annachan

I guess I'm a little late in the game and some of the more popular events have sold out. Still, there are lots of events left. Out of those, which ones are worth checking out? Oh, I won't be able to attend daytime events during the week (this annoying thing call work ) and I'm not interested in the drink events.

I guess I've gotten used to buying meat directly from the farmers when I was in Canberra. I liked that I knew where my meat came from. And from knowing the farmers, I knew how the animals were treated. It's not so much that I can't find something or that we're lacking quality butchers. I guess I'm missing the "relationships" that I had. I haven't had the chance to check out the local farmers markets yet but plan to start this weekend. Thinking of going to Collingwood on Sat and Flemington on Sun. Anyone knows of good stalls at either of these markets?

I am loving the big markets in Melbourne. One thing I do miss is being about to buy meat directly from local farmers. Any guidance on where I can find good quality meat/poultry directly from farmers? I have a feeling maybe at some local farmer's markets. But which ones?

First, sorry your food wasn't popular. I know I would've been so happy if you brought that to my potluck.... Look, as you can see, many of us have been there. Dishes that you worked hard on, from sourcing hard to find ingredients to slaving in the kitchen for hours, and no one wants to touch it. AND losing out to store-bought, from a package mix type food! It hurts the ego. Like many have said before, to avoid the ego being hurt, know your audience. I love my food, but most of my friends/co-workers don't care/don't understand. (Note to self: may need new friends ) So, I go simple. Nothing that requires an adventurous/exotic palate. Things that people see and know immediately what it is. I just don't see the point of wasting time and energy when I suspect that people won't enjoy it. Sometimes, I need to put my foodie pride aside and go with what the crowd wants.

Tortilla! Great idea. The mash actually came out well as a base for osso bucco. I put the warm milk, melted butter and salt in the bottom of the bowl then rice the potato on top. A few gentle folds to incorporate everything and it's nice and fluffy.

Thanks Keith. They do roast up so beautifully. I use a ricer to mash and the result has been very good.

I also find the simpler the better with good quality tuna. I used to get this really nice smoked tuna at the farmers market. I break it into chunks and toss it with cooked pasta, lemon olive oil (or olive oil and some lemon juice) and seasonings (salt, pepper, chili flake, etc.). The simple prep lets the beautiful tuna stand out.

Thanks for all the replies. Thinking out loud about the hash idea. Can I just freeze shredded potato and then use it to make hash brown? Do i need to add anything to it before freezing? Also, is it necessary to defrost? Potato chips does sound great. Will probably use some of the potato for that. As for fries, would the oil blanching technique work if I want to make oven fries with them after they've been frozen?

That's why I couldn't find Daims the last time we're there....shame....

So, I ended up with a 5 kg (11 lb) of Desiree potato. I have been roasting them, making mash and home fries. Things is, we're not making much of a progress finishing up the bag. What are some things that I can make and freeze? Also, would Desiree be good for making gnocchi?

Thanks Chris! It's been great and I got lots of good tips. No doubt I will need to find something and will look to you for guidance.

That looks tempting! BTW, was at Chefs Hat today, and the Thermo Chef is on sale for $699.

Just saw this in a shop: Thermo Chef It cost $795 (Australian) - much cheaper than the Thermomix.... It looks like a Thermomix knockoff. Doesn't have any specific information (i.e. scale measurement, temperature increment) so I don't know how it compares to the Thermomix.

We just got home from Chadstone. That place is quite large. 2+ hours there and that was mostly at the Fresh Food area. I think we may be end up there regularly.

I do as well. I put Vegemite in a lot of stuff....

Looks like Chadstone is another place I have to check out. BTW, have you tried the Umami Paste?

Yes, I have done this. Because there are only two of us, a container of sprout usually last us 2 meals anyway. So, I take the larger outer leaves and roast them the way I make kale chips (toss with olive oil, salt and sometimes paprika). The inner of the sprout, I save them to roast or pan fried for the next meal.

So much information! I got a few questions: *How does Monsieur Truffle's chocolate compare to Koko Black and Max Brenner (not a fan of either)? *Casa Iberica - does it have Jamon Iberico de Ballote? If not, have you seen it for sale anywhere? *What is South Melbourne Market like as compare to the others (Queen Victoria, Prahan)? Any other markets worth checking out?

That sounds fantastic!

Thanks Chris! I looked at Jacques Reymond website and realized that $100 probably won't cover half the bill. However, I don't mind spending extra. I was so hoping that either Cumulus or Libertine would be on the list, but alas. Thanks for the list of places to try. A lot of good eating will be done.

Friends just gave us a Best Restaurants of Australia gift card ($100). Looking at the list for Melbourne, I have no idea where we should go. I like to try somewhere not too far from where we are in North Melbourne. Maybe within 15-20km. Willing to go further if it's a really good place. Any ideas?

This blog is just in time! Putting the house together this week and we should start venturing out to explore Melbourne soon. I'm taking notes!

Stuffed vegetables! Chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, seasoned ground meat, saute mushroom, potato/cauliflower (mashed, curried), couscous (roasted vegetables, mushroom, etc.), variety of cheese, dips, pate, etc. in/on top of cucumber, celery, tomato, mushroom, zucchini, bell pepper, cabbage, etc. A few more things I did for a friend's baby shower (all finger food for 60 people!): *Lamb kofte bites (in phyllo) *Curried potato purses (used wonton wrappers and baked) *Poached chicken meatballs (served with several dipping sauces) *Mini quiches (can make a tortilla and cut into squares) At a tapas party, a friend of a friend from Spain make a croquette. From what I gathered, it's just a thicken white sauce with some ham and cheese stirred in. Refrigerate till solid, cut into rectangles, crumbed and fried.

Frozen spinach is good for soup. I start with cooking some onion and garlic, then add stock, spinach and whatever seasoning I feel like. You can add bacon/sausage and the like and cook with the onion at the beginning. Sometimes I stir in an egg or two toward the end. Can add pasta as well. Creamed spinach is another option. Make a bechamel sauce, stir in spinach, season, turn off heat and stir in cheese. The creamed spinach is a good filling for lasagna as well.

Deliveries is only when we're desperate. After a day on the road or unpacking stuff, I'm too tired to get myself decent enough even for a neighborhood place.....