Carols, Camels and Pate

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. We have been to carol services the last two weekends, got the bulk of our Christmas gift shopping done and I have two Christmas lunches coming up this week. The plum pudding is resting in the fridge and I have plans for more Christmas baking. After a terrible carol service two weeks ago, we went to a fantastic carols by candlelight on the weekend.

Australia doesn’t have the same wonderful wintery landscapes and Christmas lights as our Northern hemisphere cousins. At this time of year, we celebrate the summer solstice when the nights are light and warm. But if you are willing to wait long enough, the dark summer nights are perfect for sitting outside with candles and singing carols. Health and safety has made itself felt: the flame of the candle has been replaced by battery operated light in a plastic casing. Though, with lots of small children about and having once had my hair on fire at a carols by candlelight, I can see the wisdom in this.

A carols service is also a good excuse for a picnic. We met up with my family at the Werribee Park carols by candlelight on the weekend. It was no balmy summer evening. We were just glad the raindrops on our arrival came to nothing. It had been a busy day for us with swimming lessons, the selling of our old car and lunch with friends Chris, Yavanna and baby Florence, so we were late. By the time we arrived, everyone else had been there a while and were heading off to buy jam donuts.

I'd like to think this is why few of them were interested in the veggie pate I took along, although my mum loved it. We sat down and ate our pate and guacamole with vegetable crudites, crackers and falafel. Sylvia was delighted to have as many biscuits as she liked and wouldn't eat any vegies. Fortunately when dessert of grubs, gingerbread and chopped pineapple came out, she couldn't get enough of the fruit. The sweet food went down well with the rest of my family too. Unfortunately we were there a bit late to share much of the others' food but I did hear that my mum's chocolate and hazelnut cakes were splendid.

Werribee Park mansion was a beautiful setting for the carols. (Thanks dad for letting me use your head as a tripod for this photo!) The coloured lights were spectacular. The carols were traditional ones that we could sing along to, but not so loud that I couldn't catch up with some of the family.

The moment that all the children were waiting for with breathless excitement was the arrival of the camels from the local zoo. The camels were carrying the wise men as part of the nativity scene. I sat by the aisle with the small children to see them pass by. Sylvia was with me but was far more interested in the moon. She usually is in bed or indoors when the moon comes out so this was a great novelty for her to see it. After the nativity, the Police Pipe Band played some Scots classics such as "Highland Cathedral" that pleased E. I was surprised that Sylvia was still awake when we left at 10pm but she fell asleep in the car within minutes once we left.

The Vegan Pate with sweet potato recipe came from Open Ended Question. It is quite similar to the Voracious Vegan Pate that I made a couple of months ago. The voracious pate had a few more spices which I enjoyed and different vegetables including potato which had added some interesting texture. I also thought it was cooked too thinly and crispy to spread it well. However what I liked about this sweet potato pate recipe below is that it is gluten free. In future I would be interested to combine the two recipes into one. Perhaps this one would be more flavoursome if I had more thyme but when I pick it from the garden, by the time I pick the leaves off the woody stems there is not heaps.

We still have some pate left but it is great to have in the fridge for sandwiches or to eat on rice crackers. On the day after the carols we ate leftover crudites and dips for dinner. It was a more satisfying meal. It was excellent with guacamole and chutney in a sandwich. While this pate requires baking, it lasts quite a while so it is worth making for summer meals if you get a day when you can tutn on the oven. Unfortunately, so far this summer, that is not a problem!

I am sending this to Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything Once for Weekend Herb Blogging #264 which she coordinates after taking over the reigns from the founder Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Christmas Nut Roast in Scotland
This time two years ago: Tree, Tarts and Punch
This time three years ago: SHF #38 Christmas Pudding

Vegan Pate with Sweet Potato
Adapted from Open Ended Question

• 1 large sweet potato, coarsely grated (mine was about 350g - more would have been better)
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce (I used reduced salt tamari)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup linseeds (flaxseeds), ground (I used a little LSA because I wanted to use it up)
• small handful fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350 F; Line a (9″ x 13″) lamington tin.

The recipe suggested blending the wet ingredients in the food processor and then adding the dry ingredients. My food processor is small so I went easy on it. I ground the sunflower seeds in the food processor. Then I put these in a mixing bowl with the nutritional yeast, ground linseeds and thyme. Puree sweet potato, onion, garlic, tamari and olive oil in the food processor and mix into the dry ingredients.

Spread mixture into prepared tin and smooth with a back of a spoon. Bake about 40-50 minutes – mine was baked for 50 minutes and it was just a little too long. The pate is done when it the top looks dry and then edges are brown and crispy. Cool in tin. Keep in the fridge. (I’ve had ours for 5 days but I suspect it will last at least a week)

On the Stereo:
The Original Christmas Album: 20 Party Christmas Crackers: Various Artists

Being thankful for muesli slice

The past week has shown me some of the worst of humanity. It saw the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death, a witch hunt for Julian Assange and my parents’ home being burgled. And two weekends ago we went to one of the worst carol services I have ever been to. It is not all bad. At least we had an excellent museli slice to get us through the week.

The carrols service was terrible because there were only two Christmas songs (not carols) in over an hour that we stayed. The rest of music was unbearably loud and had nothing to do with Christmas – would you expect Oasis, The Monkeys, Wild Cherry (as in Play that Funky Music White Boy) and The Wiggles at a carols service?

Fortunately I packed a yummy picnic for us to enjoy even though we couldn’t hear any conversation over the music. I took along some salad sandwiches, cheese and biscuits, and falafels and chopped vegies. But the piece de resistance, as far as Sylvia was concerned, were the muesli squares I baked that afternoon. Though I have a few healthy muesli slice recipes, I keep looking for alternative slices to make for Sylvia.

This most recent muesli bar was a recipe from Frances at Crunchy Green Things and it was excellent. Great soft texture and not too sweet, but filled with oats, whole wheat and dried fruit. Sylvia loves this “mia” (as she calls muesli bars). Her eyes light up when she asks for a piece (usually at an inappropriate moment such as when I am telling her to eat her vegies). Sometimes she even yells out “mia” with a naughty grin because she knows she is unlikely to get it. It is a sweet treat I am happy to be able to give to her. I am sure I will be making it again soon.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: The Witchery - Scottish Fine Dining
This time two years ago: Rice and Beans
This time three years ago: How does our garden grow!

Rustic Muesli Squares
From Crunchy Green Things
Makes about 42 squares

• 1 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup dessicated coconut
• 2 weetbix, crushed (or ½ cup wheatgerm)
• ½ cup wholemeal self-raising flour
• 400g mixed dried fruit, chopped (I used apricot, prunes, fig)
• ½ cup currants or sultanas
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup fruit juice
• ¼ cup honey (I'd like to try malt syrup as a substitute)
  
• ¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 180C, and line a lamington tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including the dried fruit. Stir to mix well. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the wet ingredients. It is ok if the honey doesn’t quite blend in properly. Tip wet into dry ingredients and mix well.

Press the mixture into the lamington tin and smooth with the back of a spoon. Bake 35-45 minutes until it is golden brown and mixture has shrunken away from the sides. (I did 45 minutes.)

Frances says to cool in the tin but after about 10-15 minutes I took mine out using the overhang of the baking paper and cooled it on a rack. Cut into squares or bars with a sharp knife. Lasts at least a week.
On the stereo:
December: Moody Blues

Buns, soup and crunchie in yaz's kitchen

Last weekend I visited my friend Yarrow for an afternoon of cooking. We picked some recipes we wanted to try with the aim of having dinner at the end of our endeavours. Dinner had a somewhat Asian theme with steamed mushroom buns and tempeh and corn soup. But we were a little eclectic in our choices, with chocolate honeycomb for dessert and a batch of vegan bacon.

I always enjoy cooking with Yaz. It is easier to be brave trying new things with two in the kitchen. I must confess that I felt I didn't do as much of the cooking as I would have liked. I was too busy constantly keeping an eye on Sylvia, who loved jumping up and down on the coffee table and running outside at every opportunity. Yaz's partner, Mindy, helped with keeping an eye on Sylvia but my little one would disappear quickly. Yes, that is Sylvia in the photo of the garden below.

We stopped for afternoon tea to sample some sweet buns and chocolate honeycomb. It was a sunny afternoon and their garden is lush with all the rain we have had. We sat by the bamboo in a shady corner with a cuppa. The food was lovely but the mozzies enjoyed feasting on my legs and there were spilt drinks. Even better was dinner with fantastic soup and buns.

Vegan Bacon
This recipe for vegan bacon was my must-try dish. I have actually decided that it was so good that I must make this again soon. I will post more about it then to do it justice. Meanwhile you can find the recipe at the Ordinary Vegetarian.

I can also tell you that it is one of my favourite discoveries this year. It is the first home made "facon" I have found that fries up to a pleasing crispness. I took home a tub of it and loved it in sandwiches and pasta dishes. Expect to hear more about it very soon.

Steamed Mushroom Buns

These steamed buns were chosen by Yaz. It is always nice to try yeasted goods with him. We had thought we might make pretzels too but ran out of time so I was pleased we had a bread of sorts. I would never have thought to try these but I would make them again. Having come to steaming late in life, I have learnt to appreciate how forgiving steaming is with timing. I didn't do much with these but if you have time, they are not too hard.


Yaz originally suggested making them with red bean paste as his recipe suggested but I have never learnt to appreciate sweet bean paste. (I have my limits even in shared cooking.) We compromised on a mushroom filling. In fact I wondered how vegan bacon would go in these.

We set aside a few buns and filled these with a range of sweet fillings - chocolate and honeycomb, raspberries and honey, jam and one other filling I can't remember. These were the buns we sampled at afternoon tea and they were fantastic, even though the honeycomb filling melted away.

Tempeh and Corn Soup

I bookmarked this tempeh and corn soup recipe a while back because I often would like a vegetarian version of chicken and sweetcorn soup in Asian restaurants. This is exactly what I wish was on offer. We were a bit slapdash with the recipe because just as we started cooking, Yaz's laptop refused to show the website. A few things were added late and we only had powdered not fresh ginger. But the recipe showed itself to be robust enough to handle our vagaries.

Before turning vegetarian, I often cooked casseroles with meat tossed in flour and fried before adding other ingredients. This was the method used by this recipe. It was strangely comforting in a nostalgic way. I am sure the meat used to stick to the pan just like the tempeh, though there is less fat released with tempeh so maybe we didn't have enough oil. I am not always that keen on tempeh but it was excellent in this recipe and I was in heaven with all the tinned creamed corn. It was fantastic accompanied by the steamed buns. Why can't Chinese restaurants serve such excellent vegetarian food?

Vegan Crunchie (aka Chocolate Honeycomb)

I was taken by Kristy's recent post on vegan crunchie. I must tell you that I am really a violet crumble girl. Not by choice but by heritage. You see, my dad loves them. So much that each Chrismas and birthday my older sister and I took it in turns to buy him violet crumble and pollywaffle. If you didn't grow up in Australia you might not know the difference. Violet crumbles are harder honey comb – it doesn’t melt in your mouth like Crunchie but Crunchie always tasted a little burnt to me. Yet I was intrigued by Kristy’s vegan version, especially as I love anything with golden syrup.

Our crunchie was not perfect. In fact it didn’t get very close to looking like crunchie or even violet crumble. Yaz has made honeycomb a few times before but had mixed results. We decided to use a loaf tin which in retrospect was a little small for our mixture. The mixture could have been cooked a little less than the recipe said. It was a little dark, though it rose amazingly, and then sank again as it cooled. But maybe if we just spread it on baking paper like I saw Nigella Lawson do on tv tonight, it might have been easier to deal with.

We drizzled the chocolate on chunks rather than smoothing it over a slab. I suspect the weather was more humid than is ideal (thanks for the tip Cindy). We didn’t even wait for the chocolate to set but it tasted wonderful fresh. In fact it was so good that it was hard to stop eating.

I was quite sad when we left because this will be my last cooking session with Yaz in his bright and cheerful kitchen. Who knows when we will cook together again as he and Mindy are setting off overseas at the end of the year to start a new adventure on the other side of the world. I am sure I will make some of these recipes again and remember enjoying them together with Yaz and Mindy.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: The Last Drop - cosy pub grub
This time two years ago: Lentil Loaf with Chutney
This time three years ago: Dahl for the Soul

Steamed Mushroom Buns
adapted from the Fresh Loaf
Makes 16 buns

Dough:

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1½ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar ½ cup soy milk
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine,
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

Filling:

• Oil
• Spring onions, finely chopped
• Variety of Asian mushrooms, chopped
• Soy sauce

To make filling: Yaz prepared the filling before I arrived but I think he just fried up some mushrooms and spring onions with a bit of seasoning. This could be made while the dough is rising if you wish.

To make dough: Mix together all ingredients and add an extra spoonful of water or two if the dough isn’t quite supple enough for stretching and shaping. Yax kneaded the dough for a minute, let it sit for 10 minutes, and repeated this 3 times rather than kneading for 10 minutes as suggested by the recipe. I can’t quite remember how much longer he let it sit for but the recipe suggested the dough rising for 45-60 minutes.

Cut the dough into 16 pieces and let rest. The recipe says 5 minutes but we let them sit quite a bit longer. Then use a rolling pin to roll each piece into flat circles of about 20cm diameter. Place a spoon of filling into the middle and pinch the edges together at the top. (If you want a smooth bun you can roll the ball to smooth the edges but we chose not to.)

Once shaped let the buns sit for 10 minutes. While they are sitting, heat the water for the steamer and line your steamer basket with baking paper to stop balls sticking to the basket. Place buns in steamer, cover and steam about 15 minutes. Serve warm. I kept some in the fridge overnight and steamed them for 15 minutes the next day.

Tempeh and Corn Soup
Adapted from Veggie Num Num via Vegematarian
Serves 4-6

• 250g tempeh
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• Canola oil (or other neutral oil)
• 1-2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 brown onion (or leek,) finely sliced
• 1 stick of celery, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of ginger, finely grated (we used ginger powder)
• 2 x 400g tins of creamed corn
• kernels of 2 corn cobs (or use a drained 400g tin of corn)
• 1 litre of vegetable stock or tricken stock like Massel’s liquid stock
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• Coriander (optional)

Crumble the tempeh into chunks in a small bowl. Toss with cornflour so tempeh is well coated.

Heat oils in a large saucepan. You will need a decent glug or two. Add the onion (or leek) and celery and fry until soft. (We forgot to add the celery until later but I would add it around when I added the onion.) Add ginger and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add tempeh and cornflour mixture. Cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or til tempeh has started to turn golden brown. Our tempeh was all clumpy and seemed to take ages to brown and stuck to the bottom. Some firm stirring and a bit of stock to loosen the tempeh will help.

Add the vegetable stock, creamed corn and corn kernels. Bring to the boil and gently simmer for about 15 minutes or until soup has slightly thickened. Serve with spring onions and coriander if desired.

Update June 2014: made this and had to use 2 tins of corn kernels and 1 tin of creamed corn because that was all I had.  The texture was not quite right but it was rescued by adding some rice to the soup.

Vegan Crunchie
from In the Mood for Noodles (using an allrecipes.com honeycomb recipe)
makes lots

• 4 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (or less)
• 1 cup of choc chips (or more)

Line a cake or slice tin with baking paper. We used a loaf tin which was probably too small but Kristy said her 20cm square tin was too big.

Gently heat the golden syrup and sugar together until the sugary clumps become liquid. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes (or even less – ours was a bit overcooked and we just did 5 minutes – apparently dropping a little syrup into water will help to show it is done if it becomes brittle.)

Remove pot from the heat and quickly mix in the bicarb of soda. It will foam up instantly. Pour into prepared tin and let it set (I think this took a few hours – NB apparently it sets better if the weather is dry rather than humid).

Kristy poured melted chocolate into a tin (advising that it is lined with baking paper), placed the honeycomb on the chocolate and pour more over the honeycomb. We chopped up the honeycomb and did this but ended up just drizzling the chocolate over the chunks because it was too hard to smooth it.

Ideally you are meant to let it set and then chop it up but we started to eat it before it was set and by the next day there was bloom on the chocolate. Not perfect but still delicious.

On the Stereo:
Original masters: Steeleye Span

Healthy biscuits, interesting buildings

I haven’t posted many sweet recipes lately. I counted only five over the past three months. But I have been baking. Not all has been successful (such as the massive banana and blueberry bread that was uncooked in the middle). But I have had a little project to try some healthy choc chip cookies. Unfortunately I have focused more on taste-testing than photography so I will also share a few photos of buildings that have pleased me.

The photos of buildings were actually taken while Sylvia and I were on the northern city fringe on the day that I made banana choc chip cookies. It is not the first time I have made choc chip cookies with banana but this recipe from 101 Cookbooks interested me because the only sweetener was the bananas.

These cookies are nothing like a regular choc chip cookies. In fact none of these cookies are traditional. All are vegan and use ingredients that our foremothers would not recognize. Likewise, these buildings are modern. The above photo has a juxtaposition of the old and the new. It is taken at the Carlton United Brewery site that has stood derelict for years and now has become a building site. I imagine that the old bluestone buildings will be incorporated but will probably be an unrecognizable rendition of its former self.

This colourful building has not a sign of a traditional building. It was only completed this year. The Pixel building is designed to be carbon neutral. It runs on energy generated by wind turbines and solar panels but most pleasing is that it can have eco cred and look so pretty.

The other building that I couldn’t resist photographing was the RMIT Storey Hall, which was redesigned in 1995. I once sang in a choir in front of former Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, in the auditorium there. I sometimes think of it when I pass by but I also love looking at the colours and design.

Yes I love buildings that are a little bit different and I also love biscuits that are a little bit different. Different is not always comfortable. I was a bit unsure if the banana cookies were cooked enough but cooking them a bit darker didn’t help. They were nice but quite moist and didn’t seem to last well past a couple of days. I even tried a batch with sultanas instead of choc chips so I could feed them to Sylvia but without the bitterness of the chocolate they were sweet and dull.

I also felt a little unsure of the Vegan Choc Chip Oatmeal Nut Cookies. I tried these one evening when I didn’t have any butter but I had almond butter on hand. I think I used too many oats and the flaked coconut was a mistake. They were nice but far more chunky than the pictures on the web.

By far the most successful of these vegan cookies were the Chocolate Tahini Cookies. I found the recipe on a blog with the lovely name, A Dash of Compassion. Although I had tried chocolate biscuits with tahini before, I liked the simplicity of this recipe, which had far more tahini than my previous attempt. They were wonderful. Unlike the other cookies in this post, there were no oats, but the addition of LSA instead of wheatgerm resulted in a pleasing texture that was slightly grainy and a little melt in the mouth, with occasionally studs of chocolate. Definitely a keeper.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Edinburgh Winter Wonderland
This time two years ago: Memories, BBQs, and Bangers & Mash
This time three years ago: Nadine’s wild rice salad

Nikki's Healthy Choc Chip Cookies
adapted from 101 Cookbooks
makes about 36

• 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1½ cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
• 2 cups rolled oats
• ⅔ cup almond meal
• ⅓ cup desiccated coconut
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 175-200g chocolate chips (I tried substituting 1½ cups sultanas but it wasn’t great)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line oven tray(s) with baking paper or silicone mat(s).

Combine bananas, vanilla extract and coconut oil in a large jug and set aside. Stir together the oats, almond meal, coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add banana mixture and mix till combined. Fold in chocolate chips. The batter might be looser than regular cookies.

Drop dessertspoons of mixture onto prepared trays with about an inch between each. Bake 12-15 minutes until browned. Let cool a bit before transferring from trays to cool on a wire rack.

Almond and Oat Choc Chip Cookies
adapted from Food.com
makes about 30 cookies

• ⅓ cup almond butter (or other nut butter)
  
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
  
• ⅓ cup soymilk (I used a mix of rice milk, yoghurt and cream)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
  
• ½ teaspoon bicarb of soda
  
• pinch salt
  
• 1 cup rolled oats
  
• ½ cup non-dairy chocolate chips
  
• ½ cup flaked coconut
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Whisk together almond butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop spoonfuls onto prepared baking tray. Bake about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Chocolate tahini cookies
adapted from A Dash of Compassion
makes about 30 cookies

• 1/2 cup wholemeal flour
• 1/2 cup LSA (ground linseed or flax, sunflower seeds and almonds – or use wheatgerm)
• 1/2 cup cocoa (I used dutch cocoa)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used a bit more)

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl (except choc chips). Stir in wet ingredients and then gently mix in the choc chips until combined.

Drop teaspoons of mixture onto lined oven trays. Shape into smooth discs – I used my fingers, Nicole used the bottom of a glass to flatten them.

Bake at 180 C (350 F) for about 10 minutes. These cookies are too dark to spot any change in colour but Nicole suggests looking for slight cracking and drying on top. Sit for 5-10 minutes before transferring from tray to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

On the stereo:
Fold your hands child, you walk like a peasant: Belle and Sebastian

Tacos with hominy chilli

I was intrigued when I saw Tanna cooking a Hominy Tomatillo Stuffed Pumpkin back in 2008. It wasn’t the first time I had heard of hominy but it was the first time I had seen it up close and in such a beautiful recipe. Tanna kindly responded to my curiosity with helpful information.

I have been meaning to try it for ages. Then, when I was rushing past Casa Iberica (in Johnston Street, Fitzroy) recently, I nipped in and bought some cans of hominy and black beans. Then I felt curious but clueless. What to do with this strange mutant corn that has been dried and soaked in lye! Last week E asked for tacos so I decided to toss both tins into a batch of chilli non carne. This is something I used to make regularly but doesn’t get made nearly so often since I started blogging.

I bought all the vegies at the Vic Market yesterday where I had the pleasure of meeting fellow blogger Hannah. She was as lovely in person as she is on her blog and was patient as I searched in vain for tortillas (actually we had fun looking at all the corn chips and crackers in the organics area). Luckily when I asked E for help he was able to find some in a supermarket near his workplace. The scene was set.

I made the chilli non carne last night while Sylvia ate her dinner. We decided to wait until she had gone to bed so we could spread out the taco fillings on a platter and eat in peace. It made me wonder why I don’t do tacos more often. They are so delicious!

The hominy was an interesting addition. It looks so fluffy but was actually quite dry and chewy and it confused the senses by tasting of corn the way that corn chips do but it just didn’t look at all corny. Well maybe it looks a little like popcorn but I rarely eat it. I realised that it was a three corn taco with corn kernels, corn taco shells and hominy. Nothing wrong with that.

Most bizarrely, today when we had some for lunch, I found that Sylvia loved it. She wont touch most of the stews I make so I was amazed she kept asking for pieces of hominy in the spicy sauce. The only explanation I could think of was that it is about the same size as chickpeas. Though children eat in mysterious ways so I am prepared to believe there is some reason I will never ever know.

I will look out for hominy to cook with again, especially given Sylvia’s enjoyment of it. However, I suspect there are few, if any, places in Melbourne other than Casa Iberica where it is sold. If hominy was easier and cheaper to buy I would definitely use it more often in chilli non carne, probably more for the interesting texture than the flavour. I’d also love to try using it in stews and casseroles and even, if I felt adventurous, in Tanna’s stuffed pumpkin.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Christening Cake
This time two years ago: St Andrew’s Day Haggis
This time three years ago: How green was my mole?

Chilli non carne with hominy
serves 4-6

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• kernels of 1-2 corn cobs
• ½ red capsicum, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 cup water
• 400g tin of diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1½ tsp chilli paste (sambal olek)
• 400g tin of hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp promite (or yeast extract or soy sauce)

To serve:

• Packet of tacos (about 12)
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Cook onion and carrot for about 10 minutes until softened. Add corn, capsicum, sweet potato and cumin. Cook a further few minutes. Add water, tomatoes, tomato paste, smoked paprika, chilli, hominy and promite. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes either until the stew starts to stick to the bottom of the pan or until vegetables are soft. I turned mine off and let it sit before serving.

I served mine with tacos warmed in the oven for about 5 minutes at 180 C and a platter of salad to eat with it.

On the stereo:
Everybody else is doing it, so why can’t we?: The Cranberries

Cheese & pesto muffins and breakfast routine

I was going to tell you about how I made these muffins because I have been trying to find some finger food to eat that Sylvia will eat, resulting in light meals for E and myself. I was going to tell you how hard it is to take fun photos of food with Sylvia trying to help. However, given that I ate these for breakfast the next morning, I might tell you about my breakfasts with Sylvia.

Sylvia takes a long long long time to eat each meal. I have even spoken to the workers at childcare and been told she is always the last one eating. So it is not just my impatience that makes me say this. But I will admit that I used to eat breakfast very quickly in the days before Sylvia. So let me tell you about this morning as an example:

• It starts with her running to drag boxes of cereal out of the pantry and select a bowl from the cupboard.(She has just learnt to open the pantry and cupboards by herself so now she thinks any time is cereal time.) She then insists on finding herself a spoon in the cutlery drawer.
• I lift Sylvia into her high chair and we get cereal into her bowl. She loves snaking her hand into the boxes and coming out with a handful of cereal.
• Today she didn’t want milk. Then she changed her mind and did want it on her cereal. I pour a little in the bowl and stir it.
• Then she kept calling "milk, water" so I put some milk in a sippy cup for her and she drank a little, spat it out and cried. Mostly she just drinks water.
• She fiddles with her cereal and I wonder if she will eat any. Throws some on the floor that I pick up and then eats a little. Takes her arm out of her singlet and then eats a little cereal. Pulls single over her face and then pulls it down again and eats a little cereal.
• I get tired of watching her and spend a bit of time on the computer checking emails. But I keep an eye on the cereal because I know Sylvia’s urge to throw it on the floor is great.
• She asks for "a cuggle" (known to you and me as a cuddle). Attention is waning.
• I sit with her again and try and catch the bowl when she throws it to the floor. I catch the bowl, put the cereal from the floor back in the bowl, and place it on the highchair. What child could resist throwing it back down again.
• At this point cereal is finished, with most of it a soggy mess that I have scrapped off the floor two or three times and returned to the bowl.
• I get toast with butter, promite and cheese for both of us. Sylvia wants my toast so we swap. She takes the cheese and tries to wipe the promite off the toast. She nibbles the toast and throws it on the kitchen table.
• I go to prepare some fruit and get a shard of glass in my food because a glass broke last night when it rolled off the dishrack. (It is impossible to buy a decent dishrack these days – maybe this is because we are the last household in the world not to have a dishwasher!) I sit down and remove shard from foot.
• Another request for "a cuggle".
• Another request for "milk, water".
• The blue plastic plate used for the toast is held against the face and then thrown on the floor.
• I offer pineapple. She lights up at the suggestion. I offer nectarine. No.
• I put some pineapple in a bowl for Sylvia and have a bowl of pineapple and nectarine for myself. Sylvia wants my nectarine and piles it into her bowl. She loves nothing better than to transfer food from one bowl to another. Oh no, I lie. Even better is hurling food across the room.
• Sylvia eats some fruit but is mostly playing with it so I decide breakfast is finished.
• She looks around for something else. “Bun? Cake?” she asks hopefully. Not on your nelly!
• I lift her out of the highchair and when she gets to the ground she finds a piece of cereal that she shoves in her mouth as though she hasn’t had the opportunity to eat her fill.
• I sweep the floor and collect any spoons, plates and bowls that have found their way to the floor and not been picked up during breakfast.
• I had left her in a singlet for breakfast because she refuses to wear a bib and gets cereal all over her clothes. But today when I put her in a nice t-shirt she regurgitates some of her breakfast all over it.
  

Honestly I am ready to go back to bed for a rest after such a breakfast. It is usually a bit quicker if I have to take her to childcare before work but I am glad I don’t have to do that 5 days a week! She really could just graze all day and does at times. I have watched in amazement at other children having food shoveled into their mouths, one spoonful straight after another.

To finish off the story of my day so far, I dropped in to work to meet one of our new colleagues from an interstate office and then met my friend Cheryl for lunch at Bar Italia in Carlton. I hope, after hearing how Sylvia eats her breakfast, that you will understand that I was too busy picking up things off the floor, keeping glasses at a safe distance and preventing er eating crayons to take any photos. But I would like to tell anyone looking for a child-friend café in Lygon Street that this is a great place for kids. They had the highchair, crayons and the waitress was so welcoming to Sylvia including picking up more than her fair share of crayons and bread crusts.

But I digress. I really set out to tell you about the cheese and pesto muffins I made on Friday night while watching great BBC drama, the Silence. Dinner has been light on and there was no bread in the house so I had promised E that I would make muffins. I did a quick search and found a recipe for Cheese and Pesto Muffins.

Lacking energy (see above breakfast routine and apply to dinner) I couldn’t be bothered rubbing butter into flour so I found another recipe for cheese muffins in Alison Holst’s Meals without Meat. Her recipe had no butter but I figured there was enough fat in all that cheese. The best aspect of the recipe was the ease of just mixing wet and dry ingredients together.

I loved Vanielje's idea of a dob of pesto and half a cherry tomato on the top of each muffin. It meant an explosion of intense flavour on top and looked ever so pretty. The cheesiness of the muffins was immensely satisfying. The only problem was confronting muffins hot out of the oven in their muffin papers when hungry from a light dinner. The papers cling to hot muffins meaning that a lot of the crumb seems to stick to the paper.

Which brings me back to breakfast. These were lovely for breakfast because the papers peeled off nice and easily. I meant to eat them with some chutney but Sylvia must have been throwing her cereal on the floor because I was distracted and forgot to do this. I couldn’t say if Sylvia liked them. She nibbled at her muffin, broke it into pieces and made lots of crumbs, but she looked happy. I can tell you that E and I loved them!

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Edinburgh: the grim, the cosy and the grumpy
This time two years ago: PPN Genovese-style pappardelle for feminists
This time three years ago: Trashy choc chip cookies

Cheese and pesto muffins
Adapted from Vanielje Kitchen and Alison Holst
makes 12

• 200g cheese, grated
• 1½ cups self raising flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• good shake of smoked paprika
• handful of fresh basil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2-3 tbsp pesto
• 6 cherry tomatoes halves
  

In a large bowl, stir together cheese, flour, salt, sugar, mustard powder, paprika, and basil. Lightly whisk together egg and milk in a small bowl or mug and add to dry ingredients.

Spoon muffins batter into a 12 cup muffin tin lined with papers or greased. Use a small spoon to drop about half a teaspoon of pesto on top of each muffin (push into the batter a bit) and then push a cherry tomato half onto the blob of pesto.

Bake at 220 C for about 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out cleanly. Eat warm or cold. I think these lasted about 3 days.

On the Stereo:
Serendipity: an introduction to … John Martyn

Pearl Oyster - for the retro kids

A few weekends back we caught up with our friend Heather at Pearl Oyster in Thornbury or Preston (the location changes depending on who you read). We met at 12pm thinking we'd get seats in the quiet period between the brunch and lunch crowds. The place was heaving. By the time we had finished lunch it had quietened down so our timing was all out. Overall, we enjoyed the food and the ambience once we overcame a few initial seating problems.

The place was so busy when arrived that we had to wait for a seat and finally were given a few seats at a communal table. The seats were fixed in place. Not easy when we were trying to arrange ourselves around Sylvia's highchair. One guy begrudgingly moved for us but when we saw a group leave a four seat table we moved there. It was much easier to move the (vinyl swivel) chairs to accommodate Sylvia's highchair. And as you can see above, she loved the paper and coloured pencils provided.

Next came the challenge of ordering food. After seeing some positive vegan reviews, I had hoped for a tofu scramble that Michael and Lisa enjoyed. But there was none on the specials. However, I did like the sound of the zucchini, cherry boccocini and chilli jam pizza. It was a nice pizza but far far too much spicy chilli jam for me. I was impressed that the waitress was happy to take on board my feedback when I mentioned this to them.

These days I am less of a challenge to order for than Sylvia. We chose some very good fruit toast for her and she ate some of it when she could be distracted from drawing. E also ordered a herb omelette with ham, thinking that she might have a taste of the omelette but Sylvia was not interested in it. Not that E was bothered. He loved it and was happy to eat it all himself.

When it came to ordering brunch, Heather was the one who really got it right. She ordered French toast with pears poached in rose tea, marscapone and pistachio dust. I am not much of a fan of French toast but I did taste it and found it an excellent marriage of inspired flavours and textures.

I partly chose the place because it was listed as child-friendly on the Hey Bambini website. I am getting fussier with the places we go because if Sylvia is happy we can all relax. Pearl Oyster might have space for prams if it wasn't full of people waiting for a seat. They provided a box of toys, the roll of butchers paper and coloured pencils as well as funky old retro highchairs. If I was to quibble I would suggest that it would be better not to keep the pencils in a glass jar and I wished that the highchairs had straps but these are small details that did not impinge on our enjoyment. (I suspect no highchairs had straps when our foremothers used them.)

But the ambience of the cafe is lovely with lots of nice touches. The furniture was a collection of retro furniture. Menus came bound in old book covers and there were lots of interesting old books opposite the counter. We would have loved a seat in the leafy court yard if it hadn't been full. The music was cool, the staff were friendly and there was a great display of cake that I would have loved to try if I had not been too full.

Pearl Oyster
114 Millar Street
Preston/Thornbury
03 9480 2500