Over a bowl of superfood cereal chia ginger, the term ....it`s an acquired taste springs readily to mind. It is a mixture of sprouted quinoa ,amaranth, pumpkin, sunflower and wild hawthorn berry along with ginger and chia.
I made my decision to purchase the super food mix because it looked so inviting with luscious plump clumps and rich earthy colours of the ingredients packaged in clear wrap.
At this point I invite the reader to conjure the smell of wet hesian,( without a hint of exagerration) that is what the contents of the cereal tasted like, no amount of honey or dollops of cream could mask the taste and at $15.00 per 225grams there is a financial obligation to finish the packet........even faced with an ever increasing BMI and scales that quaver ..I can`t .
Seriously there is no one I dislike that much ....that I would even offer them to.
Monday 10 December 2012
Saturday 1 December 2012
FISH HEAD CURRY and AN ADVENT CALENDAR
A fresh salmon head with spine connected, it is best to pre order from the fish monger, (then the carcase will be kept refrigerated once it has been filleted.)
Keep the eyes intact... (in some cultures the eye is a delicacy and highly sought part of the dish . In 1972 as a requirement in my matriculation year I read the novel by Solzhenitsyn...A Day In the Life...and have never forgotten his vivid description of a fish eye protruding from a bowl of grey liquid. ).....for plating and presentation purpose.
For preparation you will need ground ...cumin, coriander, tumeric and chilli, to make your dry curry powder....once these are mixed in a bowl, rub the mixture roughly all over the fish head... (snap or chop the spine away close as you can to the anterior cut and set aside for later.) Now place the fish head in a pan that has been prepared with fresh garlic rubbed over its surface and drizzled around the edge with grapeseed oil or palm oil (but make sure when sourcing your palm oil you select oils that have been derived from plantation grown crops ...these will come with a green panel on the label verifying their origins ....so not to aid the extinction of orangutans..)
An oil that has a neutral flavour and will allow the true flavours of the curry to shine through. Sear the head on both sides and then remove to a heated dish, drizzle over a little oil cover and place in oven on a moderate temperature.
Add to the remaining pan juices a processed mix of fresh garlic, small red chillies ...cut these in half and deseed one half , chopped palm sugar, fresh mint, coriander root and leaves with a little oil....stir over heat till bubbly and your kitchen is full of aroma.
Now to this mix add once sliced cherry tomatoes, red and yellow capsicums the hand strained juice of a lemon any leftover coriander and mint, finely chopped ginger, tamarind paste and the largest handful of fresh curry leaves you can get ( stalk removed )Two onions quartered and a handful of whole fresh green beans, ends trimmed. Lastly add a cube of palm sugar, a can of coconut cream and a fair quantity of bottled lime leaves
Bring this mix back to the boil stirring all the while ......now place the fish head back in the pan and spoon over the curry.... Cover with a lid or foil, turn off the heat and just let sit for 20 minutes and it will continue to cook itself.
In that 20 minutes prepare your cracked rice dish......this can obtained from any Asian food outlet.......
Place a cinnamon stick and whole cardamon pods in a pan with unsalted butter and cook till the fragrances are released, then add the drained uncooked rice to the pan move through the spices till they are well mixed then add salted boiling water to cover the rice ..Stir till the water evaporates and rice becomes plump, upon serving remove the cinnamon stick.
Enjoy....
During the week I dropped off an advent calendar to my granddaughter on a trip home from Melbourne, and only thought about purchasing my remaining son one. It is these little traditions that I love about Christmas and find very hard to deal with given my children are all adults, being fully aware of all the poverty and unrest in the world my empty nest despair doesn’t rate on anyone’s scale...nor should it.
I experienced a real wakeup call after an enquiry from my soon to be 22 year old as to the whereabouts of his advent calendar......Seriously..?
You know what?..It`s the simple things in this world that give me a lot of pleasure(hello friends and family !), it`s no excuse or reason for me to change because people grow up , move away or grow old... and I feel confident that my family don`t want or need me to , you see I have finally realised it is about the Christmassy traditions and a place they can come home to sit round a table and share their stories, eat my food because that is what mums do best...and I too am on a journey and get to share my story with the people I love and who love me.
Just because one is older in age does not always mean you have grown up.
This awakening is because my son Paul gathered all our family upstairs at Chinta Blue restaurant in St Kilda, amidst heat and noisy patrons I watched my family add to the clamour sharing tales and talking of their work. Invited friends joined us at the table...I may have been in another mind space at the dinner but once again my family was sending me the unspoken message that it`s not about distance and change or in my case fear of change, it`s about love of food and the ties of family.
And Dale unconsciously reminding me that you can turn and move a rock but it is always a rock.
Off to buy advent calendars.......
Keep the eyes intact... (in some cultures the eye is a delicacy and highly sought part of the dish . In 1972 as a requirement in my matriculation year I read the novel by Solzhenitsyn...A Day In the Life...and have never forgotten his vivid description of a fish eye protruding from a bowl of grey liquid. ).....for plating and presentation purpose.
For preparation you will need ground ...cumin, coriander, tumeric and chilli, to make your dry curry powder....once these are mixed in a bowl, rub the mixture roughly all over the fish head... (snap or chop the spine away close as you can to the anterior cut and set aside for later.) Now place the fish head in a pan that has been prepared with fresh garlic rubbed over its surface and drizzled around the edge with grapeseed oil or palm oil (but make sure when sourcing your palm oil you select oils that have been derived from plantation grown crops ...these will come with a green panel on the label verifying their origins ....so not to aid the extinction of orangutans..)
An oil that has a neutral flavour and will allow the true flavours of the curry to shine through. Sear the head on both sides and then remove to a heated dish, drizzle over a little oil cover and place in oven on a moderate temperature.
Add to the remaining pan juices a processed mix of fresh garlic, small red chillies ...cut these in half and deseed one half , chopped palm sugar, fresh mint, coriander root and leaves with a little oil....stir over heat till bubbly and your kitchen is full of aroma.
Now to this mix add once sliced cherry tomatoes, red and yellow capsicums the hand strained juice of a lemon any leftover coriander and mint, finely chopped ginger, tamarind paste and the largest handful of fresh curry leaves you can get ( stalk removed )Two onions quartered and a handful of whole fresh green beans, ends trimmed. Lastly add a cube of palm sugar, a can of coconut cream and a fair quantity of bottled lime leaves
Bring this mix back to the boil stirring all the while ......now place the fish head back in the pan and spoon over the curry.... Cover with a lid or foil, turn off the heat and just let sit for 20 minutes and it will continue to cook itself.
In that 20 minutes prepare your cracked rice dish......this can obtained from any Asian food outlet.......
Place a cinnamon stick and whole cardamon pods in a pan with unsalted butter and cook till the fragrances are released, then add the drained uncooked rice to the pan move through the spices till they are well mixed then add salted boiling water to cover the rice ..Stir till the water evaporates and rice becomes plump, upon serving remove the cinnamon stick.
Enjoy....
During the week I dropped off an advent calendar to my granddaughter on a trip home from Melbourne, and only thought about purchasing my remaining son one. It is these little traditions that I love about Christmas and find very hard to deal with given my children are all adults, being fully aware of all the poverty and unrest in the world my empty nest despair doesn’t rate on anyone’s scale...nor should it.
I experienced a real wakeup call after an enquiry from my soon to be 22 year old as to the whereabouts of his advent calendar......Seriously..?
You know what?..It`s the simple things in this world that give me a lot of pleasure(hello friends and family !), it`s no excuse or reason for me to change because people grow up , move away or grow old... and I feel confident that my family don`t want or need me to , you see I have finally realised it is about the Christmassy traditions and a place they can come home to sit round a table and share their stories, eat my food because that is what mums do best...and I too am on a journey and get to share my story with the people I love and who love me.
Just because one is older in age does not always mean you have grown up.
This awakening is because my son Paul gathered all our family upstairs at Chinta Blue restaurant in St Kilda, amidst heat and noisy patrons I watched my family add to the clamour sharing tales and talking of their work. Invited friends joined us at the table...I may have been in another mind space at the dinner but once again my family was sending me the unspoken message that it`s not about distance and change or in my case fear of change, it`s about love of food and the ties of family.
And Dale unconsciously reminding me that you can turn and move a rock but it is always a rock.
Off to buy advent calendars.......
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