Along with cardigans and jumpers, and finally wearing closed toe shoes, autumn in Australia brings the quince with it. I’ve written about this unusual fruit in a previous post, musing about it’s velvety yellow skin, and flesh that must be cooked and cooked and cooked before it relinquishes the most incredible perfume and flavour.
It’s been nearly ten years since I found out I have a wheat allergy and during this time, much to the disdain of my mother, I’ve eaten somewhat little Russian food…
Believe it or not, I was once a vegetarian. I decided in late 1999 that I didn’t need meat in order to survive, so for the entire year of 2000 I ate nothing but vegetables, legumes and tofu, and for that entire year I was hungry…
Many of us don’t realise how important our family heritage is. Growing up, we take most things for granted and as teenagers and young adults we usually stray far from our parent’s intentions for us and from “how things should be done”. I can tell you from my own experience, that the apple never falls far from the tree. No matter how hard we to try to get away from the way things were done at home, you will still unconsciously move towards them as you grow older. As age and wisdom set in, what was once annoying and unappealing, becomes familiar and comforting. Without realising it you will eat the same kind of food you ate growing up, and if you are a parent, you will usually raise your own children the way in which you were raised…
A challenge I’ve met head-on is recreating Paleo versions of food I used to enjoy, but wasn’t particularly good for me. The idea for these Souvlaki Shop Grilled Chicken Thighs came from the chicken skewers that my husband and I used to buy in bulk from a shop in the suburb of Belmore, a Greek precinct in Sydney’s south-west. Years ago we used to venture out to the delis and take-away shops to stuff ourselves with chicken and lamb souvlaki then we’d bring home a heap of frozen meat skewers to cook another time. That was until…
The idea for this particular recipe came at a 4th birthday party I was at about a year and a half ago with my son. In the midst of all the fairy bread and Doritos, the birthday girl’s mum brought out a plate of little meatballs that were really good. When I quizzed her as to what was in them, she said chicken, coriander and red curry paste. I was so inspired that I made this recipe up the next day…
It’s ironic that the same time in my life I decided to go cold turkey on sugar was exactly the time I started to get really good at baking. Back in 2006, just after I found out about my various food allergies, I set about the task of learning how to bake gluten-free. As a result I spent many hours transforming conventional wheaten baked goods into their gluten-free incarnations. However I only started to really get the hang of individual properties of the myriad of gluten-free flours much later on…
Whether we like it or not, memories are very deeply ingrained in the food that we eat. I’m sure if you really think about it, you will find that most of your everyday food choices are ones made with some link to your childhood or much younger self. For example, I loved chicken schnitzel as a kid. For me it’s the ultimate comfort food and from time to time I will recreate a grain-free version. When I eat it, schnitzel reminds me of cold winter days when I’d come home from school to find that my mother had cooked it for me…
Even though I eat very little Russian food these days, there are some standout dishes which are part of my regular cooking repertoire and this is one of them…