Food, Finds & Forays
Hey there....
Gosh what a week it’s been here in Melbourne. As I sit here typing we’re all settling down after a 6.0 earthquake. To many of you reading you may be well used to this from where you live but, at best, in Mellbourne we get light tremors very occasionally so this one came as a bit of shock….literally. Indeed it shook us out a morning fug, clouding our normally vibrant city after two days of violent riots. I don’t want to focus heavily on the content of these last days or indeed the pall that heavily hangs over us.
I do, however, want to distract and myself and you if you need a little escape. Let’s imagine where we’ll wander soon when life starts to open up and return to some kind of normal. I’ve been building a wishlist of towns and little hideaways I’d like to visit and indulge in. Small businesses to support and an open road to explore. I hope you might enjoy a little virtual wander with me and maybe add to your own list. I also have a few little finds for you, something tasty and couple of helpful finds. Finally this week’s recipe is inspired by another craving. With all the talk of picnics and outdoor gatherings being a big part of our return to normal, salads of a more interesting and substantial kind are a big go to for me. I’ve made you a Roasted Pumpkin and Eggplant Salad with Miso Dressing to add to your summer repertoire. Not a combo that normally jumps to mind but one that definitely works. Oh yes and I’m still hobbling about on crutches and moonboot after rearranging the tendons and ligaments in my ankle but that’s become very boring so let’s just pretend that’s not there and get on with it……
Food
Roasted Pumpkin and Eggplant Salad with Miso Dressing
As the sun starts shining and plans for easing restrictions here in parts of Australia are shared, picnics have hit the agenda. Yep they are actually on the list of eased restrictions. I actually love an outdoor get together and I love a fancy salad. One with a bit of substance and flavour and that leaves you satisfied. This salad came to me craving vegies and dreaming of a dish I love from a local café that’s quite different but first got me hooked on this unusual flavour combo that really hits the spot for me. The sweetness of pumpkin with all the different textures bound in the miso dressing is a unique and tasty blend that pairs well with white meat and seafood. You can serve it warm or cold and as such you can transport or store the roasted veg separately and assemble everything on location or when you’re ready to serve. I hope you enjoy it and you can add it to your picnic repertoire for the coming summer. Ingredients: 3 C cubed pumpkin 3 C cubed eggplant (chopped slightly larger than the pumpkin) 2 handuls of baby spinach leaves 125gm can of chickpeas (or pulse of your choice, lentils and white beans work well) 2 Tbs sliced or slivered almonds Dressing: 1 Tbs white miso 1 Tbs mirin 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp water (or enough to loosen the dressing to a thick pouring consistency) ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Method: Preheat oven to 180c. Cut eggplant into generous sized cubes and soak in a mix of 1 litre of water and 1 generous pinch of salt. This is a Japanese method that has magical powers to soften the flavour of the eggplant and, in my opinion softens the skin and maintains the texture of the vegetable. I now use it every time I’m roasting eggplant. Leave this for up to half an hour while you potter about getting everything else ready Combine dressing ingredients in a jar shake well, refrigerate. Cut up the pumpkin in slightly smaller cubes. This will help them cook for the same time. Drain and dry the eggplant and toss together with a good glug of olive oil and spread out on a shallow tray. Bake for 30 mins or until slighlty caramelised at the edges and tender, tossing half way through. When veg is cooked remove from oven and allow to cool slightly while you assemble. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Starting with a layer of spinach spread out on your plate and layer topping with half the veg and chickpeas. Repeat first layer, drizzle over the dressing to taste and sprinkle over the almonds and a good grind of fresh black pepper
Notes: As listed, the salad serves 4 as a side on its own, 6 with other sides or 2-3 as a main. If pulses aren’t your thing just increase the eggplant and pumpkin. It’s still delicious without them. You can really use whatever pulse is your favourite. Drizzle the dressing lightly to start. It can be rich for some and you can always add more but can't subtract.
Finds Four years ago we did a huge kitchen reno. I mean it was big. We acutally moved the kitchen to another room and changed the whole colour palette from a fifty shades of brown timber concoction from the 80’s to a classic all white one with black accent. In the middle of my monochromatic haven is a nearly three metre long white stone bench top that catches every beam of northern day light. If there’s even the remotest hint of a smear there, it jumps off the bench at me. There’s no hiding in the bright light, though my family would say I’m just fussy. I go through a lot of cloths looking after it, that all start looking a bit average, until now when I’ve found Taradale Kitchen Co. Emma lives on a farm in rural Victoria with her young family where she makes all sorts of beautiful kitchen linens and preserves. I’ve grabbed a pile of her ‘unpaper towels’ to cut back on my use of paper towel and keep the bench sparkly and they look fab in my black and white kitchen. Her store is here with all gorgeous bits and pieces and you can sign up to her lovely weekly newsletter here. I’m a bit obsessed with small scale growers and producers. I love knowing their story and that of the food we eat, and more often than, not its way more flavourful and delicious. I will always, without fail, return from any road trip with way more than I set off having collected all manner of food products from my travels. These treasures tell the story of where we’ve been, highlighting what's grown in the area, its climate and how the locals enjoy their food. Not just that but when we dip back into the store of our haul we also relish the memories or our adventures. One of my faves at the moment is Hickson Pecans. I had no idea pecans tasted like this….I also had no idea they need to live in the fridge once opened. Hickson’s grow their pecans in the Dumaresq Valley in northern NSW and sell their products on their website. They’re available, whole, halved and value added with a sweet and salty variety, and my favourite, Aperol a lightly spiced, roasted, sticky delicacy that I’m desperately trying to pretend is not open in my fridge because they’re very hard to resist. I love a good kitchen hack. My son’s gorgeous girlfriend sent me this cool hack from tik tok.
Forays My exploring soul is getting restless after what is, today, declared the worlds longest lockdown. I’ve built quite a list of places I want to visit and road trips I want to take. Some interstate and some here in Victoria. Some chasing the bush and some the ocean. In the next few weeks I’ll share some with you here and there and perhaps help you build your own list. They could all use our support as they recover from the ups and downs of life on the coronacoaster and I could sure use the break from my patch so we can all help each other out. At the top of my list is stunning Hold Cottage. This beautiful cottage is located in Gunning NSW just off the Hume Highway on the road to Sydney. Hold is the dream come true of Belinda Neame and Tim Bean a Canberra based multi talented couple (Belinda is a stylist and Tim a photographer and fireman) with the magic touch for creating a home away from home. I’ve followed their adventure on instagram from purchasing their little redbrick home, through renovating and bringing her back to life and now sharing her with the world. The interior highlights gorgeous original features with modern luxury creating a slow restful environment to unwind and relax. Bee has a collection of little touches throughout the home and your stay to make your visit extra special including a specially blended tea, linen spray and toiletries. She welcomes her guests with specially prepared tasty treats and can organise extra touches you might desire to make your stay unique. Hold is a short walk from the Sydney to Melbourne train line if you’re wanting to take an old fashioned rail adventure or a short drive from, Canberra if based there and need a local retreat. If you’re driving Gunning is 6 ½ hours from Melbourne and 2 ½ from Sydney with loads on both drives to see. You can book a stay at Hold here or here. Keep an eye on their website and socials too as there’s something very special coming soon to their online store in the next week or so and if you’re quick you can also grab some of Tim’s beautiful photography when its released in limited runs. Images: Tim Bean Photography
