The beginning part of this year seemed to fly past me, I don’t think I really spent that much time in the kitchen at all really. Between getting married, travelling to watch good friends do the same, a million public holidays and two toddlers, the first few months of 2022 have been a blur.
When we had brief periods of warm weather we cranked out the pizza oven, did a lot of grilling and I spent a few days trying to copy the limongellos you have probably seen at Pellegrinos with the leftover homemade Limoncello from our wedding. Once I have figured out a concise recipe I will share it.
Now that the weather has undoubtedly entered the cold months I have been leaning towards lots of slow cooked, wholesome foods that sit and develop and make the nights at home comforting and warm. Beef cheeks in balsamic, borlotti bean soup, curry, 3hr ragu either folded through pasta or layered into lasagne, poached quinces on ice-cream, on oats or made into paste for nibbling with cheese, apple and cinnamon buns, baked sausages . . . the list goes on. Basically I’m making anything that makes me feel like I'm dining at recently opened Stissing House in upstate New York.
I am not sure where this recipe came from but I know my Aunt cooked it for my Mum who then cooked it for me and since then I have probably cooked it for you. It is one of my favourite things to make when you want something warming and delicious that can feed a crowd (or just give you a few good meals out of it). Its been tweaked and tested with different fruit, different spices, substitutions here and there but really its very sturdy so most mistakes go unnoticed. Serve with a big cous cous, a green salad, some stovetop roasted carrots and it will impress anyone who can smell it. I like to serve with a crusty baguette to mop up all the juices from cooking. Leftovers go nicely in a toasted sandwich or shredded with some rocket for a nice warm salad.
I shared this recipe a few weeks ago with some people but it has been heavily requested so here it is again in case you missed it. These are a cross between NY style bagels and Montreal style. They have a nice crisp crumb layer on the exterior and are not as chewy as traditional New York style bagels. They are delicious with cream cheese and freeze well. Slice in half before throwing in the freezer to toast in the morning. Don’t be put off by the lengthy recipe, as long as you are patient and let your dough rise properly these are fool proof.
drinking
For our wedding I spent a long time putting together a wine list that was approachable for our guests but equally easy to guzzle all night. When it poured with rain and we had to quickly pivot to a cocktail party instead of a sit down dinner alot fo the wine that was careful selected for our dinner sat there unopened and even with giving bottles of it away at the end of the night and returning what we could, we still ended up with a healthy amount. Tonight (while trying to stay cautiously optimistic about the election) I am enjoying our last bottle of this.
A couple of weeks ago we went to a really interesting tasting with Tim Stock of Les Fruits. The night was an open and transparent conversation about natural wine making in Australia which is something that can be misunderstood in the highly commercialised market at the moment. We tried a host of Tim’s wine and while they were all delicious this was the one that really stood out. Lots of big, fresh flavour and elegant tannins that lick across the tongue. He said it is always a favourite with buyers and it's not hard to see why.
Lastly, If you like Martini’s don’t go to Planet Bar. Unless the kind of martinis you like contain an unknown ‘infinite spirit’, come pre batched in a Spanish carafe and are poured half a metre in the air so the barman can spritz lemon rind on the stream of liquid as it splashes into your glass. Do go to Planet Bar if you want to order a cocktail that contains palo santo only to find that instead of finding it in your drink it means a bartender will walk up and down the bar with some lit incense.
(sorry)
As I have said previously, if you have any trouble with the recipes or have any questions please let me know! I really love talking about food and would be happy to do it all day.
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