Food To Travel 4: February 2012

What I discovered upon returning to my garden was that even though it did have a minder whilst I was away - it did miss me!
The growth in 1 week was extraordinary, sadly the corn had passed its best and should have been picked and if not eaten , frozen. The minder thought he would leave me some to pick but instead I had to pull it all out. I discovered a zucchini that was obscenely big ( I estimate 35-40 cm)and unappetizing to look at so didn't even make it into a fritter.
The eggplants were fabulous and have found their way into a chutney and pasta sauce (recipes to follow). All the window sills have been covered in ripening tomatoes. I am too scared to let them ripen too much on the vine in case the birds discover them.
If the garden thought me being away for a week was traumatic I don't know how it felt when the male members of the wedding party started arriving on the following Friday afternoon. I was shaking in trepidation and shaking my head in wonder as to how I could have possibly agreed to handing over the property to 20 odd males. The first fear for me when the mower keys had to be handed over to mow the paddock into a cricket oval! I am sure it started out as just the wicket but now looks like a crop circle. I suppose it is giving the locals something to think about as they drive past.
I don't know a lot of went on, I don't think I actually want to but there has been some talk about Zelda, fishnet stockings and I did discover smears of red lipstick on a few of the towels. Some things are best left unexplained.
The agapanthus are looking a little flat, the roses a little less full but the lawn is recovering after the rain over this past weekend!!!
This weekend was the finale to all all of these pre-celebrations. The wedding finally took place. The bride and her entourage looked absolutely gorgeous, the groom and his cast of thousands looked pretty splendid, the ceremony was beautiful, the rain held off and the reception was one heck of a party!! Could not have asked for a better day and could not have asked for a better new member of the family.
The countdown is now on for my forthcoming trip to Cambodia. This is my private volunteer work where I will be back at Grace House in Siem Reap( for those interested have a look at their website, can find it on google). I will be assist teaching English with the Khmer staff and am very excited about returning.
This trip will be followed by another in mid May where I will be leading a group of volun-tourist. This group will be involved in a 5 day build hosted by a charity called Habitats for Humanity. The remaining 9 or 10 days will be a holiday taking in the sights, sounds etc of Siem Reap and in particular the fantastic temples, plus a few days in Phnom Penh where they will be able to participate in several tours taking in Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields. If you know anybody who would be interested in this type of travel or who wish to be involved in a build they can join a tour or if they want to, can actually get a group together and have this experience. Just get them to contact me and I will put them in touch with the agency.
I am hoping that my travel and volunteer experience will be of benefit to those involved and that I will continue to be able to lead the groups. Personally I am also hoping to continue my desire to find out a lot more about the local foods and how to cook them!!!!!

Eggplant Chutney:

800 gm eggplant (cubed into 1cm pieces)
2 finally sliced red onions
4 tablespoons olive oil
150 mm red wine vinegar
100 gm chopped raisins
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
250 gm brown sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried chilly flakes ( optional but I have to have chilli)!!!!

Sauté onion in oil until soft but not brown
Add eggplant , cook a further 5 minutes
Add remaining ingredients
Bring to boil and turn down to simmer
Cover and cook until soft but not pulpy. Stir frequently
Remove from heat and fill warm sterilized jars and seal firmly.

Eggplant and tomato pasta sauce:

1 sliced red onion
2 medium sized eggplant ( salted, rinsed after 5 minutes and dried) my eggplant are so small that I don't bother with this!!!!!
2 tablespoon olive oil
Finely chopped clove garlic
Optional chilli fresh or dried flakes
6 medium skinned and roughly chopped tomatoes
Basil or Vietnamese mint to taste and garnish

sauté onion and garlic until tender
Add eggplant and chilli
Cook until tender and breaking up
Add tomatoes and cook until warmed through but hold their shape and remain juicy
Add herbs to taste
Serve with favorite style of pasta and either feta or Parmesan to taste.

Most brides-to-be have a hens night, but not so for the future bride! Marta wanted to go all out and took up the very generous offer of her brother's, in-laws (a complicated connection)!

They offered their beautiful apartment on North Stradbroke island (known to the locals as "Straddie"). A very brave move I consider, when there were 11 mid 2os girls and 3 reluctant "adults" involved!

This very reluctant adult was eventually coerced (against her better considered judgement) to participate in this venture. Not because of the venue, the participants (to a degree) or the idea of having a week away but more so because of the thought of being with 11 very high spirited females who were out to have a good time. I was not sure how I would cope not having the experience of daughters and usually living a pretty quiet existence.

Well it was as I thought it would be! A lovely spot, gorgeous girls who were great to be with, but my lack of experience with girls and the shattering of my peace and quiet was a challenge! Being somewhat obsessional with tidiness and pristine bathrooms is a bit of a trial when sharing with so many people but we all survived.

Sadly the weather was not entirely on our side with 4 out of the 7 days being extremely wet. Still we got to the beach when we could and in true Australian fashion, most of us managed to get sunburnt to some degree! My tummy saw sun for the first time since bikini days and did not appreciate it. Red and sore, little blisters and now really itchy. Marta looked very attractive with a sun burnt forehead which I am praying does not peel for the big day on the 11th!!

The beaches were lovely and we swam, lazed around and walked whenever we were able. Main beach was where the girls took the opportunity to get back at me by slapping me with thongs on the pretext they were chasing the horse flys away.

To get to Straddie we had to take a ferry from the mainland which followed an enormous shop at the supermarket (food is not as available and relatively expensive there). So a car full of food, alcohol and 4 women was a sight to behold when we arrived. The rest of the travellers (apart from Julie who joined us a few days later) got a cab from the airport and travelled on the passenger ferry, so were there to help us unload.

So glad we took a lot of our own food as the restaurants were pretty dismal and home cooking won hands down and was appreciated by the girls. Actually a lot of fun all eating together. The pub was a respite for lunch on one very wet day and the fish more than acceptable to eat.

What happened on the hens weekend should probably stay on the hens weekend and I turned in early so as to not really have to know what transpired. All other details will have to come from the bride and her "maids"!!!!

This trip did not really meet the criteria of my blogs aims in that there are no food stories (mind you, Caitlins Thai beef salad is worth getting the recipe for), no voluntary work unless you can call picking up grotty wet towels everyday and washing them, or doing some cooking for 11 girls with voracious appetites counts! The only thing that does fit the criteria was the travel!

All in all a memorable experience with the threat from the other girls that I am expected to go on their hens weekends in the future - I don't think so!!!!!