Sydney, Australia
This dish is low in fat and delicious! You can also make them with prawns instead of chicken. Makes 15 rolls (serves 3).
| INGREDIENTS 150g vermicelli noodles, soaked in boiling water and allowed to cool WASABI MAYONNAISE |
METHOD
Mix mayonnaise, wasabi and warm water in a small bowl until well combined, set aside. Put all the other ingredients in a big bowl and add the wasabi mayo, mix thoroughly. Wrap in rice paper rolls and serve immediately. Enjoy! |
This is a very easy dish to make requiring only two pots! You can add more seafood than that shown below (mussels, lobster etc…) but I really like the simplicity and flavour of the prawns, fish & calamari together. Serves 2.
| INGREDIENTS 150g spaghetti (I like garofalo brand) |
METHOD
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic & chilli flakes and cook until onion is translucent (i.e. do not brown!). Add tomato paste and roughly chopped vine-ripened tomatoes and simmer 10mins, stirring occasionally (sauce will start to thicken). Add in half the ling fillets and cook for a further 10mins – the ling fillets will break down and become part of the sauce. Continue stirring occasionally. Season well. Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside. Add the rest of the ling fillets and the prawns & calamari and cook lid on for 3-4 mins. Take off the heat, toss the pasta in with the sauce along with 1tbs of flat-leaf parsley and coat well. Serve immediately with a lemon wedge and the remainder of the flat-leaf parsley. Enjoy! |
A couple of weekends back I had the pleasure of volunteering at Help-Portrait in Sydney. Help-Portrait is a not for profit event that provides professional portraits to those less fortunate right around the globe. It is run entirely by volunteers and although only in its second year, there were 170 guests in Sydney alone! I had the pleasure of assisting Grace Tham (an amazing freelance photographer) and working with Adrian Sheppard (post production).
If anyone is considering volunteer work I can’t recommend Help-Portrait enough – it is such a rewarding and enjoyable experience and I will certainly be putting my name down for next year’s event. A special mention also to the organisers such as David Haysom and Cherelle Martin who sacrifice so much of their time to make the event such a success – thank you!!! 
Inspired by the event and the quality of the photos that were produced on the day, along with my ‘20 in 2’ goals #12, #13, #17 and #19 i’ve decided to buy a second camera flash, some wireless transceivers, umbrellas and the like in the hope of improving the quality of the photos that I take (in conjunction with further education at the Australian Centre for Photography). Here is what is on order:
1x Canon 580EX II flash
2x PocketWizard FlexTT5
1x PocketWizard MiniTT1
And on the recommendation of Bryan @ the-digital-picture.com:
2x Photogenic 60” umbrellas
2x Manfrotto 1052BAC light stands
2x Manfrotto 026 swivel umbrella adapters
2x Stroboframe universal shoe mounts
But, as I’ve said to Grace, having all the technology in the world doesn’t make you a good photographer. It is not what tools you have, but how you use them and a great photographer would still produce fantastic images using a point & shoot just as they would using today’s top of the line DSLRs. With any luck i’ll be able to use my tools sufficiently well to produce some nice images (hopefully starting with a Christmas family portrait!).
I had the best thai beef salad up at Siam Thai in Mooloolaba recently and managed to get a hold of the recipe – enjoy! Serves 2. You can substitute lime juice for the lemon juice, and palm sugar instead of the brown sugar for a more traditional flavour. Add or remove the sml chillies in the dressing to suit (1 is medium-hot).
| INGREDIENTS 300g rump steak DRESSING |
METHOD
To make the dressing, pound the coriander roots, garlic and chilli to a fine paste in a mortar with a pestle. Add the fish sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar and stir to combine, set aside. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper in a plastic bag with the steak and shake to coat well, then sear on a BBQ and cook until medium rare (or to your liking), put on a plate and cover with foil to let it rest. Add all the ingredients to a bowl, slice the steak in to long, thin strips, add the dressing and toss well. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves with (microwave) rice and top with crushed peanuts. Healthy & delicious! |
It was about this time last year that I was speaking with Shane Ambry about the year ahead and the fact that it would be good to have something akin to Jessica Claire’s ‘101 in 1001’ list (she also happens to be an amazing wedding photographer). I’m not sure who originally came up with the idea but it is similar to a bucket-list, only with a shorter timeframe – i.e. 101 goals to achieve in 1001 days. Think of them as the detail in New Year’s resolutions.
I didn’t end up making one for 2010 but i’m determined to create one for 2011 – and instead of ‘101 in 1001’ i’ll make mine ‘20 in 2’ or 20 goals in 2 years – 1. because I can’t think of 101 goals that I really want to achieve of such significance and think they would lose their meaning after 20 and 2. three years is quite a way ahead and i’d rather focus on short-term goals. So, here is my list so far in no particular order:
1. Save a deposit and buy a place
2. Finish my legal studies and be admitted as a solicitor
3. Volunteer at least once a month
4. Lower my cholesterol and keep it within the ‘normal’ range
5. Think about becoming a father
6. Take the time to watch the sun rise or set at least once a month
7. Ride 10,000km over a 12 month period
8. Successfully complete the 3 peaks challenge
9. Enrol in and successfully complete a culinary course
10. Have friends over and cook them a meal at least once a month
11. Take a European or North American vacation
12. Take at least 1 photo a day
13. Take the Camera Craft 3 and Lighting workshops at the Australian Centre for Photography
14. Take a public speaking course to help overcome my glossophobia
15. Read 1 non law-related book per month
16. Make a will
17. Take a group family photo at least once per year
18. Learn to dance (don’t laugh!)
19. Photograph a complete stranger once every two months
20. Try and be a bit more sociable
If you have created your own list i’d be interested to hear what you’ve got on it and why, and also how successful/unsuccessful you were in achieving the goals. As I think of the last 6 5 4 3 2 1 items i’ll update this post – LIST COMPLETE and also create a separate section on the blog called 20 in 2 and as I complete things I’ll cross them off this list and update that part of the blog!
Is there a better way to start a beautiful Saturday in Sydney then with a ride up to Church Point followed by brekky at the Heart of Europe cafe? They make their own bread on site, do some of the best scrambled eggs (& crispy bacon!) in the Eastern Suburbs and are consistent with their food – well worth a visit and only a 5 min walk from Westfield Bondi Junction!
Serves 4 and is delicious, healthy and moreish! Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is a modified Neil Perry recipe. There are a lot of ingredients in this one and from start to finish for 1 person it will take about 1 1/2 hours to prepare.
| INGREDIENTS 2 chicken breasts, poached, or 1 roast chicken, shredded PALM SUGAR DRESSING |
METHOD
To make the dressing, pound the coriander roots, garlic and sea salt to a fine paste in a mortar with a pestle. Put the palm sugar in a small pan with a dash of water, and allow it to dissolve over very low heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar starts to turn a rich golden brown colour. Add the sherry vinegar to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes, then allow to cool. Add the red wine vinegar and palm sugar mixture to the coriander paste, then whisk in the oil. Add the chopped coriander leaves and season to taste. Combine the shredded chicken, vermicelli and remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Dress with the palm sugar dressing and toss well. Enjoy! |
Yep it’s my birthday and Mum posted down a beautiful yaxell santoku knife and chefs hat – the hat will be a bit OTT in the kitchen but the knife I’ll use on a daily basis – thanks to everyone for the well wishes! Off to Kingsley’s @ Woolloomooloo for dinner!
So I got an SMS from an unrecognisable number the other day – it read “I am practising my phone lesson. Love nan”. How about that – at about 80 years of age my Grandmother has decided it’s time to get a mobile phone and has learnt how to SMS. In the past 18 months or so she has also purchased an iMac and discovered the joys of emailing and surfing the internet (while i’ve become the 24hr helpdesk) – keep up the good work Nan!
Updated: DJ’s has been replaced by Thai Riffic in Westfield Sydney – see this post.
If you love your pad thai and are in Sydney then head to the noodle bar in the David Jones food court on Market St, Sydney, where for around $15 you’ll get one of the most delicious pad thai’s in town.
