Brunch/Lunch #2: Corn Fritters w/ Bacon and Avocado

As previously mentioned, given my lack of enthusiasm for eggs in their purest form, Corn Fritters are my benchmark brunch. The thing I will naturally gravitate towards when deciding whether a venue warrants making it into the breakfast 'rotation policy'. The best I've found are from Replete in Kew, and that's due in no small part to the accompaniments - avocado and crispy Istra bacon (ohhh yeah), as well as a home-made tomato chutney and sour cream. I've had other versions with slow-roasted tomatoes, ratatouille, and I may have even seen some with smoked salmon.

My own interpretation (one of my absolute favourite recipes) is based on that in Bill Granger's Sydney Food, with the addition of some creamed corn in place of a little of the milk, which I think means you can taste the sweetcorn better right through the fritter. [You can of course puree some of the fresh corn and milk together before adding to the mix for much the same effect]. Personally, I like my fritters to be crispy, but not too egg-y.

Strangely, I was slightly disappointed in the dish itself when I actually ate it at bills in Sydney, but again, that could have just been the accompaniments. Definitely the worst example I've ever had (at a place in Manly, clearly something about Sydney and this dish) fell into this trap, and looked more like an omelette than anything else...

INGREDIENTS

(makes 12 medium-sized fritters, served 4 people)

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

200ml creamed corn
Kernels from 1 large corn-on-the=cob

1/2 cup diced red pepper (capsicum)
1/2 cup sliced spring onions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup chopped coriander and parsley
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt and Black Pepper

To accompany

Crispy Bacon

1 diced ripe avocado

Sour Cream

Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce

METHOD

• Sift flour, baking powder, salt and paprika into a large bowl, stir in sugar and make a well in the centre.
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs and milk.
• Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. The batter will be quite stiff.

• Place corn, capsicum, spring onions and herbs in a mixing bowl and add just enough batter to lightly bind them (about 3/4 cup).
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non-stick fying pan on medium heat, then drop in 2 tablespoons of batter or oil per fritter and cook 3 or 4 fritters at a time.
• Cook for 2 minutes, or until the underside of each fritter is golden.
• Turn over and cook fritters on the other side.
• Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining batter.

ASSEMBLY

• Drizzle sweet chilli sauce onto plate.
• Layer fritters with half rashers of bacon, and top with diced avocado, a teaspoon of sour cream, and another half rasher of bacon.
• Scatter with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes from Bill: The fritter batter can be kept for up to 3 days, but do not mix the batter with the vegetables more than an hour before you're ready to cook, or the fritters will be soggy.

Passionate about Food: The Early Years

Food is a very important part of my life. It is far more than just fuel, more something to be enjoyed at all stages of interaction with it - growing it (if you have the set-up to do so), shopping for it, cooking it and eating it. I struggle to understand those who don't take pleasure in it, those who claim that they are 'too busy' to take an interest, and those who think it's all just too much of a chore. (I wish I had my copy of Bad Food Britain with me in Australia so that I could quote some stats).

I remember being taught how to bake simple things (Rock Cakes, Scones, Shortbread) at Primary School at around 5/6 years old. From memory, it was a rotating collective of Mothers who would take groups of us, help us mix the ingredients, and load our efforts into a small oven. I can remember feeling very proud when I brought home the fruits of my labour to my family at the end of the day, and angry if my biscuits burnt. There was also trips to both sets of grandparents (thats me in the middle with Nanna Vi on the left, and Nanny Joan on the right), where there always being some kind of baked goods on offer. And as I learnt recipes at school, I'd recreate them at my Nanna's on the weekend, with my cheese scones being a particular specialty (and Colmans Mustard Powder the secret ingredient.). And I always had good role models - my paternal grandfather did all the cooking after my Nan had a heart attack at 50 because he didn't want her to push herself into another, and my Dad and brother are both keen cooks.

At Secondary School, we had a choice of which 'technology' subject to study at GSCE, with the options being CDT (Woodwork, Metalwork and the like), Art, Graphics, Textiles or Food Technology (aka a modernised Home Economics). Having inherited absolutely zero of my (Mechanical Engineer) Dad's manual dexterity , and not being able to draw for shit, I went for the later. From memory, there were three or four boys in a class of just over twenty. We entered the 'Challenge Colmans' contest, making, creating, and marketing a brand new product (ours was a tomato salsa called "It's Hot!" back in 1994 [before Old El Paso had really taken off]), and made up new chocolate bars (mine was remarkably like the Cadbury's Fuse Bar, again, before it launched in 1996). I like to think I was ahead of the curve, and that someone was secretly watching our class and stealing our ideas....

However, for me, the thing that I remember most was recreating a supermarket microwave meal using ingredients from scratch (mine being some kind of cream-based pasta dish), and then doing a taste test. Of course, the homecooked dish won virtually every time for everyone in the class, and I think it was this that made an indelible mark on me.

Years on, we've seen Jamie Oliver attempt to overhaul School Dinners, and teach basic cookery skills to those who think heating up a plastic tray of slop is "making dinner". And now we have the supposed resurgence (in Australia) of Home Cooking, no doubt led in part by households cutting back on eating out in economically challenging times, and spurred on by the phenomenon that is Masterchef Australia and it's assorted imitators. And all of a sudden, we're starting to hear of children wanting to get involved, so much so that Channel 10 are to launch a kids version of the show. I'm curious as to exactly how this will pan out in reality, and whether it'll just be full of precocious little brats from wealthy inner-suburban backgrounds messing around with wagyu, or whether it'll represent an wider spectrum and thus have a greater potential to have a greater social impact (I can but dream). Because it's the influences around us that shape our views on food...the grandparents who let us help make biscuits when we're kids, the trips to the supermarket with your parents, and the shows we see on TV...

Melbourne vs Sydney

Melbourne. You know I love you. Some would say it's unhealthy how much I rave about you, like I've joined some kind of cult. And don't get me started about Sydney, because although it's undeniably a beautiful, spectacular city, it's just not 'me'. Melbourne is, and others have come up with much better analogies as to why. I don't need to say any more than that.

But I'm come to realise that whilst Melburnians operate with one eye on Sydney, constantly trying to assert themselves via various differential points (sport, culture, food, coffee etc), I really don't think Sydneysiders give a toss the other way. It's the classic Little Brother Syndrome, even though in pure population terms, there isn't much difference. Melbourne likes to look at Sydney as being a shallow, flashy, attention seeker, and yet can't resist the urge to try and score points in a similar vein. In a way, it derides Sydney for being how it is, and then sometimes acts like an attention-seeking brat, throwing a tantrum that visitors get seduced by the Harbour City.

Case in point, an article in todays Age, reporting a study commissioned by the Victorian Government (therefore hardly likely to be the most objective), of which the summary is "look at all these things people think Melbourne is better than Sydney for". To me, this just seems like petty points scoring on the part of politicians, and The Age has come along for the ride. Flicking through today's paper, I saw at least two or three other occasions where the writer could not pass up on the opportunity to have another sly dig at their 'competitor' over the border in New South Wales.

I like to paint Sydney as the pantomime villain, as do most others down here. Hell, when in Sydney, I even have a habit of keeping score out loud as to why I prefer Melbourne. It's fun. But maybe Melbourne needs to be more comfortable in its own skin and stop looking over the border at Sydney.

Lunch #2 - Roasted Vegetable Bruschetta with Red Onion Hummus

Another tried-and-tested lunch option that is also perfect to take on picnics. It's also another of those recipes that I can't help but change slightly every time I make it. Sometimes it's to substitute the Red Onions for Aubergine (or Eggplant) in the hummus, or maybe just to change the spices slightly.

This entry is dedicated to someone who I apparently "terrify" by having a (predominately) food blog...

INGREDIENTS

Hummus Base

1 can drained chickpeas
3 or 4 tbs Tahini
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
3 red onions

fresh thyme

drizzle of honey

drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Loads of olive oil to get to the right consistency
a good shake/squeeze of Tabasco, harissa or some other chilli sauce

pinch of cumin

Roasted Vegetables

2 courgettes, in large dice

1 large red pepper (capsicum) or 2 smaller ones, cut to same size as courgettes

1 large green pepper (capsicum) or 2 smaller ones, cut to same size as courgettes

1 small aubergine/eggplant

3 ripe tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

glug of olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

Freshly chopped flat parsley and lemon juice to garnish

METHOD

1. First, cut the red onion for the hummous into smallish wedges. Drizzle with oil, honey, balsamic vinegar and thyme and roast in a low over for approximately 30 mins until caramelised. Leave to cool.

2. Add all other hummus ingredients into a food processor, and blend until smooth, gradually adding olive oil until the right consistency is reached.

3. Add the cooled roasted onions and process again until smooth. Set to one side in the frigde.

4. For the roasted vegetables, dice all ingredients into similar sized pieces, drizzle with oil and roast at 180c for approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

5. When cooked, scatter with flat parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

6. For bruschetta, cut slices of ciabatta or other similar bread and rub with a cut clove of garlic. Spray lightly with olive oil, and chargrill until slightly toasted.

ASSEMBLY

1. Spread toasted bread lightly with a tablespoon of hummus. Top with large spoonful of vegetables, and a small dollop of hummus. Scatter with more parsley if desired.

Baking for Breast Cancer

As mentioned in yesterdays post, a number of us at work baked pink-themed goodies for a morning tea in aid of The National Breast Cancer Foundations Pink Ribbon Day. Virtually everyone in the office (30 or so people) sampled our collective wares, and proved that 10am on a Monday morning is plenty late enough for cake...

Naturaly, I tried to be a little different from the usual suspects of pink icing and berries, instead making a couple of things using Pink Peppercorns, which still have that peppery flavour, albeit with a slight citrus tinge. They also look pretty damn cool.

(Top Left)

EL BULLI's WHITE CHOCOLATE AND FENNEL LEAF 'FOSSILS' WITH PINK PEPPERCORNS
(From El Bulli 1998-2002 via Hungry in Hogtown - Makes 24 (approx))

1. Arrange small fennel leaves on a transparent sheet and add lightly crushed pepper.
2. In a small Ziploc bag, heat approximately 100 grams of white chocolate in the microwave until is just melted.
3. When just melted, snip off a corner of the Ziploc to make it a pastry bag.
4. Squeeze white chocolate over each leaf, then cover with another transparent sheet and press until "it is like a fossil."
5. Chill.

(Bottom Left)

CHOCOLATE, LIME CURD AND PINK PEPPERCORN MERINGUE TARTLETS
(From Bron Marshall's Website, makes 24 mini-muffin (i.e. tiny) sized tarts)

Chocolate Pastry

1 cup of plain white flour
2 tablespoons of quality cocoa
a pinch of salt
85 grams of butter
½ cup of caster sugar
1 small egg or 1 large yolk

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into a large bowl or food processor.
2. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour either with your hands or using a food processor, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Whisk the castor sugar and egg together and add to the mixture to make a firm dough.
4. On a lightly floured bench or board knead the mixture until it forms a smooth ball.Handle as little as possible to prevent the pastry from becoming hard when baked.
5. Cover the pastry with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F or gas mark 4.
7. On a lightly floured board or bench carefully roll out the pastry.
8. With a round cookie cutter cut the dough into rounds to fit patty or mini muffin tins.
9. Bake blind for 6 to 8 minutes and remove from the oven.

Lime curd

¾ cup of white sugar
1 ½ tablespoons of cornflour (cornstarch)
½ cup of water
½ cup of lime juice
grated zest of two limes
2 egg yolks
30 grams of butter, cubed

1. Stir the sugar, cornflour, water, lime juice and grated lime zest over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved
2. Continue to heat gently until the mixture has thickened somewhat.
3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and butter.
4. Continue to cook over a bain marie until the desired, fairly thick consistency has been reached.

Meringue

2 egg whites
pinch salt
½ cup of caster sugar
1 tablespoon of pink peppercorns, crushed

1. Beat the egg whites and salt in a extremely clean bowl until soft peaks form.
2. Gradually add the sugar, beating well until all the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is glossy.
3. Fill the baked tartlet shells with a spoonful of lime curd and then pipe the meringue on top of each tartlet.
4. Finally, sprinkle with a few crushed pink peppercorns.
5. Place them back in the oven for 5 minutes until the meringue is cooked through and slightly golden.

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The White Chocolate 'Fossils' looked amazing, but took a couple of bites to get used to - the combination of the chocolate and fennel is very unusual. Those at work who were willing to take the plunge and tried them said much the same. Yes, they're a little gimmicky, but it was worth it for experimentations sake...

The tartlets were a roaring success. Sure, it took me two goes to get the meringue right (the first batch wasn't thick enough) but I surprised myself with my pastry skills, considering I'm not that much of a baker. The sweetness of the meringue contrasted nicely with the tartness of the lime curd, with a little bit of spice from the peppercorns to round things off.

Brunch: Baked Chickpeas with Maple Syrup and Bacon

Being English, Heinz Baked Beans (with an 's', not a 'z' thanks) on Toast (hereafter BoT) holds many memories. Sometimes I'd spice them up with another iconic British foodstuff, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, sometimes it was Tabasco. Occasionally I'd grate some Cheddar Cheese onto the toast as well. Of course, beans are also an obligatory part of the Full English Breakfast, otherwise known as Heart Attack On A Plate.

I'm a nightmare at breakfast because of my dislike of eggs in their natural from, but this also means I'm guaranteed to gravitate towards the slightly less 'standard' options. Aside from my benchmark brunch (Corn Fritters with Bacon, the best being at Replete in Kew), I've seen numerous variations of BoT over here, one of the best being at my local, New York Tomato. Yesterday I decided to put my own twist on matters, using Chick Peas.....

BAKED CHICKPEAS WITH MAPLE AND BACON

(Serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

400g can of Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

4 rashers streaky bacon

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

400g can Diced Tomatoes (or equivalent of Passata)

100ml Vegetable Stock

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs pure maple syrup

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1 or 2 baby bocconcini

1tsp Green Pesto

METHOD

1. In a saucepan, heat oil and cook bacon, onion and garlic for 3 minutes until soft.
2. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup and mustard.
3. Simmer for a 30 minutes until thick and chickpeas are tender. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Transfer to small earthenware dishes, scatter with sliced bocconcini and grill until melted.

5. Drizzle with pesto (thinned out with olive oil if needed)

Serve with chargrilled sourdough bread.

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Today has been a day of cooking and baking, with the result being a whole load of recipes that I'll write up over the rest of the coming week. We're having a fundraising morning tea at work tomorrow in aid of The National Breast Cancer Foundations Pink Ribbon Day, with all food having to have a pink theme...so I've been messing around with Pink Peppercorns. More of that another time....

Lunch #1 (Brown Rice, Lentil and Feta Salad)

As previously mentioned, I'm on a mission to reduce my propensity for unhealthy snacking during the working week. This means plenty of wholegrains such the aforementioned Bircher Muesli for breakfast (I added shredded coconut this time), followed by a brown rice salad for lunch. I've made this numerous times before, and it's received good feedback, so here it is

(4 serves)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked and cooled Brown Rice
1 can cooked brown lentils, rinsed

75g crumbled feta

1/2 diced red pepper (Capsicum for all you Aussies and Americans)

1/2 diced cucumber

a large glug of Olive Oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Lots of chopped flat parsley
blanched broccoli (1-2 minutes in boiling water, then under cold water to stop them cooking)
pinch of some vaguely Middle-Eastern/North African spices (cumin/coriander/Ras el Hanout etc)
salt and black pepper

METHOD

Mix it all together.

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To be honest, it's one of those recipes constantly evolving, and I'm very much of the "see what's lying around and throw it in if it might work" school of cookery. Diced fresh tomatoes would also work, and in a way it's becoming a bit like tabouleh without the couscous. It's also good with some grilled, marinated chicken or lamb skewers if you're looking for a more substantial meal.

I made a big batch of this (which should see me through lunch this week) and loaded it into my Tiffin this morning. That's good eatin'...

Breakfast #1 (Bircher Muesli)

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 'They' are probably right, but I am a big fan of lie-ins, and are therefore notoriously bad at finding the time before I head into work.

I am also a compulsive snacker, and not always a healthy one. I think these two things are connected somehow, so I have started to make a conscious effort to try and eat a tasty, healthy breakfast that provides the necessary sustenance until lunch. And I'm not talking about Shreddies.

On Thursday evening, after suffering pangs of guilt for not making it to the gym, I made Bircher Muesli, named after Swiss Physician Maximillian Bircher-Becker. I'm not one for boxed muesli normally as I have an aversion to almonds, but my creation turned out remarkably well, and I made it through to Friday lunch without reaching for the snacks, so I thought I'd post it on here.

I'm not one for following recipes to the letter, so inspiration was gathered from various sources, and then I made something up. This does 4 serves, and is stupidly easy to make. And yes that photo is of mine.

INGREDIENTS

3 large handfuls of coarse oats.

30g (ish) Pumpkin seeds

30g (ish) Sunflower seeds

30g Crushed Mixed Nuts (I used Peanuts)

50g Sultanas (or other mixed dried fruit)

2 Granny Smith Apples

Drizzle of Honey

Pinch of Cinnamon

Apple Juice and/or Milk

METHOD

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, and top with enough Apple Juice/Milk to just cover them. Mix thoroughly.

2. Soak overnight so that oats soak up all the liquid.

3. The next morning, coarsely grate the apples (leaving the skin on) and add to the muesli with the honey (if mixture needs sweetening). Mix.

Serve with a dollop of Natural Yogurt topped with some fruit (I used defrosted frozen mixed berries).

Inspiration*

Hello again. It's really about time I wrote something else of substance. Recent efforts from Vic, Josie and Renee have provided the catalyst. More later. Gym first.

*Sources of Inspiration will remain. Based on previous form, my motivation to write in my own blog ongoing may not....

A re-introduction of sorts ....

I first came to Australia in September 2002, having finished University back in the UK a few months prior. If you’d have told me before Uni that I’d be flying to the other side of the world on my own and spending nearly 10 months away from home I’d have probably laughed (albeit quietly) in your face. Most people who had known me for any length of time would probably have told you it wasn’t the sort of thing I do. But, to me, it seemed like the right thing to do, and something I needed to do. Sure, it was another Western country, and as things turned out, I wouldn’t exactly end up roughing it, but in the nearly seven years since, I haven’t regretted a single minute of it. Now I’m back living in Melbourne, have been here nearly two years this time, and can honestly say I feel more at home here than anywhere else in the world.

They say you’re either a Sydney or a Melbourne person. I agree, and have already (in my head) put most people I know back in the UK into one category for the other. On trips to Sydney, I still have a habit of keeping a running, out-loud score between the two cities. Perhaps it was the relationship with a local girl that started not long after I arrived, but I fell instantly into the latter. To me, Melbourne was a beguiling mixture of familiarity (its European-style buildings, its seasons, the language) that put me at ease, combined with the isolation that came from being so far away from home. It was a big place, bigger than Norwich, the regional city where I’d spent the first 21 years of my life, and not as big and overwhelming as London, which I had regularly visited, and would subsequently spend nearly four years living in between 2003 and 2007. I liked the fact that it wasn’t as flashy and ‘obvious’ as Sydney, that it had inner suburbs, each with their own distinct character and appeal, and I loved the fact that it ticked my three personal ‘big boxes’; the things that make up a very important part of my life; namely music, food, and sport.

A fair bit has happened since I first started writing in this blog, during the considerable downtime between the last post and this one. Some of these may end up being discussed here, most won’t be. My idea now is to structure future posts around the three things that make me love Melbourne as much as I do. It really is a fantastic city for all three....