Monthly Archives: November 2011

Pumpkin & Goats Cheese Pizza

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So I was in charge of dinner tonight. As always I managed to make a huge mess, but I was pretty happy, I do make a good dinner. I was hoping to have Roxy round for tea with her bf, but unfortunately she was busy so it was just me and the ‘rents.

We had a huge dinner last night at Oscars, and I think I was still full from it for most of today, so I was looking for something really light to have. I settled on these pizzas (alarm bells! pizzas? light?) Well they were quite light. A tomato and oregano pizza with a sprinkling of mozzarella, and a pumpkin and goats cheese pizza. Of course then I was worried that dad might still be hungry, so I made a tasty fruit salad for dessert with nectarines, peaches, mango, strawberries, and blueberries, and I cooked up some eggplant, zucchini, and capsicum to eat first.

The pumpkin pizza was the crowning glory. It was a gluten free base (that didn’t crisp up quite as much as I would have liked), bought from the shops because I still don’t trust myself quite enough to make my own bases. Then it was topped with some baked pumpkin, goats cheese (yum), pancetta, and then my own touch which was a homemade caramelised onion relish.

It crisped up a bit too much in the oven, but it didn’t affect the taste. Really it just makes the picture looks worse. It is safe to say that we were all pretty full after tonight as well. Mum made me quickly put the last bit of pumpkin pizza in the fridge, because she didn’t think she could resist it if it stayed on the table any longer.

It would have gone really nice if the weather was a bit nicer, and we could have enjoyed it up on the balcony. Hopefully there will be some good weather round the corner, that can then be enjoyed with good food.

A Dish A Day

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One of my old uni chums (Christos Winter if you’re interested) has been making my mouth water recently, posting pictures in his album ‘Learning How to Cook: A Dish A Day’. As soon as I caught sight of them, I had to do a bit of research. Surely, I thought, this had to be some sort of internet sensation. Honestly I couldn’t find much. There were a few blogs entitled ‘A Dish A Day’, but that was about it, and there wasn’t anyone who seemed to have pioneered a challenge or a movement. Regardless, I loved the idea.

 

From what I can tell, or from what I’ve decided, the premis is simply to cook a new dish every day. Something you’ve never cooked before. It doesn’t matter what meal, as long as you’re cooking it. The time limit? Who knows. A month, a year, I guess really however long you decide.

 

I’m not looking at starting my own Dish a Day challenge anytime soon, but I can tell you I’m contemplating it. It might have to wait until I’ve organised the house a bit more, for now I’ll just be spending my time browsing all of Christos’ delicious pictures.

Meeting Some of Adelaide’s Foodies

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I’ve done a lot of people meeting recently, and it has been really inspiring, and made me think a lot about what it is I want to do. I met one guy while at a cooking course with my sister, we were learning to cook Greek food, but while he washed and I dried I found out that his real passion was baking. He was in his 30s or 40s, and had just made the decision to take 6 months off work to go do a pastry course at Regency. His aim? Open up a small bakery/cafe, and spend the rest of his time doing something he loved.

When it comes to baking I also met someone really dedicated and focussed the other night, who was brought to my attention after I got a taste of his delicious lemon pie. Turns out he’s planning on opening his own dessert bar, something that has really taken off in Adelaide in recent years. I spent quite a while chatting to him about his plans, his ideas, and of course food. Thankfully I kept in touch, so that whatever progress he does make, I’ll be in the loop.

While I haven’t actually met a few of these other people, there are also a few other inspiring things that have come my way. Firstly there is … From Scratch Patisserie, I’ve eaten goods from them twice in the past four days, and I can’t wait to go back again. They’re run by a husband and wife team (I think), and while they both have day jobs, they also have a pop-up patisserie in Leigh Street, Adelaide, and a stall at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Markets, it is such an interesting concept, and I can’t wait to find out more. I’m also lucky enough that I’ll be meeting the lovely lady behind Lil Miss Macaron, which with my love of macarons of course I’m excited about it, and I’ll be seeing her at an upcoming market.

All in all I love Adelaide’s food culture, and seeing that it isn’t just big chefs and big names that are dominating it. There are real people with a passion for food who are popping up all over the place, and I for one hope I meet a lot more of them.

A New Tea to Try

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The start of November is pretty important to me, uni finishes, I turn another year older, but I also tend to get pretty sick. November comes around and I get hay-fever, then I get a really sore throat, then I sit around feeling miserable for a few days. Now that it has hit me I’m turning to one of the best relievers around, tea, and there is one tea in particular that has caught my eye: Rose with French Vanilla by Dilmah.

I bought some of this for my High Tea party for the Royal wedding, but these days I can’t seem to get enough of it. I have teabags, but there may be loose leaf options available. The packet I have is a cardboard one, and it is such a pretty pink package.

The tea itself is true to its name. The flavour and aroma of rose with a hint of vanilla. I like it best served with a bit of honey, it tastes just like Turkish Delight.

I’m not usually a huge fan of flavoured teas, I often find they smell so much better than they taste, but Dilmah Rose with French Vanilla ticks all of the boxes.