I have been terrible this month with writing, and have neglected my blog so very much. I am very sorry to those of you who are lovely enough to read it. I have hundreds of excuses, I promise. Firstly, there was all my pastry school assessments. Not only was there a huge amount of practical cooking to do, there was some huge assignments this term which bored my brains out. Then I moved houses, started getting ready for Christmas (this involved a lot of gingerbread house making, and also a decent amount of wine), work was also pretty hectic, and because all that wasn't quite enough...I fell a bit in love. So all of these activities, along with seeing friends, trying new recipes, and basically just living have been keeping me pretty busy. I am dreadfully sorry though.At the moment I've gone home for Christmas. I'm back on the hot and sticky Sunshine Coast with my family, helping arrange all the dinner parties, and catching up with friends. It's such a relief to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the city...although not being within walking distance of a coffee shop is one trial I am trying to bare quietly, if not resentfully. It's lovely to be here though.What I love about coming home, apart from seeing all the family and friends is the pantry. It's so very full all the time. There is nothing (well maybe one or two things) more lovely in this life than a full pantry. It's very satisfying to know that at any time there is enough ingredients around to make a delicious meal.I was discussing with an old friend that I ran into recently while I have been home about our ideas of the perfect holiday. She said the best thing for her would be a place where she could read books all the time and not have to bother about cooking or eating. To me this is the biggest disaster of a holiday. Unless there is a kitchen on my holidays, there is no point in going. Even when my ex and I used to go and stay in luxury bed and breakfasts in the forest we would always make sure the room had a little stove so I could cook. Before a two day holiday I would drag my partner through the farmers markets in order to find 'the best holiday cheese' and 'the tastiest pastries' to take with us (all the while flirting with the cheese man and bakers...gosh I miss the farmers markets in Noosa.) Then we would pile into the car in amongst all the food and about 7 cook books.I started thinking about this...and my love of food in general. Why do I insist on cooking, even when I'm on holidays? I think the reason is...the kitchen is where I feel most at home, most comfortable. I feel like life makes a lot more sense while I am quietly chopping, and stirring and baking.I forgot how much I have missed writing and have rambled on something awful. Well, I'll give you a little holiday recipe to make in case you too feel most at home in the kitchen. It's just an easy one that I whipped up the other day for lunch.
Spring lunch frittata
What you will need:
7 eggs
half a cup of milk
salt and pepper
one onion
garlic
4 baby zucchini's (or two normal size ones if you can't get the babies)
8 cherry tomatoes
a small tin of salmon
250g goats fetta
A handful of basil
What to do:
You need a big non-stick frypan with metal handles for this recipe. So firstly make sure you have one of those.Dice your onion and crush your garlic, cook over a low heat in the frypan until it becomes transparent.Slice the zucchini lengthwise and add to the onion, frying on medium heat. Add tomatoes and continue to cook until zucchini is nearly softBreak the eggs into a bowl and add the milk. Whisk to combine and seasonMake sure that all the vegetables are evenly distributed over the bottom of the pan and pour in the egg mix. Continue to cook on a medium heat.When the egg mix has set about 2/3 of the mix poke in the cheese and salmon. Place the whole pan under a oven grill and cook until set.Once the whole thing is set, turn out onto a plate (this can be done by placing a plate on top of the fritatta and holding onto it while turning the whole pan upside down...sounds hard but really it isn't. Just believe it will work...and umm hopefully it will.)Tear up the basil and place on top.Eat it!
