Sunday 22 July 2012

Steak... Good!

So I love meat (within moderation, of course). I can't go past a delicious steak sammy. This amazing marinade recipe allows the meat to taste perfect between two slices of bread, lettuce, tomato, aioli and caramelised onions! It originates from one of my favourite food magazines- Dish.

 













Marinade

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Steak

Place all ingredients in a plastic bag (with no holes) and close tightly. Shake the bag and leave to marinade for however long you like.
Heat in fry pan until desired pinkness reached.


 













I also have to share with you the recipe (also from Dish) for Caramelised Onions.

Caramelised Onions

2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter
2 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Heat oil and butter in saucepan. Add onions, season, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover cover and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Yum yum yum!

Thursday 12 July 2012

Auckland etc.

The next destination on my travels was Auckland and it's surrounds. Being New Zealand's biggest city means there is a lot on offer. In fact, too many to mention! But here is a summary of my recommendations. Firstly, in Auckland city, are well known brands Milly's Kitchen shop and Nosh Food Market. Both offer a large assortment of goodies, and are locally owned and operated.


















About an hour plus north of Auckland is the very popular Matakana region. There's the Matakana Farmers' Market on Saturdays, which is larger than most but easily compares to any other Farmers' Market in New Zealand. There are some great shops to explore and you can tell a lot of effort has been put into sprucing up the town- check put the public toilets! We had a coffee break at the Matakana Market Kitchen, and then an ice cream break at Blue. They stock delicious Oob ice cream- the licorice flavour comes highly recommended!



















If you are looking for a day trip away from the main city, why don't you follow suit and make a trip out to Waiheke Island to sample the beautiful beaches and wineries. Our trip consisted of a visit to Te Motu vineyard and Stoneyridge vineyard. We sampled some cheese and soaked up the sun at the latter. I also came across a well stocked fruit and vege store, which housed some surprising treats.