Moon Festival

On the weekend Daz and I went down to Queen Victoria Market to celebrate Moon Festival. I love me a festival, especially when there is food involved. And since its spring, the festivals seem to be popping up quicker than the weeds in my garden!

I have a feeling that this was the first year that it was hosted at Queen Victoria Market, there didn't seem to be alot of stalls, and when we turned up it was a little light on people. But towards the afternoon it started to get quite crowded. There were heaps of activity planned, some singing, an impressive sword dance, and my favourite of all - a Lion dance. Oh those lions are so cute with their huge fluffy eyebrows!

So onto the food right?, that's why you're all here! We decided to buy one dish at a time and share it between the two of us, somehow in my mind that equaled more dishes to try. While walking back from the awesome display of sword dancing I spotted a stall deep frying squid. Crispy fried things taste better straight out of the oil so I snapped some up straight away. They were crispy, hot and delicious!



Next I followed my nose. *sniff* *sniff* I can smell something bbqing *sniff* *sniff* I can smell charcoal and satay and so my nose lead me straight to the satay stick man. The best thing about being at a festival when there isn't a big crowd is getting piping hot food. We ordered 4 sticks and watched as they were grilled for us right before our eyes. Things always taste better when you have to wait a little for them. I was standing right in front of the charcoal, so my clothes got a good dose of meat perfume, so I could savour it later in the day.



We walked past the dumpling place a couple of times, and thought that the line was too long to bother. But then I thought, if there are so many people lining up, its gotta be good right? We ordered a serve of pork dumplings. Sadly they weren't so good. I was pretty disappointed. The skin was really rubbery and the insides was a little dry and not very tasty. I felt a bit ripped of. So I needed something else to quench my rumbling belly.





Japanese octopus balls (takoyaki)?? What in the world are they?? We stood around and watched the lovely young ladies cooking these. They look so similar to dutch poffertjes!!

The batter goes in

Then a little lettuce

Then a little octopus

You gotta flip the little buggers so they get nice and round

Then pull them out so they can get into my belly!

Oh man these were delicious! So the balls are covered in Japanese mayo, tonkatsu sauce, nori and Benito shavings. Oh man so mouth watering.



I only got a small serve, oh I wish I had gotten the larger serve. I love Daz, but I'm sure he ate more than his share! grrrrr! How will we ever get married if we cant learn to share??



And of course I had to get the obligatory inside shot. Look at those cute little tentacles resting inside there batter cocoon!



Before we left we hang around for the lion dance. We were treated to not one lion, but TWO! Even though I've seen the dance so many times, I still giggle like a little school girl when ever I see them.



After a great day out, with lots of good food and interesting entertainment it was time to go home. Daz HAD to have some beef jerky before we left, so $2.50 and 3 bites later we were ready to leave. Sadly I have no photo, I now know that my reaction time is about 4 bites long....nuts!

Results - Slow-cooked ocean trout with Israeli couscous, zucchini, and sadly WITHOUT any chilli or bottarga

*Drool* *slobber* *groan* *hmmmm ummm hmmm*

So good, oh so so good. I've wanted to cook with the sous vide method for a while now. A couple of things have been stopping me, firstly I don't have a vacuum sealer, and secondly I don't own a water bath. Double nuts! So when I saw this recipe which took into account that the everyday cook lacks both of these implements, I jumped at the chance to try it. Yes, sous vide is a method of cooking something for an extremely long time, so this recipe doesn't quite cut it, but for my purposes, its close enough! Baby steps right?


I was really impressed at how moreish this dish really was. The fish was so juicy and packed full of flavor and the way the fish was cooked meant that the flesh kept all of its original colour. The pearl couscous, oh my god that couscous. I want to make it every night of my life. I LOVED it. I never thought I could cook something in my own home that tasted of that caliber. The creamy gooey texture of the cheese, the slightly crunchiness of the zucchini and the popping like texture of the couscous, this dish was MADE for me. Its so simple, but yet so delicious.


Only one little problem with it, IT STINKS!! yep it smells like rotten old feet. If you have an issue with smelly cheese, substitute the fontina, but if you're like me and think the smellier the cheese the better, stack in extra!!

The smelly culprit!

There were a couple of errors that I made which I think worked out for the best. First of all. I forgot the chilli. Yep, how freakin stupid am I! I had already decided that I would leave out the bottarga, I'm a little poor at the moment and couldn't bring myself to buy this stuff for one dish. And the last and most fatal error, I used non-salt reduced chicken stock, so my couscous come out on the salty side. Well probably not so salty to a normal person, but I tend to not eat that much salt (something to do with Daz dying before I have a good go at torturing him with my stupid jokes). It was perfect with the fish, and the extra flavour from the stock was well worth the increased salt level. I could imagine that the bottarga would add a fair amount of salt to the dish anyway, so I'm extra glad I left it out.

Size really does matter right? especially when your sitting next to your pewny competitor!

Hey, it is exactly like a risotto, in it goes with a little oil to toast....ahh so easy!

Its actually really simple to cook this entire dish. As long as you have everything prepared and ready to go. The couscous is extremely straight forward, really no more difficult than a simple risotto. The tricky part was keeping the temperature of the water for the fish bang on 48C.


I had my trusty candy thermometer, I was fresh out of "ocean trout poaching thermometers" so resorted to what I had handy. I decided that 50C was close enough to 48C and if I could keep it there I would be pretty happy with myself.


It was a bit of juggling. I heated my water to 50C, dropped my fish in...trying to keep it as flat as possible (its all about presentation!) and watched the thermometer. As soon as it started to drop I would put the pan on the gas for a few seconds. I continued to do that for the entire cooking time. I actually poached it for longer than the recommended 15 minutes, closer to 20 actually. It resulted in fish that was a little rarer than my liking, but I've always been a fan of sashimi. Daz on the other hand was feeling a little sick after eating some half cooked fish fat, so decided to microwave his for 20 seconds and ended up with PERFECT fish. Who would have thought. So I would recommend either having smaller portions or cooking it for a little longer.


Overall, this dish was STELLA! Daz doesn't really like fish (poor boy is stuck with a seafood lover) and after eating this dish he suggested we should start buying more fish. Hallelujah! I knew if I persisted I would make him turn! Now, if only I could convince him on black pudding.

Slow-cooked ocean trout with Israeli couscous, zucchini, chilli and bottarga

Restaurant: Forty One (NSW)
Recipe from Chef Dietmar Sawyer (appeared on Gourmet Traveller Website)
2010 Rating: Number 92, 1 Star

I was recently sent a sample* of Blu Gourmet Pearl Couscous also known as Israeli Couscous. I've wanted to try pearl couscous for a while, but never really had the chance. I saw this particular recipe ages ago and I wanted to try it. I have a real soft spot for anything with couscous, and the temptation of trying a whole NEW type of couscous was too much!



In the information pack that came with the couscous there were a whole heap of nifty facts about Blu Gourmet Pearl Couscous, one being that restaurants such as Nobu in New York, Maha in Melbourne and Canvas in Melbourne all use this type of couscous, sounds pretty good to me. The absolute clincher was Gabriel Gaté's face on the packet. I'm a real sucker for french accents and I vow to speak in a French accent the entire time while cooking this dish. So onto the recipe, and remember to stay tuned for the fabulous results...accent and all!

Slow-cooked ocean trout with Israeli couscous, zucchini, chilli and bottarga

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 90gm ocean trout fillets, skin on
2 tbsp olive oil
2 golden shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
100 gm Israeli couscous (see note)
500 ml boiling chicken stock
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced widthways
5 gm bottarga, finely grated (optional, see note)
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
30 gm finely chopped Fontina

METHOD

1. Drizzle trout with 1 tbsp olive oil and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in a zip-lock bag, expelling air. Heat a saucepan of water to 48C, add fish and poach for 14 minutes or until heated through.

2 . Heat remaining olive oil in a frying pan and sauté shallot and garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes or until soft, but not coloured. Add couscous and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then gradually add chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, adding more as liquid is absorbed. Cook for 15 minutes or until couscous is al dente. Add zucchini, bottarga and chilli. Remove from heat, gently stir through Fontina and season to taste. Serve immediately with fish.

Note Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta similar to Italian orzo, about the size of tapioca. This Israeli staple is available from Middle Eastern and specialty food stores. Bottarga is sun-dried mullet roe used widely in Sicilian and Sardinian cuisine. It is available from David Jones Foodhalls, specialty food stores and select fishmongers.

*Sample sent kindly from Liz at Haysac.

Blog Birthday and More Cupcake Fun!

Today my little blog turned 1!! So exciting, I cant believe its been a full year since I sat down and decided to start my own little experience in blogging. You cant have a birthday without cake right? and any excuse is a good excuse to have cake. I popped into Laurent on my way home from work today and got a chocolate mousse cake.



It was a delicious cake, very rich, but perfect for the occasion.



So what have I achieved in the 12 months to date? well so far I've only eaten at 14 out of the 100 restaurants. Thats only 14%...seems like such a daunting task ahead of me! I've only managed to cooked 10 recipes from the restaurants. I really need to lift my game! Well I have holidays coming soon, so there will be plenty of cooking and eating to come! yay!

For a bit of fun I bring you part two of cupcake fun! I love seeing cupcakes in everyday life, and like I said in my previous post, they seem to be poping up more frequently! I apologize for the bad quality photos, but cupcakes attack at any time, and sometimes I'm only armed with my mobile phone!

First up we have a cupcake bib. Its a great idea, get them addicted early and they will have a long happy life....with cupcakes!



My trip to work takes me past the Melbourne showgrounds and recently the Royal Show was on. While stopped at a red light, I turned my head and what did I see, cupcakes! Yay! I contemplated buying a ticket to go in and see said cupcake, but then the light turned green and I had to go.



Next is good old Riot Art Supply. I find alot of cupcake inspiration/material here. The most recent addition is a cupcake apron.



Lastly from my local newspaper a story about cupcakes! They also featured a recipe for cupcakes. To view a larger version please double click on the image.



Tucked in the far corner is a price comparison between iced and un-iced cupcakes. My question to you is, is a cupcake still a cupcake if its un-frosted/iced????



Well that caps the first birthday of this little blog. The song was sung, candles blown out and cake eaten. So bring on the next 12 months, at least there will be cake again next september!!

The Art I Choke!

Its spring, the birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing and the snow is falling on the mountains. Hang on a sec, the last ones not right. Looking at the calendar, we're definitely supposed to be in spring, but the weather man decided that we all needed a little reminder of what winter used to feel like. Its not such a bad thing, before it gets too hot I can have the oven on for long periods of time and I can make all those hearty soups and stews I'll be longing for soon. Artichokes always remind me of cold days. Probably because when I was little, as a family we used to go collecting wild artichoke out and about, I remember it being cold and windy with my cheeks stingy from the chill factor. These days I'm not as adventurous and get my artichokes from the local green grocer. Since they are now in season, I thought I'd make my mums stuffed artichoke.



You can stuff the artichoke with anything you like, as long as there is enough egg in your stuffing to bind everything together. I guess you could convert this recipe into an entirely vegan or vegetarian friendly dish, with a few exclusions and alternatives. The sweet taste of the artichoke is hard to beat. I remember when I was a kid I would bring friends over to have dinner with us, sometimes artichokes would be on the menu. Most of my friends thought that it would taste horrible and it always took a bit of coxing to get them to try it, after a short lesson in how to actually eat the thing! Once they tried it, they were hooked.

Daz was exactly the same as my friends. I remember the first time he ever tried it, he had such a shocked and confused look on his face. He didn't want to make a fool of himself by eating the artichoke the wrong way, but on the other hand he wasn't exactly up for eating hard chewy fibrous leaf. So quietly while no one way watching I told him how to eat it. On the outer leaves of the artichoke, only the very inner center of the leaf is edible. You put the leaf between your teeth and scrap the soft sweet flesh off and eat it.



As you get closer to the heart of the artichoke, the entire leaf become edible. The actual heart is so soft and gooey its a delight, but it is an acquired taste. It seems to take up all the flavor and becomes very intense. Daz always leaves it aside. I can't convert him on everything!



My mum usually fills the artichoke with a meat mixture, weather it be pork, lamb or beef. I prefer pork. Its a shame that the brown on green is so ugly and these pictures wouldn't make it into a Donna Hay magazine, but sometimes the ugliest foods are the tastiest!



So heres the recipe:

Pork Stuffed Artichokes

Serves 4 people

4 globe artichoke
400 gram pork mince
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1-2 handfuls of dried bread crumbs
2 eggs
2-3 handfuls of Parmesan cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

1. First the artichoke needs to be prepared. Peel off the harder outside leaves and discard. Cut the stalk of relatively close to the base of the artichoke. Peel the stalk, this will be added to the pot to add extra flavour. Trim around the base to remove the bitter outer peal. Fan the leave open as far as possible without breaking the leaves off. Rinse the artichoke under cold water and leave upside down to drain.





2. To prepare the stuffing, all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Make sure to season the mixture well. The mixture should be the same consistency as a stiff meatball. If it is too wet add some extra dry breadcrumbs.





3. Take the artichoke and a small amount of stuffing. Push the stuffing into the space between the leaves. Continue to fill until most of the artichoke is filling. The heart of the artichoke will remain stuffing-less.



4. Find a pot, with a lid, that is barely big enough for the artichoke to fit in. They need to all be squeezed together, standing upright. This will take a little work, the fit must be very tight. This is extremely important as the mixture will shrink, and the artichoke will start to fall apart, so the support of its neighboring artichoke will keep it intact.



5. Add enough water to come halfway up the artichokes. Add the stalks to the pot, and lightly salt the water. The water will evaporate so only a small amount of salt is needed.

6. Put the lid on the pot and cook on medium-low for 45 minutes. You can tell if the artichokes are ready when you pull a lea and it comes away easily. You can also eat one of the leaves, if it is soft and not squeaky its done.



When I was cleaning the artichokes I found a baby artichoke disparately clinging to its mother. I couldn't bare separating them so I chucked it in the pot too. When everything was cooked I took it out and though, maybe I could eat it whole. So being the horrible person that I am, I ate the baby whole! Nom Nom Nom, baby back ribs!


After filling the artichokes I had a fair bit of stuffing left over. I may have mentioned before, theres nothing better than getting two dishes out of one. I often recycle left over mayonnaise or too much icing and I'm ashamed to say that sometimes the spin off dish tastes better than the original! What to do with all that tasty meat filling??? hmmm....I'll make meat balls!! I also had some crumb-less bread crust that I didn't want to feed to the birds. Attracting birds around our cat Romeo is not a good idea! **chirp chirp...meow....pounce! puuurrrrr** So I made little spindle meatballs, fried them off and sat them in little crust boats. I chowed the whole lot down with a squeeze of lemon. I might actually make these again, they were pretty tasty and perfect for a finger food. I will call them PORK BOATS!