EAT: ONE DOLLAR FOOD SHOP IN SYDNEY

This has been a hot topic over the last few months, aside from everything else that’s expensive in Sydney, food shopping is an important one. Why? By the end of it all you have to eat and no amount of thrifty budgeting will excuse this fact.

You can be a little more smart about it though, as long as you know where to go. Here are a few areas I have sussed out to make my weekly shop for lunch, dinner and snacks a little more friendly to my dear old friend: bank account.

The weekly shop starts on Sunday in preparation for whats to come.

Ever Safe… Coles: Bulky Bits

For bulk items: jars, milk, bread, meat. Go to Coles, find one near you whether its on your lunch break or going home from work – pop in and grab the bits you need. Only use a basket – remember you have to carry this stuff home. Take a backpack, too. Heavy loading sucks. I’ve found the other stores are samey but more pricey. Frankton is near me and their range isn’t as good or as nicely priced!

Slightly in love with… Paddy’s Market: Fruit & Veg

Utterly in love with this place. The market is stuffed with colour and that super fresh feel. Don’t get me wrong, there are some bruised, yucky sections but the place is so massive just keep walking round until you find the quality you want. It won’t take long.

They tend to do deals of: 3 bags of veg for $5. You can grab courgettes, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, corn on the cob, green beans….This is better earlier in the day as its fresher.

At the end of the day stop in -  the market is flogging everything, screaming: “ONEEEEEEE DOLLLAARRRRRR!” the crowds are massive, the old women ram you with their buggies and the experience is hectic and I LOVED IT!

There’s also this incredible herb and spice section, I sigh every time I see it. There’s something you shouldn’t admit! Colour -  colour – colour. Its just authentic and a bit more exciting than buying a jar. More practical? Probably not.

Any other recommendations very welcome!

Also Read Up On…

What I do in Sydney? (meganchiew.wordpress.com)

Courgette, Sundried Tomato and Feta Cheese Muffins (storminakteacup.wordpress.com)

Recipe: Chorizo Cauliflower Rice (citytosticks.com)

EAT: Flying Fajita Sistas, Sydney

Situated in Sydney’s bohemian suburb, Glebe, this hot Mexican joint came recommended:

Flying Fajita Sistas.

Grubs up!

The food was scrumptious.

 If you do visit may I recommend ordering the Chingachunga (spelling?) or fajitas. The fajitas though aren’t big man size portions, so all those with BIG appetites be warned. 

Prices are around $22 – $30

BYO or have a jug of Sangria for $15+ (they make white wine Sangria as well!)

Service? 

The staff were attentive, polite, excellent. The girls were also wearing these frumpy dresses…  is this because its hot in there? Who knows why all their female staff should wear these hideous uniforms, but that’s irrelevant. I suppose. Majorly disappointing note – the food took an hour to arrive after ordering.

Lets talk about decor, ambiance…

Basic and comfortable – there were crosses hanging at every available space, but then again Mexico is a religious country so that kind of makes sense and kind-of creeped me out. There’s a bookcase of spicy sauces, better known as the Wall of Pain that you must try at your peril, I suppose its one way to shake up an evening. If you care to accept the challenge.

Full Rating?

5 / 10

Its a little expensive for the portion sizes and the food took a decade to arrive. The place was full, so they must be doing something right. Also note: you can’t split the bill, so make sure someone can pay the full blow and pay them back.

Also read on…

• The History of the Mouth-Watering Fajita (hotpechugas.wordpress.com)
• Low Cost Dinner Ideas (everydayfamily.com)
• Mexico Lindo-translation – Pretty Mexico, Beautiful Mexico, the choice is yours. (smallchickbigdeals.com)

EAT: #8 Cooking on the road

KEY LIME PIE, MY FAVOURITE DESERT!

This is number #8 on my list of things to accomplish while in the middle of nowhere – get creative cooking. As a way of earning my keep on the farm it has become customary to cook for the family, which began as a fun idea that soon transformed into pressure for timing and quality. Deciding what to cook every night is also coming on tedious, but as you will see from the snaps below, the result can be more rewarding. sometimes.

The catch phrase “it’ll just take 20 minutes” has become an ongoing joke after the first two weeks seemed to drag out to a good 2 hours -  and there’s 2 of us! How did this happen?

After understanding where all the equipment and ingredients stood and how the oven and grill functions (and sometimes does not) the 20 minute tag line has become more realistic and the enjoyment of producing something new is actually pretty exciting.

Here are a few pieces of evidence of culinary delights that have been sweated, baked and pruned over the last month:

Feta and Spinach Parcels 

It’s actually easy and looks rather good as a presentation piece (though this picture does them zero justice). Give them a go!

 

Pavlova/Meringue

Topped with fruits and double cream. On occasion sorbet, too.

Pizza

We made the dough! Mushroom, pepper, pepperoni, cheese and tomato pizza, baby!

How to Define Britishness? Peanut Butter and Muesli, say the Spaniards.

If you were to define Britishness your first thoughts may well lead to associations of food: fish and chips; roast dinners; Yorkshire puddings; Wensleydale cheese, crackers – all washed down with a good brew. Who could blame you? Food is a great representative of how a country lives: of style (comfort) and of climate (tepid) … but what about the others, what do they think of us Brits?

If I was to move to Spain and desperately needed some British grub I need not look any further than the local supermarket. I walked past the pigs bare thighs, the dishes of paella, the tubs of olives and there, right in the corner, stood a section dedicated to ‘Inglaterra’ and if you had any questions about what the Spanish thought was truly British, here is a snapshot answer that is just brilliant and dare I say spot on:

  

Dig in to South America’s Empanadas

This image from Sazon made me smile so much: Dig in!

 I first tasted this South American delight in Argentina, Salta. The hostel was fairly quiet but they still catered for those lonely travellers who couldn’t be arsed to cook, which introduced a meal of empanadas for a bit of Argentine Peso. While the gentleman cooked dinner we sipped red wine, enjoying the ease of the night, understanding that worlds aren’t so far apart when it comes to wining and dining.

What the British know as a Cornish pasty, South America has their own take on this moon shaped pastry, stuffed with pretty much anything and everything: mince, cheese, vegetables, egg, potatoes, fish, pork… South America creates what we might better associate as the pizza pocket, or calzone, and they are a real treat!

Name it!

You may like to know the name empanada comes from
the verb “empanar” which means “to wrap and coat in bread”
Scrumptious!

Empanadas are a total delight as a mid-day snack or you can bulk these out with salad and deep glass of red for a larger meal starting from 5 Argentine Peso.

Fancy baking your own?

The Hairy Bikers take on Beef Empanadas published by the BBC

Cook with Argentina at Try2Cook with this meaty parcel

 Food Network offer a more peculiar slant, stuffing banana into these empanadas

Also see…

Related articles

• Empanadas (claudiaowen.wordpress.com)
• IL MITO’s Sunday Brunch Empanada (realmilwaukeenow.com)
• Announcing Mama’s Empanadas is Listed on Zagat as One of the Best San Francisco Bay Area Food Truck Restaurants (prweb.com)