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In My Kitchen… February 2016

In my kitchen, the builders are still hanging around. Finishing off this and that which is all well and good but I just want them gone. We have been waiting for the muggy weather to arrive and it did so this week. We have gotten off very lightly weather wise in Brisbane this year but the heat and humidity are now here with a vengeance. One good thing about the heat is that you can take a cup of sourdough starter from nothing to oven ready bread dough in around 7 hours. There’s no waiting overnight or wrapping it in a blanket in the bathtub like Nancy from Plus Ate Six in Shanghai. 

In my February kitchen…

Metal dough cutter with wooden handle

…is a new dough cutter. Last year I made do but this year I am treating myself to all of the little bits and pieces that I usually muddle through without. For the princely sum of $4.10, I can now easily cut chunks of dough in halves, quarters, eighths or however I please. Why didn’t I buy it last year?

 

In my kitchen…

6 x stainless steel dariole moulds for custard

…are 6 stainless steel dariole moulds. Another item I have done without up until now and a snip at $2.40 each. When the builders rack off, I dream of making delicious mango panna cotta for friends at intimate dinner parties. Keep dreaming…

 

In my kitchen…

A tube of Le Phare du Cap Bon Harissa decorated withpictures of chillis and a lighthouse

…is harissa. I finished a locally made jar at Christmas so when I saw this in the supermarket, I bought it. It comes all the way from the home of harissa, Tunisia and I’m expecting it will be a lot spicier than the local version I have been using. With all of the troubles they have had over the past few years, the least I can do is throw a few dollars their way. Le Phare Du Cap Bon means The Good Cape Lighthouse in French, a colonial language of Tunisia. The box is wonderful and I know Jennifer from Milk & Honey is a sucker for good packaging. I recently posted this photo of some Portuguese olive oil on Instagram and Jennifer professed her weakness.

 

In my kitchen…

A jar of Scottish Seaweed Salt with rock salt and seaweed flakes

…is some salt (because you all know how much I need salt). This lovely jar of Scottish Seaweed Salt is a gift from friends Steve and Cath who spent a month in the freezing cold UK, visiting their daughter. I know how busy they were fitting in as many whisky tastings as possible, all in the name of research you understand, so taking time to select a gift and cart it all the way back to Australia is very much appreciated. My builder, who has a Japanese wife and visits Japan regularly saw this and said ‘Oh, Wakame Salt’. It’s all about your frame of reference isn’t it?

 

In my kitchen…

Tray bake of zucchini slice with Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt of red capsicum

…was this food based salute to David Bowie. Zucchini slice is a staple in our house. It’s quick and simple, and a very forgiving recipe. So forgiving that I have long ago thrown away the recipe and make it up as I go along. The base is zucchini, eggs, flour and oil. Everything else is an added bonus. I made this to take along to a get together of like minded music fans to reminisce about our Bowie stories. The capsicum flash is a tribute to Ziggy Stardust’s lightning bolt. I’m sure he would have been impressed. Vale David Bowie.

In My Kitchen is a regular round-up of kitchens from around the world. Just reading about the winter kitchens of my blogging friends in the Northern Hemisphere, brings down my core temperature by several degrees. I hope that I can transfer some of the heat I’m experiencing here to their own frosty world. Our host Maureen, from The Orgasmic Chef is once again kind enough to pull together this melting pot of kitchens.

13 comments… add one
  • Glenda February 3, 2016, 3:08 am

    Fiona, I am sure Bowie would have loved your zucchini slice 🙂

    • Fiona Ryan February 5, 2016, 4:51 pm

      Some edible glitter would have made it complete…

  • Jan Rhoades February 3, 2016, 7:47 am

    Slowly, slowly, slowly…it all comes together. I am proud of you because all things considered, I think you have been very patient. It will be worth the wait…but the wait is agonising isn’t it!

    • Fiona Ryan February 5, 2016, 4:53 pm

      It’s an absolute pigsty here today. One more week and they’ll be gone. Meanwhile, I have had to visit the health fund for a torturous massage to get the knots out my shoulders due to tension.

  • Tandy | Lavender and Lime February 4, 2016, 2:06 pm

    I hope the builders get done quickly and good for you to spoil yourself. Enjoy the salt 😀

  • Gretchen February 4, 2016, 10:55 pm

    Can’t wait to see what comes out of your new kitchen! Thanks for the reminder, I’ve been meaning to get some Harissa. I may have to order it, seems every store I check I can’t find any. Love the zucchini slice tribute too, wonderful idea. I am also a sucker for good packaging!

    • Fiona Ryan February 5, 2016, 12:24 pm

      I’ll have to do a ‘packaging edition’.

  • sherry from sherrys pickings February 15, 2016, 3:01 pm

    love the dariole moulds and the dough cutter. and i adore that harissa label and name. i am after all a mad keen pharophile (lighthouse lover). i once bought seaweed salt in NZ; i think they just called it kelp seaweed. hope the renos are all done now!

    • Fiona Ryan February 17, 2016, 7:04 pm

      I think we should start collecting something from the lighthouse at Byron Bay and mix it with salt. That way we can capture the salt AND lighthouse market.

  • sherry from sherrys pickings February 15, 2016, 3:02 pm

    oops! i meant kelp salt of course.

  • Emily (Cooking for Kishore) February 16, 2016, 1:40 pm

    I envy you the weather it’s freezing here! I gave in to a dough cutter last year and it really makes all the difference, love the harrisa paste, and the Bowie tribute is spot on. Good luck with the kitchen renovations the finish line is near! 🙂

    • Fiona Ryan February 17, 2016, 7:02 pm

      In fact, the finish line has been crossed. I am now free of builders though there is still plenty of builder’s dust but we are slowly getting back to normal.

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