To Market, To Market!

This is becoming a habit, isn't it? Benjamin and I will go to the Queen Vic Market on the weekend and I'll cook something delicious to post here. We make a day of it: spend a lazy morning at home, then venture out to the market, also stopping for a coffee at Seven Seeds (or, today, at De Clieu: Seven Seeds' Gertrude St venue).

I lost track of how much we spent today, and while some of them were impulse purchases (a lamb backstrap, fresh Australian garlic and Murray River Pink Salt), what we've tried so far has definitely been worth it. I can't wait until stone fruits are truly in season, so I can buy a box of peaches to make chutney!

Gluten Free Beef Ravioli with Leek and Fennel Braise

Serves 4

Capers

"Yuk!" I can hear some of you say at seeing the title of this post. You might want to stop reading this one here, then. Although you could cook the recipe I am about to post, just omitting the capers...

I love capers. I grew up "acquiring tastes". I love all kinds of olives, and will usually buy a container from a deli just to snack on. I enjoy artichokes, blue cheese, coffee and really dark chocolate. I put spoonfuls of capers in my basic tomato pasta sauce, sprinkle them over pizzas and grill english muffins with capers and mozarella on top.

Today I purchased a small jar of capers in salt from a lovely deli in the Queen Vic Market. I had only ever had capers in vinegar before, so I thought I'd give them a go. They are a lot more salty than capers in vinegar (surprise, surprise) so you do need to rinse them quite well. While I usually use whole capers in my cooking, if you feel they might be a bit strong for your taste (or that of the people you are cooking for), you might consider chopping them in half, or more finely, so they are spread around the dish more evenly.

 

Penne with Bocconcini, Red Onion and Capers

Serves 1

Macadamias

I love macadamias. Benjamin (my Other Half) and I were at the Queen Victoria Market this afternoon looking for inspiration for dinner, and we came across a nut stall selling unshelled macadamias at $8/kg. We bought 500g, as well as a leek from one of the fruit and veg vendors, and some "Goats Cheese Surprise" (it has tomato and chilli pesto on top) and beautiful Sicilian olives from one of the delicatessens.

When we got home, Benjamin had ... well, I won't say fun, cracking half the macadamias on the concrete outside, but he did a wonderful job. Unfortunately, without the right tools, the nuts tend to split on impact, but it does mean you don't have to do much further to the nuts before cooking them.

Something I might mention now, while I remember, is that Benjamin is a coeliac; ie: he has a gluten intolerance. You might have noticed on my last entry, dear reader, the "allergies: gluten free" tag down the bottom. I intend to tag both gluten free and dairy free recipes, with a view to adding more tags as my blog increases in popularity (well, I can hope, right?). In light of this, may I present tonight's recipe:

 

Spring Spaghetti with Sicilian Olives

Serves 2