Rick and Peta

Well it's been a big week for me! Have had the pleasure of seeing 2 of my favourite chefs and hearing them talk about their expereinces. First up was Rick Stein.

Rick was very funny! The show was co-hosted by Mark Sainsbury and Rick's old sous chef (a kiwi). They had some good banter going on. He cooked a number of delicious smelling recipes and even brought them out to the audience to try. Unfortunately I never got to try any but I'm sure they were yummy.



My lovely colleague Robyn and I went to hear Peta Mathias talk about her adventures in Marrakech on Wednesday night. This was part of the Dominion Post writers series of talks. Now, I've met Peta once before when I worked at an event she was hosting and I thought she was a right madam and not very nice at all. So my expectations weren't very high. But I was really surprised! She was extremely funny, engaging and personable. Peta shared some interesting experiences, not only about cooking, but about life in Morocco, women's fashion in Morocco and how to overcome vertigo. FYI: throwing yourself backwards onto a bed is a helpful vertigo technique. Intriguing!

In other news, I made a rather lovely beef and ale casserole last night which I completely forgot to photograph. The newly brunette Anna and Matt were lucky enough (!) to enjoy this little gem with me. Matt enjoyed it so much he had thirds. There is no greater compliment than devouring the entire casserole, so cheers Matt!

I had wanted to serve the casserole on mashed potato but unfortunately my potatoes had decided to start growing mould so they went into the bin. So couscous was substituted. It worked ok. A good tip I learnt from Peta Mathias is that when you are cooking instant couscous you should always use stock instead of water. I tried this and it made a big difference in taste. I also recommend making sure the 'click' you hear is not the multiplug overloading but the kettle finishing boiling. I did not check this and thus my couscous wasn't as fluffy as it could have been. Somewhat disappointing.

Coming up - Wellington on a Plate is in full swing and there's some cocktails and cupcakes coming up at Martha's Pantry. Also Moore Wilson's Food Heros. And Erin and I keep promising each other that we will try a set menu or two! So there should be some exciting events to report on over the next few weeks.