Category: Vegetables
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Polenta – With grilled radicchio and mushrooms!
Many years ago in a traditional but stylish Italian restaurant in Melbourne, an older Italian-born waiter who had worked there for many, many years told us about his obsession with polenta. His favourite combination was to serve it with mushroom ragout. His polenta was cooked for about three quarters of an hour in lots of…
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The Many Guises Of Coleslaw – A Photo Tribute!
Nothing much needs to be said about coleslaw – you can read about it here: Wikipedia. It is very satisfying to make, very colourful and does the trick for so many types of meals. We have been trying to perfect a version without a mayonnaise or creamy dressing, but with plenty of lemon and vinegar,…
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Eggplant Baked With Passata & Pesto – Served With Lemon Flavoured Pasta!
Our Canadian friend, Roger, was staying with us for several days in Melbourne. He offered to cook for us one night and thus produced this delicious and very easy version of baked eggplant, a variation on parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant baked with Parmesan cheese). He served it with lemon flavoured pasta, which was a perfect…
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What’s in the Fridge? No. 11
Carrot, Harissa and Basil Soup We are all familiar with the build-up of bits and pieces that need to be used up. Some, like butter, cheese, cream and milk we freeze and use them later in pastry, quiches and desserts. Others we use to concoct a dish. Recently we had some leftover white wine, milk,…
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Steamed Fish – Cantonese-Style!
My father was a naturally gifted cook – years ahead of his time in terms of experimentation and sophistication. He loved Chinese food, one reason being that his first job (at age fifteen) was at Chung Gong’s greengrocer in Launceston. Through the protective owners he developed a taste for Cantonese cuisine, acquiring useful cooking skills…
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Beetroot – Salads, two Dips, one Cake!
My father, George, grew beetroot for as long as I can remember. He would generally pick them when they were quite large, in order to gain maximum food quantity to feed the large family, but they were always beautifully tender. Growing up, only the ‘red’ variety was available; and it was also known as red…
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Vegetable Variations – Broccolini, Cauliflower & Broccoli
When there are beautiful vegetables in the markets, it is the time to experiment. In this post we include three ideas based on the brassica family. Use the methods as indicated or create your own. Broccolini Steamed with Silver Beet What could be simpler. Select delicate leaves of silver beet and remove some of the…
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Chile – Atacama!
This post follows on from: Chilean Lakes The aridness and extent of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile boggle the mind. The desert is about twice the size of Tasmania and is one of the driest regions on earth. The Google satellite map below (click to enlarge) shows it stretching from the Pacific in the…
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Work in Progress – No. 1
We experiment often, trying new methods or recipes or trying to recreate something we have eaten somewhere or other. There are successes and failures, there is elation and disappointment. Whole cauliflower is something we have tackled a few times. (Note: See the June 2019 and February 2020 updates at the end of this post.) Baked…