What I've been cooking and eating

It's no secret that I am a foodie through and through.  I am forever downloading new recipes to my Paprika App from various websites.  My usual process is to see what I have in the fridge/freezer and then I do a google search for recipes using those ingredients.  You would be surprised what I find.  I am very fortunate that I have a husband who will eat almost anything, as do I.  Even if I don't love something it will not stop me from trying it in a recipe.  For example I don't love coriander but I am not afraid of using it in a recipe if it calls for it.  If I can substitute if for something else, for example parsley, I will.  I am also not adverse to using fruit in my cooking.  A friend noticed how much fruit we had in our fruit bowl recently and asked if we would eat all of it.  I was a little taken aback because of course we would eat it all!  If not the raw article it will be thrown into a salad (think Mangoes, Apple, Oranges) and  stone fruit that has almost met its "used by" date will be thrown into a saucepan with maple syrup, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, star anise and gently simmered. The beautifully stewed fruit is then my "go to" breakfast along with greek yoghurt and nuts.

A recipe I found on our last trip away in the caravan was one by Neil Perry.  I had pork chops in the freezer and lots of apples in the fruit bowl. Neil Perry's Barbecued Pork Chops with Apple and Potato Salad (link HERE) was really delicious and the combination of apple potato and lemon was a combination that I would not have thought of but it really worked.  It will be on repeat.

A recipe that I have wanted to try but could never find all the ingredients is this one.  Fillet Steak Salad. (Link HERE)

The ingredient that I couldn't source here in Cairns was Watercress so I decided to buy a bunch of radishes and use the green tops as a substitute. Perfect. Philip declared this salad one of his top 10 so that is a big call.  It really was tasty and the addition of grated parmesan tossed with the leaves really enhanced the overall taste experience.  It was unusual to have two dressings in a salad but believe me it really worked and shouldn't be skipped.

Another eating experience in the past week was at a Wine Night held in Port Douglas.  Six wines were matched with six amazing small plates.  Unfortunately I didn't get any photos from the night but here is a copy of the menu.

The group get together often for wine/food nights and I am pleased that we have been invited into the group.  We were invited by Philip's cycling group who have become our firm friends and look forward to our next function.