After what felt like a very (very) long winter (I blame this on the fact that I was lucky to skip last winter in favour of Europe’s summer), it’s finally spring in Melbourne! Strawberries and asparagus are arriving back in shops, mornings are getting lighter and evenings longer, and we’ve had our first day of t-shirt weather. It never fails to amaze me how much of a difference sunshine makes to mood at this time of year. Other than slogging though the last few weeks of medical school and work, I’ve been busy planning an upcoming trip (any tips for Japan and South Korea would be extremely welcome!), training for the Melbourne half marathon, and baking batches of banana bread (the Violet Bakery version with added dark chocolate is a current winner) and miso, walnut and dark chocolate blondies.

Freezer meals have been a saviour through the dreary months. I blame it on the fact that I get bored of eating the same meal but am also too lazy (or busy) to cook something new every night. I’m not a big meal prepper: yes, I’ll make a salad to last for a few days of lunches (and not any ordinary lettuce and tomato mix – something like this herby soba noodles or roast cauliflower with hummus), but the thought of having identical containers of dinner lined up for the week makes me want to cry. Instead, once a week or so I’ll make a big batch of something that freezes well and pop a few serves away – so after a few weeks, you have a couple of different frozen meal options to alternate with nights cooking. It lends itself best to wintery comfort food, but my summer version is quick zucchini frittata, corn fritters, tomato panzanella or peach and burrata salad. Apart from today’s turmeric coconut, chickpea & pumpkin curry, other favourites this winter have been:

• Ottolenghi’s curried lentil, tomato & coconut soup
• Hetty Mckinnon’s red curry pumpkin soup (I add sautéed tofu and greens)
• Izy Hossack’s vegetarian bolognese (just add pasta) and eggplant veggie chilli (I love to top it with sweet corn and avocado)
• Ottolenghi’s spicy baked beans

In saying that, this turmeric coconut, pumpkin and chickpea curry would also be perfect for a wintery dinner with friends, or a weeknight family meal. The base is a mesh of some of my favourite curry and dahl recipes – sliced red onion, garlic and ginger, loads of spices (but you’ll probably have most of them in your cupboard already), a couple of cans of chickpeas and coconut milk with grated tomato for sweetness and acidity. It’s versatile and colourful, and even if I cop a bit of flak for making dinner look fancy, toppings also give layers of texture and flavour – vibrant greens, caramelised roasted butternut pumpkin, crunchy toasted cashews, creamy yogurt and puffy flatbread make for a hugely satisfying DIY bowl. The flatbread are fool-proof – just mix all the ingredients together before you start cooking, leave to rise while you make the curry, then roll out and cook in a hot pan for a few minutes right at the end until bubbly and golden.

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This herby zucchini soba salad with peanut tofu is a recipe I’ve had in my pocket for ages. It’s on the menu almost weekly in some variation: sometimes paired with this miso grilled salmon in place of tofu, sometimes with gojuchang in place of the chilli and garlic in the dressing, with chunks of fresh mango or creamy roasted eggplant in summer, with whatever herbs and greens are lingering in the fridge and nuts in the pantry. The zucchini bulks up the noodles and seems to help prevent that frustrating situation of clump soba noodles, and the dressing is a nutty, salty mix of tahini, miso, lime and ginger.

It’s also much more representative of my day to day cooking than the highlight reel of elaborate pastry and cake over on my instagram feed. Don’t get me wrong, my sweet tooth hasn’t gone anywhere – but on busy weeknights, this is the sort of food I turn to. Mostly plant-based, quick and highly left-over friendly. (I know the ingredient list might seem long, but you probably have most of the dressing components already). There are many more cakes on the way, but I would be interested to know which sorts of recipes you come to this blog for and what you’d prefer – continuing the mix of both? More easy weeknight dinners? Or simply the celebration cakes and gooey brownies?

Peanut tofu has in itself been a minor revelation. I didn’t grow up eating tofu so always saw it as some strange bland entity to be treated with suspicion. I mean, the bland bit was partially correct, but it is very versatile, holds onto whatever flavours you marinate it in and is an easy source of plant based protein. Here it’s important to use firm tofu so it fries rather than crumbling up in the pan. It’s first marinated in chilli, garlic and soy while you prepare the rest of the salad, then panfried until golden and tossed in a lime-peanut sauce. If you’re a tofu hater, give it a chance to change your mind!

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It’s been a whirlwind few weeks since starting university again in Melbourne, and I must admit I’ve really enjoyed being back in routine. A solid routine plus a smidge (ok, a little more than a smidge) of work pressure has equaled productivity levels through the roof – at least as long as I balance that with organisation (a diary + a to-do list, am I right?) and enough sleep (have I already mentioned that you all need to go and read Why We Sleep?)). The only negative is that discretionary reading time has disappeared. This is bad news for my New Year’s resolution, which is to read a book a week in 2019 (so a grand total of 52 over the year). Easy to stick to during the holidays; not so much now. That hour window before bed which can so easily disappear into social media (or Netflix) is what I need to start utilising. Speaking of, I just finished The Bodyguard and LOVED it – would highly recommend if you’re after a new manageable length (6 episodes) series.

On another note, I’ve been struggling with instagram lately. Engagement (the number of people that see and like/comment on posts) has been down the gurgler, which I know is also true for many other people. I know I shouldn’t let something as arbitrary as this bother me, but it DOES. When you put significant time and effort into something, its tough to see an online algorithm decide that it isn’t worth people seeing, or to not compare yourself to other accounts that seem to fare much better. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! That’s part of why I maintain this website as well – I don’t want the value of The Brick Kitchen entirely at the mercy of fickle tech giants.

And to the recipe – it’s a fresh tomato and zucchini panzanella, and one of my favourite summer salads. Vibrant tomatoes are important – if you can splash a few extra dollars, this is where it is worth it. They’re thrown together with golden strips of fried zucchini, crunchy olive oil and salt laced croutons, chunks of roasted capsicum, lots of fresh parsley and basil, salty capers and whisper thin shards of parmesan, and creamy torn bocconcini (burrata and mozzarella are also great). The dressing is a simple combination of good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I’ve been serving it with panko-crumbed fresh fish, but you could also use canned sardines or any other kind of protein you have available. Because everything is fresh, it is the kind of salad where quality ingredients DO make a difference if they’re available and affordable.

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Corn, zucchini & goats cheese fritters with green tahini sauce, topped with avocado and poached eggs – super easy and works as equally well as an easy dinner or fancy brunch.  Jump to Recipe

I’m currently on a train towards London, weighed down by far too many bags – more than a few people have offered a hand getting on and off trains and up and down stairs, which I take to mean I must look like I’m struggling (maybe just a little). It’s hard to believe my six months in Oxford is already up, with the final thesis due date only a few weeks off. Maybe it’s cliche, but it feels more like six weeks. The time has raced past in a blur of challenging lectures and relaxed picnic dinners, coffees with friends and long days in the Harry Potter-esque Oxford libraries, hastily planned overseas trips (yes, all the Italian gelato and Copenhagen pastries) and afternoons spent reading on the lawns. 

Last week I realised I had hardly any good photos of Oxford – I think you start to take the views for granted when you’re living somewhere. The next early clear morning I ventured out with my camera, noticing all the golden-hued laneways and ivy creeping over stone walls. Without huge groups of tourists blocking the streets (the one negative of summertime in Oxford), it was easier to appreciate the colourful cafe facades and imposing church spires. I completely understand why everyone wants to visit towns like Oxford, but the huge numbers of people and tourbuses day-tripping through a tiny town does make the magic harder to find. It’s the same with most cities fuelled by tourism, I suppose – Barcelona and Venice come to mind – but in a town the size of Oxford it’s perhaps even more obvious. I don’t know what the solution is: I love to travel to new places just as much as anybody. 

Though I’m no longer in Oxford, I still have a mountain of work to do to finish my thesis so I’ll keep it brief today.  In the meantime, I’ve got these corn, zucchini & goats cheese fritters with green tahini sauce. Fritters are such a go-to summer meal for me – the simple base formula of flour, baking powder, eggs and milk accommodating all manner of vegetables and herbs. Sometimes it’s more of a Mexican vibe, loaded with coriander, lime and guacamole; sometimes it’s a classic corn with smoked salmon; sometimes I pile them with blistered cherry tomatoes and spinach. This is one of my favourites. It’s a mix of corn and zucchini – I find zucchini alone has a tendency to get a little soggy. Handfuls of parsley, mint and dill and chunks of goats cheese pack it with flavour, and they sit atop a herby, lemon-y green tahini sauce. Top with poached (or soft-boiled) eggs and avocado for a deluxe fritter dinner, or serve up for a friends for brunch. 

PS: yes, the egg yolks in NZ really are that orange.

Cook’s notes:

• The zucchini is best julienned width-ways as it gives firmer strips of zucchini, and more texture in the finished fritters. If you don’t have one though, a coarse grater is a perfect alternative and still great! Make sure to salt and leave to drain for at least 10 minutes. 
• Add the water last when making the green tahini sauce, as this makes sure the parsley is as finely chopped as possible so the sauce is vibrantly green!
• If you’re making these for a crowd, I’d recommend soft-boiling the eggs so you can do them a little in advance-  just bring a pot to a soft boil, lower the whole eggs in for 5-6 minutes, then put straight into cold water to stop them cooking further. Peel just before serving.

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Peach & Tomato Salad, two ways – one all Italian with torn burrata and a basil-walnut dressing, the other dressed up fattoush style, diced with cucumber, herbs and za’atar on a bed of hummus. Jump to Recipe 

It’s been a little while since the last recipe over here – a month has flown past since I wrote about wrapping up a summer term in Oxford with a spring lemon & elderflower loaf and boarded a plane to Barcelona. My first European summer  – well, I can see what the fuss is about. Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Cinque Terre, Venice. Certainly the tourist trail, but I’ve never been to Italy so it sort of had to be done, didn’t it? And despite the crowds (of which there were many, but which can be mostly avoided with a bit of planning), and despite the heat (don’t fight it, just enjoy it – sweatiness included), it was absolutely wonderful. 

I am a creature of habit when it comes to exploring a new city. Views, food, coffee and history. Each place is marked by the local produce market, explored early morning before the day’s humidity descends: Barcelona’s La Boqueria filled with racks of serrano jamon and rainbow stacks of blitzed fruit smoothies; mounds of vibrant zucchini flowers, shiny eggplant and tomatoes the size of my fist in Florence’s Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio; silvery sardines, octopus and swordfish fresh from the boat in Venice’s Rialto. The indulgent pastry and coffee ritual in Italy is another I appreciate – cappuccino or double espresso, vanilla custard filled cornetto or flaky sfogliatelle eaten counterside at Roscioli. Traditional Venetian almond crusted pastries (the Sant’Ubaldo) and chocolate twisted krantz cakes at Dal Mas. Post-market Florentine sfloglia filled with pear, chocolate and ricotta at Pasticceria Nencioni. Lots of walking. Lots of stairs – views over Barcelona from the wonderland of Park Guell, a moment of quiet above the bustle of Florence at Palazzo Vecchio, standing in the wind at San Giorgio Maggiore watching the late-afternoon sun bouncing off waves and boat traffic.  

I am planning on uploading photographs and favourite places from the trip in the next few weeks, but for the moment you can find a photo diary and read a bit about that first week in Barcelona here.

This summery peach, tomato & avocado salad was one I made during our time in Monterosso, Cinque Terre. The morning market was just opening when we loaded up brown paper bags full of juicy yellow peaches, fumbled our way through asking for burrata and pinenuts in mangled Italian (mostly english, to be honest) and bought scoops of vibrantly green local genovese pesto. Then it was a day of views, hiking up and down between the five coastal villages. I’ll remember most clearly the olive trees and grape vines, the radiating heat and dripping sweat, the glimpses of colourful houses and ferries leaving white wash streaks across the ocean down below. It was quiet, save for insects, and we were mostly alone – apparently not many tourists walk the high paths. We stopped for ricotta cream filled croissants and double espressos in Vernazza (Il pirata delle 5 terre) before jumping off the rocks to cool off, and devoured scoops of creamy olive oil & almond gelato in Riomaggiore. Thirty kilometres in the legs later and back in our little yellow and stone airbnb kitchen that evening, I put together plates of roughly chopped tomatoes and peaches, dolloped with torn burrata, toasted pine nuts and a lemon pesto dressing, a side of golden grilled zucchini and eggplant. (Pipe dreams of permanently relocating to a small Italian village were entertained.)

I’d never really used peaches in a savoury context until last summer when I made this peach & tomato salad for friends, and now I can’t get enough of it. It’s so simple it hardly needs a recipe, but here’s one for you anyway. The original was all Italian – basil and prosciutto, fresh cheese and olive oil –  but lately I’ve been changing it up a bit with a more Israeli edge, like a fattoush. Dicing through crisp lebanese cucumbers and finely chopped mint and parsley, tangy with lemon juice and za’atar, served up on a bed of creamy hummus with soft pita for all the scooping. It’s infinitely adaptable – next time I want to try grilled corn. Any other ideas? 

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