Seems my little great nephews and niece are budding MasterChefs too.
On the first Sunday evening of the school holidays, and in celebration of the second episode of Junior MasterChef, the tasty trio cooked up a storm for other members of the family, including their Great Grandma and Pa-Pa.
The tables were set with placecards, the diners were seated, and napkins ceremoniously laid upon their laps.
I’m told that pink bubbly was poured into glasses for the ladies, and beers set in front of the men.
Then a feast began: Bruschetta, garlic bread, chicken, vegies, and several choices of dessert.
The adults then delivered their judgement to the mini-chefs: Outstanding! (Seriously! Could they have said anything else?)
I love how Junior MasterChef is bringing kids – and their families – not only into the kitchen, but into supermarkets, fishmongers, markets.
They are slicing and dicing, melting and simmering, and plating up wonderful meals for their loved ones.
Kids are back in the kitchen, cooking alongside the adults in their lives. It’s pretty special.
I still have an issue with the timing of the show. 7.30 pm is a bit late for young kids, and if you don’t have one of those magical recorder thingies, it means they miss out on most of the show. But then my lovely twitter pal @Motorbikes_Lady told me that through the magic of the internet, you can watch episodes online. Who knew? (Everyone but me, apparently!)
But even then, my current laptop isn't quite powerful enough to watch television shows in comfort ... mainly due to the fact that the Dell computer I bought at the start of the year died within a couple of months and they refused to fix it under warranty or supply a new one. So I have to use an old laptop, which apparently isn't powerful enough to do all the stuff I want it too. But that's another story ...
But even then, my current laptop isn't quite powerful enough to watch television shows in comfort ... mainly due to the fact that the Dell computer I bought at the start of the year died within a couple of months and they refused to fix it under warranty or supply a new one. So I have to use an old laptop, which apparently isn't powerful enough to do all the stuff I want it too. But that's another story ...
Anyway, the other night my foodie nephew and his wife decided to do their own Masterchef-inspired cook-off.
Having dined recently at one of MasterChef judge George Calombaris’s Melbourne restaurants, my niece had also splashed out on his beautiful book Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart.
The pair then spent a good part of their Sunday preparing a Greek feast for us.
For starters, there was home-made tzatziki; as well as eggplant and red onion dip. These were accompanied by perfectly toasted pita bread triangles, and warmed olives.
The main course was a favourite of mine, moussaka.
I lived on tzatziki and moussaka back in simpler times when I backpacked around the Greek Island with little more than a couple of sarongs, sunscreen and swimwear. (Wow, that’s lot of S-words, and I haven’t even started with the sun, sea, sand and sunsets...)
On a backpackers’ budget, the staple diet included meals like moussaka, pastitssio, gyros, and seafood. Oh and Greek Salad. Naturally.
On a few memorable occasions, I even drank the complementary ouzo that often accompanied a meal. I tried to like retsina, but it was an acquired taste, and I never quite acquired it!
Instead, we often drank local beer with our meals, because believe it or not, it was usually cheaper than soft drink or juice.
I love Greece, and a real tzatziki instantly transports me to those heady days under the Hellenic sun.
My own version is a little bit more rustic than my niece and nephew's version though, which like George’s, is restaurant quality. Generally I grate some cucumber, squeeze out the excess water, and mix it with plain Greek yoghurt, a little lemon, garlic and mint. George's recipe has a few extra flourishes.
As with the moussaka. This version is more complicated than my own and much more delicious as a result. (Again, mine uses just lamb mince, tomatoes, onion, eggplant and a few extras, with bechamel sauce and cheese. George's recipe used lamb AND beef, and the bechamel is so rich it's almost like a savoury custard. Sublime.)
Afterwards, the kids tucked into ice-cream and sprinkles, while the rest of us enjoyed my nephew's signature cappacinos.
And it occured to me that creating and enjoying delicious food for and/or with loved ones, is one of the most intimate things we can do for each other.
And it occured to me that creating and enjoying delicious food for and/or with loved ones, is one of the most intimate things we can do for each other.
We make it, we put it inside ourselves, it nurtures and feeds us. We share it, and add conversation, and laughter, and fun.
And it brings families and friends together.
When was your most recent memorable meal ... and did you give or receive it?
A beautifully-set table
Pita bread with tzatziki and eggplant and red onion dip.
Moussaka
Sorry for the blurry close-up - my camera isn't the best!
And to end, the perfect coffee!
