Food, Finds & Forays
Hey there....
As you read this I’ve put the lap top down and am madly running around packing for a mini break to the beautiful North East of Victoria, our first in many months. We’re heading off this afternoon with a group of friends for a few days to what will probably not be the best camping weather but none the less will be relaxing and full of laughter and fun.
When we do go camping we make sure we eat well, as you can imagine and Foursies, otherwise known as pre-dinner drinks are always a highlight. Set by the banks of the cool Kiewa River under gorgeous old trees, there’ll be lots of cheese, charcuterie, bubbles and delicious dips. The two I’ve made are super easy, travel and keep well and are also handy to whip up at short notice when impromptu plans are made. I’ve shared two dips recipes for you today as the festive/holiday/entertaining season approaches.
I’m also sharing some finds today that offer you something to wear, something to help keep calm and keep keeping on and something to make for a gift or for you to steal a quiet moment with a cuppa amongst all that life can be at this time of year.
And finally our little foray this week that saw me doing something for the first time in my 50 years….have you done this particular thing?
Hope you’ve had a good week and this week’s newsy offers you something for the week ahead,
Have a great day and thanks as always for readying.
Sal xx
PS if you’re enjoying Food, Finds and Forays I’d love and appreciate you sharing it with a friend you think may also enjoy a read. You sharing helps me grow and bring you more lovely recipes and interesting finds and adventure.
Thanks a heap x
Food
White Bean and Sesame Dip & Beetroot Hummus
A few weeks ago I spoke of our plans to head to rural Victoria for a mini break in the foothills of the Alpine region of North East Victoria. As spring emerges we often head out with friends camping and exploring. Now for some the C word (camping that is) can make the toes curl of some travellers who prefer only five stars to sleep under rather than the billions that twinkle and adorn the night skies of open spaces. Fear not though my friends we’re not ones to rough it too much and indeed never want for anything. Travelling with friends, as we do, is as social and abundant as if we were dining together around our table at home. As the sun sets on our days and we gather around fold up tables which heave under the weight of many delicious contributions to pre-dinner drinks and grazing, laughter and the clinking of glasses fills the air. Aside from delicious finds on the journey we also travel with well stocked fridges. In my fridge this week I’ve made some easy dips to share with fresh bread and crudites. They’re easy to whip up and keep well for a number of days, though they never last that long.
Requiring only a few ingredients and blender or food processor I thought you might enjoy them too. They’re both handy recipes to have to pull together at short notice when friends drop in or to make ahead to kick off a festive get together.
White Bean and Sesame Dip
Ingredients:
400g of white beans (any variety)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice and rind of a lemon
2 Tb water
1 garlic clove crushed or grated
1 tsp of cumin
¼ tsp of salt flakes
1 tsp sesame seeds lightly toasted
1 tsp tahini
In a hot dry fry pan, lightly toast the sesame seeds swirling them frequently. This should only take a couple minutes. Allow to cool while preparing the remaining ingredients.
Lightly drain beans. Allowing the beans to remain lightly coated in the aquafaba from the can which will help the dip whip and thicken.
Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor. A regular blender will be fine if that’s what you have it just may take a little longer and a few scrapes of the bowl/jug to ensure everything is properly processed and smooth.
Whizz on high until a smooth dip is achieved. Check for taste and adjust as suits. I sometimes increase the lemon a little as, strangely, lemon flavour can vary.
Beetroot Hummus
Ingredients:
400 gm can of Chickpeas lightly drained
100-120gm of Beetroot cooked/prepared beetroot
2 Tb lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove grated or crushed
1 Tb water
½ tsp salt flakes
1 Tb extra olive oil
As with the White Bean Dip, lightly drain chickpeas.
If preparing your own beetroot as I have here, wrap whole beetroot in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a slice of citrus of your choice and roast in a moderate oven (180c/350f) for 45-60 mins or until a skewer inserted goes in easily. Allow to cool completely peel and roughly cut into large chunks. Alternatively, drain canned beetroot well.
Combine all ingredients in blender/food processor and whizz until smooth.
If using canned beetroot hold back on the water until processing and only use if required as canned is a wetter product than home cooked and may not require extra liquid.
Notes:
I use a Vitamix blender which has a dip function on it. If you have a blender with such a function use this to process. I don’t have a thermomix or similar though suspect they may be the same.
If using a food processor stop processing once it’s a coarse paste and scrape down as required and resume mixing.
Smoothie makers such as a Nutri-Bullet are also great for making dips if you don’t have any other mixing appliance.
If you’re pressed for time and or inclination when making the white bean and sesame dip and don’t want to toast the sesame seeds just add them fresh, it’s still delicious.
The white bean dip makes a great sauce too and just needs to be thinned down a little. I just use water for this but add it spoonful at a time slowly so as not to make it too thin.
Left thick the white bean dip also makes a lovely bed for other dishes such as roast vegetables or topped with an egg for a light brunch (I shared this on instagram earlier this week).
Finds
Ok dear readers brace yourselves, I’m about to dip my toe in the world of fashion blogging. Don’t panic it won’t be long and it probably won’t attract the attention of Vogue which in itself is a metaphor for my fashion cred.
No matter what fashion trends have come and gone in my 50 years I’ve always loved a classic, old school button through shirt. Trouble is at 5’3” and size 14 finding a shirt with the right proportions and cut can be quite a challenge. Earlier this year after another lucky Instagram competition win ( winning insta competitions is my secret super power) the hunt was over. I love This beautiful brand is aussie designed, made and owned with the perfect shirt. They’re a classic cut that’s perfectly proportioned with no drooping shoulders or bulging buttons around the middle. Their signature shirt, the Franklin, headlines a collection that also features other designs and colours that rotate to reflect the season and trends complemented by a few other lovely finds, owner Victoira McEvoy offers. If you love a classic and versatile shirt you might like to check them out. Maybe even help Santa leave you a little gift under the tree, I promise it’s worth it.
How are you finding re-entering life after lockdown? For me this time (remember it was our sixth lockdown) felt like a bit of an anticlimax. There was no list of things I was desperate to do or places to visit. Indeed I’ve almost missed the slower pace of lockdown life and it’s sense of calm that I probably didn’t feel or notice at the time, have you noticed that? To return that sense of that calm I’ve been playing this on high rotation. Not my normal jam but definitely one to add to my spotify library. Maybe you’d enjoy it lilting away in the background while you go about your day.
On the subject of the merry season I’m always taken back to the taste of Christmas when I bite into the buttery goodness of proper shortbread. Not like the tins of the ‘danish’ variety that mysteriously appear on shelves every December. Remember those tins appearing in supermarkets when you were a kid?...and are they even Danish?… And do danish people actually eat these little cookies or did some marketing dude in the 70’s think it would make tins of bikkies sound exotic and sell more? Anyway proper crumbly, traditional shortbread is actually simple to make, a lovely edible gift or just lovely to have in the bikkie jar ready to offer festive visitors. This recipe by the Grandmother of Australian cookery is the only one to use at this time of year. It's a proper old school scottish shortbread full of tradition. I should warn you though, they’re very hard to stop at just one.
Shortbread image from the book Margaret & Me by Kate Gibbs
Forays
It’s a few weeks since lockdown ended here in Victoria. It’s been strange this time, almost like acceptance and surrender had settled over us. I’ve emerged with no great yearning to rush forth and soak up normal activities this time. No lists of places I’ve wanted to visit, restaurants or café’s I urgently want to dine at or shopping I want to gather. I have, however, enjoyed the company of friends and the freedom to come and go as I please and make plans with some assurance of seeing them through.
One plan we did make with excitement was to use a gold class movie pass. You know the one, where the plush seats recline and drinks and food are served to you during the screening. The voucher was a gift from our son’s girlfriend last Christmas which obviously had been difficult to use all year so we were very excited to finally cash it in. It still felt strange sitting amongst a large group of people, masks at various positions, but all the more enjoyable for the long wait.
It seems that in the shift in movies due to streaming and the pandemic there was only action movies showing. This totally suited hubby but me not so much. Focussing more on the night out than what we’d be seeing we booked seats to see the new James Bond movie, No Time To Die. Full disclosure this was my first ever Bond Film. I know, 50 years old and never been to a 007 movie but what a way to start. It was absolutely brilliant. The right amount of action with the subplot of the relationship between bond and the love of his life. From what I can tell it’s a Bond quite different from others so probably well suited to someone not normally attracted to the genre. It was also breathtakingly beautiful to watch visually, so as a photographer I was also enthralled. If you’ve not seen it yet and are looking for a night out I urge you to go…..and please report back. I desperately need to debrief that ending….OH MY GOD!!!!
