It's time to get back on the food/what- not warbling. Watch this space. Now that its PhD time I have to increase my different platforms of procrastination. I figure I'm even since I deleted FB and started twitter..... so I have room for das blog, and I always have room for moooorrrre fooooooood !
Smoochies x
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Genova + werk
Thsooo yes I finally got a job on an old sea hag of a superyacht and spent the first couple of weeks living in a shipyard in Genova, Italy. Not the most cosmopolitan of places let me tell you. One of the 'cute' laneways nearby was fearfully named rape alley. I was told tales of yacht crews fending off "thugs" with belts and fists. However, outside the horrid shipyard from hell was a beautiful dark city filled with mysterious streets and YUMMY OSTERIAS !
On a rare excursion out of the shipyard I went to osteria di vico palla, a well known eatery in the old town. I love osteria style dining, very 'rustica' as Joe Houndstooth would say.
First up antipasto fritto tipico - basically mixed deep fried fish and reggies. It was a bit of a grease fest, and the batter was a bit too thick for my liking. Nonetheless much tastier than the shipyard canteen.
Genova happens to be the home of all things that were trendy in the 90's - focaccia and pesto pasta. Yes, pesto pasta. Is it so retro it's cool again?
Foodie shame aside, the sheets of egg pasta slathered in fresh pesto were perfecto *delish*. Good quality olive oil, fresh non-bitter basil, parsley and pinenuts without that jarred pesto rancid aftertaste. Pesto is making a comeback in my world!
Gnocchi con gamberi, vongole and zucchini. Sweet sweet clams and juicy prawns.. mmm. The gnocchi was a tad gluey but overall a grand combination of flavours.
My dish - baccala al forno - a typical Genovesan tomato based salted cod stew and a specialty at vico palla. Tre fisherman haute cusine. I wish I could say I was more into it. I feel like this dish is something that I will learn to love, but not having been familiarised to salted cod before I arrived in Italy I always find it a bit too dry and chewy. The tomato stew was incredible; sweet, salty and dotted with ligurian olives.
To complete my 90's revival I opted for tiramisu for dessert. I hadn't eaten tiramisu since the late night binges at the Houndstooth so I was a bit fearful that I would have flashbacks of overeating. Then I realised I had already overeaten so I just ploughed it down (it was more than acceptable).
My favourite dish of the night was cremini. These creamy crispy cubes are made from semolina whipped with eggs and cream, deep fried and served in a mountain of sugar. They had a lovely custardy texture, not too sweet on the inside thank god - there was enough sugar to crunch on the outside.
Meal over. Done.
So back to yacht talk - this is my new humble abode. Floor space less than a cubic metre - check.
Bed half the size of a single bed allowing my feet to awkwardly press against the wall - check.
And I now share this room with another girl ! Cosy.
But complaints aside, it is funding what WILL be an amazing trip around EU come October when I finish work.
Plus I have been to some faaaarbulous islands so far:
Ponza (dogggggsyyy!)
Home of the World Famous Disco Bar Tunnel (looks like it had one too many a boogie - and yes it was in a tunnel)
Storytime with the cutest family clad in pink.
Capri
Mostly a richo paradise, a lot of I love money shops and white linen, but it did have an excellent windly walk with a view to kill (my boat is in the top right).
My bedroom garden + the porthole I gaze out at wishing I was swimming in the sea outside and not cleaning rich peoples toilets.
Good night all xx
On a rare excursion out of the shipyard I went to osteria di vico palla, a well known eatery in the old town. I love osteria style dining, very 'rustica' as Joe Houndstooth would say.
First up antipasto fritto tipico - basically mixed deep fried fish and reggies. It was a bit of a grease fest, and the batter was a bit too thick for my liking. Nonetheless much tastier than the shipyard canteen.
Genova happens to be the home of all things that were trendy in the 90's - focaccia and pesto pasta. Yes, pesto pasta. Is it so retro it's cool again?
Foodie shame aside, the sheets of egg pasta slathered in fresh pesto were perfecto *delish*. Good quality olive oil, fresh non-bitter basil, parsley and pinenuts without that jarred pesto rancid aftertaste. Pesto is making a comeback in my world!
Gnocchi con gamberi, vongole and zucchini. Sweet sweet clams and juicy prawns.. mmm. The gnocchi was a tad gluey but overall a grand combination of flavours.
My dish - baccala al forno - a typical Genovesan tomato based salted cod stew and a specialty at vico palla. Tre fisherman haute cusine. I wish I could say I was more into it. I feel like this dish is something that I will learn to love, but not having been familiarised to salted cod before I arrived in Italy I always find it a bit too dry and chewy. The tomato stew was incredible; sweet, salty and dotted with ligurian olives.
To complete my 90's revival I opted for tiramisu for dessert. I hadn't eaten tiramisu since the late night binges at the Houndstooth so I was a bit fearful that I would have flashbacks of overeating. Then I realised I had already overeaten so I just ploughed it down (it was more than acceptable).
My favourite dish of the night was cremini. These creamy crispy cubes are made from semolina whipped with eggs and cream, deep fried and served in a mountain of sugar. They had a lovely custardy texture, not too sweet on the inside thank god - there was enough sugar to crunch on the outside.
Meal over. Done.
So back to yacht talk - this is my new humble abode. Floor space less than a cubic metre - check.
Bed half the size of a single bed allowing my feet to awkwardly press against the wall - check.
And I now share this room with another girl ! Cosy.
But complaints aside, it is funding what WILL be an amazing trip around EU come October when I finish work.
Plus I have been to some faaaarbulous islands so far:
Ponza (dogggggsyyy!)
Home of the World Famous Disco Bar Tunnel (looks like it had one too many a boogie - and yes it was in a tunnel)
Storytime with the cutest family clad in pink.
Capri
Mostly a richo paradise, a lot of I love money shops and white linen, but it did have an excellent windly walk with a view to kill (my boat is in the top right).
My bedroom garden + the porthole I gaze out at wishing I was swimming in the sea outside and not cleaning rich peoples toilets.
Good night all xx
Saturday, July 10, 2010
My kind of socca
One regional specialty in the Côte d'Azur is socca, a chickpea crepe cooked on a cast iron plate in a wood fired oven and served with ample lashings of black pepper. A definite winner for my tastebuds. I discovered this whilst aimlessly wandering around the Nice market after the trains went on strike and I was stranded there. Sometimes I wonder how much of my life I spend wandering around markets.. not enough.
The whole process from batter to mouth takes about 3 minutes.
1. Slop + Insert
2. Check
3. Remove
4. Give it to me now
5. Scrumptioussssssss. Just diviiine.
The final product is a texture sensation, crispy golden top and a soft crepe underbelly. Socca is cooked so quickly that you end up with a creamy chickpea paste middle where the batter hasn't cooked fully. Kind of like hummus except minus the garlic.
6. Rival 'gypsy slash Liza Minelli' socca seller.
During my hunt for work in Antibes I ended up moving into an apartment with 3 lovely ladies, Lou, Ginny and Sarah. It was so ahhh mazing to be able to cook again, especially with such good produce in the area. A plus of Antibes being a yachty town = loads of places for provisions (even AZN stuffs. CHILLI! GALANGAL! GRASS JELLY!** see below).
Check out the giant loquats ! I am so happy to be surrounded by people who value loquats, a highly highly underrated fruit in Aus. Seriously why don't more people eat them, the trees are everywhere in Melbourne ! One of natures hardiest fruit producers. Rant over.
I've always thought that risotto was pretty lame, one of those things boys first learn to make when they move out of home and want to 'impress'. However my flatmate Sarah showed me the light with a lovely porcini mushroom recipe. My first risotto ! I added in fresh shelled peas, lemon zest, a load of parsley and served it with creme fraiche. A proud moment.
Still completely infatuated with radicchio - I know I have mentioned it previously, but it is so sweet in EU. Tossed with mâche (lambs lettuce) and ricotta with a squeeze of lemon juice. Mâche is probably my new favourite salad green, it has such a lovely delicate flavour.
One thing the French really suck at is coffee. I don't understand. So close to Italy and somehow things go horrendously wrong. The best part about getting coffee was watching the old French men in this man-club cafe.
**I attempted to warm my housemates to the delicacy that is GRASS JELLY ! Ha, definitely NOT a winner.
Maybe it was the notion of eating black unsweetened jelly from a can. One day when their palates develop my level of maturity they might be lucky enough to appreciate. Ha ha!
The whole process from batter to mouth takes about 3 minutes.
1. Slop + Insert
2. Check
3. Remove
4. Give it to me now
5. Scrumptioussssssss. Just diviiine.
The final product is a texture sensation, crispy golden top and a soft crepe underbelly. Socca is cooked so quickly that you end up with a creamy chickpea paste middle where the batter hasn't cooked fully. Kind of like hummus except minus the garlic.
6. Rival 'gypsy slash Liza Minelli' socca seller.
During my hunt for work in Antibes I ended up moving into an apartment with 3 lovely ladies, Lou, Ginny and Sarah. It was so ahhh mazing to be able to cook again, especially with such good produce in the area. A plus of Antibes being a yachty town = loads of places for provisions (even AZN stuffs. CHILLI! GALANGAL! GRASS JELLY!** see below).
Check out the giant loquats ! I am so happy to be surrounded by people who value loquats, a highly highly underrated fruit in Aus. Seriously why don't more people eat them, the trees are everywhere in Melbourne ! One of natures hardiest fruit producers. Rant over.
I've always thought that risotto was pretty lame, one of those things boys first learn to make when they move out of home and want to 'impress'. However my flatmate Sarah showed me the light with a lovely porcini mushroom recipe. My first risotto ! I added in fresh shelled peas, lemon zest, a load of parsley and served it with creme fraiche. A proud moment.
Still completely infatuated with radicchio - I know I have mentioned it previously, but it is so sweet in EU. Tossed with mâche (lambs lettuce) and ricotta with a squeeze of lemon juice. Mâche is probably my new favourite salad green, it has such a lovely delicate flavour.
One thing the French really suck at is coffee. I don't understand. So close to Italy and somehow things go horrendously wrong. The best part about getting coffee was watching the old French men in this man-club cafe.
**I attempted to warm my housemates to the delicacy that is GRASS JELLY ! Ha, definitely NOT a winner.
Maybe it was the notion of eating black unsweetened jelly from a can. One day when their palates develop my level of maturity they might be lucky enough to appreciate. Ha ha!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wow, 2 months have past and I'm still pretending I'm in Italy
Mac is back ! Camera charger is back ! All systems go..
In summary:
I left beautiful Roma and my favourite Roman, Valentina, to look for a jobbie in Antibes, FR on a big dumb yacht.
Miss you pasta. Duck ragu filled ravioli, to be precise (Cul de Sac - in the centre of Trastevere. A long standing crowd favourite, think City Wine Bar but a touch more faaarncy).
Also miss you baccala.
Hello Antibes! A terrible excuse for anything remotely French (minus the market of course), Antibes is overrun by yachty types and people looking for work on yachts. The market, however, was a lovely distraction and markets in France are really as romantic as you would think. I would spend my daily 5 euro allowance at the market every day. My French has improved enough to order 200g grams and 3 slices of anything I point at. Baby steps..
This "french cheesemaker" guy totally stole my look circa 2007-2009. How dare he.
Before I looked for work I had to do a 1 week course on all things sea related including basic fire fighting! Most exciting. Secksy outfits, check.
Unfortunately, living on a budget in France means you have to eat a lot of bread and cheese. Take that dieting ! Ha ! Pastries are cheap too, also a tragedy.
My favourites tarte aux pommes and tartes tropeziennes (St Tropez specialty) filled with creme patissiere. Oh my hat.
Anything filled with creme patissiere can fill my mouth. Hmmm..
Strawberries and fromage frais whipped with a *touch* of sugar. So much better than cream.
A casual selection of treats gathered from the market. Who knew the unemployed could live so decadently.
And no I am not fat. But I dare not post any photos of myself.. ha ha. I also did get a job but more on that later.
In summary:
I left beautiful Roma and my favourite Roman, Valentina, to look for a jobbie in Antibes, FR on a big dumb yacht.
Miss you pasta. Duck ragu filled ravioli, to be precise (Cul de Sac - in the centre of Trastevere. A long standing crowd favourite, think City Wine Bar but a touch more faaarncy).
Also miss you baccala.
Hello Antibes! A terrible excuse for anything remotely French (minus the market of course), Antibes is overrun by yachty types and people looking for work on yachts. The market, however, was a lovely distraction and markets in France are really as romantic as you would think. I would spend my daily 5 euro allowance at the market every day. My French has improved enough to order 200g grams and 3 slices of anything I point at. Baby steps..
This "french cheesemaker" guy totally stole my look circa 2007-2009. How dare he.
Before I looked for work I had to do a 1 week course on all things sea related including basic fire fighting! Most exciting. Secksy outfits, check.
Unfortunately, living on a budget in France means you have to eat a lot of bread and cheese. Take that dieting ! Ha ! Pastries are cheap too, also a tragedy.
My favourites tarte aux pommes and tartes tropeziennes (St Tropez specialty) filled with creme patissiere. Oh my hat.
Anything filled with creme patissiere can fill my mouth. Hmmm..
Strawberries and fromage frais whipped with a *touch* of sugar. So much better than cream.
A casual selection of treats gathered from the market. Who knew the unemployed could live so decadently.
And no I am not fat. But I dare not post any photos of myself.. ha ha. I also did get a job but more on that later.
Friday, June 11, 2010
blog hiatussss
Ugh my macbook has taken an unwanted break from my life along with all my photos. Until the repairs I will be crying in my cabin every night wishing I could write about foooood.
Soon.
Soon.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The reason I fell in love with Napoli
Dear Diary,
Today I went to a fresh market and it was so good I had disturbing sexual thoughts about food.
Love Sarah
Seriously, this market in the heart of Centro Storico (just a 5 min walk from the BEST HOSTEL EVER) made me feel funny in my genitals. I spent the first 5 minutes wandering around like a giddy school girl saying Oh-my-gawd about 100 times in a row. This is how all markets should be. Insanely cheap farm fresh produce where the vendors actually let you smell and touch everything.
The seafood ( and their salesmen) was a highlight.
Fresh plucked mussels sold in sea hair laden clumps for only 3euro a kilo. Bargain !
The market is run along several laneways filled with fabulous bakeries, alimentari and butchers. Even "sexy" underwear shops.
^@!*^!*^&^*^*&^*!@&^*&@^
Also @&*^&*#^&@*^*@
After the morning of market pillaging, I helped cook a mega-feast with Gemma and Brendan (the excellent hostel management, seriously best hostel ever). I think I spent a measly 15 euro and managed to buy enough food to feed an army.
The radicchio in Italy is so sweet and sublime, not even a hint of bitterness. Fresh shelled broad beans + soft creamy ricotta + radicchio + balsamic + lemon = YES !
Finally got my chilli fix - chilli and garlic prawns with calamari. I'm trying to make up for lost time and eat as many prawns as I can now that I have released my inner prawn lover - why was I so retarded for 23 yrs of my life? I don't know. I guess I'll blame my parents.
Mmmmmmm. They even look delicious raw..
MY FAVOURITE - flash fried fresh alici (ffffffffff) courtesy of Gemma. I don't know how to even begin expressing my love for anchovies cooked this way. Not at all salty or oily like their well known forms, fresh anchovies have quite a delicate flavour. Sweet flesh lightly floured and served with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon. Buonissimo!
Simon the resident fat cat was quick on the alici hunt.
The feast. And it was only for 4 people. Also: chilli mussels, eggplant parmigiana and Brendan's amazing ricotta stuffed calamari on the left.
Napoli is such a beautiful unpretentious city. If you give yourself enough time to get used to the chaotic surrounds (and learn to dodge dog shit quickly) you will fall madly in love like I did. I can't wait to return, fingers crossed I get to revisit during the yacht season.
Bonus Simon model shot. Meowwwww
George Clooney is EVERYWHERE !
Won't miss him or the perilous traffic
Today I went to a fresh market and it was so good I had disturbing sexual thoughts about food.
Love Sarah
Seriously, this market in the heart of Centro Storico (just a 5 min walk from the BEST HOSTEL EVER) made me feel funny in my genitals. I spent the first 5 minutes wandering around like a giddy school girl saying Oh-my-gawd about 100 times in a row. This is how all markets should be. Insanely cheap farm fresh produce where the vendors actually let you smell and touch everything.
The seafood ( and their salesmen) was a highlight.
Fresh plucked mussels sold in sea hair laden clumps for only 3euro a kilo. Bargain !
The market is run along several laneways filled with fabulous bakeries, alimentari and butchers. Even "sexy" underwear shops.
^@!*^!*^&^*^*&^*!@&^*&@^
Also @&*^&*#^&@*^*@
After the morning of market pillaging, I helped cook a mega-feast with Gemma and Brendan (the excellent hostel management, seriously best hostel ever). I think I spent a measly 15 euro and managed to buy enough food to feed an army.
The radicchio in Italy is so sweet and sublime, not even a hint of bitterness. Fresh shelled broad beans + soft creamy ricotta + radicchio + balsamic + lemon = YES !
Finally got my chilli fix - chilli and garlic prawns with calamari. I'm trying to make up for lost time and eat as many prawns as I can now that I have released my inner prawn lover - why was I so retarded for 23 yrs of my life? I don't know. I guess I'll blame my parents.
Mmmmmmm. They even look delicious raw..
MY FAVOURITE - flash fried fresh alici (ffffffffff) courtesy of Gemma. I don't know how to even begin expressing my love for anchovies cooked this way. Not at all salty or oily like their well known forms, fresh anchovies have quite a delicate flavour. Sweet flesh lightly floured and served with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon. Buonissimo!
Simon the resident fat cat was quick on the alici hunt.
The feast. And it was only for 4 people. Also: chilli mussels, eggplant parmigiana and Brendan's amazing ricotta stuffed calamari on the left.
Napoli is such a beautiful unpretentious city. If you give yourself enough time to get used to the chaotic surrounds (and learn to dodge dog shit quickly) you will fall madly in love like I did. I can't wait to return, fingers crossed I get to revisit during the yacht season.
Bonus Simon model shot. Meowwwww
George Clooney is EVERYWHERE !
Won't miss him or the perilous traffic
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