I spent the week in Jerusalem

Well, not literally of course.  But I did cook 5 lovely dishes that came directly from, or were inspired by, the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  As I said in my post earlier this week, I had a kitchen to myself all week so I thought it was a great time to experiment with untried dishes.  And although everything wasn’t perfect, I loved every minute of it and learned some lovely new techniques and cooked with some new ingredients along the way.

On Monday I cooked Roasted Cauliflower and Hazelnut Salad.  Um, who knew you could roast cauliflower?  I fell pretty silly now that I’d never tried it before.  It was so yummy.  Definitely something I would try again!

 

On Tuesday I tried Mejadra which is one of the most “popular dishes throughout the Arab world.”  It’s known as the ultimate comfort food – and it really is!  Lots of carbs and spices means that it is really comforting on a cold day.  And who doesn’t love deep fried onions?  This does take quite an effort to cook but the recipe makes a huge quantity and it can be used for a few days as side dishes.  Again – I will definitely add this to my regular repertoire.

 

On Wednesday I tried to cook Swiss Chard fritters.  I failed.  The fritters stuck to the pan and wouldn’t cook properly.  But the next day I added Greek yoghurt and a couple of eggs to the left over mixture and baked it in the oven and it really was a taste sensation (served with the Mejadra).  It feels good that I am able to adapt recipes these days as I become more experienced in the kitchen.

 

I skipped the kitchen on Thursday, gearing myself up for a big finale on Friday.  I had invited my brother & sister-in-law and 3 other friends to what would be my first Albany dinner party.  Unfortunately none of the 3 friends ended up making it due to illness.  I must admit I was pretty devastated but I figured the show must go on and I continued with my plan.  I cooked some chicken meatballs (inspired by a recipe in the book) and an amazing baby spinach salad with dates & almonds.  It really was a delicious combo – even Ben said so (that is very high praise indeed)!

 

Below is the recipe for the chicken meatballs – it’s not an exact copy of the recipe in the book as I didn’t have all the ingredients.  But the method is definitely inspired by this amazing book – and if you don’t have it in your collection already I think you should treat yourself.  It really is wonderful.

Lemon Chicken Meatballs

500g chicken mince

Salt, pepper to taste

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of cumin

A shake of all spice

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

400ml chicken stock

Juice from 2 lemons

Olive Oil

Method: Mix mince, spices, eggs and breadcrumbs together and shape into meatballs.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Add olive oil to a fry pan and brown the meatballs.  Then add the chicken stock and lemon juice.  Bring to the boil and then simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue to simmer until all the liquid has evaporated.  Serve with salad and Greek Yoghurt if desired.

Cooking in someone else’s kitchen (is fun)

I’m house sitting for 3 weeks. It’s a gorgeous architect designed home close to town. Which is fantastic – it shaves my commute to work down from 14 minutes to 6 minutes! My brother Dave comes back from Europe this weekend, and until then I’m living alone (except for this crazy cat). I haven’t lived alone since I left Sydney 7 months ago. I must admit I’m enjoying it – especially as I have the kitchen all to myself! But I am also really looking forward to Davy’s return.  I need someone to help me with all the eating (and the dishes)!

Crazy cat

While I was in Sydney I noticed a common theme.  Everyone seemed to own the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  I have been in love with Ottonlenghi since his book Plenty and I had ordered his latest one before I left Sydney so it would be here in Albany when I got here.  And to my delight, it was.  At the time I spent a good few hours marking all the recipes I wanted to make (as you can see in the picture below) but I hadn’t gotten around to actually trying any.  Until now.

My challenge this week is to try one new recipe from this book every day.  So far I have made two and they have both been wonderful.  I still really wish I could convey aromas through this blog because everything smells amazing.  I left the house briefly while I was cooking tonight and when I returned I almost swooned at the fragrance wafting from the kitchen.

This weekend I will share with you my thoughts on the recipes I have tried and I will provide you with one whole recipe to cook for yourself.  I’m not going to tell you them all because I really think the book is worth buying for yourself!  Go on, you deserve it.

One pot screamer

Who doesn’t like a meal that goes in one pot?  One that requires minimal prep (and minimal washing up)?  I think the answer to that question is “no one”.   So here is a quick and easy meal that just needs one pot.  I think it’s perfect for a rainy weekend at home (perhaps this weekend?)   And in the spirit of quick and easy – that is my post for today!

One pot Screamer

500g chicken thighs, each cut into 3 pieces

1 chirozo sausage, thickly sliced

1 capsicum, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 potato, chopped

1 onion, sliced

4 mushrooms, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 bay leaves

1 can chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons of olive oil

A sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)

Method: Put it all in a casserole pot.  Mix together.  Cook at 180 for 90 minutes (covered).  Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

Home Alone

On Saturday night I made an uncomfortable discovery…

It all started at RATS. This is an unexpected name for a lovely tapas & wine bar at Middleton Beach here in Albany. Mum and I decided to go out for a nice meal, a couple of wines and some deep & meaningful conversation. It was great. We loved RATS, didn’t see any, and went home at 10pm. Sounds perfect so far, right?

So, I was home at 10, its a long weekend, Dave was away. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for a chick flick. And the one I chose was, *drum-roll please* “Love Actually“. And here is where I made the grisly discovery… “Love Actually” may have distorted my expectations for love, actually.

I have never had someone chase me down in an airport to say goodbye, I’ve never had the guy with the signs outside my door, I’ve never fallen in love with the prime minister after swearing at him on our first meeting and I’ve never met someone while acting as a body double on a movie.

But it’s definitely not all doom and gloom in the romance stakes.  I’ve had 2 strangers give me flowers (do you remember the Impulse ads from the 80’s?), I’ve been proposed to, and I’ve had someone sing me a song in a crowded pub.  And I have always known love from my friends and family.

And the big thing I am learning about now is loving myself.  Eating very healthy, nourishing food and daily exercise shows love to my body.  Writing and cooking show love to my soul. The (rare) kisses & cuddles with my niece give love to my heart.  A guy at the door with some signs wouldn’t go astray, but I already have a lot of love in my life and I am falling for myself more and more each day.

Gorgeous Gratitude Noodles

I’ve hit a bit of wall. I miss my friends in Sydney. I now have a routine. The “being in a new place” novelty has worn off. My endometriosis seems to be coming back. This week has been tough! But yesterday I listened to a lecture about spirituality. Ok, ok, I’m sure you are wondering what I mean by spirituality. Those that know me are aware that I am not a church goer. I often feel uncomfortable about the word spirituality. Sounds religious. But the more I look into the topic I realise that it’s not.

Spirituality is about living a life you love. Up until recently I thought that sounded a bit preposterous. I mean, isn’t suffering just part of life? And yes, it is. But individuals can also take steps to look after themselves. And make themselves happy. The lecture I listened to was about self care and the minimum requirements for a person to look after themselves and be happy. The lecture took me through a few brainstorming questions to help me find out what is essential for me to be happy and at my best. And guess what one of the recurring themes was – COOKING! Big surprise there.

So after feeling like crap all day and wanting to crawl into bed at 6.30pm I decided to cook. And I came up with these Gorgeous Gratitude Noodles. They are gorgeous because they have fresh lemongrass in them. I can’t think of a better word to describe the delicate flavour of lemongrass than gorgeous. It also takes me straight back to Thailand which is a great memory for me. And they are gratitude noodles because I made them with beans & garlic from my boss’s garden and chilli sauce made by my twin brother’s parents-in-law. This town really know how to share it’s bounty. And I am very grateful for that!

Gorgeous Gratitude Noodles

500g free range pork mince

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

2 pieces of lemongrass, finely chopped

1/2 red capsicum, finely chopped

1/2 head broccoli, cut into small pieces,

4 mushrooms, sliced

handful of beans, halved

60ml tamari

2 tablespoons of Chris & Barbara’s chilli’s sauce

Fresh Singapore noodles

2 spring onions, sliced

pepper

Stir fry the pork in a wok until cooked. Remove leaving some of the juices. Cook garlic, chopped chillis and lemongrass until they become fragrant. Add the other vegetables with half the tamari and chilli sauce and stir fry until lightly cooked. Add the pork and combine well. Then add the noodles with the rest of the tamari and chilli sauce and toss until the noodles are warmed through. Serve in large noodle bowls and sprinkle with the spring onions and pepper. Swoon when you taste the lemongrass (oh wait, that might just be my reaction, but let me know if you find you feel the same way!)

Popcorn – (not) A Love Story

Well, it’s been one of those really annoying technology days.  My lap top is on it’s last legs (it takes about 25 minutes to boot up properly which is one of the reasons I left my last job – seriously!!).  Then the printer ran out of ink.  And, can you believe it – the kettle died!  It’s days like these I reach for the chips.  Of course they make everything better (for about 5 minutes).

But today I decided to be strong and try my second chip substitute test – popcorn.  I’ve got an air-popper but the popcorn it creates does not hold onto the salt so I end up licking my fingers and scooping up all the salt at the bottom of the bowl to get my fix.  It’s not particularly dignified.  Plus, one of Sarah Wilson’s tips when giving up sugar is to add in a bit of fat because it helps to turn on the “I’m satisfied” part of the brain (It seems to work with everything except chips…).

So, today was the day I decided to pop popcorn with butter.  And this is the result.

BURNT BUTTER – AND NOTHING POPPED

I tried again in a smaller pot on the stove with even worse results.  I’m surprised the smoke alarm didn’t go off.

Is this another case of self-sabotage?  If I’m honest – probably.  Or maybe it was just part of my bad tech day…

19/12 UPDATE:

Inspired by the resurrection of my kettle and some informative comments I tried again.  With the lid on and with coconut oil.  Success!  And the salt sticks to it.  Is it the answer to my chip problem?  Probably only 30% of the time.  But better than nothing right?