Wow it is November and the year is still weird as anything. I'd be excited about almost being at the end of 2020 if I could be convinced next year will settle! In Melbourne it is the weirdness of being out of lockdown after months, of an AFL grand final in Queensland, and today I had 3/4 of a tooth removed. (Stay tuned on that story....) And then there are the USA elections which are feeling just about as odd as we expected. Wow I got through that without saying unprecedented!
There hasn't been much cooking but I have managed some. Above is a very pleasing dish of gnocchi cooked in tomato sauce which has fried eggplant in it. Really good and easy. Sadly, though I love my cast iron frypan, I am still learning about its maintenance. I have been washing it in soapy water. Perhaps this is why it seems a bit dull. I have oiled it and left it on my stovetop while I think about seasoning it.
was the Farmers Market. It was too rare but on the above occasion I was delighted with all the good food I took home. Fat in-season asparagus! Savoury pastries! Great sourdough plain bread and fruit bread! An apple and custard tart! Cheesecake! That cheesecake was luckily the last and smallest slice so I paid less but I still found it so rich a couple of mouthfuls at once was enough.
I thought lockdown was a good time to get into kombucha. Sadly my kombucha experiments are what many people found with sourdough. A good idea for a couple of batches and then it got ignored. While ignored sourdough starter goes really smelly and grey, ignored kombucha just grows layer upon layer upon layer. I still have hopes I might get into the rhythm of kombucha one day.
There has been too much comfort food in lockdown. These Birthday Cake flavoured Gaytime ice creams were a fun idea but the original was better.
When we went to Aldi to browse the middle aisles, I was fascinated by their Gaytime rip off. The original ice creams are better. Sometimes I don't know why I have to try all the new variations when I know the original is better.
More comfort food. I was fascinated by these Asian-spiced Jackfruit parcels at the supermarket. They were much better than I expected. I think the salty sweet sour flavour combination went well with the jackfruit. I would buy this again because it is not just the same old vegetarian cheese and spinach sort of flavour combo. And everything tastes better in fried pastry.
One of the joys of lockdown was getting out for a bike ride. Not only
did it mean I could explore my neighbourhood streets, but I could do it
without wearing a mask. I have really loved fresh air when riding my
bike. Another joy of lockdown is how quiet the roads have been.
Another joy is when the bike found its way to O'Hea's Bakery. I was pretty happy with my shopping there: pesto, chocolate covered raspberry jubes, honeycomb chocolate, chocolate covered wafers, alphabet pasta and jumbo pasta shells. And those sharp white cheddar crisps were the best I have had for ages.
One of the reasons we went to Aldi was because Sylvia is quite smitten with the mini gnocchi. It is pretty cute.
[Updated] Sylvia got back into the classroom in October after months of remote schooling. She makes her lunches for school and they look very impressive. This is a photo she took for me of a school lunch box. Some summer fruit is making an appearance in our kitchen - mangos and nectarines! We are waiting for the grapes in the supermarket to come from Australia rather than the USA.
It was pretty exciting to be able to go to Heaven Pizza and be given a choice of whether we ate in or had takeaway. We had potato pizza, margherita pizza and a delicious rocket salad with parmesan, haloumi, caramelised walnuts and a lovely dressing.
I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event, that was started by Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month. Or just head over to her blog and visit more kitchens.
Great FM haul there. I think I might be getting a kombucha kit for my birthday! We will see. I think "unprecedented" should be banned from all writing until 2021. (Or maybe forever...)
ReplyDeleteI used a cast-iron skillet for years (it belonged first to my grandmother then to my mother so no seasoning needed). Then I switched to a smooth-top electric stove where it’s not appropriate to use cast iron. So the heirloom skillet now serves as a steam bath in the oven when baking bread. Good luck with yours! I hope it seasons in less than 70 years.
ReplyDeletebe safe! ... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I have had the same experience with Kombucha. But the worms in my worm bin love the scoby. I inherited my mothers cast iron skillets, I never wash them with soap only a good scrubbing and hot water. I then heat them on the stove and oil them.
ReplyDeletewow so many interesting things johanna! jackfruit parcels?! i am amazed by them, and that Coles has them. someone gave us a kombucha scoby many years ago - it didn't last long:-) I was given a Herman the german (i.e. sourdough starter) a few years ago, and i ended up just using it all. the friend who gave it to me was most upset as herman the german is meant to be shared around forever! Potato pizza is a fave - how yum... I do like the occasional chocolate Gaytime, i have to say but yes original is best. thanks for joining in IMK, and enjoy your lockdown reprieve!
ReplyDeletecheers
sherry
ooh those Jackfruit parcels intrigue me. Kombucha was on my list to do's but I don't know anymore, esp. with my fails with sourdough starters. I am such admiration of your farmers markets haul, i miss those days of pottering out and about and feeding my eyes, if not my belly - especially good bread!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of those jackfruit parcels, hope they sell them in regional Coles too! That gnocchi looks wonderfully saucy, going to copy your idea. Your Scobies don't need as much attention as sourdough I'm sure they will wait for you to get back to them :)
ReplyDeleteJohanna, I had to laugh about your "unprecedented" first paragraph. My hubby says it's the most overused word there is these days and scoffs every time it's used in the news broadcasts. Makes you wonder if anything was ever "precedented"? I was impressed with Sylvia's lunchbox & photo -- wow! Never had potato pizza before -- it looks yummy! Be safe and well, xo.
ReplyDelete