Excuse the technical difficulties! If you’ve received half-written blog posts in your inbox, I apologise. I’ll be back up and running soon!
Economy Gastronomy
Don’t you just love that feeling when you’ve cooked something using only leftovers in your fridge and pantry? It’s like you’ve done a little something extra for the planet – no unnecessary waste, just a culinary creation made with your own hands out of practically nothing. OK, I know I’m exaggerating a little. But, tonight I used leftover kumara, a few sad bits of bacon, eggs and yoghurt to whip up a frittata, which I shall be eating al desko for lunch tomorrow.
There were a few ingredients, which I feel are pantry staples, that I used as well – garlic, brown onions and frozen peas.
It was such a satisfying feeling. My frittata will be all the more tastier, even though it was made with leftovers.
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Filed under Recipes
Cooking for one
There have been a few departures of late. The Boy has left for a stint in Delhi, India and the Laotian Princess has disappeared to follow her dreams in the land of the free and the home of the brave (otherwise known as the USA). I’ve had lots of company and plenty of dinner invitations but sometimes the apartment is rather… empty. So, to counteract my boredom I’ve embarked on a number of cooking adventures for me, myself and I.
It’s amazing how the simple act of slicing vegetables and the sound of sizzling meat keeps you company when you’re by yourself. The aroma of garlic, onions and butter being gently fried in a pan quickly fills my small apartment and the gentle whir of the oven promises something delicious to look forward to.
A few weeks ago, I tackled the moussaka from Tessa Kiros’ Falling Cloudberries. It’s such a lovely cookbook filled with a mish mash of recipes. Some are Cypriot, some Greek, some Thai. I love that she’s included recipes of all sorts of dishes she loves to cook and which represents her varied heritage. It’s not the typical French or Italian cook book which can so easily categorised on a bookshelf and don’t we all love different things to eat? Some recipes are quick and easy and some, like the moussaka, require a little more loving attention.
A moussaka is a dish that is essentially created by layering mince meat and eggplant. Kiros also adds slices of potato to the mix and finishes it all off with a bechamel sauce that forms a lovely crust when it’s baked. So, from what I understand, it’s a Greek-style moussaka.
Eggplants are deep-purple jewels of the vegetable world and are silky, soft and creamy. You can’t help but love them whether they’re mashed up for a dip or stir-fried with chilli and garlic. But you need to draw out any bitter juices with a little salt before you even think about adding them to this moussaka or else you risk throwing off the flavours in this lovely dish. This was just step one.
After slicing eggplants and potatoes, Kiros has you pan frying a small mountain of these vegetables. It’s really not so bad with a glass of wine in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other but when you have a small pan, it takes a while. So, it was a good thing I didn’t have anyone to cook for because they would have been waiting a long time!
The mince is browned and cinnamon is added to give it a sweet aroma. The meat sauce is brought together with a tomato passata and a bit of white wine and then you just let it simmer away in the background as you sip on more wine, turn up the music and fry more potatoes and eggplants.
The bechamel sauce seems pretty easy to make. It’s a classic sauce, really. Bit of butter, flour, milk. What’s so hard about that? I managed to pull it together in the end, but not without a few mishaps along the way. Did you know that butter, flour and milk can turn to glue on your stove top? I learned that the hard way.
After about two hours of slicing, frying and simmering I adoringly layered all the ingredients and placed it in the oven and then watched as its creamy surface turned into a golden top.
The result? This dish is rich. You really only need a small square to satisfy you. But, how satisfying it is! So comforting, so flavoursome, you really don’t even need to serve it with anything else. In the end, this moussaka could have easily fed about eight people. You see, that’s the thing about cooking for one – you get to enjoy all the leftovers as well.
Sorry about the lack of pictures, guys! Trust me, it was more about the flavour than it was the presentation. Though, for what it’s worth, the moussaka does look appetising with its lovely layers all topped off with an oozing layer of bechamel sauce.
Filed under Uncategorized
Say, cheese!
To celebrate the beginning of Masterchef, our friends had us over for a meal and a couple of glasses of wine in front of the television. As we were planning to watch a show about cooking, I thought it was only fair that I contribute some baked goods. In this case, I tried a simple berry cheesecake. I’ve only ever made one other cheesecake in my life and it wasn’t exactly a cake. It was more of a sweet, white chocolate cheese sauce drowning a biscuit base. Delicious – in the same way that cookie dough and raw batter is delicious – but hardly a success. So, I was happy to have a suitable occasion to try out another cheesecake recipe.
The recipe was from Donna Hay and it seemed relatively easy to master. I set out all the necessary ingredients, greased the sides of my newly purchased springform cake tin and pulled out the food processor. Everything went, well, smoothly. I made the berry puree without creating a Jackson Pollock inspired masterpiece on my walls and whizzed up the biscuit base pretty quickly and easily. Even though the cream cheese I used didn’t really want to break down in the food processor, I eventually made a smooth cake batter with a little persistence and elbow grease.
The end result was a pretty little picture (even if I do say so myself).
It tasted pretty good as well – it wasn’t too sweet and had nice swirls of berry through it. The only thing I would change about the way I cooked it was to make sure I had extra baking paper over the base of the baking tin rather than cutting out a nice circle that fit within the base. It was hard to remove the cake from the tin and if I had a little bit of extra paper, I could have lifted it out nicely.
Also, I wouldn’t have baked it for so long. The end result was a golden top. While this is great on other cakes, it’s not so great on a cheesecake. I was just a little worried because the middle of the cake was wobbly when I first pulled it out of the oven. I shouldn’t have put it back in the oven because a night in the fridge set it nice and firm. That’s just a little tip from me to you. You live and learn!
On another note, I thought I would share with you the Boy’s puff pastry masterpiece that he made last night. It all started when we chatted about the time the Laotian Princess and I made a series of puff pastry desserts for the boys and he challenged the significance of our puff pastry dessert making abilities. So, naturally, we decided to test his abilities. It looks real pretty. Top marks for effort though, kid. You’ll never beat the Laotian Princess and me.
Filed under Recipes
N’awlins
Our flight from New York to New Orleans was early. Very early. We were in a cab to JFK before dawn and our departure was bittersweet. I was so sad to say goodbye to the city but excited to visit the South. We were welcomed in N’awlins with warmer weather and compared to the East Coast it was positively balmy. Our cab driver was a surly woman and as we drove on the freeway headed for the French Quarter we went past the Louisiana Superdome, which was home to so many people when Katrina hit. Although it has been five years since the disaster, the city still bears the scars and I was in two minds about whether or not it would be right to visit. But I was glad we did, especially because so many locals were grateful for our tourist dollars.
In reality, the main reason for our visit was the food. New Orleans is a melting pot – France and Spain both occupied the territory at one point – and this is evident in their unique cuisine. For me the attractions were dishes like gumbo, jambalaya and crawfish etouffee. To me, Southern cooking is the ultimate in comfort food and there is nothing more comforting than fried chicken. We had heard that Willie Mae’s Scotch House on Saint Ann Street served up the best fried chicken in town.
It opened under the direction of Willie Mae Seaton, who was the head chef and a master of fried chicken. The restaurant was badly hit by Hurricane Katrina but it was rebuilt by the local community with donations and the time of volunteers. The journey from rubble to a thriving restaurant was even the subject of a short film, which you can watch here. If you have a spare ten minutes, I would recommend watching it – you really get a sense of how important the restaurant is to the local community. Never underestimate the power of fried chicken.
Actually, it was the best dining experience I had in New Orleans because it felt so genuinely welcoming. The food is honest and delicious and you really get a sense of the pride that Willie Mae has in her cooking. It was exactly the Southern dining experience that I wanted to have. If you are ever in New Orleans, I would definitely add this to your agenda. It’s not in the French Quarter, and I wouldn’t walk there alone, but it’s worth a visit.
Hands down, the best fried chicken I have ever tasted
Greens and rice served with fried chicken
The French Quarter is a beautiful place to visit. It’s filled with lovely old buildings and musicians playing on the street corners. It really seems like a unique part of America. But Bourbon Street is a seedy, lecherous strip lit up with neon lights, bars and pulsing with frat boys filled with beer and cheap cocktails. We were there in the weeks after the Saints (the New Orleans football team) had qualified for the Superbowl but before their historic win and we were also there in the week before Mardis Gras. So really, the city was relatively quiet and preparing itself for an onslaught of tourists and celebrations.
The rest of the meals were a bit hit and miss. We mainly stuck to the French Quarter (we were warned by hotel staff and a number of locals not to wander outside the boundaries because it was not safe at night) and I think we were subject to the curse of ‘tourist food’. We visited Acme Oyster House (a landmark) for oysters, po’boys and gumbo. The oysters are a lot larger, briny and creamy but not to my taste. I think I haven’t quite mastered the texture and the plump oysters were a little too much for me but plenty of tables around us were ordering platters and platters and happily gulping them down.
Root beer at Acme Oyster House
Another landmark restaurant is Johnny’s Po-boys. Po-boys are actually short for “poor boys” and they are sandwiches on French bread. They were named po-boys because these sandwiches were first served to striking streetcar operators for free and when they turned up for a feed, people would say “here comes another poor boy”. Our tour guide also told us that they were also served out of the back of kitchens and would be filled with whatever leftovers they had from the day and sold to the “poor boys” for cheap.
Menu at Johnny’s Po-boys
Johnny’s Po-boy restaurant
Café Du Monde is an institution in New Orleans, a coffee shop serving up café au lait and beignets, and it is open 24 hours. It is filled with tourists wearing fanny packs and souvenir t-shirts, sipping on overpriced coffees and chomping down on beignets drowning in icing sugar. The most intriguing thing about the café was not its signature dish but the Vietnamese waitresses. I know that sounds odd but in the corner of the courtyard, next to the line of people waiting to place their orders, was a big steaming vat of pho surrounded by fresh beanshoots, basil, mint, lemon and other pho condiments. The waitresses on their break sat huddled around the table, slurping loudly on their lunch almost oblivious to throng of tourists around them. It was actually strangely comforting (pho is another favourite of mine).
Jambalaya
I wish we had a local to help us find the best restaurants. In fact, there is a walking culinary tour of the French Quarter but unfortunately we were unable to make a booking. I think that would be the perfect way to explore the area. But we managed our own culinary tour. I tried fried chicken, jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish etouffee, alligator (which tasted strangely of battered sweet and sour pork but I think that’s the way the restaurant prepared it), beignets, po-boys and catfish – I think we did alright…
Filed under Travels
For the love of salumi
I’ve been fortunate enough to play the part of a ‘lady of leisure’ this week and lucky for me JT is also in between jobs, which means plenty of time to make a mid-week trip to Pino’s Dolce Vita Fine Foods in Kogarah. It’s run by Pino Tomini Foresti, an artisan producer of small goods. His store is filled with different types of meats and you are hit with this amazing fragrance of herbs and spices as soon as you walk in. He’s not your typical butcher and you can really see the devotion Pino has to his art. Pino’s wife Pia was also kind enough to provide us with a sample of their produce and because we weren’t after anything in particular she recommended the prosciutto, bresaola, salami and a cured lard. I also picked up some marinated anchovies.
I combined the lard with olive oil, garlic and chilli and stirred it through some spaghetti. A really simple dish but the herb-infused lard added so much flavour. It might just be my new favourite ingredient to cook with. Lard for everyone!
Filed under Recipes
Cider surprise
Yup, I’ve returned home to find pear cider waiting for me. What a treat. If only it was a full bottle…
Filed under Uncategorized
Post-holiday blues – New York State of Mind
You know that feeling you get when your heart is in your throat and you think that if someone even looks at you the wrong way you might burst into tears? Yup, a nasty side effect of running away from reality and succumbing to the intoxicating call of wanderlust is the hard crash when you return from a month of travelling through the USA and realise that life is not about finding the closest all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s really not normal to feel like someone has punched you in the stomach when the yellow flash of a New York City cab appears on your television screen (and I’ve just realised that this happens – a lot). So what to do really?
Well, I feel like wallowing in my misery and recalling every detail for your reading pleasure.
New York City was the first big city we explored on our trip. I had my best friend, my man and our own New York City apartment from which to base ourselves in between trips to find the city’s best hot dogs, pizza slices and soup dumplings – the trip was off to a good start. My favourite thing about New York City is, without a doubt, the fact that you are able to eat pretty much whatever you want at pretty much any time of the day. I mean you could book a table at midnight for supper. I mean, what kind of magical place is this?
Our very first meal was down in Chinatown at Nyonya. What can I say? I’m a Malaysian girl at heart and when my stomach demands rendang, I really have to oblige. It was an absolutely freezing night, about -5 degrees Celsius, and a hit of spicy beef rendang and a steaming bowl of laksa were so unbelievably satisfying. The roti was also a highlight; flaky, crispy and accompanied with a delicious curry gravy.
The next day we had a leisurely lunch at the Central Park Boathouse. I had one of those brilliant touristy moments when we turned the corner and saw the big windows facing the lake. It was actually sunny and warm and we were lucky enough to be seated at a table with a view.
It was also restaurant week in New York (similar to Good Food Month in Sydney) and the Boat House was offering a three course meal at a discount. We didn’t actually order from this menu as we found the other dishes more appealing. However, I did order the mussels for my entrée and they were superb.
Of course, no trip to New York is complete without a hot dog and a slice of pizza. We found ours down in the Village. First stop was Crif Dogs, a gorgeous, underground gem which had bacon-wrapped hot dogs on the menu. So fabulous!
Artichoke Pizza was just around the corner and even though we had just stuffed ourselves with hot dogs and tater tots (yes, those are tater tots in the picture above) we joined the queue for a slice of their famous pizza. I chose the classic margarita.
The Laotian Princess had the much creamier but equally delicious artichoke slice.
We returned to Chinatown to visit Joe’s Shanghai Restaurant for a much-needed hit of soup dumplings. These are soup dumplings on steroids – a lot larger than the ones I have seen and so, so good.
Joe’s Shanghai Restaurant also has a sister restaurant in Flushing. I really, really wish we had time to visit Flushing as I hear there are fabulous Chinese restaurants there. Someone please go and report back.
Everyone always raves on about how expensive New York is, and I know rents are crazy expensive, but I found the food to be so reasonably priced. You could get pizza slices for $3 and bagels with cream cheese for $1.50. It’s also so fabulous that you can order great, cheap food from street vendors.
One night, we drove past this huge queue outside the Hilton hotel (midtown). Our taxi driver explained that they were all lining up for chicken and rice from a famous street cart. Apparently he had heard that the owner of the Hilton had offered him a large sum of money to move his cart but he refused. People line up for at least an hour at night in the freezing cold. That must be some good chicken (I wouldn’t know, I refused to wait an hour for chicken and rice when it was well below freezing). If I’m ever back in New YorkThe next time I am in New York, I will definitely try it – provided it’s at least 10 degrees Celsius.
Nyonya Restaurant Manhattan
199 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013
Tel. (212) 334-3669 & (212) 334-6701
The Central Park Boathouse
East 72nd street and Park Drive North
In Central Park
New York, NY
Tel. 212.517.2233
Crif Dogs
Neighborhood: East Village
113 Saint Marks Pl
New York, NY 10009
Tel. (212) 614-2728
Artichoke Pizza
328 E 14th street
New York, NY 1003
Tel. 212 228-2004
Joe’s Shanghai Restaurant
9 Pell Street
New York, NY 10013
Tel. 212 233 8888
Filed under Travels
Hello, Sydney
I’m back! Yup, I have completed my whirlwind tour of the US of A and I’m now fatter than ever. But, I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Before I begin posting about my American eatapalooza, I really must finish a long-overdue post about the Over the Top Blog Award.
That’s right, Pass the Peas was very kindly awarded this award from Mademoiselle Delicieuse of Spoon, Fork and Chopsticks fame. Thank you! I must admit, I am thrilled. It’s so fabulous to know that others read this blog and I still get a frisson of excitement when I find a new comment waiting for me. So forget writing for myself, I have a reader and possibly readers (plural)!
As a recipient of this award, I am required to answer the questions below in one word. So here goes…
- Where is your cell phone? Handy
- Your hair? Long
- Your mother? Generous
- Your father? Volatile
- Your favourite food? Pig
- Your dream last night? Confusing
- Your favourite drink? Alcoholic
- Your dream/goal? Edible
- What room are you in? Study
- Your hobby? Eating
- Your fear? Failure
- Where do you want to be in six years? Writing
- Where were you last night? Hawaii
- Something that you aren’t? Patient
- Muffins? Sure
- Wish list item? House
- Where did you grow up? Sydney
- Last thing you did? SMS
- What are you wearing? Perfume
- Your TV? Blaring
- Your pets? Former
- Friends? Love
- Your life? Frenetic
- Your mood? Wanderlust
- Missing someone? America
- Vehicle? Uncool
- Something you’re not wearing? Pants
- Your favourite store? Grocery
- Your favourite colour? Sunshine
- When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
- Last time you cried? Goodbyes
- Your best friend? Sleep
- One place that I go to over and over? Beach
- One person who emails me regularly? Laotian
- Favourite place to eat? Home
Now I have the chance to pass this award on to the following six blogs which I would like to know just a little bit more about.
Thank you for stopping by and for reading!
Filed under Travels
G’day from USA
Just a quick update from the land of plenty. Our trip started in Breckenridge, Colorado where we intended on hitting the slopes during the day and the bars during happy hour for a little après ski action. Sadly, the Boy broke his wrist in a seriously unlucky fall on day two of our trip. So instead of soaking in the hot tub with a cup of ale, we spent time in the emergency department and in surgery.
I have to say that despite some of the serious flaws in the American health system, we experienced top notch care (at a top notch price*) in Colorado. The nurses and doctors were amazing, kind and went out of their way to be helpful to two clueless Australian tourists. But enough about surgery – you’re here for the food!
Breckenridge is a picture perfect town with twinkling lights strung up in the snow dusted trees to greet you. Restaurants are pretty casual and most serve up pretty good ‘pub grub’ consisting of burgers, steaks, soups, salads and pastas. We had one fab-u-lous meal at Modis, a more upmarket bar/restaurant on Main Street. Anyone for ribs with a side truffle mac n’ cheese? So good!
After a few sleepless nights we pushed on to streets of New York** where culinary highlights include chilli dogs, pizza slices and some seriously good dumplings.
I had the best restaurant experience of my life at Gary Danko in San Francisco. The food was stellar but not too pretentious and the service was incredible from the moment I stepped out of the cab until I finished devouring the pumpkin cake which was presented as a gift to take home for breakfast the next day.
Of course, I’ll always remember Vegas. Not just for the massive towers of excess and wealth but also for the amazing all-you-can-eat buffets. It’s gotta be seen to be believed.
I visited the South for one reason only: the food. They really do know how to fry some chicken in New Orleans – best I’ve ever had. Everything else was a bit hit and miss but I can now say I’ve had gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish Étouffée and po boys!
Our trip isn’t over yet. We are headed to Hawaii next. It’s better known for its beaches than its cuisine but I shall perservere and report back.
I’ll try to post some photos soon 
*thank goodness for travel insurance. It saved us about US$20,000!
**Major credit goes out to the Boy who was a trooper and flew to New York just two days after major surgery. So brave.
Filed under Travels
