irisav's Profile
ID'ing Spinach vs Chard
Swiss chard is quite different visually to spinach (at least they mean different things in Australia) although yes they can be used interchangeably (personally I have a preference for chard when it is called for as spinach I find can have an unpleasant mouth feel occasionally due to its tannins.
Swiss chard/Silverbeet grows to around 0.4 - 0.6m high with relatively thick ribbed stems which can be white, pink or yellow/orange (sometimes called rainbow chard). It has deep green wrinkly shiny leaves that make rubbery sounds when chopped in bunches. the leaves can grow to approx 0.3m in addition to the stem. It also grows as a discrete plant with all stems growing from one root base.
Spinach by contrast is a lighter green much smaller plant with only a few narrow stems growing per root base and in some ways looks more like a weedy ground cover. The leaves of the adult spinach plant are significantly smaller than chard without chard's shine or wrinkles, and in some ways resemble a stemmed bulky/broad milk thistle leaf.
I think the confusion lies in the fact that restaurants will often use baby swiss chard which with its red/pink stem and smooth leaf looks much like spinach and describe it simply as swiss chard.
Yum Cha in Sydney
I can report that marigold is not a great experience. The food is ok but had some at best indifferent and at worst downright rude service. I get that they are more or less slammed from 11 through to 2 on the weekends, but they should still make the effort to at least wait for a reply before moving off with the trolly.
Melbourne fish and chips
I would avoid O-lambs (I assume that is the same as 'Lambs') become something of a chain like experience. For souvlaki I would recommend stalactites on corner of Russell St & Lonsdale St, it's open 24 hours a day so the meat is constantly cooking resulting in an excellent flavour. For the turkish equivalent head out to Alasya on Sydney Rd for one of their doner kebabs.
Gelobar on the Brunswick end of Lygon St is a perennial favourite on a hot night.
I too would go with prossers for fishmongers.
There is a Fish 'n Chip place in Newmarket (on Racecourse Rd) which I think does stand out chips. But I feel like for excellent fish 'n chips you need to go to coastal towns. Port Fairy come highly recommended (I haven't been there since I was ten, but have good memories of the fish and chips) - of course you have to be prepared to travel 5 hours which seems excessive for a meal of fish and chips.
Have fun.
What's good in Melbourne CBD?
Where to start?
Breakfast/Lunch:
Mr Tulk's (State Library - Cnr Swanston & La Trobe)
Sally's Kitchen (Exhibition St near Lt Lonsdale)
Cumulus Inc - 45 Flinders Lane (Open from breakfast through to dinner well known for oysters)
GingerBoy 27-29 Crossley St (Sth East Asian food)
Melbourne is very good for very cheap chinese dumpling places of note are:
North East China Family - 302 Flinders Lane (Good dumplings, particularly the leek & shrimp ones)
Camy Shanghai Dumpling and Noodle REstaurant (Tattersalls Lane - off Lt Bourke close to Swanston St) - This place kind of defines Melbourne's Dumpling restaurant scene, it's a bit rough an ready, perfunctory service and always packed at meal times but you can't argue with the cost. I recommend the chilli oil dumplings along with a serving of the shanghai noodles.
For general Chinese Restaurants there are:
Supper Inn (12 Celestial Avenue) Open until 3am, reasonably priced and something of an institution - be prepared to queue on the stairs for a table.
If you have some money to burn then Flower Drum (12 Market Lane) if the institution of choice for up-market chinese restaurants.
Check out Seamstress (113 Lonsdale St) for a contemporary take on Cantonese.
For Yum Cha I recommend Red Emperor (3 Southgate avenue, Southbank - on the 2nd level) - always reliable food and service - bookings at the weekend are essential.
To be honest I could go on and on I haven't even got to the restaurants at Crown, Gertrude St, the various MoVida's, Vue de Monde's, Press Club, Grossi Florentino - Basically the CBD and surrounding areas are jam packed with great dining experiences and everything is a convenient tram/jaunt. In fact you don't want to limit yourself to just the CBD - there are many great restaurant/cafes within 5-20 minute tram rides.
Personally I would recommend checking out the food blog Melbourne Gastronome - she has a CBD index as well as a quick tips set on indexes (such as cheap lunches, great brunches etc) and is a reliable source.
Also there are some truly amazing bars that serve great food, not to mention pubs. Oh I feel overwhelmed just thinking about it... Enjoy your time in this fair city!
Oh don't miss out on a lunch/dinner/supper at Pellegrinis (66 Bourke St, an Italian Institution - sit at the bar, watch the coffee theatre and enjoy a watermelon granita on a hot day/evening - or any of the pastas/cakes)
Australia - high food hopes
Shakahari Restaurant - Faraday St, Carlton Melbourne - is a dedicated vegetarian restaurant that my vegan manager swore by. Although depending on what you mean by regionality it may not be what you're after.
Tjanabi in Federation Square (Melbourne) is a restaurant that features seasonal indigenous ingredients - the menu is pretty meat heavy but there are some interesting looking vegetarian options. You can view their menus here: http://www.agfg.com.au/guide/vic/melbourne/melbourne-inner-city/melbourne-city/restaurants-dining/tjanabi-fed-square-restaurant
Which neighborhood to stay in (Sydney)? Pubs, cheap eats, public transport
I agree with you Onara - once you do the rocks/bridge/operahouse trifecta unless you want to shop for luxury labels there doesn't seem to be a lot going on in the cbd proper. Although Hyde park is a fairly lovely place to while away a sunny afternoon.
It would be worthwhile investing in a weekly red pass. It'll set you back about thirty dollars (AU) but allows you unlimited travel across trains/ferries/buses in the red zone. http://www.cityrail.info/tickets/commuter/travelpass.
Moving from Melbourne to Sydney
I'm moving from inner north Melbourne to sydney in the new year and I'm hoping for some hints and advice about were to source quality produce.
We'll probably wind up living in the inner west (Surry Hills, Erskineville) so places that are an easy travel (might not have a car) are preferable,
Particularly anyone who has lived in Melbourne and knows where i can find a butcher equivalent of Donati's (Lygon St Carlton), or even better if you're familar with it the 'quality butcher' on Racecourse Road in Newmarket. I'm also hoping to find a place that makes coffee as good as the standout cafes in Brunswick (Rae, A Minor Place, Smallblock, Sugardough etc etc),
I'm also seeking a quality deli (like the polish shop or the epicurean at the Vic market) and a decent fruit & vege place (but one of those fruit and vegetable places that believes in sourcing great produce rather than charging you 20% more a kilo for brushing the mushrooms and artfully arranging the eggolants.
Sorry to be so specific - looking forward to your informed responses.
local's favorites for sydney?
Spice I Am - 90 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills, excellent Thai restaurant with no bookings policy and incredibly popular so it's usually a good idea to turn up and take your place in the queue before it opens at 6 pm.
There is also a Spice I Am in Darlinghurst, which does take reservations I haven't been to it so I don't know how it compares.
http://www.spiceiam.com/
why'd my pasta go wonky?
The recipe sounds pretty standard to me.
Generally I work with the ratio of one egg to 100g flour. I will also reserve some of the weighed flour to allow for variation of egg sizes. I find it easier to deal with a slightly sticky dough (by adding the reserved flour) than to rectify an overly dry dough.
In terms of over working the dough - I think you would really have to abuse the dough to have much impact (we're not making scones). Essentially you should knead until the dough is smooth.
Perhaps the problem lies in the cooking process (I apologise if the following is a bit teaching your grandmother to suck eggs-ish). Firstly you need plenty of water, and it should be at a rolling boiling when you drop the pasta in. Also it is imperative that you salt the water in order to bring out the flavour of the pasta, you should add salt once the pot has come to a boil an allow it to dissolve before adding pasta. Depending on the volume of water I will add between 1 and 4 tsp of flour (although I have a bit of an extreme palate when it comes to salt).
I'm assuming that gummy means a bit too al dente, or chewy rather than gluggy. If that's the case then the pasta may not have been cooked long enough. I think (and certainly when I cook fresh pasta) that it is ready once it starts floating to the surface of the pot. The best test though is to sample it as it cooks/when you think it is ready.
If gummy means gluggy then it could be that too little water was used for the volume of pasta, I apply the same ratio of 1 litre of water for every 100g of pasta to both fresh and dried pasta.
Working on my Dauphinoise potatoes, stories welcome.
I think (and yes it's very obvious) that the variety of potato used is of upmost significance. I seem to have the best success with Nicola and Dutch Creams.
Recently a friend was hosting a dinner party and I assisted in making the Dauphinoise, we made many amateur mistakes (given both of us had made this style of dish several times before) but I think the biggest one was using indifferent (re: bargain basement) potatoes. I have no idea what variety they were (and my only interest in knowing is so I can avoid them at all costs in the future) but even after nearly two hours of cooking they maintained the look and texture of freshly sliced and barely cooked potato.
Personally (and I'm not sure how authentic this really is) I like to cook the prepared (sliced/chopped/whatever) potatos in milk (sometimes I will start in water, strain and finish cooking in milk) with a small sliced onion, nutmeg and bayleaf.
Season mixture and transfer to casserole dish scatter with a delicious cheese (eg gruyere) and bake until golden on top.
Need party food suggestions!
Or the classic rainbow cake (although it only every seems to have three layers so I'm not sure how that qualifies it as a rainbow).
Best Cookbooks
I would recommend Stephanie Alexander's - The Cook's Companion.
it doesn't pertain to any particular cuisine, but is she is very well traveled and it's a very comprehensive reference for the home cook. Recipes are organised by 'ingredient' (A to Z) with each ingredient usually having around a page of background information before preceding to the recipes. Excellent for when you buy an unfamiliar ingredient and would like to know how to cook it or when you want a new method for cooking a familiar ingredient.
Are there any Michelin rated restaurants in Australia?
No there aren't any Michelin rated restaurants - although I think it is because Australia has yet to be included as a 'contestant' so to speak, rather than it indicating a scarcity of worthy restaurants. There are other international guides and lists that do include some australian restaurants amongst their ranks.
how long does cooked food last?
Yes, well to quote my lecturer "B. cereus, and let me tell you people it's very serious" ha ha.
Generally speaking though the home cook need not be too fearful, it becomes more problematic when contained in large cooked quantities at a warm temperature over lengthy periods of time.
Help finding magical recipe website!
About a year ago I posted a thread asking about the technicals of posting on chowhound. Anyway amongst the responses someone mentioned a brilliant website that was like a great big index of recipes possibly linked to many foodblogs/recipe sites.
For instance you would search the site for chocolate biscuits and hundreds of recipes would turn up - often with pictures. Stupidly I didn't book mark the site and I think the chowhound team have since removed the thread so I can't go back and look for the original post.
I'm desperately hoping that someone out there knows the website I'm describing and can redirect me to it.
in hope, irisav
Scrap all of the above - having since gone through every single post of mine I've realised I kept overlooking the thread because I gave it a silly name! So the website I was after was tastespotting yay!
As a side then - what other sites out there are as brilliant as chowhound and taste spotting?
how long does cooked food last?
To a certain extent you're correct in suggesting that people acquire immunity through exposing themselves to questionable foods. This is why in developing nations the locals can eat the food and drink the water generally without ill effect whilst travelers from developed nations need to be wary.
Essentially whether you get sick depends in the contaminating organism. There are bacteria (such as some strains of E. coli) to which immunity can be acquired by routine exposure. However, this immunity is only transitory and any extended absence of exposure means that you will get sick (albeit perhaps not as sick as the first time you were exposed) if you are re-exposed. It is worth noting that the E.coli strains alluded to are those that arise from poor hygiene/handling (i.e. the faecal-oral route).
However, there are other pathogens which will always cause illness upon exposure. Hence, left over rice and pasta (and other cereals) can be risky as they may be colonised by Bacillus cereus whose toxin will cause sudden and extreme vomiting within an hour of exposure. Likewise Salmonella spp. will also always cause illness, as will Staph. aureus (in food based exposures, frequently chicken).
The type of bacteria colonising your food isn't simply the result of your own storage and handling practices but also relating to the handling practices of those growing/harvesting/butchering/transport etc.
It is also worth noting that bacteria have many ingenious methods for escaping death - some are resistant to heat, others drying. Not only that it is not simply whether the bacteria is alive or dead that determines whether you get ill. Food poisoning by it's truest definition is a bacterial toxin mediated illness, and doesn't necessarily require the bacteria to be alive when you consume the food - the toxin's presence is all that is required, the toxin can also be heat stable (that is unaffected by heating).
The point of this is not to be alarmist but to point out that food-bourne illnesses and pathogens are highly conditional risks that are resistant to blanket judgments. Having said that I would suggest that if you don't anticipate consuming (or haven't consumed) your left-overs within a few days of their preparation then pop them in the freezer and enjoy them at a later date.
Melbourne itinerary, looking for feedback
Don't know much about Malaysian in Sydney but the Thai is meant to be generally of a good quality with Spice I Am being the stand out (there are two one in the 'CBD' and one in Darlinghurst (I think?).
If you want some great Malaysian in Melbourne then you cannot go past Laksa King (Shop 3, 320 Racecourse Rd Newmarket get the 57 tram from Elizabeth st, or the Craigieburn train from the city and get off at Newmarket station). Anyway the point is their Curry Laksa is a knockout - by far the best I've ever had outside Malaysia (although I've never been to Singapore) - and crucially approved of by my malaysian mother-in-law. The Nasi Lemak is also good, and the roti chennai is up to scratch (although much thicker than I ever recall it being in Malaysia's hawker markets). The satay is nicely spiced/marinated but let down by being apparently deep fried rather than that deliciously smoky-grilling that is traditional.
Satay Anika on 140 Lygon St Brunswick (the northern end - take the #1 or #8 tram from swanston st - get off at 'The Quarry Hotel') is another tasty Malay restaurant - the Beef Rendang is the standout dish, and is as it should be, dry, rich and tender, served with coconut rice. Although I've never encountered this dish in Malaysia the Green Peppercorn Chicken Curry is delicious (don't be deceived by its miserable and slightly sickly looks!). An excellent addition to this place is that you're a stones throw from some very good bars in 'The Alderman' (with resident dog!) 'Atticus Finch' and 'Mr Wilkinson'
If you don't feel like straying from the CBD then there is Little Malaysia (26 Liverpool St (off Lt bourke b/w Exhibition and Spring St's)) The Nasi Lemak is servicable, but beware the Laksa it comes with BBQ Pork, Broccoli and on occasion carrot floating around in it - the broth is tasty enough if you can get past the unorthodox contents - but I beg you try the Curry Laksa at Laksa King!!!!
If your Malay hankering occurs in the wee hours of the morning then Chillipadi (located Melbourne Central around the Elizabeth St/ Lt Lonsdale St corner) will meet your needs, operating I think until 4am-ish Friday and Sat nights and 3am-ish most other nights (although truth be told I've never tried to go that late).
Essentials for Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth?
I would recommend google searching melbourne gastronome - a blog about all things dining out related in melbourne. I think 'grab your fork' for sydney is a good source.
If you're a coffee fiend I think it is worthwhile posting a question about where to get good coffee in Sydney because I'm yet to have found one when I've been up there, and family who live in Sydney tell me it is not easy to find - they think it is to do with the mineral composition of Sydney's drinking water.
Sydeny is great for high-end dining and thai food. In Melbourne the cafe scene is hard to beat although stylistically its is quite distinct across different portions of the city. As an inner north resident I can't go past the following:
Auction Rooms (North Melbourne)
Sugardough (Brunswick East)
The Kitchen (Newmarket)
Gingerlee (Brunswick East)
for evening meals:
Hellenic Republic (Brunswick)
Rumi (Brunswick East)
Laksa King (Newmarket) best Laksa ever! (outside Malaysia/Singapore)
Meat Pies - Recipe [Moved from Australia/New Zealand]
Could it be 'trim bone'? - as in a bone with most of the meat removed which I imagine could be added during the simmering stage so that the marrow thickens the gravy.
Vegemite is what is eaten in Australia in place of marmite. Vegemite I think is much tastier and sometimes is included in pie mix, it gives a umami background profile which I find very pleasing.
Need some advice for honeymoon Sydney/Melbourne
For Melbourne it depends on where you're staying - I'll assume you're in in the CBD and provide some directions from there.
For breakfast/lunch I would recommend:
Catching the #57 tram, get off on errol street and head down to Auction Rooms (103-105 Errol St - http://www.auctionroomscafe.com.au/) Great coffee excellent and intriguing menu options.
Or stay on the #57 and get off on Racecourse rd, Newmarket and head to 'The Kitchen' another excellent cafe (really good coffee, poached eggs and hash-browns). Or Laksa King for the most authentic Curry Laksa outside of Malaysia.
Alternatively catch the #1 or #8 trams and get off on Glenlyon rd for Sugardough Panificio and Patisserie (163 Lygon St, Brunswick East) - Pretty much everything at sugardough is excellent, I particularly recommend the selection of pies or the croque monsieur if you're fortunate enough to snag one, for sweet things go for the apple and rhubarb tartlet, bombilleni, treccia, cornetto or lemon and ricotta muffin. If you're feeling ambitious order their italian hot chocolate.
Further up Lygon st is Small Block which offers a very nice pesto and persian fetta scramble. And good coffee.
I would also recommend Rumi (116 Lygon St, brunswick) and Hellenic Republic (434 Lygon St, Brunswick East) for dinners.
If you don't feel like straying beyond the CBD then head the Sally's Kitchen (292 Exhibition St) for lunch, There poached chicken with cos lettuce and housemade mayo is very comforting. Apart from that their menu changes from day to day but is always consistently good. Naturally (you may be noticing a theme) their coffee is very tasty.
Sticking with the city - Espressino (Madam Brussels Lane, 50 Lonsdale St) is another good choice particularly on Thursdays and Fridays when to celebrate the end of the week offer two pasta specials. Yummy coffee and delightful sweet-nothings are also on offer along with a range of piadinas, pizza and salads.
Benito's (445 Lt Collins St) - this is more of a dinner time option (although they may be open for lunch) it's hard to go past the duck leg ragu with papadelle.
Meat Pies - Recipe [Moved from Australia/New Zealand]
yes I do mean tinned tomatoes as in the chopped then tinned without additives (at least nothing that should alter the fundamental character of the tomato). I use ardmona which have as far as I'm concerned the best colour, taste and texture, but I'm fairly certain that it's a local product only.
Confusingly (sorry!) I did also refer to tomato sauce (as in the species that would be put on the pie when it is eaten) in the method without calling for it in the ingredients.
Harters is right it would be better and traditional to use a shortcrust pastry but whilst I have the hands of a pastry chef (i.e. no circulation) I lack the patience or a proper food processor. Although I guess you could buy a commercial shortcrust pastry.
Tomato in the quantity that I suggest isn't typical of a mince pie, but it's not that unusual for a tomato sauce (either homemade or heinze-style, I think it's referred to as ketchup in US) to turn up in a recipe it provides a nice depth to the resulting gravy.
I can't stress enough though how important it is to brown the mince first - without doing so the end result of the flavour/texture won't quite escape boiled meat.
Meat Pies - Recipe [Moved from Australia/New Zealand]
This recipe may not exactly reflect your standard mince pie contents but I think it works.
500 g(or thereabouts - I'm never exact)
1 large onion finely chopped
1 stick celery
1 largish carrot
400g tin tomato
One whatever you've got bouquet garni (I usually use fresh parsley, fresh or dried thyme sprigs and bay leaves)
Salt
Pepper
glass red or white wine (I prefer white) although this is purely optional
Olive oil for sautéing
First brown the mince and season with salt and pepper, remove from pan (preferably something heavy based like a le creuset) and set aside.
Next saute the onions and when they're on there way to translucency add the finely chopped celery and carrot (I like to buzz them in a food processor so that they're like large granules this way they are incorporated as the gravy) saute for a further 5 minutes.
Deglaze with wine (or stock/water if not using wine) return mince when alcohol has cooked off. Add tomato and mix then throw in the bouquet garni. Add this stage you may also like to add tomato sauce commercial or homemade which I think adds a certain depth of flavour.
Cover and simmer over a low heat for at least 2 hours (I usually aim for 3 hours) stirring every 20 minutes or so checking that it doesn't reduce to far. If it does start drying simply add more water/stock/wine. After an hour of cooking I usually taste to check the texture and seasoning. When finished simmering remove the bouquet garni.
For the pie:
1 pie dish
1 sheet of puff pastry
It may not be the mince pie envisioned by most but I prefer to have simply a pastry lid mostly because I can't be bothered lining the dish with pastry and blind baking (which I think should be done or otherwise the base will be a sodden mess) and also it vaguely cuts done the fat content. But if you prefer the entire pastry casing then feel free.
Preheat oven to 220 celsius
Spoon pie mixture into pie dish and place puff pastry on top cutting it to shape I take the excess and make some fetching decoration on the pastry lid with it. You can egg wash the pastry or not I like it either way. Excess pie filling can be reserved and frozen for later pie days. Indeed you can make the pie filling and freeze, then defrost at a later date when the pie urge strikes.
Place pie in oven and cook until lid is golden and crunchy looking (approx 15-20 minutes should do it, but I don't have the best oven so adjust time as necessary). If you defrosted or cooled the pie mixture before assembly then cook as above (my mother says this 'cracks' the flour) and then reduce oven to 180 celsius for a further 10-20 minutes.
Going "green" or being sneaky cheap?
I don't think too much thought needs to be devoted to their motives. I think it is for the company one of those win-win situations. Yes they can save money by not automatically distributing the sleeve but in doing so they can make a claim toward environmental friendliness thereby giving them kudos for caring about trees and the like and assuaging any guilt the patrons might feel at purchasing coffee from starbucks which as far as I know (its been a looong time since I went to one) doesn't source eco or fairtrade coffee.
Its what is described as picking the 'low hanging fruit' of environmental action. That is the change is easy, painless and cheap - far cheaper than source renewable energy for their store or harvesting their own rainwater etc - but it still has a positive environmental effect.
A decline in home cooking?
It's not really about intelligence, objectively and consciously they would know that it is an ad and that they are being marketed to and even made to feel bad. The problem is that subconsciously they may still be influenced - that is the next time they've had a long day and can't face cooking they opt for the fast food short cut and perhaps that becomes a habit whenever they feel this way.
I recall an article several years ago reporting on a study that suggested that people with limited social life's were as satisfied with their social existence as people with extensive social life's if they watched a lot of TV as ultimately the human brain cannot easily distinguish between a perceived friendship with a character in a TV show and a friendship with a real person. While this may not seem immediately congruent with advertising, my point is that an individual in a vulnerable state of mind may be open to the suggestion of advertised product be it fried chicken, firming lotion or packages of processed 'side dishes'. I do not suggest that everyone will be turned, but some will (why on earth would companies sink so much money into advertising if it was not successful?).
If you're interested in the messages that form the subtext of advertising I suggest you google (or youtube) the gruen transfer which was a program aired in Australia where a panel of ad industry experts dissected ad's.
The example of the ad I provided was just one illustration of how food media pitches to one its prospective markets. That same company runs modified versions of this ad between 3 and 5pm pitching to children who are more likely to be viewing TV at this time, so pester power can also be added to the pressures of the working mother.
Finally the reference you provided whilst interesting was published in 1997. Many of my lecturers and tutors have impressed upon me that for reference material of this kind it is best to source journal articles as the nature of publishing means that by the time a book has made it through the rewrites/editing/publication/distribution etc it is already several years out of date. With journal articles it is easier to find more recent material.
In support of my position I offer:
'Price changes in thrifty food plan versus the consumer price index for food: why the difference?', Family economics & Nutrition review, 16.2 (Spring 2004) p. 82 (2)
"What price more food? It's the crisis the world should have seen coming", New Scientist, 198.2660, (June 14, 2008) p. 28 (6)
"Markets and Childhood Obesity", J. Cawley, The Future of Children, Vol. 16 No. 1, childhood Obesity, Spring 2006
I'm not sure whether or not these articles can be sourced free on the internet.
From the Cawley piece I'l quote from the opening para:
"...the real price of food fell, In particular energy-dense foods, such as those containing fats and sugars became relatively cheaper than less energy-dense foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables." (p69)
My argument, re: decline in home cooking, is that it is a significant indicator of lower socio-economic status - so I'm largely identifying a group of people in low paying jobs with frequently significant hours, or people on either government income support or a full government benefit. The relative cost of processed foods to fresh fruit and vegetables is cheaper both in terms of monetary and time costs. Not only that but this expenditure is part of a constellation of other costs such as fuel and utility costs which have all significantly risen in the past few years. Hence, fast food and highly processed food become more appealing and much more the 'norm' the further down the socio-economic scale you go.
The New Scientist piece argues that the cost of unprocessed produce fruit, vegetables, meat, cereals dairy etc are only set to rise in future years as world-wide demand continues to 'exceed' supply (this would probably be less problematic if distribution between developed and developing nations were more equitable rather than market driven). The supply is also subject to the pressure of prolonged drought in places like Australia and other climate and calamitous occurrences around the world.
My point is that if an individual is already economically disadvantaged then that disadvantage is only set to grow in the coming years.
What to make for new parents?
Stuff being 'helpful'! I recommend buying for the mother who has had to forgo all sorts of delicious foods while she was pregnant and then enjoy them with her. The look of love in my sister's eyes when my other sister and myself presented her with a platter containing cheese kransky, a soft blue cheese and oozy brie, and pate!
But if you really think helpful is the way to go then I whipping up a few 'different' pasta sauces to put in the fridge/freeze as undoubtedly they have casserole coming out their ears! So for instance make a large basic napoli (or even just buy a good quality tomato sugo), then heat oil in a pan and fry some pancetta (or prosciutto) toss in some chilli flakes then add enough napoli/sugo to serve two. Then in another pan again heat oil add one or two anchovy fillets (unless you know that they hate the things) and cook over a low heat until they 'dissolve' and again mix in enough napoli/sugo to serve two. Package them up and deliver with some really good quality fresh pasta and or ravioli, and a wedge of parmagianno regianno (or grana padano).
What Food Job Would You Like?
Yeah I would love to be a critic too - although I think I would like to include produce/market reviews as well and therefore require that whoever I was reviewing for included a gym membership with personal trainer in my salary!
Butcher upselling- you have to buy more
I think I would rather deal with it if the product is good rather than frequent the 'butcher' at the supermarket. I believe in supporting independence, quality and competition none of which can easily be associated with the 'butchers' in the supermarket.
Butcher upselling- you have to buy more
See I'm not sure about the ground meat. I have a very good butcher that I now exclusively buy from. If I'm just buying ground beef mince I can purchase any weight I like, however, if I want other types of ground meat which are not as such 'standard' eg. veal, chicken or lamb then I have to buy a minimum 1/2 kilo because they have to grind these on the spot for me and anything less than half a kilo is problematic in an large butcher's grinder. I don't have a problem with this as a) I'm getting meat ground on the spot b) he really is the most fabulous butcher who cares about all his products c) he has a small but very well stocked deli d) he doesn't add any preservatives to his ground meats.
To Serve or Not To Serve?
But that only works if the giver is making a gift in return for the dinner party rather than making a contribution to the dinner party.
How many different knives do you use daily ?
I think you do need quite a few pots. I mean I have 5 pots, a frying pan and a griddle pan and use them all the time. the smallest one is perfect for poaching eggs, the next up is a steamer, the next up for making soup for two although the next up which is a chasseur enamel lined cast iron affair has to some degree superseded this pot for soups ( and is fabulous for curries, braises, pasta sauces etc don't know how I lived with out this one!) and then a large stock pot for making stocks (obviously) and also for cooking pasta as ideally you need 1 L of water for every 100 g of pasta.
