Syrah

I like salmon prepared many different ways but I think my absolute fav is a simply seared fillet (olive oil, s & p) served with salsa verde... absolutely delicious!

I cannot eat fresh coriander. The very thought of it makes me want to throw up. I can however cope with the roots ground or in curry pastes. My boyfriend has a less severe aversion. Question though, how do you feel about rosemary?? I find sage to be very pungent like rosemary and I adore them both.

I feel this way too. For an extra special Lent I recommend phoning your mother EVERY Friday to tell her how much steak you ate. Gets mine in a real frizzle. LOL. I am making savoury crepes, stuffed with a very basic white sauce, cheese, vegetable filling. I may add bacon. I have not decided yet. Ohhh and Sauvignon Blanc. Yummy.

Is the recipe for the fish roe salata available?? My darling has taken a fancy to it, as have I, and the stuff I bought from the deli for a fix doesn't cut it.

Chopsticks are standard here except for Thai restaurants (obviously!). You CAN request western cutlery in that context, but I do not. I do my best even though I am not proficient with them. Sometimes I feel a little embarrassed but no one has ever looked at me rudely or said anything. I feel that if you are eating from another countries cuisine, the least you can do is try to respect their practices.

I think you are thinking of a mignonnette. I believe it is simply finely diced shallots, cracked black pepper, and champagne vinegar. This is my absolute favorite thing to eat with raw oysters... well aside from plain oysters and oysters with a dash of lemon (meyer if you got it). ← Ohhh Ohhh I just bought champagne vinegar for the first time. I got excited at the deli. I just love this idea.

Did you try the vegemite website? www.vegemite.com.au You can probably use it to flavour a stew or something, but the dessert idea is really irking me. Did you eat some on hot buttered toast to get an idea of what it tastes like??

That looks divine.

I have decided to limit my cooking mags each month to Australian Gourmet Traveller and Delicious. I am also considering subscribing to Fine Cooking but the seasonal issues irk me slightly.

I was wondering about the pickle slices in Australia too. I distinctly remember them interviewing Crocodile and he was saying about McDonald's that they should just get rid of the "cucumber slice" as everybody takes them out of the hamburger and tosses them. I know, I'll ask my friend in Bowen and report back! doc ← It's really not a burger thing.. people like gherkins (we don't say pickle here) on things like a sandwich maybe.. but mostly they are like a finger food, people eat them as a snack. I like them with roast beef on a sandwich but I would not say that is a widespread Australian way of eating them. When I do eat McDonalds I peel the pickle OFF.. it is much sweeter than an gherkin anyway.

I am confused.. When you say crust you are refferring to the entire top of the pizza.. Or actually just around the edges. As mentioned above, you want the entire pizza (bottom and edge crust) to cook in 3-4 minutes so that the seafood does not overcook... (i.e. if the pizza took 10 minutes to cook the seafood would be rubbery!) You could parbake the crust surely?? 5 - 10 minutes then add the seafood yes??

I make a similar dish using tortellini that is baked. It is a delicious combo.

Burgers Australian Style are very good. Traditionally they do not have pickles (gherkins) as far as I have ever seen. Where did you visit? It could be a regional issue. I only crave a burger with the lot about once a year though, normally I do without the beetroot, pineapple, egg and bacon. I am also a bit of a deviant I do not like tomato sauce (ketchup) and will use HP or nothing. It just depends. Recently I made them and used Bush Tomato Chutney in the mince mixture. It was delicious. I will definitely do that again.

If I am not mistaken cornstarch is the word used in the US and corn flour is used in the UK. ← Correct!! It appears to be a commonwealth thing.

I find myself buying less and less from the supermarket each week. I go to the green grocer, the butcher, the fishmonger, the chinese grocery, the deli. I only go to the supermarket for things I cannot get elsewhere. Luckiliy for me, I have these shops within one complex, but it still takes additional time to do it. I have to say that I really don't mind. Everything I buy is fresh. The same employees are there everyweek and they do care if I come back or not. I have also found that I have saved money by doing this.. meat and veggies are heaps cheaper in smaller shops.

That sounds really delicious. Certainly a warming winter meal.

That is a bloody good idea.. I'm going to steal that one.

I have almost all of yours Artichokes Tuna Anchovies Corned beef sweet corn Tomatoes Tomato puree Chickpeas Kidneybeans

Can't comment on the food. But is this some kind of chain?? The website is really tacky .. thankfully it had a turn music off button. Looks horrendous.

1. Always drink water before bed and take some with you. 2. Take a vitamin B before you start drinking and after. 3. Also have a fry up for breakfast if you still feel seedy. (not always required if you follow rules 1 and 2.)

I think that if the customers’ request is reasonable it should be accommodated. People that have to have salmon done well and other things we would find distasteful are not worth loosing sleep or time on. People that make outlandish requests like eggs over easy but no fat or butter can be used; no onions in french onion soup; no onions in shrimp Creole or better yet no butter in sauce béarnaise should die slow lingering deaths as expediently as possible. ← LOL

I make what I call Koftas. I am pretty sure I am not using the word in its traditional sense. They are essentially meatballs stuffed with a pinenut mixture and baked. We have them with flat bread, salad and tzatsiki type sauce. They are delicious. If you would like the recipe please let me know.

I'm not sure. I like the creaminess of them and the taste which is hard to describe. I can't say why I like them aside from that. It was one of those things that I ate as a child because mum loved them..

This is Evelyn's recipe from Recipezaar. She has a treasure trove of Greek recipes on this site. I haven't made these, and am generally wary of most "recipe site" recipes, but everything else that I have ever made of her's is fantastic. Kourambiedes (A Greek Christmas Cookie) #76513 by evelyn/athens Basically a Greek butterball cookie recipe. These, with Melomakarona, are found in every Greek home during the Christmas Holidays. I go through phases. One year, or for a couple of years, these are my favourites, then Melomakarona are, and I keep switching back and forth. They're both wonderful! These keep wonderfully, long after Christmas is over, if any are left. — 2 cups butter, softened 2 egg yolks 3-4 cups flour 1 cup icing sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon brandy 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup almonds, chopped and roasted some rose water or orange flower water (available in many ethnic groceries) or ouzo extra icing sugar, for rolling the cookies in 70-80 cookies Change size or US/metric | 30 minutes 15 mins prep 1. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for 15 minutes, until it begins to turn white. 2. Add the egg yolks, the brandy, and gradually add the flour, until you have a dough that is neither too soft nor too firm (you may need to add slightly more than the amount I've written); stir in the almonds. 3. Let the dough stand for an hour in a warm place covered by a towel. 4. Next, with small amounts (about 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough), shape small rounds by gently rolling the dough around between the palms of your hands. 5. Arrange the round cookies on a buttered pan and flatten ever so slightly on top with your hand. 6. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes. 7. Immediately upon removing the kourambiedes from the oven, sprinkle them with rose water (or orange water or ouzo. I do this by putting a small amount of the liquid in a bowl, wetting my fingertips, and shaking the droplets over the hot cookies a few times. The scented water or ouzo gives the cookies a very delicate fragrance). 8. Roll the hot cookies in icing sugar to cover and let cool. 9. When cool, arrange on a pretty holiday platter, sieving more icing sugar between the cookie layers to give a snowdrift effect. ← I know Evelyn (or her recipes,anyways) from that site, too, and they are very good. She teaches cooking classes in Greece. ← I have made this recipe recently. They turn out very well. They are melt in your mouth delectable.

There is nothing wrong with vegemite, although the banana is a new combo for me. I may just have to try that.