One dish closer

Mayhem

2013-06-07T18:35:00Z

Hello out there. Yes, I’m still alive and well. Thanks for checking on me. Often.

I realise it has been the longest I have ever left between posts and I am noticing an interesting pattern in my traffic statistics – the longer between posts the more often you visit. Not a particularly good incentive to keep posting, but it really is about time.

May has been a busy month. My friend, Ray, arrived from Australia on 5^th May for a month, my Mum arrived on the 10^th for the summer, the same day my friend Geraldine (the one with strong opinions on bolognese) arrived from France with brother and boyfriend in tow and I had an exam. All lots of fun except the last part.

So if I’m still alive I must have been eating stuff. Yes, lots of it. To get things moving again I thought I’d share some photos of some of the things I have been eating in May.

A traditional ragù from Bologna

2013-04-26T20:43:02Z

“I hate the way they call it ‘Bolognese’ here. It’s not Bolognese, it’s ragù. That is what they call it in Bologna" says my friend Geraldine as we peruse the lunch menu in Arbutus.

She’s French, but her father is Italian and so, more importantly, is her grandmother.

I once tried to argue with her about whether or not water must be at a rolling boil before putting pasta in it. I can’t remember what the correct answer was. I presume it was that it should be and that Geraldine was right. In her words:

“Well, I know you know a lot about food, Vicky, but I think I am going to listen to my Italian grandmother over you.”

It was a valid point, which I only admitted to her now, at least 10 years later.

Geraldine and I like to disagree. It is what our friendship was founded on. Each as stubborn as the other, and always looking for a good argument. So I had replied:

“Well, your grandmother probably makes her pasta from scratch. We’re just using dried pasta.”

Or I wished I did. I can’t remember.

Happy Anzac Day!

2013-04-24T16:30:17Z

Hey folks,

It's been a while. I have been caught up writing a very long and significant (35%) essay... and then celebrating the fact that I finished it.

Just a quick note to say Happy Anzac Day to my readers in Australia and New Zealand. It is 25th April there (even if it isn't here) and my Dad and sister (if he has managed to drag her out of bed) will be attending the dawn service at this very moment.

If you fancy making Anzac biscuits to celebrate, here is my favourite recipe.

For everybody else, I'll be returning shortly with a recipe for a delicious ragu inspired by a recent visit from an Italian friend of mine.

Vix x

Dad’s Provençal Seafood Soup

2013-03-24T16:05:31Z

Continuing the French theme, here is my Dad’s take on a Provençal fish soup or stew. It's similar to a bourride, using many of the same aromatics, but without the egg yolks. Also, a traditional bourride is usually just fish, but Dad uses a range of seafood.

I asked him to send me the recipe, which was characteristically vague – a pinch of this, a slug of that, “loadsa garlic”. Having eaten it many times when I was younger I was able to guesstimate, but I have tried to make it more user-friendly for you. However, there are some things that are hard to quantify and that are really up to you. For example, the amount of stock depends on the consistency you want; how much saffron depends on the quality of the saffron and how much you like the taste of it; what seafood you use is up to you, which means it is hard for me to give accurate cooking times.

I made this for my flatmates a few weeks ago and they both thought it was fab. I didn’t think it was quite as good as Dad’s, but then these things never are when you try to replicate them, are they?

“What do you think is missing?” asked Jen.

“I don’t know. A little bit of love?”

Les Papilles, Paris

2013-03-08T18:58:56Z

“So what are your plans for Paris? Where are you going to eat?” asks sis.

“I don’t know. I haven’t looked into it.”

“Ha! Whatever.”

"I thought since Mum’s taking me I should let her choose.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything…”

… and this wouldn’t be it.

Sis was right. I simply cannot go on holiday without spending an inordinate amount of time researching what I am going to eat – street food, restaurants, cafes, bakeries. You name it – it’s on my list.

A weekend in Paris

2013-02-05T23:08:43Z

At the end of summer last year I had a lovely weekend in Paris with my Mum. I meant to write it up but, like many things, it got put on the back burner when I started my Masters. It is now far too late for me to share the intricate details of each meal I had there, but I still have the photos.

The best meal, hands down, was at Les Papilles, a recommendation from David Lebovitz which is number one on his list of 10 insanely delicious things you shouldn’t miss in Paris. I did actually start writing a review of this, so I will finish it off and post it soon.

In the meantime, here are the photos of all the lovely (and not so lovely) things I ate in Paris, along with details of the dishes and restaurants.

Smoked salmon dip with dill and capers

2013-01-21T20:14:39Z

Email from Mum this morning: "Just went to your blog to look for your smoked salmon dip recipe. It's not there. Can you email it to me? Or why not put it up? It would be an easy one for you to add."

She's right. This is a really quick and simple dip that always gets a thumbs up. It is great as a sandwich filling, on toast or with crackers or oatcakes. I often make it to take to work for lunch, for picnics or as a something to serve as nibbles before a meal. It also makes a great filling for quesadillas (see below).

You can use light cream cheese if you prefer but the consistency will be a bit thinner. This is ok if you are using it as a dip or spread, but not great for quesadillas.

Oh, and Mum - it's not my smoked salmon dip. It's Dad's. Credit where it is due. He won't mind though, I stole it years ago.

Healthy recipes for the new year

2013-01-09T22:33:32Z

All aboard the healthy bandwagon. Destination: New Year. Route number: 2013.

How are your new year’s resolutions coming along? I have five. I have already broken 3. Oh well, I am doing better than I was this time last year, by which stage I had broken all of them.

This post is somewhat out of character. I do not usually jump on the healthy bandwagon. Especially not in the most miserable month of the year. But I was encouraged to at least think about healthy food this week (even if I haven’t eaten any) because I wrote a guest post for MPN Online suggesting healthy recipes from across the blogosphere.

In the process I was reminded that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. I started by trawling through my own blog for healthy recipes and was pleasantly surprised to find many more than I was expecting.

Diana Henry's Thai sweet chilli sauce

2012-12-28T22:10:43Z

My sister will be surprised when she sees this. I have always berated her love of the shop-bought stuff. But when I read Diana Henry’s introduction I was intrigued:

“So much better than anything you can buy. It doesn’t have that cloying flavour of commercial bottles, but barks at you with biting, fresh taste.”

This led me to the list of ingredients, which looked very promising. And she is right, it is so much better than the shop bought version. Indeed, it might as well be another sauce.

The recipe is from Salt, Sugar, Smoke: How to Preserve Fruit, Vegetables, Meat and Fish, a lovely book full of recipes, tips and techniques for the home preserver. “I am a home cook” writes Henry, “I don’t have masses of special equipment and I don’t do things on a grand scale.” Her style is approachable and encouraging, showing that preserving isn’t just for “elderly ladies in floral pinnies or country-based downsizers with a vehicle big enough to transport several dead animals.”

I made this first to use up some chillies which my flatmate, Jen, had grown on our kitchen windowsill. I liked it so much I decided to make it for Christmas presents in place of my usual jams or chutneys.

Anthropology of Food Christmas Party

2012-12-12T23:04:46Z

Last Saturday we had a Christmas party for our Anthropology of Food course. One of my classmates, Maria, kindly hosted the event and the idea was that everyone bring something that is eaten in their home country at Christmas.

Well, rules are made to broken and I was the first one to do so. I was planning to make this:

... a canape my family almost always have either on Christmas Eve or Day in Australia, though I can't speak for other families.

Instead I made this:

... which we have never had on Christmas, but I couldn't find the pork mince I needed in Sainsbury's and I felt like making the tart.

Juliana also broke the rules with a palm heart pie, which like her was Brasilian, though not Christmassy: