Pavlova really ought to be hard to make well. The crisp, delicate outside and the soft meringue interior should be exceptionally difficult to create. Oddly, though, it is about one of the easiest things in the world to get right – and also one of the most impressive. Pavlova piled high with whipped cream and fruit never fails to bring a smile to any Australian’s face. There’s only two things to remember – have your eggs at room temperature, and … actually, there’s only one.
Slow Food Adventures is going to be taking a short break during the Christmas period. Rest assured that I’ll be back to full speed, with more recipes than ever before, early in the New Year.
Tags: Administrivia
It’s been a while since my last weekend kid food post, so I thought I’d post up some pasta and meatballs. These are a bit fiddly to make, but it’s great for kids on holidays – get them to get their hands dirty and keep them away from the TV or computer for half an hour or so. Also, these have hidden good stuff in them. Even my daughter devours these, so it must be well-hidden indeed!
If you’re anything like me, you looked at the calendar a couple of days ago and realised that Christmas is next week. In which case, you’re probably running around like a mad thing trying to think up a neat idea for gifts. Well, in keeping with my last foody gift idea, I thought I’d share what my friends and family are getting from me this Christmas – jars of home made infused olive oil.
This is another of those recipes that is incredibly impressive, but deceptively simple to make. Generally, the idea of stuffing things (especially chicken breasts), conjures up horror images of flattening, rolling, toothpick-sticking, and terrible mess. This one doesn’t use any of that.
Tags: Cheese, Chicken, Prosciutto, Spinach
This is a super-easy but still restaurant quality side dish. It uses only a couple of simple ingredients, but it tastes absolutely fabulous and will set off any more complicated dish you choose to serve it with.
Choose floury chat potatoes with a red skin for the most impressive result, and we will team it up with fresh rosemary, some cracked black pepper, and just a little bit of rock salt. I don’t normally add salt to anything, but this one really benefits from the addition.
So have you all made the spice mix from the other day? You have? Good! Now it’s time to put it to use. If you made the spice mix as a gift, and you’re looking for a recipe to give with it, then this is the one. There will be a link to a PDF version at the end of this recipe. Just scroll down!
I’m a big fan of spice mixes, and with Christmas coming up and people possibly looking for home made foody gifts, I thought I’d put up one of my favourites. If you want to use this as a gift, make up the mix, pop it in a fancy bottle, and print out the recipe to go with it. I’ll make up a readily printable PDF version just for that purpose, too.
Tags: Chilli, Cinnamon, Cumin, Curry, Garam Masala, Garlic, Indian, Onion
For those of you who have tried my Moroccan lamb tagine recipe, this should appear familiar. It’s basically a tagine in salad form. It takes less than ten minutes to throw together, and the meat can be cooked on the bbq or grill without causing too much heat-stress to the chef. The main flavours in this are the coriander, the lemon juice, and the cumin. There’s a lot going on in the background though – chilli, ginger, garlic, and spring onions are all there trying to get a see-in. Adjust things to suit your taste, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
I use a combination of real and glace cherries, and of course the topping is all chocolate. The base is so crumbly it it just adds enough crunch without overburdening the more delicate flavours of the cherries and the coconut. You will think you’ve died and gone to heaven.