tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954562013-05-24T22:11:12.092+10:00A scattered collection of recipes and thoughtsAnna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.comBlogger700125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-14064418722320400802013-03-24T18:48:00.000+11:002013-03-24T18:50:36.849+11:002013-03-24T18:50:36.849+11:00

I have been hinting at some "health" issues lately but, now that this bun is safely out of the oven, I am happy to share that Jonas and I are proud parents of little Esther, who was born 10 days early at the beginning of March. Given this news, I hope you can forgive my intermittent blogging in recent times, and be patient with my almost certain lack of posts over the coming months. This

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com20http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-best-thing-i-ever-made.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-1201338407513414342013-02-21T15:14:00.000+11:002013-02-21T15:14:21.914+11:002013-02-21T15:14:21.914+11:00

Many years ago, when I was an innocent young teenager, my sister Shamu and I travelled to Greece to delight in the wonders of the Mediterranean. We had a wonderful time exploring the ruins in Athens, getting a bit wild with Norwegians on the “Party Island” of the time, Ios, playing at sophistication in Santorini and embarking upon an impromptu road trip with three French girls across Crete

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com5http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2013/02/prawn-saganaki-garides-saganaki.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-59930918981686723222013-01-26T06:00:00.000+11:002013-01-26T06:00:00.534+11:002013-01-26T06:00:00.534+11:00

Happy Australia Day! Today is our national holiday, a time where most Australians throw a BBQ or catch up with friends and family in the summer warmth. Since it’s Australia Day, the dessert that ends the festivities should be a pavlova, something named after a Russian ballerina but yet typically Australian. Or is it? While it’s true that Australia has very successfully exported pavlova

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com4http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2013/01/pavlova-australian-favourite.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-66985623008553916842013-01-14T06:00:00.000+11:002013-01-14T06:00:04.490+11:002013-01-14T06:00:04.490+11:00

This summer, strawberries have been particularly delicious and thankfully cheap. I have been eating them by the punnet, at least one per week or more if I can get to the store regularly. I have been adding them to smoothies and slushies, macerating them with lemon and sugar, mixing them into flapjacks in the morning and snacking on them just as they are. I can’t get over how sweet they are

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com2http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2013/01/strawberry-curd-tart.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-24287950655710619702013-01-10T16:16:00.003+11:002013-01-13T11:55:26.654+11:002013-01-13T11:55:26.654+11:00

Pasta alla Norma is one of those soul-satisfying dishes, filling you up, tingling your taste buds and warming your heart. Whoever Norma was, she’s a genius. The eggplant caramelises into sweet, soft morsels that soak up the richness of the garlicky tomato sauce. Before serving, the flavours are lifted with fresh basil and crumbled ricotta salata, a beautiful salted, pressed, dried and aged

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com6http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2013/01/pasta-alla-norma.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-58875437161331669362013-01-05T17:31:00.001+11:002013-01-13T11:55:13.827+11:002013-01-13T11:55:13.827+11:00

Jamie Oliver is responsible for showing me that zucchini can be eaten raw. I can’t believe I never realised it before, but I was watching his one of his 30 minute meals episodes and he started shaving raw zucchini into a salad. Genius! How had I never figured this out before? So I combined his raw zucchini idea with another salad he made with grilled zucchini, mint and chilli. Sheer

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com0http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2013/01/shaved-zucchini-mint-chilli-feta-salad.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-87375300363396946692013-01-01T15:44:00.000+11:002013-01-01T15:44:39.980+11:002013-01-01T15:44:39.980+11:00

My attempts at 2012's food challenges was beyond dismal, and while I have some decent excuses, instead of starting from scratch I think I'm just going to bring most of 2012's challenges into 2013. One or two items will be switched out for various reasons. For instance, it's going to be quite impossible to make a week of Wings when it turns out the husband doesn't like chicken wings. Strange,

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com10http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-food-challenges.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-24605763054758104442012-12-31T19:25:00.002+11:002012-12-31T20:30:37.140+11:002012-12-31T20:30:37.140+11:00

I admit that 2012 was an extremely slow blogging year. With only 40 posts in the year, it was by far the least I’ve written since I started the blog back in 2006. But I have some fairly decent excuses. For starters, back in January I took on a new job turning a government policy into a practical plan and have been leading a global team to make it happen. It’s been challenging and amazingly

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com4http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/12/2012-in-review.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-18947448867354392462012-12-25T18:27:00.004+11:002012-12-25T18:30:49.466+11:002012-12-25T18:30:49.466+11:00

Merry Christmas!!! Today Jonas was up early cooking a variety of Swedish delicacies for our Julbord (Christmas table): vörtbröd (wort or beer bread) smoked sausages smoked mackerel sillsallad (pickled herring with mayo, egg, herbs & potato) meatballs with lingon jam beetroot salad bourbon-maple-mustard glazed ham Janssons frestelse (potato & anchovy gratin) My only contribution was

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com0http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/12/jamie-olivers-new-mince-pies.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-66902671918728041542012-11-23T20:23:00.002+11:002012-11-23T20:25:02.416+11:002012-11-23T20:25:02.416+11:00

Yesterday was one huge Thanksgiving dinner, cooked by moi. My sister Shamu and her man, Tombolina, came over and I spent the entire day preparing for the feast. It was one of those cooking days where everything just fell into place. I cooked recipes simultaneously based on time and need, and managed to balance pie pastry with turkey brining, yam basting with dressing prep, cocktail making

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com3http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/11/fennel-radish-apple-salad.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-87756314957407608712012-11-03T06:00:00.000+11:002012-11-03T18:16:38.094+11:002012-11-03T18:16:38.094+11:00

I adore pickles, and pickled seafood is high on my list. I like the sweet Lithuanian-style pickled fish but I adore boquerones (white anchovies) and any kind of pickled octopus. When I think of octopus, I do think of Greek cuisine. They have a lot of interesting and flavoursome octopus recipes, whether it’s braised in red wine or barbecued after hours of marinating in lemon juice and garlic.

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com3http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/11/oktapodi-toursi-greek-style-pickled.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-76666430318319250582012-10-07T06:00:00.000+11:002012-10-08T10:39:18.865+11:002012-10-08T10:39:18.865+11:00

Sockerkaka translates to “sugar cake”, but really it’s a type of sponge cake without all the fuss. Today is my darling husband’s birthday and he requested I made him a sponge cake sandwiching strawberry jam and cream – for breakfast! How could I say no? Last weekend we bought almost 2kgs of strawberries for $9 and he’d asked me to turn them into jam, since strawberry is his

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com11http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/10/sockerkaka-swedish-sponge-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-48793370847080296072012-09-23T12:52:00.000+10:002012-09-23T12:55:58.496+10:002012-09-23T12:55:58.496+10:00

These days I wake up very early and incredibly hungry. Instead of launching myself out of bed I take my trusty smart phone and flick through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see what I missed out on while I slept. This morning I discovered three exciting things from Facebook: 1) one of my favourite work colleagues got engaged yesterday afternoon 2) Jonas’ beautiful cousin Camilla (also a

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com7http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/09/shopsins-pumpkin-pancakes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-62023281386186447622012-09-09T19:27:00.001+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.984+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.984+11:00

A few months ago, I met Tia Bicky for lunch and was lucky enough to get a plate of Luxe Bakery’s winter pasta special of shredded brussels sprouts and mandolin-thin slices of broccoli. They were tossed in buttery, lemon moisture and salted by a touch of crisped prosciutto. It was divine, meeting all my salty sour requirements. I just had to make it at home. The best part about this dish is

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com4http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/09/brussels-sprouts-pancetta-lemon-pasta.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-45391258756767488812012-08-29T06:00:00.000+10:002012-08-29T12:42:56.812+10:002012-08-29T12:42:56.812+10:00

I love Raspberri Cupcakes. It’s a colourful, whimsical blog that reminds me of falling down the rabbit hole and ending up in Wonderland. Steph, the author, is brilliant. Such a young woman so dedicated to experimenting with her favourite sweet flavours and achieving perfection. It’s beyond impressive. I think most of her creations have made it onto my Pinterest account. And who can blame me

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com2http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/08/milo-cupcakes-w-condensed-milk-icing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-64524135188911828262012-08-19T11:40:00.007+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.990+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.990+11:00

 Ceviche de Pargo Ceviche is a dish I often crave because it combines some of my favourites things: sour citrus, spicy chilli and seafood. It hails from the coastal countries of Central and South America with the Peruvians claiming to be the originators, spreading the word from their busy port-town of Lima. There’s also evidence that ancient Peruvians (Incans) made similar dishes from

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com5http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/08/snapper-ceviche-ceviche-de-pargo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-69715276487601784872012-07-29T14:19:00.003+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.994+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.994+11:00

I was really sad to hear that Barbara of Winos and Foodies had lost her battle with cancer. She was such a lovely lady and I had the pleasure to finally meet her face-to-face last November at the Australian food bloggers conference: Eat Drink Blog. Barbara’s one wish was to eat a piece of her 87th birthday cake, but unfortunately she passed away before she made the date. This sad wish very

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com14http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/07/apple-cucumber-pickles-taste-of-yellow.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-67728317032021998442012-07-15T06:00:00.002+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.992+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.992+11:00

Some time ago I read about “pounti” or “picoücel” a special pork, prune and bacon cake from the Auvergne region of France. It uses the famous prunes of the region and is served either cold or fried in slabs. Ever since I read about this pork cake, I dreamt of coming up with my own meatloaf inspired by those flavours, and in fact made it one of my 2012 Food Challenges to come up with a meatloaf

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com12http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/07/pounti-auvergne-pork-prune-meatloaf.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-47553879736075961782012-07-06T06:00:00.004+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.980+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.980+11:00

These are divine. The outside are perfectly crisp and break with a pop under your fork, yet the inside is a fluffy, sticky, gooey texture almost like a melted marshmallow. And the flavour! You can certainly taste those perfect burnt, dark toffee sugars. I first tried brown sugar meringues at a wonderful slow food wine dinner at Mumu Grill in Crows Nest, and although I have yet to venture

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com8http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/07/brown-sugar-meringue-w-verjuice-figs.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-23519899243770820612012-07-01T06:00:00.001+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.973+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.973+11:00

Back in 2007, a few days after our wedding, Jonas and I visited Rockpool, back in it's original iteration when it was one of Sydney's finest, and ordered their extensive degustation menu with premium matching wines. It still stands as the most expensive meal of my entire life, and with the same money we could have bought an overseas airfare and possibly accommodation. Don’t ask, suffice to say

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com10http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/07/smoked-apple-chestnut-ravioli-w.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-16038926504976914522012-06-24T06:00:00.013+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.970+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.970+11:00

It’s a wintery Sunday morning, your breath fogging the air above the bed and frost blanketing the window panes. All you want to do is stay in bed, and so you do! Once you’re up, attired in woolly socks and pajamas that have seen better days, you make your sleepy way into the kitchen for a warm, hearty bowl of porridge. But why eat plain old oats when you can break your fast on an indulgent

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com2http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/06/creamy-date-oat-quinoa-porridge.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-70475484034587905232012-06-09T06:00:00.003+10:002012-06-09T15:32:27.433+10:002012-06-09T15:32:27.433+10:00

I’m back from the steaming hot cities of Shanghai and Singapore, and happy to be plugged into the chilly Sydney air. As an Australian, you’d think I’d crave the warm arms of humid tropical locations, but the reality is I find them very hard to handle in business contexts. Dresses clinging to damp skin, feet squelching in high heels, wiping your brow and trying to keep your make up from melting

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com10http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/06/baked-clarines-w-garlic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-32416718438453782692012-05-29T06:00:00.004+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.975+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.975+11:00

Breakfast time. Lunch time. Snack time. This spread is highly addictive. Sweet and sticky from date molasses, nutty and moreish from the sesame paste. It takes seconds to mix together and even less time to devour. The first time I tried something like this was at Efendy, when they mixed grape molasses with tahini for one of the most wonderful sweet and nutty breakfast spreads I’ve ever had

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com1http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/05/dibis-wrashi-iraqi-date-tahini-spread_29.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-87145334288707535522012-05-26T06:00:00.000+10:002012-05-26T19:07:50.522+10:002012-05-26T19:07:50.522+10:00

Today was freezing. The sky was cobalt and the sun was blazing, but the air was icy and the wind that whirled the autumn leaves did its job at chilling us to the bone. I had a lovely morning. I cooed over a new baby boy (Arlo, such a sweet name), bought crimson glass ladybird beads and lunched on the always fabulous fare at bloodwood. It’s days like this that hearty food is always

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com4http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/05/sticky-korean-style-pork-spare-ribs.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27795456.post-50129664116652963662012-05-07T06:00:00.026+10:002012-11-03T17:40:48.982+11:002012-11-03T17:40:48.982+11:00

from sour to sweet Australia has a sour history with the prickly pear plant. The very first settlers, on the First Fleet, brought it with them to establish a cochineal industry (the tiny cochineal grubs that live in the plant are squashed to produce red dye). Since Britain required a lot of red dye for their textile industry (not to mention the Red Coats of their army), they hoped an Australian

Anna (Morsels and Musings)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13499845848225762847noreply@blogger.com3http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2012/05/prickly-pear-lime-curd.html