The culinary adventures of a real food fanatic
Posted in Cooking basics, Other, thermomix on Jul 4th, 2011
Part one introduces my thoughts on why only whole spices should grace your pantry and parts two, three and four feature the beginnings of my essential spice list.
Part 5 concludes the Kitchen Playground essential spice list.
Saffron threads
At the Kitchen Playground, saffron is used a lot in Spanish cooking as well as appearing in Middle [...]
Posted in Cooking basics, Other on Jul 1st, 2011
Part one introduces my thoughts on why only whole spices should grace your pantry and parts two and three feature the beginnings of my essential spice list.
Part 4, is more spicy goodness. You will notice I have included galangal and ginger which are technically rhizomes so neither herb nor spice and also lemon grass. I [...]
Posted in Cooking basics, Other, thermomix on Jun 29th, 2011
Part one of this discussion introduces my thoughts on why only whole spices should grace your pantry and part two features the beginning of my essential spice list.
Part three is a continuation of the Kitchen Playground essential spice list.
from top, left to right, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, garlic
Cloves
Powerful little beast clove. They [...]
Posted in Cooking basics, Other on Jun 28th, 2011
So, we agreed in part one of my spice ramblings that whole spices are the key to increasing the flavour of our food. They are no more expensive, difficult to access or use. The only question remaining is which spices to keep on hand.
Now for the Kitchen Playground must have spice list:
from the top, left [...]
Posted in Cooking basics, thermomix on Jun 13th, 2011
Really flavoursome food, requires really flavoursome ingredients. Freshly picked and respectfully grown fruit, vegetables and herbs, meat from animals fed and treated well from birth to the slaughterhouse and minimal messing with nature. The usual things I preach about. Something I don’t mention as much though is the spice factor. If you have a pantry [...]
Posted in Budget, Cooking basics, Other, Salads & Vegetables, Sauces on May 28th, 2011
I love chilli and garlic oil. It’s brilliant to add a kick to cooking, dipping for dumplings, drizzling for soups. So many things taste better for a splash, drizzle or dunk of it.
Like so many things it’s also a breeze to make in the thermomix and even though I use it a lot, one batch [...]
Posted in Ankle Biter Cooking, Cooking basics, Pasta, Noodles & Rice on Jun 11th, 2009
Risotto is so quick and easy in the thermomix that it has become my fall back meal when all other plans disintegrate around my ears. Or when I’m feeling extremely lazy. This little beastie was inspired by a poorly stocked fridge, a late afternoon arrival home from a weekend away and the flavours of colconnon. [...]
Posted in Ankle Biter Cooking, Baking, Carnivorous, Cooking basics, Dessert, Slow cooker/crock pot, Soup, thermomix on Jun 3rd, 2009
Poor old First Born has one of the myriad of lurgies floating around Melbourne and took today off school. He still felt up to his regular cooking night and decided to use the extra time wisely. He made two courses.
First on the menu was chicken noodle soup. In true Kitchen Playground fashion, I’m teaching him [...]
Posted in Cooking basics on Jul 22nd, 2008
It’s possible that I often mention scrambled eggs. Or maybe not. What is certain is that I eat them a lot. They’re my staple weekend breakfast and I often make myself a serving for lunch too. Perfect after a cold morning in the pool. In fact, Lil Miss and I had scrambled eggs with feta [...]
Posted in Cooking basics, Ramblings on Mar 23rd, 2008
A friend told me last week that a new supermarket that has opened in our local area was selling spring onions tagged as shallots. A pet hate for both of us. The confusion is exacerbated when talking across international lines as the names will change (not to protect the innocent). So I thought it worthwhile [...]
The Kitchen Playground
The culinary adventures of a real food fanatic
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