Lasagna is one of my favorite dinners, I guess for me it is more of a comfort food. It is a dish that is simple to make, has a lot of flavors and is always a crowd pleaser.

 And I have to admit, Lasagna is cooked at least once a week in our kitchen and there has been times when two of us have eaten an entire tray to ourselves in one helping (normally enough for 4). So what makes my lasagna so special you are asking…

 Bolognaise sauce:
250g Organic minced pork                                                               250g Organic minced meat
2 medium size carrots diced                                                           1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic chopped up                                                              3 tins tomatoes
Oregano (fresh or dried)                                                                   Basil (fresh or dried)
Salt and Pepper to taste.                                                                  2 x bay leaves
Pinch sugar

 Step by step.

1. heat some olive oil in a pan on the stove and drop in teh onions and garlic and cook for around 4 mins.
2. add in the minced meat and pork and brown.
3. Chuck in the carrots and cook all together for around 4 minutes
4. Pour in the 3 tins of tomatoes and mix well
5. Add the herbs and salt and pepper along with two bay leaves and a pinch of sugar mix well and turn the heat down and let all the flours dance around together in your pot for around 20 minutes.

Let’s get straight to the point. I hate knife blocks with a  passion. They are bulky, ugly and take up way too much room on the kitchen bench, however I understand the need for them. On Saturday I was out looking at the gadgets to spend my hard earned  money on when I came across this fab new kitchen block by ‘Ekobo & Design’ I just had to have it (especially when I found it in red). It is made out of timber, painted in a high gloss and it is packed tight with wooden skewers. All you need to do is slip your knifes in and they just stand up. They come ina  variety of sizes and colours and are made in Vietnam.

‘Mouthwatering Reading’

It has been a while since I picked up not just a cook book but any book and just went wow.  The ‘Songs of Sapa’ by Luke Nguyen had that effect of me and a week after buying the book it still has makes me go wow.

Not only is it a fantastic cookbook it is also full of travel tales of his food adventure through Vietnam starting off in the wonderful village of Sapa (one of my favourite places in the world). 

I highly recommend for you all to run out and grab a copy of this cookbook. It is a fantastic read and full of mouth watering recipes. And for all of you in Sydney who cant cook, you’re in luck as you can pop into Luke’s Sydney restaurant ‘Red Lanten’ and try the dishes direct from him. 

Reading through Luke’s adventure through Vietnam has brought back so many great memories of my backpacking trip through the wonderful country many years ago. Thanks Luke for the memories, now I just want to book a ticket and head back there and do it all again.

Mels Drive In

Hollywood

OK, so I know Mels Drive In Hollywood, is in one of the world’s largest tourist traps however when I am in Hollywood (around 4 times a year) I always pop in here for a shake and whatever else I fancy from the menu.

Mel’s is one of my all time favorite American diners to visit. I love a good burger and Mel’s always deliver. I love the layout of the diner along with there theme, I always feel like I am back in the good old 70’s.

 If you are visiting Hollywood and need a good hearty breakfast, a filling lunch or dinner pop into Mels. It’s one of the only places where I feel comfortable and relaxed when I am eating alone. Plus you can flick through the mini jukeboxes on your table and chose from some great songs on the play lists.

Mels Drive in

1660 North Highland Ave

Hollywood California

www. melsdrive-in.com

Sunday night roast!

I love a home cooked Sunday roast and I love roast Organic Chicken. Although in Munich organic chicken is 3 times the price of your everyday chicken that has had as much life as your storm water drain, this is one thing that I love to splurge on. Not only are you paying more for organic chicken you are getting more. The birds are larger, they have more meat and the taste is unbelievable.

This week hubby said ‘lets put some mango chutney on the chicken’ before you roast it. I have to say this is new to me but I thought oh well if it doesn’t work it doesn’t work. What is life if your not going to take risks in the kitchen. So I covered the chicken in a jar of organic mango chutney (about 150g jar).

The highlight of the chicken was the stuffing. I am quite famous amongst our friends for my chicken stuffing’s. Sometimes I rather the stuffing over the chicken. Following is my own recipe for my Apple and Onion stuffing for a chicken that is around 1.4kg (I told you the organic ones are larger)

- 1 apple, I used an every day red apple, cubed into small pieces
- 1 large onion chopped up
- 1 clove garlic finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon of the mango chutney
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 large tomato chopped up
- salt and pepper to taste
- water to keep the mixture moist.

Virtually all you need to do with all the ingredients is through them in a bowl, toss them around with some love, add some water at the end so the mixture isn’t dry, stuff the stuffing into the chicken, cover it with oil and the chutney, throw some carrots around the chicken and roast it in the oven (at about 180 d) until cooked (mine took about 1hr 25 mins). Take note thou half way through the cooking I placed a piece some foil over the chicken as the mango chutney was starting to burn.

All I can say is wow. The flavours of this dish were totally amazing. The mango chutney on the chicken was wow and the stuffing was just yum yum.

Eat well

Troy

Balans, Soho London

 Balan’s is located directly on Compton Street and the trend and gay mecca area of Soho in London. In the past few years they have expanded and now have 9 restaurants and cafes in the UK and have recently opened up in Miami.

In Soho service is fast and of course pretentious however the food that comes out of the kitchen is very good. This is one my favorite places in London to buy a burger. The 10 oz balans burger is a generous portion and it comes with Salad and fries. A steal for less then 11 quid.

Check out their mouth watering breakfast / brunch menu and their all day menu at www.balans.co.uk and remember book ahead for Friday and Saturday nights.

This place is smart and hip so make the effort with teh way you look. It is also a great place to catch up with friend or to celebrate your birthday with a bunch of friends. It is defiantly not a place I would eat at alone.

A: 60- 62 Old Compton Street London, W1D 4UG 

P:  +44 020 7439 2183 

With the ‘big freeze’ that has hit us here in Europe, many of us are staying indoors keeping snug and warm. I love this time of the year as I can lock myself in and cook and bake all my comfort food and really enjoy them (guilt free of course). Unfortunately for me this year thou I am still on my low carb evening meals so many of my comfort foods can’t be enjoyed at the moment (I am however counting down the days).

I have done a quick google search today on what are great winter warmers and came across the great article by Danny Millar from the Guardian (5/12/2009) titled: 

British winter warmers: Recipes from Northern Ireland

When it comes to comfort food, you can’t beat a proper pie. Or a steaming bowl of broth. Or a proper crumble

  Have a read through it. He has presented some real mouth-watering recipes in this article. Personally I am not a big fan of broth however ‘Beef Shin, Stout and Oyster Pie’ is making my knees wobble. I can taste it now.

Check out Danny’s article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/05/northern-ireland-winter-warmer-recipes

2010…won’t be just about food…

One of my new years resolutions or the way I prefer to call it is one of my new goals for 2010 was to ensure that I write as much as I can In my blog as possible. I have failed this goal already as it is already the 5^th of January and this is my first entry.

 From here on I promise you that I will be constantly giving you updates on my blog, that will hopefully make your taste buds dance as much as Kylie’s back up dancers.

 So how exciting is the new year. Wow 2010. I can’ believe that the last 10 years has just flown by. Who would have thought that 10 years ago we were all sitting around waiting to find out the effects of the K2 bug (if that is what it was called).

 I am so pumped for this year as I have a feeling a lot is going to be happening in my world. I am going to dive in head first in the world of food and urban life. Starting off with looking at recipes to cook at night that have no carbs in them as Klaus and I have decided to shred some pounds this month by cutting carbs out of our diet in the evening. So when I come across recipes and try them out I am going to share them with you. So far we have mainly been eating steaks with veggies etc however I want to get creative with this.

 Last night I did a search and found some amusing recipes that included a cheese bottom quiche (no carbs but hugely high in fat), along with some other dishes that just seemed bland and boring.  

 I am also going to share with you some of my travels this year. Between Christmas and new years I spent 3 nights at the very lovely Der Alpinehof  http://www.der-alpenhof.com/ which is located around an hours drive from Munich. Here I experienced some lovely relaxing time (along with a day of snowboarding) as well as some amazing food from their Michelin star restaurant including the most amazing sorbet I have ever had, apple and coriander sorbet served on a lavender jelly – jum jum jum. It is another of my goals this year to find this recipe and try it out with some friends.

 So I now bid you farewell for another day and wish you all the very best of luck with 2010. Be sure to return and look at my blog and of course give me as much feedback as you possible can.

 Troy

Almond Biscotti, Christmas baking success… 

Flicking through Issue 7 of Jamies Magazine last Friday I came across the feature Edible Gifts.

A few years back when I first moved to Munich I decided to get through the December winter blues I was going to bake Christmas cookies. By the time I had finished I had baked around 300 cookies and decided then and there to wrap them up and give them to friends for Christmas. What a great idea you are saying – well not really as I nearly broke everyone’s teeth as I was hailed at the time one of the worlds worst bakers….

A lot has changed since then. So after reading the article in Jamies Magazine I decided to give baking another try. I said to myself  that my 2009 Christmas gifts to friends is going to be Pistachio & Saffron Biscotti – sounds yum yum right. Last Friday after work I went out picked up all my ingredients and returned home to start baking. As I was peeling the shells off the pistachio nuts my partner said, ‘aren’t they meant to be un-salted Pistachio nuts’? Good call. I have no idea and Jamies Magazine unfortunately to provide any further information regarding this, so instead of causing another baking disaster I decided to switch Pistachio nuts for almonds and Saffron for Vanilla. The result of the first batch was great, the second batch on Saturday was even better as I actually put in some Vanilla essence as well.

Once my Biscotti had cooled I put a handful of them in little white paper bags and closed it with a  silver bulldog clip on the top. A great looking present.

At a friends Christmas party on Sunday I handed out my little packets of edible gifts and since then my phone has been ringing off the hook with friends complimenting me on my Biscotti (and thanking me for not breaking their teeth this year). Once again…. Thanks Jamie

Jamies Pistachio & Saffron Biscotti recipe can be found on page 54 of Jamie Magazine issue 7. For further information visit www.jamiemagazine.com