thoughts for food II: a zine on snacks and thoughts

WALKING

It’s Friday morning and I am waiting on Platform 1 for my train towards Gadigal land/Sydney. 11 hours and 17 minutes through the lands of many people lie ahead of me, a first journey out of the city I’ve been calling home for most of this year by now.

The day unfolds with the sun rising steadily, making me blink into the rich greens beyond the windows. The endless blue sky promises plenty to the eucalyptus trees standing patiently below it. It’s quiet on the train as it is rattling through industrial sites and country towns of rural Australia. Shallow ponds and creeks line the tracks. A bittersweet sight, with fire warnings ahead for the next months. Three years of rain have replenished what was ravished in the last ones. Only to be burned down again by the time next year comes around. The different shades of green, ochre and yellow pass, a few red bricks and grain silos in between before the soil turns red too.

By the time I arrive in Lavender Bay, the sun has started to set and the night welcomes me in marginally warmer streets. I walk down the steps and unlock the door to my small studio. It’s crisp inside but nothing another body next to me couldn’t fix. You’re right behind me anyway, with your hand on my back.

The last drink of the night is still lingering on my mind as we watch the sunrise of the harbour. Elderflower and lavender, one of many favourite combinations coming together in one of my all time favourite drinks - a negroni bianco.

30 ml gin
30 ml lillet
30 ml suzé
lemon zest twist
lavender flowers

add to a mixing glass with ice, stir 20-30 sec
gently run lavender along the rim of serving glass
add ice to serving glass& strain mix into it
squeeze lemon twist a cm or two away from the glass, then add as garnish

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SNACKING

A sunny winter day has me sipping an espresso
at my favourite cafe down Darebin Road
the sun is piercing through a few lonely clouds on to the tables and benches warming those
lucky enough to be off on a Monday

I pass my time walking across the empty parking lot
listening to Five Easy Hot Dogs
Wandering onto High Street
And beyond, grateful that spring has finally come

Nasturtiums are starting to bloom again
their orange and yellow flowers brighten up the early walks to work and it is almost as though they have timed their return with an ease that is settling back into my mind
Maybe it’s just the start of spring after
many, many months of winter
Maybe it is letting go and 


beer batter fried olives and golden beetroots
as many pitted olives as you want <3
two golden beetroots

for the batter
200g flour
1 tsp cornstrach
2 tsp baking powder
1 can of beer
salt/ pepper to taste
2 tsp sumac
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

for the aioli
4-6 cloves of garlic
120ml evoo
salt
1 tsp lime juice

breadcrumbs
neutral oil to fry in

thinly slice beetroots
mix all batter ingredients together
coat beetroot slices and olive in batter, then breadcrumbs
fry on high heat til golden brown
season with flaky salt

mash garlic 
use an immersion blender to combine with salt and lime juice
slowy introduce oil to create an emulsion

dip fried bits into aioli and please share with friendly faces :)

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WEEDING

Absentmindedly working my way through clover and weeds, I try not to disrupt the garden bed too much for it will only let more weeds return with the next growth spurt. With soil on my hands I turn to today’s lunch. A simple salad is on the menu and a leek and potato gratin.

I couldn’t tell you what it is about the soil that makes me soften my thoughts so thoroughly. It’s like I dissociate but with a newly found focus. I dive hands first into the tangled up roots of whatever has been on mind. And I resurface, not only with fertile calmness but also a fresh harvest.

I find inspiration amongst the greens. Their resilience, their eagerness to burst through aerated earth and concrete alike. A caterpillar makes its way into my palms, reaching up towards the sun that’s hidden behind my head. I let it go, but watch it closely as it crawls to the sturdy leaves of bok choy just below my knees.

leek and potato gratin
handful of potatoes
half a leek thoroughly
fresh thyme
(vegan) cheese

for the sauce
400ml plant based milk
nutritional yeast to taste
3 tbsp oil
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp mustard
2 garlic cloves
2-4 tbsp flour

wash leek and slice no thicker than 1cm
thinly slice potatoes

garlic bechamel
blend all sauce ingredients except flour and cook in a pan on low to medium heat
add flour and keep stirring until sauce comes togther
stir in nutritional yeast

in an oiled a oven dish layer sliced potatoes and leeks, add bechamel and a bit of cheese
top with thyme leaves
repeat until dish is filled, then top with cheese
cover with aluminium foil or lid, only remove it in the final 10 minutes
bake for 40-60 min at 180˚



garden salad with pickle brine and mustard vinaigrette
seasonal mixed garden greens
capers
sun-dried tomatoes

evoo
pickle brine
grainy mustard
salt/ pepper to taste

you don’t need me to tell you how to make a salad

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FALLING

Rain is running down the window by your bed. Faintly, the scent of Eucalyptus trees creeps through the open window
You taste like cigarettes and sage sours
and as I melt into your arms
the rain’s drowning out the last thoughts I have before fully giving in and falling
asleep first,
for you second.


sage sour
2 oz whiskey
2 tbs aquafaba or 1 egg white
1 oz orange juice
1 1/2 tbs maple syrup
few leaves of fresh sage

mix all ingredients in shaker (or a tupperware if you’re broke and desperate)
shake first without ice to build foam, then a second time over ice to strengthen foam
strain to remove sage leaves over ice into serving glass
garnish wiht a fresh sage leaf or orange peel

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SEEKING

The first time I made this jam, I had tears in my eyes but today’s another day. I doubt I will grow tired of searching for the new. I doubt the restlessness will ever go away but somehow by going so far, mentally and physically, I have gotten somewhere old and new simultaneously. Not the place I thought I would yet somehow the it is the place I always knew I’d settle for.

I like drinking red wine on white sheets, dancing in sunlit rooms at (un)godly hours and loosing myself in sounds and city scapes. With many cities and many love(r)s in my heart, I dance myself away at times but there is one that will always come out above. A city of water, a city of wind. A city so dear to my heart, I already longed for it before I even left. Tears of laughter shed over many glasses of red wine and tears of love shared on dance floors west and north of town.

Seeking new shores is a strange sensation only to realise you’re so in love that everyday is a perfect Sunday. Szechuan pepper corns are tingling on my tongue reminding me of everyone I’ve shared this jam with and exciting for those that have yet to taste it.

blueberry and szechuan pepper jam
250g blueberries
3 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp chai seeds
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
szechuan pepper to taste

heat fruit in pan with sugar an lemon juice
stir occasionally
add szechuan pepper corns
once the fruits have broken down add chia seeds and remove from heat to let them settle and soak up last bits of the juice