In My Kitchen May ’17
It’s May and the hub of the In My Kitchen forum for bloggers has come to Brisbane. Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings has accepted the role of managing this amazing monthly worldwide roundup. You have until the 10th of the month to link a post and be a part of this long standing, inclusive group.
Autumn has come to Brisbane too. At long last the days are a little cooler and a little less humid, the nights are positively crisp. I welcome the change of pace and have begun to think about soup, braised meat, roasted vegetables, puddings and pies.
Italian Cookbooks
It was a privileged to be at a Long Italian Lunch yesterday organised by the New Farm Deli, the hub of all thing Italian in my area. Finding the deli was a affirmation that all would be well when everything in Brisbane was new and unfamiliar to me. I felt as if I’d been transported in Italia. Music wine and mountains of food, dancing, laughter and spirited discussion. Such life affirming experiences pick you up, sweep you along, make you feel glad to be alive.
We’ll be eating a lot of Italian food in the coming month, so in search of inspiration I’ve taken all my old Italian favourites off the shelf to browse. I’ve made my favourite recipes from them so much that I rarely refer to them now, but you never know what will spark inspiration.
indispensable microplane
In My Kitchen is a new microplane, an indispensable tool in my opinion. The old guy had become blunt from frequent use zesting citrus, grating ginger and Asian aromatics like lemongrass and finely shredding parmagiano reggiano. It a joy to have a sharp tool again.
beautiful inside and out
In My Kitchen I like products that come in fancy tins. Recently I’ve bought both smoked paprika and wasabi powder in gorgeous little tins. Once empty the tins will be repurposed.
reusable plastic covers
In My Kitchen I have several plastic shower caps. I use them when baking sourdough bread to cover bowls with dough resting inside and dough as it proofs in bannettons. They are cheap, big enough to fit most of my containers and last about 12 months if washed after use, as contact with oil will make them brittle. Shower caps are just one small way I can help lessen the impact of single use plastic on the environment.
100% spelt sourdough
In My Kitchen as always is sourdough bread, fresh from the oven. Plenty for us and neighbours. The more I bake the better it gets…
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40 comments on “In My Kitchen May ’17”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
i couldn’t live without my microplane either! Cheese, citrus zests, nutmeg, garlic and so much more… I love your Italian cookbooks, such delicious foods. We are heading into the heat and humidity you just finished so my cooking style is changing. I use shower caps for my sourdough too, so much plastic saved!
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The big bonus with the heat and humidity is that sourdough loves it, proofing times for me are double now what they were 6 weeks ago although I’m really glad of the respite from the heat
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I’m in love with your smoky paprika and wasabi powder Sandra, both the condiments and the tins. I will be keeping my eye out for wasabi powder, is it better than the wasabi paste? I love my microplane too, can’t live without it. I will keep shower caps in mind when I next make bread xx
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Powdered wasabi just needs to be mixed with a little water. It packs a much bigger punch than the stuff in a tube, great for flavouring. The gorgeous tin is a big bonus. 😃
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I think I’ll have to look in my Asian grocers for some! Thanks Sandra xx
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What a great collection of Italian cookbooks. I have that same microplane – totally agree its fantastic and couldn’t be without it.
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Sandra, tickled to hear you’re enjoying Autumn and LIFE. Lovely descriptions. I’m looking forward to some slowly simmered meals here — Italian food, too — after our impending Summer “heat”. Have fun perusing your cookbook collection. That deli sounds fabulous! Bravo to you for re-purposing tins and using shower caps in your sourdough baking. The less “footprint” the better. Remind me to re-order a Microplane, too. I’ve been missing mine. xo
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Thanks Kim, I was so tired of the incessant humidity The cooler weather is revitalizing so we’re enjoying the renewed energy
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Love the shower cap tip!
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A good one idea, read it somewhere..
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Lovely collection of Italian classics. My favourites. Cannot live without a microplane. Most useful non motorised gadget of all time. I also have flash tin attraction . Bread is looking mighty good.
Sandra, do you mind thumbing through the index of those two Marcella books and looking for the recipe of a cake called Torta di Amaretti e Ciocolato. I lost those two books ( I think there was a maroon coloured one also). I asked Marcella’s son to send the recipe, and he did, but I have a feeling that he has increased the weight of the butter.If that recipe is there, could you send it please. Its an old favourite. xx
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Love these old cookbooks, nothing too challenging or tricked up, just good honest food. The recipe you’re looking for is in neither of my MH books, sorry. I thought I had made a baccala dish from one of them but can’t find that either
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Thanks for looking Sandra, it must be in the maroon coloured one.
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Those books look interesting, I bet there will some delicious food coming out of your kitchen soon. I have to get some shower caps for the kitchen!
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Lots of Italian food for us over the cooler months
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Bring on the new Italian posts! what a varied collection of cookbooks to spark your imagination. Your sourdough loaves look scrumptious; do you have to adjust ratios or procedure much when you use 100% spelt?
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Thanks Dee. I was fortunate that both sourdough starter and the guidance using spelt flour came via IMK. I use a higher proportion of starter than what you’d generally use with wheat but the rest is pretty much the same. All my sourdough posts use 100% spelt if you’re interested.
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…and now I’ve a tasty research project ahead as I browse your archives and and others, as well as search for a local supplier of spelt. Thanks for the info.
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That’s a fantastic collection of Italian cookbooks. I love Claudia Roden.
best… mae at maefood@blogspot.com
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I have enormous respect for Claudia Roden, I have all of her books and love the informative mix of food and culture teamed with reliable recipes.
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oh yes i adore my microplane grater. sooo very useful. look at all that gorgeous bread of yours. so clever. and such a clever idea re the shower cap. Glad you found New Farm Deli. have you tried some of the whacky delis over at West End? so much fun. Yep loving this cool weather. thank goodness for autumn. I have added your link to the May post. cheers x
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oh Sherry I’ve bombarded you with comments, delete them if they come through, please. I owe my sourdough success to Celia and I have to say that as time passes the loaves just get better and better. I haven’t been to West End looking for food, too easy to shop locally. Must go exploring.
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Sandra, your sourdough bread looks amazing 🙂 Wouldn’t be without my microplane zester too and those gorgeous tins… wouldn’t thrown them out either. Enjoy the cooler months ahead and the warm and hearty dishes you will make 🙂
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Thanks Moya, I remember life before microplanes came on the market and really appreciate it’s ease of use. I find it indispensable
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Sandra, that’s a wonderful microplane. I’ve hated mine for a long time because it’s too wobbly and flexible, and doesn’t grate efficiently. If you can replace yours, so can I!
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You won’t be sorry, it’s worth spending a few $$ extra to get an extra sharp well balanced microplane. I use mine everyday. They seem to stay sharp 3-4 years with heavy use
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Right, well, if the Husband queries it, I shall tell him you said I needed one 🙂
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More books! Can’t wait for your Italian inspired posts and can see my amazon account will be busy again. Love those tins and I would do the same with repurposing them – very pretty. Smoked paprika has become a staple in my kitchen and wish I could get wasabi (perhaps on next visit to UK?). Love the idea of the shower caps. We waste too much plastic here in packaging and endless use of cling film. Kalo Mina (happy month), Sandra!
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I love decorative tins and have a whole High St of tea tins in my workroom. I hate plastic wrap and get very frustrated with the packaging on fresh food. At least the shower caps can be put over the bread proofing baskets. I could send wasabi….
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I may take you up on that offer of wasabi if I can’t get it in the UK. I’m back there next month, so it’s on my list. Thanks!
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No problems, and no end date on the offer either…
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Well, I do hope we will be the recipients of some of that Italian inspiration coming your way also 🙂 ! Am blessed with three books in your pile: don’t remember whether it was you or not who recently put me onto ‘Lorenza’s Pasta’ – am just getting into it!! And thank you for ‘reminding’ me about the state of my microplane . . .
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Yes there will be Italian food…..
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It’s full on Spring here. I’ve been waiting for the orchards to bloom so I can go on a photo shoot spree AND get out in the woods to pick some ramps.
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I most probably am awfully ignorant, but are there ramps in Australia? It’s just that three blogfriends from the States have mentioned them in private letters this morning: one was about to make kimchi from them !!
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Hi Eha, ramps are wild leeks, Allium tricoccum. They’re native to North America, so I don’t think we’d find them here…
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Thanks Kate my answer would have been a lose less succinct. I’ve heard the wild garlic greens in the UK referred to as ramps as well but they too are unknown here
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Oh my, I bet they would work for kimchee. They are wild garlic/onions that come up early in the spring before the trees fully leaf out. I don’t know if there are any in Australia, we have them in Michigan in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_tricoccum
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Thanks to all! If you go to ‘Mad Dog TV dinners’ the conversation continues and expands, but, yes, my letters and photos did come from the Great Lakes area! Lovely lessons . . .
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The change of seasons change my moods, change the food I want to eat, the passtimes I pursue, enjoy your spring.
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