james test

A few days after Christmas I visited a family friend and returned home with zucchinis and eggs. Maybe the zucchinis don't look all that intimidating at first glance, but compare them to the biro posed at the top of the picture - these are big zucchinis. Over the following week I managed to knock 'em down with one dish per zucchini. For my first trick, I tried stuffing one. I think the mild, watery flavour of zucchini works well with firm salty cheese like haloumi or fetta so I decided that fetta would be the feature ingredient. Add some garlic, capsicum and parsley and it's actually a rather flavoursome and very summery dish. On the side I had a shot at sweet potato chips. They didn't work spectacularly, but I didn't have high hopes - it's difficult to get them crispy! I just sliced the potato thinly and baked it in a bit of oil. The chips may have fared better if I'd been able to spread them out so they weren't overlapping - the few leftover on...

Update 31/12/2014: Coco Loco has changed its name to  Papasito  and its emphasis to Mexican food. It's still run by the same owner and still has a decent range of vegan options. After a wander along High St on a hot day, I finally managed to steer Michael into Coco Loco for a proper look. I've been keen to visit this chocolate shop for some time - it's vegan-friendly, organic and uses only Fair Trade cocoa and coffee. The menu is long and impressive: there are hot and iced chocolates, mochas and cocktails as well as a display cabinet of house-made truffles. Chocolate promenades with various fruit, nut and spice combinations; drink orders are made with your preference in temperature (hot or iced), milk (dairy, soy or Kashew Mylk) and chocolate concentration (light, medium, deep). We both needed a deep chocolate fix on ice, and gave the family Kashew Mylk recipe a go. They were frothy, icy cold and not too rich - just what was needed in the prevailing weather. However th...

After a busy few days hanging out with Cindy's family, we had the 27th free to amuse ourselves. Our original plan was to spend the day wandering from St Kilda to Brighton, but the sunburn from our day at the MCG meant that the idea of a long walk in the sun seemed like a bad idea. So we opted for a short walk in the sun and a stroll around Fitzroy. Starting with breakfast. We tracked down this review of Wild Flour bakery on The Breakfast Blog and decided it was worth a visit (particularly since The Commoner doesn't open until 10a.m. and we were hungry at 8). When we got to 422 George Street we were a little confused by what we saw: it was clearly the same basic place as Jamie had visited, with a couple of big communal tables and some tiny outdoor seats, but it didn't seem to be the Wild Flour bakery anymore. Certainly there was a big sign saying 'Wild Flour bread available here', but the name on the door appeared to be Min Lokal (which is Swedish for My Local...

Like Christmas day itself, Boxing Day has its traditions. Mountains of sandwiches made from leftover ham or turkey, or perhaps an ultra-competitive excursion to the nearest department store for the end of year sales. Or just planting yourself squarely in front of the Boxing Day test with a cold drink and an optional afternoon snooze. For this Christmas in Melbourne we made the latter a live experience accompanied by my brother Liam, my Mum, and two of Mum's sisters. My main knowledge of sports ground catering revolved around lukewarm meat pies, so a small insulated bag of veg-friendly food seemed a necessary, if cumbersome, accessory. Number 1 essential ingredient? A 2 litre bottle of water, half of it frozen overnight and then topped up in the morning. Sitting all day is thirsty work. No leftovers here, thankyou very much. Instead we had fresh super sandwiches for all. I was astounded to discover that the MCG now houses a falafel stand, so a lazy vego can still be guarant...

Christmas traditions have generally faded as my grandparents have passed on and the grandkids have grown up, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. If anything we're better able to appreciate the food and company that does come together without any preconceptions. Three years ago, Michael and I turned up in Melbourne late on discounted flights, then spent the afternoon eating chips and avocado while watching DVDs with my brother, Mum and Mum's sister Carol. I don't think there were even any gifts or a decorated tree but the sense of togetherness was much more real than the photo stories Coles Myer would have us buy into all November. This year we shared Christmas lunch with some of my Mum's family on the north side of Melbourne. It was a very Aussie barbie with bread and salads - for the hot plate, Michael and I brought along a lunchbox full of caramelised onions, and four enormous mushrooms brushed with balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic. These reindeer cupc...

At this time of year, it's not only food bloggers that are preoccupied with food and its preparation. People who haven't preheated an oven for 12 months suddenly start preparing gingerbread, while the keener cooks go into overdrive . I tried not to go too crazy but with some family meals scheduled, it was important to me that I contribute something to the table. Firstly, because making and giving food is my primary method of showing people I care; secondly, because I didn't want feeding two vegetarians to make anyone else's Christmas more difficult. We didn't need to worry about that on Sunday night, Christmas Eve Eve. We visited Emma and Simon's home and were spoiled with five incredible Indian-inspired vegetarian dishes. The entree was battered deep-fried balls of spiced potato stuffed with fetta and served with yoghurt dressing and chutney - one of the most memorable dishes of the summer. We were sent home with boxes of leftover curry, as well as a Chri...

Like Johanna , I recently bought a bottle of pomegranate molasses for the first time. Pomegranate molasses has orbitted my culinary consciousness for quite some time, but for the most part I was content not to own this specialty ingredient. I wasn't convinced that I'd use it much or particularly like the taste. Then I saw Clotilde 's recipe for muhammara , a Middle Eastern spread. This mixture of roasted red capsicum and walnuts looked like the star of a few excellent bread-and-dip plates I've ordered out. She suggested that balsamic vinegar, which I already had, would make a suitable substitute but all of a sudden pomegranate molasses had taken on an aura of irreplacability, as if it must be the secret ingredient on those dip platters. And far from disappointing me, my experimental taste from the bottle confirmed that this was my kind of syrup. Sweet and languidly viscous, but with a very fruity tang. Balsamic vinegar would do, sure, but the molasses fills out t...