Brunch at Pigeon Hole

Everyone has been raving about Pigeon Hole and yet I had only been in there for quick take-away coffees with the guys from work, so I thought it was about time I made time for a long breakfast myself. The owners have a long background in the industry, so I was feeling confident that the reviews were all correct.

I planned my date with Pigeon Hole quite well. I was famished. Plus I had the whole day completely free to do as I wished. Well, up until 6pm when I started work at least.  Either way we weren't pushed for time and were free to eat as much as we could fit in. I don't do breakfast or brunch very often, so I was excited. 

We had to wait about 30 minutes until a table for two was free. A great sign, but at the time I may have got just a little grumpy as I felt my stomach growling. (It was 11am after all and I hadn't eaten yet!)

We started with the apple and pecan porridge which I just couldn't fault. So many cafes are getting this wrong, and I felt Pigeon Hole totally delivered. It was so wonderfully creamy, and quite rich too- best I not know how much sugar and full fat milk went into it. Yet it wasn't heavy, and believe me when I say it was full of fruit and nuts. Absolutely delicious!

We also tried the eggs en cocotte (a French dish referred to as oeufs en cocotte in French)- cooked in a dish with proscuitto, onion, spinach and the winning element, Grana Padano cheese! 

Next round was just as good- if not better. Their house made beans were fantastic. (I will always order beans, its my thing). They had a real smokey flavour through them which I loved. And yet again- the perfect addition of cheese! Something I haven't seen on beans before, yet now I can't even understand why I haven't seen it before, because is this just not the perfect dish?

But probably the star of our brunch was this dish. A washed rind cheese that had been baked with thyme and hazelnuts. It was too pretty to break into, but no looking back once we did. Oh my. Yum.

This was just the most clever dish for a small breakfast/lunch cafe. It had that element of difference and it veered away from all your typical brunch menu items. Like tradesmen eating dim sims before 9am, I can easily eat cheese before midday, and I'm sure I'm not alone on that one.

Aside from the food- I think I just fell in love with this tiny cafe, because it is just so well put together. Their attention to detail was enlightening. The gorgeous old cutlery, the vintage cake stands, the mismatched light fittings, the old bathroom sink- it all worked together so well, and as someone who has a love for great interior design, I was very impressed.

Pigeon Hole exceeded my expectations, and I will be sure to go back. In fact I tried just this week, but was so disappointed to have found they are shut on Mondays. Next week!

Brown rice and cashews

Are you one of those people who refuses to eat brown rice? I confess that I have been for a long time. Of course I know how  good brown rice is for me- you read about it and see it in books all the time- but it just hasn't ever done it for me. I find it tastes bland, dull, stodgy and just not appetising.

You've probably heard the term 'wholegrains' mentioned a lot recently- all the advertising campaigns are onto it, telling us how good they are for us. Brown rice is one of those wholegrains. Why? Simply because it is an unrefined grain. The fact is that white rice looks just the same as brown rice before it has been refined and processed which essentially means the hull and bran is removed from the grain. This in turn makes it cleaner looking, better tasting and a huge plus for Western society- it becomes quicker to cook.

So what's so important about the hull and the bran? Well they of course contain all the good bits we need- including fibre, protein, magnessium, calcium and potassium. Fibre is a super agent for our digestive system, and protein will keep us fuller for longer. There are just simply too many reasons why we should try include more wholegrains- including brown rice- into our diets.

But I find that pretty tough to do when I actually cringe at a  certain food I don't enjoy. So you can imagine my excitement when I got to try this dish. Because it is delicious! A great friend of mine brought it to a summer BBQ- and I couldn't get enough of it- along with everyone else. And I couldn't believe it was brown rice! I had to have the recipe- and I was fortunate enough to snavel it by the end of the week after somewhat begging...

Personally (bringing up my pet hate for brown rice again) I think this is so great because the flavours of the brown rice are hidden under the gorgeous dressing. Winner. It's good for you- it look's appetising- and it's a hit at any table. 

Although I was introduced to it at a summer BBQ- I've found it to be a real charm during the colder weather. I like to eat it straight after its cooked, so it's still warm. Eat on its own, or serve with a gorgeous piece of grilled chicken and a wedge of lemon. Yum. 

Do you dislike brown rice too? Or may be you're one of those people who love it? Let me know and please share any winner brown rice recipes with me. The more I have the better- as this is usually my one and only brown rice intake.

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3 cups brown rice
1 red onion (or 4 spring onions)
1 green or red capsicum
1 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove purple garlic
1 lemon
1/4 cup soy sauce
Salt and pepper
Handful of roasted cashews

Cook Now

First cook the rice. I use a 1 to 1.5 rice/water ratio for brown rice. So for 3 cups brown rice, cook it in 4.5 cups water. Be careful however, the last thing you want in this recipe is overcooked gluggy rice- so watch it.


Meanwhile chop the onions finely and the capsicum into 1cm pieces. Add to a bowl with the corn and set aside. Make the dressing by adding the wet ingredients, the juice from the lemon and the crushed garlic clove and set aside.


When the rice is cooked, add the dressing immediately. By adding the dressing whilst the rice is warm, it will absorb the flavours fantastically. Stir through the vegetables and then the parsley. Season to taste. Lastly sprinkle with the cashews. So good for you- get in there!

Serves 6-8

Just a note

Dropping a line to say I haven't forgotten about my blog and my followers- but I have been, and will be offline for a short while due to the passing of my nan. Rest in peace my gorgeous Nan Doreen.
We'll meet again.

Mushroom and Goats Cheese Tartlets

There's just something sweet about High Tea isn't there? And it's not just because of all the sweets you are surrounded by, but for me it's the sense of being taken back to a time where everything was quite elegant. You've probably heard me mention it in the past, my obsession with the 'olden days' when girls would wear skirts, and men would open the door for you. It's a place I find myself drifting off to on long afternoons when I'm caught day dreaming. There's just something so sweet about it, and High Tea takes me to that place.

I was recently asked to be a guest at a charity event, and the theme was of course, High Tea. Perfect. My only problem is that I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, so ideas of the traditional cucumber finger sandwiches and mini quiches began tumbling around in my head. But I thought I'd try something new. A fan for using anything I can find in my fridge, I set out to create this new little number. I had loads of mushies left over from a recent function, along with gorgeous goats cheese- yum! Surely this was the setting for something delicious- and it was.

Once served at the High Tea (on the most elegant stand don't you think?),  the hoards went diving for these little numbers and not the sweets.  I also made those salmon tarts you can see here, and a not so traditional High Tea appearance, Vietnamese rice paper rolls. The feedback however was all regarding the little mushroom numbers. People wanted the recipe there and then- but of course I had to share it with all my blog followers as well. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

On another note- I must say I had the best scones ever this day! They were so fluffy, light and addictive... I think I may have had three. It turned out it was Erin's (event organiser) grandmother who made them. I of course went straight up to talk to her about them. She was the sweetest woman (yes she grew up in the era I adore), and to my surprise handed her secrets over straight away, but I'll save that scone chapter for another day...

I'm happy to report that the event raised an amazing $1082 for the Global Vaddo Charity which provides assistance to the local communities and underprivileged children in Goa. Erin has been doing a fantastic job raising the awareness here in Hobart. To find out more or to make a donation click here.

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2 onions

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil
500g button mushrooms
25g butter

100g goats cheese in oil

1 teaspoon truffle oil

Salt and Pepper

Pastry bases*

Creme fraiche (or sour cream)

Snow pea sprouts

*(I will be including a recipe in the near future for simple pastry bases, but on this occasion I went with the cheats version and bought pre-made ones from my local supermarket)

Cook Now

Add olive oil to a hot pan and add finely diced onions and garlic. Saute until translucent.

Gradually add mushrooms that have been roughly chopped. Mix to coat them in the onion mixture and let this cook down until the mushrooms have substantially reduced in size, approximately 5 minutes. Add the butter and season. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Add mushrooms to a small food processor or blender. Add a teaspoon of the oil in which the goats cheese sits in and blitz. Add the goats cheese and blitz again. Taste and season accordingly. Remember the goats cheese will add some bite, so don't go overboard with the seasoning until you taste it.

Lastly add the truffle oil. Be careful- you don't need a lot of this, it is very strong, but by far will set this dish apart from other tarts you may have tried. Blitz once more to ensure a smooth mixture. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place tart shells on your platter. Top with a teaspoon of mushroom mixture, top with a tiny dollop of creme fraiche and garnish with a snow pea sprout.

Serve and watch as they disappear.

This mixture will make enough for about 20-25 tartlets

Blue Eye Trevalla with the most delicious Pepperonata

This has to be the most delicious dish ever! I love it. I have been inspired to share this dish with you all now, as I have an abundance of home grown tomatoes that needed to be used quickly. They are slowly taking over my kitchen.

Yes that's right, here in Hobart my home grown tomatoes have only just turned red! I did plant them a little later than show day (all Hobartians know that tomatoes are due to go in the ground at show time, which falls around the second week in October). However when talking with guys in my office, they have all shared that their tomatoes were all late bloomers this year as well. Maybe it's because we didn't really get a great summer this year?

                           

                          

Either way- all I know is that I have heaps of gorgeous tomatoes that I do not want to go to waste. And I'm not really in the mood for chutney either- still getting through it from last year!

So... this recipe is the perfect answer for using them all up! As you will see from my photos, I have a very mixed bag. I have successfully grown beautiful Cherry tomatoes as well as Romas, Ox Hearts and some other round variety.

 
                           

        

This dish has incredible health benefits for you- mainly due to the tomatoes. Like most of you may know, tomatoes have fantastic anti-cancer properties in them. Tomatoes are full of carotenoids, mainly lycopene which is known to be a potent cancer fighting nutrient. What you may not know- is that by cooking tomatoes, it releases up to 3 times more lycopene for your body to use. Great news!

This pepperonata is most certainly inspired from my Italian Nonna. I have watched her for years make this dish which is so more-ish that it never lasts long in the fridge. I remember having it for breakfast spread on toast- yum! Although inspired by Nonna, I'm going to call this one my own as I have mixed it up a little with the addition of olives and capers. She would probably shun me if she knew. Or maybe not? Italians are always inventing new things depending on whats in the fridge.

The olives and capers certainly lift the dish and add that extra zing! They are quite salty, so you won't need to add too much salt. I guess this dish is a bit like a cross between a caponata and pepperonata. I've taken the best bits from both.

If you're not like me, and don't have access to wonderful fresh tomatoes- then buy the vine-ripened or you can even use tinned tomatoes.

As there is so much flavour in the pepperonata, I have teamed it with an uncomplicated piece of crispy skin Blue Eye Trevalla. This has to be one of my favourite fish to eat. It tastes unreal when cooked in its simplest form- like I have here.

One last thing- make sure you have a wonderful fresh loaf of crusty bread! No Italian meal is complete without it. You especially need it with this dish to mop up the gorgeous sauce. I've opted for a delicious ciabatta which is baked at Smolt in Salamanca.

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Variety of vine ripened tomatoes (about 650g) or 1 tin tomatoes

2 onions

2 red capsicums

2 cloves garlic

1 zucchini

80g kalamata olives, pitted

1 tablespoon capers

Extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

4x 200g fillets Blue-Eye Trevalla

Basil leaves to garnish

Crusty bread to serve

Remove Trevalla from the fridge. Place on a plate, and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt flakes. Leave to rest.

Place tomatoes on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and place in a hot over (220 degrees) for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Remove skins and roughly chop. Season with salt and pepper. Make sure to reserve the cooking liquid in the tray. Leave the oven on, but reduce heat to 200 degrees.

Meanwhile heat a non-stick fry pan over high heat. Add a good glug of olive oil, thinly sliced onions and crushed garlic. Cook for a minute and then add finely sliced capsicum and zucchini strips. You want these vegetables to be similar in size. Cook for 5 minutes and then add olives and capers.

Add tomatoes, their cooking liquid, quarter cup of water and balsamin vinegar to the capsicum mixture. Stir, reduce heat and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Taste and season accordingly.

Whilst the pepperonata finishes cooking, you can cook the fish.

Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Add the Trevalla skin side down and leave for 3 minutes. You shouldn't need to add extra oil, as there should be enough on it. Flip the fish, and check that the skin is nice and crispy. Place fry pan in the oven and leave for 3-4 minutes. You don't want to overcook the fish. You want it to be a little firm, but still quite moist inside.

Everything should now be complete. Use lovely big bowls to plate up. Spoon equal amounts of pepperonata in each bowl, top with a piece of Trevalla. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with baby basil leaves. Serve with crusty bread.

Serves 4

Corn and coriander fritters, smoked salmon and avocado

It's Mother's Day tomorrow, and in reading the Mother's Day cards today I got thinking how much my mum really means to me. Yes I'm sure I think about it every day- but lately mum has been a real rock for me. She deserves a lot from me this mothers day. She is the most important person in my life, as I'm sure all your mums are to you too. She is constantly busy, running around for everyone and doing selfless acts, and yet she still has time to look after her daughter too. How do mums manage it?!

Well Mother's Day is meant to be the day they get to kick back and be treated by us- their children! So with that in mind I've created the ultimate brunch indulgence. Instead of heading out to a cafe, stay in and cook mum this gorgeous dish while she puts her feet up. My mum absolutely adores corn fritters, so I have jazzed them up a bit here with the addition of coriander blitzed through the batter.

Once cooked I have topped them with wonderful Tassal smoked salmon and a little avocado, coriander and lime salsa. Yum! Lime and avocado work so so well together, it's completely moreish!

I apologise for not getting this post up sooner- but it's been such a hectic week, and just now I've found myself polishing off these fritters I've cooked... instead of typing... I wasn't able to resist. I don't think you, or your mum will be able to either! Make sure to serve with a cheek of lime to moisten the dish a little. And remember- don't just spoil mum tomorrow- pull this recipe out every few months to remind her how special she is.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there!

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2 corn cobs

1/2 bunch coriander

50g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red chili sliced

100g smoked salmon

1 medium avocado

1 teaspoon finely diced red onion

1 lime

Salt and pepper

Cook Now

Cut the corn from the cobs and place half in a small food processor. Add 3/4 of the coriander including the roots, flour, baking paper, half of the chili and the egg. Blitz until combined and smooth. Place into a bowl and add the remaining corn kernels and season well with salt and pepper.

Heat a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add  oil and then place a heaped tablespoon full of the batter into the pan. Cook until golden (about 1 minute) and flip. Cook for a further 2 minutes and remove and sit on paper towel. Continue with remaining batter. It should make 4 large fritters.

While fritters are cooking, prepare the salsa by mixing the remaining coriander, half the avocado, onion and juice of half a lime. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To plate up- place two fritters in the center of your plate. Top with slices of rolled salmon, coriander salsa and slices of avocado. Garnish with chili and a lime cheek. Eat.

Serves 2

Silverbeet, chickpeas and sumac

Easter came and went like a whirlwind this year. It was over before I knew it, but unfortunately it always takes its toll doesn't it? Two family lunches, bags of Easter eggs, and countless hot cross buns. Oh my! A week later and I'm still feeling the aftershocks of Easter. What makes us over-eat on occasions like these? Is it because we are surrounded by family and our friends can't see us. Or is it because you can write off the guilty pleasures and say... 'well it's the holidays'. Whatever it is- it's not healthy- and I'm so glad the holiday's don't come often.

So its time to get my healthy eating routine back on track- it's time for good food.

Hands down this has to be my favourite throw together healthy meal for when your body is just calling out for its saving. Silverbeet aka Swiss chard or spinach is such a fantastic vegetable. Steam, boil, saute- whatever you do to it it tastes great- and maybe its because as you're eating it you know how good it is for you. Silverbeet is extremely high in iron, B-vitamins, vitamin C, dietary fibre, folate, zinc, magnesium... I could keep going- seriously. It's one of those true feel good foods!

In this recipe, I added a few other favourites of mine for the perfect guilt free lunch. For a more substantial meal, add a steamed salmon fillet and an extra squeeze of lemon. You'll wake up glowing.

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1 bunch silverbeet
1 can organic chick peas
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons sumac
2 lemons
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper


Cook Now
Wash the silverbeet then chop- quite chunky. Add to a steamer and steam until wilted, about 4 minutes. Drain and put in a large bowl. Drain chickpeas and add to the silverbeet. In the same bowl add crushed garlic, sumac, olive oil and the juice from the 2 lemons. Stir to combine while the silverbeet is still warm. Season to taste. Serve when cool. Yum!