Lockdown Tryouts – The Oven!

Robin BoyleFish & Seafood, General Interest, Lunch, Main course, Recipe, Vegetables

Covid-19 lockdown has given everyone plenty of opportunities to experiment with their cooking, to go back to old favourites and to try out some of those newspaper cut-out recipes. Not everything we have tried has worked but we are generally very pleased rather than disappointed. In this post we include some savoury successes from the oven. Cazuela – An Argentinean …

Virtual Dinner Party No. 12 – With an Apple and Honey Pancake Gâteau from 1973!

Robin BoyleAustralian, Dessert, Dinner, Dinner Party, Fish & Seafood, French, General Interest, Latin American, Main course, Poultry, Vegetables

(Update: For VDP No. 13, click here) Coronavirus Lockdown Mid-September in Melbourne 2020 and we are still in lock down, possibly until mid-October. We are largely confined to our homes. Country Victoria has fewer restrictions, while the other states of Australia have resumed fairly normal lives and lifestyles. We were pleased when our Adelaide friends were in contact to organise …

Virtual Dinner Party No. 10 – With an Elegant Fish Soup from 1973!

Robin BoyleDessert, Dinner, Dinner Party, European, Fish & Seafood, General Interest, Main course, Poultry, Soup, Vegetables

(Update: For VDP No. 11, click here) Coronavirus Lockdown August in Melbourne 2020 and we were back in lock down for six weeks. We are largely confined to our homes. However, that only applies for the state of Victoria; other states have moved back towards a free lifestyle. We and our two Melbourne friends were keen to have another VDP …

Virtual Dinner Party No. 9 – Cauliflower Soup, Garfish, Ranch Dressing, Latvian Layered Cake

Robin BoyleDessert, Dinner, Dinner Party, European, Fish & Seafood, General Interest, Main course, Soup, Vegetables

(Update: For VDP No. 10, click here) Coronavirus Lockdown Well in Melbourne we were out of lock down for about six weeks, though still with social distancing in place. But then the virus got away from us and so for two weeks we have been largely confined to our homes again. However, that only applies for the state of Victoria; …

Virtual Dinner Party No. 6 – Scallops, Salmon, Pears!

Robin BoyleAustralian, Dinner, Dinner Party, Fish & Seafood, General Interest, Salad, Vegetables

(Update: For VDP No. 7, click here) Coronavirus Lockdown With most of us in self-isolation or even total lockdown, a VDP (virtual dinner party) is one way to catch up with friends and to continue to test your cooking skills. We have now had a number of VDPs. Here is the link to the first of those: Virtual Dinner Party …

Virtual Dinner Party No. 5 – A Malay-Italian Menu!

Robin BoyleDinner Party, Fish & Seafood, General Interest, Nibbles & Hors d'oeuvres, Soup, South East Asian, Vegetables

(Update: For VDP No. 6, click here) Coronavirus Lockdown With most of us in self-isolation or even total lockdown, a VDP (virtual dinner party) is one way to catch up with friends and to continue to test your cooking skills. We have now had a few VDPs. Here is the link to the first of those: Virtual Dinner Party No. …

Olive’s Salmon Patties – An Easter Treat!

Robin BoyleAustralian, Dinner, Fish & Seafood, Main course, Traditions-Feasts

We weren’t a religious family, but our mother, Olive, would always make salmon patties (sometimes with tuna) for our evening meal on Good Friday. It was her excuse to make them – we loved them so much. While I had good recollection of the ingredients and how they were made, I had to resort to my sister, Jan, to fine …

Steamed Fish – Cantonese-Style!

Robin BoyleChinese, Dinner, Family, Fish & Seafood, Main course, Vegetables

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 along the way. Every few …

Strahan – Remarkable Remoteness!

Robin BoyleAustralian, Fish & Seafood, Recipe, Travel

This post continues on from: Hobart to Strahan – The In-Between Bit. Strahan has, on average, 15 clear days a year. On our visit we had three of those – just fabulous weather, as the photos attest. It was our first visit to Strahan in over fifteen years, and while much was the same, there was much that was different. …

Canada – Three Recipe Ideas!

Robin BoyleFish & Seafood, North American, Photos: Food, Travel

This continues on from Canada – Maritime Provinces! We had spent 11 days in the Maritime Provinces. It is worth a detour if you are fanatical about fresh seafood. We had excellent examples of lobster, clams, mussels and local fishes (mainly halibut and haddock). We came across three interesting recipes to try when we were back home. Pasta with Preserved …