Dear Food Adventurers,What can I say? Our group had the most amazing time in Brazil and Argentina last month, and you all should feel very, very jealous. I was reminded how important music and food are in our lives; and there are few places that have anything like the rhythm of Brazil. I have to take samba lessons now for sure. Read on for some more great moments from the trip.With the economy still in the doldrums, lots of people are returning to the kitchen (and finding they need to brush up on skills and expand their repertoire). Of course, our new winter cooking classes are a great way to learn something new, and you get a great meal to boot. If you do want to cook up some things to nurture the soul, try our recipe for Cavolo Nero With White Beans below and share it with someone you love or want to! Remember: if you know how to cook you’ll never be without a date! If you’re married, the same thing applies – men, if you cook for your partner, who knows what will happen next? Be creative. I am really excited as June 21 draws near – we are busy getting ready for the launch of the team building arm of VictorsFood. Look for a flash new website and great new offerings. You know I don’t want to be bored, so always need something new to keep life interesting. Congratulations to Anda Mednis for winning the cooking class last month. Anda was the first to cite exactly where on our website the quote in Brazil’s O Globo was taken from. Happy eating and remember to treat yourself to life’s little adventures! Tchau Tchau (as they say in Brazil), Victor Life is either a daring adventure
or nothing at all.
– Helen Keller |
| Cooking Parties Be A Party Smartie  Just when you thought there was nothing new to do with your friends on a winter afternoon or evening, we offer up Cooking Parties. Have some great fun and a great meal with your friends while you all learn something new. And there’s never a complaint about the food or service. It’s stress free!
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 Winter Cooking Classes
Home Cooking Is Back And Easier Than Ever!
 People are starting to cook at home again as food prices rise and economic indicators fall, so it’s time to hone your skills in a VictorsFood cooking class. Our classes are a great way to build your kitchen confidence by starting from the basics. Develop new skills and meet some great new people, while learning simple recipes that are still big on flavour.
Our winter classes are now up on the website, so take a peek and sign up. For something new, try our 4th of July “America (The Beautiful)”, and the new “Kiss Me! I’m Italian”. Sat Jun 13 – Don’t Tell Them It’s Vegetarian!Sat Jul 4 – America (The Beautiful) Sat Jul 11 – Lush Lebanese Sat Jul 25 – Learn to Be A Chef Sat Aug 8 – Kiss Me I’m Italian Sat Aug 22 – Let’s Cook Duck Sat Sep 5 – Learn to Be A Chef Sat Sep 19 – Modern Mexican Sat Oct 3; – Malaysian Hawker Style Sat Oct 17 – Perfect Paella & Tempting Tapas Sat Oct 31 – Learn to Be A Chef
Cooking classes also make great gifts for your kids (see below to order gift certificates) and those who cook for you. |
| Market Tours Eveleigh Markets  Eveleigh Markets is the new hot spot for fresh produce. It is Sydney’s only custom-designed, under cover farmers market, located in the old Carriageworks sheds at the northernmost tip of Newtown. Market tours are a wonderful way to explore the lives of the growers and better appreciate their delicious produce. Contact us now to lead groups of eight or more for private market tours. To complete the culinary experience for your group, add on a market cooking class to use the produce we buy that day – talk about fresh! |
| Gift Certificates Give Your Kids New Life Skills Everyone loves getting pressies, so give someone a cooking class gift voucher to set their inner chef on fire! Maybe that 20-something child you’d like to get to help out around the house a bit, or help them get out on their own. VictorsFood cooking classes are memorable, fun and teach essential life skills. Contact us now. |
Taste of South America TourIt’s The Little Things  One sultry afternoon last month, in the high desert region of Cafayate, we sat at an oversized wooden table under even more oversized trees, surrounded by the even larger Andes Mountains, eating a traditional Argentine asado (open fire barbecue). I thought, “it really is the little things that make life great”.
Little things like the drumming girls beating out tropical rhythms at night in the streets of Salvador, Bahia Brazil; tasting cachaca while overlooking Rio before tucking into the lunch we’d just learned to make; singing “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” at the balcony where Evita stood; watching tango in the streets of Buenos Aires (better than ‘Argentina’s Got Talent’). My Taste of South America food adventure to Brazil and Argentina in April was a big experience of little things. For a little taste, check out some of the pictures and testimonials now posted on our website. We are now accepting bookings for next year, April 3-16, 2010, which sample itinerary is also available for download. Not much has changed – as they say, you don’t mess with success. If only we could get one more day at each stop! But then, it is just a little ‘taste’ of South America. |
| Business Bites People often say that I collect friends. I am lucky to know some wonderful people, and I want to share them all with you. So, in this column, I will tell you about some of my friends in business I think you will enjoy too. Junia Kerr – Sage Beauty
www.sagebeauty.com.au Well, it’s almost winter, so it’s time for serious pampering! My dear friend Junia Kerr has a boutique salon in North Bondi called Sage Beauty. Step inside this bright little jewel box and you feel special right away. Sage is built on principals of environmentally-friendly, holistic beauty. Junia is a joy to be with, so let her lash some of those amazing organic lotions on you so you can keep that summer glow going. Let her know I said she is “fabulous”. You will be in great hands! 292 Campbell Pde
North Bondi, NSW 2026
02 9130 7064 |
| Small Bites Copper Tiffin I always like sharing a wonderful food experience and even better if it doesn’t break the bank. Our local favourite Indian restaurant, Copper Tiffin, is delicious and easy on the wallet. For even better value, check out their $1 curry special. We could do without the Bollywood clips playing on the LCD, and waiters try their best to please but the food is why you go here. Velvety sauces, complex flavours and obvious care in preparation. We try something new each time, so it’s hard to name ‘favourites’, but some real standouts are the Vegetable Samosas (rich flavours with recognisable vegetables), Goat Vindaloo (succulent, tender meat, well trimmed of fat, with enough ‘heat’ to be lively and let other flavours through), Goa Fish Curry (buttery and aromatic). Even little things like the sides are flavourful and generous. Oh, the naan is lovely, but small portions; with such wonderful food you don’t want to fill up on bread. Fair warning, because much of the food is prepared to order, the kitchen can be quite slow; it’s best to avoid if you’re in a rush, and at peak times. www.coppertiffin.com.au
427 Cleveland Street
Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW
02 9699 9999 |
Recipe of the Month Cavolo Nero With White Beans  Everyone raves about this vegetable dish – it’s easy and delicious. Cavolo nero is the only kale grown in Italy and is especially popular in Tuscany. It is wrinkly, dark green, and has a sweet flavour. It is great cooked with pasta, soup, beans, or roasts. In this dish it is particularly moreish, braised slowly and finished with white beans. Beautiful fresh cavolo nero is available from Phil at Mu Organics in EQ Village Markets. Cook slowly and savour the moment.
Ingredients 1 cup cannellini beans (can use tinned)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 large onion, finely diced
2 leeks, white parts only, diced
2 bunches cavolo nero, the leaves, stripped from stems and slivered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to finish
Method - If using soaked beans, drain, and cook for 1.5 hrs in slowly boiling water till tender. Strain when finished.
- Chop all the vegetables. Rinse the cavolo nero and leeks but don’t dry them.
- Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy wide skillet. Add the onion and leeks and cook over medium-low heat until the onion is soft but not browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cavolo nero, garlic, parsley, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook with the heat on low until the vegetables are soft and volume greatly reduced, about 15-20 minutes.
- Add the beans along with a cup of their cooking liquid to the pan and simmer until the greens are completely tender. Taste for salt and season with pepper.
- Serve in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over just before serving. You can also serve it over garlic-rubbed toast, drizzled with olive oil.
Yield: 6 serves |
Contact Us! For bookings or more information on anything in this newsletter: call: +61 (0)2 9698 7684 or +61 (0) 413 454 789 |
More Soon!That’s all for now. Remember to eat your greens! I hope to see your smiling faces soon. Hasta luego,
Victor
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