Cookbook Challenge - Apricot Jam - 2 - $ - V - !

The Cookbook Challenge is back again in 2011 hooray! This year is a little different in that it's a fortnightly activity; lots of people found it very hard to catch up once they missed couple of weeks in 2010 - myself included.
If you would like to play this year you can sign up over here. Thanks to Penny, we are adding our own links to a special group rather than April doing a wrap up once a week throughout 2011. A big shout out to Shellie too for designing the great new logo!

When my friend Snake moved house recently we were a bit sad about the prospect of no more figs from his garden for making jam. But his new house also has loads of fruit trees and a veggie patch! So far I have had beautiful homegrown silverbeet, dill and parsley, so when he asked me would I like a bag of apricots it really was a no brainer.

Naturally when making the basics I turn to Dame Stephanie's The Cook's Companion and in this case it was for a jam recipe.
I did a few things differently which you may or may not choose to do too.
Firstly, I took the apricots to the pub, where they got trod on and some got a bit squished. Then I left the squished ones in the bag on a 34C degree day and forgot all about them. The 'one bad apple' saying applies here, so I had to go and buy some more apricots to make up the recipe weight.
I also added scraped in a vanilla bean and left the pod in the pot while the fruit reduced.

Regarding the kernels mentioned below I am not entirely sure that they are meant to end up like they did, but I am entirely sure that I deviated a fair bit from the method. Dame Stephanie says to put the stones in a napkin and hit them with a meat mallet. I put mine between some paper towel and belted them with a hammer. Therefore the kernels got quite mashed and floated all round the jam mixture when I added them. I ended up picking them out before bottling so maybe someone who knows better could leave us a comment about this?

Ingredients

1.5kg apricots
1 cup water
2tbs lemon juice
1.5kg sugar
Jars for bottling - you can read how to sterilise them over here.

Preheat oven to 160C degrees.
Cut the apricots into quarters and remove the stones, keeping half of them.
Add the fruit, water and lemon juice to a large pot and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or a bit longer if the flesh hasn't broken down enough for your liking.
Meanwhile put the reserved stones between a napkin and smash them open with a meat mallet to extract the kernel. Have a smell of the kernels - remind you anything? Amaretto or marzipan perhaps?
Put the sugar and kernels in a cast iron pot or a tray and place it in the oven until it is 'hand hot'. This will take about 15 minutes. Add the sugar to the pot and stir until dissolved. Boil rapidly for about 15 minutes. Be VERY careful if you stir it as it might spit and hot sugar burns do not tickle.
Pop a spoon of jam on a cold saucer, cool in the fridge for a minnie or two and then run your finger through it. If the jam stays in two halves then it's ready to set, if not keep checking every 5 or so minutes.
Bottle the jam while it's hot and then spend the rest of the arvo cleaning the sticking kitchen as it will have ended up everywhere.
Serve on hot toast with lashings of butter.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

A belated Happy New Year to you all!

I have just returned from beautiful Sandy Point on the Victorian coast where there is no internet and nothing to do except read and swim and eat and drink. Nice huh? I spent 10 glorious days with good friends and family and saw in 2011 with French bubbles, some Pimms No. 1 Cup and a giant BBQ.

We had a little friend watching over us at our beach house...

All my cupboards are bare so today's 'recipe' is freshly shucked oysters. Just squeeze some lime juice on top, crack open a bottle of rosé and send them down the hatch. Yum!

All new recipes coming soon.

Enjoy!

River Cottage Genoese Sponge Cake - 2 - V - $

Have you made your lists and checked them twice? I have had a lot of lists this week to help me organise everything for Christmas and our holiday and getting everything done at work. One of my lists disappeared between the car park at Dan Murphy's and the stupormarket which means I forgot the vegemite, but I did remember the champagne. Huzzah!

I've been going to lots of festive drinkies this week and haven't really been at home to cook, so I thought I would share a recipe for a lovely sponge that I was lucky enough to eat. My gorgeous friend Lady Sleekit hosted an early Christmas dinner for the girls and this was dessert.
Sleekit not only has great sense of style but masses of generous spirit; so thank you for dinner, the recipe, the photo and for being a great pal m'Lady!

Happy holiday season to you all! Thank you for reading What's For Tea? again this year and I look forward to sharing much Kulinary Karma with you all in 2011.

Enjoy!

Peppermint Patties - 1 - $ - V

Well hello! It's been a long time hasn't it? You probably thought I dropped off the face of the earth! I almost did because my world fell over about a month ago, but it's slowly starting to right itself. Even though some days feel like each minute lasts a million years I have been blessed with much love from good friends and that is what's getting me through.

As has become my tradition I bake like a fiend before Xmas and give treats away as presents. I am very lucky to live in a world where I want for nothing and rather than spend lots of money on buying things that people don't really need I prefer to pour my good will - and various kinds of booze - into my gifts.

In addition to the usual rum balls (this year's versions contain spiced dark rum all the way from Cuba and Cointreau) I have added peppermint patties to my 2010 repertoire. These are so quick and easy to make you'll smash out everyone's gifts in an afternoon! I've packaged mine in noodle boxes this year but you can use jars or cellophane bags or waxed paper. A bit of fabric, a ribbon and your imagination will make for pretty pressies I'm sure.

Ingredients - makes approximately 30

400gm peppermint chocolate (not the gooey kind mind)
1/2 cup cream
12 sweet biscuits (I used Marie biscuits)
dessicated coconut

Break up the chocolate and put it in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water.
In the meantime whizz the biccies in the food processor to make fine crumbs or crush with a rolling pin.
As the chocolate starts to melt, stir in the cream and mix well to make sure it is combined and and completely smooth.

Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the biscuit crumbs and mix well. Pop the bowl in the fridge to cool. It will be impossible to roll the patties unless the mixture has cooled right down.
Take a small amount of mixture, roll it between your palms to form a ball and then cover in the coconut. Place on a tray lined with baking paper (the ball will start to spread out into a patty). Put the tray in the fridge until the patties are set hard.

Enjoy!

Review - Naked for Satan - $-$$ - V

When I visited San Sebastian in the Basque country a few years ago I was most pleased to find that a popular local activity is to go on a pinxtos crawl. Pinxtos are the Basque version of tapas and are served in most bars. Usually it's a piece of bread with some delicious little morsel on top with a toothpick jammed in the middle. The little spear isn't just for holding the food on top though. As you eat the pinxtos you keep the toothpicks and then hand them to the bartender at the end of your feasting, paying for as many pieces as you ate. This means you can just stand around helping yourself and if you're inclined to a bit of thievery you might snap a couple and discreetly drop them on the floor. This of course is terrible Kulinary Karma and will earn you nothing other than a bad sardine and wicked case of food poisoning to teach you a lesson (well that's what I think would happen anyway).

So, why am I telling you all this? Because a pinxtos bar has opened on Brunswick Street. It's got a bit of a saucy name - Naked for Satan - and lots of infused vodkas. I headed there with some friends on Cup Day and we stuffed ourselves silly and drank a fair bit of the bars own ale.
The principle at NFS is the same as the real deal; you help yourself to the cold pinxtos from the front bar and the hot ones are brought around by the waiters. There's little cups on the tables for your toothpicks so you just hand them over at the end and it's job done.
We sampled a LOT of different kinds: prawns on roasted red peppers, meatballs, chorizo croquettes, potatoes with Taleggio and aioli, rice balls with quince paste and cream cheese, eggplant chips on blue cheese, veal schnitzels, tortillas and on and on we went. It was pinxtos madness and Mr Tea had to roll me with a stick down to Labour in Vain afterwards!

The bread gets a bit much after while so we found ourselves just eating the toppings in order to be able to continue our piggery. I also found it odd that when the waiter asked if we'd visited before and we said no, she didn't bother explaining how it all works, she just assumed we knew which might be unhelpful for the uninitiated.
All in all though this is a cracker little bar, perfect for long drinking sessions fuelled by the ability to eat when you feel like it. In the evenings the pinxtos are all $2 each but at the moment there is a lunch special on weekdays from 12-4pm and they are just 50 cents per piece! Obviously at these prices there's no reason to hide your toothpicks - you'll be stuffed for under $4.

Enjoy!

Flea Market Finds

This week's finds were part of a giant haul that I found at the Sacred Heart Op Shop just up the road from the fab Dr Jekyll. I took Mr Tea for lunch there after raving about their chicken sandwiches and top-notch service. His verdict? "I could definitely see myself coming here again." Indeed!

For one lobster (that's $20 for those of you that don't live in 'Stralia) I managed to pick up: 6 gorgeous yellow tea cups (I left the saucers behind because they were blue and yucky); a wooden kitchen chair for my friend The Snake who is collecting a mismatched set for his kitchen (it came with complimentary bird poo); and a an old fashioned soda syphon to add to my ever-growing collection of glassware (I cannot for the life of me figure out how to open it).

The syphon is from the Boon Spa company which according to the googles used the Muir's Spring out near Daylesford up until 1998 to bottle to water. According the bay of Es it is worth about $30 and even though the bottle states it "...always remains the property of Boon Spa" I believe in the credo "finders keepers" so it's mine now!

Head over to Her Library Adventures for more fab finds. I'm heading out west for the last lamb shanks of the year...

Enjoy!

Mexican Chocolate Chilli Cake - 2 - $ - V

Yesterday many people around the world celebrated Dia de Muertos or the Day of the Dead festival with Mexico being the most famous for its colourful festivities.

On the weekend however, we celebrated my gorgeous friend Benny's 40th birthday with a Tex-Mex style BBQ and party. The birthday boy got up at 5am to light coals and hickory chips in smoking drums in order to cook the marinated brisket and sausage for about 8 hours! It was a mega effort and well worth it because I have never had such tasty, smoky, tender beef before - it was a real treat. There was also lots of white bread, corn muffins, 'slaw, beans and tangy potato salad all whipped up by Benny's smoking hot lady-wife.
For dessert we made a Mexican Chocolate Chilli birthday cake. I must send out a few shout-outs for this one as the designated baker hurt her back and it was last minute scramble to get a suitable cake baked to feed over 40 people! So to Kymmy for the tins and Mish for the recipe a big THANK-YOU.

I used some lovely Ancho chilli powder that I picked up at Gewurzhaus in Carlton and I am told it is the secret ingredient in a recent award winning cocktail...
This is a really low heat powder so I ended up doubling the amount in the recipe below and I think it could have even gone up a notch; use your own judgement and taste when making your version of this cake.

For the icing I substituted some of the cocoa powder with a chocolate spice mix that I also found at Gewurzhaus. It contained cassia, ginger, coriander and all sorts of other pungent smells and spices. The addition of this mix made the frosting top of the cake really sing with flavour, so again experiment with your own tastes.


Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup cold water

Icing

2/3 cup icing sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2-3tbs warm water

Preheat oven to 175C degrees and grease and line an 8-inch round cake tin.

In a large mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients. Make two wells and pour the vinegar in one and the vanilla in the other. Pour the cold water over everything and whisk until just combined (doesn't matter if the batter isn't super smooth).

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Once the cake has cooled completely, sift the icing ingredients to together in a bowl and add the water a little bit at time, stirring vigorously until the icing is nice and smooth and shiny.

Spread evenly over the cake, allow to set and serve.

Enjoy!

Halloween Birthday Party and Frittata - 1 - $ - V

Pardon my absence over the last few weeks! There are so many birthdays in my world during October that it's been non-stop parties and lots of cooking which I look forward to sharing with you over the next few days.

A year ago today one of my best and most favourite girls in the whole wide world gave birth to a little girl of her own. This tiny pumpkin has grown so fast over the last year and brought much joy and laughter to those in her world. Being her mother's daughter, she decided to take her very first steps today in front of a cast of thousands at her Halloween-themed birthday party!

Being birthday number one today's party was a huge affair with loads of yummy food and the world's most amazing birthday cake that my friend made all on her lonesome. The cake was chocolate, the cupcakes around it were banana muffins with cream cheese icing and the bones were meringues covered in sour cherry 'blood' sauce. Totally OTT and totally delicious!

One of the guests also turned up with the most impressive 'bring a plate' I have ever seen - a graveyard made of chocolate and biscuit tombstones!

We made a stack of bite-size savoury food with the easiest and most versatile being the frittata. The recipe below is for an asparagus version but when we ran out of spears my friend had the genius idea of using broccolini as a substitute which worked a treat and was actually more tasty than the original. I have listed this as a vegetarian recipe, however we put some crispy prosciutto on top of some of ours so you can omit/add that if you wish. We also made bulk versions to save time so I can confirm this recipe will still work perfectly if you double the amounts.


Ingredients

6 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup roughly grated Parmesan
1 bunch asparagus or broccolini
4 slices prosciutto (optional)
tomato (optional)

Preheat oven to 180C degrees and grease and line a slice pan.
Lightly whisk the eggs, cream and cheese together and season.
Lay the asparagus or broccolini along the bottom of the pan, alternating tops and tails.
Pour the egg mixture over the top and lightly shake the pan to spread it out evenly.
Cook for 20 minutes or until golden.
Meanwhile, fry the pancetta until nice and crispy and drain and set aside. Deseed and finely dice the tomato, set aside.
Once the frittata has cooled, cut into small squares and top with a piece of prosciutto (or not) and little bit of tomato. Serve as part of an array of finger food.

Happy Halloween everyone and Happy Birthday to my favourite little pumpkin!

Enjoy!

The Cookbook Challenge Week 48 - Bread - Simple White Loaf - 2 - V

Today I got my nails done and watched Mad Men DVDs and baked bread. Just call me Little Susie Homemaker! I do love Mad Men and I do love Christina Hendricks. Even though women's rights obviously left a whole lot to be desired back when the show is set, it sure is nice to see gorgeous, curvy women who aren't afraid of a carb or two. When I grow up I want to look like Joan...I've got red hair and a round behind so I guess I'm part of the way there.

So, to this week's Cookbook Challenge. I have NEVER baked bread, in fact the idea of making it terrified me before today. I think it stems from my inability to make scones very well and I didn't want to bugger up something that people have been successfully making on a daily basis for thousands of years. This recipe comes from Maggie Beer's book Maggie's Table and is brought to you by the delightful Cathie who writes Melbourne Epicure. I've been hanging on to this post in anticipation because Cathie is an excellent baker and I figured if she said it was easy then I could trust her judgement. Keep an eye on Cathie's blog if you live in Melbourne so that you can find out which markets she's selling her wares at, her herb and haloumi bread will change your life!

Before I even got started I had a mini meltdown in the stupormarket over this recipe. The ingredients listed baker's flour but there were only 10kg bags of it on the shelves! I was not going to buy that much to try this out but then I remembered reading a Jamie Oliver bread recipe once that listed Italian 00 flour and there was a 1kg bag of that. Now that I've done some research I can tell you that this kind of flour is usually used for making pasta or pizza dough but my bread tastes alright so I think it was OK this time around.
Also those little 7gm packets of yeast mean you are just short using one and have far too much left over when using two - a bit annoying but what can you do? This is a learning experience after all so hopefully my post will help some of you first time bakers. I can tell you that the time spent in front of the shelves umming and aahing over which flour to buy is long enough for your nail polish to dry.

The process is simple and even though it's long it is so worth it just for the smell that wafts around the house. I have read about many people who find baking bread really therapeutic and I now totally understand where they are coming from; I don't think I've had such a sense of pride pulling something hot and gorgeous from the oven like I did today.

Thank you Cathie for the post and good luck bakers out there. I can't wait to make some toast in the morning.

Enjoy!

Review - Dr Jekyll - $-$$$ - V

Grey Street in St Kilda is similar to the creepy classic The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in that it can have two very distinct sides; one of them not altogether pleasant (nowhere else in Melbourne are you more likely to see people sans underwear than here). Its seedy underbelly may never totally disappear but there is certainly an abundance of tasteful places popping up around this infamous street.

Making a strong mark on the strip is a cafe named after the 'good' character of Robert Louis Stevenson's story - Dr Jekyll. Run by ex-Orange employees Roy and Matthew this place is hospitality at its finest - you know, the kind where you are treated hospitably? The first thing I noticed as I waited for my coffee (apart from Matthew opening the door for everyone) is the rapport that these guys have with their patrons. Everyone is greeted warmly from the minute they enter. The owners even smile at you.

I perched in the front window to watch the world go by and was a bit bewildered by the lunch menu - prepared in an open kitchen - because everything on it sounded so evilly delicious. Sandwich choices included: house-cured ocean trout with ribbons of cucumber; Shaw River buffalo mozzarella (have mercy) with prosciutto; Istra capocollo with caramelised onions and cornichons. I mean really - what's a girl to do? I opted for what could be considered a 'safe' choice and ordered the poached chicken on sour dough.
The moist chicken was crammed into the soft bread along with avocado, baby spinach and a super creamy chive mayo. This was not your run of the mill chicken sanger, it was flavoursome, filling and obviously made with not only fresh ingredients but with love (I could taste it).

The coffee was so good that one wasn't enough and while I waited for my takeaway Roy and I got chatting. I found it a breath of fresh air that he wanted to know if worked or lived around his cafe, whether or not I enjoyed my lunch, what I was up to for the rest of the day etc. This is a man who cares about his clientele and obviously knows that a smile and some friendly chit chat goes a long way when it comes to repeat business.
And repeat I will! I have the lunch menu to work through and obviously haven't investigated breakfast so I look forward to spending many a lazy brunch in their courtyard and getting to know my new favourite local.



Enjoy!

Review - Mamasita - $$-$$$ - V

Well hello! Excuse my disappearance over the last little while. You see it's birthday time in my world at the moment (in addition to football mania) so I've been doing a lot of eating out in a plethora of celebrations and not much blogging.

The first birthday cab off the rank was Mr Tea's. To celebrate I hatched a cunning surprise for a mid-week mini-break in the city which included dinner at Mamasita.

This Mexican talk of the town does not take bookings for less than 8-10 people (yawn) and I don't line up, so we had a very early dinner there and walked straight in at around 5.45pm on a Tuesday. It was already packed and I think we nabbed the last two seats up at the bench table.
Our waiter only knew about 1 of the 41 tequilas on offer and it was out of stock, so we ordered Bohemia beer and a Paloma cocktail to start and perused the menu while she went and asked the bartender for some advice.
If you're looking for the cheesy-nacho version of Mexican food then don't come here. This is the real deal, simple dishes but made with quality ingredients so the flavours do the work.

We opted to try a few different things to share rather than go for the comida para la familia or main meals. For nibbles we tried the elotes callejeros, street-style corn, which was char-grilled and served with a chipotle mayonnaise and finely grated cheese (similar to these). The smoky chipotle did the trick and I found myself using my finger to smoother it all around the cob - I was eating with my hands after all. Next were the tostaditas de carnitas - corn chips topped with various ingredients and served in 4s on a wooden paddle. Ours were slow braised pork shoulder with a jalapeno slice stuffed into each one. These were the top dish of the night for me, with the pork packed full of flavour and the hot little pepper giving each mouthful just the right amount of kick.

By this stage we were on to the tequila which is served in a wine glass sans salt and lemon because they are for sipping and not for shooting. I can't tell you which ones we had which is an indication of how potent they are...
More food arrived and I think perhaps choosing two dishes that both involved soft tortillas was a bit of a mistake because they were quite similar. The tacos we tried were de pescado (fish) and frijoles con napales (black beans). The punchy pico de gallo sauce the came on the side was a must for the beans because without it they were fairly bland. The fish on the otherhand (which was blue eye) was spectacular; it was moist and the achiote paste, which is made from various ground spices, was something I'd never tried before and it had my taste buds doing a little dance.
The quesadilla we opted for was chicken, but with the two tortillas it was a little bit floury in the mouth, even though the chicken was cooked to perfection . Out of all the dishes this was the most under-whelming but still worthy of trying - just not at the same time as tacos.

I can see why there is so much hype around this food because it's fresh, flavoursome and more authentic than other versions around town and the the prices are very reasonable. We were full enough not to finish the quesadilla but didn't feel like we'd eaten an actual Mexican which is often the case with that lead-belly feeling that accompanies the usual cheese and corn chip fiesta served up by other restaurants.
The service was a bit shabby and even though I enjoyed dinner immensely I wouldn't line up for the average two hours for the chance to do it again - this no bookings malarky that is so popular in Melbourne at the moment is a bit annoying and a half/half policy I think is the perfect solution.

I am due to visit again next month for a party and when you book you are only permitted a set menu so I will be curious to see how it stacks up against the a la carte. I will of course let you know.



Happy Birthday Mr Tea! And arrrriiiiibbbba everyone else!

Reader Recipe - Mini Baked Cheesecakes - 2 - $ - V

The lovely Erica from Recycled Fashion thought this mini baked cheesecake recipe was so lush that she wanted to share it with everyone! Thanks Erica!

Like all good cooks, she took this recipe and then tweaked it using her own inspiration to make it even more special. Instead of putting the berries on top Erica mixed 1 1/2 cups of frozen blue berries into the actual cake mix - clever no?
Then after she refrigerated them for an hour she made a chocolate sauce to go on top -

Ingredients
70gm dark chocolate (Erica used Green & Black's organic)
2tbs thickened cream

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of boiling water. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Drizzle over the top of the cheesecakes and refrigerate again until set.
Leave out of the fridge for about 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

The Cookbook Challenge Week 38 - Spice - Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry - 2 - $ - V - (!)

This week's catch-up Cookbook Challenge was an epic fail! It had nothing to do with the recipe mind you. Well I'm assuming it was my fault due to my rather large deviation from the ingredients. It all started so well too, with good intentions of maximising today's vegetable intake and providing lunch for my colleagues tomorrow.

Never mind, cook and learn. And what I learned today was not to use the coconut version of evaporated milk thinking it will behave like proper coconut milk because it WON'T. It curdles and should only ever be added at the last minute on a low heat due to having barely any fat content. Of course I know this NOW. Which is a real shame because the curry looked and smelled great before it all went wrong.
I think you should give the recipe a try and follow the ingredients to the letter because I'm going to have another go and I promise to do as Curtis Stone asks in Issue 4 of the MasterChef magazine which is where it comes from.


Ingredients - serves 4

100gm dried chickpeas or 1 x 400gm tin - if using dried cover in boiling water and soak for 40 minutes or until water goes cold
2tbs olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2cm piece of ginger, grated
2 long green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 long red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
400gm butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 3cm pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 3cm pieces
2tsp garam masala
2tsp ground coriander
2tsp caraway seeds, toasted
1/2tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp ground turmeric
juice of 1 lime
1tbs brown sugar
2 x 400ml cans of coconut milk - use the real deal!
1/4 cup coriander, roughly chopped and extra to serve
steamed rice

Sort out your chickpeas if using dried ones or drain the tinned ones and rinse well.
Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat and cook off the onion, ginger, garlic and half the chillies for about 4 minutes or until soft.
Add pumpkin, carrot, chickpeas and spices and cook stir for another 3 minutes. Add the lime juice and sugar and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add 250ml water and the coconut milk. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Season and stir in the chopped coriander.
Serve with rice and garnish with remaining chillies and extra coriander.

Enjoy!

Review - Monk Bodhi Dharma - $-$$$ - V

My friend Sara is moving to LA soon so she's a bit sad that she's only just discovered Monk Bodhi Dharma cafe. I'm a bit sad that Sara's moving but that's another story.

Tucked down a lane behind one of the stupormarkets on bustling Carlisle Street in Balaclava this cafe is easily missed by those not in the know. As you may have inferred by the name, their menu is focused on vegetarian and vegan food with ayurvedic properties. Translation: it's good for you. It's also filling and pretty damn tasty too. Each day there are various soups and stews on offer for lunch as well as plenty of hearty breakfast fare even without eggs and bacon. (And, there's always super pretty cupcakes on the counter as you walk in the front door, so steel your self-control upon entering if you're trying to be good.)

The premises itself is quite small but the space is well used with a beautiful communal table as the centerpiece and fresh flowers poking out of vases strung from the ceiling. Even the menus are pretty, printed on floral Japanese paper.
I've visited a fair few times recently and have indulged in the world's biggest and most moist piece of banana bread with lemon ricotta and a Moroccan-style stew with chickpeas, minted couscous and some bitey sweet chili relish.

The Monk also roast their own coffee, serve syphon and have a comprehensive list of fairtrade and organic teas on offer. The tea infusion is very precise and the pots and cups differ depending on which one you choose. My most recent choice was based solely on the name - Iron Goddess - which hadn't even made it onto the menu yet.

Regular breakfast degustation mornings are held and you can keep an eye on their blog for other events. I'm also pleased to report that if you forget your re-usable coffee cup and have to have a takeaway it will be served in a biodegradable cup.

Visit the Monk for holistic hospitality at it's best.



Enjoy!

The Cookbook Challenge Week 12 - Eggs - Salmon & Chickpea Frittata - 3 - $ - V

You know the old saying about needing the right tools for the job? Well I kind of didn't have the right pan for this frittata because it needs to go under the grill and I was worried about melting handles. So I plunged on and used a shallow cast iron French pan, which obviously withstood the heat under the grill but meant a little bit of stick on the bottom, despite a good oiling.

This recipe is really good! Filling, full of protein-goodness and could most definitely be served hot or cold. As a main I served it with some char-grilled asparagus and roasted tomatoes, but I would definitely serve it cold, cut into small pieces at a picnic or BBQ.

This is the second dish from the MasterChef magazine that has worked well for the Cookbook Challenge and is from Issue 4. I'd never made a frittata before and was happy with my first attempt, a non-stick pan will definitely be the go next time. The verdict on the chickpeas was varied so you have a go and make up your own mind.


Ingredients - serves 4 (I got 6 serves out of it)

2 x 200gm pieces of boneless, skinless salmon
2tbs olive oil
8 eggs
1/2tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic finely chopped/crushed
zest of 2 lemons
400gm can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
125gm fresh ricotta, crumbled into pieces
2tbs coriander leaves, plus extra to serve

Heat the pan over a high heat. Brush the salmon on both sides with 1tbs of the olive oil, season and cook for 1 minute each side or until medium-rare. Remove from pan and put aside. Wipe pan with paper towel.
Whisk together the eggs, cumin, garlic and zest and season. Stir in the chickpeas and then the ricotta and coriander. Stir gently to combine.
Heat the pan over a high heat and then add the last of the oil and swirl around the pan to coat the bottom and sides. Pour in the eggs and reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes or until the egg is almost cooked.
Meanwhile preheat the grill to high and then flake the fish into large pieces and tuck into the frittata. Place the pan under the grill and cook for 5 minutes or until just set and golden.
Scatter with the extra coriander and serve immediately.

Enjoy!