Category: Recipes

Categories
Blog Mains

G’day Brisbane

Brisbane, the latest stop on our Australian road trip, is very much a city on the up.

Built around the meandering bends of a wide river, the layout is a model of good city planning. A great way to get one’s bearings on arrival is to see the city from the completely free hop on/hop off Kitty Cat ferry that runs between the main points of interest, daytime and evening.

On the north side of the river is the glass and steel might of the commercial and business district (CBD), packed with skyscrapers and malls.

The south bank, meanwhile, is the home of  an extensive cultural centre, with museums, art galleries and a performing arts centre. I especially enjoyed the exhibition by Judy Strong, whose multimedia art is influenced by the stories and struggles of Australia’s indigenous people. It was in the Queensland Art Gallery, which is itself a work of art, with marble paths flanked by shimmering pools leading to spacious, airy halls.

I also enjoyed the south bank’s well laid out gardens and riverside boardwalk. Gardens in Queensland tend to have something of a rain forest feel. You are never quite sure what might slither out of the undergrowth to say hello, while you’re having your picnic lunch in the shade!

There is a free public access city beach and pool, which is clean and life guarded. It provided a welcome place to cool off in the Queensland heat, while looking across to the dramatic backdrop of the CBD.

The south bank also hosts numerous restaurants representing many world cuisines, and a buzzing nightlife after dark.

Naturally,  I just had to check out some of the food on offer. Settling at Spanish-influenced restaurant Olé, we shared this tapas dish of crispy roasted cauliflower florets with a chilli mayo dressing.

Also delicious was this excellent vegetable paella.

Brizzy (as it is affectionately known) is due to host the Olympic Games in 2032, when it will join the elite cadre of world cities bestowed that honour. Infrastructure developments are already under way, including two new metro lines, and a vast new bridge over the river, connecting the CBD with Kangaroo Point to the east.

Confident in itself, modern with an excellent offering to visitors, and looking positively to the future – the rest of the world can expect to be hearing a lot more about Brisbane in the next few years.

The city also has talented indie musicians! The name of this band is a play on the name of the suburb from which they hail, Redland Bay. This is Beddy Rays with Sobercoaster.

Categories
Blog Snacks

Surfer’s Paradise

Most of Australia’s Pacific Coast could be described as a surfer’s paradise, given the seemingly never ending stretches of golden sandy bay with wave after crashing wave. However, Surfer’s Paradise is the actual name given to a beach front district in the city of Gold Coast, the next stop on our road trip (see the welcoming gate below).

I’m not a surfer, though I do enjoy jumping in the waves and swimming in the relatively warm sea, when the occasionally vicious currents and riptides here allow. All along the Pacific Coast, however, there is no shortage of people who do.

Take these diehard souls pictured at Noosa, walking their boards barefoot to the sand…

…and waiting patiently on the rocks for that perfect swell.

On the way here, we stopped off at Byron Bay, the upmarket surfing and wellness haven that is famously home to Chris Hemsworth, well known for playing Thor in Marvel’s Avengers.

We stayed a night and hung out for an evening amongst the beachfront bars and cafes. We enjoyed the surf vibe, though we didn’t bump into Chris. Maybe he was off on filming duties in Hollywood. Or possibly Asgard 😉

Back to the Gold Coast, and our latest foodie experience, amongst the skyscrapers that line the golden sands. O Bagel, in the Broadbeach area of the city where we are based, came highly recommended, and certainly lived up to its billing.

The bagels were freshly baked, and came with various coatings and flavours. The texture was just the right combination of soft and chewy.

I chose an everything bagel, generously filled with home made egg salad, wood smoked ham, swiss cheese, crunchy lettuce and smoky tomato relish. It tasted great, taken down to our picnic lunch stop at the beach.

Musical choice this time around comes from an Aussie indie band that I have featured before, and who I saw play live over in the UK supporting Queens of the Stone Age back in November. I like the fact that they have a good punk sound, while (as anyone who has seen their  videos on You Tube will know) do not take themselves too seriously.

They are from Queensland, so it seems right to play them while here on their home turf. This is The Chats, with their ode to chicken schnitty, parmi and all other great Australian pub fare: Pub Feed.

Categories
Blog Mains Snacks

Pacific Coast

Leaving the Blue Mountains, our Australian road trip headed next through the Hunter Valley wine-growing region, to reach the Pacific Coast at Newcastle, just north of Sydney. The plan is to make our way along the Pacific Highway up to the Sunshine Coast in tropical Queensland, just north of Brisbane, over the next week or so.

First stop was at Merewether Ocean Baths, just outside Newcastle. Fed by water from the ocean, it is the size of 8 Olympic swimming pools. We parked the car across the road and enjoyed a refreshing swim. It was the perfect way to break up our journey in the 30C heat. The pool is free to use and open all year round – what an asset for the local community.

The onward journey has been one of discovering one glorious golden sandy bay after another. My main photo at the top of the post shows Nambucca Heads. My photo below is taken at Coffs Harbour.

There are many forms of wildlife that call this coast their home. Flying foxes (large wing-spanned bats) are a regular sight overhead, as dusk settles. At the intriguingly named Look At Me Now headland we spotted some humpback whales out at sea, making their way north. Best of all, though, we came across this lovable family of kangaroos.

Foodwise, we’ve been keeping meals light and cool because of the heat, and making the most of Australian produce. My photo below shows Tasmanian (generally called Tazzie – the Australians abbreviate most things) smoked and hot-spiced salmon, with salads made from veg grown in tropical Queensland.

Most fruit and veg seems to grow well here and the choice in food shops and markets is plentiful. As a lifelong banana fan (banana on toast is a particular fave of mine) I loved seeing bananas actually growing on trees, for the first time.

This was on a banana plantation just outside Coffs Harbour. Next door is a family fun park called The Big Banana, where all the rides and attractions are (you guessed it) banana-themed. We stopped to sample their speciality dessert – a fresh banana on a stick, coated in chocolate and dipped in chopped nuts (or sprinkles) and then frozen.

It was delicious and helped us stay cool. The frozen fruity centre tastes like banana ice cream and, along with the dark chocolate and nuts, it is actually a relatively healthy snack. This is another piece of foodie heaven I shall be trying to recreate when I get back home.

Our Pacific Coast journey will continue in my next post. Time now, however, for another Aussie indie band to feature on the ADK Playlist. I very much like the exciting sound of this band. This is These New South Whales with Changes.

Categories
Blog Mains

The Blue Mountains

The start of our Australian road trip takes us around an hour’s drive west of Sydney, to the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales.

The Park is so named because the mountains are said to take on a bluish hue, as a result of light being refracted through the air rising from the eucalyptus forests that line the landscapes.

There are many awesome views to behold. My main photo above shows the Grand Canyon viewed from the Look-out at Govett’s Leap. The photo below is of the Grose Valley shot from the Evans Look-out.

The most famous sight in the Blue Mountains is just outside the central town of Katoomba. I was a little sceptical when we arrived as to whether we would see it, as it was a very misty morning. As an example, my photo below shows the Skyway, which takes visitors to the rainforest floor of the Jamison Valley, attempting to navigate the swirling fog.

However, as we reached Echo Point, the mist suddenly rolled back to reveal the Three Sisters rock formation. This is one of the most visited destinations in Australia – a claim borne out by the number of coach tours arriving every hour, bringing day-tripper passengers from the cruise ships temporarily docked in Sydney Harbour.

We made Katoomba the base for our visit, and enjoyed its fiercely independent culture – the main street lined with vintage clothes shops, second hand bookshops and antique warrens. Pick of the hipster cafes was the Yellow Deli, where I enjoyed this bowl of hot chilli, with freshly baked cheese and jalapeno bread, and a green chai latte.

I also liked this aubergine parmigiana at the Gourmet Cafe and Deli in neighbouring town Leura. It tasted like lasagne, but with aubergine in place of the pasta and bolognese sauce. Excellent to find a vegetarian dish that is low on carbs. I will definitely try recreating this when I get home.

I’ve also been discovering some new Australian indie bands for the ADK Playlist. I like this new track from The Rubens, a band who hail from New South Wales. This is Liquid Gold.

Categories
Blog Breakfast

G’day Sydney

After a 7 hour flight from Singapore, we arrived in downtown Sydney just before 8am. What better way to begin our stay in Australia than by having breakfast at one of the city’s excellent cafes.

My wife’s order is shown in the photo below: eggs benedict with spinach and bacon on sourdough toast, with balsamic drizzle.

I ordered smashed avocado on sourdough toast, with soft poached eggs. I especially liked the addition of crumbled feta and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

These were accompanied by a couple of long blacks (what we in the UK would call an americano) with milk.

There is a very strong cafe culture in Australia, and standards are high. The making of a cup of coffee is something of an art form.

Singapore also had a distinct culture in its kopitiams (coffeeshops). One very popular dish there was 2 lightly boiled, and still runny, eggs, served cracked into a shallow bowl, making a dip for kaya toast – toasted bread sandwiches with coconut jam.

Also a little different was kopi (white coffee made with condensed milk), and kopi C (white coffee with evaporated milk). Both had a pleasant enough taste, and seemed to work as part of the overall quirky kopitiam experience, though I can’t see either catching on back in the UK.

Or Australia for that matter – I shudder to think what the barista’s reaction would be if I asked them to open a tin of Carnation milk, and pour it into that long black they’ve been carefully crafting for the past 10 mins.

After breakfast, we’ll be picking up a hire car and heading out past the Opera House (see my main photo above) and Sydney Harbour Bridge into New South Wales. There really is only one song to be played when setting off on the start of an Australian road trip, so it’s time to add this track to the ADK Playlist: AC/DC with Highway to Hell.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Leek & Aubergine Bake

It was the aubergines that caught my eye this week at the local farm shop. The shiny purple skin was irresistible, and it made me realise that I hadn’t cooked with one for some time. I put one in my basket, along with a fresh leek, and this winter casserole dish began to come together.

My favourite way to cook aubergine is in slices on the ridges of a griddle pan. I like seeing the enormously satisfying tiger stripes forming, as I flip them over to cook on the other side. It’s kind of a reminder that spring is soon around the corner, and the barbecuing season is not that far away.

The striped aubergine is then mixed in with cooked, softened leek, tomato passata and cannellini beans to make a tasty filling base. It is all topped off with a crust of wholemeal breadcrumbs, chopped toasted nuts and grated blue stilton cheese.

Servings

4 adult portions.

Timings

15mins to cook and combine, then 20 mins in the oven at 180C, and a final 5 mins under the grill.

You Will Need

  • 1 aubergine
  • oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 leek
  • 400g can of cannellini beans
  • 500g carton of tomato passata
  • a few twists of black pepper
  • 100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
  • 60g toasted mixed nuts
  • 60g grated stilton cheese

Method

  1. Switch on the oven to warm up to 180C.
  2. Oil a ridged griddle pan and bring it to a moderate heat. Lay slices of aubergine in the pan for 3 – 4 mins, then turn them over. Use your judgment about heat and timing so that you get the nice tiger stripe effect on both sides. Remove to a warm plate.
  3. While the aubergine is frying, crush the garlic clove into a saucepan with some oil, over a moderate heat. Add in the leek, chopped into slices. Stir every so often for 5 – 6 mins until the leek has softened. Pour in the passata and drained cannellini beans, with a few twists of black pepper, and stir. Reduce to a simmer.
  4. Blitz the bread and nuts in a food processor with blade fitted. Tip into a bowl and add the grated cheese. Stir so that the cheese is evenly distributed.
  5. When the oven is up to temperature, transfer the aubergine to a shallow casserole dish. Tip in the leek, bean and tomato mix and gently coat the aubergine slices by turning them over a few times in the dish.
  6. Sprinkle over the breadcrumb, nut and stilton topping and spread it out so that it reaches all four sides. Drizzle some oil over and place in the oven for 20 mins.
  7. For the last 5 mins of cooking, place under a grill so that the topping crisps up.

Customise It!

Lots of opportunity here. Throw in whatever fresh herbs you may have to hand, and mix in a handful of seeds to the topping. Butter beans are a good substitute for the cannellini beans. For a vegan version, omit the stilton cheese or use a suitable vegan cheese, grated.

On the way back from the farm shop, this track came on the car stereo. I love it when a great track that I haven’t heard in a while comes on the radio. Needless to say, I turned the volume up and drummed along with my fingers on the steering wheel. Now we can all enjoy it here! This is Swing Out Sister with Breakout.

Categories
Recipes Snacks

Peanut Butter, Oat & Apricot Bites

Having made my Peanut Butter Boosters recently, I found myself with half a jar of good quality peanut butter left. I wanted to come up with another bite-sized temptation to fill the annoying hunger gap that can open up after exercise, or simply when the next mealtime is still a little way away.

These fit the bill. What’s more, they don’t require any cooking and are very quick to make. There are only 5 ingredients, so you stay in control of exactly what is going into the snack. They are both vegetarian and vegan.

The best part however, is that making them requires the squidge technique i.e. getting your hands into the baking bowl and manipulating the mix with your fingers. Why is that the best bit? Well, when you’ve finished shaping the Bites, your reward is getting to lick your fingers clean. Mmm!

Convinced? Then give this a try…

Servings

Depending on your preferred size, this mix will make around 9 -10 Bites.

Timings

15 mins max to make, after which they are ready to eat. Keep them in the fridge and they’ll last for 2 – 3 days (if they’re not all eaten by then, that is 🙂 ).

You Will Need

  • 120g oats
  • 120g peanut butter
  • 60g maple syrup or runny honey
  • 40g dried apricots, finely chopped
  • a few splashes of milk (dairy or non-dairy)

Method

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and squidge together between your fingers till you have a sticky mix.
  2. Pull off a piece of your desired size and roll into a ball between the palms of both hands. Set on a plate, and repeat till all the mixture is used up.
  3. Place in the fridge.
  4. Enjoy licking your fingers!

Customise It!

You could swap in another dried fruit for the apricots if you wish – dates would go well. Chuck in a handful of seeds if you like.

I’ve carried on listening to The 1975 this past week – their music is very uplifting and it reminds me of a great night in Birmingham with my friend – see The 1975. Here’s another track I particularly like, therefore: The Sound.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Carrot & Parsnip Miso Soup

Warm, filling and comforting, this winter vegetable soup is jazzed up a little with the addition of Japanese miso paste.

I hadn’t used miso before, but wanted to try it after reading about it on some of the other foodblogs here on WordPress. It is made from fermented soya beans, which means that it is rich in protein and good for gut health.

This is the variety that I used, made by Yutaka. I did have a little trouble finding it in Sainsbury’s at first, but eventually came across it in the Far Eastern aisle. Just to clarify, by that I mean the speciality Asian foods section, not that end of the building down by the motorway 🙂

I made a large batch of the soup in a saucepan on the hob, and kept it for a few days. I could then ladle some into a bowl, stir in some miso, and microwave it for around 3 mins for a very quick, tasty and nutritious lunch. It is vegetarian and vegan, so everyone can enjoy what the Japanese call that umami – or rich and savoury – taste.

Servings

About 6 bowlfuls.

Timings

The barley soup mix needs soaking overnight, then boiling for 45 mins. Once that’s ready, the soup takes about 25 mins to make.

You Will Need

  • 100g dried barley/lentils/split peas soup mix
  • oil
  • 1 onion
  • 3 celery sticks
  • 200 – 250g carrots
  • 200 – 250g parsnips
  • 1.5l vegetable stock
  • a few twists of black pepper
  • 1 jar of miso paste

Method

  1. Cover the soup mix with cold water in a bowl and let rest overnight.
  2. The next day, drain the soup mix and rinse in a sieve under cold running water. Place in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Let it boil for 10 mins, then reduce to a simmer for another 35 mins. Drain with the sieve, and set aside.
  3. Chop all the veg into chunks and place in the empty saucepan with some oil, over a medium heat. Put on the lid and let it sizzle for around 10 mins, stirring every so often. It should become softened and a little browned at the edges.
  4. Add in the stock and bring to the boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 10 mins.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat for a few moments, and blitz it by plunging in a handheld blender. If you don’t have one, spoon at least half of the soup into a food processor with blade fitted, and blitz it there before returning it to the pan.
  6. Add in the cooked soup mix with 2 tbsp of miso and the black pepper, and stir in. Then simmer for another 5 – 10 mins.
  7. Switch off and let it rest. When it has cooled, transfer to the fridge. It will keep for a few days, during which the texture and flavour will deepen.
  8. To serve, ladle some into a bowl and stir in another tbsp of miso to individual taste. Microwave until hot, and enjoy.

Customise It!

Almost any seasonal winter veg that you have available will go well here. Stick with making the carrot and parsnip prominent, though, as these give it a distinct, sweet flavour. Experiment with the miso, adding as much or as little as necessary to suit your individual taste. The miso already contains salt, which is why I only added black pepper at the seasoning stage.

There probably won’t be a better chance to add Japan to the ADK Playlist, so here they are with the eerie Ghosts.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Beetroot Falafel

First of all – yes, they really are that colour! No filter required here.

I had the idea that roasted beetroot might make an interesting falafel. Having bought a bag at the market, I began looking around at a few recipes online and in books.

This version is a combo derived from various sources. The inclusion of chickpeas, tahini, cumin and coriander stays true to the falafel’s middle eastern origins, while roasting the beetroot first with garlic, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, gives it a definite European dimension. The pieces of beetroot give a bite to the texture and stop the falafel becoming too dry.

The falafel are served with a dipping sauce simply made from tahini, fresh lemon juice, honey and black pepper.

And they’re both vegetarian and vegan, so everyone is happy 🙂

Servings

This made 10 falafel.

Timings

25 mins to roast the beetroot, then 10 mins to make up the falafel. They then roast in the oven at 180C for 20 mins.

You Will Need:

  • 300g raw beetroot, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 garlic clove
  • oil
  • balsamic vinegar to drizzle
  • 250g chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • a twist of sea salt

For the tahini dip:

  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • a twist of black pepper
  • toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle

Method

  1. Scatter the chunks of beetroot on a roasting tray. Crush the garlic clove over the chunks and drizzle with oil. Place in the oven at 180C for 25 mins. Half way through, take the tray out and drizzle the balsamic over.
  2. Let the roasted beetroot cool for 5 mins while you prepare the rest of the mixture.
  3. Put the chickpeas, tahini, coriander and cumin in a food processor with blade fitted. Add in the beetroot and any oil/garlic scrapings from the roasting tray. Blitz to a smooth consistency.
  4. Shape into patties with the palms of both hands. Place on a clean roasting tray and brush with oil. Place in the oven for 20 mins, turning them over with a spatula half way through.
  5. While the falafel are in the oven, combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce with a spoon. Sprinkle over some toasted sesame seeds just before serving.
  6. Serve the cooked falafel with the dipping sauce alongside, as shown in my main photo above.

Customise It!

Good as they are, there are two things I will do differently next time I make these. Firstly, I’ll include some chopped fresh coriander, which I think will enhance further both the taste and the look. Secondly, I would like to try cooking them in an air fryer, which I reckon will give them a crispier shell.

I wouldn’t change the colour though which, as you can see from my photo, is a deep shade of purple. Now that’s what I call a cue for adding the next track to the ADK playlist! Air guitar at the ready everyone, this is Deep Purple with Smoke on the Water.

Categories
Bakes Recipes Snacks

Peanut Butter Boosters

Here’s a wholesome and nutritious, home-made alternative to those commercially-produced cereal bars we often reach for, to cure the hunger pangs between meals. I wanted to see if I could create a version that gave greater control over the ingredients and, in particular, the carb and sugar levels.

The words ‘peanut butter’ are enough to bring a smile to most faces, so I decided to put that centre stage. I used a make that consists of 100% peanuts, with no palm oil (Meridian).

Taking inspiration from a recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, I also cut out all flour and eggs, and brought in oats, seeds and honey. I used muscovado sugar instead of the refined variety, and reduced the amount of it by about a third from what is often found in sweet recipes.

The challenge with removing a number of staple ingredients from a bake is finding a mixture that holds together, and doesn’t descend into crumbs. The consistency of the peanut butter and the stickiness of the honey definitely helped with this, as did letting it cool completely in the tin, before cutting into slices.

The resulting booster bars do hold together – see my main photo above. They’re also vegetarian and vegan. They aren’t completely crumb-free, but that’s a small price to pay for having a box full of these tasty and nutritious boosters to plug that hunger gap.

And if you do get some crumbs – hey, just gather them up and sprinkle them over your breakfast cereal – they’re delicious!

Servings

16 booster bars.

Timings

15 mins to prepare, 30 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need:

  • 125g vegetable baking spread
  • 80g light muscovado sugar
  • 125g peanut butter
  • 75g runny honey
  • zest of 1 orange
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 200g oats
  • 100g dried apricots, finely chopped
  • 120g mixed seeds e.g. pumpkin, sunflower.

Method

  1. Grease and line a traybake tin – mine used is 20 cm square. Switch on the oven to 180C.
  2. Place the spread, brown sugar, peanut butter and honey in a saucepan and warm over a gentle heat. Stir until it melts into a thick mixture.
  3. Add in the other ingredients and stir well to combine.
  4. Tip into the prepared tin and level with a spoon. Place in the oven for 30 mins.
  5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the tin. Turn out carefully and cut into 16 squares.

Customise It!

Swap in other dried fruit for the apricot. The real nut fiends can swap in some different varieties of chopped nuts (e.g, pecans) for some of the seeds, if you wish. Do what’s necessary to give you the tasty energy boost you need.

This week in the ADK Kitchen I’ve been playing the new release by The Black Keys, a band from Ohio that I really like and who’ve already provided several tracks for the ADK Playlist. With all that energy from the Peanut Butter Boosters, this new track should have you up on your feet, singing and dancing along with its catchy chorus: Beautiful People (Stay High).