In my Kitchen - June 2013

After a few months of being very sensible about food shopping, the last month has seen me jaunting off to some favourite food shops that yield interesting and unusual foods.  For weeks my fridge has been so full that we were struggling to fit even a few small jar of jam last month.  We have finally eaten our way to clear space in the fridge and it is a joyful sight to behold.

Rather than tell you more about my fridge, I will start with this amazing dark chocolate spread from Oxfam.  A perfect gift.  Something I would never think to buy.  Now I wish it was in my cupboard all the time.  It has been brilliant on focaccia, banana bread, rice cakes, toast.  It was delicious straight off the spoon.  In fact there is very little sweet food that couldn't be improved by a dollop of the stuff.

In my kitchen a little gentle persuasion is sometimes required.  It was amazing to see how quickly Sylvia ate her dinner when it was shaped like George Pig's dinosaur.  I used brussel sprouts for the body, cucumber head, capsicum limbs and cheese scales.
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I only shop at Casa Iberica in Fitzroy if I can get a park.  I have had tamales on my to-do list since seeing Katie post about them.  I couldn't find masa harina so I bought masa lista.  The smallest bag was 2kg.  I am sure I will never get through it.  My tamales weren't fantastic but I must write about them soon.  And now I have no excuse not to try making corn tortillas. 

There are moments in shopping when you find something so unexpected that you can't leave it behind.  I was fascinated with the hazelnut agave syrup at Casa Iberica.  It has a deep roasted flavour that I could drink straight out of the bottle.  I've been experimenting with it.  So far I think I like it best in a batch of hazelnut oat choc chip cookies that I made on the weekend.

Just to prove that all my purchases aren't fancy, I thought I would throw in a picture of some icy poles that we brought for Sylvia.  They cheap and cheerful treats.  The ice cream stays very soft.  I think I love the honeycomb one because it reminds me of Gaytime ice creams.  Sylvia loves to eat these mixed up in a bowl once they fall off the stick.

Ice cream is only an occasional treat in my kitchen.  More regular is rice cakes.  I give Sylvia these rice cakes covered in berry yoghurt because they are more healthy.  Sylvia loves them because they are pink.

Another recipe that I will share with you down the track is this Plum and Apple Chutney.  I don't usually have much patience with letting chutney rest for a month or two before eating.  I have put about 8 jars of this chutney up high until it has rested.  I think I am feeling a bit more confident about sealing the jars which helps me feel less worried about it sitting in the cupboard for months.  (Touchwood!)

This linseed and quinoa loaf from the Sourdough Rustica stall was bought on our last trip to the Fitzroy Market.  It was excellent.  Dense, satisfying with a chewy crust.  As you would hope at around $7 a loaf.  I was pleased Sylvia liked it despite the seeds.

On a recent trip to Lygon Street, Sylvia asked for a punnet of strawberries. They were hard to resist.  Deliciously juicy and sweet.  Great on porridge or with caramelised walnuts and ice cream.

It was at the same fruit and vegetable shop that we bought this glorious purple cauliflower, despite having a whole white cauliflower at home.  I have written about the burritos and roasted vegetable salad that I made with it.  Yet I couldn't resist sharing another photo of purple cauliflower.

For a long time, I have been meaning to try kale chips.  I was finally tempted to buy a packet at Radical Grocery in Brunswick.  I was swayed by the cashew and barbeque spice blend flavours.  It was nice and very spicy.  However it was more vegetable flavour and less crisp than I expected.  I was not bowled over.  I will need to try more to check if my expectations were too high or kale chips are not my thing.

Far more pleasing was the Alter Ego Dark Coconut Toffee Organic Chocolate.  Also bought at Radical Grocery.  It was a combination of my favourite flavours, with gorgeous retro packaging.  I loved the double crunch and the smooth chocolate.

Every now and again we buy some medjool dates for snacks.  I had some good intentions of including these in baking.  They were so delicious, we just snacked on them.

I have been following Lorraine Elliot's Not Quite Nigella blog for years.  So I was interested to read her new book of the same name.  Like the blog, it is a great read and has some interesting recipes.  I missed the photos and being able to comment but it reminded me how short blog posts and how lovely it is to snuggle up with a good book.

I picked up this tin of Amy's Split Pea Soup at Wholefoods in East Brunswick.  It was delicious and had a very simple ingredients list.  I would buy it more regularly if it was cheaper and local.  It is a nice alternative to making lunch with a tub from the freezer that might be soup and might be stock.  (Today's freezer lunch was soup but an unidentified one!)

I am sending this post to Celia for her In My Kitchen event that she holds each month.  It is a great opportunity to peek into other people's kitchens.