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
Miss Chu Tuckshop
We love Miss Chu and now she has set up home in South Melbourne we can drop by or we can get amazing, lovely food delivered. Shanghai pork dumplings are one of hubby’s favourites and he loves these little bundles of fragrant pork in their wobbly little jackets. Prawn and crab net spring rolls are my absolutely addiction, I would eat these all day every day if I could!! Super crunchy little net rolls with delish stuffing. Crispy Chilli Squid has divided the family, I…
Banff
My favourite little hole in the wall pizza spot, it’s not fancy, wine is reasonably priced and served in water glasses, pizzas are less than $10 and the service is easy going. Oh yes!! The garlic, rock salt and olive oil – simple and perfectly done. This is my absolute favourite. Napoli with bocconcini and fresh basil, sensational! Roasted Italian Sausage with Napoli, caramelised onions and olives – they are all just a plate size pizza that you can share and enjoy with a lovely…
House of Crabs
Welcome to the House of Crabs and have yourself a ‘lagerita’ and a very good time! It’s time to put your gloves and bibs on and get cracking! Coconut peel and eat shrimp covered in toasted coconut and breadcrumbs we were delicious. South Australia mussels, poured out of their bag onto the plate, they were tender and lovely. Alaskan snow crab… well the legs! $55 worth but where does the rest of the crab go? Now you have to work for your dinner and get…
Indian Palace
We love a good curry and a soft pillowy naan! When in Brighton you should check out Indian Palace, an easy going, reasonably priced little curry place that is always service with a smile and lately dosa with a table extension!! How good does that look!! Dosas are South Indian pancakes, made from rice and lentil mixture, served with sambhar (lentil broth), filled with mushrooms and cheese – so it was almost like a pizza dosa! Just break off peices and dip into that lovely…
Lady Carolina
Lady Carolina were lovely enough to invite us down for a visit and check out what’s happening with a new menu and a beautiful restaurant, it’s a big space with an outdoor area and plenty of room for everyone to enjoy. Perhaps a bit cold, it’s hard to heat a big space like this but the food and friendly staff certainly warm you up! There is great food, great drinks and a lot of passion with the team and we loved every bit of our…
Radio Mexico Norte
We’ve always been a fan of Radio Mexico in St Kilda but I hadn’t thought of of the Northcote sister or realised how close it was to fave gig venue Northcote Social. So it was a great surprise to be wondering along High Street and my plan A and B both failed and then there was a welcoming light up the side street and Radio Mexico Norte was there waiting to feed me! We weren’t super hungry but needed a little sustenance to keep us…
Ichi Ni
There are few restaurants I go to in Melbourne as frequently as I go to Ichi Ni on the St Kilda front, it’s my favourite place to enjoy a glass of wine, watch the sun set over the bay and enjoy some of Melbourne’s best Japanese. It’s mid afternoon and we wanted some wine and snacks. So a cold glass of Chardonnay and some pork gyoza are a perfect match. Nice little pot stickers, burnished on one side and full of fragrant pork with a…
Sichuan House
I must stop trying to kill my friends with spice!!! It’s a cold Friday night and the bar I picked that was supposed to have great bar food is a bit cold and loud and the bar food seems to be a cheese plate so we scurry off in the rain and I have the great idea of Sichuan House. Perfect on a busy Friday night, you can always get a table and it’s BYO or just super cheap anyway!! The menu is huge but…
Spitiko
Spitiko – our reliable local serving plates of lovely dips, pita, saganaki and grilled meats, perfect on a cold rainy night to bunker down in, their house reds are a decent drink and you and your closest can curl up and eat some real comfort food. Dips with tarama, eggplant, tzatziki and the most beautiful pita breads, all warm and fluffy, you’d feel sorry the gluten free crowd here. Saganaki – a big old slab of grilled kefalograviera cheese with oregano and lemon, you’d feel…
Sake
Sake has been in Melbourne for some time but there is a different vibe to their new home on Flinders Lane, it’s classy, moody, decadent, fun and loveable all at the same time! The staff are fantastic, we were lucky enough to be invited to the opening party back in April and the same fantastic team are there today bringing sensational food with utter professionalism and skill (and plenty of smiles too!). The space is tricky but they are absolutely making it work with a…
Hats and Tatts
Hats and Tatts, where the frat boys ‘derelict my balls’, spirits and beer rules and there is some bloody good food on the go. We’re big fans and mis-spent a cold afternoon there playing darts and drinking near the fire. Wines are red or white – and drinkable, so that’s ok! The boys love the beers and I love the food so it’s a good place to be. Burgers are legendary, they just know how to do a good burger, fresh, good buns, good quality…
Pablo Honey
Pablo Honey, St Kilda’s coolest spot where tequila is king and there is a $2,500 bottle where your $250 shot will get your name on the board and add you to a very exclusive list of tequila legends! The guys invited us down to try out some of their great cocktails and sample the crazy good menu they have going on. So you have to try the cocktails, there were some boys in on a company credit card that were trying ALL the cocktails but…
Cookbooks
Bill’s Italian Food
September’s cookbook – Bill’s Italian Food from the lovely Bill Granger. Mr G is fast becoming a favourite go too for quick and delicious recipes! Across his selection of books (apparently there are eleven… I am missing some!) I have favourite recipes in each that I know I can pull out and rustle up a feast without a big fuss or cost. Bill’s Italian Food is the latest installment to my collection and throughout September we are enjoying the recipes inspired by his travels across…
Tony May – Italian Cuisine
Possibly my go to traditional Italian failsafe, this is such a great book and… there are no pictures!! SO no pictures in my blog either!! This is THE book I cook my classics from, it’s straight from the Nonnas and the flavour profiles are simple, Italian elegance. Recipe 1 – Fettuccine alla Carbonara Has just seven ingredients and not one of them is cream!! This is pancetta, egg yolks and olive oil to create a creaminess and richness. I have a tendency to want to…
Cookbook – Sophie Dahl Miss Dahls Voluptous Delights
Recipe 2 – Pear & Ginger Muffins Had a bit of rhubarb lying around so that went in too! Substituted spelt flour for wholemeal flour and oat bran and they are a bit dense but super tasty!! ******************************************************************************************* Last published 21st July 2012 The 2012 Cookbook Challenge – at least one recipe from one book, every week, for the whole year! Wk 26 / Bk 26 – Sophie Dahl Miss Dahls Voluptous Delights Click here to see the adventures so far! 2012 Cookbook Challenge :-…