until recently i was a savoury food only kinda gal. ice cream? no thanks. cheesecake? not today. giant plate of beer battered fish and chips? yes, now hand them over before i get violent. unfortunately, as i have ventured further into the culinary universe, my once dormant sweet tooth has flared up. where once i shuddered at the thought of sugar, i now daydream about brulee-ing bananas and adding meringue to my milkshake. this of course, has devastating consequences for one’s waistline and/or proximity to diabetes. so, in an attempt to return to my piquant roots, i decided to whip up one of my favourite savoury dishes, thyme french toast & home made ketchup:

though the sweet variations of french toast are always popular, they sometimes seem out of place on the breakfast menu, perhaps being more suited to the dessert cart. my version is perfect for a sunday morning hangover emergency, late night supper or those can’t-be-bothered-to-cook-but-still-want-to-eat-something-yum-ok?-gosh-just-leave-me-alone-no-fine-get-your-own-dinner-ok-i-will moments. 

here’s how to do it. get two pieces of bread. really any kind of bread works well, i’ve made it with just about every kind. on this occasion it was sourdough. for two smallish slices of bread i use one egg. crack aforementioned egg into a shallow bowl. add a splash of milk or water, whatever you have. whisk together until smooth and combined. season with salt and pepper, then add whatever herbs you have. if you have dried oregano, that’s cool, if you have some beautiful fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, or dill growing on your windowsill, then aren’t you clever? either way, a generous sprinkling of herbs (1-2 tablespoons) is all you need. stir to combine. 

next, heat a saucepan (one large enough to fit your bread, of course) over a medium-high heat. you want it quite hot, but not dante’s inferno hot. while this is heating up, coat the bread in the egg mixture. you don’t want it overly eggy, other wise you’ll just have an omelette with some bread in there somewhere. i use a fork to coat the bread on either side, scraping any excess back into the bowl and dabbing any dry bits of bread into it. next, pour a glug of oil into the pan. not extra virgin olive oil, as it will smoke and burn, but regular olive oil or vegetable oil, whatever you have. once the oil is hot, place your bread in the pan and leave until golden and crisp, before flipping it over. remove from pan when bread has reached your desired level of crispiness. 

now, for my (self-annointed) legendary spicy “ketchup”- heat some oil in a saucepan. toss in 3 cloves of garlic, 1 small red chilli and 1 small brown onion, all finely chopped. cook until softened, but not brown. toss in 2 punnets (about 250g each) of cherry tomatoes, halved. cook until tomatoes begin to soften and lose their skins. next, add one cup of tomato passata (pureed tomatoes), 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/3 cup sugar. season generously with salt and pepper. allow to reduce for about 10 minutes, or until a ketchup/chutney consistency is reached. serve with your french toast, then store in a sterilised jar and use on sandwiches, burgers, frittatas, or any other meal that cries out for a spicy sauce. 

vegan bolognese- grain of salt

this holiday period i have been delighted to have a dear friend home, back from california. this friend happens to be a vegan coeliac. just one of these dietary requirements is hard enough to live with, let alone both. i, however really enjoy the challenge of creating wholesome meals for her that fit her dietary needs, particularly when she is so incredibly grateful & likes everything (winning qualities in a guest, most cooks will agree).

this bolognese is one of my favourite of the aforementioned dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free recipes, which i made again the other day. now, i know a vegan bolognese will sound like a travesty for most italians/chefs/meat-lovers/bolognese aficionados but after several experiments, i can safely say this tastes as good as any bolognese out there. 

here’s how it’s done:

take one small tub of dried porcini mushrooms and place in a small bowl. cover well with boiling water and set aside. a dark liquid will form in the bowl. meanwhile, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large saucepan. add one large chopped onion, four chopped garlic cloves, the leaves of one bunch of thyme, and two teaspoons of chilli flakes. cook until onions are translucent. add a grated carrot, grated zucchini and two cups of chopped button mushrooms and cook for five minutes. toss in the two tins of drained black lentils and stir. season generously with salt and pepper.

next, pour in the ‘stock’ made from the porcini mushrooms. remove the mushrooms from the bowl and chop roughly, before adding them to the bolognese. stir. add two cans of diced tomatoes and three tablespoons of tomato paste, then pour in a cup or two (or three) of red wine. cover all of the ingredients now added with vegetable stock, bring to the boil and stir. lower the heat (quite low) and simmer, with the pot covered.

the longer this cooks the better it will be. i recommend at least four hours. it doesn’t need as long as a meat lasagne but still, the flavours will benefit from a good, long cooking period. once the tomatoes & the stock have come together to form a nice, rich tomato-ey (not a word) sauce, it is ready. season to taste, toss in a large handful of fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with your favourite pasta. if you are on a gluten free diet i recommend rice or quinoa pasta. if you’re not a vegan, top with lashings of fresh parmesan.

this recipe will make a generous amount. it will serve four with considerable leftovers.i love it the next day on top of a crusty piece of toasted sourdough.  

note: no animals or gluten were harmed in the making of this recipe.

merry christmas! whether you had a barbecue on a hot summer’s day, roasted chestnuts over a roaring fire or delivered presents to children across the world in your sleigh, i hope you had a fabulous time.

this year i decided to do a low-key, rustic lunch for my guests. and, in an attempt to minimise stress, i asked everyone to bring something. i usually am not a fan of the “bring a plate thing” (perhaps it’s the greek in me that is horrified at the thought of not providing for my guests) but as my entertaining becomes more frequent, i have come to appreciate the assistance. 

so, with the ham, prawns, bread, cherries and cheese taken care of by my guests, and with a very aussie christmas spread already on the way, all that was left for me to do was put together a fairly festive table setting and some delicious side dishes.

here are the results (with some attractive legs in the background for good measure): 

the table

place settings

honey roasted carrots, purple carrots & parsnips with cumin seeds

fennel and orange salad

proscuitto with parmesan (also, what happens when your guests start eating before you take a photo)

beef and black pepper sausages with a caramelised onion gravy & thyme

orecchiette with peas, ricotta, mint, chilli and crisp pancetta

balsamic roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary

blanched green beans with toasted almonds & butter

oven roast cauliflower, brussels sprouts and broccoli

overall, the lunch was a huge success, unlike the christmas crackers, which were sadly lacking in exciting gifts. where are the tweezers and nail clippers when you want them?

p.s. i realise i have just included a pile of sausages in a list of side dishes. well… that’s just the kind of person i am.

bon appetit!