Winter Soup – Kale, Bean & Ham Soup Recipe …

By talesofatrufflepig in Truffle Pig's Recipes No Comments Tags: , , , ,

It is officially winter and incredibly cold and that means one thing… soup time. I am a long time soup lover, but find a lot can leave me hungry if they aren’t hearty enough, but his recipe its the spot – super healthy, super easy, filling, comforting and super tasty.

What you need:

  • 1/2 a red onion, diced
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 1L of chicken or veggie stock
  • 1 can of crushed tomatoes
  • 8 sprigs of thyme
  • 50-100g of pasta (shells or spirals)
  • Big bunch of kale roughly chopped
  • 1 can of borlotti beans
  • 100-250g ham off the bone chopped finely
  • Parmesan to serve

What you need to do:

  • Heat large pan and add olive oil, onions and garlic until fragrant and soft, then add stock, tomatoes and thyme
  • Once the mixture is boiling, add the pasta, beans, ham and kale and leave on heat until the pasta has cooked
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper, serve into bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan.

Enjoy!

Oink oink,

Truffle Pig.

 

 

Mamak….

By talesofatrufflepig in Rave Reviews.... hopefully, Sydney 6 Comments Tags: , , , ,

If you walk past Mamak in the morning you will think it is just another run of the mill drab Asian restaurant in Chinatown, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Come lunch or dinner time, Mamak has millions of pigs waiting patiently to taste the infamous Roti bread this Malayasian haunt has become famous (and hatted) for.

Thankfully, if you are brave enough to wait in the queue you can be entertained by the two roti chefs in the window flipping, folding, throwing and rolling roti in many different formations. Once we enjoyed the show and finally got seated it didn’t take us long to order the traditional roti with chilli sauce and a spicy lamb curry. The Roti is everything a good roti should be – warm, flaky, doughy and delicious. Despite all the hype, the real winner of the evening was the lamb curry which was light, tangy, hot and filled with fall-apart-with-a-fork lamb.

When it came to ordering dessert there wasn’t any doubt about what would be ordered… another roti but this time it was filled and fired with banana and perfectly accompanied with icecream and an iced Milo. After the curry I was no longer curious about how such a basic restaurant could be award with a prestigious hat. Do yourself a favour, wait in line, order the curry and enjoy!

The Bitter: The waiting….. waiting…. And more waiting…
The Sweet: I have had dreams about that curry… undoubtedly worth the annoying wait
The Damage: Cheap as roti chips – about $20 to leave stuffed<
Oink oink,
Truffle Pig.
Mamak on Urbanspoon

Yellow Bungalow …..

By talesofatrufflepig in Lifestyle & Shopping No Comments

Yellow bungalow

Filled with perfectly upholstered vintage couches, side boards, coffee tables, colourful prints, lamps, fans and cushions, this place makes you want to max your credit card to refurbish your home.

I recently bought s great lamp from here, I was worried the price tag was going to be ridicule considering how beautiful the store is but it only cost me $40 and it goes perfectly with the scented candle I also bought from there.

The store acts as a semi show room as the owners are furniture restores as well as sellers, they also make a mean coffee too – a lucrative idea which I am sure has paid off because it is impossible to resist walking out without a purchase while waiting for your cappuccino.

The Bondi community has embraced the bungalow with open arms, giving us another reason to never leave our beloved bubble to brave the outside world… or the “Junk Yard” (Bondi Junction). They are so popular they recently out grew their space and have now relocated to a stunning, spacious shop front further down  Bondi Road.

Yellow Bungalow – yellowbungalow.com.au – 221 Bondi Road (corner of Imperial Avenue), Bondi, NSW 2026

The Park Pop Up Bar ….

By talesofatrufflepig in Arts & Entertainment, Rave Reviews.... hopefully, Sydney, Truffle Pig Watering Holes No Comments

The Park Pop Up Bar

As the temperature drops I am holding onto dear life to every bit of warmth and sunshine that is left. There is no better place to do this than in Sydney’s latest pop up bar, The Park.

The pack from Pelicano and The Island have joined forced and are responsible for this this garden delight found inside Centennial Park next to the Paddington entry. It is dog friendly, kid friendly but most of all, it is fun. This fun is facilitated by huge cocktails jugs that are so big you can almost swim in them, and wheel barrows full of peronis. So, pack the bags, head for the park and settle in for a delicious night of cheese boards, roasted pork and good times.

The Park pop up bar is open Wednesday to Friday from midday until 10pm and will shut shop on June 2.

Oink Oink,

Truffle Pig.

New Year, New Beer – March…

By talesofatrufflepig in Truffle Challenges, Truffle Pig Watering Holes 2 Comments Tags: , , , ,

You will notice that this month I went to the lovely little city, Adelaide, home to Coopers beer which was enjoyed over the weekend of festivals. WOMad and The Fringe were so much fun; I am already looking forward to next year. I also had the pleasure of attending my first Taste festival and I it definitely won’t be my last – I had an awesome day, which turned into night tasting some of the best food and wine from across the world (lots of African beer this month!). Beers up!

1.       Sapporo, JAP – an iconic beer form the land of great food and in this case, great beer

2.       Thomas Coopers Selection, SA – Good ‘ol fashioned pale ale

3.       Coopers 62, SA – dense, rich and I couldn’t drink 62 of them

4.       Coopers 5 Seeds, SA – Another variation of a much loved SA Great brewery

5.       Coopers Clear, SA – Just like the rest of the Coopers family, only clear

6.       Dr Tims, SA – Drinking Tim out of a tinny – you don’t get much more aussie than that!

7.       The Hills Cider Company, SA – Made from freshly picked fruit from the Adeliade Hills, no complaints here

8.       Pacifico Clara Cerveza, MEX – A happy, hoppy pilsner beer

9.       Tusker African Lager Beer, KEN – I like the beer more than I like tusking

10.   Tusker Malt Lager, KEN – Made from 100% African ingredients, it was refreshing as the salesman himself (legend!)

11.   Sail & Anchor Boats Bind Amber Ale, WA – great branding and taste

12.   Sail & Anchor Larks Foot Golden Ale, WA – awesome name, and my favourite from this brewer

13.   Sail & Anchor Monkey Fist Pale Ale, WA – The flavour is far better than a fist to the trotter

14.   Wiked Cider, QLD – another boutique apple cider on the market… still not sick of them!

15.   Sail & Anchor, WA –

16.   Crabbies Spiced Orange Ginger Beer – a beer meets vodka cruise flavour – it gets my vote!

17.   Reef Blonde, QLD – blondes have more fun, even when they are beer

18.   Blue Sky Pilsner, QLD – Award winning, clean refreshing taste

19.   FNQ Lager, QLD – Nothin’ bogan about this brand, other than the taste of this beer

20.   Cairns Gold, QLD – Robust flavours, but not flavours for me

21.   ELK Pear Cider – Sweeeeeeet, far too sweet for this little piggy

22.   Hang Man Pale Ale by The Rocks Brewing Company, SYD – good balance of hanging between bitter and sweet

23.   Convict Lager by The Rocks Brewing Company, SYD – Dark, brooding, just like a convict

24.   Boxer Red Ale by The Rocks Brewing Company, SYD – Punches some chocolatey flavours

25.   Australian Beer Company Cider – I think I have found a new fridge staple, freshingly delicious!

26.   Balmain Brewery Pale Ale, SYD – Pales in comparison to other pale ales

27.   Balmain Brewery Pilsner, SYD – Not to bitter and even tastes a little nutty

28.   ELK Cider Berries & Lime, VIC – Tasting more berries than I am lime, great on ice but too sweet to repeat

29.   Grand Ridge Natural Blonde, VIC – Taste a little like coriander… which I love!

30.   Grand Ridge Wheat Beer, VIC – heavy and, you guessed it, wheat!

31.   Grand Bridge Pale Ale, VIC – Smooth, refreshing and full of flavour

Oink oink

Truffle Pig.

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