Ultimate Middle Eastern Feast!

Well it's been a friggin long time since I last posted... to be honest I was feeling a bit meh about the whole blogging thing. I realised that I don't actually really like sitting behind a computer editing pictures. I also don't really like being sat around with all the yummy food I've just cooked, styling it and making it look like all the magazines for the benefit of a good picture. Bazillion different vintage plates, planks of wood, napkins haphazardly placed across the table just so... The overhead shot with things strewn everywhere, placed exactly where they might lay if it were a family dinner (but there's no one there... 

Being online and active on social media exposes you to the way that so many people showcase their lives. It's not necessarily a bad thing... Instagram has resulted in people seeing beauty in normal every day things, and you see end up seeing the parts of peoples lives they want you to see, and in the light and filter through which you should view it. The thing is, that doesn't really suit me. I can display my life how I like on social media, but if what I show is not 100% true to life, I feel like a fake. I can take a photo of my basil plant and make it look like I grow everything and am totally self sufficient. Not true. But I could make it look that way...

Impression: I went shopping and am totes a
fashionista, yah.
Reality: I went shopping last minute for
a dress and the gold one makes me
look like a gay care bear
(little round legs and belly).

Impression: I'm like, super hipster and the
abstract lighting is a
reflection on my state of mind, amazeballs.
Reality: OOOOO pretty shiny things!

Impression: I'm super important at my job
and manage to juggle it all,
and make it look easy,
cos I've totally got my
shit together #awkwardlean #ditzygrin.
Reality: ERMERGEEERD kill me noooow #dies
#meltdown

You get the point.

I prefer to live a more honest lifestyle. When I cook food, I do it to eat it, to feed others, to show love. That sounds corny but I'm an emotional cripple - so if I cook for you, it means something. Sitting around styling food shots is not my style, I cook to eat, not to make everyone else look at it and say oooo. Just come over and let me feed you.

This dinner was one of the ones where I didn't spend much time making it look pretty. Because who cares, it was bloody delicious. No props, no white boards behind to reflect the light, no wooden slabs underneath to make it look like it was taken on a rustic French table. Just tasty food to eat, that might be something you've not had before. But you'll do it again!

I bought some local flatbreads and slathered on some olive oil and a generous sprinkling of zaatar, a Middle Eastern spice blend that is made up of sumac, salt, sesame seeds and thyme. A quick blast in the oven yielded a soft in the centre, crispy on the outer, base to start layering! As long as it's all in there, it doesn't matter how you layer it. 

Just make sure you style it and Instagram it!

Roasted Cauliflower with Citrus Tahini Sauce
Serves 4, adapted from Suzanne Husseini's Modern Flavours of Arabia.

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
Olive oil
sea salt
juice of 2 lemons
zest and juice of 1 orange (save some zest to garnish)
1 cup water
3/4 cup tahini
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
2 medium onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, to garnish
1/4 cup slivered almonds, to garnish

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. 

2) Take the whole head of cauliflower and cut (core included) into 4 thick slices. Place on a large baking sheet, coat with oil and season with salt (I used some pretty awesome smoked salt that I picked up from Pimlott and Strand, extra layers n all that!) 

3) Roast until golden and crisp and cooked through, it should take about 20 minutes. 

4) Mix the lemon juice, orange juice and zest, water and tahini to make a creamy sauce and leave aside.

5) In a frying pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until golden and soft. Pour the tahini sauce over the cooked onions and bring to a simmer until  it thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning as you need to. 

6) Serve drizzled over the roasted cauliflower and garnish with toasted nuts and orange zest.

Roasted red pepper dip (Muhammara)

Adapted from Suzanne Husseini's Modern Flavours of Arabia.

Ingredients

2 red capsicums
2 red chillies
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, mashed
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup fresh or panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish
Extra nuts, for garnish

Method

1) Pre-heat your grill until very hot. Place capsicums on a tray lined with baking paper and grill until the skins have blackened. Put the caps into a plastic bag or into a plastic container to sweat and cool down (this will make it easier for you to take the skins off later).
2) Peel the blackened skin from the caps and place into the food processor. 

3) Add the lemon, bread crumbs, garlic cloves, lemon, pine nuts, almonds, pomegranite molasses and olive oil, and blend until it reaches a consistency you like. 

Layer up the dip with the cauliflower, tahini sauce and chopped cucumber and tomatoes for a tasty, healthy, vegan dinner. It's so delicious you won't miss the meat - in fact, we cooked some chicken to go with it and I ended up taking the chicken off as it was better without it!

You can hashtag this recipe all day. #cleaneating #vegan #meatfreemonday #dairyfree #glutenfree (if you use GF wraps) all that stuff.

Get around it.

PS - Do you  have loads of tahini sauce left, like I did?

Try these recipes to use it up - they sounds fuggin delicious and are on my to do list!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za'atar - Ottolenghi

Carrot soup with crispy chickpeas - Smitten Kitchen

Healthy foods, Ottolenghi style

I haven't really been on much of a health kick recently, the exercise has really fallen by the wayside, mostly due to a case of bung legs. Turns out after a couple of expensive trips to the osteopath (including $120 parking fine - City of Perth better spend that well, wankers), it turns out my gluteal muscles aka arse muscles, are not firing {insert fart joke here}. This has caused all kinds of problems from achilles pain, tight and aching calves, and now my lower back is totally rooted. I went to school hopped up on codeine today, and let me tell you, my speech in front of the school about a sports carnival was just gushingly lovely, as was my health class afterwards. I talked. A lot. 

Anyway, without the exercise, I've turned into a bit of a apex predator - eating everything in sight with reckless abandon. This included bowling club priced booze and masses of cake at the Beaufort Bake and Bowls.

But all is not totally lost (the weight sure isn't anyway). I did cook SOME healthy things. I have more healthy things planned too. But not rabbit food, not look-how-alternative-I-can-be-with-my-weird-grains-that-taste-like-wet-cardboard kinda healthy.  

YUMMY healthy food.

Ottolenghi healthy. Plenty.

One night we had Mushroom Ragout with Yoghurt Flatbreads, which was fuggin amazing. Those flatbreads are soft, the dough is easy to make, even easier to work with and when cooked up, but the easiest thing is scooping up bits of tasty grilled mushroom and wine, with swirls of tangy yoghurt and fresh bursts of parsley. Leftover mushies were piled up on buttered toast in the morning and devoured - they kept me going all day (well, until about 10:30 when I went apex predator on some cake I forgot I had).

I also tried the herb stuffed tomatoes, which were Mediterranean in their flavours, salty olives, capers with a bite and surprisingly hearty from the breadcrumbs. I really enjoyed them, and would be great as a starter or as a side to something else - I used some local Gingin Beef mince and cooked it up very simply with basic seasoning and olives in the same pan I  made the stuffing in - it was gorgeous. The best mince I've ever had. 

The highlight though I think was the Quesadillas. These were awesome, and I am planning on making a bunch of these in advance when we go for a bbq, because once they're assembled, all you have to do is grill them. We added chicken to ours, but it's not really necessary. Next time I'm going to amp up the flavours in the beans, and maybe add a tangy, crunchy coleslaw for a bit of a tex mex vibe. Either way, we scoffed them. I made a toasty the next day with the leftovers, and they were still awesome.

You have to have a go at this book. If you're feeling like you're eating yourself outta house and home, the least you can do is eat healthier food. 

I will be eating more outta this book. 

Project 12 - September plans = ACTIVE!

Ok so this month our plan is to do things that one or both of us haven't done before, and we're going to be doing things to keep active!

To start out with, we've signed up for Stampede in the Valley on the 30th September! This was a friends idea for her birthday, and as soon as I mentioned it to S, he was KEEN! Here is what we've gotten ourselves into!

"Stampede in the Valley is a 4km obstacle course style race, held in the Swan Valley, on 30th September 2012, at the picturesque Brookleigh Estate cross country field, competitors will be ‘at one with nature’ while fighting their way through muddy, dirty obstacles. This event is a fun run that is fun, and any average person can complete it! Unlike similar events, we don’t want to challenge just those hardcore tough guy types and exclude everyday people so we have different categories for the tough chics and guys and the ones doing it for fun– this event is all about doing things you haven’t done since primary school!

The event draws from military style obstacle courses, to create a manic, messy experience for competitors. The race begins with a jog through the beautiful countryside of the Swan Valley before reaching the first obstacle. There are thirty obstacles in total, with a distance of 4km across the whole course. There is no time limit on the course, enabling people of all ages and abilities to complete it at their own pace. This race is about enjoyment and having fun rather than breaking any land speed records!"

We've also teamed up with some friends to do the Rotary Ramble, an Amazing Race style event in Perth! It's in October, so doesn't fall within this month, but hey, we've signed up this month! There's nothing wrong with being active all the time! 

It's also been revealed that S has never been canoeing! So that is on the list too! I have canoed, but never in the Swan River, so by technicality, its something I haven't done either! S is also keen to try rock climbing, but we'll see if we can fit it in! This is a busy month!

A friend has also recently sent me info on the HBF Fitness sessions, which, if you're a member of HBF you get access to 48 outdoor fitness sessions, for free! I didn't know that they offered that, and so for me, it's a first! I have never been to group fitness sessions given to me for free by my health insurer lol. If you're not a member you can buy passes to sessions too. Tuesday is yoga, and S has never done it but always wondered what it's like, so he might head on over that session, since they're so close to his work (Langley Park).

On the 14-16th Carolanne and I are headed to Pemberton for the Equilibre Foragers Retreat. It's a weekend away put on by the company who are behind Fitness for Foodies, the best (and most reasonably priced!) outdoor group fitness sessions I've come across! We'll be hiking around Big Brook Dam, having early morning fitness sessions, getting our biological age assessed as well as having a cooking class, and seasonal spring meal cooked for us. It's going to be awesome, and I'm really looking forward to the balance of active/foodie activities that are on offer! 

Overall, this is looking like an ACTIVE month full of firsts! So excited to try out all these new activities!

Herbed Lamb with Almond Olive Couscous

This is another recipe that has been inspired by Donna Hay and her book Fast, Fresh, Simple. To be honest, it's not a book that I flick through and find much inspiration from. There are A LOT of recipes in there, they're all really short and it seems a bit impersonal. However when I used Eat Your Books, a website that catalogues your cookbooks and allows you to search for recipes by book/ingredient etc) there were a lot of recipes from the book that appealed to me, and as such I have cooked quite a bit from it! This is another recipe, but I tweaked it a bit as it was a bit TOO simple for me!

Sorry about the phone pic, I had just been for a run and was STARVING!

This is a great post workout meal, as you've got a big hunk of protein sitting on top of a bed of carbs! It's also a great lunch, it'll keep you going for hours! This is so fast, delicious and will leave you feeling satisfied afterwards! You can sub in quinoa or any other similar grain/carb that can soak up flavours.


The quantities will be a bit free n easy - it's really up to you to add as much or as little as you like! You should end up with some couscous leftover for lunch the next day!


Ingredients
2 portions of lamb (whichever you prefer to eat)
3 tbsp oregano or marjoram (dried or fresh - I used dried)
1 cup couscous
Hot stock (enough to cover your couscous about 1-1.5 cups - I used chicken that I made earlier)
Handful of almonds
Handful of green olives (chopped)
Handful of fresh spinach
Lemon wedge
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper


Method
1) Lightly oil your lamb and sprinkle 2 tbsp of your herb over the lamb, and grill them over a high heat to your preferred "doneness".
2) Pour your couscous into a large bowl with the rest of the herbs, and pour over the hot stock. Cover and leave until you are ready to serve.
3) Chop your almonds and olives roughly. When the lamb is done, take it off the heat to rest until everything else is done.
4) Fluff up the couscous with a fork (if you use a spoon it clumps) and add your almonds, olives, and spinach and mix to combine. Add a generous squeeze of lemon, a glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
5) Slice up your lamb, pile the couscous onto your plate and place the lamb on top. EAT!

Roast cod with a hot garlic and chilli dressing - Movida Rustica

I've been getting into running this week. This is unusual, really unusual. Running has always been my nemesis, I've never excelled at it, always last, always struggling. That's not to say I wasn't good at sport, it was all I was good at. I had a lot of  "potential" at school apparently, but I never really lived up to it. I was too busy mucking around and being a smartarse. What a surprise huh ;-) But despite being a pretty decent basketball and netball player, handy in tennis and squash, and a trophy holding swimmer - I was, and still am, not a runner. My dad used to tell me that it's one of the only ways to get truly fit, but that he was never a runner either. He played for South Fremantle as a ruckman for years, so his job was to run up and down the field. But you can tell by his gait, he's not a natural. Talented athlete, but not a runner. So it runs in the family? Well, I can try to defy that. 

I recently started the Couch to 5km program, and am currently in week 2. Though still early days, I can feel myself getting better at it each run. I feel like there are more times where I find a rhythm, than where I struggle and shuffle along. I felt like a run today (I can't even believe I would say that. I've always hated to run), so I went down to my new spot, around the lake, and ran. I felt good most of the time! I was starving by the time I got home though...

This is what we had. Simple, healthy, quick. There are fabulous flavours, what you save in time you certainly do not lose in deliciousness! This recipe calls for cod in the title, and groper or trevalla in the recipe (huh?), but we used flounder, which was great for us. We aren't big fish eaters so don't really want a strong flavoured fish, which this wasn't. Meaty and satisfying, covering the fleshy fish in the hot garlic, parsley and chilli oil produced an aroma that will make you call someone over to get a whiff! Served with some boiled new potatoes and a dressed salad, this is a light meal that can be done in no time at all. This WILL be made again!

Roast cod with a hot garlic and chilli dressing

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 tbsp EVOO

1.2kg skinless groper or blue eyed trevalla fillets, cut into 2 pieces (we used flounder)

Ajada

160ml EVOO

6 garlic cloves, sliced

2 red bullet or othe rmedium hot chillies - halved, seeded and thinly sliced

2 tbsp finely chopped chilli

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180C.

2) Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy based ovenproof pan over a high heat. Add the fish, season well and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to the oven, and bake for a further 6-8 minutes or until just cooked through.

3) Meanwhile, to the ajada, heat the oil in a small heavy based frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the garlic and shake the pan for 1 minute, or until the garlic is golden but not burnt. Add the chilli and stir for 30 seconds, then stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.

4) Place the cooked fish fillets on a warm plate, spoon over the ajada and serve immediately.

The journey begins...

Ok, I'm going to get serious about this health thing. I need to sort my shit out.

I am NOT  one for crash diets, quick fixes, or slogging it out at the gym for 2 weeks and then giving up. I can't change my habits that fast and expect them to stick, because I am actually mentally quite weak sometimes and I can justify anything.

Nipping through Red Rooster for nuggets on the way home is ok when I want nuggets. But when I think about it, it goes against so many things I stand for. You can tell how processed they are when you eat them, I'm sure at some stage they USED to be chicken, but they're not now. This crazy stuff has to stop.

I really like food, and good food. So when I look at what we eat, it's actually usually pretty good (aside from ninja stops at Red Rooster). We just probably eat a bit too much, and we eat out a lot. We shop at the markets so very little of what we cook is processed, because we really only buy the raw materials - fruit, veges, meat, milk and bread. Portions need to be controlled, and we need to be a little smarter about things we eat.

I also need to exercise A LOT more. Steve has a naturally fast metabolism, and goes to the gym at work most days - he's lucky he has a more flexible job than I do. As a teacher, I have set times for everything, I can't pop into the gym on my lunch break, I just don't have time. I need to find times when I can do 10-20 minutes of exercise, make it not seem like a chore. I've started the Couch to 5km program, which is pretty good. It basically makes you follow a set routine - run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, for 20 minutes. You end up running more, the longer you do it. The app is pretty good too, it just beeps at you when you need to start to walk/run. I also downloaded the Nike+ Runner app, which at the moment seems really cool. Once I've used it more, I'll review it. But it tracks your run via GPS, times it, and has a bunch of other cool features, including posting that you're going for a run on Facebook, and when anyone likes your status, if you're listening to music, it cheers! So cute.

I signed up for this Fitness for Foodies (FFF) 8 week course, and to make sure I don't cop out, Carolanne is coming with me. It's pretty good value, $139 and for that you can go to 3 group fitness sessions, and you get a weekly email with a bunch of really useful info, recipes, and charts. The thing that has really appealed to me has been the charts. I need to have a routine and it needs to be planned out. FFF gives you a meal planner, a really good shopping list, and an exercise planner. I love these. They're going to go on the fridge! It also has a chart where you can measure progress - your fitness, blood pressure, weight (only if you want to though!), and body measurements. This is also something I need. I need to see progress, benchmarks. These progressive checkpoint sheets are great because they're varied, you may not lose much weight one week, but you've managed to lose some cm's off your arms and can do more sit ups!

I'm also playing netball again on Monday nights, which is sweet! I get to chase a ball around again! YAY!

It's about celebrating the little wins, all the different ones! I don't JUST want to lose weight (though that is a big factor), I want to be fitter, and healthier. I want to be one of those people who enjoys going out running, and needs to do some exercise or they get restless. I'm sure that with all the little things I'm trying to change, I'm hoping to see a different "win" each week.

This is my plan, and I WILL stick to it this time!

Banana and blueberry bread

S has been struck down with the man flu, and luckily, I haven't! I don't know how I've avoided it, but I have. My diet has been loaded with Beroccas, blueberries and fruit, trying to keep my immune system strong so I don't get sick, as S has taken 2 days off work which is testament to the strength of this cold! I've been feeling run down, and we've both been in bed by 9:30... So I was very much in fight off the bugs mode!

I decided to make something that would give us some energy, fill us up with antioxidants and most importantly, be delicious. So banana bread it was - and to make it extra yum, I added blueberries, walnuts, and cocoa nibs. The cocoa nibs were added for their health benefits - when we visited Gabriels Chocolatier in Yallingup, I was told cocoa nibs contain 300 times the amount of antioxidants than blueberries! So I figured these both had to go in...


To fight a cold, blueberries are a pretty amazing way to go - one serving has about 25% of your daily vitamin C needs. Speaks for  itself doesn't it! The antioxidants (which it is EXTREMELY high in) work to neutralize free radicals (unstable molecules linked to the development of cancer), cardiovascular disease and other age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Substances in blueberries called polyphenols, specifically the anthocyanins that give the fruit its blue hue, are the major contributors to antioxidant activity (info found here). I'm also told that purple carrots contain these anthocyanins, which is why they are more nutritious than their orange brothers (not only are they way cooler, they're better for you!).

Cacao nibs are said to be even higher in antioxidants than blueberries! What's great about the antioxidants in the nibs, is that they're more stable than other food sources, and so are more easily taken in by your body. They're also really high in magnesium, which plays a major role in nerve and muscle function, bone strength and circulation. It cannot be produced by the body, and therefore, must be obtained through food sources or supplements.

Is there anything BETTER to throw into your banana bread? I think not.

I used my fave Tessa Kiros recipe and changed it up a bit...

Banana, Blueberry and Cacao Nib Bread

Ingredients

125g Butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

350g (3 or 4) old bananas (mashed or chopped)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp milk

1 generous cup frozen blueberries

2 handfuls crushed walnuts

1/2 cup cacao nibs (you can add more if you want to!)

Handful rolled oats

Method

1) Preheat oven to 180C and prepare your loaf tin.

2) Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, and then add the bananas and cacao nibs.

3) Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and mix well.

4) Sieve in the flour and baking powder, and mix well until smooth.

5) Pour in the walnuts and blueberries, and mix gently to ensure even distribution.

6) Pour the batter into your loaf tin, and sprinkle the rolled oats on top.

7) Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

8) Leave your cake to cool for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy on its own, with butter, toasted... However you like! It's worth waiting till the next day though, the loaf will cut better, and the flavours will have made friends by that stage, and will be a much more cohesive flavour. 


Without the additions of blueberries, walnuts and cacao nibs, this is my fave recipe for banana bread, I don't use any others now. It's soft, tasty, not too sweet, but just sweet enough. It's really worth trying!

Keep your eyes open for an even better version of this loaf! Im going to be experimenting with different flours and sweeteners to make this a snack that is healthy, not just "healthy"!

Griddled lamb with chunky tomato salsa - Jamie Oliver

I rode 12km on my bike today. To those who bike all the time, I know thats not actually very much, especially on flat bike paths around a lake. But still, in 2011 I have massively overindulged and not exercised nearly enough so now is the time that I've decided to get in shape (even though round IS a shape...).


So, 12km later I get home, knackered with sore legs. Have a choice between dishes and cooking dinner - the choice is obvious. Cook! I had thumbed through Jamie Olivers Ministry of Food earlier in the day and found a super easy recipe for lamb with salsa, it looked great, we had everything the recipe required and it was fast. Its also low carb, low fat (depending on the cut of lamb you use - we used lean steaks) and you'll definitely get a chunk of your 5 a day! An everyday meal that will take you less than 30 minutes from chopping board to plate!

Griddled Lamb Chops with Chunky Salsa


Ingredients
1/2 - 1 whole chilli (to taste)
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 red pepper
a bunch of fresh basil (DONT skip this, it gives SO much flavour)
4-6 lamb chops (depending on size, we had 6 small steaks)
olive oil
sea salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
splash of red wine vinegar (I used white, ran out of red!)


Method
1) Heat your griddle pan on high and let it get screaming hot. Meanwhile halve your chilli (deseed it if you like), chop tomatoes in half, deseed and chop the peppers, tear/chop the basil, and season your meat.


2) If you have fat on the edges of your cuts of lamb then put that side on the pan first to crisp it up (you'll have to hold it there) for about a minute, then lay the chops down, and press them down for a minute till brown and crispy. Cook the chops for 4-5 minutes in total, turning them every minute or so and pressing them each time. 


3) Take the chops out and rest them on a plate. Turn the heat down a bit, and add the veges to the pan, and stir them for a minute, making sure you get all the brown caramelised goodness from the pan. Cook the veges until they soften and release some of their juices, and add in a splash of red wine vinegar (I used white wine vinegar because thats all I had in the house) and cook the salsa down until it's to a consistency that you like, and add the basil.


4) Pour the juices from the rested meat into the pan with the salsa, and stir to combine. Pour the salsa onto a plate and top with the lamb.

I crumbled some fetta onto my lamb and it was amazing - this is definitely going to be a regular meal at our place from now on. Its SO fast, really healthy, low fat, low carb, the lot! Proper everyday food! We had it with some leftover salad from last night and a couple of boiled potatoes, to soak up the rest of the sauce.


To make this even faster, I used garlic oil, and chilli oil. Super fast. Its not much to look at really, but the flavour is fantastic!


MAKE THIS! It's so tasty, fast, simple, healthy!

Baked spiced ricotta w/walnuts, raw honey and boozy fruits

As a part of my 5 course set menu I did for the Breakfast with Benefits, the first one that I presented my guests with was a baked spiced ricotta, with walnuts, raw honey and boozy fruits!

Its a really simple, healthy recipe that gives you a filling and delicious breakfast or snack for the week. It really is an everyday food, as you can be really creative with the flavourings you include in the mix, as well as the things you serve it with. You wont get sick of it if you change the flavours from week to week! Its high in protein and low in sugar and fat - a perfect, healthy, low carb breakfast if you pair it with the right stuff!

Heres the recipe, adapted from one by Janella Purcell:

Ingredients

1kg fresh ricotta (better to get it from the deli counter as I did)

2 free range eggs

1tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp honey

Walnuts to serve

1 good handful of dried fruits (I used flame/golden raisins and cranberries)

30ml Cointreau

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 150C and take your dried fruits and put them in a container to soak with the cointreau. Overnight is best!

2) Mix ricotta, eggs, honey and cinnamon in a bowl, making sure its well combined.

3) Pour into a loaf tin and cover with foil. Place the loaf tin in a bain marie (a roasting pan with water coming halfway up the side of the loaf tin)

4) Cook for 1 hour, or until its firm to the touch.

5) Take the ricotta out of the oven, and leave it to cool completely, before turning it out onto a plate or board.

6) To serve, sprinkle with walnuts, a generous pour of honey, and the soaked fruits with the rest of the cointreau (test it first though, if its been soaked overnight its not so boozy but if you only soaked them for an hour it might be a different story!)

7) Enjoy spread over toasted sourdough, or with grilled fruit and toast.

Photo from Breakfast with Benefits, c/o Carol Annes Kitchen

Shilla Korean BBQ, East Perth

After walking past Shilla Korean BBQ restaurant a few times when wandering around East Perth, I mentally took note, because it looked cool and always had a good crowd in there. The time came - a friday night! We rang up and made a booking and headed in on the train. The train turns out to be a bit further away than we thought, but its not that far, it took us about 10minutes to get there on foot, past posh apartments, pathside water features and some small cute bars and restaurants.

We got there and were seated straight away, and its got such a nice setting - right next to the water. We had quite a big table facing the water which started the night out well.

The decor was nice and clean, some quirky Korean bits and bobs along the side of the room, with ambient lighting and lots of wooden tones. S decided he liked it already! I opened my bottle of wine (its BYO with $9 corkage), and S ordered a Korean Beer (that was the name of it in the bottle!). The beer came out quickly, and we always had plenty of water on the table. S decided that its not a beer he'd order again, it was really watery and flavourless - we both decided it was a beginners beer! It was about $7 I think so no harm done, now we can say weve tried Korean beer!

S was a bit nervous about having only chopsticks and a spoon, and asked for a knife and fork! The waitress was very gracious and got them for him no problems - though I was determined not to use such western conviniences! Im pretty handy with chopsticks though so I wasnt worried. Metal chopsticks however are a little trickier to use! Bit more slippery, a challenge to those used to wooden or plastic ones!

Our waitress had given us some menus earlier and we were really spoiled for choice, however we've never really eaten Korean before so we were a bit lost. They know this though and there are plenty of explanations, and the staff are very happy to help you demysify the menu. We ended up going for an easy option, of the banquet. You get an entree, 3 kinds of meats + veg for the hot plate, sides, unlimited rice and dessert, for about $40. We also ordered lettuce leaves, which are used to wrap up the meat and various sauces, sides and rice - to be, according to SBS's Food Safari, eaten in one mouthful!

Our starter came out and had 3 different things on the plate, and each were packed with flavour!

There was sweet and sour chicken, a dumpling and a fruity chicken salad. The sweet and sour chicken was surprisingly nice - thankfully nothing like the generic chinese take away, bright orange abomination. It was really tangy and fresh, the chicken had been battered but it was very light and crispy. If youre going to have sweet and sour chicken - this is the way to have it! The dumpling was really good as well, I just wish I remember what was in it... A quick check of the online menu doesnt shed any light either. Sorry! The chicken salad was really fresh, it was fruity which was a surprise! The entree was light, full of different flavours and delicious. Its what an entree is meant to be, it totally stimulated our appetite without being too heavy or filling. Fresh, tangy, fruity.

Our meaty banquet came with chicken, beef and chilli pork, and our waitress delivered all the side dishes, the meat and then lit our on table bbq. She placed the veges on the hot plate and instructed us to start with the chicken, move to the beef and then the chilli pork as that was the strongest flavour. We were also told, when the veges start to sizzle, you put the meat on.

So when I said she bought the sides out - I didnt mention how many! There were heaps! I love variety and tapas is one of my favourite ways to eat - so having all these little condiments is heaven for me!

Firstly we had soybean paste - a Korean staple, and spread on the lettuce leaves you use to wrap up all your BBQ'ed goodness. It was quite a strong flavour but we both really liked it. There was sesame oil, garlic, soy... Something to be added to our cupboard of sauces and condiments for sure, it tasted like it would be extremely versatile and would add flavour to most asian dishes! Im not too sure how it goes being used in cooking, rather than a condiment? Any Korean foodies able to help me out there?

Another Korean staple, Kimchi - pickled cabbage in chilli, garlic, and a bunch of other things. Recipes vary from person to person, however one thing is certain, a Korean meal isnt complete without this! I loved it. It wasnt so spicy that it overpowered anything, it just gave a hum of chilli with that fresh pickled flavour, but again without overpowering anything. I actually got a chinese cabbage in my organic vege box today so I may just have a go!

This was just a simple salad with an asian style dressing. It was very light on, and it was a nice refreshing, cleansing bite between spiced meats and sauces!

Steamed potato with soy and sesame oil - pretty nice, though we werent sure what to do with it. Do we just eat it? Put it in the lettuce leaves? We did both.

This cute little container housed our perfectly cooked rice, which came free and unlimited. We only used one each, but if youre a big rice fan you can get as much as you like!

Marinated beansprouts - again Im pretty sure there was sesame oil in here, it seems to be an important part of Korean cooking! These were nice too, finished them up pretty quick!

Our veges started to sizzle, and we left them for a while because we wanted the veges to be cooked when the meat was done, as it was sliced really thinly. However our plan was thwarted, as our waitress came over and put the meat on for us. No biggie,  it just meant that we ate our veges with the next meat! The chicken was first and it was pretty delicious. It wasnt marinated, just plain but when you team the golden chicken, rice, soybean paste and whatever other sides or condiments you like, its just delicious!  The beef was the same, unseasoned, but delicious. The chilli pork was great - the chilli sauce that the meat had marinated in did overpower the flavour of the pork a bit, but pork is a great carrier of flavour I think. Its not really amazingly flavoursome and needs a bit of a pushalong sometimes. It wasnt too spicy, just moreish and made you feel all warm inside!

We polished off the lot, and were feeling a bit full and satisfied! The great thing about this meal was that we certainly ate our fill, but we felt good, the food was really healthy but still delicious. This was something we loved about the place, and about our first time eating Korean food!

Our dessert was a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, and a deep fried dumpling. We werent sure what was in it but I think it was some kind of ochre/red coloured bean paste, as well as something else sweet. Not helpful I know... If it helps, it was nice. We had no idea really what we were eating but we liked it! Again, Korean foodies - help!

To sum up our Shilla experience - we LOVED it and we definately want to come back. It was all so fresh and tasty, we felt good after we left, well fed and satisfied. It was a touch pricey, the bill all together came to $110 for 2 banquets, 2 beers, lettuce leaves and corkage. But the service was impeccable, they were polite, attentive and professional, and you hardly knew they were there most of the time. They had really cute outfits on too! By the time we left it was packed, tables full of Koreans, who seemed to come with their whole families and packs of friends, as well as Aussies.

We will go back for sure, the hotpots that I spied on other peoples tables looked so so good, and I want to try that! As well as the bulgogi and bibimbap. Maybe Ill book for tomorrow night.........