New Noshings

This post will consist of several random updates, mainly because my cooking/eating has been very random lately, not always a good thing! The past few days I've been working to reconnect with my fridge, kitchen and making meals that take preparation rather than assembly. I enjoy my meals so much more when I've had to do some work to make it. This is why I love making risotto. It's one of my favourite dishes to make because you have to be with it, right in it, from start to end. I also love chopping foods in preparation, but apparently not everyone else does. I find it very interesting to learn about other peoples connections to the food they eat. I should write a blog on that sometime.

So despite the chaotic schedule and hectic-ness that is my life for the past 6 weeks, I have managed to try out some new techniques with some foods that I would love to share with you.
Firstly, you may be able to tell from my previous posts that I LOVE avocado. Well, I should clarify, I love perfectly ripe avocados. Anything less that perfectly ripe will promptly be spat out in disgust. I eat avocado every day, usually in one of the following forms:
1) avocado sushi roll
2) in it's natural state in pretty much any salad I prepare
3) guacamole
4) avocado chocolate pudding.Click Here for recipe link
I now have a new method of preparation to add which I saw on another food blog "Diet, Dessert and Dogs". It's very in-depth blog with many raw, vegan and allergen free recipes. I lazily scrolled though, mainly drawn in by the photos which are of far superior quality to mine and each one reminded me how I really should get on and learn some decent photography skills and purchase a camera to go along with them. One particular photo caught my eye, the familiar and mesmerizing pale green flesh of a perfectly ripe avocado.Click here to go straight to the post. But wait! There was a difference! The soft, rich flesh was criss-crossed with grill marks! I have never heard of or tried grilled avocado but I knew right away, it would change my life forever! So far, I have grilled some avocado and spread it on rice cakes which was good but I want to add some other layers of flavour to this very basic snack. It definitely needs to evolve a lot more and I think it could go both sweet or savory. The other version was just putting it in to a salad while it was still warm. It does get a bit mushier but the flavour and texture and quite different to cold or room temperature avocado, in a good way! Grilling brings out the buttery taste more, makes it melt in your mouth more and creates another level of flavour that is nuttier.
Another update is on steak preparation and cooking. A co-worker, Mr N, and I, amongst other topics, discuss food. This is a common theme with pretty much all my friends and co-workers....and pretty much anyone else too. I was telling him that I had bought some steak for my dinner that night and he told me he used to work in a butchers shop and as a result got a lot of free meat and over time, honed his steak preparation to perfection. Luckily for me and my steak, he was willing to share his patiently learned technique with me. Firstly, he said, you must bring the steak up to room temperature. It's essential. If you don't have time for it to warm, place it in a ziploc bag and put in a bowl of warm water. He then suggested melting some butter and brushing it over both sides of the steak and then seasoning with salt and pepper. You can kill 2 birds with one stone and put some butter in the ziploc bag and it will melt due to the warm water. Finally, before cooking, you must have a decent pan ( I have a heavy based frying pan which is perfect for steak) and it must be hot! finally once cooked to desired degree, for me this is medium rare, you must let the meat rest for a few minutes. I've been letting meat rest for a few years now and it absolutely makes a difference with the taste. I followed Mr N's instructions perfectly with my ribeye steak and it was good.Actually, it was REALLY good. This may just be my technique of choice from now on. Or until someone else tells me another cool technique I am inspired to try.
I had bought enough steak for 2 portions with the plan to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I had to resist very hard, the urge to eat both portions right then and there. Always a sign of a well cooked meal. Or maybe just a very hungry girl.
My final update is to tell you that I am currently working on formulating my own personal foodie philosophy. I'm brainstorming at the moment and in the early stages of just throwing around key words and concepts and as it mulls in my brain daily, I will start to put it together in a series of sentences or bullet points. The key words right now are:
Whole, balanced, natural, flavour, nourishment, nutritious, taste, energy, recovery, slow, conscious, green,variety, local.....the list goes on.
It's pretty raw (haha) right now and will be more specific around certain foods as it evolves. It will have elements of organic eating, the Thrive diet, some raw eating, elements of veganism and vegetarianism but I will still eat meat and fish as I feel my body needs that at this moment in my life. I have contemplated and even attempted vegetarianism before but 100% compliance is not a choice I'm making right now although I do want to eat more vegetarian/vegan and make ethical food choices in general. I understand that my philosophy will and should evolve as I personally evolve and I learn more about the world of food. I'm very open to hearing and learning about other people's food philosophies too so please feel free to share with me if you want!