Snadra

Do you notice the chicken growth make a real difference to the flavour? And does the cumin seed disintegrate in cooking or does it remain whole? You also mentioned Mexican oregano - is that very different to Greek oregano in flavour?

Thanks for all the great responses! I'm looking forward to giving this another go. I especially appreciate all the details people are giving me - it makes all the difference! Do you mean 2/3 cup of fat for 1 cup of dried beans? My heart muscles are quivering, but my tongue is excited! Also, what is brown lard? Do you mean fresh chile, or soaked and puréed dry chile?

I went shopping at Aldi yesterday because I couldn't face Woolies at the shopping centre. Once again I picked up some of their grass-fed beef for dinner last night, and it was delicious, with a deep flavour and that resilience that I associate with grass-fed beef. Is it as good as what I had at Rockpool? Probably not, but it's an environmentally-friendly option that is affordable and good quality. Frankly, I also like that it's vacuum packed so I can keep it in the fridge instead of freezing it. I also bought some 300ml cast-iron mini cocottes. I've been lusting after the Staub ones for a while, and while these probably aren't quite the high quality of staub, they are very good, and for $7 as compared to $50 (on sale) for the Staub, there's really no comparison for me. Plus they are almost the same blue as my Le Crueset pot. Of course, it's the wrong season to use them, but I'm all ready for next winter now! On the other hand, I picked up a packet of green beans to go with the steak, and they were pretty woeful. I tend not to buy veggies there because the quality is so variable, even for what is kept refrigerated. Then again, the quality at our local Woolies and Coles is often pretty woeful too....

I've just come back from another country trip, and once again was looked at like I had two heads when I talked about the deliciousness of roo, and this from people who have family involved in shooting roo for the meat marketers! There's a real squeamishness around it... Nich, I've used the mince a few times, but have never been quite happy with it. It always seems very wet compared to beef mince and that puts me off a bit when i think of how to use it. I'd love to see some pictures of how you make your roo dishes and the finished products if you ever get a chance! Also, with the plum sauce, is this something you make or purchase?

Have you tried Call the Keetle Black on 124th and Jasper Ave? I would have suggested Le Gnome in WEM, but I understand it's closed now. And it may be worth checking out Winners - I got some top end gear from there last time I visited and you never know what they might have.

nannipigg - welcome! How great to read stories about not just making difficult kitchens work, but really thriving in them. Chris, it looks like you really enjoyed yourself with those kids! There's a similar program in my part of Sydney and I wanted to volunteer, but I could never be sure enough of my work schedule to commit. It's a fantastic program and it's great to know someone who's taking part. Jenni, it sounds like there is a lot to take inspiration from in your current neck of the woods. An unreliable electricity supply must be so frustrating to deal with, but how amazing to walk around and see people making fantastic food with little equipment. It's really a reminder that all this fancy-shiny stuff is new, and people have been feeding themselves very well for a very long time without it. Getting new equipment is always a possibility. A rolling cart is a good thing - I was thinking I might find a sturdy table and put castors on it to make it easier to move about when I need to. Sous-vide is probably a step too far for me at the moment, but it's something to consider in future. Funnily enough, I was thinking that the owners might be willing to fund an outdoor brick oven as this will eventually be their retirement home and they seem the type that might enjoy it. I do have a Weber BBQ and was absolutely planning on utilising it, but a Kamado would be even better. The only reason I'm not keen on a benchtop oven is that it will basically take up all of the bench, leaving nowhere to put a jug and toaster...otherwise, as Anna's experience shows, it is a viable option! But I'm keen to hear more about your experiences too, so keep sharing! edit: reword for clarity

My mum used to can a fair amount of meat - chunks of beef, elk, leftovers from the Christmas turkey. I think she generally canned it in broth as a cooked product as we didn't have a pressure canner. When it came to using the meat, it was usually as a super-quick 'meat in gravy' dinner: she'd make a roux adding the canning juices to make a gravy, then heat the meat in the gravy. Usually she seasoned it with some herbs and added a bit of wine or port. We ate it with noodles or mash and vegetables and we all loved it. She also used to can cretons. A lot of neighbours used to can fish as well.

In a few weeks I start my new career as a teacher in country NSW. The place I've been appointed to has a dearth of rentals (quality or otherwise) and I was rather happy to find a place outside of town with a large house-yard that will allow pets and has enough storage space to keep us contained for a while and has really lovely owners. Unfortunately it means I will leave behind my beautiful european kitchen with its beautiful appliances for an original 70s kitchen with few countertops, little storage and no oven (I can't imagine what sort of person would build a kitchen in an Aussie farmhouse with nothing to make scones in...). The rest of the property is pretty darn original too, and I believe the former owner had a mania for spa baths, but that's another story... The owners are keen to see us happy there and keep us there, until they're ready to retire into it, they're doing some work on the place now to bring it a bit more up to scratch, and eventually I'm sure we'll get an oven in somehow, but in the meantime...what to do? How to cope? I have some plans: a large table in the middle of the kitchen to serve as an eating/working/counterspace island will be a start. I also plan on asking if I can paint the cupboards some other shade (paint work is yet to be completed elsewhere), and we're going to see if it's possible to fit a second-hand oven under the bench. I also suspect the house might be easier to deal with if I stock that brick-fronted bar properly! An outdoor wok burner might also be a viable new appliance. I know plenty of people in eGullet-land not only cope with non-dream kitchens, but seem to flourish in them. So here's my question: how do you cope? Do you have any special tricks or methods? What kind of cooking do you find easiest in a poorly-laid out kitchen?

Do you read German? I have a book called 'die konditori' (or similar - I'm away from home at the moment) that I picked up at a charity book sale a few years ago. I have never cooked from it, partly because I don't have the language skills, but it's from the early 30s and seems to be aimed at professionals. It has no pictures, but it does have a wide range of recipes ( including a fair number of Jewish recipes, which I find interesting considering the publication date) and measurements are in metric weight. I could post the details when I get home if you are interested. no doubt it's available on abebooks.

That looks beautiful Bruce. I'll have to keep that cabbage dish in mind - love cabbage!

Well, personally I always said erbs and fi-lay because who wants to annoy a short, angry french-canadian woman who has access to farming implements when you're stuck in the canadian backwoods? More seriously, this is probably more about the divergence of the English language on different continents than correct pronunciation. I'm not sure that the use of erbs and fi-lay are always about sounding posh - some of the least posh people I know use those pronunciations in North America. I never hear that pronunciation here. Arugula vs rocket: I think it's about how it came to be introduced into the local language - again, it's rocket here. Headcheese is a perfectly acceptable word, descended no doubt from its German forebear Presskopf - and, yes, it's called brawn here. However, Parmigiana I'll agree with, because parmesan was in use for a long time before parmigiana became vogueish.

I remember a few food firsts: my first shockingly emerald kiwi fruit at age 12, my first fresh mango at age 23 and my first refried beans at age 9, served at a brand-new Taco Time, a Mexican restaurant so authentic the tater-tots had a dusting of spice powder over them instead of plain salt. Ever since then I have loved refried beans (and all kinds of other beans), but while I generally cook most of my bean dishes from dry beans (with the occasional tin of chickpeas used for quick hummus purposes), when it comes to the refried kind they usually come out of a can. A few years ago I managed to get my hands on pinto beans and black beans (not easily found in dry form at the shops here) and have made a few attempts at home-made refried beans using a few recipes found on the net. But I'm not really happy with them. They're lacking in flavour, they're rather pasty in texture and they're just not that enjoyable. Please note that when I eat the pintos before trying to mash them, they have a great nice flavour, but it seems to disintegrate upon mashing. I have had some success with roughly squashing pintos or blackbeans to form part of a quesadilla along with some mild feta and cabbage and coriander (cilantro). The truth is, I'm over the canned stuff - it's pappy, high in salt and kind of pricey. BUT, I still want some good beans! So, can you help me? How do you make your refritos? I'm particularly interested in: How far you cook the beans at the whole bean stage The amount and type of fat you add Your mashing methods The seasonings you add How long and in what you fry them Finally, I'd love to know how you serve them and what you eat them with. I have easy access to most spices (however no epazote until I get a chance to grow my own), and can currently even get my hands on good lard (I don't expect that to last unfortunately). Amazingly Cholula hot sauce is pretty readily available at the supermarket and delis, and I have a mail order source for dried chiles. Cheese is more difficult - there is only one source I know of for Queso Fresco, and it requires more coordinating than I am currently willing to do. Personally, I can only use dry beans - although I can access tinned pintos and black beans their cost makes them unappealing. However, I'd still be interested in hearing how you season them.

Must admit these, along with "erbs" instead of "Herbs" are the three americanisms in food that really grate on me. My mother (a French Canadian) and most of the people I grew up around up (not French of any sort) dropped the H when talking about herbs, and I have always thought it might have been a French influence, especially after I came here and heard Aussies pronouncing the T in fillets. In my part of North America, at least, the word is said more like "fil-lays". The grate can work in both directions!

I'll be interested to hear how it goes! In the meantime, if you're looking for local expertise on the subject, you can check out The Aussie BBQ Forum. A really friendly group of people who cover everything from the traditional Aussie sausage sizzle to American-style BBQ.

Andie, one day I would like to cook with you! I am currently drooling. Hell, I just wanna eat with you. Maybe if we offered to wash the dishes? Back onto the topic, I have made cookie baskets for people in the past, but it doesn't seem to be quite the same tradition here as it is in North America and at least in Sydney the humidity and heat wreak havoc with many things. I have taken a basket of goodies to work to share, and that works well because it usually disappears within nanoseconds. I usually do a tin of biscuits for my neighbour. This year I will probably make lemon crinkles and shortbread (a version that uses rice flour). I'm stuck for a gift for my in-laws this year and am thinking of putting together a 'sundae box' with some inexpensive ice cream coupes, a scoop, sprinkles and a couple of sauces. They never seem happy with our gifts, but at least this way the kids might enjoy it.

Andie, one day I would like to cook with you! I am currently drooling.

I start teaching in February next year, and for the first time in over a decade, I will *need* to bring my lunch to work, or else get stuck with canteen food. There is a limit to how many sausage rolls a girl can eat a term. I already have stacks of stackable plastic containers that we use to store food in the fridge and cupboards (specifically purchased all from teh same brand to make storage easier). I used those while on prac and they were okay, but I'm wondering if it's worth investing in something a little easier to tote around which is supplied with its own fork (based on my experiences witnessing people madly searching for forks at lunchtime, this is important). Specifically, I'm looking at Black + Blum containers. I've inspected a few at the shops, and they look good, but I'm wondering if anyone else has used them. Insulation properties aren't an issue, as there will be a fridge in the staffroom, and no doubt a microwave on site. edited to fix link

There's a whole lot of deliciousness going on here. Jaymes I love the idea of plain beans with accompaniments - I imagine this is especially good with really good beans. I'm getting a better sense of what a 'pot of beans' means to some people now! Andie, thanks for the cornbread tips. I had completely forgotten about that post!

Jaymes' Salsa (post 13), Abra's Chocolate chip cookies and JAZ's Walnut Crack all hit iconic status for me.

Andie and Jaymes, thanks so much for this. I have limited access to a smaller variety of beans, but I can get cannellini, kidney, borlotti, lima and black eye beans from the grocery store, and pinto and black beans from online sources. When I first made pinto beans from dried beans both my husband and I couldn't stop just taking beams from the pot, they were that good. I still haven't made refriitos from them that I'm quite happy with though. Maybe overly influenced by the canned stuff... Andie, I've made a bit of cornbread here using polenta - i soak the polenta in buttermilk overnight, and I've been whipping the egg whites to get a lighter texture, which is lovely for breakfast, but wouldn't be good with something more solid. And when I looked up 'southern style cornbread' recipes most of them came up with sugar and cheese and sour cream and the rest - I know just enough about southern food to know that can't be quite right. I'm thrilled to have a 'proper' recipe that i can make using locally available products. For both of you (and anyone else) are there flavoung combinations you would recommend with particular beans? Also, Jaymes, I take it you put the flavouring in as the beans cook, while Andie adds it towards the end? I'm almost wishing it was cold enough for me to try this now. Almost.

I finally got around to cooking out of Ross Dobson's Chinatown a few weeks ago, and one of the first dishes I made was this Eggplant, Cumin and Black Bean salad. It was great, although it could hold back a bit more on the black beans. I'd bought black beans for recipes from the Fuschia Dunlop cookbooks, and was happy to find some other uses for them.

After reading this thread and the one on Land of Plenty I bought both books a while ago and am slowly improving my chinese cooking skills. I haven't cooked a lot out of this one yet, but the farmhouse peppers and pork has shown up on our menu quite frequently. Last night I made the beef with cumin (with a drastic reduction in chiles) and it was a hit too really fragrant.although it probably helped that I ground the cumin freshly. One thing I've noticed in both books is how many unfussy recipes there are. The beef dish is a bit painful because of the oil use, but as a rule many recipes come together quickly and have a great taste impact. I've noticed others serve dishes with a vegetable dish from the book, while some just mention 'salad'. Because there is only two of us, I usually make something really simple to go with dishes from both her books. Often it's a simple cucumber salad (smashed or otherwise), or green beans quickly tossed in the wok with a bit of salt. Last night I made a cabbage salad with a light ginger dressing. Do anyone have any standbys that they use? I'm also wondering about rice choices. I tend to stick to calrose (medium grain) because we like it and it goes with pretty much everything and is easy to eat with chopsticks, but I'm curious as to what others use: jasmine, long grain, brown?

The problem for those of us down under is cost. That Cuisinart supreme grind has an RRP of $119 here. Sigh. Chris, I am after a similar goal. Yesterday I picked up an Isomac Granmacinino that I bought off eBay for $149. I've made two pots of French press and one pourover since then and the quality difference over the Melitta ground coffee I've been using (which was passable as long as i was still getting good coffee in the city) was incredible. And that's just with the random beans i picked up from Pine Coffee. The only extra work I had to do was stand for the 30 or so seconds it took to grind the coffee. The seller told me it's basically maintenance free (as opposed to the coffee machine he also showed me). My mother uses a blade grinder, and I find it rather painful. I don't know what your price point is, but a number of people on Coffee Snobs seem to use the breville or sunbeam as an intro machine - there are a fair few available on eBay. So, joining the chorus based on my recent experience: For maximum return with minimum effort, you could go the pourover route with disposable filters (easy to deal with), and fresh ground coffee. Especially if you're only after 1 cup in the morning. I have a Melita pourover cup, and buy the Harris Coffee filters from Woolies - works great for a quick morning cup and is nearly as quick as instant.

I'd love a recipe for these beans (and cornbread). Sounds like the kind of thing I might enjoy come winter!

Ahem, two adequately caffeinated screeching rims, if you please.