Keep That Cup

Last post I mentioned visiting Loysel's Toy for brunch on Saturday.  I was doing my due diligence on the menu and noticed that they sell KeepCups.  I immediately resolved to buy one.

Have you heard of KeepCups?  Essentially they're a barista-standard reusable coffee/tea cup but actually look fantastic.

You can even design your own - pimp my cup!



This is my cup - purple and pink!



I have to say I was left with a nasty, non-coffee related taste in my mouth when I took my KeepCup to the coffee shop in the mall under work (Spinelli's).  They give a discount if you bring in your reusable coffee cup, but neglect to mention it has to be a Spinelli's reusable cup.  They refused to give me a discount for my KeepCup.

Basically this implied to me that Spinelli's doesn't actually care about doing their bit for the environment at all - their campaign is to get people to buy their ugly reusable cups.  Does seem somewhat hypocritical when the principal of a reusable cup is to reduce waste.

Anyway, on to more positive things.

Today marks the one year anniversary of our arrival in Singapore.  It seems incredible how fast time has flown!  This time last year I was nervously anticipating my first day at work...

I would have loved to spend the time cooking something special to mark the occasion, but we didnt' manage to get home from work until just after 7pm... what to whip up in under an hour?

Black-Eyed Pea and Roast Vege Salad

• 1 small eggplant
• 1/8 pumpkin (sounds precise, just get a small chunk)
• Couple of garlic cloves
• 1/4 pack feta cheese
• Handful rocket
• 1 tin black-eyed peas
• Chicken
• Ground garlic, cumin, coriander seeds (a shake each)
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to about 180 deg C
2. Slice eggplant, salt both sides and set aside for about 10 minutes.  Rinse well with water, pat dry.
3. Chop pumpkin (roughly same size as eggplant) and throw pumpkin and eggplant into a roasting dish with a good slug of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Pop garlic cloves in roasting dish and cook in oven until all are soft and eggplant is starting to caramalise (approx 30 mins, don't forget to stir veges frequently to prevent sticking).
5. Rinse black-eye peas and drain well.
6. Heat a pan with some olive oil, toss peas in ginger, cumin and coriander seeds and fry briefly.  Drain on paper towels.
7. Dice chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook in used pan.
8. When veges are cooked (don't forget to pop roasted garlic out of shell), mix peas, veges, rocket, chicken, feta on a platter, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

I love roasted veges

I was planning on using chickpeas but the supermarket was out of stock, so black-eyed peas was the next best alternative.  They were a bit mushy out of the tin, so if I was repeating I would probably go with quinoa or lentils if chickpeas weren't available.

Remember to rinse salted eggplant really well otherwise they will be really salty after roasting.  Don't neglect this step, even if you are in a huge rush.

P.S. A glass of NZ pinot gris went beautifully with this (and the pre-dinner glass on it's own was just as beautiful!)

A Few Things

It's the little things right?  And at the moment there are a few little things that I'm loving.

Ticking It Off The List

I love lists, and I love the satisfaction of crossing an item off my list.  Sometimes I even put a small task I've done already on my list just so I can cross it off.  One things which has been on the list for a while is getting a frame for our Mark Rothko poster.  Added bonus - the frame was only $29 from IKEA.

I think it looks fabulous - the red really pops in our previously almost exclusively white bedroom.

 Mark Rothko meet IKEA

Incidentally, there is a really great list iPhone app called Zenbe.  With a quick press of the 'sync' button, the Dutchman and I have a live shopping list.  And it has a really satisfying tick box to check those items off.


Singapore Cafe Crawl

For a nation that is pretty obsessed with food, it's quite hard (rephrase: nearly impossible) to find a place which does good brunch and coffee.  Two friends (the Italian feasters) and I are endeavouring to hunt these places down one macchiato at a time.  Yesterday we went to Loysel's Toy - somewhat randomly located, but great coffee and sandwiches.  I'll head back - I want to try their omelet (the ultimate test in my opinion). 

Chicken/mango/curried mayo and
beef/caramalised onion/rocket/dijon

A Long Lusted-For Purchase

In Haji Lane there is a small furniture store which started my obsession with shop houses (a subject for another time - trust me, you don't want to get me started).  I have been lusting after this lamp for about two months (a very long time for me to hold out) but couldn't quite justify it. 

Yesterday it became mine.

Finally mine!

I love lighting - it's critical to setting the atmosphere (our apartment is filled with lamps and candles).  I really miss my three-headed lamp back in New Zealand.  It used to be my Mum's, so it ticks the boxes for both vintage and straight up cool.


Lovin' Bloglovin'

This website has changed my blog-reading world.  All the new posts for the blogs I follow in one spot - so simple, so easy, so wish I had found it earlier.

Have I had my head in the sand this whole time?

My First Official Retraction

Yesterday's post mentioned the Dutchman's love of the snooze button.  He very pointedly reminded me that he has been up at 6am or earlier for the last four weekends in a row in order to play golf.

My apologies.

But why am I loving this?  Well, firstly I love that he reads my blog, and secondly I love that he thinks his golfing mornings are the rule as opposed to the exception.

Saturday Morning Ritual

Don't you just love Saturday mornings? The whole weekend is ahead of you, a bit of a sleep in, two full days without glancing at my Outlook calendar! I also love Sunday mornings, but they are just a little bit more poignant as the weekend is drawing to a close.

I've formed a bit of a Saturday morning ritual. As the Dutchman is a big fan of the snooze button, I often find myself with four (or so) glorious hours all to myself to waste or use selfishly as I see fit.

Lately my Saturday mornings have rolled out with certain reoccurring combinations.

Must Haves:
- Morning run before the full tropical heat sets in. Trust me, running in 32 deg C is not fun or easy.
- Earl Grey by the cup-full (LOVE morning cups of tea)
- FT Weekend on my little balcony (small private oasis of calm amid chaotic condo living)
- Blog update

Optional Extras:
- Catch up on episodes of my fav shows - Greys, Gossip Girl, Glee, Fringe, Vampire Diaries (guilty little now-not-so-secret indulgence)
- Latest Dish magazine
- Baking or cooking of some kind

This morning featured a slight variation - Dish magazine by the pool.

I know, I know, sunbathing is bad for you and prematurely ages you. Usually I'm not a sun-worshipper by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm heading back to New Zealand for a visit soon and I already get teased for glowing in the dark by my Dad via Skype. Imagine the ribbing I'll get when he sees me in person! I live in the tropics for crying out loud - shouldn't I be permanently bronzed? Anyway, a good fake tan is impossible to come by in Singapore and there's only so much my trusty Dove gradual tanning moisturizer can do (which reminds me, I need to stock up when I'm home...)

Tonight I'm heading off for a 30th birthday boat party - can't wait!! Especially as it's the Dutchman's turn to make pancakes in the morning!

Sleepless in Singapore

0400: "am I really awake? It's far too early to be cogniscent..."

0430: "huh, well I guess the old trick of falling asleep on my tummy isn't working. Maybe a glass of water will help."

0500: "may as well get up. Tossing and turning does not a happy boyfriend make"

0502: "bonus, my new Dish subscription has arrived. Cup of tea is in order."

0555: "oh my god, boot camp is going to be hell this morning. Coffee will be my crutch today. Is it possible to OD on caffeine?"

0558: "thank god it's Friday"

Knock Knock Gnocchi

Tonight was my first foray into making gnocchi - spinach gnocchi to be precise.  There seems to be no escaping a huge mess when cooking Italian and tonight was no exception.  Or perhaps I'm just a messy cook?

Without further ado... My journey through the land of gnocchi.

Potato and Spinach Gnocchi

Gnocchi di Papate e Spinaci

Serves 4

• 675 g spinach
• 800g potatoes
• 200g flour

• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 50g butter, melted
• 50g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Salt

1. Rinse spinach and shake off most of the water.  Cook the spinach (no added water, just what's on the leaves) for 5 minutes, drain, squeeze as much water out as possible and chop.
2. Cook potatoes in lightly salted boiling water until tender (approx 25 minutes) and mash while still hot
3. Mix potato, spinach and flour.  Season with salt, beat in egg yolks and kneed the dough for a few minutes.
4. Shape dough into several long rolls (about 1.5cm thick) and cut into 2cm lengths.
5. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil, drop in gnocchi a few at a time.  Remove with slotted spoon when they rise to the surface.
6. Drain well and serve on a warm serving dish, drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle Parmesan.



LEFT:  Messy gnocchi rolling - use a bench next time
RIGHT:  How to melt butter and keep gnocchi warm when you don't have
 a microwave (but you do have a very small sink and really hot water)



My notes: 

I only had four potatoes which amounted to about 300g when peeled (peeling lost about 100g) so I halved (plus a bit more) the rest of the ingredients. 

I also used frozen spinach, which I thawed and cooked with the potatoes as they were nearly done.  A salad spinner works well for eliminating water.

As a topping for the gnocchi I softened a chopped onion in some olive oil then added chopped celery, capsicum, cherry tomatoes and garlic (just veges I had in the fridge).  I added half a tin of chopped tomatoes to make things saucier. 

We picked up some French sausages from the supermarket on the way home from work, so I popped them under the grill to cook (don't forget to puncture them a few times so they don't explode out of their skins) so as much fat as possible drips out.  I chopped them roughly and added them to the veges.

Saucy French Sausages

 

French sausages
(just in case clarification is required)



Spoon gnocchi into a warm bowl, top with saucy French sausages, sprinkle with Parmesan and savour.



Ok so the lighting is not that good...

Lessons in hindsight:

• Bribe someone to do the dishes
• Wear an apron
• Don't try to roll the gnocchi worms on a floured chopping board (the board will skid all over the bench).  Realise and embrace the mess, flour your bench top and life will be much easier
• Gnocchi is really filling - you need much less than you think

Delizioso

Two girlfriends and I decided to put our cooking skills to good use and prepare a Saturday night Italian feast for ourselves and the very lucky boyfriends (who simply had to turn up).  Can I just say now how fortunate I am to have friends who have the skills and passion to pull together a night like last night? Delizioso!  A dinner party combines pretty much all of my favourite things - good food, good wine, good conversation, great laughs.  The only things missing are travel and karaoke...

Menu for an Italian Feast

Aperitif

vodka rosemary spiked lemonade fizz

Appetisers

prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears, celery and grissini

gorgonzola, rocket and walnut crostini

Entree

stuffed eggplant

Main

roast lamb shoulder with potatoes, cannelloni, green spinach salad and olive focaccia

Dessert

panna cotta with berry coulis

Sweet treat

chocolate truffles, espresso slice

Liquid refreshment

Mumm champagne, French and Australian red wine, cinnamon and rose tea

My responsibility was for the first third - aperitif, appetisers and entree.  Debut for the Silver Spoon!


Vodka Rosemary Spiked Lemonade Fizz

Bring 1C lemon juice, 1C sugar and 2 sprigs of rosemary to the boil in a pan stirring constantly, simmer for 2 minutes and leave to cool.  Add syrup to a glass with ice, vodka and top with soda.  Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.

My note: the longer you leave the rosemary in the syrup the stronger it tastes/smells.  I left it in for four hours before serving and I thought it was excellent




Roast Eggplant and Capsicum Dip

Roughly chop 1 medium sized eggplant, 1 medium onion and 1 large red capsicum, toss in oil, salt and pepper, and roast until soft.  Roughly mash and serve with crostini.

My note: I roasted for quite a while until everything stated to caramalise.  Also, I don't have a masher (will have to remedy that) so I just roughly chopped.

Gorgonzola, Rocket and Walnut Crostini

Finely chop a good handful of rocket, roughly chop half a cup of walnuts, crumble in some gorgonzola and mix together.  Press down firmly on crostini and bake in oven until cheese starts to melt.

Stuffed Eggplant

In a large pan, cook one well sliced medium onion on a low heat until soft with some olive oil.  Slice three eggplants in half lengthwise, scoop out flesh and roughly chop.  Chop four tomatoes and two large red capsicums and add to pan with eggplant.  Cook over a low heat until all are soft.  Remove from heat and add two lightly beaten eggs.  Spoon mixture back into eggplant shells, sprinkle with parmesan and bake in oven until golden brown on top.

My note: it's really hard to scoop out the flesh of the eggplant without puncturing the shell.  After several minutes of attempting with a breakfast spoon I remembered that I had a melon baller - eureka!

Melon baller makes eggplant scooping a breeze

Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus, Celery and Grissini

This one is very simple - wrap prosciutto around the top of your spears/sticks and serve

My notes:  choose slightly thicker asparagus spears and what ever you do, don't over cook them.  Plunge hot asparagus into ice-cold water straight from the pot to ensure they don't droop.  I had very thin asparagus so had to wrap two spears at a time to avoid the dreaded droop.

As I am a bread-making virgin, I purchased my grissini - cross your fingers that they aren't all broken inside the packet.  Don't wrap the prosciutto around the grissini too far in advance because they will go soft - mine started to go soft around one hour after wrapping (luckily most had been eaten).

Also, as prosciutto can be quite expensive, you can get two sticks from every slice.

Prosciutto and dip

I'm embarrassed to say that I forgot to take photos of the succulent lamb or the perfect focaccia (home made of course) - I was far more concerned with eating, drinking and chatting by the time I had dispatched my goodies.  Sophie laid a beautiful table (she took some great photos for her blog - none of mine came out that well) and was hostess-with-the-mostest as usual.

Laura's focaccia was so perfect it was like store bought - she's going to give me a bread-making lesson as I've never tried to make anything which resembles pastry/bread/dough.  Stay tuned for that adventure - it sounds messy!

The Silver Spoon

On Wednesday I picked up the bible of Italian cooking - the Silver Spoon.

I love the first chapter: Eating Is A Serious Matter. I couldn't agree more.

First published in 1950 (but not translated into English until 2005), the Silver Spoon is the most successful cookbook in Italy, and is apparently has a tradition of being handed down (with hand annotations) through families or given to brides as a wedding gift.

If she were a woman, she would certainly not be a waif at 1,256 pages.  Despite this, the recipes all seem so accessible, mainly because all the photography is done on plain white crockery, or in the pan that it was cooked in. No fancy food styling to intimidate me! Plus it has an extensive glossary to help with some of the Italian cooking terms and ingredients.  Chapters cover sauces, antipasti, eggs, veges, types of
meats, cheese, desserts and has potential menu options by celebrated Italian chefs.

Colour coded chapters

There is a small but thoughtful inclusion of two book mark ribbons - give that person a pay rise!

Coincidentally, this Saturday night I'm contributing the antipasti and appetizers for an Italian feast. No prizes for guessing where I'll be getting my inspiration from.   

I'm thinking asparagus spears and grissini wrapped in prosciutto, polenta crisps and roast vege dip, stuffed eggplant... Mmmmm... My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Stuffed eggplant