what a difference a day makes

My rather revolting mood continued yesterday. I think it's still this whole weaning myself off burgers, boys and gin. I've caught up on sleep though (I think!) and woke up this morning feeling decidedly fresh faced and ready for action. I had leftovers for lunch, which always makes me happy because a) it's usually healthy and b) it's free! Well, pre-paid at least. My friend Lucy has taken up residence as the latest squatter in our Aro Valley stronghold, and being a pescatarian we celebrated Monday with fresh Monkfish. I made a surprisingly tasty fish stew, and with crusty sourdough, it was just the pick-me-up I needed. That, combined with walking home in daylight, and a boomer list of songs coming through my headphones on shuffle while on said-walk meant that things were on the up and up.

I'm pretty sure "stew" is about the un-sexiest dinner title there is. It conjures up images of being a child filled with dread, having regretted asking what's for dinner over breakfast. "Casserole" is up there on the unsexy food list, but don't let the name put you off. Don't think of overcooked meat slopping around your plate in a watery gelatinous mass; think of a gorgeous ceramic hand painted bowl, and a fishing village in Italy, or a dark restaurant in Spain. Think fresh fish, and saffron, and fresh green beans which retain their crunch. Mop it up with a chunk of crusty sourdough hot from the oven and I can nearly guarantee you'll feel infinitely better.

Mediteranean Monkfish Stew, with fresh green beans
(served 4 for dinner and 3 smaller portions for lunch the next day. Very loosely adapted from Julie Le Clerc's seafood stew in her book Feast and from something my Mum once made)

3 small onions, diced

a large garlic clove, sliced, and a dollop of crushed garlic

1 leek, quartered lengthways and sliced into chunks

1 x 800g tin of tomatoes, and 1 x 440g tin also

1 cup (and a bit!) of white wine (dregs of parties gone by meant it was a mix of sauvingnon blanc and riesling)

1 cup chicken stock (I just used powdered stock from the cupboard. I'm sure homemade fish or chicken stock would be far superior)
the juice of a lemon
Pinch of saffron threads, left for a minute or two in a 1/4 cup boiling water
600g fresh fish - firm white fillets. I used monkfish and it was ideal.

salt and pepper
green beans
3/4 cup risoni pasta (or orzo. you could replace with couscous if you like)
Fresh flat-leaf parsley and lemon zest to garnish

1. On medium heat, place a good glug of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy based saucepan. Add garlic, onions and leek and cook for between 5-10 minutes until soft.
2. Add wine, stock, saffron, and tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.
3. Add lemon juice and fish. Then add risoni, and green beans, stirring in well. Keep an eye on it.
4. Cook for about 10 minutes, ensuring the risoni doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled in chopped parlsey and lemon zest. 

It really is a simple and tasty end-of-winter meal - a totally sexy and impressive dinner, despite the name. And with that, my bad mood has banished and the inspiration is back. Watch this space for chocolate, chocolate and who knows what else next!   

sunshine and shortbread

Sometimes foul moods can creep up on you with no rhyme or reason. Maybe it's just that you haven't been in one for so long. Maybe you subconsciously feel guilty for breaking your no-drinking-this-weekend policy with that glass of sav in that glorious sunshine on Saturday afternoon. You shouldn't feel bad though, because firstly, rules are made to be broken and secondly, you deserve the wine after hauling your burger-thighs up Mt Victoria earlier in the day after going to the gym!

Sometimes there's nothing really you can do except get some fresh air and sunshine, spend all your money at Moore Wilson's, down a delicious coffee from Deluxe or Milk Crate, buy yourself a sassy red set of kitchen scales, and spend the afternoon in the kitchen. Avoid laundry, and cleaning, send the odd text to your overseas friends, maybe play some Roxette, maybe play some scrabble, maybe gather a wee crew to go and ogle Ryan Gosling and make shortbread. Citrus polenta shortbread. Citrus polenta shortbread and banana bread with rum soaked sultanas and dark dark chocolate.

I actually have nothing to whinge about. I was lucky enough to receive a jar of these gorgeous cookies for my birthday from my friend Anna, complete with recipe included. This afternoon was the perfect opportunity to try them out, and I can confirm that although Anna's were far superior to mine, they are really are delightful with a cup of tea. Thanks Anna! 

Citrus Polenta Shortbread
makes two dozen, oven @ 150*C

1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp grated orange rind
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow polenta and 2 tblsp yellow polenta
1 tsp coarse salt (don't use rock salt like I did - just a little bit too salty when you get a big chunk)

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest until light and fluffy.

Mix flour, and 2 tblsp polenta into butter mix. Add salt.

Halve dough. Roll into logs and refrigerate for 1 hour (I wrapped them in glad wrap).

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of polenta onto a clean surface. Roll the dough-logs in polenta and slice into 1/4 inch rounds.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until pale and golden - 25-30 minutes. After 25 minutes watch carefully! Mine did not need that extra 5 minutes.

Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

They make a gorgeous gift in a jar, but if you're not giving them away just enjoy and worry about your permanent food baby in the morning.

the health kick continues

I'm still recovering from burger-overload (although if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: it wasn't the burgers, it was the gin!).

But, day 3 into my healthy eating and sober regime and we continued making use of all the veges in the fridge and had healthy homemade pizzas for dinner. My flatmate James actually made them; I baked for my overdue birthday morning tea at work tomorrow and finally wrote up the final burger date.

We used locally made Alamar pita breads as the base and James whipped up a base-cover of tomato paste mixed with heaps of crushed garlic and a splash of olive oil. He roasted some broccoli, and then used plenty of red onion, sliced portobello mushrooms, baby spinach, the broccoli, feta and a tiny sprinkle of edam cheese. Cooked for about 15 minutes, they were crispy, garlicky and so so good.

neglect and salad

Oh hello!

So that burger dating thing took up waaaaay more time and energy and mental capacity than I thought it would. It was also way more fun, with a few unexpected surprises. The final two and the recap are nearly written, so I'll save the reflections for over there. You can watch this space though, I am newly enthusiastic and inspired in every aspect of my life. This blog for a start!

The detox has begun and I've re-embraced salad and veges wholeheartedly. Tonight, after a fun-filled supermarket excursion with my flatmate Harriet (supermarket shopping being something I actually missed with all that socialising), we had crispy skinned salmon on salad for dinner. Health on a plate, she said, and boy it was delicious.  

Post burger-binge Salad


- roast a whole head of broccoli at 200*C for about 20 minutes, with  olive oil, salt and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

- drain a can of cannellini beans and place in a big bowl. Add a decent handful of baby spinach leaves and a whole heap of sun sprout's crunchy bean combo.

- saute a couple of courgettes in a little oil and a little garlic, then add.

- add a few roughly chopped almonds.

- make a dressing by putting in a wee jug about half a cup of natural yoghurt, a pinch of chilli flakes, a squeeze of fresh lemon, a generous pinch of smoked paprika, a crack of pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and mix well with a fork.

- cover the salad in the dressing and mix up carefully with your hands.

- panfry your salmon on a high heat, skin-side first, having seasoned with salt and pepper and a pinch of chilli powder, and having rubbed in some olive oil, some lemon zest and juice. Flip carefully and pile on top of the salad.

Enjoy, wallowing in health feeling extremely happy with yourself.

Then bake cake.

Watch this space.   

yarns and pies at little & friday

It's the attention to detail and the little creative intricacies that really set boring cafes apart from awesome ones. My friend Jonathan and I did some cafe hopping when I was in Auckland, and I was delighted to try out Little & Friday's latest venture in Newmarket. Building on from their successful namesake in Takapuna, this new one has popped up in the middle of a fabric store. With just two big communal tables, it totally and completely just works. 

I was flattered and thrilled when I was told that this was the kind of cafe Jonathan could picture me having one day. One day! I was impressed by animals instead of table numbers, communal jars of relish and cutlery, cinnamon sticks and mint in the milk bottle water carafes, well made coffee, vintage plates, his mince and cheese pie, my bacon and egg tart, and the beautiful beautiful-looking baked goods. 

Little & Friday, Melrose St, Newmarket, Auckland. 

dual city loving

I came home this evening after a movie and a wine, having moseyed up Courtenay Place and Cuba Street thinking about how much I love Wellington. Yesterday I returned from two weeks in Auckland, and gosh it was fun. I was constantly hit with reasons to love it there too, and am sitting rather pretty with my dual city love. And while chances are my next move will be further afield, depending of course on either who next sweeps me off my feet or where my travel/food show will be filmed (deleting one as necessary) it's nice at the moment to have homes, friends and good coffee in two cities.

Auckland began with bright orange nail polish and gin and coopers, moved through to coffees and lunches and brunches and jugs, stumbled upon a runny nose and a puffy eye, included some delicious Japanese, a turret, two $1 op-shop dresses, Mum's lasagne, a train ride, pies, a quiz night, the Happy Heartbreak! album release (I could relate!), and a film amongst other things. Auckland finished with afternoon tea with an old friend, the Modest Mouse concert and a 6am flight before cooking on Good Morning. At Modest Mouse, the trumpet playing was a highlight (I get pretty excited by trumpet-playing males) and I lost it when they played this song:

Oh I had so much fun. Auckland, more so than when I last lived there, has plenty of sweet bars and cafes. Here's a couple of my favourite Auckland eats from my most recent jaunt:

Domain and Ayr, Parnell

The cafe formerly known as Kokako has delightful staff, big brunches, delicious Kokako coffee and smoothies in jars. My sassy little sister and I had a brunch date here one Sunday, and whilst she raved about only the second eggs benedict she'd ever had (with organic ham off the bone) my big breakfasty thing defeated me. It was so delicious but a ridiculous amount of food. To be fair, the coffee/banana smoothie pre-cursor wasn't the wisest of moves. When will I learn? Rookie. We rocked off for who paid though, and mighty rock beating scissors meant it was her shout. Ideal!

Ollies Ice Cream, Royal Oak

The word "institution" gets bandied around, about as much as "gourmet" and "gluten free". It takes a little more than being the latest cool place to really become an institution, and I think Ollies, having sat at the Royal Oak Roundabout since 1973 with the same owner, deserves the label more than many others. My friend Campbell rolled scoops here back in '01, and his Mum many years before that. Aforementioned little sister and I decided that after a huge brunch and then Mum's lasagne for dinner, that ice creams were in order. They most definitely weren't - especially with that hungover indecisiveness that comes on a Sunday night where you insist on two flavours and not just the one. We actually sat there in agony, and it still hurts looking at the photos, but the coconut-marshmallow and triple chocolate-nut was a winning combo. No fancy gelato here, oh no - just good old tip top by the scoop.

 
Papa's Pizza, Kingsland

I caught up with some school friends and their other-halves for quiz night at Papa's Pizza (61 Sandringham Rd) on a crisp Tuesday evening. I caught the (clean, quick and efficient) train (my colleagues: "you'll feel like you're in a real city!") and the gawky old man who sold me my $1.70 ticket from Britomart to Kingsland told me he liked my perfume. The quiz night was a slight shambles, and while some members of our table felt sorry for the young girls hosting, others felt the need to slightly-drunkenly heckle them ("they put themselves in that position and were asking for it!" was one argument in defence).

It was cheapish, cheerful and fun. Again, not quite woodfired traditional Italian pizza, but still really fricking yum. Washed down with $5 glasses of cheap red (during happy hour - be sure to move onto buying by the bottle if you're with a group once happy hour finishes!) we came second (out of three) which gave us a $40 voucher to use then and there; great result.

There's plenty of others which I'll get to - right now I have to go and prepare for my date with Morgan Spurlock tomorrow! Wellington on a Plate starts on Friday and I'm eating 17 burgers on 17 dates over the 17 days. Crazy? Yes. But fun! You'll be able to read all about it, just you watch this space.