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