Pastry – Ingredients1 ½ cups of plain flour – white or wholemeal110g cold salted butter (cubed)¼ cup cold water (fridge chilled is best)1 tbsp milk for wash or 1 x egg2 tbsp caster sugar ¼ tsp salt InstructionsMix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the butter until breadcrumb consistency. Add the water and stir...
Sweet Potato & Star Anise Soup
by Ilaria Catazone If you are after a quick soup that’s easy and tasty, here’s a new idea for you! And as the weather warms up, this soup is just as good served cold as it is hot. And best ever, all ingredients are available at the Co-op!!! For four hungry people you will need:One...
Japanese Winter Series #5 – Shiratama-Zenzai 白玉ぜんざい – Sweet red-bean soup with sticky-rice ball
by Maki Watson Zenzai is a very traditional Japanese dessert soup made with ‘azuki’ beans and ‘mochi’, or glutinous rice cake. For ‘shiratama zenzai’, we’re making a particular kind of mochi known as ‘shiratama dango’ – shiratama translates directly as ’round white jewel’, and dango being the name for very popular glutinous rice balls that...
Japanese Winter Series #4 – Agedashi-dōfu 揚げ出し豆腐 – Deep-fried tofu
Tofu is an international food these days. People eat tofu in many ways. They are unique andimaginative and I love them. I introduced one of the most popular, authentic Japanese tofu dishes at our previous workshop. If you go to Izakaya (café or bar) in Japan, you will definitely see ‘agedashidōfu’ on the menu. It’s...
Japanese Winter Series #3 – Dashimaki-tamago だし巻き卵 – Egg roll omlette
by Maki Watson Dining is not only about taste. It is about harmony among our five senses: touch, taste, hearing, eyesight, and smell. I think that eyesight is very important one with ‘dashimaki-tamago’, as the brilliant yellow of pasture-raised organic eggs does the perfect job of brightening the palette of tables or lunch boxes. Yes,...
Japanese Winter Series #2 – Konsai no nimono 根菜の煮物 – Root vegetable stew
by Maki Watson ‘Konsai no nimono’ is the first of the ‘okazu’, or side dishes, in this recipe series. Actually, I call it vegie stew!, but it is very different from western style stew. It uses base flavourings that are common to Japanese cuisine: sugar, soy source, mirin and dashi stock. Usually it is cooked...
Japanese Winter Series – #1 The staples
by Maki Watson Gohan (rice) and miso-shiru (miso soup) are the staple elements of Japanese dining. At meal time we serve gohan and miso-shiru along with ‘okazu’, or side dishes (we’ll be covering some winter-inspired okazu later in the series)! To tell you the truth, I enjoy making and eating gohan and miso-shiru often, however...
Overnight Oats
by Ilaria Catizone Don’t know about you, but I love waking up to a warm brekkie that I don’t have to prepare… and even better if it is healthy, filling and of course yummy!! We discovered overnight oats a few years ago and we love them. They are a staple for me, and my 11...
Kitsune Soba – 狐そば
by Maki Watson Soba has been considered good luck for a long time (at least 200 years) in Japan! Japanese people eat Soba on some special occasions like moving house or New Year’s Eve, as we did in my family. Since Soba, which are noodles made from buckwheat, are easier to cut than thicker varieties,...
{Bulk} Tofu delight
by Illaria Catizone We are not vegan, but I am always on the lookout for more plant-based recipes and when I recently tried this one I knew I had found a winner! Originally from Veggie Society (https://veggiesociety.com/sesame-tofu-recipe-broccoli/ ) this sesame tofu dish was very well received by the whole family… well almost… my super fussy...