Peanut butter crinkles

August 22, 2021

   

Yesterday where's the beef? turned 15 years old. It holds a different place in my life than it did in 2006. I'm grateful for the few people who still read along, and for the many connections we've made along the way, but I think that continuing to update a non-monetised blogspot.com in 2021 has to be more about satisfying yourself than any imagined audience. It's serving that purpose.

On the 15th anniversary of this blog's first post, I forgot to buy a pretty slice of layer cake from Gloria and photograph it with a lit candle as I had intended. Instead, I went on a long bike ride in lovely weather with Michael, picked up some frozen La Panella pies to enjoy in the locked-down weeks to come, and baked these peanut butter crinkles with ingredients I already had at home. They're not very glamorous, and now the blog post is a day too late to properly mark the occasion.

That doesn't really bother me. The recipe is from my paternal grandmother, who was an excellent baker, and it's the one recipe that I have in her handwriting. It's very simple, and I find the combination of lemon rind and peanut butter in a dessert a little unexpected. I don't think the biscuits taste very lemony, but the rind definitely adds a little something, and brings them closer to the flavour that I remember. I've not tried veganising them, but I bet they'd be just dandy with margarine instead of butter.

 

   

Lemon tofu

August 14, 2021

   

It's no secret that we've been smitten by Hetty McKinnon recently, working our way steadily through her truly excellent To Asia, With Love. So when Cindy read about Hetty's Chinese Takeaway, a new series of recipes for ABC Everyday vegetarian-ising classic suburban Chinese restaurant dishes, she signed up immediately. 

The first dish we've tried is this lemon tofu, based on the classic sweet lemon chicken that we both ate countless times before going vego (and a few times since!). It's a brilliantly easy recipe, although there are a few pots and pans on the go by the time you cook a side of rice and some greens. Our tofu cubes were perfect little bundles, with a nice cornflour-y coating giving them some crispiness and the gloriously retro sauce adding some sugary, lemony good times. We'll definitely be making this one again.

Lemon tofu

(via Hetty McKinnon over at ABC Everyday)

400g firm tofu

2-3 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari

1/2 cup cornflour

3 tablespoons veggie oil

1 spring onion, finely sliced (for garnishing, don't buy a whole bunch just for this recipe!)

sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

3/4 cup veggie stock

~100ml lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons was enough for us)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoons of cornflour, whisked into 3 tablespoons water

Pat the tofu dry and cut it into chunky cubes, about 2cm. Pop the cubes in a lunchbox with the soy sauce and toss gently to coat, letting them marinate for 5 minutes or so.

Drain off the excess soy sauce and then toss the tofu cubes gently with the cornflour (we popped them both in a big lidded bowl and gave it a gentle shake, but it will depend on how solid your tofu is as to how careful you need to be). 

Heat the oil in a large frypan and, once it's pretty hot, pop in your coated cubes. We did this in two batches to make sure there was space for carefully turning the cubes and getting them nice and browned up - it should only take about a minute per side. Set the fried cubes aside on some paper towel and make your sauce.

Fry the garlic and ginger in the sesame oil for 30 seconds or so and then pour in the stock, lemon juice, syrup and salt, stirring to combine. Once it comes to the boil, kill the heat and stir your cornflour mix through to thicken it up.

Serve the tofu on rice, with the sauce ladled over. We made simple stir-fried beans with some of Hetty's ginger and shallot oil to add some veggies to the meal.

Big Esso

August 1, 2021

   

I was absolutely thrilled to learn two months ago that Nornie Bero of Mabu Mabu was opening a second restaurant in Fed Square, called Big Esso. Fed Square is easy walking distance from numerous theatres, galleries and other arts venues, but I've never developed any fondness for its eateries. Melbourne's fifth lockdown messed around with Big Esso's opening date, but I kept a close eye on their social media and booked us in for a Sunday lunch on this, their opening weekend.

The menu celebrates native ingredients, often draws from the flavours of Bero's Mer Island home, and is like none other I've seen in Melbourne. There's more seafood than terrestrial meat and, as best I could see, every vegetarian item is vegan. Gluten-free items aren't as clearly marked, but my best guess would be that almost everything - bar the damper, the crumbed poussin, and the freekeh salad - is likely to be suitable.

   

We made up a lunch of two small share plates and two sides. The pickled watermelon ($17) arrived first and really made itself known! The pickley flavours, including a desert lime chilli dressing, were strong and acidic, and the sea succulents and crunchy rivermint had a contrasting saltiness that was no less bold. I liked this, but would have enjoyed it more teamed with some extra, milder greens, perhaps. As it was we tempered it with our other dishes. 

   

The Brussels sprouts ($18) were more self-contained: roasted golden on one side, paired with a rich macadamia cream and garnished with just a few pickled onions.

   

The lemon aspen and pepperberry fries ($9) were our trusty foil to the pickled watermelon, but their more subtle seasonings got a bit lost along the way.

   

We had a bit of a wait, then, until our fried Jerusalem artichokes ($16) arrived, and they were ultimately our favourite dish. The artichokes were crispy skinned and soft-centred, served atop a sweet and starchy macadamia and yam pâte, scattered with Jerusalem artichoke crisps and edible flowers. This dish was pretty, special, and perfectly comforting for mid-winter.

   

The drinks menu is as thoughtfully composed as the food - Michael drank a Sobah lemon aspen Pilsner ($8), and I tried the wattle cola ($10). The light-filled, brightly coloured and patterned fit-out feels really fun, and I picked up our second bottle of tomato sauce on our way out. The staff are still figuring out their systems, with food arriving irregularly and getting muddled across shared tables, but it's early days and I'm sure they'll hit their stride soon. If MIFF or MWF manage to host in-person events as we hope, I'll be back soon to see for myself.  

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Big Esso

Fed Square, corner of Swanston & Flinders Sts

food, drinks

https://www.mabumabu.com.au/dining

Accessibility: Big Esso has a wide, flat entry, although Fed Square itself has a somewhat cobbled surface. Furniture is a mixture of outdoor benches, low indoor tables with benches and back seats, and high tables with backless stools. We ordered at our table and paid at a high bar. We didn't visit the toilets.