No, my boss is not gay.

A meal for Ron Jeremy?

How 'Jerk Chicken' got it's name is beyond me, but like Golliwogs are now Golly Dolls and the candy cigarettes FAGS are now FADS, Jerk Chicken needs a makeover and one that is far removed from masturbating poultry.

Despite the disturbing name, this recipe was a winner and one of the easiest meals we've done in recent times. Throw all the ingredients into the food processor, marinate the chook overnight and pop it into the oven for one hour. The rice is done in a pan using coconut milk and chicken stock, along with black beans, chili and thyme. Delicious.

This is a great pick for dinner parties, although it might be worth exploring alternative ways to cook the beans, which throughout the weekend revealed their effects in an unrelenting and musical fashion (which Don blamed on Moses the cat). Toot toot.

Home style jerk chicken with rice and peas.

ABC Delicious March 2011 (p.71)

A 3rd of his annual salary. Good rule.

Must load up on carbs before heading out on mission 'ring'. Leek Bread & Butter Pudding with Smoked Salmon and Poached Eggs will do the trick.

The cherry tree trunk.

Esacpee flaps.

I spent this afternoon on (a semi-successful) mission 'bridesmaid frock' with my two very obliging lady besties. Being immersed in the subjective Chapel Street fashion i.e. slutty/ill-fitting/inappropriate/nauseatingly coloured dresses, and being surrounded by way too many whorebag pedestrians wearing shorts so teeny that their flaps were either hanging out the bottom or practically embossed into the fabric, I decided tonight would be for chilling out. I whipped up some calamari tacos with chilli sauce for dinner (March 2011 Gourmet Traveller p.118). It was amazing! I am going to make such a good wifey.

Weekend therapy.

Dirty duck neck?

We had a go at roasting a Costco duck last week. Duck l'orange to be precise. Very tasty but barely enough meat to satisfy three grown-ups. I did a little photo shoot with the naked duck. This was the only pic that wouldn't get me in trouble with animal rights folk. Have a close look at his neck. Well, not even a close look. His neck looks like a man bit. I shit you not! It felt kind of like one too. Ew.

Blame it on the pickles.

I've been eying off this big can of pickles for years now and finally took the plunge yesterday. I figure i have 72 rolls of toilet paper stored in my boot (god i love Costco), 24 cans of chickpeas in the study and about 400 panty-liners in my wardrobe, why not have 3kg of back-up pickles in the fridge?  I did pull a muscle in my back schlepping it from the car, but I think it's worth it.

Double 'Bang Bang'.

Saturday is a scheduled 'bang bang' day at our place. It's kind of a religious thing. Last Saturday we also got up to some less conventional, chicken 'bang bang' action, with a side order of Hakka-Style Eggplant. The chicken was AMAZING. The eggplant was stuffed with prawns and was yum, but probably not worth the deep-fried calories and prep time.

 

Hakka-Style Eggplant

 

Bang Bang Chicken

God I love prawns.

Costco's oranges. Delicious.

The new Saturday Age.

A project we've been working on with the cool dudes at Qube Konstrukt.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cupcakes 101.

Gab learnt how to bake Ottolenghi's Chocolate Cupcakes and i learnt that you're allowed to try a puff of a cigarette and a beer when you're 18 (but if you drink too much you may become unconscious and die), most kids have fish rather than dogs, and Guy Sebastian's 'Who's that girl?' is hot right now. 

Poor fish.

 

Went to dumpling place but they had no dumplings.Just fish crammed into a little tank. I'm not really in a position to complain, given i buy cage eggs, but they do look kind of sad.

Another Saturday night in, this time with James Bond and Ben O'Donoghue.

ABC Delicious, February 2011 (p.43)

I ♥ Etsy but don't fancy yellow shit on my feet.

I finally muster up the courage to wear my vintage wedges and I'm rewarded with a PMS 116 foot fungus. Thank-you Retrothreadz.

Kissing chickens.

Prawn, haloumi and watermelon salad.

Recipe

Love my 'V-Cutter'.

You'd think the Germans could come up with a more creative name for their whizz bang mandolin. If one didn't know better, they might think it's a female circumciser! This tool makes Ottolenghi's delicious Seafood, Fennel and Lime Salad so easy that we knocked it out two weekends in a row. Ottolenghi, The Cookbook (p.135)

RECIPE

2 small fennel bulbs
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
Juice and zest of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp chopped dill
2 tsp chopped parsley
1 mild chilli, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
350g baby squid, cleaned
8 tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
3 tsp sumac (If you can get it!)
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

Method

Trim the bases and tops of the fennel bulbs. Slice widthways as thinly as you can. A mandolin is great for this. In a large bowl, mix the fennel and onion with the lime juice and zest, garlic, dill, parsley, chilli, 2 tbsp of the olive oil and the salt. Set aside.

Place a heavy iron pan (preferably a griddle pan) on a high flame and leave for a few minutes until piping hot.  Meanwhile, mix the squid and prawns with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Grill the seafood in small batches, turning over after 1 minute, then cooking until just done (roughly 1 more minute for the squid and 3-4 for the prawns). Remove to a chopping board and slice the squid into thick rings. Either leave the prawns whole or cut in half.

Add the seafood to the bowl and toss with the fennel and onion mixture.
To serve, stir in the sumac ( if you have it) and coriander then taste and, if necessary, adjust the seasoning. A few scattered pomegranate seeds make a beautiful garnish.
This salad can be kept in the fridge for a day.