I had a mad urge to make something from my childhood. Mum liked to serve up weekly exotic dishes, a change from roast lamb and three veg, although her exotic dishes usually involved a can of something dressed up with a teaspoon of Vencatachellum curry powder and a … [Read more...] about White Christmas
Clean your taps
Hooray for the versatile lemon. Not only does it smell delicious, but thanks to its acidic properties, it’s also effective at tackling pesky messes all around your kitchen. You can use an actual lemon half, just the juice, or a mix of lemon and warm water to achieve … [Read more...] about Clean your taps
Boxty
My Mum used to feed us up with these potato cakes to complement the smoked cod on Fridays. Truthfully, I find it hard to even look at smoked cod these days, but the Boxty bring back happy memories. Boxty pancakes, or bacstaí, is a traditional potato dish cooked on St … [Read more...] about Boxty
My Speed Wheels
The time has come! My boots are made for walking but my legs are giving up so I now own a zippy little mobility scooter, a game-changer for me. Firstly, I love the reactions I get from people when I ride it around. Some are surprised to see me cruising around at … [Read more...] about My Speed Wheels
The Laundry Blues
Before we had modern laundry detergents with optical brighteners, there was a mysterious little blue bag which was stirred around in the final rinse water on washday. This was laundry bluing or blue. A factory-produced block was the "modern" (mid-19th century onwards), … [Read more...] about The Laundry Blues
Burns Night Supper
For more than two hundred years, people have been getting together in January in memory of Robert Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire and Scotland's favourite son. These get-togethers are in the form of a dinner, or supper, around the time of Burn's birthday on 25 January. … [Read more...] about Burns Night Supper
Ambarella
Ambarella is a sub-tropical tree native to the Indo-Malaysian region, but it grows well in Queensland and most likely would grow, perhaps not so lustily, in my Melbourne backyard. It would go well as an ornamental, a smallish ornamental, in Collingwood but I'm … [Read more...] about Ambarella
Fasolakia
The rain held off for the Greek Festival in Melbourne today. That was a plus. No wild young men dancing though which is, after all, the main reason I like the Festival in the first place, a nice little Cretan war dance never goes astray. However, I caught a cooking … [Read more...] about Fasolakia
Preserved Lemons
You preserve lemons by packing them with salt and lemon juice, then leaving them in a cool dark place for at least a month. Over time, the tartness of the lemon all but disappears but the intense lemon flavor found in the peel remains, making this a deeply flavoured … [Read more...] about Preserved Lemons
All the Baking Sodas
What's baking soda? Baking soda and bicarb soda are the same thing. In USA, bicarb soda is called baking soda. What's bicarb soda/bicarbonate of soda? Bicarbonate of soda (otherwise known as bicarb soda) is a pure leavening agent. It's alkaline and commonly … [Read more...] about All the Baking Sodas
Lotus Root
They're expensive at the moment but very hard to resist. Lotus Root isn't actually a root at all, it's the edible rhizome (the subterranean stem) of the lotus plant, a perennial aquatic plant that grows beautiful pink-hued or white flowers and, yes, it's native … [Read more...] about Lotus Root
Stir Fry Lotus Root
The easiest way to cook lotus roots Stir-Fry Lotus Root Large frying pan or wok 500g lotus root2 cloves garlic2 cm ginger3-4 spring onions, chopped1/4 cup chinese mushrooms (rehydrated)2 Tablesp sesame oil2 Tablesp vegetable oil2 Tablesp rice … [Read more...] about Stir Fry Lotus Root
Roast Pork Belly
Yes, I know money is tight. Mine certainly is. But there's something about roast belly pork that triggers a craving in me, the sweetness, the spiciness, the crunchiness, something primeval happens when I smell pork cooking. After a month of living on chick peas, … [Read more...] about Roast Pork Belly
Pantry Moths
Has your home recently been overrun by tiny grey moths, flapping erratically around your kitchen? Spotted some suspicious webs in a cereal box? You might be sharing your dried food with pantry moths (Plodia interpunctella). Who cares about the Latin name, we only want … [Read more...] about Pantry Moths
Wordle of the Day
I spend a fair bit of time guessing a word and wondering if I have short term memory loss or a mild touch of aphasia. Now I can make a game of guessing, with Wordle. If I keep sharpening my vocabulary skills it will take just that little bit longer for me to slide down … [Read more...] about Wordle of the Day
Lilly Pilly Chutney
A tangy chutney, surprisingly easy to make, and guaranteed to amaze your guests. It's pretty good for you to eat as well. You can adjust the sugar or chilli to suit, I tend to add a little more chilli as the years go by, I've begun to like my food a little hotter or … [Read more...] about Lilly Pilly Chutney
Mascarpone Custard
Mascarpone, like all heavenly tastes, shouldn't be an everyday addition to the food intake, but this ivory-coloured, exceptionally smooth, and easily spreadable fresh cream cheese is so hard to ignore. The flavour is milky and slightly sweet. The rich, buttery … [Read more...] about Mascarpone Custard
Poached Plums
Plums used to come into season in early Autumn, but of late I've seen them around at the end of Summer. Are they being shipped from Tasmania? Somewhere with cooler weather than Melbourne anyway. This is the easiest, quickest and possibly the tastiest way to serve … [Read more...] about Poached Plums
Chickpea Salad
Chickpeas are a versatile base for salads. They're nutritious, they taste great and they're really cheap. Use quality chickpeas. You can use canned chickpeas — buy a brand you like or you can cook dried chickpeas yourself. It takes a bit of time, but they keep in the … [Read more...] about Chickpea Salad
Chickpeas
How to cook dried chickpeas You have a choice of cooking dried chickpeas, I prefer to put them in my slow cooker overnight Long soak and simmer on the stovetop, which takes about 10 hours or overnight plus 2 hours Quick soak and simmer on the stove, which takes … [Read more...] about Chickpeas