la lupita

Date nights are important. So is spontaneity. And Mexican food.

After reading this review in the SMH this week, I decided to surprise Chris with an unexpected date night. No details were revealed except for a text "taking you out tonight - be ready at 6.30pm." 

I had him stumped and it drove him nuts, but it was so worth it. As frustrated as he was, I could tell that he appreciated my spontaneity. It was fun - especially for a Tuesday night. Having moved to Marrickville recently, the look on his face when I started to drive in the direction of Canterbury, a place we hadn't really discovered yet, was priceless. When we got to 325 Canterbury Road, I pointed to the shop front with black windows and no signage and told him we were going there. 

When we walked through the door, the smell of charcoaled meats instantly made us smile, and from that point on, La Lupita blew us away. It felt like we had stepped into another world, and by the end of the night we didn't want to leave! A huge light box with a beautiful black and white photograph set the atmosphere perfectly, as did the industrial light fittings swept across the roof. There were candles in huge glass jars, long industrial tables, a street cart serving drinks and an open kitchen inviting all to see. 

The staff were extremely friendly and helpful in explaining the process of ordering (which is like yum cha - you want, they stamp) It was also great to meet the owner, and let him know how much we loved it.

The food - indescribably good. The best. The habanero chili sauce on our tacos ($6 each) was perfectly complimented by the sweet cinnamony sangria ($6 a glass). The charcoaled hot wings ($10) were insane. 

We had very happy bellies and we're craving more already. We'll be back and we're bringing our friends.

As much of a surprise as it was for Chris, I was just as excited and amazed to had discovered this little treasure. We had a fantastic date night in a truly awesome venue, and hopefully many  more to come! 

tea + wool

It's only mid March, but I'm so excited to snuggle up in the new apartment, start a new crochet project and sip endless cups of tea!

New colours to choose, new flavours to discover.

  

There's also the chunky scarves, warm long socks, ugg boots, beanies & flannelette pj's to look forward to. 

A million soup recipes to be cooked. 

Endless warm cuddles to be shared. 

Winter adventures to be had.  

we now own a little home

We always wanted a big backyard, a bbq and dogs.

Saving for our first home last year, we had exactly that in mind. We day-dreamed, fantasised and spent hours scrolling through thousands of houses for sale online. Even building became an option when house+land packages surprisingly fell into our budget. When that deposit was just in reach, we went and looked at a few old houses in Camden, NSW. Both growing up in South West Sydney, we loved Camden for its little cafes, produce markets and community culture. It was still close to where we grew up, to our families and friends. It was familiar; it felt like 'us' and the obvious way to go. But we both worked in the city and it meant traveling an extra hour every day. We were pretty sure that it would be worth it.

Last September, we bought our very first home - a little apartment in Marrickville, NSW. We completely changed our minds, changed our paths and changed our lives. I've always believed that things have a way of just falling into place when they are supposed to happen, and this is a perfect example. We didn't really know the area, but liked what we had seen of neighbouring suburbs and loved the idea of being closer to the city. So we just did it. We took a bit of a leap. We didn't over think it or weigh up the pros and cons. We decided to go on an adventure. It payed off.

Our ground floor 2-bedroom apartment is home. Older in style with gorgeous wooden floorboards, high ceilings and huge white walls, it's small but just big enough for two. It houses our little nick-knacks perfectly, with the kitchen window sill my favourite place to display plants, teapots and spices. The paint peeling off the window frames adds to its character, as do the daddy long legs' living in the corners. We shower in the bath tub and friends crash on our couch. We don't have a clock, matching sheets, a dishwasher, a microwave or a vacuum cleaner - but we're perfectly content with the imperfectness. We're enjoying simple, smart living. There's no lawns to mow, and not a lot of house work to do at all. It's so, so quiet and we often think we're the only ones in the entire block. We are surrounded by green trees, and  hear the birds in the morning, the rain drops as they fall and the crunch of leaves is now the sound of home. It is so nice when we do see the neighbours though, and the smell the multicultural meals being prepared reminds us of our little community.

Marrickville (what we've discovered so far) is an absolute treasure, and we're so lucky to have stumbled upon it. There is just so much to look at - vegetable gardens, mosaic tiles, federation homes, fruit trees, Nonna's in nighties, old men having conversations on corners, art, graffiti, tattoos, recycling, FOOD, hipsters, planes as they fly by and the city skyline not so far away. There's still so much to see, so many places to explore and so many memories to create.

We're getting fatter though. There's not much time for exercise with all the food there is to eat. There's the pork rolls which never fail to satisfy any hunger type, craving or snack decision (just can't describe their goodness), the Greek bakeries selling ridiculously cheap cakes (and breads and biscuits and macarons and pastries), the Vietnamese restaurants serving flavour-bursting pho and fresh rice paper rolls (currently working our way through the 8 or so we have within walking distance), the best pizza ever (an important staple), Portuguese around the corner at Petersham, our favourite Turkish over at Newtown (+ all the other amazing eats along Enmore Rd) and then there's the coffee! A Sunday breakfast cafe venture with friends is our favourite - there's Vesbar serving huge Italian doughnuts with a knife and fork on rustic breadboards, and Beejay's which turns into an awesome little bar at night. For more baked goods, there's Bourke St Bakery and we are still yet to try Double Roasters and Cornersmith! The local markets are insane. While a bit hesitant at the beginning, Chris is all on board for our Sunday market veggie-stock-up-sessions now that he has discovered THE BEST BACON & EGG ROLLS (yep, indescribably good!). The local grocer Bananna Joes is great for pistachios and spanish salami, while the outdoor Asian grocers have fresh herbs for 50c a bunch, bananna leaves (must make pad thai & get these for serving), fresh rice noodles and mangoes the size of my head. Then there's our Turkish grocer down the road selling fresh roasted nuts, buckets of cheese and spices by weight. So our pants are tighter but our bellies are happier. We did buy bikes though, and the plan for this year is to find the perfect balance between eating and still being able to fit into our clothes.

The hardest, hardest part and only downfall to this little adventure, is that my Oscer Boy cannot be part of it. I could never leave a dog alone all day in an apartment - no way. I know he has a very, very happy life with my Mum and his brother Ollie, with a big backyard to run around and cats to chase. But I do miss him - oh so much and everyday. Of course he visits us in Marrickville and we visit him, and the time we now spend together is very special. There was one day though not too long ago when we just had to doggy-nap him for a sleepover.
 

We won't be here in the little Marrickville apartment forever. The feeling of discovering a new place is just too good. We do want a house, with a backyard, a BBQ and dogs, but it will come.  Stories of "that little apartment in Marrickville" have already started, including the beaded necklace which broke on the day we moved in (will be finding tiny green beads forever!), the birth of one of my girlfriend's drunk alter egos (Phil!), and the Christmas Eve nerf gun war by candlelight. We know these stories will be remembered and cherished. It's a special time in our lives - and we love it.

 

Absolutely more Marrickville photos to come!

greek semolina cake

simple, sweet, sticky & delicious!

ingredients for the cake mix.
5 large eggs
225ml greek yoghurt
225g caster sugar
75g ground almonds
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
200g semolina level teaspoons baking powder
200ml mild olive oil

ingredients for the sweet & sticky topping.
150g shelled pistachios, slightly toasted
150ml good quality runny honey
big dollops of greek yoghurt

method.
preheat the oven to 180 degrees . mix all of your sponge ingredients in a large bowl . EASY! grease a 22x29cm cake tin with a little olive oil, then dust over a sprinkling of flour, and shake the tin about . spoon in the sponge mixture, and use a spatula to spread it all evenly . put the cake into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and cooked through . stick a skewer in the centre to check . put aside to cool for about half an hour . when you just about ready to serve, add the honey and pistashios to a saucepan and give everything a good stir . squeeze all the juice from the orange and lemon you zested earlier into the pan. boil for 1-2 minutes, or until nice and syrupy . stab the cake all over with a small knife to create holes for the syrup to sink into, then pour the syrup all over the top . spread it out . you want it to be fairly even so the honey gets sucked right into the cake . slice and serve with a dollop of the greek yoghurt .

this cake looks & tastes so homemade - & is even better the next day once all the lovely honey has soaked in further!

recipe from Jamie.

ALSO : check out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day - saturday 19 may 2012!

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paella

If you love a good risotto to warm up your tastebuds then this spanish paella is definitely worth a try! One pot, stacks of spanish flavour. Serves 6.

ingredients.

1.5 litres chicken stock
2 cups aborio rice
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
2 small red chillis
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cup dry white wine
3 chorizos, sliced
15 raw green prawns
4 chicken tenderloins, chopped into bite size pieces
pinch of saffron threads (expensive but really makes a difference!)
bunch of roughly chopped parsley
squeeze of lemon juice
lemon wedges to serve

method.
heat stock in a saucepan over a low heat . add the chorizo into a hot paella pan or cast iron pot and cook until crispy . remove chorizo from pot but leave oil (this has amazing flavour). add onion, garlic, chilli and chicken and cook until brown . add chorizo back into pot and stir in tomatoes, white wine, tomato paste and saffron . cook for 3 minutes . add 1 cup of stock and reduce and repeat as per a risotto . stir continuously . once all stock has been added and rice is cooked through, the consistency should be more soupy than a risotto . add more stock if necessary . turn off heat . stir in prawns, parsley and a good squeeze of lemon juice . let sit for 2 minutes or until prawns are cooked through . serve with lemon wedges .

Will have to make this again with a big jug of sangria!

lamb tagine

this is my absolute favourite tagine recipe! i love the way the apricots and raisins add sweetness to the spice :) super easy, smells amazing and don't expect any leftovers!

ingredients.
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
1.2kg diced lamb (i buy a leg and cut it up myself)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins
4 carrots
4 potatoes
1 cup thick, Greek-style yoghurt
1/2 cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup couscous (soaked in 1 1/2 cups water for 5 mins)
bunch of corriander

method.
combine spices and salt in a large bowl . add oil, lemon rind and half the lemon juice and stir to form a paste . add lamb and stir until well-coated . cover and refrigerate for 3 hours . cut carrots and potatoes into chuncks and line bottom of tagine or casserole dish . place lamb mixture ontop of veges . add  1 cup stock and remaining lemon juice . stir until well-combined . cover and cook for 1 hour on stovetop over medium heat . stir in dried apricots and raisins. cook, covered for a further 40 minutes or until lamb is tender . serve immediately with couscous, a dollop of greek yoghurt, sprinkling of pistachio kernels and corriander.

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angela's greek lamb

I love sunday night cooking! This simple authentic greek feast is definitely worth the 3 hour wait, and is the perfect way to top off a weekend.

No measurements with this one - you just have to feel it :)

20 mins prep time
3 hours cooking time

leg of lamb
olive oil
fresh lemon juice
garlic bulbs
dried oregano
salt & pepper

carrots
potatoes
zucchini

trim any excess fat off the leg of lamb & rub it with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt & pepper . make slits & insert garlic bulbs . leave to marinate for as long as possible - overnight at best . place into baking tray, cover with foil and pop into oven at 250°C . after one hour cooking, reduce heat to 200°C and add more olive oil and lemon juice . cut veges into big chunks and marinate in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt & pepper . cover with foil and add to oven once the lamb has been cooking for one and a half hours . remove foil from lamb and veges after a further hour . everything will really crisp up in the last 30 minutes of cooking . remove from oven and let lamb rest for 10 minutes . serve with lemon .


απολαύσετε | enjoy!

feast magazine

It is impossible for me to cook from a recipe without a picture.

Food styling is ever so popular at the moment and it is no longer impressive to have food presented immaculately on a large white plate. Wooden chopping boards, mis-matched dinnerware, jars, tins or even straight onto the table! Jamie Oliver is the true mastermind behind imperfect food styling and his food always looks rustic, home cooked and real. Piled onto the plate and left to fall naturally out of place. Well, there might be a slight arrangement of a crumb or two!

SBS's Feast Magazine is my favourite foodie read; taking me on a worldwide journey each month through creative food styling, beautiful photography and captivating stories; not only about the food but the cutlure and traditionas behind it's creation. You'll find recipes for lebanese baklava, vietnamese pho, spanish paella, singapore chilli crab, japanese sukiyaki, italian tiramisu, american hot dogs, moroccan tagine, thai tom yum, chinese dumplings, indian dhal, mexican enchiladas and greek easter bread. A story about a traditional indian wedding next to an interview with a famous brittish chef. Photographs of families at dinner tables, ecclectic kitchens and exotic ingredients. A multicultural cocktail of flavours, colours and traditional delights; it's a feast for the eyes and I can't get enough of it.

Subscribe here and travel through food.   

moroccan beef keftas

Moroccan flavours are always welcomed by my tastebuds.

Similar to the Middle Eastern kofta, these keftas are meatballs bursting with flavour and the flatbread is a must for wiping the sauce clean from the plate!

TOMATO SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tins diced tomatoes

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

KEFTA

600 grams beef mince

1 onion finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped corriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teasppon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over low-medium heat . Add the onion, garlic, sugar & spices and cook until golden and fragrant . Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil . Reduce heat and let simmer . Add salt & pepper . Meanwhile to make the keftas, combine mince, onion, herbs, spices, salt & pepper in a bowl and form into compact balls . Cook the keftas in a medium-high heat fry pan until brown . Spoon half of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a cast iron pot or large frypan . Arrange the keftas on top and spoon over remaining sauce . Sprinkle with parsely, cover and cook over low-medium heat for 10 minutes until the keftas are cooked through .

Serve with cous cous (my favourite is Ainsley Harriot's Lemon Mint & Parsely Cous Cous) and charred flatbread (I used Lite Mission Wraps toasted in a hot frypan with a little oil).

rainbow surprise cake

The best thing about birthdays is cake!

My girlfriend Fi & I used this recipe from whisk kid for a joint birthday surprise ...

2 sticks (226 g) butter, room temp
2 1/3 cups(426 g) sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups(426 g) flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 c (355 ml) milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave
Red, blue and yellow gel food colouring (mix together to make purple, green & orange) - liquid will not be vibrant enough

Preheat the oven to 180C . Oil and line how ever many 9 inch cake pans you have (we re-used two). Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt . Set aside . Cream the sugar and butter, then slowly add the egg whites . Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated . Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the milk and flour mixture in two parts . Divide the batter amongst 6 bowls - about 1 cup each . Whisk a fair amount of the appropriate food color into each bowl . Keep in mind that the color of the unbaked batter will be the color of the baked batter. Pour into the pans and bake for 15 minutes each . When you remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cooling rack, in the pan, for ten minutes . Then flip, cover, and stash them in the fridge to cool quickly .

Assembling the cake is a little tricky as the layers are quite thin . Make sure you have plenty of icing to go in between the layers and over the whole cake a few times so that it is prefectly white with no coloured crumb clues! Any icing would work - we used a buttercream icing for the layers and a royal icing for the outside.

The looks on their faces say it all!

>>> I have also read about people using cheap packet cake mixes and adding the gel colour. Check out this 30-layer masterpiece!

lamb, feta + lentil fattoush

Fattoush is one of my favourite salads & the lamb, feta + lentils in this variation = perfectness! 


1 cup french-style green lentils
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, + extra to drizzle
2 juiced lemons + extra to serve
2 teaspoons sumac
3 lamb backstraps
2 lebanese pita breads
2 lebanese cucumbers, seeds removed + sliced
handfull of grape tomatoes
bunch red radishes, cut into wedges
bunch torn flat leaf parsley
bunch torn mint leaves
bunch torn coriander leaves
3 spring onions
lots of crumbled greek feta


Cook lentils in boiling water for 30 minutes . To make dressing whisk oil, lemon juice, sumac, salt + pepper in a bowl . Pour half of dressing over lamb to marinade and the other half over the cooked lentils . Chargrill lam for 3 minutes each side for medium rare . Rest for 5 minutes before slicing . Drizzle lebanese bread with olive oil and season . Cook on grill until toasted . Add all ingredients together in a big bowl and toss with hands . Serve with lemon .

travel belly

Travelling through Italy with my girlfriends a few years ago, we were lucky enough to experience the Blue Grotto in Capri. The water inside was magical and out of this world, and as the old Italian man rowing our boat started to sing, we were mesmerised. The bluest water I have ever seen, we jumped in. Getting back into the boat was tricky, and our rower had had to lift us out from the water. Struggling, he responded in his thick Italian accent “too much spaghetti, too much spaghetti!” We looked down at our swollen bellies and laughed and laughed and laughed. We had the biggest bowl of spaghetti we could find for dinner that night.

A few months ago while travelling through Thailand with my girlfriends, we discovered the absolute perfectness of a 50 baht Pad Thai. The ultimate way to cure hunger cravings after trekking, elephant riding and shopping, we ordered our $1.50AUD meal every day. The tofu, the dried shrimp, the tamarind, the lime! We judged the style and technique from the different street chefs, taking mental notes which would come in handy for the rest of our lives. Laying on the beach in our bikinis every afternoon, we would poke each others swollen bellies and joke “too much Pad Thai, too much Pad Thai!”

Then there was “too much baguette!” in Paris, "too much schnitzel!" in Austria, “too much currywurst!" in Germany, "too much paella!" in Spain, "too much squid!” in Croatia and “too much turkish delight!” in Istanbul. All the while knowing that too much is never too much. There is no saying no to food while travelling, and there is no need to make excuses for having gelato twice in the one day.

For me, travelling is eating and eating is travelling. When I think of the countries that I have visited, I think about the food that I ate. I am constantly cooking food from different cultures and love the colour and smells that are created. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely times when vegemite on toast for dinner is the most satisfying meal in the world, but, my international cook book collection is growing and I aim to host more big cook ups at home – one pot, many bellies.

Friendship is eating and eating is friendship. Catch ups with my girls always involve eating and chatting, often about past and future travel. We are known to induce cravings into each others minds; ice-cream is popular amoungst our bellies.

 

A meal for two with a bottle of red is always special when shared with my man. I love eating with him, cooking with him, travelling with him and growing a travel belly with him.

I can’t wait to experience more international eating. This year, saving for a house and a wedding will take all of my saving strength, and will undoubtably mean that there will be many eggs-on-toast dinners. I'll be sure though, to add every coin I come across into my travel teapot, and hold onto the thought of growing a travel belly with too much tagine in Morocco, too much naan in India and too much pho in Vietnam.