A trip to the Farmer's Market

On a delicious Saturday morning, Furry and I head to the Rosebud Farmer's Market. You'd be mad to buy your fruit and veg from anywhere else. The produce was glisteningly fresh and the prices were so unbelievably good!!!

I got all my ingredients for tonight's Bloggers Banquet (except for the cheese) for about 10 bucks!!!

Unfortunately, Furry had made us breakkie, so we didn't feel like sampling the pies (as out commitment to finding the perfect Aussie Pie) but I assure you, we'll be back and will report in!







We also got some herbs for the new garden, 5 pots for $10!!!



Make a note. Go there!!

Got a lazy $1000 US for lunch???

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A New York chef has come up with a luxury version of one of the city's staple foods -- the $1,000 bagel.

The pricey bagel, that is topped with white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves, joins a list of $1,000 delicacies in Manhattan that includes an ice-cream sundae topped with a 23-karat edible gold leaf and a pizza topped with six kinds of caviar and lobster.

The bagel is the creation of chef Frank Tujague of The Westin New York hotel at Times Square and was designed in part to help raise funds for Les Amis d'Escoffier Scholarship which provides scholarships to students of the culinary arts.

"I wanted to create something that speaks to New York, and is also a reflection of my culinary passion for seasonality and fine ingredients," said Tujague in a statement.

He said by weight, white truffles -- also known as "white gold" and "kings of the table" -- are the second most expensive food in the world next to caviar.

Like mushrooms, truffles are the fruiting bodies of fungi, except that they grow underground instead of popping up on the surface. They grow in a symbiotic relationship with trees, taking sugar from the roots and giving back minerals.

Truffles are said to be an aphrodisiac because their aroma is similar to that of pheromones, which are irresistible to some mammals and can be picked up by dogs and female pigs used to sniff out the precious tubers.

With a limited seasonal window from now until the end of the year, the $1,000 bagel is only available until December 14.

"Bagels are a New York food landmark, which is where the base for this dish came from. White truffles are a simple, quality ingredient that takes the meal, or the bagel in this case, to the next level," said Tujague.

Does this qualify as "sell-your-soul" food??

And how many do I need to bring for the Bloggers Banquet??

Where's the eye-rolling icon when you need it??


See more photos HERE.

Lunch for one.

Sigh.. someone had to come home to feed the puppies, Mrs Peaches and Stella-Bella-Bottom-Smeller. so while the rest of the fam continue to celebrate Furry's birthday, I am up her, in GW on a miserable, wet, cold day.

So what more do I need to cheer me up and warm my cockles, than MORE PIZZA!!!

A trip down to Kerrie Road IGA reveals a new product, pre-baked, vegan friendly tomato pizza base. 100% Aussie made. They come from Pizzeria Perfecto and at $7.95, they are NOT going to be a staple on the family menu, but for one, it's not too bad. The come from Balmain, NSW, so they've got some food miles on 'em, but much better than using imported khobz or nasty nasty pre-fab bases from Woolies.





Inspired by my chevre recipe from yesterday, I decided to grab another variety. Cos I left the other jar down at CFdM, and I am guessing that it won't come home!This time (because my organic shop isn't open) I choose Meredith Dairy marinated goats cheese. It's Winner of six Gold medals including Champion Royal Melbourne Dairy Show 2003 & 2004.

The web site: Meredith Dairy.




I grab a chunk of prosciuto.. the one I rejected yesterday.





Now I have a mostly SOLE meal for one.

Cost: $25 even.

Much more expensive that yesterday. I certainly couldn't do this for the whole fam, but I will get more than one pizza out of the cheese and the prociutto. It's a lot cheaper than Maccas or a meal out, but when you can get imported khobz for 99c for 6 on special at Coles, it better taste like truffle-infused foie gras!!

But, the point is, that I have a mostly-SOLE meal, bought at an IGA in the 'burbs. It CAN BE DONE!!!

Will bake it off in a few mins and post an update.

Chow!!

SOUL food #2

As per my previous post on SOLE food, this weekend, I sourced some local produce. My intentions were three fold. To see how easy and economical it was to buy SOLE foods in the heart of suburban GW, and to practice what I am planning for The Blogger's Banquet.

In the heart of GW lies a little shopping centre that couldn't be more different from The Glen or that god-awful Pox Shitty (Knox City). It's a wee strip of shops in Kerrie Road, and there you can find oodle of things that fit into SOLE.

The butcher there sources all their meat from Cardinia, a suburb less that 20 mins away. They stock free-range eggs and hens, LaIonica chooks, and they make all their smoked goods on site.

And they're bloody helpful. Yes, you pay more than dodgy gas-packed meat from Coles or Safeway, but not SUBSTANTIALLY more.

And it's good.

Right nesxt door there is Michael's Organic Delights

8 Kerrie Road Glen Waverley VIC 3150

(03) 9886 7107

They also sell non-organic produce, and on discussion, much of it is sourced on SOLE principles.



I choose some organic "sparrowgrass (from Kooweerup, about 25mins away) for my practice run for the banquet:



and I grab some organic sheep's cheese ($9.95 for 250g, in oil and spices) from Tarago River (in Neerim South, about 35 mins away).

Yes, it's a lot to pay for cheese. Click here to see why. BUT.... I am not using the whole jar, just a wee bit, and the rest I will eek out over the course of the week, for adult snacks and late night nibblies.

Unfortunately I can't get any prosciutto down at Kerrie Road. The supermarket (IGA) only has a small slab left, not wide enough for what I want, so it's back to the butcher to get some Cardinia streaky bacon.

The whole shop cost $25.95, including a non-organic chilli and a bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley.

Not too bad for a dish that provided 10 serves and a practice run to showcase my talents!!!.

And here is the final product:

Wood-fired oven cooked asparagus, wrapped in bacon, with marinated chevre.





A quick squeeze of lemon juice (sourced from the next-door-neighbour's tree) and a grind of pepper and Furry's your Uncle!!

Grown-up fish sticks with sweeet chilli mayo.

*4 flattie tails per person
*1 cup plain flour
*1/2 tspn paprika
*large pinch salt
*1tblspn vegetable oil (I used canola) plus extra for frying
*2/3 cup water
*2 free-range egg whites.

SWEET CHILLI MAYO

*4 tblspn mayo (use the egg yolks)
*2 tblspns sweet chilli sauce
* 1tspn freshly grated ginger
* 1 mild red chilli, seeded and finely chopped.

Mix all the ingredients for the mayp together and chill in the 'fridge.

Sift flour, paprika and salt into a mixing bowl, gradually beat in oil and water. Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks and gently fold into four mixture, to form batter.

Pour oil nto a wok until it is about 1/3 full, about 2 cups, in my case. Heat until smoking. Cook the fish in batches of no more than 4 at a time. More will overcrowd your wok and lower the temp too much and you won't get crispy batter.

Action shot:



Drain on absorbent paper



and serve on a bed of baby spniach with mayo.

Delicious coffee regurgitated by weasels

"This amazing coffee is so rare and so astonishing, even Gareth Hunt would be shaking his beans in disbelief! Why? Well, as the name sort of (well, it doesn't really) suggests, Weasel coffee has been eaten and regurgitated by rare Vietnamese weasels! Honestly! As you can imagine, the weasels' gastric goings-on radically alter the taste of the coffee and the result is a stronger, smoother, heady flavoured coffee that will appeal to serious connoisseurs of the mighty bean. Once 'evacuated' by the bean-loving fur balls, the coffee is collected by eagle-eyed villagers, who then market the stuff directly to the manufacturers.

This richly refreshing coffee is great news in PR terms for the poor old weasel, as the much-maligned creature is frequently (and erroneously) associated with treachery and deceit. In fact, a quick look in the dictionary reveals that, as well as describing a small carnivore, the word weasel can also be used to depict a person who is sly, perfidious and double-crossing.

And anyone who recalls the naughty weasels in Roger Rabbit will remember that they were portrayed as a bunch of cowardly sidekicks who bore more than a passing resemblance to Dean Gaffney. All of which is a great pity, because if it weren't for these furtive little fellows you'd never be able to enjoy the strange but refreshing delights of Weasel Coffee.

Weasel Coffee is great for serving post dinner-party - of course, telling the guests about its production process is strictly optional, but we recommend you spill the beans (boom boom) after they've consumed it - and it also makes a great conversation piece in the office coffee-making area. So don't try weaselling out of it, order yours today! It's totally safe, totally sterilised and totally delicious. Pass the biscuits. (No weasels were harmed during the making of this coffee)."

From

http://www.firebox.com/

And only 16 quid!!!

Please someone, tell me it isn't so...

But wait.. there's more...

Monkey Picked Tea Why not paws for a cuppa?

"Everyone loves a good old cup of Rosie Lee, but there are times when bog standard builder's tea simply won't do. After all, we doubt the Queen chucks a couple of bags of Typhoo in the pot when she's having visiting dignitaries round for a few cucumber sarnies. The only problem is, unless you've got a double-barrelled name and your palate is as pretentious as your hyphen, poncey brews like Earl Grey and Darjeeling just don't hit the spot. What's more, posh tea is hardly likely to get your guests in a lather of excitement. That's why your good friends here at Firebox finally decided to seek out a decidedly different brew to enliven your elevenses and transform your tea breaks. And by Jiminy, have we found one! Monkey Picked Tea is a wonderfully refreshing brew that has been hand - or rather paw - picked by monkeys! Do not adjust your computer - you read it right the first time. These well cared for monkeys are famous in their native China and are specially trained by their owners to pick rare, wild tea plants in inaccessible places, such as cliff faces. The monkey-picked leaves produce a pale, golden tea that's so fragrant and delicious it's best served without milk. Or sugar. Or biscuits. Or cake. The point being, drinking Monkey Tea should be viewed as an important spiritual event, not to be sullied by crass diversions. Best of all, the monkeys enjoy their work. Picking tea is a family business for most of these resourceful little simians, as their parents before them were usually in the tea picking trade too. And let's face it, scurrying around in the great outdoors harvesting Asia's favourite drink is a far more dignified way to earn a living than prancing around on a barrel-organ in a grubby, ill-fitting clown's suit. Monkey Tea is guaranteed to get tongues wagging and mouths watering the minute you mention it, so put the kettle on and order some today."

And how about:

Civet Coffee (Kopi Luwak) Rich pickings

"Thanks to the coffee culture explosion, connoisseurs are now proactively seeking new twists on their beloved bean-based beverage. Cappa-this, frappa-that, double mocca doodah - the permutations are endless. But despite all the commotion surrounding these newfangled concoctions, it's gonna take more than a few choccy sprinkles and an injection of hot milk to get us frothing with excitement. And that's exactly what we told our roving product scouts when they returned from the depths of the Indonesian jungle claiming to have found the most extraordinary coffee in the world. Following a brief explanation and a quick sip of the stuff we were asking our charlady if she could muster up a few slices of humble pie, because Civet Coffee, also known as Kopi Luwak, is indeed the most astonishingly different coffee we've ever tasted. Only about 500 kilos of this blend is collected per year, making it the ultimate in exclusivity and rarity. And when we tell you where the beans have, er, been, you'll understand why. You see the primary reason for Civet Coffee's distinctive taste is that it's been partially fermented by passing through the digestive system of a Sumatran Civet Cat. No, really! Basically this feral feline prowls Sumatran coffee plantations at night, choosing to eat only the finest, ripest cherries. The stones (which eventually form coffee beans) are then collected by sifting through the Civet's number twos. Revered for its luscious chocolatey flavour Civet Coffee is totally safe, totally sterilised and totally delicious. Plus there's no discernable aftertaste. Native Sumatrans consider this to be the finest coffee in the world, and it really is the ultimate brew to serve to all those annoying Johnny-come-lately coffee shop connoisseurs. Of course, telling them where it comes from is completely optional. Put the kettle on!"

After my SOLE food post of last month, I am really REALLy beginning to wonder about the state of our world...

On an Asian kick...

Soak some dried mushrooms in vegetable stock and dry sherry.














Deconstructed gow-gee's. Minced pork, basil, egg and hoisin:



Naked gow-gees chillin' in the fridge:



Random ingredients for a Thai-inspired salad:



Damn it!!!! lets turn it into a Thai calamari salad!!:



Who had one too many glasses of Organic Round Table Limited Offer Bianco Verde 2005 ??



oops!!