simple

The past month has been about:

Stir fries…tofu, tempeh or egg as protein plus finely sliced, julienned or half mooned vegetables. Rice noodles always a favourite. Tamari, kecap manis and fish sauce on rotation as flavouring.

Soups…easy red lentil served with fish sauce, chilli and a squeeze of lime juice.

Fish fillets cooked the way I was taught at primary school…fresh gurnard in a foil parcel with slices of lemon, salt, pepper and nothing else. Cooked at 175c for 11 minutes. I’d forgotten how good it tastes.

Autumn fruits…feijoas, tamarillos and persimmons.

Out…not often but well chosen..an intimate dinner at The Commoner (the most amazing mushroom coated version of a scotch egg, not on the menu but offered as a vegetarian option)…two vegan burgers to choose from at the Tramways plus the best hand cut chips.

Purchased…a beautiful, large ceramic bowl from a local potter. Big enough to fit a swag of fruit.



Nothing fancy. Just keeping calm and carrying on.

Mist, fruit and a lychee salad

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

From Keats Ode to Autumn

As the city is blanketed in morning fog and the last of the tomatoes wither on the vine, Melbournians enter a dance of not quite knowing what to wear at this time of year, making the commute to work most amusing. One young thing will be flashing the flesh in cut-off jeans, while another hides under a heavy coat. The men of late stay clad in t-shirts exposing a vast array of forearm tattoos. Yesterday I spotted a classic be-hearted “mother” on one thirty-ish lad and the stark number “29” on another. I itched to ask their stories.

The fruit that Keats so elegantly wrote of are on the turn. At the market exotic lychees and longans nestle next to apples and pears. I’ve convinced myself that fresh blueberries cost less than a glass of wine, so why not enjoy them a little bit longer?

But cooking with exotic fruit has never been my thing. I blame the toxic red “sweet and sour” sauce that clung to deep fried Chinese morsels that haunted my childhood. And let’s not get started on the 1970s Women’s Weekly curries featuring lamb, curry powder and a whole fruit salad bowl of apples, raisins and canned pineapple.

Over time my sweet 'n savoury-averse taste buds have undergone a re-education. It began with the delicious “summer rolls” at a long gone Gertrude Street Japanese kitchen. How could I guess that ice paper rolled around vegetables, nuts and mango could taste so good? Then as the diversity of Asian menus grew wider, the Chinese fluorescent sticky sauce was mercifully replaced with the tangy combo of fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar.

Time to take the leap and add fruit to the main course I reckon. This weekend I whipped up a variant on this Asian coleslaw, in the form of a rice noodle salad. The sauce remains the same – that heavenly combo of lime, fish sauce, palm sugar and a little heat from this season’s searing red chilies.

Toss together a bundle of thin rice noodles, softened in hot water, with cucumber, grated carrot and a handful of aromatic herbs (Vietnamese or ordinary mint, coriander etc). Shell some fresh lychees and rip into pieces, top with chunks of smoked trout, add dressing and mix thoroughly.

I loved the bursts of sweet fruit in this old favourite. Ripe mango, papaya or pineapple would work equally as well. Definitely one for a warm autumn’s day.

Enjoy the mellow fruits while they last!


Much nicer fresh but the packaging is cuter!

ugg boots, comfort food and vegetable pies

Excuse this Melbourne obsession with weather. April, for the most part, was unseasonably humid and uncomfortable. My body hasn’t known whether it wants porridge or cold cereal, salads or soups and has been in a state of flux for weeks.

While some in the Northern Hemisphere might use birds flying south as a sign that winter has arrived, in this house the cat is the divining creature. The cool season officially begins the day she seeks a lap for comfort, after all – humans make the best heat pads. On Saturday night I awoke to a small furry creature attaching herself to my slumbering body, precariously balancing on my side – at 3.30am Princess Prissy Paws was pleased to announce that the warm season was officially closed.

Intellectually I know that cool weather is about grains, slow cooked dishes, legumes, bakes and braises but it takes some time for me to get my head into gear. To help me get my shopping list into shape, I've put together a short compilation of some seasonal favourites.

Chilli beans – made my first batch last week augmented with grated parsnip and carrot, plus some guacamole on the side. Fresh coriander was the only starlet missing.

Don’t like chilli? This bean and vegetable stew with green olives hits the spot nicely.

Colcannon - the cabbage lifts the nutrient profile of this butter-laden, winter soul food. Want. Some. Now!

Fish pie - just thinking about mashed potato makes me crave my white-sauce-free pie.

Spicy lentils and rice - I know lentils are “good” for me but I must admit I find them boring – except when thrown together like this with lots of herbs and a good quality vegetable stock.

Bean and vegetable soup - so versatile and warming.

Quinoa pilaf - I’ve been dreaming about this spunky little grain/seed lately, so time to make savoury quinoa like this and the creamy banana porridge as well.

A Thai influenced pumpkin soup was the perfect way to finish up last months green curry paste. For those not into chilli hot food, just use a generous knob of ginger to give pumpkin soup a bit of zip. A drizzle of coconut cream or milk to serve and you have the perfect vegan dish.

Old fashioned salmon patties - a wonderful combination of mashed potatoes, canned red salmon and nostalgia.

Sri Lankan fish curry - I love the mingling of spices and tamarind in this dish. A nice change from coconut or tomato based curries.

Fried rhubarb - butter, sugar, spices and heavenly rhubarb. Oh yes!

Lastly, while I’ve not blogged about it before, there will be a vegetable pie or two on rotation. Leftover curry in flaky pastry makes great pasties with a dollop of chutney. Or more laborious concoctions of dense winter vegetables, sautéed with onion and garlic, then held together with some vegetable stock thickened with cornflour – ladled into individual pie dishes and topped with a blanket of pastry (less carbs and fat, no blind baking).


As the weather changes, what recipes are you revisiting?