The Australian Index - Food Blogs

I am (if all goes according to plan) arriving in England today. Blogger willing, this weeks short (very) stories will pop up as instructed as if I never left the keyboard.
I know a lot of you have a particular fondness for the small cookbooks put out by community groups or companies promoting their products. This week I will give you a selection of recipes from some Aussie examples.
A coup

Not your average eggs benedict...

Citrus are typically winter fruit. That's right all you 'Eating with the Seasons' readers - it's winter here! So it may have technically ended a few days ago but it darn well still feels like it! If not for a small handful of cherry blossoms colouring my street, I doubt I would have noticed the change in season. With the end of high quality citrus looming, a tin of coconut milk in the pantry and a

A splendid way to use up half a kilo of ripe carrots: in a CAKE!

Fresh from the oven, I treated myself to a slice of this cake. To my sheer delight! This tasted wonderful.

Infused with a fruity hint of orange spice throughout, this tasty treat is the perfect cake to have for a stay-at-home Sunday!

I always love coming across new places that sell fresh seafood. Browns of Mooloolaba sell seafood that is about as fresh as you'll ever get. Their prawns, crabs and bugs are locally caught, which means they come straight off the boat to you.
I was lucky enough to have a feast of fresh prawns and Balmain bugs today for lunch, which were delicious. The best thing about really fresh prawns is that y

Italian bread tomato soup and pumpkin pasta. A nice meal tonight, just as well because I suspect the freestyled semolina bread I have rising in the oven will not have been a good experiment. In my opinion, semolina breads just take so damn long to proof, I always underestimate, especially when using a levain. Anyway.

Pappa al Pomodoro ripe roma or any other kind of tomato
basil
400g tin of toma

My last attempt at making marmalade was marked with horrendous results. I had thought about what I wanted to do all week and finally decided upon a combination of blood orange and chilli. Unfortunately, not everything went to plan. The deliciously red blood orange peels lost their deep hue during the blanching process and the chillies which I had spent vital minutes of my life chopping into perfec

As if on cue, the first day of spring on Monday was full of warmth, sunshine and nary a cloud. The first Good Living Growers' Markets for spring was completely the opposite. Oh Mother Nature, why do you mock us so!!!

The determind trudge over the Pyrmont Bridge involved a battle with an umbrella determined to elope with the wind. I put my head down and battled on, the pursuit of good food driving

Stafford Heights isn t widely known as a hot spot for Brisbane cuisine, but last time we dropped in to our great picture framer, we noticed that there was a new Indian restaurant next door, called Indian Rosette. I d also read in the local paper about the young couple that had started up the restaurant, so I thought we d give it a try.

Indian Rosette is in a fairly nondescript row of subur

If you are wondering what had happened to me and why I have been missing in action for these last few days Da-lah .. Here is the answer. I just got myself a new toy Canon EOS 450D. I have been busy playing with it.

I am really excited about having this new toy, it s my first DSLR and of course I have spent a lot of time exploring the world of the single lens. Guys, I am working hard and

292 Beaufort Street, Northbridge, Perth WA
www.thebrisbanehotel.com.au

A night out with old colleague Johnno, his partner Chrissie and Orlando in Perth was a welcome change from eating alone. Johnno recommended the Brisbane Hotel, having heard good things about it.

As is fitting for a Perth bar, much of the Brisbane's footprint is outdoor seating. I guess that is a selling point on those balmy M

Corner of Lake & Francis Streets, Northbridge, Perth, WA

Wandering the streets of Northbridge on a quiet Monday night, I was looking for somewhere with at least a few more diners in it: being the sole person in a restaurant never appeals. Maya Masala was bustling. Most of its front-room tables were already full, with a small family gathering in one of the back rooms too. A good sign.

I settl

Not sure where I got this recipe from, if it is yours, feel free to claim it by leaving me a message ;-) This is a great recipe, I substituted the pork tenderloin with a pork chop and it worked well. I personally loved the orange sauce but Steve wasn t really impressed. To be fair to the recipe, he always likes his food dry and without any sauces. So, it was his own taste buds fault not the reci

158 James Street, Northbridge, Perth WA
www.sorrentorestaurant.com.au

A week of work in Perth had me checking out the Northbridge area, recommended to me as the place to eat in central Perth. A craving for Thai food going unsatisfied, I wandered into Sorrento, a pleasant-looking and busy Italian place on the main drag. Decorated in the style of a stereotypical Italian trattoria (all burnished wal

I had been busy, sorry for not be able to blog as frequent as I used to. I cooked this creamed leeks few days ago and it was great!! Love the creamy texture and the garlicky flavour of the leeks!!

Ingredients
5 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp of cheedar cheese
Salt and pepper

Method

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over me

Apparently, Australia is going through the most difficult period in its housing history. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show that Queensland has the highest homeless population in Australia. The figures show more than 26,000 people were homeless in Queensland in 2006. Mission Australia spokesman Tony Stevenson says thousands more are homeless now. [...]

It seems like eons since I posted for Weekend Herb Blogging, and whilst life has been busy, catching up after a relaxing holiday, dishes are still being created with herbs from my garden. Wanting a healthier dinner, after overindulging in restaurant food, these baby snapper were beckoning me. I swear one was positively staring at me, and I couldn't walk past it, without feeling slightly unnerved

The weather this week has been abysmal. September started on Monday with one day that felt like Spring, a much-wanted gift for our first actual day of spring. After the coldest winter in 65 years, you could see everyone visibly relaxing to feel the warm weather was on its way. And then from Tuesday onwards it was all downhill; by yesterday it was gloomy, cold, rainy and revolting. Netball and foo

New Zealand Police Whip Up Moral Prohibitionist Panic In Absinthe Crack-down.It was only matter of time before someone in authority started to specifically target absinthe, invoking moral righteousness, demonising the drink itself and choosing to ignore an individuals lack of self-responsibility for irresponsible consumption.Teenagers in New Zealand have recently engaged in less than responsible

A few assorted bits today.....

Firstly, thanks to the suggestion of P, I have added a sidebar to the blog entitled Cheap eats round $10 in Hobart, and am hoping people will contribute when they find somewhere that not only offers cheap food, but that is of a reasonable standard.

P says:
"What I would like is if we could get together a list of places who do offer the sort of $10 meal we are talki

Two Friday nights ago, Jac roasted a couple of half chooks and potato wedges in the oven. She'd rubbed the chicken all over with onion salt, garlic salt and black pepper, and the seasoned skin was deliciously crispy. This was my plate, with a chicken thigh and drumstick (of course) and a dish of tomato sauce for dipping. Jac also made me a bowl of salad - baby cos lettuce, grape tomatoes, mushro

It was C's birthday last Friday, and she bought a selection of sweets from Crown Caffii (formerly Le Croissant on the Cove, Shop 24 108 Royal St East Perth) to share for afternoon tea. There was a cannoli, a chocolate eclair, a chocolate sponge slice, a florentine and a chocolate hedgehog slice (under the florentine). The chocolate sponge slice was lovely - soft, fluffy sponge cake with chocolat

Eden Valley, South Australia. Riesling. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A20

The very talented Abstract Gourmet, Matt, wrote a lovely restaurant review recently for Jaws Mint. The words and photos convinced me to visit, this small but tasteful space. I went tonight and had a simple but delightful meal. The menu choices are limited, but what is offered is very well done. The garnish for the sashimi for in

(after thought * Does that mean the father is perfect or the day ? )

Last Friday my favourite radio programme Life Matters ( ABC Radio National) ran a programme on the topic of the decline of eating at the table. This is a topic I have read about in the past. I can recall reading some research that came out of the USA that suggested that kids from families that ate at least four meals together a

1 Barlyn Rd
Mount Waverley VIC 3149

God! I hate driving really I do! So when I got the call to do this one, I waited and waited, procrastinated, its toooooo far, then I thought that that s not right, a blasphemy!
The search for the ultimate hit must go on, the search goes on . wherever it may take me, to the ends of the world if necessary, well at least to Mt Waverley this time, close

A few things are going to change in this journal of mine.
I can't abandon it completely... and start fresh...I love it too much. I owe everything I've become to the beginning of this ridiculous public display of affection for food.
It's layout; photographs and context aren't exactly reflective of my personal touch in this point of my life. Why do I still blog the same way? *shrug* it's what works

5.45am - Rise with Mrs Grendel

6.45am - make large take away coffee for Mrs grendel and load her and the kids in the car

7.00am - deposit Mrs Grendel at polling booth where she will be doing her duty as a polling officer.

7.15 - take Junior Grendels on a tour of beach and parks.

8.00 - vote

8.15 - drive home

8.30 - spend the day with the Junior Grendels until the next-door-neighbours birthda

Ulrike from K chenlatein is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've found something that is more than just another pumpkin...

This is a Jap pumpkin and it is said to have derived its name from the growers who weren't quite sure how to to market this new pumpkin so ended up calling it Jap, an acronym of Just Another Pumpkin.

I'm not sure if it's true or just an old wives tale but it cer

FOOD WASTESource: Daily Mail UK

'Waste not, want not' - Unknown

This is the final segment of my STOP FOOD WASTE Campaign blogs. Every summer, Mr G makes plum jam from our own trees as well as any fruits that could be cheap in the market. There is a bit of work involved and it does get quite hot in the kitchen during the summer months here in Canberra as it gets up to the 36 to 40 C mark. But the taste of homemade jam beats any commercial ones and it makes the