Homemade burgers have become a bit of a permanent fixture in our house - we eat them at least once a week. They are easy and convenient and in a effort to make them as healthy as possible we stick to a few basic rules:

• Instead of burger buns we use wholemeal or whole/multi grain baguettes (this works well for a crowd as you can make a couple of baguettes into burgers and carve then up sub-way style!)
• Mayo is always 'light; and used instead of butter
• The burgers them selves are made from either Chicken breast, Turkey Mince or Fish

I generally use the following base:


Take a baguette and split it down the middle so you are left with a separate top and bottom. Slather both sides with light mayo. Top the bottom half with leaves (I stick to a mixture of baby leaves - spinach, rocket etc). Then top with grilled chicken breast, turkey mince pattie or fish, sliced red onion and batons of cucumber (seeds removed).

That's basically it - but here are a couple of few flavour variations to make things interesting:


Lime and Coriander Chicken Burger:


Place the juice of 2 limes, 1 clove of garlic (crushed) and about 2 teaspoons of sugar or agave syrup and a pinch of salt into a jar and shake. Set aside until ready to cook. (I like using agave as I always have it in the cupboard and as its a syrup you don't need to dissolve it)


Take 1/3 cup mayo, juice of 1 lime, 1 green chilli, a small handful of coriander and 1 of mint and chop all finely - mix into the mayo and slather on both sides of the baguette (let the size of the baguette dictate how much may you make - I tend to err on the generous side as the mixture will keep)


Take the chicken breasts and lay on the chopping board with your hand firmly over the thickest part of the breast. With a sharp knife start slicing the breast in half length ways, starting at the thick end of the breast ending at the narrow end. The aim is to end up with two skinny fillets per breast, as these cook faster and and fit on the baguette better.


Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a hot pan, season the fillets and place in the pan. As they fillets cook baste constantly with the Lime mixture until you have used it all. , about a minute before you are ready to take the chicken off the heat, splash the chicken with soy sauce (Id say between 1-2 tablespoons). The aim is to end up with beautifully caramelised fillets.


Assemble the burger as per above and enjoy!!!!!


Fish Finger Burger!!


Take 1/3 cup mayo, juice of 1/2 lemon, handful of gherkins, 1/2 small red onion, chop both finely. Mix into the mayo and slather on both sides of the baguette.


Grill your favourite white flesh fish - For sea bass, I season lightly and leave the skin on as the skin goes nice and crispy when cooked. If I use cod, haddock or the like I will pat down with while flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper and finely chopped fresh dill, and then pan fry in some butter.


Assemble the burger as per above and enjoy!!!!!


The great thing about the burgers are you can go as light or as heavy handed with the condiments/herbs and onions as you like and a good chilli sauce never goes astray either.

The phots on this post were taken by my gorgeous photographer friend Britt Spring....
A fellow Antipodean ex-pat she suggested I cook while she took photos.... we had a great time, and even enlisted a few friends to come along and make the night even more hilarious.... However, next time I let someone photograph me while I cook I'm definitely going to book a hair and make-up session first!!!!

Eating and Drinking in Manly, Australia 

A few years back my Sister left the hustle and hype of North London and eventually found her self living in the uber cool beachside suburb of Manly, Australia.


What a place!!


In my early twenties I had toyed with the idea of moving from sleepy old Canberra to Manly - a place that effortlessly managed to capture the atmostphere of any Australian beach side town while maintaining the excitment and manic nature of a big city. I never quite got there... somehow moving to Sydney seemed like too big a jump .. and then I ended up in London... Go Figure!!


On my recent sojourn, my sis showed me around her town and introduced me to her life as a Sydney-sider. Some of the highlights were High Tea at Gunners Barracks, Macroons at Adriano Zumbo and Cocktails at Miss Marley's!


The Tea Room at Gunners Barracks was worth a visit for the view alone:

While you stare out at the above - you get to indulge in the below!!

The Perfect spot to wow visitors to Australia... and for Lunching Ladies!!

Adriano Zumbo's Macroons were unbelievable!! I can honestly say I have never eaten anything like them. Some of my favorite flavours were Salted butter caramel, Passionfruit, Rosewater - and some of the flavours I would love to try are Kaffir Lime and Ginger, and Strawberries and Cream. You can even buy a box called White chocolate roulette that features 4 white chocolate Macroons and the fifth (which looks just like the rest) is Mega Death Chilli!!! Amazing and TOTALLY worth the visit!

The perfect end to an evening in Manly is to take a visit to Miss Marley's. We had a couple of wonderful evenings at this little spot: its small, intimate with great lighting (something International Foodie rates VERY highly!) and the drinks... oh the drinks!!

In fact to call them drinks is a bit cheeky as Miss Marley's introduces you to a sophisticated world that exists in the martini glass, reaching beyond the standard rum and coke or vodka and cranberry. 

We tried the bartenders homemade Lemoncello cream, the Mexi'cant cocktail (an amazing concoction featuring Kumquat marmalade and smashed lemon grass) a fantastic banquet of Spanish style tapas that complimented our drinks perfectly... and the headliner - sangrita!!!


The sangrita is a cocktail served in two glasses and designed to be enjoyed by sipping from both glasses. The first glass features a delicious, herbaceous tomato juice that is made fresh every day. Its is unlike any tomato juice I have ever tasted and is a complete pleasure to drink all on its own... however when you couple it with the second glass, cold, high quality tequila, the results are amazing!!    

Just before we left Sydney to return to ole' Blighty, we had the pleasure of attending a friend's wedding. Once part of our London Family, the bride had also relocated to Manly and and it was there that she  found her Italian Prince. The reception was held at a wonderful Italian restaurant in Terry Hills and the menu was a celebration of simple Italian fare that was exceptionally well done...Even the MC couldn't help comment on the Mushroom Risotto in his speech - Perfezione!


To the exceptionally exquisite bride and Lo Spose... congratulazioni!!!!

So, after reading all about the above, you'll forgive me if my next post is devoted to Detoxing..... and my habitual course of deprivation following the excesses of holidays!!

What can I say... with all the best intentions I haven't posted in months!


But I do have a good reason. 


The first quarter of 2011 started with the end of a job that I have had for the past 6 years... needless to say that was a busy time full of distraction. Three days after I finished, I jumped on a plane and spent 7 weeks rushing around Australia and New Zealand catching up with friends, family and indulging in some much needed sunshine. 

Murrays Beach, NSW, Australia

Optio Bay, Coromandel Peninsular, New Zealand

Green Lake, Rotorua, New Zealand

The trip ended with a wonderful 8 days in Thailand lolling about in the ocean and enjoying the scorching Thai sun, followed by a not so wonderful flight home that ended up taking 12 hours longer than it should have! 


So here I am, back in the UK ready to write. As you can imagine, a trip that that covered Australia, New Zealand and Thailand was filled with some amazing foodie delights.... and once I've got the rest of my photos organised I'll post all about it. However, in the meantime I am going to devote a post to comfort food, because lets face it - after 12 hours waiting in airports hoping that your plane is going to be allowed to take off soon, comfort food is just what the Doctor ordered!!


My comfort food of choice is Linguine pomodro - simple but delicious (and seriously high in Carbs!!) I have been after the perfect tomato sauce for pasta, for as long as I can remember. Yet every time I tried it turned out ..... disappointing. Then, I attended a cooking demonstration at La Cucina Caldesi and learned the secrets to a proper Italian tomato sauce. These are going to sound obvious.... but trust me they are small gems that make a massive difference:


 - Use a generous amount of olive oil (dieters look away now!!)
 - Onion should be cooked on a moderate heat for a longer period of time, as opposed to a blazing hot pan that scorches the onion. This brings out the sweetness of the onion. 
 - Garlic should be squashed with the flat side of a knife and removed from the sauce before serving. This will allow the garlic to delicately flavor the sauce as opposed to over power it. (DO NOT use a garlic crusher)
 - Salt the dish well (again this is comfort food - so no space for moderation!)
 - When using canned tomatoes try and use an Italian brand... as Italians know when to harvest tomatoes for the best results.

Ms McGarves Salsa di Pomodoro - Makes enough for one severely jet-lagged person!! 


4 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, squashed (as per above)
1 400g tin of tinned tomatoes
A generous pinch of salt
pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan - for serving


Heat the olive oil in a moderately hot pan for a couple of minutes and then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion for about 8-10 minutes until tender and transparent. The aim here is to not let the onion brown at all. Turn the heat up a little and add the tomatoes and season with the salt. Cook for a further 8-10 minutes allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken.


Taste and add more salt if required and add pepper to taste. Remove the garlic (the clove should be about to fall apart, but for the most part still intact). 


Serve on a bed of linguine, top with shaved Parmesan and enjoy with a large glass of your favorite wine!!  


Buon appetito!!

Where have you been International Foodie??

No doubt you have noticed my absence from the blogsphere of late... I have no real excuse - except to say that I've been busy, or rather distracted, and with the distraction has come the dreaded lack of inspiration. Or in other words... 'I've got nothing to write about'!


I have been feeling a little like I have lost my my foodie-mojo lately... so in an effort to try and re-ignite the passion for both cooking and writing I thought I'd do a round up of some of my foodie highlights of 2010... I Hope it works!!


2010 started and ended with bitter cold and huge amounts of snow. However, despite these inclement conditions our local farmers market soldiered on and provided cake, bread and wonderfully knobbly vegetables to grateful Hampstead residents:

I love this shot below because it looks like the tags are actually the cakes raising their hands begging customers to buy them!

During the long weekend in April a group of us took a leisurely stroll through the Heath and ended at a pub called The Old White Bear, where we played dominoes as we waited for our lunch. One thing I love about England is that walks through the countryside always end in a visit to a pub!

In June Chief Recipe Taster and I had a great evening out at the Taste Of London. We went from stall to stall trying wine, prosecco, limoncello and sampling tasters from some of London's best known restaurants (including one of my personal favourites, Salt Yard). Being a typical London event, we did all he above... in the rain!! 

Then, perhaps the highlight of the year, we took our first trip to the amazingly cool city of New York... what a place!!

  
There were familiar sites around every corner, and foodie treats galore. I mustt admit I was surprised to see fresh food stalls all around the city, selling fruit and veg that you would have to go to specialty organic shops to procure in London.

Seriously - that was the best (and the biggest) hot dog I've EVER had!!!!


We had a great afternoon at an uber-cool outdoor Brooklyn cafe, where the juice was served in jars and dogs got a little respite from the heat!

We couldn't resist a momentary lapse into extreme tourist mode to get at least one cheesy group shot (we were hoping to run into one of the Huckstables here)!

  
Our year ended off with a trip to Paris... the Foodie capital of the world and my dream city. 

There is no food-relevance to the shot below... I just love it!!!

Well, upon reflection I guess I actually have loads to write about!! 


No excuses now.


I'll see you in a couple of weeks!

Total Greek Yoghurt and the perfect Afternoon Cake

There are a handful of great food magazines available at the moment, but one of my favourites is Australian Gourmet Traveller. I've been a devoted reader for a number if years and I must admit I cant help but get excited every time I collect a new edition. It’s a great magazine, glossy, inspirational, totally indulgent and while I admit that the recipes aren’t always practical, every now and again when you have the time and the desire to be impractical you’ll find it’s well worth the effort!

I recently discovered a fantastic recipe from the January 2010 edition: Yoghurt and Almond cake. This recipe was an attractive option as Greek yoghurt and ground almonds are two things always found in my shopping trolley. The Greek Yoghurt used in this cake provides a substantial and velvety finish that when combined with caramel nectarines makes the perfect ending to an Autumnal mid-day feast with friends!    

I chose to use Total Greek Yoghurt. Its been a favourite for a while, the appeal being that it has many variants - Full Fat, 2% or even 0% - so its perfect if you love the decadence of Greek Yoghurt yet don't want the guilt of full fat!!


Yoghurt and Almond Cake


140 grams Self-raising flour
4 eggs, separated
110 grams white sugar
210 grams Total Greek Yoghurt (I used full fat)
80 mls Olive Oil
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
70 grams of ground Almonds
110 grams of caster sugar


Preheat oven to 180C. Sift flour into a bowl and set aside. Whisk yolks and white sugar in an electric mixer until pale and creamy (5-7 minutes). Add yoghurt, olive oil, rind and juice, stir to combine, then fold in flour and ground almonds and set aside. Whisk eggwhite in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (2-4 minutes), then gradually add caster sugar and whisk until firm peaks form (1-2 minutes). Fold eggwhite mixture through yoghurt mixture, pour into a buttered, floured and base-lined 23cm-diameter springform cake tin and bake until golden and a skewer withdraws clean (35-40 minutes). Cool in tin on a wire rack. 


Caramel Nectarines*


3 Nectaries, cut in wedges and stones discarded
200 grams white sugar
juice of 1 orange


Place nectarines in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Combine sugar and 60ml water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to remove sugar crystals, then cook until caramel (8-10 minutes). Add orange juice (be careful as mixture may spit), stir to dissolve. Pour over nectarines stir to combine and set aside for 1 hour, then spoon over cake, scatter with shaved almonds and serve with vanilla ice cream ... or more Greek yoghurt

  

Discover the Origin

I have never been much of a port fan. Currants, sultanas and raisins are about the only foods I don't eat, and all the ports I've tasted in the past seem to have had a definite 'curranty' flavour. However recently I discovered a gem in the port world... Ruby (or pink) Port. Served chilled and accompanied by nuts,chunks of parmigiano or green and blacks dark ginger chocolate, Ruby Port is a stunning alternative ending to any meal.

The Douro region of Portugal has been producing port, including the Ruby variety, for 2000 years. Yet I had never heard of it. In fact I went to Portugal a few years ago and I am ashamed to admit that I only realised Portugal had such a proud heritage of Port production, because so much of it was for sale in the Duty Free section of the airport! 

I never would have found Ruby Port (let alone fallen in love with it), had it not been for Discover the Origin - a campaign designed to raise awareness around five key European products:

• Parma Ham
• Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
• Burgundy Wines
• Douro Valley Wines
• Port

The concept of the campaign is one that I feel I can really get behind. Its all about knowing where the food and drink you consume comes from. Its about understanding the rich cultural backgrounds of some of Europe's oldest food and wine producing areas, and crediting these regions for giving birth to these products. 

This is especially important when you live in a city that imports products from all over the world through-out the year. In our superstore dependant state its possible to forget that food has a point of origin beyond Sainsburys or Tescos!

The campaign promotes good eating and sociable living by encouraging consumers to shop for specialist products, where possible, and enjoy well prepared foods matched with exceptional wine. Doing so with friends and family, despite the hectic pace of modern life!   

This was demonstrated perfectly when Discover the Origin hosted an event at La Cucina Caldesi. Watching reputable London Restaurateur Katie Caldesi effortlessly prepare and cook white bean crostini, pasta al forno and pan fried duck breast with blackberry sauce was a treat in itself. Getting to taste wines and ports from the above mentioned region while Katie cooked was truly the cherry on top. The evening was proof that it really is worth the effort to Discover the Origin of what we eat!

For more information on Discover the Origin see: http://www.discovertheorigin.co.uk/ 


Picture credits - My encouraging South African supporter and Chief Recipe taster!

Petersham Nurseries and Tipico Lodigiano

A few months ago I visited the Petersham Nurseries for the first time... and it was wonderful!


The cafe is the handy work of Australian Chef, Skye Gyngell, the backdrop of which is a fully functioning nursery that features all the things you would expect from a nursery - gardening tools, wellington boots, fresh herbs and potted plants, along side a vast range of the unexpected - luxury bath and body products and decadent scented candles!  

The meal we ate was superb. It started with a glass of Petersham rose petal prosecco, featured favorites like osso bucco and pan fried sea bass, was accompanied with a delicate Rose and a full bodied red, and ended triumphantly with deliciously unique range of desserts and cheese.

We were talking about the cheese plate for days after. The cheese was called Tipico Lodigiano, described as a young Parmesan, and was served with something called Mustard fruits. It sparked my interest so much that I goggled it, and found my way to La Ludesana and a meeting with Attilio (Tito) Bergamaschi.

La Ludesana is run by Tito and his wife Helen. They import a select variety of cheese and wine from the Lombardy region of Italy and the Tipico is from a little town called Lodi (which is the town  Tito is from). Tipico Lodigiano actually means 'typical from Lodi'.


After an exchange of emails I purchased a great big wedge of this cheese to share with the friends who had accompanied me to Petersham. Graciously, Tito trekked all the way to North West London to deliver it to me and to chat to me about La Ludesana. 


Tito and Helen are passionate and knowledgeable about their products and the food and wine industry. It's with good reason too, as they both have impressive food CVs. Both  previously worked at La Fromaggerie London, and Tito is now a chef at the Petersham Nurseries. Helen grew up on a farm in New Zealand and her Father was a cheese maker. She previously worked at Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen (it was here that she learned the magic of pairing food with the perfect wine) and she has also worked at the River Cafe.  

Tito described Helens prowess in the cheese arena in detail, attributing her skills to the years of tasting and working with cheese at the above mentioned restaurants and their various trips to Italian farms and vineyards. They have both become adept in identifying the region (and in some cases the particular farm) a cheese comes from, just from the initial taste! Impressive indeed!

We spoke at length about the importance of food seasonality and regionality (i.e. eating locally produced food that is in season). This is something I have come across on many trips to Italy, especially in villages without supermarkets where, if you want to eat, you have to eat whatever is available according to the month you are visiting. Tito and I agreed this was the ideal, however not always practical or convenient in the modern world and in our busy city.  

Despite Tito's expertise and his familiarity with some of London's most respected food establishments, one of his most appealing qualities was his love of simple food - pasta, risotto, bruschetta. In my humble opinion that is the mark of a true foodie - someone who is surrounded by wonderful foods and ingredients and in possession of exceptional food related skills - but who still chooses the simple pleasure of a home cooked pasta and an ice cold glass of beer on a hot day!

I asked Tito a few International Foodie questions and here's how he answered:

IF: 3 things always in your shopping trolley
T: Pasta, Tomato, Garlic (and fresh Herbs)


IF: Signature dish
T: Risotto with Grappa and peas or a courgette bruschetta


IF: Red or white wine
T: Red at the moment


IF: Last supper
T: Pasta with fresh tomatoes, capers and garlic


IF: Starter or dessert
T: Definitely dessert (im a real sweet tooth)


IF: Most important cooking tip?
T: Always make sure food is properly seasoned using salt, pepper, herbs (mostly fresh) and lemon


IF:  Any other food tips?
T: Keep an eye out for Southern Italian wines - especially Sicilian and Sicilian olive oil 


IF: Best way to serve the Tipico Lodigiano?
T: Crumble some of the cheese into chunks and shave some of it as well. It makes for a more pleasant experience when you create a variety of textures. Leave it in the fridge for about 10 minutes just before serving and pair it with green tomato mostarda, or fresh ripe pears or simply with a glass of Prosecco. (NOT crackers!)


It was a thoroughly pleasant meeting that ended with me walking away with the largest, most impressive wedge of cheese you've ever seen! A few weeks later my sister arrived in London for a holiday and to celebrate I took Tito's advice - I crumbled and shaved pieces of the Tipico and served it with a bottle of Scandolera Brut Prosecco. The only bad thing was that it was the beginning of the end of that wonderful wedge of cheese that is 'Typical from Lodi'!

For more information on La Ludesana and their products see www.laludesana.com or email info@laludesana.com