Roll Credits

Something that’s been on my mind lately (well, as a general rule many things are on my mind at any given time, but that’s not the point) is the vast array of people, experiences and tools which have influenced me, with regards to cooking and food.

My Grandfather

I have very early memories of sitting on the countertop in our Danish kitchen, watching my grandad (or Morfar as I call him) preparing meals and treats for the family. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him use a recipe, the man just knows exactly what he’s doing. Some of his specialities include pancakes (the thin, crepe-like type), potatoes (I don’t know what his secret is, but he can make a boiled potato taste like absolute heaven) along with a typical Danish ‘Christmas’ meal with roast pork, stewed red cabbage, ‘brown’ potatoes (baby potatoes boiled and then caramelised in sugar until brown and delicious) and gravy. He’s always been more than happy to share a recipe with me, and I have him to thank for my enthusiasm for cooking. His cooking style is usually traditional, but he’s also up to date with the latest tips and tricks – always striving for a better roast chicken. I don’t think I’ve ever had chicken as juicy and succulent as my grandad makes it.

My Dad

My father’s Maltese, and also quite the talented cook. An ambassador of seasonal, fresh local produce, he makes the best rabbit stew (a Maltese dish) that I’ve ever tasted. He has always encouraged me to help him with seasoning his dishes, which I doubt was necessary (a 5 year old’s palate isn’t exactly culinary genius), but it has certainly encouraged me to be involved with food. It’s also affected my own cooking style; I’ve noticed that if I’m cooking with someone else in the room, I always ask their opinion on something, even though I don’t really need it. Every time I visit him, he’s always got something fantastic cooking, and that’s something I really enjoy

My friends

Sharing recipes with friends and learning from them is also a great source of inspiration for me. I love it when someone enjoys what I’ve cooked or baked, but if they ask for the recipe and then try the dish out themselves, then I am ecstatic! My Maltese friends have also been a wonderful influence when it comes to traditional Maltese cooking, which is not something I was exposed to from my immediate relatives (well, apart from my Dad’s rabbit!), so I definitely have them to thank for that!

The Internet

The internet and I have been friends for quite some time now. It’s a wonderful tool, and I take full advantage of it. I started out on www.allrecipes.com which has many, many recipes to choose from, as well as reader reviews, photos, and so on. Some of my current favourite websites (apart from the blogs listed on the right hand side) for recipes and inspiration are: BBC Good Food, Joy of Baking, Taste AU, Food Gawker, to name a few. My current recipe-hunting method involves typing the keywords into Google, going straight for the Images, and clicking whatever looks most appealing to me. I like to compare a few slightly different recipes for the same thing, I find it gives me a better grasp of the dish.

Television

An acquaintance introduced me to Iron Chef (the original version) many years ago, and that’s where my food porn addiction began. This next one was mentioned before, but it deserves a mention here, because tv shows about food have influenced me a hell of a lot. Masterchef Australia is of course, my all-time favourite. I love that it’s just about the food and not about the petty backstage drama. Jamie’s Food Revolution and Jamie Oliver in general is another celebrity chef I like, he’s got a great enthusiasm and I admire his altruistic nature and what he’s achieved from it. I have to mention Gordon Ramsay here, too. I absolutely loved his autobiographies, and there’s no doubt that he’s a talented and successful chef. His show Kitchen Nightmares is also quite entertaining (but not something I’d watch whilst eating dinner). A recent favourite is Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. He’s definitely got a knack for speaking his mind and describing food and culture, and I thoroughly enjoy his shows.  I’ll stop the list there, suffice it to say that I enjoy watching pretty much anything related to food, travel, or both. Except, perhaps, the Food Network.

There are, of course, other people who have played an important part in my love affair with food, and I find this to be a wonderful thing. Each time I cook pasta Puttanesca, I think of the friend who introduced me to it, and that is true of many other dishes. I think it just goes to show how great an impact food can have on our lives, helping us bond and connect with others, and serving as a reminder of those who we connected with long ago.

If you’re reading this, please comment and let me know what or who has inspired you to learn more about food.

Eat, Cook, Watch

Julia Child at Le Cordon Bleu

Recently, I read a quote by Julia Child:

You’ll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.

Wonderfully put, and this certainly applies to my life lately. Sure, I have a 9-to-5 office job to tend to, but any chance I get, you’ll catch me reading about new recipes, food-related news, or spending far too long making my own lunch look pretty. I do my job, and I do it well, but food sustains me – and I don’t just mean nutritionally.

I’m also currently 100% addicted to the latest season of Masterchef Australia – I love everything about it (except the part when contestants are eliminated). The challenges are ingenious and anything but simple. The judges are hilarious, I don’t know where they come up with the customised puns and other comments. And of course, the contestants are like family to me by this point – which is why it’s so hard to see them go. I have to admit, this show has brought me to tears more times than I can count!

Another tv show I really enjoyed lately was Gordon’s Great Escape – a Channel 4 production, where Gordon Ramsay travels to India and Asia to learn about their cuisine. Thoroughly entertaining, especially considering that Ramsay claims to ‘know everything there is to know about food’ (on Masterchef US) and yet, here he is, learning things from tribes people. I guess that’s exactly what Julia Child was talking about, and it’s a wonderful thing.

Despite the fact that I applied for a part time course in Diploma in Gastronomy last year and wasn’t considered (for some silly bureaucratic reasons), told to try again this year, then found out that the course isn’t even being offered this year, I am happy. I am happy because I know what I love, what I’m passionate about, what can make the rest of the world (and the troubles with it) simply disappear: FOOD. And for that, I am thankful.

Imposter Recipes

Something that really gets my goat is when I click on a so-called ‘recipe’ online, and fine something like this:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 package (14 ounces) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
• 1/2 cup BREAKSTONE’S Sour Cream

How is that a recipe?!? The same goes for cake recipes that include ‘yellow cake mix’ or similar in their ingredient list. Am I the only one who feels like this is a major pain in the butt??

If I want to make something, I want to make it from scratch. People should be encouraged to make a recipe from the basic ingredients -otherwise, where’s the excitement of cooking going to come from?

I do of course understand that there are exceptions – if one simply doesn’t have the time/ingredients to make something from scratch, then corners must be cut (I myself am guilty of using a pre-packaged sauce on occasion). However, please don’t call it a recipe. If anything, it’s a jazzed up version of the package instructions, nothing more.

This venting might sound negative, but really I am simply frustrated that people are fooled into omitting the joy and magic from their cooking process. On days where I’m exhausted, and the last thing I want to do is stand in the kitchen cooking, what usually happens is this: after reluctantly prepping the ingredients, I begin the cooking process and am transported to a peaceful place, full of the aforementioned joy and magic. Cooking is, in my humble opinion, one of the best therapies available (although that depends on the particular situation – I doubt professional chefs feel like every day in the kitchen counts as therapeutic).

So on that note, after a truly hectic work week, I am going to walk to the supermarket and pick out some things to help me unwind this evening

Is there anybody out there?

I’ve neglected this blog, and after giving myself a good, hard slap on the wrist, have resolved to get back into the swing of things.

I’ve been slightly distracted lately, but throughout the rollercoaster that is life, there’s been one constant: my passion for food. Whether it’s the therapeutic value of cooking myself a healthy meal for dinner, or the joy I experience when I have the privilege of cooking for those I love (or vice versa, of course), my romance with food has only just begun

I’m still very much enjoying Indian cuisine, as well as some French and Italian mixed in there, so expect some of that to feature here soon. Last but not least, I’ve been scrambling to fit some last-minute baking in to my days – I live on a small island in the Mediterranean, and it’s already begun to heat up quite a bit. Even though baking is something I simply adore, I don’t adore contributing to global warming by having my air conditioner cooling my apartment – just so that I can bake some muffins! (That said, sometimes it’s just necessary!)

Speaking of baking, here is something I tested out recently, with brilliant results:

Extra Dark Brownies with Sea Salt & Lime

Full recipe here: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/weekend-snack-recipe-bitter-brownies-with-sea-salt-lime-145579

image courtesy of www.thekitchn.com

This recipe appealed to me right off the bat – brownies – good!, extra dark chocolate – good!, sea salt with chocolate – good!, lime with chocolate – something I hadn’t tried before, aka, GOOD!

Apart from being a fairly simple method, the preparation process for these brownies was just wonderful! Simple, good quality aromas filled my kitchen and pleased my senses – don’t you just love that excitement from being absolutely positive that your food is going to turn out to be delicious? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me. I will most definitely be making these brownies again!

It’s no big secret that salt and chocolate have a bit of a thing going on – salt is good at bringing out flavour, and chocolate is no exception. I can still remember when I was young, on a road trip on Germany, and I tasted a chocolate covered pretzel. That sweet/savoury/salty taste has lingered in my memory for a long time now, and this recipe certainly doesn’t disappoint.

And, oh, the lime! Its acidity cuts right through the richness of the dark chocolate, giving it the perfect balance. The lime juice definitely adds a depth of flavour and contributes to the brownies’ oozy goodness. Finally, the beautifully bright lime zest as a final garnish brings a refreshing contrast in colour, making your taste buds call out for more… These brownies are naughty, but also exotic – kind of like having a culinary summer fling.

My own recommendations for this recipe would be to whip up some cream, as the brownies are quite rich and heavy, and therefore go perfectly with a little dollop of cream as their accompaniment

Until next time (which will not be too far off, I promise!)

Butternut Squash Risotto

 

On a lovely end-of-summer Sunday afternoon, myself and my girlfriends met up at Lara’s apartment for some much-needed girl-time. It was an absolutely lovely afternoon. Despite the fact that we all talk until our faces turn blue, I get the feeling that these meetings energize us in some way. My girlfriends are one of the major sources of comfort and joy in my life, and I hope they all feel the same way

Lara, whose blog you can find here: http://oliveoilandheart.blogspot.com/ , prepared some delicious snacks for us (a platter of fresh [raw] Maltese sausage, buffalo mozzarella, and stuffed olives with crackers and Maltese bread). Then, came the main course: the risotto.

Words cannot suffice, but I’ll try

This amazing risotto with roasted butternut squash, thyme and toasted pine nuts was so heart-warming. First of all, it simply looks like autumn; it instils a sense of cosiness in your soul before you’ve even tasted the first forkful.

The taste is wonderful too: the risotto perfectly cooked, the sweetness of the squash and onions just right, the balance of flavours and merging of textures, I could go on…. Even though risotto is quite a filling dish, I polished off my own plate and a quarter of my friends’, and that says a lot for someone like me who rarely eats a regular-sized portion.

edit: I’ve made this risotto quite a few times since writing this post, and not only is it yummy to eat, but a joy to cook Don’t be afraid of the stirring involved, it’s really quite comforting! Such a simple dish, with a brilliant flavour

Gozitan Ftira from Maxokk

I’ve just returned from a relaxing, fun weekend away with my girlfriends. We went to our country’s sister island – Gozo. One of the things we all have in common is our love of good food – so expect a few posts in the near future

The above photo is a ftira from Maxxok in Gozo. Ftira is a traditional Maltese type of bread, however this particular ftira is more similar to a pizza, than the kind of ftira bread one can buy in the shops. Apparently, the family who owns this little bakery used to bake local bread, but decided to focus solely on baking these traditional Ftajjar, which is the proper name for these local pies made from unleavened dough.

The topping we chose was absolutely divine – The Anchovy Ftira, which has: tuna, olives, anchovies, garlic, tomatoes, capers, parsley, salt, pepper and oil. It is also topped with beautiful thinly sliced potato.

My friend and I drove to the bakery to pick this, and another ftira, up; I think the only reason any of our other friends got to taste some, was because the ftira wasn’t yet sliced, because the smell wafting through the airconditioned car was just mouth-watering! The dough is magnificently crunchy, whilst not being too tough. I think that the saltiness of the anchovies works perfectly with the rest of the ingredients; I like anchovies and salty things, however on other occasions, I haven’t been able to tolerate so much of their saltiness. (I once ate an anchovy pancake in Amsterdam, and could barely finish half of it before my mouth felt as though it was shriveling up from all that salt).

I think that Maxokk bakery and it’s ftiras accounts for about 10% of the motivation to go to Gozo

Please check in again soon, as I’ll be posting some more yummy things

A Yummy Breakfast

My latest happy addition to my mornings, is this Greek Strained Yoghurt by Fage. This particular type has a section with 2% yoghurt, and another section with honey which can be added to your yoghurt.

I must admit, my decision to start eating more yoghurt was partly due to reading an article about the health and fitness benefits of eating yoghurt regularly. (I can’t find the original article, but here’s something along the same lines http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20050317/yogurt-may-help-burn-fat-promote-weight-loss)

Now, if I were to try and incorporate regular yoghurt eating into my life, I’m quite certain that the bland, local stuff wouldn’t help much. (Maltese yoghurt is really nothing to write home about). Therefore, this Greek yoghurt is much appreciated

It has a beautiful creamy, smooth texture. I highly doubt that you could get such an authentic taste and creaminess from just any yoghurt. Another thing I love about this yoghurt is the [wonderfully short] list of ingredients on the bottom. 2% fat strained yoghurt, honey. That’s it.

I know I’m not the only person to write an entire blog entry about this yoghurt, either. The fact that so many people are willing to stand up and tell everyone on the internet ‘This tastes soooo good, you should really try it’ speaks for itself, if you ask me

Usually my energy level would be non existent at this time, because breakfast is easily overlooked, but not today. I am full of energy thanks to my yoghurt breakfast So I’d better go use some of that energy on other things…..

Let the food talk begin!

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a twentysomething female with an intense passion for all things food. I know, that doesn’t exactly make me unique, but it won’t stop me from pursuing my love of food.

My relationship with food and cooking began at a very young age. I don’t remember much of my childhood at all, however I have vivid memories of standing on a step-stool in our kitchen in Denmark, trying to reach whatever was on the counter tops. Up til the age of seventeen, when I first started living alone, I was primarily interested in desserts and baking. For as long as I can recall, Sundays have meant baking. I don’t know why, it’s just the way things are Once I started living alone, I had to start teaching myself how to cook (my parents only ever made the same things – grilled meat, rice salad, pasta), which was quite amusing to say the least. I taught myself how to cook, with the help of the internet (I once even searched for an article on how to boil an egg. Seriously.)

I don’t think that there are many other things I enjoy quite as much as trying new recipes, or improving existing ones. So far in my life, I’ve only been to a handful of decent restaurants, but I can certainly say that those experiences were immensely valued to me. Luckily I am one of the slowest eaters I know, which incidentally means that I get to really savour my food (way past the time when everyone else at the table has finished eating).

As much as food is about eating and cooking, it’s also about so much more. I have learnt so much from people in my life, when it comes to cooking; and recently, I’ve also started imparting some food knowledge unto others – which I love! I can’t even begin to describe how happy it makes me when someone tells me that they tried a recipe from me, and liked it. It fills me with a warm and fuzzy feeling

More to the point, my purpose for setting up this blog is to deepen my food experience. Not only will I be posting food that I cook, but I also intend to write about other people’s food (hence the title). Please note that I don’t claim to be an expert of any sort, far from it. I’m a bit of a perfectionist at times, but other times I’m all over the place!

Any comments, questions, or silly jokes are more than welcome!