Making Carciofi Ripieni with Nonna
The Italian cuisine is so diverse, and every region within Italy has its own unique take on cooking. What ties it all together, though, is the amazing flavours that come from such simple dishes, often with so few ingredients. Give an Italian some olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and some meat, and he will give you a meal that is sure to please even the fussiest [...]
Green Curry of Prawn Dumplings with Eggplant
Green curry is undoubtedly one of the most well known culinary products of Thailand, made green by the heavy use of green chili. Like many of the South-East Asian curries, a traditional Thai green curry is so intensely packed with flavours imparted by the great number of ingredients used. If used in the correct quantities, though, everything will balance out into a perfect harmony. Actually, [...]
Echye’s Restaurant Perth
There aren't all that many places in Perth that offer traditional African cuisine, however there are a few small restaurants scattered around, and Echye's in Victoria Park is one of them. Echye's is an eatery along the cafe strip offering a selection of dishes from the traditional Eritrean cuisine, and was opened in December of 2012 by a mother and her daughter from Eritrea. Eritrea [...]
Brutti Ma Buoni Biscotti
There comes a point in every cook's life, normally after having made Hollandaise sauce or a crème brûlée, when he must decide what to do with the leftover egg whites. Of course they can be frozen, but that is just delaying the inevitable decision that must eventually be made. A quick Google search will yield a few recurring suggestions--macarons, angel food cake, soufflé and pavlova--however [...]
Zia’s Ristorante Perth
The south-eastern Perth hills area is severely lacking in good restaurant options, so I was quite excited to learn that Zia's Ristorante (the Italian translation for Auntie's Restaurant), a family owned and operated Italian restaurant, had just opened. Deep down I was desperately hoping that it would be one of the best Italian restaurants that I've eaten at, both for the benefit of the local [...]
Two Weeks with the Thermomix
Last week I was asked by my uncle and aunt to house sit for them while they went holidaying in South Australia for a couple of weeks. I jumped at the opportunity, because the house is close to the city and university, and it would give me some peace and quiet to intensely work on my honours thesis, whose due date is fast approaching. The [...]
Shakshouka – Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Breakfast is probably one of the least creative meals of the day in Australia, with the majority of restaurants that open in the early morning hours offering a pretty typical menu of toast, a "full breakfast" (usually eggs with bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and sausages), pancakes, and yoghurt with muesli. There are some great breakfast locations in Perth that do offer a variation from the usual, [...]
Low(er) Fat Brownies
Low'ish fat brownie with quenelle of vanilla ice-cream (which probably just adds back the fat that I removed by cutting the butter content) I was at home today working on my honours project, reading about solid agglomeration and deposition in liquified natural gas production (boring!) in the Journal of Cryogenics. It didn't take long for me to become sidetracked, and before I knew [...]
Pearl Restaurant Bali
I've just returned from a short trip to Bali, the Indonesian island just north of Australia. I went expecting luxury beach side hotels, cheap food and cocktails, being hassled by the street vendors, and relaxing massages. Was I expecting modern French fine dining? Not at all! I was very surprised to find this little pearl in Bali, attached to a small hotel near Legian. We [...]