Recipes & More
Zucchisagne
Serves 6 Ingredients for the bolognese; 500g Lean mince beef 2 onions diced 3 stalks of celery 250g mushrooms sliced 1/2 red capsicum diced Can of crushed tomatoes 400g Sachet of salt reduced tomato paste Empty can of boiling water 1tsp of powdered beef stock 1tbl of worchestershire sauce 1tbk of dark soy Teaspoon 1 tsp mixed herbs 1/2 tsp Rosemary 1 tsp oregano 1/2 cup of red wine Rest of ingredients; 8 small zucchini 400g low fat ricotta 1/2 cup of skim milk 250gs…
Slow Cooked Minty Lamb Stew
Slow Cooked Minty Lamb Stew Serves 2 Ingredients; 2 lamb shanks Bunch of fresh mint Tsp of dried rosemary I can of chopped tomatoes Tablespoon on chicken stock powder Sliced mushrooms Two onions quartered Water – fill up empty tomatoes can 1 1/2 Salt and pepper Method; Place everything in the slow cooker and cook according to your cookers settings, mine took a good 4 hours on high. Once the meat is falling off the bone take out the meat and bones and a cup…
Beef Bulgogi
Beef Bulgogi Serves 4 Ingredients; 500 grams beef – either a nice piece of steak that you can slice finely (if you put your steak in the freezer until it starts to nearly freeze you can slice it really easily) or beef strips are fine. 1 pear ½ tsp minced garlic 1 tsp ginger 1 tbsp Soy sauce ½ tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar 4 x Spring onions finely sliced 1 pinch of chilli flakes Salt and pepper Method; Peel and grate pear into glass bowl…
Recent Blogs
The Montague
The Monty or the Montague in South Melbourne has been through a few iterations over the years, a very blokey pub, a very good gastro – pub, an old mans haunt and now it looks like it is back on track with a bit of a spruce up, some nice candles, beers can collection gone and a great new menu. It’s a miserable cold night and most of the tables are near windows and doors so naturally a little chilly, I’m sure there is a…
8bit Burgers
There is some fierce competition at the moment for best burgers in Melbourne and we have some definite favourites with Arbory, Royale Brothers, Royal Stacks and 8bit providing a steady stream of fabulous, juicy, succulent, wonderful burgers. But 8Bit has more than just one of our favourite burgers – they have sausage too!! The menu is all good fun with the usual suspects delivered very well, my favourite the 8bit with cheese is a simple Beef patty with Tomato, Lettuce, Red Onion, Pickles, Mustard, Cheese,…
Juicy Bao
We love dumplings, good, cheap, piles of lovely wobbly dumplings, preferably in an easy going BYO setting – we like to call it Cheap and Dumpliful!! We had picked a different venue down the road but when we got there they appear to have gone so far up their own that they were charging $10 corkage and you were ordering your food standing in the street…. I only paid $20 for the wine so not open to paying 50% corkage and … it’s dumplings people…
Three Little Dumplings
There is a new dumpling shop on Clarendon Street and we will take any old excuse to get some dumpling time! It’s small and cheap and cheerful, as all good dumpling spots should be! None of this high end, queue for hours for this gal, I want my dumplings hot and less than a $1 each! The service is friendly and easy going, there is free chicken and sweetcorn soup and the beers we ordered on the table before we can decide. Dim Sim, Dumpling,…
Chiara
I can’t remember the last time I went to a nice Italian restaurant, not the last few were awful but we just don’t seem to have been to any! Chiara is lovely, a brilliant choice by my fabulous lunch date, a little bit fancy and a lot of nice! The service is lovely, friendly but getting the job done. It’s the kind of place you go for a lunch and end of spending alllllll day!! One more chardonnay please!! The menu is traditional Italian with…
Baby Pizza
Oh it’s all too easy with Uber Eats to avoid cooking after a long day and with so much choice it’s even more tempting. There are new places popping up all the time to now get your dinner from and when Baby Pizza in Richmond appeared I was beside myself – polenta fries to my home!!! I’m a huge fan and used to be much nearer but now unless I get in the car and head on over to see them I haven’t been able…
Biggie Smalls Kbabs
I confess I don’t know much about Biggie but the google machine tells me that Christopher George Latore Wallace born May 21, 1972 and passed March 9, 1997, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie, or Biggie Smalls, was an American rapper. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. Hits you might know include Juicy, Wha Shot ya, Ten Crack Commandments and Nasty Girl, as well as the Notorious B. I. G. Once…
Lina’s Bistro à Vin
Lina’s has been a good little local for a long time and it’s a perfect spot rain or shine for some sensational steak and frites! The menu is easy going Euro-tastic with a bar menu and a full menu that changes frequently season to season. Grab a stool at the bar and enjoy croquettes, pizza, charcuterie or take on the full menu with baked camembert, French onion soup, garlic prawns, Coq au Vin, Parisian gnocchi and an exceptional pepper steak. The small charcuterie is very…
Burgerlab
Burgerlab, an old garage in Parkdale converted into a very cool burger joint for the lucky locals. With two spots open out that way we can only dream they could come to nearer home but it’s a short drive down the Nepean to get a damn good burger fix. The menu has a range of non burger options with a good looking salmon, beef brisket and pork ribs. But I want a burger ….. Hmmmm decisions! I had to go the Special of the day…
Gru Thai
Recently opened in South Melbourne, Gru Thai is a nice space, there are tables in the window area where you can sit cross legged on the floor or plenty of tables back in the restaurant area. The menu is extensive with all the classics and the service was nice and friendly. Entrees are my dream list of the best Thai treats, I could order them ALL!! Spring Roll, Curry Puff, Chicken Satay, Fish Cake, Herbs Chicken Wings, Mooping & Sticky Rice, Gaiping & Sticky Rice,…
Kamel with Foodora
I am a huge fan of Kamel restaurant, a Middle Eastern spin on fantastic fresh and healthy food… well as healthy as you make it!! And now, like most, they are delivering to your door! So when you get home from a tough day and you just cannot hit the kitchen – let Kamel come to you. The menu is a tastebud tantalising list of food designed to share, so you can get a few dishes delivered and have your own little feast at home….
California Burgers
I wish they all could be California! Well your burgers can! This delivery revolution is killing my diet but opening a whole new world up… or not as I don’t leave the house BUT we are trying food from places we haven’t been before! Including California Burger in Prahran, beautiful fresh burgers delivered to your door on a cold, miserable Winters night! The menu is burger focused but there is a lot to choose from including tacos, ribs and chicken but really they are all…
Cookbooks
Argentinian Street Food
A book dedicated to Argentinian Street Food – having never been to South America, this is probably the closest I will get this week. Infact, cooking different cuisines is a great way to explore the world from your kitchen! Now this book is heavily swayed towards empanadas and ice cream or Empanadas, Helados & Dulce de Leche. And drum roll……. a key part of this is making your own pastry! For some reason I find pastry a scary proposition but like most baking, as long…
Donna Hay – New Classics
It’s a biggie! Barely fits in the recipe book holder and there are sooooo many great recipes I want to try. Donna Hay’s New Classics is just as it sounds, the latest and greatest from across cuisines, the fusion of amazing flavours for our everyday cooking. I could not stop cooking from this book, 17 recipes and nearly every one I loved and did a pretty good job with! Probably the best meal I have ever cook is recipes 14 – 17, how good was…
The Burger Book Adventures
Any excuse to go on a burger rampage across Melbourne!! I love a good burger – who doesn’t? And we are pretty spoilt in Melbourne, so much so you can now buy The Burger Book and take the burger challenge – How many places can you visit? The book is a beautiful combination of burger stories, recipes for the perfect burger elements and a tour of the best burger joints across the suburbs. So who did we visit? Third Wave Cafe – Port Melbourne 9/10…