eG Foodblog: rarerollingobject (2011) - Mealtimes at the University of

[rarerollingobject]

Gosh...I'm sure everybody in Japan has a good half dozen rice paddles and plastic measuring cups!

Are you sure you can't find one in a dollar shop?

Check to see if the manufacturer sells replacement cups? I ordered one online a few years ago.

Not in Australian dollar shops! Hadn't thought of contacting the manufacturer..why do I never think of the shortest route between points A and B? I did think I solved the problem by buying 4 in Tokyo last year, but they seem to keep disappearing somehow..I have 2 left and consider them serious flight risks.

[rarerollingobject]

There comes a point in a man's life when he must contemplate selling all possessions so he can purchase a one-way ticket to Sydney.

I should start an eG-emigre greeter service! I'll be waiting at the airport with a tray of mangoes and a kangaroo steak, see you soon.

[rarerollingobject]

The stars aligned at the Korean market today- green onions were 7 bunches for $1 and the only pancake mix that had English instructions was on sale for around $2. That was for a 1kg. bag so once I get the hang of it a party is in order. I did not realize that it was the same brand as yours until I got home and checked your blog. Thank you so much for the inspiration!!!! I will pick up seafood tomorrow - the selection at that market did not inspire today.

Wow, 7 bunches for $1!! What a score. PLEASE post back if you do make the pajeon, would love to see! You can also make them with kimchi, I just squeeze out the kimchi juice (and put it straight in a bloody mary usually, I'm shameless) and chop finely.

Mine are never pretty..here's a pic from a great Korean restaurant here of what they professionally look like, and the gorgeous owner of the restaurant making them in mini sizes:

[rarerollingobject]

I'm so behind - I need to come back over a few weeks so I can savour everything. I made a brave attempt at your Moroccan veggies over quinoa this week and it was good but probably not as good as yours. I promise to practice more. I bought my quinoa at Bendido Wholefoods and it was from Tasmania, which I thought was great. Is yours from there or from S. America?

I think savory oats (what I call goat meal) sounds brilliant. I'm not big on sweet first thing in the morning.

I measured my rice cooker cup after learning the hard way that it isn't a standard "cup". I'm pretty sure it was 330 ml. But now I just fill the bowl to the 1 cup mark and add water until it is just a bit over the 2 cup mark and it turns out fine. I figure the fuzzy logic should work for its living.

Thanks again for the sensory overload.

Mine's from Peru..I'll have to look for Tasmanian, I would much rather buy that. The Moroccan vegetables are such a comfort food for me, but it needs a good hand with the spices and the preserved lemons and dried apricots are the stars.

Re the rice cooker cup..I also like them because they're the perfect size for so many things! E.g. a rice cooker cup's worth is the perfect amount of oats for me, or quinoa, or for measuring out things proportionally (rice to stock for risotto, for example) when one cup is just a bit too big.

And thanks for your kind words, I loved your blog too as I'd never seen much of Bendigo before but now feel like I know it a TINY bit.

[rarerollingobject]

Thanks Kate for a truly inspirational blog. I'm looking forward to visiting the places you've mentioned, and I can't wait to see where the best gelato in Sydney has been hiding.

Just wondering, how often does someone say to you - "You should go on Masterchef" ? ;-)

Gelato's on its way - hoping they'll have the pavlova flavour in stock today.

And do you know, I still to this day have never seen an episode of Masterchef??

[rarerollingobject]

And so, to bed..a big day tomorrow, of farmers' markets and a lovely cheese shop, a crazy-ass butcher, the most incredible gelato in Sydney, and hopefully, a bit of cooking somewhere in there too.

Just got home from our local farmers market, which I do love. Can't wait to see what yours look like!

2 days of food with you? Very tempting....

Offer's open! Bring elastic-waist pants.

[rarerollingobject]

That Indian Pakistani food looks pretty authentic, too bad I couldn't taste test it

Do they serve Kheema (minced goat) there? If they do and you have not tried it, ask for the dry spicy, slightly oily version.

I haven't seen goat there, but there is goat at the other dhaba place I frequent (and incidentally, while not Indian, a Vietnamese goat-only restaurant just nearby, serving everything from raw goat to roasted goat's head to goat spring rolls..talk about a niche market!)

My other favourite dish at Faheems (apart from the brain masala) is the haleem (subtitle: King of Curries), with four types of lentils, beef, and the most incredibly complex taste.

Also note percyn, on that menu, the mango chicken is made with Alphonso mangoes! Probably canned, but I saw that and thought of you.

[rarerollingobject]

I’ve always thought that the eG foodblogs were the very best part of the site. I love that peek into other folks’ homes and lives. I am a natural born culinary voyeur – at the grocery store I enjoy looking at what other people are buying as much as I enjoy choosing my own food. And you are living up to the best in your blog, Kate! Every time I log on to eG, I see something new and exciting and fun and delicious! What a fantastic ambassador you are to Australia! I could literally respond to every post and every picture. What I keep thinking about are the shellfish – the bugs (I want to try bugs), those incredible sapphire blue crabs, the gorgeous head-on prawns. But tonight, what hit me between the eyes were the spanner crabs. I’ve never even HEARD of them! I'm just mesmerized!

Kim, thank for your kind words..I'm also a culinary voyeur (I shamelessly look into other people's baskets, crane my neck to see what other tables have ordered in restaurants, and outright ask people how things taste) and I can walk around looking at food for ages, even without buying anything. So it's been a great privilege to share my food world with eG - many of you are food heroes of mine, so it's quite the honour.

[rarerollingobject]

Right, a BIG day, with many, many photos to share. I had to make a cup of tea to prepare myself for posting this, so get comfortable!

On alternate Saturdays, we go to the Eveleigh farmers' market. This is a relatively new market, but has really boomed in the short time it's been open. It's housed in old train carriageworks that for many years were left derelict, but have been revived into an arts space, with food markets on the weekends. I love it - the vendors, the space, the architecture, and the fact that everyone brings their dogs (we are major dog-lovers but sadly can't have them in our apartment).

8.30am, already kinda crowded:

The carriageworks:

All kinds of flowers, herbs and potted plants:

Always silent but somehow impressive dude who sharpens knives on a grinding stone mounted on the back of his motorbike for $5. Coincidentally, he sometimes parks outside my work and sharpens knives on his bike for passers-by..don't ask me how that works (i.e. how many passers-by have knives on their person that require an on-the-fly sharpening), but it IS good for freaking out visitors to my building! I love him because he saved my favourite Japanese knife that my idiot boyfriend put in the dishwasher.

The mandarin and cumquat people. I love these two, they're always smiling:

Just going to post the rest and will stop to caption where required!

Kylie Kwong, a 'celebrity chef' here. I actually find her intensely annoying as a TV personality (over use of the word "beautiful" to describe things, mostly) but her food is nice and it's admirable that she gets out and cooks at the markets herself - her restaurant and books are certainly successful enough that she likely doesn't have to. We had vegetable pancakes and pork dumplings. Pancakes were good, but the pork dumplings? Not impressed, Kylie. Soggy, watery and stingy. I can't remember how much these cost but however much it was, it was too much.

Very large wheel of my favourite butter:

Blood orange juice, boyfriend hand model:

Still smiling, Dog bless 'em:

Speaking of dogs:

Crowds as at 9.30 when we left:

Whew. And that only takes us till 9.30! A couple more stops and then home with the haul.

Edited July 30, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[rarerollingobject]

After the markets, we stopped by a great cheese shop in Surry Halls, Formaggi Ocello. I always ask before I take photos, but when I first stepped up to the counter, there was noone around, so I took two photos. The counterlady then appeared and I asked her, as I normally do, if it'd be OK to take some photos..she said no!! I was quite taken aback and all like, "say what??". I've never had anyone say no before! I must say, I was slightly miffed.

I mean, it's their business and everything so I understand I have to respect their policies while on their premises, but seriously, how precious. What, am I going to start a competitor cheese shop using intellectual property I've nabbed from a couple of photos? And what's the intellectual property anyway? The exact angle they've cut their cheese wedges? Biotches, please. What do you guys think about this kind of thing?

I was so annoyed, I only bought a LITTLE bit of cheese! That'll learn 'em. A thin wedge of gruyere for something I'm planning to make over the weekend. Here are my two contraband photos though:

I then dragged my underling to Victor Churchill, an insanely bizarre butcher in Woollahra (one of the richest and fanciest suburbs in Sydney, it's sort of insufferable).

Their fitout is startling. In addition to an 'aroma' spot they pipe from the chicken rotisserie inside the shop to outside the shop in the street (clever marketing!), they have a wall of video cameras pointing at some highlight of the day:

Fridges of gorgeous (and expensive) meats and charcuterie:

A glass-encased butchery area where you can watch the butchers at their individual stations:

It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but this is a hanging room; the cuts are rotating slowly on the pulley system, like hypnotic meat baubles:

A restored meat slicer and a bike randomly parked in the middle of the shop to hold bread:

And their outside window display is always..intriguing:

I just bought some duck rillettes, which will make an appearance later.

The haul from the day overall. Baby cavolo nero, fennel, morels, mandarins, padron peppers, a loaf of polenta sourdough, carrots, capsicum, parsley, some little truffle and porcini pork sausages from the farmers' market, the duck rillettes and the controversial gruyere.

[rarerollingobject]

And brunch. Polenta sourdough, thickly buttered, duck rillettes and a glass of Australian Sauternes-style botrytis. I don't know or care if it's 'right' to drink botrytis with rillettes, but I love Sauternes with foie gras and this isn't that far from that.

And because I'm militant about getting vegetables into every meal where I can, no matter how incongruous the combination: a purple kale, hazelnut oil and lemon juice salad.

Some mandarins to finish. Sweetest mandarins I've ever tasted, these. They're from those smiling people at the market. Whatever those people are on, I want some.

Edited July 30, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[annachan]

Do you get your sourdough from Sonoma Baking Company? There is a local cafe that carries their bread here and we get a loaf every week.

I miss padron peppers! Haven't seen them around here....Having total veggie envy as picking was skim at the farmers market this morning. Not sure why but several veggie vendors weren't there.

LOVE that butcher shop. I would be quite poor if I live by there....

[Blether]

You shoot a good picture

As for rice cups - aren't they all the standard 1-go ('ichi-gou') size, i.e. 180ml ? A pain to measure against a scale each time, but it shouldn't be all that hard to find a suitable tea or coffee cup, or make / cut something.

[Shalmanese]

Aww... crap. I used to *work* out of the Everleigh train yards around 2006 or so. The food options around that area were dismal and now you're telling me there's a freaking farmer's market there? .

Also, you went to Woollahra to gawk at the rich people and didn't stop at Simon Johnson's? That was always my favorite spot to gawk at what you could convince people to spend money on. I remember a set of copper pans they sold where I calculated it would have been cheaper to fly to the US, buy the pans and fly back than to buy them at Simon Johnson's.

Also Formaggi Ocello is excellent, they always had a booth at the Fox Studio's Farmers Market and I would always go home with a little treat. So many great memories from this blog .

[Franci]

Dear Kate, I'm coming to check your blog every morning with my cup of coffee. I'm really enjoying it! Many sighs from looking at the beautiful pictures of markets and the butcher!!! OMG. Love it!

Living in the south of France, I get crappy fish(!), believe it. I have a superexpensive butcher where employees are funny like a kick in the teeth (pardon the italian expression), in my local supermarket I pay 4-5 euros for a disgusting mango and 1.5 euros for 3 green onions. I can send you tons of zucchini flowers and lemons from Menton, though.

Love also your breakfasts. I'm Italian, so I grew up with very little and sweet breakfast, and marrying a Chinese I was taken aback at my mother-in-law breakfasts (like fried dumplings first thing in the morning) but 10 years later I'm converted! Should try the savory oatmeal when temperature drops.

[rarerollingobject]

Do you get your sourdough from Sonoma Baking Company? There is a local cafe that carries their bread here and we get a loaf every week.

I miss padron peppers! Haven't seen them around here....Having total veggie envy as picking was skim at the farmers market this morning. Not sure why but several veggie vendors weren't there.

LOVE that butcher shop. I would be quite poor if I live by there....

Sonoma, yes. We don't eat much bread (more of late) so I'm no expert but it seems quite good and is widely available here (including from that grocery store I showed early in the week).

Padron peppers are addictive! Planning to use them in dinner tonight. It was a bounty of great veg at the markets this morning, but again, better in summer.

As for the butcher shop..I forgot to take a picture of the door handle you push open to enter..a long string of copper sausages!

[rarerollingobject]

You shoot a good picture

As for rice cups - aren't they all the standard 1-go ('ichi-gou') size, i.e. 180ml ? A pain to measure against a scale each time, but it shouldn't be all that hard to find a suitable tea or coffee cup, or make / cut something.

Now listen you, with your helpful information and useful suggestions..that is all very well, but one of our airlines is having a sale to Japan with $209 airfares, and stocking up on rice cooker cups is just about as good an excuse as I've got to justify a quick weekend jaunt, so..you hush now.

[rarerollingobject]

Aww... crap. I used to *work* out of the Everleigh train yards around 2006 or so. The food options around that area were dismal and now you're telling me there's a freaking farmer's market there? .

Also, you went to Woollahra to gawk at the rich people and didn't stop at Simon Johnson's? That was always my favorite spot to gawk at what you could convince people to spend money on. I remember a set of copper pans they sold where I calculated it would have been cheaper to fly to the US, buy the pans and fly back than to buy them at Simon Johnson's.

Also Formaggi Ocello is excellent, they always had a booth at the Fox Studio's Farmers Market and I would always go home with a little treat. So many great memories from this blog .

Wait, where did you work? *I* worked there from 2005 - 2008, or one building away at least, opposite that Buon Gusto Italian restaurant. Do I...*gasp*..KNOW you, perchance??

Re Simon Johnson..I will only set foot in Woollahra to gaze at meat, and while man may indeed be the greatest prey, not enough to brave the trophy wives and thickets of Vuitton bags in Simon Johnson! Heh.

Formaggi Ocello, photo policies aside, IS excellent - my favourite cheese is the testun barolo, a cow/ewe's milk mix matured in nebbiolo wine must..incredible. There's an eG member here called barolo, and every time I see his/her name online around the traps, I get a Pavlovian craving for cheese.

[rarerollingobject]

Dear Kate, I'm coming to check your blog every morning with my cup of coffee. I'm really enjoying it! Many sighs from looking at the beautiful pictures of markets and the butcher!!! OMG. Love it!

Living in the south of France, I get crappy fish(!), believe it. I have a superexpensive butcher where employees are funny like a kick in the teeth (pardon the italian expression), in my local supermarket I pay 4-5 euros for a disgusting mango and 1.5 euros for 3 green onions. I can send you tons of zucchini flowers and lemons from Menton, though.

Love also your breakfasts. I'm Italian, so I grew up with very little and sweet breakfast, and marrying a Chinese I was taken aback at my mother-in-law breakfasts (like fried dumplings first thing in the morning) but 10 years later I'm converted! Should try the savory oatmeal when temperature drops.

Ah, Franci, this was a lovely thing to hear! Shocked though that the South of France has crappy fish..that just isn't right!

Anyway, lovely to make your acquaintance. And for some Italian influence in my normally Asian diet, I'm about to post some gelato - no doubt nowhere near as good as you grew up with, but a lovely little bit of Italy in Sydney for us anyway.

[rarerollingobject]

Thanks Kate for a truly inspirational blog. I'm looking forward to visiting the places you've mentioned, and I can't wait to see where the best gelato in Sydney has been hiding.

Right, ChrisZ - this is for you. Gelato Messina in Darlinghurst. A tiny shop, staffed with many strapping Italian boys (one of whom always calls me 'bella principessa' ), dishing out intense flavoured gelatos in mind-bending flavours (as well as the classics).

They didn't have the pavlova ready yet (described as 'vanilla gelato with house made meringue, strawberry puree and passionfruit syrup') but we made out OK.

I tried to get all the flavours in shot, partly successful at least:

We did two rounds. Now, I try to minimise our disposable waste, we use fabric shopping bags, and I recycle my ziplock bags. But the one thing I will not budge on is having separate cups for the fruit and dairy rounds of my ice cream. I hate the flavours mingling together! I know that's persnickety, but there you have it.

First round. I had kaffir lime and white pepper - loved it, loved it, wanted to marry it. The pepper gave it a very strong kick and the kaffir lime was intensely strong. It was strong suggested to boyfriend that he consider choosing the dulce merengada - described as 'lemon-scented caramel with baked meringue'.

Second round: dulce de leche for me, tacky on the teeth it was so caramelly. Boyfriend was advised to choose 'Porky's Revenge' (for scientific purposes, you see): maple syrup gelato, pancake pieces and maple syrup and bacon pieces streaked through.

Edited July 30, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[Dakki]

It's 4 AM here and I'm craving ice cream.

Thanks RRO >_<

[Shalmanese]

Wait, where did you work? *I* worked there from 2005 - 2008, or one building away at least, opposite that Buon Gusto Italian restaurant. Do I...*gasp*..KNOW you, perchance??

I worked inside the Australian Technology Park at NICTA. Bay 11 of the railyards IIRC.

[rarerollingobject]

Wait, where did you work? *I* worked there from 2005 - 2008, or one building away at least, opposite that Buon Gusto Italian restaurant. Do I...*gasp*..KNOW you, perchance??

I worked inside the Australian Technology Park at NICTA. Bay 11 of the railyards IIRC.

Interesting. Back then, I worked at Sydney Uni and was often in ATP as we had an optical fibre research unit there. I also was and still am involved in some partnership stuff with NICTA.

There's quite a bit of good food around there now, but like you, I was highly irked that I quit that job and within like a month or so, this great new market opened up literally steps away!

[rarerollingobject]

And last post of the day, dinner. The progression of this meal is a good insight into how tangential my 'cooking mind' is: what was meant to be a vegetarian, Spanish paella turned out to have bacon and seafood, and seasoned with Vietnamese fish sauce.

The prep. Started off well; fennel, onions, garlic, capsicum. Calasparra rice. Homemade stock. Parsley and lemon and padron peppers to garnish.

Chopped vegetables:

Fried the padrons first:

Then the vegetables, added the rice. No white wine to deglaze! Oh well. Added paprika and cayenne. No saffron in the pantry?? Hm. Turmeric for colour. Still OK.

Pour in boiling stock, and let simmer till absorbed. Oh, I have this leftover seafood from that Korean pajeon..I'll put that in. And I need to get rid of this bacon, but it's mouth-puckeringly salty. Idea! I'll crisp it in the oven and glaze it in maple syrup to offset the sweetness.

Needs some green. I have some broad beans in the freezer..I'll throw them in. Seafood just on top, padrons too to reheat, clamp on lid and let steam off the heat for 10 minutes:

I can't believe I made maple bacon to go on a Spanish paella. Oh well, life's too short to care, crumble it on. Lots of parsley, including all the stem for the crunch. Lemon wedges too.

Nice but it needs a tiny bit more salt, after worrying about the salty bacon. I know! Fish sauce. It's basically anchovy essence, right? Perfect umami hit, with the lemon too.

Beer. Enough said.

Must lie down now.

[annachan]

You manage to make me want gelato, despite having had -8 degrees the past 2 mornings....

Sonoma is so far the only place that makes bread like the ones we can get in San Francisco. I just wonder, how much do you pay for them there? I'm paying $7.50 - $8 a loaf here....