Slow roasted lamb & chilli fetta carrots

With the cooler weather (finally) hitting Perth, Mr Alphie has started requesting a Sunday roast. We've had roast chook (WA raised free range, of course) a couple of times now, and after the most recent request for a chicken roast, I realised that the alternative had to be pretty tempting to draw Mr Alphie from the roast chook obsession he was clearly about to fall in to. I had a quick ponder back to previous winters, and other roasts cooked, and remembered stumbling upon a fantastic lamb recipe last winter.

In the low calorie obsession of the last 12 months, I bought a number of cookbooks I would not have otherwise. On reflection, most of the books are are quite weird  but one that has had more than it's fair share of gems, is Jane Kennedy's OMG! I Can Eat That?. It still has some weird stuff in it, and I think she takes the low-carb thing a bit far sometimes, but the slow roast lamb recipe is definitely a winner. Beautifully soft, pull apart lamb shoulder, drizzled with a garlicky, lemony 'gravy'.... mmmm, oh, and the smell wafting through the house as it cooks... Perfection.

Another recent realisation I have had, is that just because we're having a roast, doesn't mean we have to have the full suite of traditional roast veges (potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, parsnip, etc), with an obligatory serve of green veg on the side (peas, beans or broccoli). Don't get me wrong, I adore roast veges, and have been known to just have roast veges for dinner, but I'm starting to fall for carefully crafted 'side dishes' to star along side the roast, rather than as uninspired support acts.

A recent favourite  thanks to a continuing excess of carrots that arrive in our fruit & vege delivery, is also found in OMG! I Can Eat That? Chilli feta carrots. So divine, and it's possible I love these more than regular roasted carrots, which I previously thought of as the best part of a roast. I have a continuing love affair with Brussels sprouts/cabbage and bacon, and of course, a roast is not a roast, without some form of roasted potato to accompany it - soft & fluffy in their jackets is my preference.

Slow Roast Lamb
slightly modified from Jane Kennedy's OMG! I Can Eat That? pg 105
Serves 4-6

• approx 1kg boned lamb shoulder
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 head garlic, broken up, but not peeled
• 2-3 stems rosemary
• 1 cup chicken or beef stock
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 220°C.

In a roasting pan, place the lemon wedges in the centre, ad surround with the garlic cloves. What you're trying to do here is create a 'trivet' for the lamb to rest on. Depending on the size of your lamb shoulder you may need another lemon, or some more garlic. Place the rosemary on top, followed by the lamb. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper, and rub it all in.

Add the stock to the pan (Jane recommends you do this at the end to make the 'gravy', but I had too many experiences of the lemons & garlic burning on to the pan & engulfing the kitchen in acrid smoke), and cover tightly with foil. Chuck it in your hot oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 160°C.

Leave it for 4 hours. Yes, 4 hours. I promise you, it'll be worth it.

After the 4 hours are up, take the foil off & increase the oven to 220°C. Leave for another 20 minutes, just to get some crispy bits going.

Remove from the oven, set the lamb aside on the serving plate & cover with foil. Fish the lemon bits & rosemary out of the pan, and squeeze all that delicious slow roasted garlic out of its skins back into all the pan juices. You might also want to get rid of a bit of the fat in the pan at this point, although I don't always have to - it depends on the lamb. Mush up that garlic & put the pan on the cooktop on a medium heat to reduce a bit. It won't thicken up like a gravy, but that's ok.

This works best if it's served family-style - a big plate in the middle of the table & everyone can help themselves to the unctuous lamb & drippy pan gravy. So, shred the lamb on the serving plate & spoon the gravy over the top.

Serve & dig in!

(sorry about the lack of 'in progress' photos, I had to fight Mr Alphie for the oven & I got a bit frazzled trying to get it in on time)

Chilli Fetta Carrots
slightly modified from Jane Kennedy's OMG! I Can Eat That? pg 193
Serves 4-6

• 3-4 carrots, peeled & sliced on the diagonal
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, to taste
• 50g fetta cheese (or there about, I just eyeball it)
• 2tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

Either toss your carrots in a bit of oil, then spread out on a baking tray lined with baking paper; or chuck them straight on the tray (still with baking paper) and spray with oil. Whichever method you choose, sprinkle the carrots with salt & freshly ground pepper & chilli flakes.

Roast the carrots in a 200°C oven for 25 or so minutes, until they're just golden. Mix with the fetta & parsley in a serving bowl.

Enjoy!

Do you have any favoured side dish recipes that are starts in their own right? Please share, I'd love to hear about them.

Why I stopped blogging...

So I wasn't completely honest with you in my last post. There are two reasons I stopped blogging. One was the time factor I mentioned in my last post. But the other, well it's a bit flinchier, a bit harder for me to talk about.

Early last year (or maybe late the year before? It seems so long ago now), I started running, in a couch to 5k program, with the aim of getting fit for the upcoming soccer season, after having 2 seasons off. Running 2-3 times a week, combined with my usual twice weekly pilates, plus twice weekly soccer training once the pre-season started up meant I got fit, and lost a bit of weight. Not much, a kilo or so maybe. But I started to think, how much would I loose if I watched what I ate?

And this is the part I don't like talking about. I started counting calories. I was not overweight by any means, right in the middle of the healthy BMI range, but I just felt I'd be a better version of me if I was a couple of kilos lighter. I was tallying my daily food intake and playing it off against my exercise, counting out almonds for my afternoon snack and drinking macchiatos instead of flat whites because they had less calories. I stopped drinking alcohol, except for the occasional vodka & soda, and pretty much gave up eating bread. I dropped those few kilos. But it was hard, really hard, there was so much guilt, every time I ate something I felt I 'shouldn't', or that took me over my meagre calorie allowance. And I wasn't a better version of me, I was just a slightly skinnier me, and much more boring to be around.

I stopped blogging because I didn't think anyone would want to read about the low-fat, low-carb, mostly vegetable, and predominantly unexciting meals I was cooking. They weren't recipes I was proud of.

A few months ago, I decided I was done counting calories. It was consuming my life. All that endless weighing & counting and recording. I was done. I started going about my life making sensible decisions about what I ate - if Mr Alphie bakes some amazing bread, I eat it (with butter!), but not the whole loaf; if we're going out for a lavish dinner, I have a smaller lunch; I don't count my almonds; and if I feel like a drink after a long week/day at work, I have one (or two...). I'm not perfect, I'm still a sucker for hot chips, and peanut m&m's are a weakness I don't think I'll ever overcome (as evidenced in my previous post). But do you know what? I haven't gained a single kilo back. And I am much happier than I've been in a long time.

I feel like I have a few other bloggers to thank for my new-found balance in life. Heidi from Apples Under My Bed, Nat from Lemon Living, and more recently Angela from Oh She Glows, have inspired me to be a happier, healthier me, and also, to share this story with you.

My Week on a Plate - Mining Camp Style

Dearest Readers (if I have any left!), it has been far far to long between drinks. I do have a somewhat reasonable excuse though...

I have spent a large proportion of the last 6 months in Port Hedland, working 12 hour days, often for 12 days at a time (and with only 2 days off!). And, when I wasn't in Port Hedland, Mr Alphie and I were on holiday in North America - more on that later.

Initially in Port Hedland I was staying in a company-rented townhouse with two other people, but for the last few months I have stayed in a mining camp when I'm 'up north'. There are benefits and downfalls of both.

In the townhouse I got to cook/choose all my own food; I didn't have to put shoes/real clothes on to use the laundry; and I could leave most of my site specific stuff & some food there when I went back to Perth on R&R. But I also had wash my own sheets/towels; didn't have access to a gym, and jogging outside when it's 40° and upwards of 70% humidity is not fun; oh, and also, cook my own food and do my own dishes. I know I listed cooking as a benefit, but after a 12 hour day, sometimes you don't want to have to think about dinner. In comparison, most camps have access to a gym (the quality of which varies from camp to camp), the cleaning is looked after for you, and all your food is provided - breakfast & dinner in the 'mess' and an opportunity to pack your lunch, or 'crib', at breakfast. The downfalls being that the quality/choice/type of food may not be (or in my case, definitely is not) what you would choose to eat elsewhere.

I've just returned from an eight day stint, staying in a mining camp, and I thought I might share with you, my meals in that time. It's not actually going to be a full week, as I was taken out for a celebratory dinner the frst night, as we'd hit some production milestones on site, and the second night was Mr Alphie's birthday (who also works in Port Hedland), so we went out for dinner then too, and then the third night we resorted to a late night McDonalds run, after working late (even with a 12 hour day, you can still work overtime!) and missing dinner at camp. So, I've ignored those days as they're not typical - well the McDonalds might be, but I'd rather not acknowledge that...

We start on a Thursday evening.

Thursday, 7pm: Nothing looked too exciting tonight. I ended up with a slice of roast beef, some form of vegetable noodle stir fry, steamed carrots, asparagus with hollandaise, and a mug of water. For some reason, this particular camp does not provided drinking glasses, so we are left drinking water (or cordial, if that's your thing) from ceramic mugs. Weird.

Thursday 7pm

Every camp I have stayed in so far offers a full cooked/hot breakfast selection as well as cereal, toast, fruit and yoghurt. It is not uncommon to have poached eggs and omelettes available 'to order' in addition to the usual bain marie fried & scrambled egg options.

Friday 5:30am: I opted for the poached eggs to order this morning, packing my crib while I waited. Two poached eggs on a split English muffin - not a bad start to the day.

Friday 9am: I had to dash into an office for a teleconference with some of the team based in Perth & NSW, and took the opportunity to have a cheeky morning tea break. Instant (blurgh!) coffee & a Larabar from our recent US trip to tide me over 'til lunch.

Friday 1pm: Salad packed at camp from the 'crib selection' - cos lettuce, shredded carrot, a bean salad arrangement, corn, cucumber & tuna. Plus a coconut water for rehydration & water in my fab insulated S'well bottle - a Christmas gift from Mum, and it's taken an absolute beating in Port Hedland!

Friday 4.30pm: We had a bit of a break in production, so I nipped into the 'crib room' (aka lunch room) for a snack. Fruit salad camp style - melon always features heavily, topped with plain yoghurt (Chobani - from my secret stash!), and sprinkled with all bran.

Friday 7pm: Friday is fish night at most camps, but grilled or steamed fish is usually available 'from the grill' every night. I upset the chef (or is it a cook?) when I asked for grilled fish on 'fish night', as there was already fish available, but both other options were deep fried. Accompanied by stuffed capsicum, sauteed cabbage & peas, and the mug of water

Friday 5:30am

Friday 9am

Friday 1pm

Friday 4.30pm

Friday 7pm

Saturday 5:30am: Muesli & all bran with skim milk, fruit salad, a plain yoghurt and a mug of water.

Saturday 10am: Ryvitas with cheese & tomato and a couple of strawberries - a rarity at camp, I had to grab them while they were there!

Saturday 2pm: Salad for lunch, and was much the same as yesterday, but I've swapped the tuna for chicken, and there was no bean salad today, so I went for a (Thai?) noodle salad thing instead. No coconut water today though - I didn't spend much time out in the heat, so water should do it.

Saturday 7pm: Lamb Rogan Josh with some white rice, and a stack of veggies - silverbeet, mushrooms, corn, squash & zucchini. Was keen for dessert tonight, but nothing really appealed - cake & custard, and not even any exciting ice cream flavours.

Saturday 5.30am

Saturday 10am

Saturday 2pm

Saturday 7pm

Sunday 5:30am: Back to a hot breakfast today. A poached egg on multi-grain toast, mushrooms and some beans.

Sunday 10am: Spending most of the day in the office catching up on paperwork, so morning tea was at my desk. Camp style fruit salad, topped with plain yoghurt, and sprinkled with all bran & chia (brought with me from home).

Sunday 2pm: More salad - cos lettuce, shredded carrot, some green bean salad , tomato, cucumber & tuna. Plus a Larabar, as I was super hungry by Sunday lunchtime, for some unknown reason!

Sunday 7.45pm: As it's my last night in camp, and we had quite a successful week on site, I took the team out for a drink or two before dinner. Two beers is just enough to make a ravenous, so I opted for the 'Green Curry Chicken' - whole chicken thighs in a vaguely green curry sauce - with a stack of veges. And finished off with a slice of almond cake, which I completely forgot to photograph - sorry.

Sunday 5:30am

Sunday 10am

Sunday 2pm

Sunday 7.45pm

Monday 5:30am: Back to the fruit salad, topped with plain yoghurt, and sprinkled with all bran & chia, and a crumpet with honey. I had forgotten how good crumpets are! I think I'll have to make them part of my regular camp breakfast rotation.

Monday 11am: Got completely distracted working on a pump with one of the boys this morning, and missed my usual morning tea break. I went for a quick option while catching up with some of the team back from R&R. Coconut water, Larabar & an apple.

Monday  1.30pm: Had a last minute meeting from 1pm for most of the afternoon, and given I had only just had morning tea when I found out about said meeting, I nibbled on my salad throughout. Iceburg lettuce, shredded carrot, chickpea salad , cucumber & a boiled egg.

Monday  8.30pm: Back home! Mr Alphie cooked as the flight doesn't usually get in 'til about 7.30. Winter kale & potato curry from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg Everyday. Delish!

Monday 5.30am

Monday 11am

Monday 1.30pm

Monday 8.30pm

In conclusion, just a few notes about camp food...

There is always something lacking on the camp menu that I feel I can't survive without. Luckily, we have quite a bit of freedom to supplement the camp food with regular groceries, and I usually get to the supermarket on my first or second night. Nuts, m&m's, coconut water and Chobani (I'm really not a fan of the overly sweetened yoghurts they provide at the camps) are regular items on my list. Depending on the crib options, I might also get some salad things, dry biscuits, or some tinned tuna or salmon.

I generally start each day on site with a plunger coffee. The aforementioned m&m's have pride of place on the engineering desk - I would have a handful (or more, depending on the stress of the day!) of those over the course of the day. I am trying to minimise that though, and have recently added a container of almonds, Brazil nuts & dried cranberries to that corner of the desk.

fruit/nut & m&m's jars 

You might have noticed in the photos that I generally use re-usable plastic containers for my lunch. Most camps have a huge stack of plastic takeaway containers, in varying sizes, disposable cutlery, and plastic shopping bags in the crib area. It frightens me to think how many plastic containers & bags end up in the Port Hedland Landfill, with over 2,000 people staying in one of the camps in town any night of the week. In small act of rebellion, I bring a couple of containers from home, some snap lock bags, my adorable Fred cutlery set and my usual work lunch bag up with me.

-Alphie

Ottolenghi, Islington, London.

It's been a long time coming, but this is the last instalment of our London dining adventures.

We only booked two restaurants before we left Australia; Dinner, and Ottolenghi. I have sung my praise for Ottolenghi's book, Plenty, many times already on this blog. So it was always going to be part of the plan while we were in London. It was a treat we saved for our last night, wanting to end the tip on a high, and not on a potential disaster (not that we had many of those mind you). Much to Mr Alphie's excitement, the easiest way to get there was via (double decker) bus. Unfortunately it wasn't an old-style open topped one, but he was very excited all the same.

We arrived to find a converted terrace house, with a delicious array of cakes, pastries & desserts on display in the front windows. Once inside, we realised the display stretched well inside the shop, and then became a mouth watering display of salads and other cold dishes of the day.

We were welcomed in, and shown to a cosy table in the back. After a chat with the waitress, who encouraged us to order 2-3 plates per person, we chose three plates to share from the 'From the Counter' (cold) menu and two from the 'From the Kitchen' (hot) menu, giving us five dishes - a deliberate decision to ensure we both had room for desert from the fantastic table of goodies!

House made bread with olive oil

Grilled pear with Roquefort, spicy macadamia, mixed leaves
and orange blossom dressing

Mixed green beans with shaved asparagus, garlic, chilli,
tarragon and chervil

Yellow fin, line caught, seared tuna wrapped in nori and
panko with wasabi cream

Five spice crispy tofu with mixed vegetable peanut archa and
aubergine, tamarind and coriander salsa

Orange and fennel poached mackerel with beetroot and honey
yoghurt salad and pistachio relish

Some sort of delicious fruit tart, from the amazing
selection out front

Citrus tart, also from the fabulous dessert display

A fantastic end to a fantastic holiday. Oh, how I would love if Ottolenghi was my local. Everything we tried was sublime, so clean, crisp and zingy. Each dish really let each component shine. And, it was well priced!

-Alphie

PS Yotam has just released a new cookbook, Jerusalem, with his business partner Sami Tamimi. I know what I'll be asking for for Christmas this year! 

Lantana, Fitzrovia, London

Lantana, a laneway full of Jubilee bunting, and some random men...

Flat white

Double espresso

Crispy pork belly ciabatta roll w/ cress and chilli mayo

Thai fish cakes w/ lime chilli dipping sauce and asian noodle salad

It was Mr Alphie's birthday while we were in London, so to celebrate I directed us to Lantana, an Aussie-run cafe in Fitzrovia. We had been craving decent coffee, and who better to make coffee than an Aussie? At least they know what a flat white is! Lantana was recommended by MIL & Ms Aqua, neither of whom had been, but both had heard/read great things.

The food was amazing; light, fresh flavours, a nice change from some of the heavier food we had been eating while in Scotland! And the service was lovely, our waiter recognised our Aussie accents and we had a great chat, about Australia, London, food & coffee! But most importantly, the coffee was fab! Easily the best coffee we had anywhere in London. I even had a cheeky second cup...

A fantastic cafe, in a gorgeous setting, well worth hunting down for lunch (or brekky, I hear they do a great brekky) if you're going to be in the area - weather you're an Aussie or not!

-Alphie

Wahaca, Soho, London

Ceviche tostada - MSC certified shrimp and scallops tossed with a
refreshing mix of habanero chilli, lime, cucumber and mint

Pork pibil taco - slow cooked pork in Wahaca's special
Yucatean marinade

Grilled corn - slathered in sour cream mayo, chilli-sugar-salt,
Lancashire cheese and a squeeze of lime

Cactus taco - grilled cactus taco with zucchini, grilled cheese
and guajillo oil

Chorizo & potato quesadilla - Mexican chorizo, made to
a Wahaca recipe,  fresh thyme and potato

Our order, marked out on the placemat menu

Wahaca was suggested to us by our Scotland travelling partners - Ms Aqua and her bf. They have made a point of hunting out good Mexican in the UK, but I'd like to think I started something here...

The menu is split into four main sections - drinks & nibbles, street food, sides and platos fuertes (bigger plates). We stuck to the street food and sides sections, and ordered too much, as we often do at both Mexican and tapas-style places, so we hod no hope here, but the food was so delicious that we both kept eating and almost had to be rolled out the door.

The pork pibil and cactus tacos were the real stand outs for me, although the ceviche tostada was fantastic too. I personally preferred the grilled corn at Mamasita in Melbourne, but I guess if you're in London, it's not really a dinner option, is it now? The quesadilla was also quite good, but we were both so full by the time it came out, I don't think we really appreciated it. All topped off with a few Coronas, it was a great meal, and I'd definitely go back if we're ever in London again.

It wasn't until we made it back to Perth that I realised the head chef of Wahaca is Thomasina Miers, often mentioned by Nigella Lawson, and, it turns out, a previous MasterChef UK winner! I have since seen her show Mexican Food Made Simple on Lifestyle Food, and it makes me so happy to have made it to Wahaca.

-Alphie

Bills Providore & Cafe, Brighton

Bill's raspberry, peach & mango juice, French pink soda

Daily bruschetta special

Haloumi and hummus - grilled haloumi cheese in a sesame seed
bun with hummus, rocket, roasted peppers’ sweet chilli and
yoghurt served with skinny fries

As we were nearing the end of our UK adventure the weather started to warm up, bringing with it a feeling that summer was just around the corner. And where to Londoners go when the weather heats up? To Brighton of course! So off we went.

Arriving by train, we wandered down towards the beach through a series of lanes, filled with cafes, gorgeous boutiques and cute & quirky homewares shops. I think we bought more stuff in Brighton than anywhere else on the whole trip!

We passed a lot of cafes but none of them really drew us in, until we spied Bills Providore & Cafe tucked inside an old garage (or 'Depot') on a nondescript semi-commercial street. It was exactly what we had been looking for. Light & fresh food, with friendly service, amazing 'rustic' decor and a buzzing atmosphere.

Unfortunately (for you, not me - it was delish) I ordered off the specials board, and didn't write it down, so I have no idea what I ordered, but it was a 'bruschetta' with broad bean puree, grilled capsicum, local asparagus & balsamic. 

- Alphie