Well. Here we are, almost two seasons (autumn and winter!) under our belts, and I’ve posted only vegetarian recipes, with the exception of some salmon handrolls a while back. We eat meat, but not much. Perhaps once a week we eat a bit of free range chicken. Or wild roo. Sometimes seafood, mostly calamari. So I’m not quite sure how I’ve managed not to post about any of this. I guess I’ve just been inspired by vegie dishes. Vegies are sexy, in my books. Anyway, it hasn’t been a conscious decision to not post about meat. I’d like One Small Kitchen to reflect what I like to make and eat. After we got back last week from nearly three weeks of camping, I was looking forward to grilling something. So picked up some free range chicken. The following day we noticed a new Portuguese restaurant in our neighbourhood, and K mentioned how much he loved the food when he was travelling in Portugal. I did a bit of googling. And voila.
On this election day, I thought it would be fitting to post something decisively Australian (especially as many of us are wondering to which shores we might flee, if the outcome is very bad). I’ve been so impressed by the number of beaches we’ve stopped at that have warrigal greens growing by the foreshore. They are a spinach-like plant, indigenous to Australia, and grow profusely along the east coast (and possibly further afield, though I haven’t wandered far enough west to know). I grew them at home from seed given to me, and now find them sprouting up un-encouraged. I used them in a peanut and lime tofu and soba noodle curry a little while back. Here’s what they look like.
We’ve been on the road for just under a week, yet it feels like more. We’ve seen some spectacular coastlines – Lake Ainsworth at Lennox Head, and some very special camping spots at Bundjalung and Yuraygir national parks in northern New South Wales. And some magnificent whale sightings too, including one humpback continuously beating its fluke into the water. It’s taken til about now to start to breathe out and forget about work. And start dreaming again – literally. I’m loving the simple stuff – open fires, cold sand, coastal heathlands, being present for dawns and dusks… and of course the stars.
