Showing posts with label Vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetarian. Show all posts

Friday, November 28, 2014

Greek Island Cooking

A month ago, in a post called A Picture Worth a Thousand Words, I wrote about working through my collection of 35,000+ images and videos in an effort to cull them down to a more useable number. Thankfully, that process is now done (more or less), and having reduced the number of files down to a manageable(?) 21,000 or so, I am now looking at ways to use some of those photographs and video clips.

Photographic eBooks
In an attempt to make use of a thousand or so photographs, I have started working on a series of ten eBooks utilising images from ten cities or countries. These include New York City, Paris, London, Tucson, and Savannah. The Greek island, Ikaria, and the South-East Asian country, Cambodia. In addition, I am planning photographic eBooks for the Australian cities; Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. 

Whew! I have got my work cut out for me, I know, but it is either that, or stop taking photographs completely. The eBooks will eventually become available via iTunes for a very nominal fee. 

Cooking Videos
I have been making short videos and posting them to my YouTube Channel for a number of years. In the past couple of days I have made two more videos for my Irene’s Kitchen series. Irene Gevezes, my sister, has been living on the Aegean Island of Ikaria since the mid-1970s, and over the years she has become a formidable cook (among her many other talents and skills). The island has gained a reputation over the past ten years or so as one of just five of the world’s Blue Zones, areas of the world where people live measurably longer lives than most of the world’s population. 

In the two videos, Irene prepares Mayirio and Soufiko, two traditional Greek island dishes that should especially please all vegetarians. Check them out and give them a try.

The first dish is for Mayirio

Mayirio is a mixed vegetable stew containing pretty much any vegetables you care to include. As Irene says in the video, traditionally the main ingredient is string beans, but she also added carrots, zucchini, egg plants/aubergine, spring onions and green peppers.

Irene prefers to use fresh tomatoes in her cooking rather than tomato purée, but had to use purée since she only had one tomato to add to this recipe. Irene also prefers to use coarse salt in her cooking, as she does here, but regular cooking salt can be substituted.

As always, Irene never measures the quantity of her ingredients precisely. Years of cooking for a large family has given her the experience to know the quantity to include in any particular meal she prepares. Having said that, as prepared by Irene in this video, there was more than enough Mayirio to feed four people. Coupled with other side dishes, the quantity prepared would have also been enough for up to six people.

Ingredients:
——————————
3 Carrots
1 Large Zucchini
3 Aubergine/Egg Plant
6 Green Peppers
1 kg String Beans
Spring Onions
2 tomatoes or tomato purée

Condiments
——————————
3-4 Cloves Garlic
1 cup of water
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
turmeric
tomato paste/purée

Method
——————————
Please watch the video to see Irene demonstrate and discuss the cooking process.

--o0o--

In this second video Irene prepares Soufiko.

Ingredients
—————————— 
3-4 Cloves Garlic (or to taste)
2-3 Onions
3-4 Green Peppers/Capsicums
2 Aubergine/Egg Plant
1 Zucchini
2-3 Potatoes
Tomatoes or Tomato Puree
Condiments to taste
Olive Oil (for frying)
1/2 cup water 

Method
—————————— 
Please watch the video to see Irene demonstrate and discuss the cooking process.


NOTE: Irene cooks on an electric stove. If you are cooking with gas, adjust your heat settings to suit. At the very least, heed Irene’s warning when she says that the dish is prone to sticking and burning if the heat is too high. Hence her warning to keep a close eye on the pot during the cooking process.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday Photos: Adelaide Central Market

Let them eat cake? Not when the bread is as fresh as this.
Originally known as the City Market, the facility was officially named the Central Market in August 1965, and continues to offer almost every variety of fresh fruit and vegetable available in South Australia.

The world comes to shop at the market.
Hot nuts! Once you start eating them, you can't stop.

Several tour operators offer tours of the Central Market.  For more information on tours of the Market, visit Top Food & Wine Tours… 

If it is available fresh, you will almost certainly find it at the market.
Processed meats to go.
A wide range of events and activities are scheduled each week at the market. Some traders offer product samples in ‘try before you buy’ promotions, while others present short classes, and product/produce demonstrations each week.

Ice on Mt. Brocoli.
How many varieties of Mettwurst can there possibly be? Ask here.
Mark Gleeson conducts Central Market Tours that provide participants with an exclusive experience interacting with suppliers, producers and retailers of South Australia’s vibrant food industry.

Watermelons by the ton.
Mid-eastern spices and processed foods.
More than 80 stalls offer a wide range of fresh and processed meats, cheese, seafood, nuts, confectionary, coffee and other specialty foods. And of course, let’s not overlook the bakeries, patisseries, and numerous cafés and restaurants.

There is always time for coffee and cake.

Trading Hours
Tuesday: 7am - 5.30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 5.30pm*
Thursday: 9am - 5.30pm
Friday: 7am - 9pm
Saturday: 7am - 3pm
*Optional trading day, not all stalls open

Closed Public Holidays

Here is a brief video of footage I shot during a visit to the Adelaide Central Market:


More Information

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Adelaide Central Market


~ At 3.15am on Saturday, 23rd January 1869, a group of market gardeners made their way to a site between Gouger Street and Grote Street, Adelaide and started to sell their produce. Over 500 people are said to have attended that first market day with all stock selling out by 6.00am!

From such a successful beginning, it was not long before the Adelaide Central Market officially opened one year later in January 1870. Thirty years later, in 1900, the first stone was laid to build the Central Market façade, which still stands today.

I have been going to ‘the market’, as most people call it, for as long as I can remember. First, as a child, along with my parents who shopped there every week, and then as an adult, either on my own or with other family members. Currently, Friday evenings are my preferred visiting hours, and shopping is always preceded by a meal in the Asian food hall close to the main market.

Originally known as the City Market, the facility was officially named the Central Market in August 1965. Despite two major fires (one in 1925, and the other in 1977), the market continues to offer almost every variety of fresh fruit and vegetable available in South Australia.

Also available from more than 80 stalls are a wide range of fresh and processed meats, continental deli’s and cheese outlets, seafood stalls, and others specialising in nuts, confectionary, coffee and other specialty foods. And of course, let’s not overlook the bakeries, patisseries, and numerous cafés and restaurants,

For more than 140 years, the Central Market has been the food Mecca for multicultural cuisine and fresh produce in Adelaide, and today the Central Market is South Australia’s most visited tourist attraction.

For those of us who live in Adelaide and shop regularly there, the market is more than a tourist attraction, of course. This is the one place were all classes of people meet and greet each other, rub shoulders with celebrity chefs, indulge their love for fresh fruit and vegetables, and soak their senses in the myriad aromas that waft around the cheese stalls and coffee stalls, and the many other outlets. The market is also a great meeting place for families and friends. Getting together for a meal at Lucia’s, or a coffee and cake at Zuma’s Café, or maybe a cheap, freshly made Won Ton soup in the Asian food hall is a standard occurrence among regular market aficionado’s.

Events & Activities
A wide range of events and activities are scheduled each week at the market. Some traders offer product samples in ‘try before you buy’ promotions, while others present short classes, and product/produce demonstrations each week.

Central Market Tours
With a 30 year background as a chef and 20 years as a stall holder in the Market, Mark Gleeson conducts Central Market Tours that aim to provide participants with an exclusive experience interacting with suppliers, producers and retailers of South Australia’s vibrant food industry. Tour guests receive a level of history and product knowledge of the Adelaide Central Market, not available by others. For more information or to book your tour, visit Central Market Tour… 

Top Food & Wine Tour
There are several tour operators in South Australia that also offer tours of the Central Market for your enjoyment.  For more information on tours of the Market, visit Top Food & Wine Tours… www.topfoodandwinetours.com.au

Trading Hours
Tuesday: 7am - 5.30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 5.30pm*
Thursday: 9am - 5.30pm
Friday: 7am - 9pm
Saturday: 7am - 3pm
*Optional trading day, not all stalls open
Closed Public Holidays

More Information

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Eating Vegetarian or Vegan in Adelaide


Renae Melnyk from London, England has generously provided a bunch of vegetarian and vegan eating spots around Adelaide for those visitors and locals who have made the commitment to this type of fare.

Renae writes: I find that the best places are usually the places that aren’t listed on Happy Cow – the places that aren’t vegetarian/vegan but have options. Here is my locals guide to being vegan in Adelaide!

Thanks to Renae for posting this information to the Adelaide Couchsurfers forum. I’m sure it will be much appreciated. Here are her recommendations.
Breakfast/Brunch
Hawker Street Café
- 22 Hawker Street, Bowden: beautiful café with a great community vibe and cute outside setting out the back. Wonderful coffee with option of organic soy milk. Do a wonderful vegan or vegetarian big breakfast, plus the crew working there are wonderful/total babes. Warning though, kitchen closes at 1:30pm on weekends, so don’t sleep in too late! Make sure you try the house made baked beans on the weekend!

Queen Street Café
– Elizabeth Street, Croydon: gorgeous, bustling café in a cool little suburb. Great coffee, good vegetarian options. Vegans, ask for the ‘Lewis special’ or go the clay pot beans sans egg. A tad pricey. Soy pot of chai is a definite winner.

Brown Dog Café
– Goodwood Road, Goodwood: The BEST little courtyard out the back to laze in on a Sunday morning! Vegetarian breaky that can be made vegan on request – yum!

Nano to go
– Ebenezer place, CBD: bust, trendy café just off Rundle Street. Good vego options, good coffee, vegans go for the mixed bruschetta made vegan.

Bliss Organic Garden Café
– 7 Compton Street, City: Good food and a nice setting, however the owners are not very nice to their staff and have some whack ideals, so I tend to avoid this place. If going for breaky try the tofu scramble, pancakes or the Bliss Big Breakfast. Pretty pricey though and service can be very slow. All vegan.

Lunch
Thea
– Gawler Place, CBD: A wonderful haven to escape the city rush! Mostly vegan menu. Make sure you try a flavoured iced tea – my favourites are grape or grapefruit. Best dishes are Thea cold noodles (vegan, but not specified so on the menu as the noodles used state “may contain traces of egg”), crispy Hainan rice (get a side of peanut sauce to go with) and sweet and sour thing. Get a side of yam samosas too, yum!! Open Mon-Fri., 11-4 and Friday nights.

Vego n Lovin’ It
–Rundle Street, CBD: The BEST burgers! My favourite is the Mexican with added cucumber and avocado. Make sure you try the smoothies too! Apricot mixed with chocolate is AMAZING! Can be hard to find, it is upstairs through a small yellow doorway, look up for the mosaic sign. Can be busy. All vegan. Only open Mon-Fri., 11-3.

Zen House
– Bent Street, CBD (Just off Rundle st): Mock meat dishes and a wide variety of teas. Favourites are vegan SFC burger with satay sauce, mee goreng and cold salad noodles. Open for lunch and dinner most days.

Burp Burritos
– Hindley Street, CBD: Vegan and vego burritos or tacos. I love the el vegan burrito with mango and corn salsa. Mmm!

Also
Vegetarian Garden, Renaissance Arcade, just off Rundle Mall: You MUST try the Laksa here! Cheap and tasty!

Bent Street, CBD (Just off Rundle St): Mock meat dishes and a wide variety of teas. Favourites are vegan SFC burger with satay sauce, mee goreng and cold salad noodles. Open for lunch and dinner most days.
The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook: 350 Essential Recipes for Inspired Everyday Eating Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes Carnivores Will Devour
Click images to purchase directly via Amazon.Com

Dinner
Wah Hing
– Gouger Street, CBD: Asian restaurant with vegetarian /vegan options. Best dishes are salt and pepper eggplant (a MUST try), salt and pepper tofu and BBC (bean curd, broad bean and Chinese chutney). Good for a cheap dinner with friends!

Goodlife Organic Pizza
– various locations, Glenelg, Hutt Street CBD and O’Connell St., Nth Adelaide: Two vegan options; a roast veg pizza and a mushroom pizza, ask for it made vegan. The garlic bread is sooo yummy and also vegan. A tad pricey, but worth it.

Falafel House
– Hindley St, CBD: good for take away quick snack/dinner. The falafel burger is only 5 bucks and tasty as!

Café Michael 2
– Rundle St, CBD: The best Thai food in Adelaide. Ask the waiting staff and they’ll be happy to let you know what can be made vegan. The Tom Yum soup is really, really good.

Also
Burger It: O’Connell St, North Adelaide has several vegetarian burgers with vegan options. Chips are vegan. Try with the relish or satay sauce.

Dessert
Eggless
– Goodwood Road, Goodwood: Open Weds-Sun from 8pm. Make sure you get here early or else you’ll have to wait for a table as it gets quite busy! Menu changes every month and generally half of the menu is vegan or can be made vegan. Good selection of drinks and a few savouries as well.

Chocolate Bean
– Union St, CBD (just off Rundle St): Great selection of hot and cold chocolate drinks with a wonderful variety of flavours (e.g. gingerbread, coconut, caramel) which can all be made vegan. Often have vegan chocolate truffles. Good selection of vegan cupcakes, a vegan peanut butter cheesecake, and my favourite – choc hazelnut praline mousse cake. Yumm!

Dragonfly Bar
–Victoria Square, CBD: Not a dessert place as such, but a gorgeous little cocktail bar with clearly labelled vegan bar snacks like edamame!

Coffee
Bar 9
– Glen Osmond Road: a ten minute bus ride from town, but well worth it! The coffee here is just amazing!

– Coffee Branch
Leigh St, CBD (just off Hindley Street). Amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing.

Also: Hawker Street Café/Queen St Café (see Breakfast/Brunch above).

-o0o-

Here is a small selection of Vegetarian cookbooks if you want to explore this type of cooking - and eating further.
Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food Student's Vegetarian Cookbook, Revised: Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes
Click images to purchase directly via Amazon.Com
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