boxonomiyaki

hello,

you might remember me from posts like 'exploding kidneys' or 'the potato solution' (still a good name for a court-procedural thriller). well i'm still here, i just haven't been talking to you. i've still been getting boxes, although things got a bit boring over winter, so i stopped for a while.

anyway, i boxed up this week and got leek, broc, cauli, mushies, oranges, tangelos, box choy, asparagus, apples, coriander, kiwi fruit. quite a nice spread.

today i went for a stroll at lunch time and happened upon an asian grocery. this generally means that i will buy things that i don't need nor will ever use. bulgogi marinade anyone? how about yuzu tea but in paste form? what about some salt-flavoured lollies? you get my drift.

but, on occasion, the products align. i bought some okonomi sauce and some kewpie mayonnaise. can you guess where this heading...?

boxonomiyaki!!! (really okonomiyaki, of course, with largely box ingredients).

found a simple recipe (they all are really - the degree of difficulty comes with extra like bonito flakes, nori or red pickled ginger and i had none of these).

here is a picture...

...couldnt have been easier. slice finely some cabbage, some mushrooms, add some corn kernels, spring onion and probably anything else you would like (seafood, bacon, other veges). 'okonomi' apparently means 'as you like', so go for it kids! add your veges to a batter made with 150g flour, 150mL water and an egg. fry in a little oil on one side till crispy and then flip and repeat (although at some point you will need to decide it is cooked, and remove it from the pan). some of the recipes called for tenkasu (tempura bits!) but i added deep fried shallots instead.

nest time, i'll add even more veges. i thought there was a lot in there, but there was space for more in the finished product. here is a picture for reference...

yes, it does look like a bowl of sick.


once cooked, squirt (the okonomiyaki) with okonomi sauce and some mayo, sprinkle some more spring onion on top and enjoy! very easy japanese version of bubble and squeak!


byeeeeeee

p.

chin chin 2

so i kind of accidentally ended up at chin chin for lunch today with the italian speaking anonymous contributor. it was delicious. when you go, for there is no if, you are required to order the kingfish sashimi and the son-in-law eggs. the rest is up to you...

a clear winner for best food of the year so far.

p

chin chin...

was really very good. some of the best food of the year without question. but you've heard all that before. if you like the idea of getting together with some mates, picking at very nice asian food and drinking some original cocktails, you should get there.

the real reason for the post is to share a recipe (well, as close to a recipe as you get here). work has been off the scale - hell fortnight is over as of yesterday. i managed, between crises, talks, training and complaining, to order a box. it's been a while cos i've been jetting around the country a bit lately, and so box ordering gets patchy.

anyway, the recipe...this week's box had some massive spring onions in it (to be honest, i'm not certain that they weren't smallish leeks). a dish on relatively high rotation during the warmer months is inspired by a side-recipe in the cook's companion. stephanie describes a spring onions sauce that she puts over white-cooked chicken, often on boxing day.

the idea is to finely slice a fair number of spring onions, add a little finely chopped or grated ginger and/or garlic. then, heat up some peanut oil until it is almost ablaze. really. you want it smoking hot. when it gets there you pour it over the spring onions - there will be spitting and sizzling, but the spring onions cook a bit, and release some umami. to up this, you then add a splash or two of light soy sauce, a bit of chinese rice wine and maybe half a teaspoon of sesame oil. stir it all together.

for me, this gets pureed over some shredded/slices poached chicken boobs (i make a fake master stock to do the poaching) and some finely sliced snow peas or green beans. when eating it can, not surprisingly, get a bit oily, so i often make a quick 'salickle' (cross between a salad and a pickle - actually that doesn't really work does it now that it is written down...) with cucumber/carrot/daikon. i only had box carrots but this was fine.

the whole thing is served with steamed rice, and looks like this...

it is actually much more appetising than it looks, and could easily be vegetarianised (it would be great with either fried or fresh chunks of tofu). this was one of those rare moments for me where it was exactly what i wanted...plenty of 'frunch' (fresh/crunch - i am tired), and very tasty. after not cooking anything for myself for about a week, it was a nice change.

chat soon

p

sweet sweet scallops

from mure's on constitution dock, hobart.

passive agressive imaginary conversation

person1:
"so, how was your weekend?"

me:
"great, i didn't have to do any fun things, all i had to do was some extra work for work. best. weekend. ever."

person 1:
"that sounds awesome. catching up with people in your life is overrated. it is much more satisfying to spend it in front of a computer. so what did you have to do?"

me:
"it was really exciting and also interesting. i had to write a submission for a review of the [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Act. it's due on monday and this is essentially the first chance i've had to look at it."

person 1:
"wow, that is cool. it's a good thing they haven't given you any more people at work yet to help with these things. imagine if you couldn't do work on the weekend and late at night during the week because most things were covered at LRO."

me:
"yeah, that would totally suck. i mean, i really enjoy not being able to get things done and having to rush them through after deadlines have passed. it is really rewarding and sets a great example. the best thing is that it probably won't make a difference if we make a submission or not"

person1:
"yeah, that is good. it's not like you'd want to be doing all this work for a reason"

me:
"agreement"

person1:
"can i read it?"

me:
"cool your jets person1. having people read these things is not the point. it might put a curse on it or something. no one has read one of these submissions yet, and i'd hate to ruin the metrics"

person 1:
"k"

me:
"thxbi"

more autumnal than...

...fallen leaves. last night, i felt like cooking properly for the first time in a while - cooking mojo comes and goes. inspired by box 20, i made the slaw with purple cabbage, onion and apple (all from this and previous boxes) and dressed it with olive oil and sherry vinegar. i mashed to parsnips and mixed in some diced fresh pear, and i 'roasted' a chicken boob. it was sizzled skin side down for 5 or so minutes on a high heat to get the skin cripsy, and then to the oven for about 15-20 minutes until it was cooked. it was rested well and stayed juicy.

here is a photo...

it's not a great photo, but you get the impression. the parsnip and pear match was fantastic, the slaw was crisp and cool, and the chicken was tasty. thanks box!

p

vegetable redemption

today was pretty much balls all round. not literally. i copped a massive man-cold that started on bad thursday and lasted until i was due back at work. the weather over easter here was spectacular, but i was either sleeping or sneezing. i thought i was getting better, but now i have the consumption, and someone has stolen my absinthe (not really - it's a moulin rouge reference for your reading entertainment).

but, today was box day, so i headed off from work in the rain (this is a good thing) and collected said box from the designated pick up point.

here is box 20 in all its seasonal glory...

what an awesome selection, and the source of the vegetable redemption of this balls-laden (heavy would be the wrong adjective) day. this box contained two big bunches of chlorophyllic spinach, some sprightly bok-choy, a deeply purple cabbage (pronounced ka-barge), some crunchy green capsicums, some zucchini (in german), fungus, parsnips, corn, grean beens, punkin, spudadoes, pears (2 species), apples and a reptilian avocado. outrageous!

this box typifies what i love about this whole thing. the weather is wintery, so your stomach-mind turns to thoughts of soups, stews and roasty-things. as if by magic, the box delivers. of course, it's not magic, it's just seasonal. it makes perfect sense.

i predict some spanakopita, some punkin soup, a slaw (with apple and onion and a simple lemon juice and olive oil dressing) to be served with some roasted protein and the maggie beer parsnip mash with pears. yummo! bring it on!! as always, recipe suggestions are welcome.

cheers,

p

quinces...

...are probably the ultimate seasonal fruit (followed closely by nectarines and white peaches). monday was an incredibly grumpy day for me. no apparent reason, but it was best to take be removed from circulation. i left the LRO early and grabbed some lunch on the way home. i stopped by the local fruit and vege shop and picked up some things for dinner, and, some quinces.

it was a baking lead recovery. these happened to be the best batch i've made. they were roasted in slapdash sugar syrup with some lime juice, zest and vanilla for about 5 hours. the secret to success here was the use of a cartouche - a bit of baking paper over the top while cooking. it kept to quince bits cool (cool - really? maybe just leave them out of the oven if that is your goal...try covered) and allowed the syrup to reduce, just as maggie suggested it would.

here is a photo...

they became an even deeper red after cooling for a little bit. i ate some straight away with some honey and cinnamon yoghurt. delightful and uplifting on even the grumpiest of days. 

p

portentous...

..is the word.

so, there is a greek component to my family. this means, as a deeply non-religious person, that i get to enjoy all the benefits of greek easter but without any of the sacrifice. it is almost a perfect situation - almost, because if i am wrong, and there is a god, s/he won't be terribly happy with my usury here.

in any case, i won't know about this until it is too late, so i'll enjoy it while i can. a big greek easter feast was held and it was lots of fun as always. as part of the tradition, my sister in law read my coffee cup (love greek coffee by the way!). so, after it was done i turned it upside down and twisted it three times in a counter clockwise direction. it was then left to 'dry', in a contra-normal state for a couple of minutes.

here is the future...

so, what can you make out here? granted, you can't see the whole thing, so it is only part of my future you are looking at. what does the cup predict? what does it tell me about the current situation??? make your predictions in the comments and i'll award a prize to the closest prognostication.

p

boxes 18 and 19...

are overdue. box 18 was bountiful. see...

there was pumpkin, corn, zucchs, apples, two types of pear, shallots/onions, brocc, an avo, tomatoes, spuds, beans, shrooms, cos and some cavolo nero. this was a bumper box. i think it had a lot to do with collection the day before good friday, so they were trying to get rid of stuff. absolutely not a complaint!! 

the cavolo nero went into a white bean and winter green soup (you can find it on cuisine.com.au, another good dupleixian recipe). it's really easy and delicious. make some!!

i picked up box 19 tonight. it is not a prolific, but still a tasty collection of pro-dooce. here is a photo...

a curly leaved lettuce thing, beans, shroom, apples, pears, carrots, zucchs, broccs, onion and some feijoa! also, an obscene eggplant. look!!

it should have a name...it looks like grug

other suggestions welcome in the comments. also, some tips for a handful of feijoas are welcome. can you just eat them or are they better in things?

p

the potato solution

long time readers of this blog (and those who have fortuitously read the right posts) will know that i have been suffering from a potato anti-famine (glut is probably the adult word). i have struggled for starchy inspiration given the absence of potato preservation techniques, and the pile of offending tubers wouldn't avert their eyes, even the ones with things growing out of them...'use me' they pleaded, but still no light bulb.

until tonight.

the solution...

ROESTI. ingredients here are potato, salt, pepper and some oil and butter for frying. how 'honest' is that? the trick, according to a recipe on the sbs food site, is to cook the raw, grated potato for a couple of minutes before pressing it into the cake. this ensures that the middle is smooth and puffy while the outside is crispy and golden. cooking on a low heat for a longish time is also important (about 15 minutes). this photo is (obvs) post flip - which also happened without incident.

the roesti was the base of a stack of things - some mayo, some san daniele proscuitto, some box salad and a poached egg. here is a photo...

yum. this definitely falls into the 'breakfast as dinner' category, but that usually happens by the end of the week around here anyway.

so, the potato anti-famine resolves itself deliciously. add roesti to the rotation (regular but not frequent - like a fave 80s flashback song).

p

MEGA-BOX-POST

so i've been lazy. that's it really. there has been no other reason. i'm ok with that.

box 16, from some time ago...

some tiny potatoes (not as ridiculous as the 50 centers), and some nice beans and corn. celery was very celery too. others as expected. i don't mean to sound unimpressed, its just this was from a while ago...


you may recall the inclusion of some eggplants in box 15. i finally manned (personned? sorry) up enough to make some baba ganoush. i prefer an alternative spelling - baba ganooj - because it is more fun to say, especially if you emphasise the nooj. try it...in a deep voice and drag out the nooj.

anyway, the hurdle here was placing the eggplant directly on the burner. it was wrong and uncomfortable. the results are worth it. it didn't really make a mess, and there was next to no smoke. here is a picture...

see, wrong! it took about 10 minutes to get it evenly cooked and properly charred, turning every couple of minutes. when cooled, cut it in half and scoop out the soft flesh, taking care to avoid black bits of skin. the guts are mixed with some tahini, yoghurt, cumin, lemon juice, garlic and a little salt and pepper. here is a picture...

i 'jamied' a bit too much oil on the top, so ignore that. the ganoooooj was delicious - really nice and smoky, tangy from the ghurt and the lemon juice. i ate it a lot.

now, tonight's box - box 17 (!!)

a nice autumnal selection - pears, apple, onions, potatoes, zuccs, tomatoes, shrooms, corn, brocc, cos, carrots and a couple of very crunchy capsicums. these may become 'gemista' - stuffed with rice and other things and baked...i have to get the recipe from my sister in law!!

i have enjoyed the apples and pears in previous boxes, especially with some thin shavings of parmiggiano reggiano that have been cleaved from a big chunk. heading into posh nosh territory here (youtube it if you haven't seen it - funny).

so, that's it for now. more box next week...

p

box 15

a return to normal after last weeks box. a comparison with monica's box (thanks for the photo, and stop sniggering the rest of you) also sees a return to proper provisioning for those of us with a thursday pick up - maybe they had run out of the good stuff by then...

here is the photo...

contents for box 15 were tomatoes, zucchini (not german this time), shrooms, eggplants (a 'normal' one and a lebanese one), celery, cos, broc, grapes, pears, plums, apples, onions and some spuds (no gnocchi sized ones this week).

a good mix. i've got some spuds and pumpkin roasting away as we speak - i'm not sure what they are for (maybe pizza with some taleggio). a lot of the other veg will go into a chicken soup this evening. it's that sort of weather and i am feeling slightly poorly...jewish penicillin and all that.

i had a briefing session to run the other day, and as an ice breaker asked for advice on using the lebo eggplant (or legganese ebbplant, as i said twice during the discussion). some wide ranging recipes from a simple fry up with some salt (thanks dense-face) through a thai salad or bruschetta topping (good suggestion!!) to compost from someone who doesn't like eggplant but likes compost (presumably not too eat). the eggplant from last week turned into eggplant parmigiana - it was very nice...fried in some panko first, a quick tomato/basil sauce and some bocc on top. tasty! the big one this week may become baba ganoush if i can face placing it directly on the burner.

anyway, that's all. as always, comments and suggestions welcome. i am developing a glut of potatoes, and there is not a 'potato jam' i can turn them into so some tips welcome for those...

p

speaking of tuna tacos...

...if you live in any of the south eastern australian states, you are required to track down the location of the beatbox kitchen taco truck and eat a lot of fish tacos. they are delicious...potentially the food highlight of 2011 so far.

here are some trucks...

the one in the foreground is the relatively new taco truck. tonight they were serving fish and vege tacos. there is apparently also a beef version but this was not on the menu tonight. the silvery looking truck a bit further down the road is the original beatbox kitchen burger truck. rumor had it that these were the best burgers in melbourne. i dont agree. they are the best burgers you get out of a truck in melbourne, but my local fish and chip shop (which is ace) does better.

so, onto the star of the evening...

it's pretty simple. a fresh tortilla, some slaw (good and crunchy), poppy seed mayo, lime juice, a couple of chunks of perfectly fried fish, and a couple of drops of chilli sauce.

this was OUTSTANDING.

if you get wind of the taco truck being in your 'hood, waste no time and get down there.

also, if you happen to be an ethnographer looking into hipster culture, get yourself a spot and observe - it attracts lots of them, and they form into groups. you may have read previous comments here about hipsters - tonight was alright because (i) the food is worth it and (ii) i didn't have to interact with them.

moral of the story...track down the taco truck!!

P

hahahahahahahaha...

i just checked the stats for the blog. one of the referring sites is a google search for 'mahoofna'. nice work for trying whoever you were!!!

box 14 - sign o' the times...

...is a critically acclaimed prince album and so i was going to try to say something cool about that. the truth is i had to check wikipedia to make sure that it was a prince album, and then i couldn't be bothered pretending that i really knew what i was talking about. i didn't recognise any of the songs on the track list anyway...

the real connection between the title and the box has to do with the contents of box 14 - there were no green leafies (and i like my greeens), and some grapes that were approaching sad. there was also broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, potatoes (more on these later), mushrooms, pears, plums, corn, zucchini (this is the german version), apples and a couple of beetroots.

here is a photo...

see, not really all that much produce. i think this has a lot to do with droughts and flooding rains. it is a bit like the first box i ordered.

the other night, i conned convinced some mates of mine, lets call them monica and chandler, to give the box a go. it really didn't take all that much convincing to be honest.

here is a picture of monica's box (now come on, grow up)...

that's more like it really, and more like some of the other boxes i have received. you should note the excellent arrangement, cornucopic really.

also, are these actually large enough to be called potatoes...

the one at the back is, but those 3 near the 50c piece...they should have been thrown back. they are almost not worth washing...

is the gloss wearing off? will another box be ordered? is it time for a break from the box? tune in tomorrow...same box time, same box channel for the answers to these questions and more.

(note - heston just made a chocolate starfish for dessert. team this with the tuna tacos they made on masterchef this year, and you could have a double entendre dinner. suggestions for entree welome)

p

box 13 - return of the box

i remembered to order this week! very glad i did. this weeks small box was a great mix of top quality fruit and veg. the bonus is that i can idenitfy them all!

here is the photo

from the back, we have basil, mushrooms, zucchini, pumpkin (welcome back), carrots, onions, spuds, tomatoes, a big juicy cos, a big cucumber, broccoli, plums, pears, apples and grapes. delicioso! i have already scoffed some of the grapes - nice and sweet sultanas. the plums are in grave danger.

i have a challenge for anonymous reader number 1 to translate this list of fruit and vegetables into italian. the rest of you can improve my general knowledge by picking a language and translating for me!!

i used to work at coles on the graveyard shift (the stories i could tell...). we were a multicultural staff, and used to teach each other swear words and phrases (the real joy of multiculturalism - discuss). one night, we strung the phrases together and pronounced over the PA (to an empty store)..."da haoula cosomac mahoofna apopiso". this is a phonetic spelling involving three languages and bad grammar. dinner for anyone who can translate.

an open letter to tom phat

dear hipsters,

i was at your food service joint today for lunch. i sometimes drop in for food and drink, because this is what you are there for. i like the food you make for me. what i don't like is your attitude. is it that your asymmetric fringes and ironic moustaches make it too hard to speak? will breathing in deeply enough to generate sufficient air speed to cause vocal chord vibration place too much pressure on the button of your skinny jeans?

whatever it is, cut it out. i shouldn't feel as though i should apologise for interrupting your absence seizure when ordering food. nor should i have to guess whether you want a table number or details of my order when it comes to paying - you should ask.

best of luck and hope that you grow out of it soon,

p

forgotten box...

so i am so on holidays that i fell asleep on the couch and forgot to order a box. it doesn't matter really because there is still enough left from the last one.

instead here is a picture of something else...

it is some native aniseed vinegar - i know, next i'll be making jam and crochet-square rugs. it is apparently tasty, but i'll let you know once it is ready. at least it looks good...

a new box next week!!

spanakopita guts...

...could have been an insult traded in the playground at high school, but it doesn't contain enough swear words. instead it is the first step of this really nice spanakopita made this evening.

here is a picture...

it is probably not really spanako because i used box silverbeet, but i dont know the greek for silverbeet. it was really green silverbeet, and the ratio of green to cheese was correct - just enough ricotta and feta so that the greens were speckled with it and not the other way around.

the mix included silverbeet, spring onion, ricotta, feta, pepper and 2 eggs. that's all. no garlic, no nutmeg, nothing else. it is another dense-face inspired recipe. you simply mix all this stuff up and tip it into a frypan that you have lined with filo (melted butter in between each layer). you want lots of filo hanging over the side because this becomes the lid. when it is all tucked in, give it 5 minute on a medium to high heat to get the pastry on the bottom crispy. then, oven it until it is melty (inside) and crispy (outside).

here is another photo...

the spanakopita was accompanied with a simple box salad (really nice tomatoes this time), and a glass of delatite dead man's hill gewurztraminer (favourite wine of the year so far - minerally and crisp with fruity/floral finish).

i like spanakopita and this was a good one. next time, i will try it with cooked spanako - things got a bit wet on the inside and bottom and i think cooked (and squashed) spinach/ silverbeetwill help reduce this.

seeyas.

box 12...

...is huge! I got a medium box to replenish supplies after being away for a while, and it is a whopper. heaps of good stuff. noticeable is the absence of stone fruit and the introduction of apples and pears...just as you'd expect really.

here is the photo...

so we have bananas, silverbeet, lettuce, 4 ears of corn, zucchini, mystery vegetable (see below), mushrooms, onions, potatoes, tomatoes (an heirloom variety - look weird but taste great apparently), apples, buerre bosc pears, nashi, grapes (!), carrots and broccoli...exhausting yeah? i've tried a couple of the grapes and they are intensely grapey...very very good.

here is the mystery vegetable...

i think perhaps it is not in fact all that mysterious and that it is a squash of some description. there is a chance (based on facebook evidence) that it is a poorly-formed, tiny honeydew. i would put money on squash but. comment in the comments.

thanks for asking! the holiday has been great so far. two weeks in merimbula - lots of swimming (including snorkelling - who knew?), prawning, eating, reading, relaxing, walking on the beach with the wind blowing through my hair etc etc. the weather was a bit grey at times, but it didnt really matter. back in PIGSTY now, and with still almost another 2 weeks hols to go. pretty good i reckon.

so, what's been happening with you?

Another test

holiday...

...celebrate.

so i'm on leave at the moment, for like 5 weeks!!1! a couple of weeks on the sapphire coast and the rest at home. this means that there are no boxes for the next short period of time, but i'll still be cooking, and maybe doing some other things and i might post about them, but there are no guarantees.

vincenzo from the work (not her real name..yes, really) donated some vegetable surplus. amazing zucchini, cucumbers - including an apple cucumber, and some dill. there remained the u.f.o. squash from box 11 and an ear of corn. i turned these into fritters (grated the squash and zucc and made a stupidly quick batter of some eggs and flour, some spices and some 'erbs). these were accompanied with a salad and the apple cucumber, quickly pickled (not even really) in some cider vinegar and brown sugar with thin slices of box onion. here is the photo...

was alright. without a doubt the star was the apple cucumber. the fritters were good but not outstanding. i should point out that this was not the fault of the vegetables - the corn/zucc/squash combo was really sweet and 'gentle' (really?). it was the cooking. i got bored and turned up the heat, and then they were cooking too quickly, so i turned it down, and then they weren't cooking, etc. etc. they were supposed to be 'crunchy'...

for herbage, i used some native mint, which i think is really only called mint because it looks a little like colonial (?) mint. it has a much stronger taste and it is a bit turpentiney, but it is good.

so that's it. have fun! i'm looking forward to (i) sandy books, (ii) salty hair, (iii) nanna naps on the deck in the sun, and (iv) soles of my feet that are able to withstand surfaces other than plush-pile carpet.

oh, yeah...also hello to the everyone from outside the LRO who reads this. you should feel free to comment too, but it is not a compliance requirement and there is no auditing or things.

revel in thy broccoliness...

..this bit doesn't follow like it does on the other posts.

so, one of my co-workers, dense-face, is a vegetarian (primarily). this is not her defining characteristic, but given the amount of time we spend talking about food, it is important. DF (one of many, many probably inappropriate names) often speaks of the joys of eating simply so that you can really taste the thing you are eating. it is inspiring. this recipe for pasta and broccoli is inspired by DF - it probably contains many more ingredients than she would prefer, and it contains no weeds.

so cut the broccoli up into small florets - really small sort of at the major branch level if you think of broccoli as a tree (one could even make comparisons to fractals here, but that would be way too geeky). include the stalk because it is probably the best bit. fry off a clove of garlic, thinly sliced, in some olive oil and add a whole chilli (not chopped - i just wanted a bit of heat). when the garlic is cooked add the broccoli and fry for a bit, until it is bright green.

before this get the pasta water boiling. just as the broccoli goes bright green, add a splash of water and put the lid on to steam it a little. cook the pasta and drain it.

i tend to do this bit backwards, so bare with me...add the drained pasta back to the pot, and tip in the broccoli. add some herbs (thyme and mint on this occasion) and a big blob of ricotta so that it coats the pasta and broccoli but is not saucy. some cbp (cracked black pepper) finishes it off. this bowlful had some grated PR on it.

this was very very nice. thanks dense-face!

salsa del boxio

ethetheth eth eth eth ethe ethe ethethethetheth. that's spanish for 'salsa made from box ingredients'. so, there is corn, tomato, onion, cucumber and some non-box coriander and lime. it is delicioso. eth eth eth.

here is a picture...

scorchio!!

box 11...

..was full of surprises. this was a medium mixed box, so there should be either more of each product or a bigger range. given that the contents and number of each species differs each week, it's a little hard to tell whether a medium box is a good thing or a bad thing. don't get me wrong, the stuff is all top quality and looks awesome. but i can't work out how this compares to the small box because i don't know what was is in them this week. get it? poor experimental design.

anyway, to the contents: plums (!!), nectarines, bananas, avocado, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber, beans, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, squash, fennel (!!), lettuce and sweetcorn (!!!). have a look for yourself...

looks good yeah? suggestions, especially for the squash are very welcome...

breaking box challenge news...

...i have ordered a MEDIUM mixed fruit and veg box for this week. i have heard reports of more variety rather than just more of the same stuff. stay tuned...

exploding kidneys...

...was the self diagnosis a friend of mine made the morning after eating quite a bit of beetroot the night before. he was so alarmed that he drove himself to the hospital. fortunately, he realised what might in fact be happening and never turned up at emergency.

i turned the handful of beetroots from box 9 into some easy and tasty beetroot dip this evening. it is very nice indeed. the recipe couldn't be easier (thanks to vincenzo from the work for the instructions!). the beets were microwaved for about 5 minutes until they were tender. when cool, peel them and then grate them (or chop them very finely). then add some yoghurt, lemon juice,a little crushed garlic, and some herbs (whatever) and you're away!

here is a picture of the dip (note the artistic framing/wanky picture taking)...

in real life it is a much more intense colour - deeply deeply purple. i jamie-olivered some oil over the top at the end just to make it shiny. this shall be made again! in fact, i might give a carrot-id (see what i did there? a medical pun to tie in with the title of this post. will i ever stop?) version a run.

box 10...

...was collected this evening. it is a fairly standard assortment of things, but it is all top quality. this week we have carrots (a lot actually), broccoli, green beans, mushies, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, apricots, nectarines, a big cos lettuce and a massive red salad onion.

not as many things jump out as being particularly challenging or inspiring, but that may have more to do with my frame of mind than anything else. you see, i'm going on holidays soon and i'm afraid that part of me has already left.

here's a picture (of the box)..

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broccoli and egg...

...is probably all the direction you need to make this. the recipe came (unashamedly) from the gary and george of masterchef fame cookbook. basically, you cook a finely-diced onion in some olive oil until a little brown, add some bacon if you are ethically able to eat it (while i dont know for sure, i reckon facon or smoked tofu would do the job) and let that crisp up (does facon crisp up?). then, add some bits of broccoli and reduce heat, cover the pan and leave until the broccoli is tender and bright green. add a splash of sherry vinegar. then, mix in egg white(s) and season. finally, carefully add egg yolk(s) and warm through under a really hot grill. add a sprinkle of mint and thyme (i forgot this bit - i even had the herbs picked, washed and chopped). delicioso!

this was an antidote to christmas meat consumption and it was rather tasty. it is supposed to be a side dish (all the broccoli and egg recipes that appear on google searches are too) and it would probably be best for that. as a meal in itself it was fine.

would i cook it again? yes, but not on high rotation, and probably as a side to something else

box 9

goodies collected this week: pumpkin, broccoli, cos lettuce, bananas, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchinis, white nectarines, apricots, green beans and beetroots!

notes:

1. options i hear you say. i agree - lots of good stuff here. love the stone fruit for that is what summer is all about

2. white nectarines!!! these are so far superior to ordinary, pus-coloured ones that the other ones shouldn't even be called nectarines.

3. white nectarines!!!

4. beetroot - a challenge and a new ingredient for my box. i predict some roasting, and maybe some dip manufacture.

i'll let you know what gets made from this box (that's not a promise, just a suggestion to get you coming back) (no one reads this - Ed.)

now i have to pack it up before it rots on the bench. this weather sucks.

what is box challenge?

about 2 months ago, i started getting a box of random (but local and organic) fruit and vegetables to try and make myself eat more fruit and vegetables. so far, things are going very well - the quality of the pro-dooce has been amazing, and i have been eating more fruits and vegetables.

more importantly though, the food is local. internal rage is generated when i go to the supermarket and have no choice but onions from the USA (not that there is anything wrong with the USA per se (or is there? - discuss), i just don't know why we need their onions...). note that i have already used nested parentheses. that will upset some people.

this is where i will post some pics of the goodies in the box, and some of the recipes that arise. you should join in if you have any suggestions. i'm getting a little bit over [insert vegetable] frittata...

this is a picture of box 7 ingredients for reference...yummo!