blood orange and olive oil shortbread (vegan)

Blood orange and olive oil shortbread.

Several weeks ago, I made blood orange cookies to bring to a friend's dinner. I was very pleased with my efforts - they were crunchy citrus bites of joy, and unexpectedly wonderful for a first attempt at a tentatively drafted recipe.

I felt there could still be improvement, however, so the next time I tweaked it a little - and as a result, I baked a delightfully gourmet tray of blood orange shortbread, zestier, softer and crumblier than my first batch of cookies. Simon and his housemates were my taste-testers, and this version was the clear winner - not only by way of verbal confirmation, but also in the telling manner of how they disappeared even more swiftly, one after another, in quick succession. Encouraged, I'm sharing this recipe with you.

But wait, there's more! This is not your typical shortbread. In addition to the sensuous blood orange, it is also made with extra virgin olive oil, which imparts a light, lilting elegance that sings and twinkles and kisses. Yes, it's a vegan shortbread! - and one so beguiling, you can bake it to impress vegans and non-vegans alike. Or enjoy, sneakily, quietly, just by yourself.

The lush, dramatic appearance of a sliced blood orange.

Blood orange and olive oil dough, ready to go into the oven.

Blood oranges have a short season, so if they are not available, feel free to use regular oranges instead. It'll still be delicious!

blood orange and olive oil shortbread

1/8 cup blood orange juice (30ml)
1 tablespoon blood orange zest
1/4 cup olive oil (60ml)
1/2 cup icing sugar (55g) aka powdered/confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour (105g)
1/2 cup cornstarch (65g)

Combine blood orange juice, blood orange zest, olive oil, sugar, salt in a bowl. Whisk well.
Mix the flour and cornstarch together in a separate bowl.
Add in the flour mix to the liquid mix, and stir with a wooden spoon until you form a dough. Knead with your hands and divide into about 6 chunks. Roll each chunk into a ball, then into a log of about 3.5cm / 1.5" in diameter. This dough will be soft, oily and moist, making it quite difficult to shape - but do persevere!
Wrap up the logs in baking paper, and place them in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Retrieve the logs from the freezer and slice into pieces of about 0.6cm / 1/4" thickness.
Arrange the pieces on a baking tray lined with baking paper. They don't really spread out so you can put them close together, as long as you still allow for some breathing space.
Bake at 160C fan-forced (or 180C conventional) for 15 - 18 minutes, depending on how you like them. I am quite partial to a hint of toasty brown around the edges!

Good stuff... vegan blood orange shortbread, made with olive oil.

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bayte, collingwood: a lebanese brunch

I had a most supremely fabulous Saturday last week.

It was the day I stuffed myself with brunch, the day I jammed with Simon and his housemates garage-band-style, the day I had frozen yoghurt for dinner, the day filled with camaraderie and laughter and fun and affection.

This is where it all started. Brunch at Bayte (56 Johnston St, Collingwood).

Simon, as usual, kicked things off with coffee - but this time, with a Lebanese twist. It was rich and glossy and he enjoyed it.

Lebanese coffee. ($3.50)

I got myself a cool and refreshing mulberry soda. The triangular bottle it came in was cute. The mulberry concentrate seemed to collect at the bottom - I gave it a good stir, and was subsequently rewarded with a gentle berry flavour.

Mulberry soda. ($3.50)

Because we arrived at noon, it was a great time for variety - we could order off both the breakfast and the lunch menus. Hurrah!

Simon decided upon the baked eggs from the breakfast menu. This was splendid - the eggs are cooked in a spiced tomato stew, studded with bits of onion and whole juicy okras, then topped with salty, crumbly chunks of shanklish cheese, with a soft flat bread on the side. I stole a bite, and when Simon had trouble finishing it, I happily did my duty. Can't have good food going to waste.

Beyd el Firin bi Bamieh bi Zayt ma’ Shanklish – baked eggs in an okra & tomato spiced stew, topped with shanklish cheese. ($15)

I picked a couple of dishes from the lunch menu.

The spicy fish pie caught my attention immediately, and I chose it as a starter. It came with a tangy sauce, which I thought might be lemon-tahini, but I'm not sure. The pie was delicious with or without the sauce. It kind of reminded me of a curry puff. While there isn't a lot of fish in it, they do use a stronger tasting fish (mackerel, perhaps?), which Simon wasn't overly fond of, so I ate most of it.

Fatayer bi Samak – spicy fish pie with potato and pine nuts. ($7)

I also decided to be adventurous and opted for the raw lamb kibbeh, which was served with labne, olive oil and crispy flat bread. With the exception of sashimi, I don't eat raw meat very often, and sometimes I feel skeptical about it. One bite of this kibbeh, however, and my doubts were allayed - it tasted so clean, so fresh, so wholesome.

Lahem Nayeh – raw lamb kibbeh. ($14)

After all that, we were both very full, but I insisted on looking at the dessert menu as Simon lets me know I am on my own in this pursuit. I was intrigued by the booza, a homemade ice cream. The waitress informed me that the flavour of the day was bitter orange. It wasn't quite what I felt like, but I shrugged and went for it anyway. In retrospect, I should have listened to my gut instinct - it was a tad too bitter for me, but I suspect marmalade fans would adore it, with the orange flesh and zest liberally strewn through the ice cream, accented with dots of vanilla bean. The texture was interesting, with hints of stickiness and elasticity, thanks to the use of the mastic, also known as Arabic gum.

In any case, our eating patterns continue as expected, with Simon sampling only a tiny scoop while I am left with the lion's share, and managing to polish it all off successfully to boot. I really think he needs to up his game, so that I can order more stuff. That's what partners are for, right?

Booza – homemade ice cream with bitter orange, vanilla and mastic. ($4.50)

At the end of the day, I found Bayte to be a stimulating, charismatic introduction to the world of Lebanese cuisine. It was a tasty learning experience and I hope to return for a continued education.



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iced carrot milk

A delectable glass of iced carrot milk, made with fresh carrots.

I've mentioned carrot milk on this blog before, but I feel like I cheated my readers by talking about it so merrily and yet not offering up a recipe, especially when it is so easy to make. So here I am today, almost two years later, sharing this delightfully refreshing carrot milk recipe with you. Better late than never!

As discussed in the other post, carrot milk is a popular beverage served in Malaysian street stalls, food courts and cafes. However, as I only started appreciating it when I ventured into making my own carrot milk in Australia, I have no idea how close my version is to the typical carrot milk you can get in Malaysia. Next time I go back for a holiday, I'll try a glass, and make the comparisons. In the meantime, does it really matter? I love my version, and I think you will, too.

iced fresh carrot milk (serves 2)

2 medium to large carrots
3/4 cup water
2 cups cold milk (feel free to use soy milk, nut milk, rice milk, oat milk etc to make it a vegan recipe)
2 teaspoons raw sugar, more or less (or other sweetener of your choice)
ice cubes, to serve

Peel the carrots, then chop 'em up - if your blender isn't super-powerful, finely slice the carrots - that should help ease things along.
Thoroughly blend the chopped carrots together with water.
Filter the blended carrot through a strainer to separate the pulp and obtain carrot juice, pressing to get the most out of it. (By the way, don't throw away the pulp after that's done - save it and use it in cakes, muffins, smoothies, or stews!)
Stir carrot juice and milk together, adding sugar to taste.
Pop in a few ice cubes and serve.

If you have a juicer, feel free to use it to get a pure carrot juice to mix with milk, without having to bother with the steps involved in blending with water. Without the dilution of water, this also means that you can achieve a more intense carrot flavour!

Fresh carrot milk - gentle, sweet and refreshing.

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mr burger food truck, collingwood, melbourne et al

Mr Burger food truck at Easey St, Collingwood.

Some days are just perfect. A stroll under sunny blue skies. A brightly enticing food truck manned by cheerful staff. Getting hands-on with burgers and chips in the open air, in the company of silly seagulls.

I'm not the sort to chase after food trucks, but the great thing about Mr Burger is that their trucks are in quite a few locations - plus they have also set up a regular shop in the Melbourne CBD to make things even easier for those who just want a traditional burger joint with a fixed address.

On this occasion - a Friday afternoon - we found one of the Mr Burger trucks parked on Easey Street, Collingwood during lunch hours. It wasn't particularly busy - a few takeaways here and there. We got our food within ten minutes, and found a spot where we could plonk ourselves down to have at it.

The chips here are well-seasoned, and have a nice balance of crisp and tender.

Chips from Mr Burger. Large - $5.

And the burgers? I adored them.

I opted for the namesake, Mr Burger, while Simon had the Mr Meat. These are some pretty classic burgers - no funny business here. Just fresh, quality ingredients treated with respect. Yeah, they're a bit messy to eat. But it's worth getting your hands dirty for these burgers. So juicy, surprisingly light on grease, and still a little pink inside. Most excellent. (P.S. They also offer a Mr Veg - a vegetarian falafel burger, which is apparently fantastic, too. I may try it next time, if I am able to pry myself from the good ol' beef options.)

I introduce you to my Mr Burger, with beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard, mayonnaise and tomato sauce.

Mr Burger, $10.

And here's Simon's Mr Meat, with beef, cheese, lettuce, bacon, caramelised onions, pickles, bbq sauce, and mayonnaise.

Mr Meat, $11.

Yum, yum, yum.

It goes without saying that this post comes with an enthusiastic recommendation for Mr Burger.

I think the seagull agrees, too.

A seagull sneaking in to eat some chips! Thanks go to Simon, for donating this photograph. :)

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simple silverbeet / swiss chard stir-fry

Simply awesome stir-fried silverbeet / swiss chard.

I suppose I am quite lucky that I have a boyfriend who enjoys vegetables. I seem to have adopted an anxious personality with age, so a vegetable-loving partner means one less thing I have to worry about.

Simon has recently taken a strong liking to silverbeet (also known as Swiss chard), often buying them for himself, or suggesting we buy them when we go grocery shopping together. To be honest, I haven't had much experience in cooking silverbeet, so his enthusiasm served as great motivation for me to experiment with this vegetable.

What I've come up with, thus, is this simply awesome stir-fried silverbeet recipe. Why simply awesome? Because it is so easy, and yet it tastes so delicious. I first cooked it in rendered animal fat (e.g. drippings from roast chicken), which was sensational, but it is also very tasty with butter, or, if going the vegan route, feel free to use your favourite vegetable oil for frying - if I am to make suggestions, something like grapeseed, macadamia, avocado or olive oil will suit with their lovely complementary flavours, a bit of garlic and shallot in the pan wouldn't go astray either.

simply awesome silverbeet / swiss chard stir-fry
(serves 2 as a side)

6-8 stalks silverbeet / swiss chard (including both leaves and stems)
1-2 tablespoons butter or rendered animal fat or grapeseed/macadamia/avocado/olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste

Trim and discard the stringier, tougher root ends of the silverbeet. Roughly chop the stalks into bite-sized pieces.
Warm up the butter, fat or oil in a pan over a medium flame.
Add silverbeet, balsamic vinegar and nutmeg. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 5 minutes, more or less, depending whether you like your silverbeet crunchy or tender.
Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

*This simple dish is full of flavour as it is (especially if you use butter or animal fat), but you might also consider frying a little bit of garlic and/or shallot in the pan before adding the silverbeet, if you would like extra pungency and savouriness. If feeling carnivorous, try it with bacon too.

An easy silverbeet /swiss chard recipe worth trying.

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perth holiday wrap-up with odds and ends!

It's been a while since I've returned from Perth to Melbourne, and I've finally gone through all my photos. So to wrap it all up, I thought I'd share some of the mix of other things that haven't yet made it to my other posts. Consider this a summary of leisurely daily life in the Perth Hills with Simon and his family.

First, can I share one of the most indulgent and wonderful holiday rituals? Instead of going out and painting the town red, we would rug up with conversation, cured meats, cheese and wine almost every night. Such happiness. The below is one of my most favourite pairings. Incredibly spicy cured meat that burns, rounded out and softened by cumin-studded cheese.

"Burner" - spicy cured meat by Butch's Smallgoods (left) and Dutch Gouda with cumin seeds (right).

During the day, Simon and I would occasionally go for casual walks in the neighbourhood. Eucalyptus trees abound, along with quirky-looking gumnuts.

Eucalyptus trees with gumnuts.

Mundy Regional Park was just nearby. When we felt like we were becoming couch potatoes and spending way too much time on the internet, we would trek there for a bit of exercise and fresh air.

A little creek in Mundy Regional Park.

A nice view within Mundy Regional Park.

I don't know what these plants are, but I thought they were pretty.

Blue flowers...

A fuchsia something... flower, or leaves? A succulent look to it...

A red flower...

Yellow flowers...

And the silhouettes of the trees against the last rays of the dusky sun were lovely to look at.

Sunset at Mundy Regional Park.

We also met the neighbour's cat, Zoe. She was really shy and timid during our first days, and would run away before Simon or I could even get close. But on the very last day, lo and behold, we became friends.

Zoe and me. Look, we're friends!

And because this is a food blog, here is a picture of Zoe enjoying some salmon.

Zoe sniffing, licking and eating salmon.

Delicious.

Hello and goodbye, pretty Zoe.

Finally, we said our farewells to the Perth Hills, knowing that it shall not be too long before we meet again...

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a day at fremantle markets

Entrance to Fremantle Markets.

I love markets. I love my local markets, and I love exploring markets that are foreign to me.

So it goes without saying that when we were in Perth, I enjoyed it very much when we went to Fremantle Markets, with Simon's brother and his wife playing tour guides. They love food and are happy to recommend their favourite eats! My kind of tour guides.

Oh, we did other wonderful things as well, like strolling around, visiting a museum, appreciating the ocean. But as usual, all that I seem to capture is the food. So here we go.

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Michele's Crepe Suzette was an interesting start to the day. They are very popular, so there was a queue. We got a number and returned about ten minutes later for our lemon cinnamon sugar crepe. This is different to the wispy-thin crepes I usually have - they're thicker, chewier, more substantial. Keeping that in mind, I'm not sure about the authenticity, but they work as sort of a humble comfort food, if also a bit messy to eat in takeaway form - watch out for the syrup!

Lemon cinnamon sugar crepe by Michele's Crepe Suzette.

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Then we stopped to purchase a cup of soy chai masala from Black Cherries Espresso. I've mentioned before that Simon and I are picky about our chai, ever since he came back from his India holiday with the real thing. But we fancied this one - Simon even suggested this could be on par with the ones from India, or at least very close. While it does not emphasize the biting hot spices like peppercorn, it is certainly well-endowed with other lovely, fragrant, warm spices... my memory fails me now, but if I recall correctly, the notes of cardamom and cloves were particularly pretty in this one.

Masala chai from Black Cherries Espresso.

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I forgot to mention that the above two stops were, in some ways, placeholders for the main event - a ramen lunch at the famous Dosukoi Ramen Bar. We had registered our interest with them earlier in the day, and were told it could be up to a two-hour wait. So we gave them a mobile phone number, and happily wandered about until they called us. I'm not normally someone who hangs around this long for a meal, but hey, we're tourists with so many other things to explore, and all the time in the world! In the end, I think the wait was an hour and a half?

For starters we had chicken karaage. It was nicely seasoned, though that didn't stop us from liberally using the shichimi shaker on the table. You can almost never have too much spice. It could also be crunchier, but it was addictive regardless. Come on, it's deep-fried chicken.

We got the soft pork ramen, and while, given the hype, I think there is room for improvement, it was still tasty. I relished the kick of miso in the broth (though I suspect there is also added MSG swimming around in there, and the stock could use more depth); the noodles were perfectly cooked with great springy texture.

Pork ramen at Dosukoi.

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Finally, I became the cheerful owner of a chocolate doughnut from Levi's Doughnuts, made fresh so it came piping hot, much to my approval. This rustic, irregularly shaped beauty concealed a luxuriously glossy melted dark chocolate filling. It's both down-to-earth and sexy.

The dark-chocolate-filled doughnut from Levi's Doughnuts.

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Next post - saying goodbye to Perth, and then, finally, a recipe post, for those of you who miss them.
So do stick around!

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corica pastries (& the famous apple strudel), northbridge

A long, sturdy box, containing Corica's famous apple strudel.

When I updated my Facebook status to say I was in Perth, one of my friends was quick with his recommendation: "You must have Corica's apple strudel!"

Apparently the apple strudels from Corica Pastries are so famous that travellers from Southeast Asia often bring it back with them on their flights home. That's pretty impressive stuff.

So off we went to Giuseppe Corica Pastries (106 Aberdeen St, Northbridge).

We had other plans for the day so we just made a quick stop. In addition to the must-have strudel, I was curious to try their other offerings, too. I chose a couple of smaller things to snack on - a shortbread sandwich with buttercream and apricot jam, named "Amore", and a custard horn.

Amore (left) and custard horn (right), $2.90 each.

The Amore was sweet, dainty, and also rather expensive for how tiny it was. The custard horn had a delightfully flaky pastry encasing the lusciously creamy custard - so good, I wish I had bought more. In fact, I'd say it deserves some of the limelight alongside the strudels at Corica.

Ah, yes, those famous apple strudels. You can get the classic apple strudel and/or the blueberry-apple strudel. We got the latter. It survived the car ride home mostly intact, with just some minor damage.

My suggestion? Heat the strudel up in the oven first - it really brings it back to life. I loved it so, so much more when it was warm and crispy, and it was then that the wow factor really properly hit me - oh, the layers of crunchy and creamy and comfort! - and I finally knew what the fuss was all about.

Yep, I'm passing on the recommendation. 

Corica's blueberry apple strudel, $20 - yields about 4 servings.

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