Coffee With Cook Republic - May 2019

For the first time in many months, I was lucky enough to wrap up all my projects at the same time. So with a bit of downtime before the next set of projects began, I showed a little love to the things that get neglected the most when I am working - my home, my garden and my blog. With autumn vibes running through my veins, a morning of deep cleaning in the kitchen and weeding in the garden was what I started out with. I wiped and spritzed and filled the kitchen with fresh greenery. I planted a brand new lemon tree in the front garden in full sun and am keeping my fingers crossed that it grows into a lush medium-sized tree with 2-3 flushes of fruit a year. Eeeep SOOO excited! I also replanted salad things and herbs in one of my veggie patches. Pushing through with that extra bit of free time, I also cleaned out my pantry, binge-watched Jane The Virgin on Netflix, watched Danny Bhoy LIVE at the State Theater in Sydney, explored a LOT of new cookbooks, took walks, planned my blog calendar and strategy for the next couple of months and reduced my social media time to just about an hour a day. And now for the main reason you are here - the LINKS ....

On The Interwebs

Does your home have a signature smell, one that you can DIY like a boss? This homemade essential oil spray is pretty amazing plus the post has some gorgeous photos and resources for every pretty thing you see in that kitchen.

I found some really helpful quick goals I could implement in my daily routine on this post and incorporating things like this every few weeks has made an amazing difference in my life - 30 Goals To Nourish Your Mind, Body & Soul.

I was really surprised to find out that Healthy Clubbing was totally a thing. I have never been clubbing but I like where the world is evolving to. Plus this great little article on 15 Foods That Nourish You Inside And Out is very cool with recipes you can put on your face and body and then recipes with same ingredients you can eat to nourish your insides

Really enjoying this doco on Street Food on Netflix. And this article I found about an Italian farmer raising thousands of chickens in his chestnut forest (amazing pictures! and another article about him that has videos too).

In My Kitchen

So in my last catch-up post, I talked how much I love IKEA cookware for everyday cooking. Today, I want to share some of my other favourite pots, pans and gadgets in the kitchen. These seriously make cooking a breeze and enjoyable. I started building my Essteele  Per Vita collection last year after I decided to pretty much stop using my Chasseur Dutch ovens (they chipped easily, the base discolored, they were harder to clean and the biggest con for me was that they were super heavy to move around and lift especially with recurring pain in my shoulder due to a past work injury). Now, I have used MANY cookware brands in the past two decades but this range is not only beautiful but cooks things to perfection, cleans up like a dream, looks absolutely gorgeous (hello curves!) 

I have bought these so far. This smaller casserole/saucepot I use for daals, curries and small batches of soups. This larger casserole/saucepot I use for big batches of stock, sambar, bolognese, pav bhaji and minestrone. And this gorgeous shallow and wider Sauteuse pan is where I cook all my risottos and mussels.

After breaking my long-standing garlic press (RIP old friend!) I finally bought another one I deemed a worthy sucessor - the super strong, self-cleaning OXO Good Grips Garlic Press. It is what garlic mince dreams are made of!

 

Cooking & Kitchen Stuff ..

Who knew the thought of fridge organization would make me want to jump out of bed in the morning?? I can be pretty weird like that. But hey, don't knock it till you try it - 30 Fridge And Freezer Hacks!! These are amazing and I find just like an organized (well .... somewhat) desk makes my productivity soar, an organized fridge literally helps my family and me stay on top of healthier meals and save on grocery bills and food wastage.

I recently came across Priya Krishna's writing on Bon Appetit and was instantly taken by her fun, non-stuffy approach to Indian fusion cooking. Have a read through How To Start Cooking More Indian Food, if you want to cook more Indian food (of course you do, because it is so delicious, light, cheap, healthy and fun!)

A dear friend recently surprised me with Antonio Carluccio's Vegetable cookbook and what a perfect thing it turned out to be because I had bought some artichokes and wanted to pickle them and out of my library of some 1000 odd cookbooks, this was the only book that had that recipe. So naturally, after pickling artichokes and finding them at the markets every week, I have been on a bit of an artichoke bender. So here are some links I have found that are super useful - How To Cook Artichokes, Braised Artichokes With Fennel And Olives, Roasted Lemon Artichoke And Brown Butter Pasta.

Speaking of that dear friend, I have been enjoying Ange's beautifully crafted newsletters with a strong focus on all things Italy. There are some amazing baking recipes she shares in her newsletters along with cookbook discoveries plus she also runs pasta and baking workshops and cooking lunches in Sydney. Make sure you subscribe! 

Some recipes I have filed away to try this month -  Chocolate Amaretti Cookies & Magic Tahini Seed Bread ( both gf ), good dinner options with Vegetarian Chickpea Pot Pie & Coconut Curry Ramen and some lighter meals with Super Pink Roasted Beet And Rice Salad & Lemongrass And Lime Sweet Potatoes. But one night (maybe Mother's Day weekend?) I just want someone to make me a plateful of Cauliflower Tinga Tacos and then this lush  Lemon Curd Crumble to finish it all off.

 

What’s in Season?

As I scramble to use up the last of the stone fruit and mango, here is a quick look at what’s in season in May in Australia and some recipes from my blog you could try

Fruit – Apple, Avocado, Banana, Mandarin, Pear, Persimmon, Pomegranate, Rhubarb, Quince, Lemon, Custard Apple.

Veggies – Broccoli, Bok Choy, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chestnut, Eggplant, Fennel, Leek, Kale, Ginger, Okra, Mushroom, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Spinach.

15 RECIPES TO TRY IN MAY

apple crumble bircher muesli with macadamia milk

chocolate hazelnut avocado brownies

10 minute raw broccoli tabbouli

brussels sprouts and zucchini fritters

easy 30 minute vegan kimchi

mr wilkinson's carrot cake

spicy cauliflower falafel with beetroot dip

chestnut brownie cake

brown butter lemon friand cake

ginger chia pudding

kale paneer

mushroom broth

rhubarb jam buttercake

spinach gnudi with sage burnt butter

thai red curry tofu soup with sweet potato noodles

Tell me what's happening in your kitchen this month - are you meal prepping? what cookbooks are you cooking from? what is inspiring your life? what are you reading? watching? xx