Spatula, Spoon and Saturday

Cookbook Challenge Week #18

Book: Food Safari by Maeve O’Meara (recipe by Aziz Bakalla) Theme: Barbecue Recipe: Mechouli

Still playing catch up with my Cookbook Challenge. Since Summer started, we have been quite keen on doing simple grilled meat and salad for dinner. I know it’s not a particularly new concept but we aren’t big meat eaters but we have worked out that a bit of cold meat salad is also quite good for lunch the next day and we haven’t looked back since.

Because our barbecue is actually MIA (we took it up to Josh’s country house for our engagement party – yes you read it right, our engagement party which happened in 2007 and it’s still sitting there unused), we have been ‘barbecuing’ on our iron cast grill. Cast iron grill is great for indoor grilling, it holds a lot of heat and gives you that ‘barbecue’ taste.

As I might have mentioned it again and again, get all your cast iron cookware at camping stores rather than homeware stores. The price difference is enormous.

So back to the recipe! Our new favourite cut of lamb for barbecuing is the lamb back straps – which aren’t available at our local supermarkets (ie. no last minute dinner to be made lamb back straps!) but it’s beautiful, lean and tender that we keep buying it again and again from our local market. If you haven’t tried this cut, I strongly recommend it. Read the rest of this entry »

I love Journal Canteen. I love the simple perfectly made Italian food that is served there. What? Am I giving away the ending again? Sorry.

(small antipasto platter – $15)

Well, I work near Journal Canteen and we go there for lunch quite often, so this post will be about a few trips that we made to Journal Canteen and some the fabulous food they serve there.

First things first, Journal Canteen is not Journal (the cafe), which is visible from Flinders Lane. They are in the same building so don’t get confused. To get to Journal Canteen (also known as Rosa’s Kitchen – its red neon lettering visible from Flinders Lane), you need to go into the CAE building and it’s up a few steps up on the right.

(the same antipasto platter but on the other side)

The menu at Journal Canteen changes almost everyday. There’s the standing favourite, of course, which is the anti pasto platter (small or large). The items on the platter do change depending on seasons (we have had zucchini flowers) but this time we had olives, sliced salami, zucchini fritter, dressed potato, dressed zucchini (with mint), grilled capsicum, grilled eggplant with tomato sauce. The very first time Nicole had the eggplant, she reckoned it was the best eggplant she ever had. The eggplant itself gets cooked different ways each time we visited though.

(complimentary bread – just bread, no butter, no oil)

The menu, as I mentioned earlier, changes daily but it always consists of generally a pasta or two dishes, a meat or two dishes and a vegetarian option. Read the rest of this entry »

If there is one word to be said about the Thai food scene in Melbourne, that word would be shithouse. Seriously, the state of Thai food in Melbourne is abominable. Sure there’s a Thai takeaway shop in every corner, but pretty much all of them are rubbish. The very first time Josh went to Thailand and had the first real Thai food, he said ‘now I know what you’re on about when you say Thai food in Melbourne is rubbish’. Of course, he also had the ‘pleasure’ to have Thai food that was aimed at tourists in touristy places in Thailand and found them to be equally rubbish.

All that aside, I found a restaurant I rather approve of. It sits in a very unassuming corner in Springvale. Which means good news because anyone who has driven to Springvale will understand what I mean when I said parking was abnormally a breeze. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick one before I run off yet again. Nicole and I were trying to find Journal Canteen – of course we  failed abysmally the first time and ended up at Journal. I mean, how were we supposed to know? They have practically the same name and they are in the same CAE building!

We have been there a couple of times since the space is rather awesome to just discuss work – usually a bit of a brain storming session. Coffee is usually good (and they have freshly squeezed orange juice) but the last time they unforgivably burned my espresso so I’m still considering the next return.

(roasted pumpkin and rocket salad – $15.00)

Anyway, the food was rather nice despite limited menu. We both settled for salad on the day. Nicole went for roasted pumpkin and rocket salad. She said it was good despite not being able to finish it (“I can’t eat too much pumpkin!”)

(prociutto and witlof salad – $15.00)

I went for the prociutto and witlof salad, which seemed the most interesting thing on the menu. It was beautiful. The salad was made of witlof (of course) but with a bit more concentration of raddichio, pear slices, blue cheese and walnut. It was perfectly dressed and topped with slices of prociutto. Definitely ++ for this little gem.

We were given two slices of toasted crusty bread drizzled with olive oil. Carb-free meals are overrated.

A great space for casual coffee and lunch. The salads weren’t bad either! Still undecided about the coffee.

Journal, Lower Ground Floor, 1/253 Flinders La., Melbourne VIC

Hopefully everyone has realised by now that good food is all about love. The food is only as good as the love and care that has gone into it. It’s not about how exclusive and trendy the restaurant is, or how many types of purees there are on the food or how artful it is.

Why is this the best lasagna in the world? It’s because it’s made by one of the person who loves me the most in the world. And, that, is worth everything.

Josh first made this for me about three dates into our relationship. That was the day I distinctly remember as the day I totally fell in love with him. It was a lovely summer day, his plum trees were full of red plump fruits, the sky was bright blue, his roses were in full bloom and the bees were going crazy on the flowers, and I had the best comfort food in the world, lasagna, without the luxury of having an Italian mother.

This is the way Josh makes his lasagna:

He would heat up a tablespoon or so of olive oil, to which he would add half an onion that has been carefully diced. He then adds two chopped rindless bacon.  He would slowly cook it until the onion goes all soft and translucent and the bacon slightly coloured. Then, he would take about 300 g. of good minced beef (not the fatty horrible supermarket one) and two cloves of crushed garlic and add that to the mix.

He would stir until the mince browns and all the juice evaporates. He would add a can of diced tomatoes and two tablespoons of tomato paste (he usually buys those sachet ones that individually contain two tablespoons per serve).

He would then pick leaves from two or three sprigs of fresh oregano and add to the mince sauce.  Sometimes he would put other fresh herbs in. He likes to grow rosemary, sage and thyme together because the combination amuses him (greensleeves, geddit?) When we have some fresh parsley growing, usually in summer, or I bought a bunch from the market, he would chop a handful of parsley stalks in, reserving the leaves for later.

He would then turn the heat down to simmer and let it stew over for twenty minutes. This is where patience comes in. He doesn’t rush. There’s no rushing, no shortcuts to good food for him. He would give it a stir once in a while but mostly just let it sit there, bubbling.

After twenty minutes, he would chop up the reserved parsley leaves and add that to sauce and stir it through. He would get his old faithful glass baking dish and spoon the mince sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish and layer instant lasagna sheets on, ensuring every inch of the sauce is covered, breaking off bits of the sheet if he has to. He would repeat this until the baking dish fills up. There’s no bechamel sauce. No creme fraiche. No cheese in between the layers. Just the mince sauce that had been patiently stewed until it’s just right and the pasta sheets.

He would cut a few slices from a ball of good quality mozzarella cheese, not a fresh white ball, the normal pale cream diseccated one that you get from a deli (or a supermarket with good selection of cheese) and top off the last layer of the lasagna. He would grate a thing sprinkling of parmesan cheese as well. There’s no buying of pregrated icky supermarket cheese, of course.

He would then carefully cover it with a layer of foil, then off it goes into the oven at 180′ c for another good twenty minutes. He would then uncover the lasagna and turn the heat up to 220′c and bake for another ten minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

He would then cut up a good section and plonk a good portion of it for his hungry wife (who would usually be very hungry by now because he needs at least two hours to ‘make it properly’) Sometimes he would do up a nice green salad with various ingredients that take his fancy (I once discovered strawberries and pineapple in his ‘green’ salad, ‘it’s half way fruit salad, isn’t it awesome?’) to go alongside the lasagna.

There’s always leftovers to take to work the next day.

We went to grab a quick dinner the Grand Hotel’s Lounge Bar before heading out to a party in the area. The Grand Hotel also has a dining room but we thought we might save that for a more special occasion.

I have been to the Grand before and the food was always fantastic. It is definitely one of my favourite Melburnian gatro-pub.The menu wasn’t overly large but everything was done really well. I was actually looking forward to sampling their Nicoise Salad but sadly on the night, it wasn’t on the menu. The place was quite packed on the night and we grabbed the last table available (it was Saturday night, 7-ish) but the tables did start to become free a bit after. There were a few people just having drinks but many of them were there for the food. I recommend a reservation if you want to go there on Friday or Saturday night.

(Veal meatballs with semolina gnocchi – $18.50)

Josh was a bit more decisive and went for the Veal Meatballs with Semolina Gnocchi ($18.50) The gnocchi was awesome. It was creamy and went perfectly with the meatballs and the sauce. Definitely a must-try. When I went there last year, it was served with something else which was equally yummy. But the gnocchi was definitely the highlight.

(Braised Lamb Shank with Mash $24.00)

I couldn’t decide what I wanted (I was so set on having the Nicoise Salad) so when the counter person recommended the Braised Lamb Shank with Mash ($24.00), I went for it. The mash was beautifully silky and buttery and complimented the melt-in-the-mouth lamb shank really well. But definitely the gnocchi! Yum! Read the rest of this entry »

<Start Non Food Babble>

We arrived at our accommodation in Adelaide at around 8pm after a day of leisurely driving through Victoria/South Australia. I booked us a cabin at the Adelaide Shores Caravan Park. The first thing I noticed when I got out of the car was how warm it was! The night was breezy and it was very mild compared to Melbourne. It was right on Adelaide’s West Beach and the air was just so much better. We fell in love with our little accommodation (came with fully equipped kitchen) and wished we could spend more time in Adelaide. I have only been to Adelaide twice but both times passing through! A holiday to Adelaide is definitely on the cards! I loved the place!

<End Non-Food Babble>

So we have this box of provisions that I packed. I threw in some pasta, pasta sauce, rice, oil, various seasonings and all sorts of other things. These include bits of vegetables that I had in the fridge (otherwise I would have had to throw them out) and some bacon. So fried rice with bacon it is!

I started off by making rice on the stove where I purposely added a little bit less water so I could fry the rice. Mum, like all Thais who own a rice cooker, was mightily impressed that I could make perfect rice in a saucepan. Once the rice was done, I spreaded it out in a baking dish to dry it out.

This is what I used:

1. 4 cups of cooked rice
2. 3 strips of middle bacon, chopped
3. 1/2 broccoli, chopped
4. 1 small carrot, chopped
5. 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
6. 4 tbsp of seasoning soy sauce*
7. 2 eggs

(me setting off the smoke alarm)

Unfortunately, the kitchen only provided a tiny frying pan. So I had to fry the bacon and vegetables together first. I started by frying off the bacon in some oil (more oil unfortunately because it wasn’t a non-stick pan) until the bacon was browned. Boy was it smoky! I did tell Josh to open the door but he didn’t because there were two cats loitering outside our cabin and he was afraid that I would start to die (I am quite allergic to them) so the smoke alarm went off. That was good fun.

(the bacon and veggie mixture)

Anyway, I added the chopped veggies and fry those off with the bacon as well. Because the frying pan was so tiny, I set them aside and started frying the rice. I had to do it in two batches. I purposely made a lot so that we could the leftovers for a picnic lunch the next day because we would be back on the road on our way to Coober Pedy.

(frying the rice with egg)

I added a little more oil to the frying pan and added half the rice in. I turned the heat up as much as I could (I miss my Singapore stove, it really went!). I cracked in an egg and scrambled it into the rice. I fried the rice for a few minutes until the egg was cooked. I added 2 tbsp of the seasoning soy sauce and half of the fried bacon and veggie mixture. Another batch followed after we ate our dinner.

And this was what it looked like. A bit of a hatchet job really. But when you are starving, anything tastes good! Tip: I recommend starving your dinner guests so they think your cooking is the best ever

Josh made some salad from iceberg lettuce, tomato and grated cheese. I was supposed to take a long a bottle of my standard balsamic vinegar dressing but I forgot

Mum heated up some more of the uber spicy to be eaten with the fried rice. The uber spicy lasted us two days. I suspected the germs were too scared of how much chillis there were in it.

And dinner was served! All from my box from provisions that I hastily threw together the day before our trip.

* Seasoning soy sauce is a term used to described a type of soy sauce that has additional flavouring ingredients in it. The sauce is usually a little bit thicker and saltier. I can’t describe the flavour but it’s really good with eggs. I use the Maggi Seasoning Sauce which you can find at your local supermarket.

(Grilled Pork and Spring Rolls Rice Vermicelli Salad – $ 11.00)

I am such a fan of Vietnamese food here in Melbourne. I was very surprised when a friend of mine who went over for an assignment in Vietnam came back and said food was total rubbish compared to the Vietnamese food you get in Melbourne! Vietnamese beef noodle (pho) is one of my all-time favourite dishes. I can eat it pretty much everyday and won’t get sick of it.

(Vietnamese spring rolls – cha gio)

The Age Cheap Eats guide and various websites rated Tien Dat in Box Hill quite highly and since I was in the area, I thought I might give it a go. I rocked up there at around 1.30pm on a Friday and it was absolutely packed. I managed to snag the last table (the waiter didn’t seem to thrilled with me. I assumed because there was only one of me and the table could have seated two?)

(the salad was underneath!)

I felt like a bit of the good old Vietnamese noodle salad, so I ordered the Grilled Pork and Spring Roll Rice Vermicelli which isn’t really vermicelli at all. It bothers me slightly when the word vermicelli is used completely incorrectly but I digress. The noodles were of the thin rice variety which were served cold.  The pork was ‘char-grilled’* and well flavoured with lemon grass. There was almost no need for dressing. I loved the crunchy bits of peanuts that were sprinkled on top of the pork. It was delicious. The spring rolls were freshly fried and piping hot. Nothing is worse than cold, chewy spring rolls! At first glance, I couldn’t see any salad – just a bit of pickled carrot and daikon (see the first picture) but once I dug into the noodles, the salad presented itself. The salad was made up of iceberg lettuce, beansprouts, Vietnamese min and mint. I love the fresh herbs used in Vietnamese food. This dish is definitely a must-try.

(Steamed Pancake Rolls with Prawns – Banh Cuon – $5.20 for 2)

I also ordered Steamed Pancake Rolls with Prawns (banh cuon) which was basically prawns in a bit of chilli and seasoning soy sauce wrapped in thin sheets of rice noodles. The rolls were served on top of blanched beansprouts and topped with crunch fried shallots. It was basically like the Chinese chee chong fun (the type you get for as a dim sum) but the filling was slightly spicy with that very distinct seasoning soy sauce overtone. It was served with fish sauce dressing rather than the soy sauce. The noodles were silky and soft and the fillings not at all what I expected. I was much impressed with it.

(a close up of the filling – not a very good one, mind)

Too much food for one person though. I almost died. The lady next to me said to her lunch partner ‘I’m so full!’, and this was when I was half way through my noodles, struggling, with my rice rolls untouched. She caught me rolling my eyes at the amount of food I had to go and started giggling. The tables were wayyyy too close together for my liking (about a foot) I have to say! The service was quick but passable. I had to ask twice for water everytime I was there but at least I got it eventually – which, to be honest, is adequate for a Vietnamese restaurant since my expectations were not high**.

Tien Dat, 3 Carrington Rd., Box Hill

* Vietnamese restaurant speak for ‘fried to the buggery’.  In a very good way though.
** My favourite pho place in Springvale requires me to literally walk up to the counter and ask for water (again) and wait there until they give me one otherwise I wouldn’t get water. Why do I put up with it? Because it has the best pho in Melbourne!