
Reusable stickers for your jars of homemade jam and preserves. Write on them with chalk and wipe clean! Dishwasher-safe. 4 pack of labels, 16 labels total.
6. Ice cream girl art print by Emily Nelson, Brisbane.
Original ‘ice cream girl’ illustration, A4 print on archival paper.
7. Doodle Cake Crayon kit by Alex Toys, Italy.
Recycle your old crayon bits into cupcake crayons! Includes silicon baking mold, 8 colors of crayon crumbles, spoon, doily and easy instructions. Age: 6+
8. Hundreds and Thousands (nonpareils) socks by Gorman, Melbourne.
Nude-coloured bobby socks with embroidered coloured dots.
9. Sugar Skull DIY bag-tag craft kit by Re-sew-cool, Melbourne.
Includes pattern, instructions, sewing needle, recycled felt, recycled buttons, trim, natural fibre yarn and swivel clasp. Age: 10+
10. Citrus pencil/makeup purse by Kikki K, Melbourne.
Cute purse, fully-lined with light pink seed-patterned fabric.
11. Christmas tags by Emily Nelson, Brisbane.
3 gingerbread men and 3 candy cane Christmas gift tags with natural twine.
PS. This is not a sponsored competition. I paid for everything all by myself!
Please see official rules below photo.
Update 8/12/14: Huge congrats to Lisa Rafferty, the randomly-chosen winner!
One Equals Two 2014 Christmas giveaway. Official rules.
Participation in this promotion is subject to the following terms and conditions.
One lucky winner will win the 11 items described and pictured above.
The competition is open to everyone, worldwide. Shipping/delivery costs will be covered by One Equals Two.
Only one direct email entry, via the official entry form, per person is permitted. Each entrant may also be awarded 1 bonus entry if the competition is shared on the entrant’s Facebook timeline and a user clicks and enters from the entrant’s shared link.
The Competition starts on 24/11/2014 and ends on 7/12/2014 (10.30pm AEST).
This is a game of chance, and the winner will be randomly drawn via woobox on 8/12/2014. The winner’s name will be announced on the One Equals Two Facebook page and the One Equals Two website.
To take part: please visit the official entry form link, and submit your email address via the field provided. Email addresses are required to contact the winner only and will not be stored or sold. One Equals Two will notify the winner using the email address provided. It is up to entrants to ensure the email address provided is accurate and valid! If the potential winner cannot be contacted or fails to respond to the winner notification within 7 days (by 14/12/14 at 10:30pm AEST), One Equals Two reserves the right to then randomly choose a new winner.
You must be a member of facebook.com in order to enter this competition; however this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to One Equals Two and not to Facebook. By participating in this promotion you agree to a complete release of Facebook from any claims.
Prizes are awarded ‘as is’ with no warranty or guarantee. One Equals Two is not liable for any damages or loss that may occur during shipping.
Good luck!
[Recipe 1] PISTACHIO and ALMOND DUKKAH transforms into
[Recipe 2] SPICED LAMB PIZZA (lahm bi ajine)
[Recipe 3] SPICED HONEY DUKKAH POPCORN
[Recipe 4] CHAR-GRILLED DUKKAH LAMB with TRAY-ROASTED VEGGIES
It seriously feels like we packed away the Christmas tree two months ago. I cannot BELIEVE we’re half-way through November. Yikes!
Every Christmas I make a massive batch of something sweet or spicy to pop into jars for teachers, family and friends. Za’atar was popular, and dukkah is equally tasty and a cinch to whip up and package; especially if you employ child labour in your home, as we do.
I buy my fabric pieces at Amitié – they have a huge basket of off-cuts, the perfect size for topping jars. The raw tangerine string is from Araliya. It’s handmade from coconut fibre, and it was a birthday pressie (thanks Chris)!
For a more substantial gift, a small spice bowl could be added – Ingrid Tufts makes beautiful little hand-thrown porcelain condiment bowls.
My dukkah is adapted from Greg Malouf’s recipe in one of my most thumbed-through, dog-eared cookbooks, Arabesque. I made a couple of adjustments, replacing the hazelnuts with toasted pistachios and almonds (I’m far too lazy to skin a bulk load of hazelnuts). I also used less salt, adding a touch of thyme. Dried thyme is great for adding a salt-like kick to spice blends.
Dukkah is a flavour explosion! It can be sprinkled with gay abandon on just about anything; including poached eggs, salad or veggies (eg. my roasted cauliflower and chestnuts with dukkah).
Here are three more great ways to use dukkah. You’ll find the recipes below.
Spiced lamb pizza is a traditional Lebanese treat which usually contains allspice and/or cumin. In my humble opinion dukkah tastes even better.
Spiced honey dukkah popcorn is salty, sweet, spicy and incredibly moreish. We had fun experimenting and taste-testing this recipe – four enormous bowls, now gone!
Char-grilled dukkah lamb is a family favourite, and quick to prepare. Served with tahini sauce and tray-roasted veggies, it makes a super-tasty, healthy meal. Leftover roasted veggies and lamb, if any, can be tossed through a simple rocket, freekeh or couscous salad, and dressed with tahini sauce. We often cook up double the lamb and veggies for this purpose. Enjoy!
[Recipe 1] Pistachio and almond dukkah
Ingredients (bulk quantity – makes 23 cups, to fill 25–27 jars)
4½ cups (450g) ground coriander
4 cups (450g) ground cumin
½ cup (40g) dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons (25g) fine white pepper
8 cups (1 kilo) sesame seeds, toasted
4 cups (575g) almonds, toasted (or store-bought unsalted dry roasted)
2½ cups (325g) pistachio kernels, toasted
Place coriander, cumin, thyme, salt, pepper and half the toasted sesame seeds into a large bowl and mix well. Blend almonds, pistachios and the remaining toasted sesame seeds in batches in a food processor, transferring to the bowl of dried spices as you go. Don’t grind them too fine or you’ll end up with a paste! Nuts should be chunky, and just broken.
Divide dukkah into sterilised jars, top the lids with a small square of fabric and seal with string. You can fashion your own funnel from cardboard, to make pouring into the jars easier. Reserve some dukkah for yourself, for the three recipes below!
Very loosely based on Greg Malouf’s recipe in Arabesque.
[Recipe 2] Spiced lamb pizza (lahm bi ajine)
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 quantity wholemeal (wholewheat) pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil for brushing
400g (14 oz) lamb backstraps, leg or fillets
♦ 3 teaspoons Pistachio and almond dukkah (see recipe above)
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
1 small red (purple/Spanish) onion, finely diced
2 firm Roma or vine-ripened tomatoes, seeds and liquid scooped out, diced
To serve:
Tahini sauce
Fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
Lemon wedges (these are a must)!
Tomato and cucumber salad
Preheat oven to 250°C (480ºF).
Place two pizza trays into the hot oven to warm up, for at least 10 minutes. This is an important step for crispy-based pizzas.
Divide wholemeal pizza dough into four. Sprinkle flour on work surface. Roll out each piece of dough into a log shape with your hands. With a rolling pin, roll each log into a large flat oval, approx. 12 x 30cm (5 x 12″). Lift the four bases onto two sheets of baking paper.
Place the chopped lamb, Pistachio and almond dukkah and pomegranate molasses into a food processor and process until minced.
Brush each pizza base lightly with olive oil.
Arrange the prepared lamb, onion and tomato over each base, leaving a 2cm (.8″) border.
Carefully slide pizzas and baking paper onto pre-heated pizza trays and bake for 10–12 minutes. Cook separately if they don’t fit side by side.
Remove from oven. Scatter with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing; and Tomato and cucumber salad.
Recipe very loosely adapted from this one by Greg Malouf.
[Recipe 3] Spiced honey dukkah popcorn
Ingredients (makes 12 cups):
40g (1.5 oz) organic coconut oil
½ cup popcorn kernels
60 grams (2 oz/½ stick) butter
2 tablespoons honey
♦ 2 tablespoons Pistachio and almond dukkah (see recipe above)
½ teaspoon sea salt
Melt the coconut oil in your largest saucepan, over medium-high heat.
Add the popcorn kernels and cover.
When the kernels begin to pop, gently shake the pan now and again to prevent burning. Once the popping slows down to 2 or 3 seconds between each pop, remove the pan from the heat and tip popcorn into a large bowl.
Melt the butter and honey in a small saucepan. Add Pistachio and almond dukkah and salt and stir to combine.
Pour over the popcorn and stir to coat evenly. Tip into a large bowl and serve.
[Recipe 4] Char-grilled dukkah lamb with tray-roasted veggies
Ingredients (serves 4):
2 x large lamb backstraps (approx. 500g/1.1 lb total)
¼ cup olive oil
♦ ⅓ cup Pistachio and almond dukkah (see recipe above), plus extra to serve
Vegetables for roasting:
650g (1.4 lb) kipfler potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed, halved
3 smallish sweet potatoes (approx. 500g/1.1 lb), unpeeled, scrubbed, cut into wedges
2 red (purple/Spanish) onions, peeled, quartered
2 medium zucchini, each halved lengthwise and cut into 4
⅓ cup olive oil
Sea salt flakes and freshly-cracked black pepper
To serve:
Tahini sauce
Fresh chopped coriander
Place lamb pieces in a non-metallic dish or bowl.
♦ Combine olive oil and Pistachio and almond dukkah and spread over the lamb pieces. Cover and allow to marinate for at least one hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
Place halved potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, until just tender. Drain and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
Place par-boiled potatoes, sweet potato, onions, zucchini and oil into a large bowl. Toss to coat. Place into a large (preferably cast iron) baking pan, scatter with salt and pepper and roast for 45–50 minutes, turning every 10–15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Veggies can be served warm or at room temperature.
When you’re ready to serve, cook the lamb. Preheat a lightly-oiled barbecue or chargrill plate to medium–high heat. Cook lamb for 4 minutes each side, or until cooked to your liking. We like ours rare-ish. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Slice lamb thickly across the grain. To serve, pile roasted veggies onto four plates. Top with sliced lamb, drizzle with tahini sauce and scatter with coriander and extra dukkah.
May I just say, in caps, that CHRISTMAS IS LOOMING. Don’t panic! Here’s my annual food-related Christmas Gift Guide. Everything below is made with love in my home town, Melbourne. Buying handmade creates a domino-effect of happiness – for you, the gift recipient and the maker. Let’s ignore the sea of mass-produced crap trotted out every year by those greedy multinationals and support our local artisans!
Overseas readers – you can buy locally by checking out these fab foodie creations: jikits mini ice cream mobile (USA), misako mimoko’s apple wall hanger (Spain), Fine Little Day’s tomato poster (Sweden); or make your own 70s Supermarket Play Set with Alice Apple’s DIY fabric panel (UK).
OK, here we go…
1. Able and Game Butter tea towel. $19.70. Able and Game’s super cute hand-drawn designs feature on cards, totes, tea towels and calendars. Available on etsy, and at these worldwide stockists.
2. Hamb ‘Fish barbecue’ mens tee. $69. Hamb’s quirky limited edition tees, library bags and plywood clocks are hand-illustrated and screen-printed in Melbourne. Available online here, and at these stockists.
3. Sandra Eterovic ‘Italian ingredients’ original painting on paper. $85. Sandra’s beautiful work is hand-made with care, using the best quality sustainable materials. Available on etsy, along with fabulous cards, OOAK dolls, cushions, mirrors, prints, scarves and wooden art! Sandra was recently profiled on The Design Files and Handmade Life.
4. Re-sew-cool Watermelon brooch kit. $15. Kit contains pattern, instructions, sewing needle, ric-rac, recycled felt, recycled buttons, natural yarn and brooch clasp. Available here and at these stockists, along with 5 more fab brooch varieties, and other kits. Handmade in Melbourne by the talented Sister Outlaws.
5. Made by Mosey banana cushion. $66. Made by Mosey’s colourful range of cushions, garlands, soft mobiles and quilts are created by Madeleine Sargent. Available here and also at Craft Vic.
6. Rooftop Honey Test Tube Gift Set. $19.95. This calico gift bag from CBD beekeepers Rooftop Honey includes a bee-friendly seed pack, recipe postcard and set of three honey samples (harvested from Melbourne rooftops) in glass test tubes, hand wax dipped and labelled with origin. Available here.
7. Neryl ‘Pineapple Mary’ limited edition archival ink giclee print. Medium: $95, Large: $160. Music-lovin’ juice swiggin’ Mary would jazz up any kitchen, dining room or den! She’s available here, along with her lady friends. Created by clever chick Neryl Walker.
8. Takeawei Origami serving board. Large $105, small $85. Handmade by Chela Edmunds in North Melbourne, this platter features a satin glaze star pattern and is dishwasher/microwave safe. Perfect for antipasto, sushi or cheese! These have sold out in the Takeawei store, but are available online at Liberty Trading Company. Be quick before they vamoose!
9. KaPow Kids Harem-style kids ice cream shorties. $32.95. Matching headband also available! KaPow Kids threads are hand-made in limited quantities and sell out fast, so run! Available online here, and at these stockists.
10. Evie Barrow Miss Pudding. $11.20. Available on etsy. Evie makes playfully-illustrated creations and one-of-a-kind textile characters, including the delightful Miss Pudding. The perfect Christmas ornament, Miss Pudding is made from cotton and felt with hand-embroidered features and a cotton hanging loop. She also comes wrapped in special Christmas paper, designed by Evie!
11. Lucy Folk Sugar Cube Clutch (Musk Stick). $295. The ultimate lolly bag! Melbourne’s queen of wearable food has just released her sweetest collection yet, celebrating sugar! Available online here, at these world-wide stockists and at Lucy’s flagship shop at 1A Crossley St, Melbourne.
12. Bridget Bodenham Pestle and mortar. $200. Bridget lives and works in her studio in beautiful Hepburn Springs, an hour out of Melbourne. Her work is organic, textured and just lovely. Available at Mr Kitly and these stockists.
Footnote: This is not a sponsored list. These are all items I genuinely love.
Before ordering, be sure to check with the sellers that delivery is possible before Christmas! Etsy shop prices are in USD.
© Please note photos are the property of their respective owners.
I’ve been MIA from the blog yet again, this time due to serious (and scary) illness. I know reading about people’s ailments is about as interesting as tax law, but I hope you’ll indulge me sharing this as it took me completely by surprise!
I contracted sepsis and ended up in hospital for nearly 2 weeks, including 6 days in intensive care. I’d never even heard of sepsis before and consulted Doctor Google from my hospital bed – quite unwise as it freaked the living daylights out of me. I had all kinds of tests and horrible procedures, including a catheter in my neck. Fun! Short story is, I survived!
So, I’ve been taking life at a snail’s pace ever since, starting with a little holiday in Cobden – look at those views! I’m going to run a One Equals Two Light for the next few posts; starting with two quick and easy egg recipes which I’m sure you’ll wanna ‘have a crack’ at 🙂
BAKED EGGS, 2 WAYS:
[Recipe 1] with CANNELLINI BEANS and ROASTED CAPSICUM
[Recipe 2] with NAVY BEANS, SPINACH and GOAT’S CHEESE
Got beans? Got eggs? Got pasta sauce? That’s dinner sorted!
Baked eggs are a favourite midweek meal around here, as they’re on the table in 15 minutes. They’re also great for weekend brekkies and lunches.
Nearly every culture has their take on baked eggs – Shakshouka, Huevos rancheros, Les œufs en cocotte… have I forgotten any?? Mine are usually served up Italian-style as I often have a tub of home-made Amatriciana pasta sauce in the freezer (which incidentally is a splendid topping for chicken parma).
The extras are limited only by your imagination – replace the white beans, rosemary and pancetta with black beans, smoked paprika and chorizo; toss in some pan-fried zucchini strips and drizzle with pesto; or swap the beans for chickpeas and stir through a handful of roasted eggplant chunks.
Are you a baked egg fancier? If so, do share your favourite combo (links are welcome)!
[Recipe 1] Baked eggs with cannellini beans and roasted capsicum (pictured)
Ingredients (serves 4):
♦ 2½ cups (600–650g/1.3–1.4 lb) reserved Amatriciana sauce
1 x 400g (15 oz) can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained, rinsed
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
½–1 cup marinated roasted capsicum, drained (optional for kids)
4 eggs
Sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper
Fresh chopped parsley to serve
Crusty bread, to serve
Preheat oven to 200°C (390ºF).
Place reserved Amatriciana sauce, beans and rosemary into a small saucepan and simmer gently, stirring, for 5 minutes.
Divide warmed mixture amongst 4 x 1½-cup capacity (or 2 x 3-cup capacity) oven-proof ramekins. Arrange drained capsicum on top.
Make an indent in the centre of each with the back of a spoon, and crack in an egg (or two if you’re using large ramekins).
Bake until eggs have set to your liking; 10 minutes for soft and 15 minutes for firm.
Season, scatter with parsley and serve with crusty bread for dunking.
[Recipe 2] Baked eggs with navy beans, spinach and goat’s cheese
Ingredients (serves 4):
♦ 2½ cups (600–650g/1.3–1.4 lb) reserved Amatriciana sauce
⅛ teaspoon chilli powder (or more, to taste)
1 x 400g (15 oz) can navy (pearl haricot) beans, drained and rinsed
50g (1¾ oz) baby spinach, roughly chopped
4 eggs
30–60g (1–2 oz) goat’s cheese, crumbled (optional for kids, see notes)
Fresh basil, torn, to serve
Crusty bread, to serve
Preheat oven to 200°C (390ºF).
Place reserved Amatriciana sauce, chilli and navy beans into a small saucepan and simmer gently, stirring, for 3 minutes.
Divide warmed mixture amongst 4 x 1½-cup capacity (or 2 x 3-cup capacity) oven-proof ramekins. Arrange spinach on top, pushing down lightly with a spoon.
Make an indent in the centre of each with the back of a spoon, and crack in an egg (or two if you’re using large ramekins).
Bake until eggs have set to your liking; 10 minutes for soft and 15 minutes for firm.
Season. Scatter with crumbled goat’s cheese and basil, and serve with crusty bread for scooping.
[Recipe 1] BLADE BEEF POT ROAST with SHIITAKE MUSHROOM GRAVY and BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH TOASTED WALNUTS transforms into
[Recipe 2] ASIAN-STYLE TACOS with BLADE BEEF, KIMCHI COLESLAW and SRIRACHA MAYO
There were moans at the dinner table. Not whiney ones, I mean the ‘Can’t talk, eating’ pleasure-induced type. I’ve gotta say these are two of the tastiest meals I’ve served in ages!
The inspiration for this post began with a dish the husband and I devoured recently at one of our favourite locals – perfectly unctuous pork belly strips, rolled up in wombok leaves (Chinese cabbage); a little like Korean-style sang choy bow. The stand-out component for me was the crunchy kimchi-style coleslaw dotted on top. Man it was good.
I immediately set about creating my own version of kimchi slaw. We are a family of slaw hooverers, eating it once a week in wraps with fish or lamb. Mine is a mostly-mayo concoction with a dash of apple cider vinegar, but elevating the vinegar to hero status, and adding grated daikon, is a deliciously tart taste sensation.
Although we do love our pork belly, I served the kimchi slaw with strips of tender roast blade beef, rolled up like soft tacos in Chinese pancakes, with a squirt of creamy sriracha mayo to balance out the vinegary slaw.
As this blog is all about creating two meals from one, we enjoyed my slightly Asian-style blade beef pot roast on the first night, reserving a couple of cups of the juicy beef for the Chinese pancakes. This pot roast is the perfect Winter pig-out, drizzled with shiitake mushroom gravy (which just happens to be gluten-free) and served with confit-style baked spuds and super-tasty Brussels sprouts scattered with toasted walnuts for texture.
Two meals from one, too easy, and either meal would be perfect to dish up for Fathers Day next weekend. xx
[Recipe 1] Blade beef pot roast with shiitake mushroom gravy and Brussels sprouts with toasted walnuts
Ingredients (beef serves 4 for two meals):
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.75 kilo (3.8 lb) blade (bolar) beef
2 cups good-quality beef stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
2 small brown onions, peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large potatoes, cut into wedges
Brussels sprouts with toasted walnuts to serve
For the shiitake mushroom gravy:
40g (1½ oz) dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 30 minutes in 2 cups boiling water, drained (¼ cup soaking liquid reserved)
Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 150°C (300ºF).
Heat olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the beef and cook over medium–high heat, turning occasionally, until well-browned all over, for about 8 minutes. Transfer to a small, close-fitting, lidded ovenproof pot, preferably cast iron.
Mix stock, soy sauce and Chinese five spice powder together and pour into the frying pan. Simmer gently for 2 minutes, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom. Pour over the beef. Scatter the onion and garlic slices around the beef.
Place into the pre-heated oven and roast, tightly covered, for 1½ hours at which point the beef should be turned and ladled with pan juices.
Remove 1½ cups of the pan juices and pour into a small baking dish (I use a loaf-sized cake pan). Add the potato wedges, toss, cover tightly with foil, and place in the oven next to the beef. The potato pieces will deliciously poach confit-style in the beef juices for crisping later!
Bake beef and potatoes for a further 1½ hours, turning the potatoes once, after 45 minutes.
Total beef cooking time is 3 hours. Test to see whether beef is fork tender – if not, return to the oven for a further 30 minutes and check again.
Take the beef from the pan, place onto a board and rest, covered with foil, for 20 minutes.
Remove the potato chunks from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon, and transfer to a tray lined with baking paper. Turn the oven up to 250°C (480ºF), and return potatoes to the oven for 25–30 minutes for crisping, while you prepare the gravy and slice the beef. Potatoes can be kept warm in a low oven.
For the gravy: ladle 1½ cups of the beef cooking juices from the pan, skim off the fat and pour into a small saucepan. Add a few tablespoons of the roasted onion and garlic slices, the soaked shiitake mushrooms and the reserved ¼ cup mushroom soaking liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes, until reduced. Season to taste. Puree in a blender until very smooth. Add a splash more stock or pan juices if it is too thick. Transfer to a small small warmed jug.
When ready to serve, slice the beef.
♦ Reserve half the sliced beef (approx. 2 cups/450g/1 lb), and ¼ cup of the cooking juices, for the Asian-style tacos (see recipe 2).
Drizzle the remaining sliced beef with pan juices. Serve with the roasted spuds, shiitake mushroom gravy and Brussels sprouts with toasted walnuts.
[Recipe 2] Asian-style tacos with blade beef, kimchi coleslaw and sriracha mayo
Ingredients (serves 4):
10 jian bing (Chinese pancakes)
♦ 2 cups (450g/1 lb) reserved roasted blade beef (+ ¼ cup pan juices), shredded, warmed
Sriracha mayo, to serve
Kimchi coleslaw (can make 1 day ahead):
½ wombok (Chinese/Napa cabbage), finely shredded (about 4 cups)
1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
1 medium daikon (Chinese white radish), grated (about 1½ cups)
2 whole spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Gochugaru (Korean red chilli pepper flakes), or more (to taste)
⅓ cup (80ml) Japanese rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
Black sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Place wombok, carrot, daikon and spring onions in a large salad bowl. Mix sugar, gochugaru, vinegars and salt together and drizzle over. Toss well and scatter with black sesame seeds. Refrigerate until required.
Warm Chinese pancakes until just starting to bubble, in a lightly-oiled frying pan. Don’t overcook them, 1–2 minutes each side will suffice. Wrap in foil to keep warm.
To serve, spoon warmed reserved roasted blade beef and kimchi coleslaw onto each Chinese pancake. Drizzle with sriracha mayo and roll up to enclose. Enjoy!
Here’s a little snapshot of what I’ve been making, baking, admiring and thinking about lately. Love this concept by Pip at Meet me at Mikes. Pip shared her most recent #takingstock here, and there’s a blank list at the bottom of the post for you to copy on your own blog or socials, if you feel inspired. Oh, and if you participate, leave a link in the comments so we can read yours too!
Making: a Barry Gibb doll for my 7-year old Bee Gees fan. I used this Woman’s Day rag doll pattern for the upper body, winged it for the beard, pants and boots, and followed a fab hair tutorial on this Lincraft how-to card (thanks Michelle).
Cooking: an Abominable Snowman cake for my 7-year old’s birthday, loosely based on the yeti from Komaneko the Curious cat.
Drinking: hot chocolate with fluffy milk – did you know you can make creamy, frothy milk in a coffee plunger (French press)?
Reading: Anorak.
Wanting: more time in a day. Even 25 hours would be good. Thanks.
Looking: at Pinterest before the rest of my family wakes up. A daily ritual!
Playing: Pictionary.
Deciding: which Country Show to visit this year – Birregurra or Cobden.
Wishing: the sun would come out.
Enjoying: my girlfriends company. Lady friends rock.
Waiting: for Spring.
Liking: Maruyama Asami‘s embroideries of people eating, especially this one.
Wondering: why there’s a big possum on our fence at 6.30am. He should be asleep.
Loving: my boys, all three of them.
Pondering: how to balance life and social media. I shared my tips over at Kidspot, along with some other ace bloggers.
Considering: baking a veggie cake from this intriguing list. Leftover veg cake, anyone?
Watching: Jarvis Cocker’s 1998 doco series on outsider art environments. So good!
Hoping: to have dinner at The Moor’s Head again. Soon.
Marveling: at my 10-year old’s cactus and succulent collection.
Needing: a proper holiday.
Smelling: sweet, vinegary pickled turnips! Here’s Michelle’s fab recipe. Mine turned out bright magenta (see photo) as I doubled the beetroot!
Wearing: blue things and these hand-made shoes – so comfy, they’re like slippers.
Following: Shit brick fences of Melbourne.
Noticing: grey hairs! Yikes!
Thinking: about Christmas presents. Only 5 months to go!
Feeling: mostly happy, but sometimes sad. Missing my dad.
Admiring: my clever husband’s portrait drawings.
Sorting: fabric pieces from Amitie.
Buying: lovely hand-made goodies from Evie Barrow. Look at the beautiful packaging! I almost didn’t want to unwrap it.
Getting: into a jam-making frenzy! Help!
Bookmarking: this soup recipe by Simple Provisions, after reading this post about the nutritional powerhouse that is watercress.
Disliking: Tony Abbott (Australia’s Prime Minister).
Opening: old letters from my lovely Oma in Holland (she died recently, aged 105).
Giggling: at my son’s texta vandalism of my husband’s rejected life drawings; especially the elderly nude man, now wearing a mankini and boater hat.
Snacking: on Pana chocolate.
Coveting: one of Kirsten Perry‘s planters.
Helping: my 10-year old as he makes our pancakes.
Hearing: my playlist of favourite Australian tracks by Dick Diver, Go-Betweens, Architecture in Helsinki and Eddy Current.
[Recipe 1] FEIJOA, QUINCE and ROSEWATER JAM transforms into
[Recipe 2] SPICED LINZER TORTE
I’ve been on a jam-making frenzy! “It smells like the doughnut van at the footy” said the husband, and I could only take that as a huge compliment.
Feijoa, quince and rosewater jam is one of my favourite conserve creations to date. I adore feijoas! If you’re unfamiliar with them, they’re a little like a musky guava in taste, with a dash of watermelon and kiwi. They have a short season and are tricky to find, so when my friend Janet dropped off a bag recently I was one happy lady!
I usually stew feijoas with apples, but decided to give feijoa jam a try. Honestly it was as if the stars had aligned as within two days of my jam-making decision I discovered the important reference tool ‘Making men happy with jams and jellies’, published in 1930 and part of the beautiful Little Blue Book series. I also scored lemons from my mum and even styling props in the form of pink paper doilies (from my delightful 7-year old niece ‘especially for your blog’) and pink roses from my neighbours.
I love a robust, zesty jam and was concerned feijoas might be a little delicate in flavour and colour on their own, so decided to chuck in some quinces. Quinces have a similar season to feijoas, and they’re natural partners; both being quite fragrant – almost perfumey – and somewhat exotic. Quinces turn a beautiful ruby red colour after cooking too, which is a fab bonus!
I was so chuffed with how the jam turned out! After giving most of it away as gifts, I made a second batch the following week, reserving some for a pretty damn amazing Middle Eastern style Spiced Linzer Torte we’ve served up to two groups of dinner guests recently. I heavily tweaked the Hairy Bikers recipe, using more flour as I found their mixture a little wet. I also doubled the jam, added lemon zest and cloves (traditional Linzer Torte ingredients); and swapped the cinnamon for cardamom, which pairs beautifully with quinces and feijoas. Lastly, I lined the top edge with flaked almonds, both to hide the scrappy pastry joins and add a bit of crunch. Absolutely bloody delicious, even if I do say so myself!
I’m signing off with a poem by Dougall from Episode 19 of the Magic Roundabout:
“Life is for living.
Jam is for giving.
Love should be spread.
And I’m off to bed.”
[Recipe 1] Feijoa, quince and rosewater jam
Ingredients (makes 1.8 kilos/about 4 lb jam):
5 firm quinces (about 1.2–1.3 kilos/2½–2¾ lb)
½ cup (125ml) lemon juice (from 2 medium lemons)
10 cups (2.5 litres) water
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 2 medium lemons)
4 cups (800g/1¾ lb) sugar
8 feijoa (about 500g/1 lb), peeled and chopped
2 small firm pears (about 300g/10½ oz), peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
1 teaspoon rose water
Rinse and scrub the quinces. Place into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the lemon juice and water. Boil, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the quinces in the syrupy liquid for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Remove quinces with a slotted spoon and place on a board, reserving the liquid. Add lemon zest and sugar to the liquid and bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Peel off the quince skins. Core quinces and chop roughly. Place into the prepared liquid as you go, to prevent discolouring. Add the feijoa and pear.
Bring to the boil, turn down heat and simmer rapidly, for 1½–2 hours, uncovered, until thick. Stir occasionally, and enjoy watching it turn ruby red right before your eyes! Keep a close eye on the jam towards the end of the cooking process, to ensure it doesn’t stick and burn.
Give the jam 3 whizzes with a stick blender.
Add rose water and simmer for a further two minutes. Remove jam from the heat.
Test to check the jam is ready. Place a small ceramic plate in the freezer for 5 minutes. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of jam onto the plate and return to the freezer for two minutes. If the jam sets and forms a skin it is ready! If the jam is runny and can be poured off the plate, return the saucepan to the stovetop and simmer jam for a further ten minutes, stirring constantly. Test again.
Divide the jam amongst hot, sterilised jars.
♦ Reserve 500g (1 lb) jam for the Spiced Linzer Torte.
Store remaining jam in a cool, dark place.
[Recipe 2] Spiced Linzer torte
Ingredients (serves 6–8):
175g (6 oz) almond meal
175g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
200g (1⅓ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest, chopped (from 1 lemon)
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
175g (6 oz/1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
♦ 500g (1 lb) reserved Feijoa, quince and rosewater jam (see recipe 1)
Egg wash (1 egg yolk, whisked with 1 teaspoon milk)
50g (1.7 oz) flaked almonds
Icing sugar, for dusting
Process almond meal, sugar, cardamom, cloves, flour, lemon zest and salt until combined. Add the cubes of butter and process until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add egg and process until dough just comes together.
Transfer to a bowl (it will look quite crumbly, don’t worry). Knead lightly into a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Grease a 3cm (1″) deep, 25cm (10″) fluted tart tin, with removable base.
With a sharp knife, cut off one third of the dough (about 260g/9 oz) and roll out between two pieces of baking paper to make a rectangle approx. 25cm x 18cm (10″ x 7″) , and 3mm (.1″) thick. This is for the top layer of pastry strips. Slide onto a tray and pop in the fridge.
Roll the larger piece of dough between two pieces of baking paper into a piece large enough to line the base and sides of the pan, about 5mm (.2″) thick. Carefully press the dough onto the base and up the sides of the prepared pan, trimming off the excess. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, covered in cling film.
Preheat oven to 180°C (350ºF).
Blind bake the pastry: cover pastry base and sides with baking paper. Cut two 6cm/2½” high strips of foil and fold over the sides of the tin to prevent the top edge of the pastry from burning. Fill lined tart case with pastry weights (or uncooked rice) and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove paper, foil and weights. Bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
♦ Spread cooled pastry base evenly with reserved Feijoa, quince and rosewater jam.
Remove smaller piece of dough from fridge and, using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut into 1½cm (.6″) wide strips. Carefully place strips diagonally over jam to form a criss-cross pattern. Press the edges to seal, and trim off excess.
Very lightly brush pastry strips and outer top edge of pastry with egg wash. Arrange flaked almonds around the edge of the torte, brushing with egg wash here and there. Use an outward movement to prevent the nuts sticking to the brush – ‘wipe’ the brush as if you’re removing paint!
Bake torte for 25–30 minutes, until pastry is pale golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan, then carefully remove and slide onto a serving plate.
Dust Linzer torte lightly with icing sugar, cut into wedges and serve.
[Recipe loosely adapted from the Hairy Bikers]
My emotions have been all over the place these last couple of months and I’ve found it so hard to get my blogging mojo back. I try not to be an oversharer on my blog, but I consider many of you as friends I’ve never met, and I really want to explain my absence and apologise for not having visited all your lovely blogs for a while. I’ve missed this little corner of my world!
My lovely, funny, generous dad passed away 5 weeks ago from cancer. This beef bourguignon stew was the last meal I cooked for him. Dad loved it. I’ve made it a couple of times since, and I’ve thought of him every time I’ve eaten it. I miss you dad.
[Recipe 1] BEEF BOURGUIGNON without WINE transforms into
[Recipe 2] BEEF and MUSHROOM PITHIVIERS
I set myself a goal to cook up a flavoursome stew, minus the merlot, and this alcohol-free bourguignon came about after much experimentation.
Beef bourguignon without wine? Mais non! C’est impossible! Au contraire mon ami, it is not only possible, but trés tasty.
My recipe is loosely adapted from Stephanie’s in the Cook’s Companion and Margaret Fulton’s from her 1974 masterpiece The Complete Margaret Fulton. I doubled the orange peel, swapped the bacon for speck, and replaced the wine (and Margaret’s brandy!) with two secret ingredients – verjuice, which adds a sweet wine-like tartness; and a good slosh of balsamic vinegar. The other key to a great wine-free stew is full-flavoured stock. I squirreled away some home-made beef broth (thanks Tracey!) a while ago and this stew seemed a worthy reason to crack it open.
Regular readers will know I wouldn’t dream of making a casserole to serve 4. While the oven is cranked up, it makes sense to cook a huge quantity of Beef bourguignon (in two pots if necessary – see notes). It freezes beautifully, and can be put to use in the most beautiful Beef and mushroom pithiviers. Pithiviers are basically fancy French pies made with two layers of flaky puff pastry. You can use store-bought puff, but if you’ve not tried making your own, you simply must! Rough Puff is the easiest, quickest pastry to throw together; and you will never reach for the Pampas again, I promise! Mine is adapted from Clotilde’s recipe on Chocolate and Zucchini, the first food blog I ever followed and still one of my absolute favourites.
Have a lovely week. I’m off to catch up on some serious blog reading. xxx
[Recipe 1] Beef bourguignon without wine
Ingredients (serves 12; ie. 3 meals for 4 people):
2–4 tablespoons olive oil
400g (14 oz) speck, rind and large areas of fat removed, chopped
1 kilo (2 lb) shallots (or pearl/pickling onions), peeled
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 kg (6 lb) blade steak, trimmed of large fat, cut into 5cm/2″ cubes
2 tablespoons (30g/1 oz) butter
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
1 cup verjuice (verjus)
1 litre (4 cups) good quality beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste (tomato concentrate)
4 x 10cm/4″ long pieces of orange peel
2 tablespoons fresh-picked thyme leaves
⅓ cup (80ml) balsamic vinegar
400g (14 oz) small button or cup mushrooms, trimmed, large ones halved
Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
To serve:
Creamy parmesan mashed potatoes
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Steamed green veggies
Preheat oven to 180°C (350ºF).
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and gently brown the speck for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.
Add onions, and gently brown in the speck fat for 3–5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute. Remove and add to the speck.
Seal the beef in batches until nicely browned, adding more oil as required. Remove beef and juices and add to the onions and speck.
Melt butter in the pan, add flour and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the verjuice and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up all the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add stock and tomato paste, and simmer gently for 1–2 minutes, until the tomato paste has dissolved.
Lightly oil a large casserole or cast iron baking dish (see notes if your baking dish is too small to accommodate everything). Add prepared speck, onions, beef and juices. Tuck the orange rind pieces here and there, and sprinkle with thyme.
Pour over the verjuice and stock mixture.
Cover with a layer of foil and pop the lid on (or 2 layers of foil if you don’t have a lid).
Transfer to oven and cook for 2½–3 hours. Check if the meat is tender after 2½ hours by prodding it with a fork, then add the balsamic vinegar and mushrooms and cook for a further 30 minutes uncovered. If the meat is still firm and chewy, return it to the oven for an extra half hour before adding the vinegar and mushrooms.
Season well. Remove and discard any large pieces of orange zest (most will have deliciously dissolved).
♦ Divide beef bourgionon into three portions of approximately 1.15 kilo (2½ lb) each. Each portion of borguignon will serve 4 people. Reserve ½ portion (550g/1.2 lb) for the Beef and mushroom pithiviers.
Meanwhile, prepare creamy parmesan mashed potatoes. Divide amongst four serving plates, ladle over bourguignon, scatter with parsley and serve with steamed green vegetables.
[Recipe 2] Beef and mushroom pithiviers
Ingredients (makes 6 pithiviers to serve 6):
1 tablespoon corn flour (cornstarch)
1½ tablespoons hot water
♦ ½ quantity (approx. 550g/1.2 lb) reserved Beef bourguignon
½ tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 x 1¼ kg (2½ lb) quantity rough puff pastry OR 3 x 375g (13 oz) store-bought puff pastry blocks
Egg wash (2 egg yolks, whisked with 1 teaspoon water)
Easy spiced tomato chutney (or store-bought chutney), to serve
Preheat oven to 200°C (390ºF).
Blend flour and hot water until smooth.
♦ Spoon reserved Beef bourguignon into a large saucepan. Add flour mixture and worcestershire sauce and bring to boil. Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the meat starts to break down and the mixture is thickened. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.
If using home-made rough puff pastry, roll out each prepared pastry block on a lightly floured surface to 5mm (.2″) thick. You’ll end up with 2 x 32cm² (12.5″) pieces of pastry. If using store-bought puff, roll out the three blocks to 5mm (.2″) thick.
Using a 12cm (4.7″) diameter plate, cut out 12 rounds from the puff pastry. Pastry scraps can be loosely stacked on top of each other (don’t roll into a ball or the pastry will lose its puffiness), and lightly re-rolled.
Divide cooled beef mixture amongst 6 of the pastry rounds, mounding up a bit in the centre. Leave a 1.5cm (.6″) border. Brush edges with egg wash and top with remaining puff pastry rounds, lightly pressing down edges to seal. Lightly brush with egg wash, and score a shallow radiating sunbeam pattern in the top with a very sharp knife. Pierce a small hole in the top of each.
Place pithiviers on an oven tray lined with baking paper, loosely covered with cling film and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Bake pithiviers for 20–25 minutes, until golden and puffed. Serve with tomato chutney.
one equals two 