Cause
Hangovers aren’t just caused by beer, they are caused by everything that surrounds drinking. Food, wine, partying and having a good time are all causes and here at My Aching Head we are slowly documenting having a good time.
A Dinner Party Menu
Tomato panna cotta with basil syrup
with Turkey Flat 2008 Barossa Valley Marsanne Vigonier Roussanne and Rolf Binder ‘Christa Rolf’ 2008 Barossa Valley Semillon
Prawns and Pipis in a light paella style sauce and sourdough bread
with Kooyong Estate ‘Massale’ 2008 Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, Te Kairanga 2008 Martinborough Pinot Noir and Innocent Bystander 2008 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir.
Olive and rosemary encrusted lamb rack served wtih kipfler potatoes, peas, asparagus and broccoli greens
with Allies 2009 Heathcote Shiraz and Negoce 2007 Heathcote Shiraz.
Warm rhubarb and strawberry pie
You should follow me on Twitter.Spanish Style Pasta Sauce Recipe
I’m a pasta fiend. It’s my go to meal, a bit like a pizza I don’t care it’s vegetarian, meat lover, bolognese or in this case spanish style. This was a really quick light lunch – a lazy man’s paella. I was also trying to use up a heap of home-grown tomatoes, but you could easily replace with whole-tinned tomatoes.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1/2kg quartered tomatoes
- 1 hot chorizo
- 2 roughly chopped cloves garlic
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch of saffron
- salt
- pepper
- 300gm pasta – preferrably tubes, spirals or shells
- parmesan
Method
Slice the chorizo and fry it in a good amount of olive oil. Add the garlic and when it is fragrant, add the tomatoes and cook until they are soft. Mash them with the back of your spoon and add the paprika, saffron, salt, pepper and the stock. Put the pasta on to cook. Stir the sauce and cook on medium heat. When the pasta is al dente, strain and add to the sauce and cook for a few minutes.
Serve and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin and a small sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
You should follow me on Twitter.Hidden Pizza Restaurant, Fitzroy
They want you to check out the Yellow Pages to find out where the Hidden Pizza Restaurant is, but personally I’d just go over and get the scoop from Brian at Fitzroyalty. A quick picture and a Mellie putting 2 and 2 together and we have the answer. This is a lesson to us all, if there is something interesting happening over in Fitzroy, Brian will know.
Update: You need to call 1300 615 786 and you’ll get an order number. They won’t serve you without it. A few photos are emerging, check them out here and here.
Another update: Berry travels has a blogpost about the whole experience. I can’t help but think we are going to hear more about this place.
Final update: This restaurant was only open for 2 weeks and is now closed.
You should follow me on Twitter.Vinography in Australia
One of my favourite wine bloggers, Alder Yarrow, is currently in Australia checking out a few of our wine regions (the trip is sponsored by Wine Australia and Tourism Australia). I’ve long been a fan of his writing, the focus on people and place is something I believe is sorely missing in the traditional wine media and I’m really excited that it is Australia’s turn. From his Twitter account and inital post, it seems he started in the Yarra Valley, has been to Heathcote, Beechworth, King Valley, Mclaren Vale and is now in the Barossa Valley.
If you are interested in his adventures in Australian wine, I will keep the following list up to date.
- Yarra Yering (my favourite Yarra Valley wines)
- Castagna Winery – Beechworth
- Artisans of the Barossa Valley
Confused Governor General doesn’t know what to do with Wine
Update: I have just published the full list of wine in the Governor General’s wine cellar.
An article in The Age today discusses the problem that Governor General Quentin Bryce (who doesn’t drink often) and her teetotalling husband have with their inheritance of a pretty amazing wine cellar. The article suggests that they are thinking about selling it, donating some of it to charity or something else. They also don’t want to serve it to guests because they don’t want to be seen to be extravagant.
Personally, I don’t see the problem here. Let me put it this way. Wine is meant to be drunk. If you don’t want to serve a nice bottle of wine to your guests then don’t. You are only going to come across looking cheap and promoting the idea to your international guests that Australian wine is cheap and shit. Doesn’t sound like something most people would do, given the choice.
This wine isn’t going to go bad, in fact it’s only going to get better. It’s not yours to sell, but it is yours to drink. Stop whinging like a kid that can’t spend your inheritance fast enough. Either enjoy it, or leave it for the next person.
Abbotsford Farmers Market tomorrow
The monthly Abbotsford Farmers Market is on tomorrow at the Abbotsford Convent (and the Collingwood Children’s Farm). I know the produce is great (especially the dude that sells vac packed meat) and I do I find it entertaining watching all the 30 something new parent’s wearing their ultra cool colourful sneakers but it’s a bit far across town to make the trip that early. There are however a few foodie types going pretty early (around 9:30).
EatDrinkSpew
I’m not afraid to admit it, I woke up and had a bit of a purge. You know when you’ve forced too much water into yourself combined with an Aching Head and a little bit of nausea and you just can’t or won’t hold it down. Well that was me. Water spew. Thankfully I seemed to have digested all of the amazing food so it was hardly a waste.
I suppose over the coming days there will be an amazing amount of people following up from the talks at the conference and I thought I would perhaps get the ball rolling. Perhaps my favourite panel of the day was the first, “How and why we blog.” Prior to the event I thought that it would be a bit wanky and I wasn’t convinced. But man I like surprises like this.
An event like this doesn’t just happen and special thanks must go to the sponsors The Essential Ingredient, Daylesford & Hepburn Mineral Water, St Ali, Der Raum, Prentice Wine, Red Hill Brewery, and SBS Food. Also thanks go to Ed, Mellie, April and Reem. Jess also hung the photo exhibition: much props go to her and whoever created that blogroll sculpture.
It’s a testament to the panelists, Gill, Reem, Zoe and the moderator Tammois that it piqued such conversation in a somewhat unfamiliar group of people. It really set the tone for the day and I kind of wished that we could have had some time to revisit it later.
The question (or title) of the panel “How and why we blog” might seem like an easy thing to answer but the reality is it isn’t. Everyone has their own motivations and desires but they also have their own style and way of going about things. I think it was interesting that Matt’s photography panel addressed his voice and style through his photos which I suppose extended the conversation from earlier.
The term voice was used a lot and it has made me think further about my voice here on My Aching Head and whether or not I’m editing it away and making this blog more impersonal and thus less engaging. This uncertainty isn’t a new idea for me but the conversation has really highlighted it in my mind and I think it is time to address it, or atleast discuss it.
The Melbourne food blogging community that I connect with has a big focus on reviewing restaurants, taking photos and describing the food and the experience. I’ve long thought that the narrative style isn’t my thing and something I’ve worked hard to cut out of my posts. I suppose in doing that I’ve moved my language a little bit away from the 1st person which makes it notably impersonal. It’s a fine line and a work in process but the acknowledgement of it should help force change.
I have also long had the desire to create a bit more of a shorter form of blogging, in part stepping back to the Kottke style of linking and making small and valuable comment. It is something that isn’t really done here in the Australian food blogging community and I think it might be interesting to my readers.
This also gets me thinking that the original purpose of this blog was more about documenting the process of getting and curing hangovers and my posts are often sadly lacking in discussing the drinking aspect of our eating.
I also found Matt’s comments on his photographic style and process really inspirational. It shows that the visual voice is just as important as the textual voice and his shoot from the hip approach seems almost within grasp of reproduction. Though I suppose that’s selling the fact that he’s got a great eye remarkably short. I’ve long been coveting a faster lens to replace my 50mm film lens and this really just rammed it home for me. I got the current lens for next to nothing, but it’s manual focus and the wrong sized sensor (which makes it permanently zoomed in) kind of suck. So as soon as my hip pocket can survive the anguish I think I shall invest.
I would love to hear peoples comments on not only their motivations and voice but also on my style and what they like about it and what they don’t.
You should follow me on Twitter.