The Half (House) Warming

So why a half-warming?

Because our fab friend Mike is half as old as he used to be when he first had his housewarming 15 years ago - that is, when he bought his house the first time around, then bought it again last year. Naturally, such a spesh occasion needs a spesh menu.

This was quite a fun challenge on a few fronts. It would be the second biggest group we would cook for (the biggest is 80 for my bro-in-law's 30th, which is also notable as we fed all of them on around $300. Apparently the guests still remember the oven baked beef ribs and the cheat's sushi with wasabi suprises - amazing really, considering the copious amounts of alcohol consumed that night!)

It was also the kind of party where the 35 or so people would drop in over the whole day, so we had to stagger out the food plus have a cold and hot selection for the canapes and possibly the lunch mains. Oh, and did I mention that today was one of the hottest days in Sydney, hitting the high 30s in the City and mid 40s in the west? Thank God for airconditioning! So we had to make sure the food was going to be hot and humid-friendly and still manage to be appetising.

A few lessons learned:

• The K.I.S.S. principle (keep it simple, stooopid!) applied more than ever. Take advantage of pre-made stuff - the rare roast beef on multigrain pepper crackers with beetroot and a tiny dollop of horseradish cream topped with a sprig of parsley was made completely with store-bought ingredients but looked and tasted fabulous.
  
• Big is beautiful - I was amazed how the 4-kilo ham cooked the way my Mom cooks it just disappeared, and the roasted whole sides of ocean trout with walnut and coriander salsa worked really, really well


• One (or two) unusual dishes adds a bit of "wow" factor, and gets people to try new tastes and textures - the ajo blanco in shot glasses did the trick


• A pail-ful of punch was essential on such a hot day
  
• Don't let a seeming failed dish get the better of you - the slightly fermented vodka-fed watermelon ended up in the punch, which was quite fabulous

So the next big one to cook for is a house and another two-thirds warming and an even number! Note: possibly only nerdy maths types will get this.

Food Finds at the Market

Every third Saturday morning of the month is sacred on our calendar - it's when the North Sydney Produce Market is on. I have been known to organise our holidays to make sure we don't miss the market, or that we make sure we go to the market to stock up on quality produce before we head off.

Today was pretty special, as not only was it the first market of 2009, but I went earlier than I have ever been, as the Hubby was off to do an early run and I wanted to still be able to have brekkie with him afterwards. I arrived at 7:00 a.m., just when most of the stallholders had just finished seting up. The normally bustling lanes between the stalls were quiet still, and there was a really lovely camaraderie as the stallholders helped each other put up signs and exchange Christmas holiday stories over steaming cups of coffee. Naturally, the coffee stands were among the first to be set up.

So after getting my own cup of coffee from Whitham's, I proceeded to shop and chat with all the stallholders (good thing I didn't have the Hubby getting impatient by my side!) and found some real gems amongst the beautiful produce that was around.

First stop (as always to make sure the mesclun and choice herbs don't run out) was at the Darling Mills stall. Amongst my usual purchases, I found the most amazing bunch of Thai basil that I have seen. The bunch was big and lush, with every single leaf in pristine condition. Usually, bunches of this herb are pretty sparse and wilted, with lots of tell-tale black spots on the leaves that say this ain't a fresh bunch. I'm planning to try out David Thompson's mussels with Thai basil and possibly sneak in a few leaves in an orange curry with prawns.

These beautiful mixed berries were just too good to give a miss. It's the height of berry season at the moment, and I've lately been addicted to Whisk and Pin's Summer Muesli with cinnamon and honey yoghurt and strawberries. I can't wait to have breakfast with these berry gems sprinkled on top!

I then found a bunch of water spinach, also known as Siamese watercress in Thai cooking, and kangkong in Philippine cooking. I know, it's sad, but I got pretty excited as this veggie can be hard to find outside of say Chinatown and Asian fruit and veg shops. It also reminded me a lot of home, as I was quite fond of it when I was a kid - one of the few veggies that I actually ate and enjoyed. Mind you, I best enjoyed it with the leaves battered and deepfried - almost tempura-like in texture, so it's not a big surprise I loved it. I'm still deciding on what to do with it, but will quite likely keep it simple as a stir-fried side veggie to one of the Asian dishes on this week's menu.

The Hubby and I are tomato freaks, so I can't really go past punnets of really, tiny baby toms when I see them. I specially pounce on yellow tomatoes when I see them, as again they can be hard to find. They are a bit more common now than they used to be, but still a real taste and sight sensation when you've got them through a simple garden salad or through orechiette pasta with feta cheese, or even through couscous.

Finally, I found something I've never seen before: Spanish bulb spring onions! I'm a bit funny with onions - I only tend to cook and use red Spanish onions. I just prefer their flavour - they're sweeter and milder, and they're pretty versatile across cuisines. On the odd occasion I will buy brown or white onions, and of course, white bulb spring onions but only if the dish *really* needs them. So it was such a delight to see these gorgeous Spanish bulb spring onions. Problem is they're so gorgeous, I just want to look at them rather than cook them! I'm still looking for a way to use them, and will let you know how I go.

Of Cookbooks and Suckling Pig

Went cookbook shopping with the Hubby on the weekend and realised that we hadn't bought a new cookbook in *ages*! We often get given cookbooks as pressies, so really haven't had the opportunity to buy any in recent years. A book voucher as a Christmas present (thanks, Little Grannie) presented an opportunity to go shopping.

And go shopping we did - we ended up with not just one but two cookbooks out of the seeming millions of titles that were on offer. Quite overwhelming actually - the cooking section spanned half a dozen shelves that wrapped around a corner of the bookshop, not to mention the tables of cookbooks on discount or specially featured. I frankly found it a bit deflating rather than exciting, seeing so many titles and authors (many so-called "celebrity chefs"). Don't know really know why - maybe it was a classic kid in a lolly shop with indigestion syndrome.

In any case, we were mighty pleased with our selection - we got Michel Roux Jr's "The Marathon Chef" cookbook which will inspire me in feeding the Hubby good food while he trains for the Can Too half marathon in May. It was only when I read the book at home that I realised he is the Michel Roux of Le Gavroche in London so that was pretty cool, and his recipes are really interesting - can't wait to get cooking.

And I capitulated to finally getting Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles" cookbook. I've kinda been resisting buying his cookbook, as we are quite avid readers of him since "Kitchen Confidential" and even went to see him speak at a previous Sydney Writers' Festival. I didn't want to come across as too much of an Anthony Bourdain tragic or food groupie. But his writing was too much to resist (the entry for making hollandaise sauce was hilarious), plus I can't wait to make his steak with bone marrow - mmmmm.... I hope Sarah my nutrionist isn't reading this! I am supposed to be aiming to lose 15 kilos in the next 6 months or so. I'll have to make more of Michel's recipes then and occasionally splash out with a classic French recipe from Anthony once a month!

Aside from cookbook shopping (and speaking of nutritionists - stop reading now, Sarah), another highlight of the weekend was cooking a shoulder of suckling pig. I just couldn't resist - I walked into my current favourite butcher Hudson Meats on Friday and saw the beautiful pre-marinated shoulder of suckling pig just crying out to be taken home and roasted for 2.5 hours in 150 degrees C. It was such a find, as normally Hudson requires a week's notice for the suckling pig as they source it from a specialty producer. How can any self-respecting foodie not pounce on such an opportunity? Unless you happen to not like pig, which would be such a shame.

And I have to say the pig was so beautiful and worth the wrath of Sarah - the marinade of rosemary, thyme, chili, garlic and olive oil just worked an absolute treat, with the skin crisping up deliciously and the flesh so tender and moist. We devoured it with baby potatoes pre-boiled and chucked into the roasting pan for the last hour of cooking, and with steamed baby green beans and sliced zucchini. The pork didn't really need the salsa verde that I whipped up, but it was nice to have it on the side anyway. I am a bit of a lily gilder after all!

Suckling pig prior to cooking

Slicing the piggy-poo

Pig, potatoes and greens plated - yum!

Rachey Cooks for Family, Friends and Charity

The Hubby says not to waste blog space talking about what a slack-arse blogger I am, so I won't. Suffice it to say that although the blog has been a bit idle, the cooking front certainly hasn't been!

Since being on holidays in August (such a long, long time ago!), I've cooked...

• for workmates (Melbourne Cup Lunch and a farewell, plus a bread and butter pudding)
• for charity raising money for cancer research through Can Too and for Cure Cancer Australia while the Hubby gets professional training to run around Sydney
• for friends at the M's House and Mr Testicles' and the Pie Lady's housewarming
• and for family over the Christmas and New Year hols, and had the pleasure to see my one-year old nephew eat cherries, basil pesto and barbecued pork ribs for the first time (and no, not all together!)

In the meantime, the Hubby survived almost a week without me while I went interstate on our annual conference AND managed to make a very respectable dinner using the Cooking for Engineers tabular format for following recipes (that one of my workmates witheringly called a Gantt chart for cooking, much to the Hubby's ire).

And yes, there are photos of dishes I've cooked and just haven't had the chance to post, while friends and family clamour for the recipe of this and that, and for God's sake please update your blog! (yes, Mike, I hear you).

So in the spirit of new year's resolutions, I will work on being a better blogger - whatever that is! Quite likely updating blogs more than just once a few months would be a start. It's probably totally against blogging etiquette, but I will be posting some articles retrospectively as there's some stuff that I'd really like to share. But I'll try not to post them all at once. :)

Cooking for Can Too - The Hungry Hordes Menu

Here's what I cooked for "The Hungry Hordes" to help raise funds for the Hubby's first Can Too run program...my, how time flies!!

The theme was "Anything but French!" seeing that T and K were headed off to France a few days after the dinner.  The aim was to have a degustation with a few choice luxe ingredients to keep the party humming. And with T generously opening up his extensive wine cellar (read: 400+ bottles of fabulous wine - he does have good taste!) and expertly matching the wines with the food, it was certainly a night to remember!

Canapes:

Jamon iberico

Prawn with avocado salsa on a fork

Goat's cheese and tuna tartare in filo pastry tart shells

Oyster tasting - 3 to 4 types of Sydney Rock Oysters with Pacific oysters -
served au naturel, with lime and rice vinegar dressing

Dinner:

Potato galette with soft poached quail eggs & Oscietra caviar

Patagonian toothfish poached in Asian masterstock with soba noodles and black sesame seeds

Orechiette pasta with pancetta, green beans, and shaved white summer truffles

Green apple sorbet

Twice cooked roast duck breast with Asian-style blood orange sauce

Veal medallions with wasabi butter and porcini mushroom risotto cake

Dessert:

Cheese three ways:

"Toasted cheese sandwich"
Roquefort cheese trifle with Beurre Bosc pear relish

Parmesan pannacotta

Buying Local Produce - A Visit to the Market

Last Thursday (28 August), the hubby and I got up early and visited the Byron Bay organic market. It was well worth the early start! A steaming cup of locally grown Myocum coffee (beans grown and roasted by hand by this single family) and a roll of Bangalow smoked bacon and organic egg with tomato salsa easily chased away the morning chill.

Located in a local oval, the farmers and growers set up their stalls in two fairly orderly lines, and the produce was incredibly good - fresh, in season and affordable. It was obvious that broccoli, kale, tatsoi, turmeric, ginger (but only for a fortnight more), and strawberries were in season.

I loved the fact that some stalls sold only a single thing - as in just eggs, or just sprouts, or just limes (more on this later), or just homebaked sourdough bread (in wheat and spelt flour), and quite unusually, just sugarcane juice. Well, this is sugarcane country after all. There's nothing quite like freshly squeezed sugar cane juice with extra ginger - not overpoweringly sweet as I expected it, and another first time food/drink ticked off my tasting list.

Speaking of limes, these babies are incredibly expensive at the moment - up to $35.00 a kilo in shops, and around .50 cents each at the growers market. We had a chat with the stall owner selling only limes and asked why it's so expensive, and it's because it's not in season. Out of 900 trees they have, she said they would be lucky to get maybe 20 kilos of limes in the off season. We also tried and got some of their handmade freshly squeezed lime juice cordial, with a little bit of sugar syrup as the sole preservative. Only in local markets!

We rounded up our numerous purchases with a taste and buy of some local cheeses and again all handmade and from a head of 100 cows milked twice daily - yummy haloumi cheese and incredible marinated fetta cheese. It was also nice to be able to share one of my recipes with the cheese makers - roasted chicken with labne or yoghurt cheese.

10 Tips for Holiday Cooking

Here are my top 10 tips for cooking on holidays:

1. Pack your own knives. If you are a keen cook, then you know what I mean, and I know your knife will be sharp like mine. Nothing is worse than trying to slice a tomato with a blunt knife and this is usually the kind that you find in holiday houses. Remember to pack the knives safely - wrapping them in a clean teatowel is sufficient. For the curious, I use a Furi East-West knife (non scalloped) bought 10 years ago - it's light yet makes quick work of hard stuff, sharpens beautifully, and sits nicely in my small hand.
   
2. Take some pantry essentials with you - my box would include:
   - olive oil (extra virgin & light or spray oil)
   - other oils - a flavoured olive oil (I am besotted with Pukara garlic oil) and sesame oil
   - selection of vinegars (balsamic, white and red wine vinegars)
   - soy sauce (dark, light and sweet - kecap manis)
   - selection of dried spices (I pack a small baggie of Herbie's spices)
   - sea salt (Maldon) and black pepper mill
   - some dry goods that are hard to find in a country town (I take Israeli couscous & quinoa)
   
3. Pack an esky with some frozen meats as this also acts as an ice pack for some of the perishables you're taking for the first couple of days in the house (e.g. milk!)
   
4. Plan for your first night's dinner and first breakfast at the very least and take the ingredients with you. It saves doing a shop when tired from a long drive and when all you want is to put your feet up for that first beer or glass of wine.
   
5. If you can, find out how well equipped the kitchen is. You can talk to the real estate agent or the house owner. I have been known to take a wok (doubles as a frypan) and a slow cooker like a Le Creuset French oven specially for long slow braises in winter).
   
6. Talk to the locals and find out where they shop. I ask for where to buy fruit and vegetables, a good delicatessen, fresh seafood, butcher and good restaurants.
   
7. Check out the local markets and/or shop local. This is a great chance to buy produce that's close to where the growers/farmers are. And if you tend to get excited by beautiful and fresh produce like I do, take a list of the essential stuff you have to buy to curb your spending!
   
8. Take a few choice recipe books and magazines, but don't go overboard. You are on holidays after all. Stay seasonal.
   
9. Consider investing in a Trangia or similar camp cooking implement. I was a bit hesitant, but hubby convinced me it was a good idea. The first time we boiled water to make plunger coffee (yes, yes, no instant coffee for me) and re-heat our lunch while on the road absolutely convinced me it was worth it. Great for picnics too.
   
10. And finally, be flexible and creative. It's not the end of the world if you can't find certain ingredients. Substitute or change the recipe to suit what you've got - it might just turn out to be a good result! This does get easier with time and experience.

That's about it. Happy holiday cooking!