one of the things i have become most excited about - most involved in - since moving to australia is cooking. i have always enjoyed it but i think this last year in china especially piqued my interest in making things from scratch. in the past it's always been more frozen bits and bobs with nice salads - maybe some homemade burgers or a pasta but nothing beyond that. really it was spending a lot of time with chris and trying out his gorgeous curries, stir-fries and pasta sauces rich with red wine and fresh vegetables.
since arriving on this vast chunk of land i have had quite a bit of time on my hands and have started to create my own repertoire of recipes - things i had never dreamed of trying previously. a few weeks ago i roasted an entire chicken - took out the mucky inside bits and stuffed it with chunks of lemon and olive oil and coated it liberally with sea salt and basil. it was absolutely beautiful, juicy and tender and getting all over our fingers as we just picked at it off the pan. two nights ago was vegetable and lamb moussaka - all rich layers of lamb and fresh tomato, salted eggplant and potato covered with a creamy cheese, yoghurt and egg sauce. there have been other dishes in between and before these - date and vanilla muffins, pastas with home-made roasted red peppers and today a beautiful, fragrant chicken soup with beefy mushrooms, carrots, thai chilli and basmati rice. i wish i'd documented some of these things, the recipes i can't remember now but just have some vague recollection of licking my fingers and saying i should post the recipe on my blog! too little too late unfortunately. (not to say all the recipes have been good, either - there was that gluggy mee goreng with overcooked baby squid, some tasteless sauces and dishes oilier than Tony Abbott.)
while being in oz has been tough in a lot of ways - lack of friends, no family, bouncing around from badly-paid temp jobs - having this stove-top, this oven, this market full of fresh produce - has been a saving grace, something i look forward to when i get home from work. i put my face in a cloud of fragrant steam, close my eyes and can finally relax.
