Mentally preparing for a big trip
And we wrap up our lasagne extravaganza with a FODMAP-friendly recipe.
Hello! As you read this, I will be most probably passed out in a plane in the sky, rocketing my way to the Northern Hemisphere for the first time in many, many years. Travel is so wonderful and I’m very grateful to be doing it again, but it also feels hard, after not leaving Australia for so long.
There’s lots of things to do and remember (like where the heck I stored my travel adaptors), and I’ll miss my dog immensely, and I just realised I am sitting on a newly disintegrated Cheezel, which is a bit annoying as I’m also on my bed. Where I shouldn’t be snacking. Oh well. This is what you get when your bedsheets are the same shade as your favourite artificially flavoured snack.
Anyway, as I write this, I feel mildly stressed as there’s lots of things left to tick off' ‘the list’ (and a 1am wake up on Wednesday morning to look forward to) but as you read this, all these things will, one way or another, be done. And that’s the beauty of time. It passes, one way or another.
I haven’t been on a holiday of this length since I was… 20? I think? A 6-week sojourn to Europe (for the first time), in winter (theirs not ours and so, perhaps ill-advised). It was loads of fun, and hard at times and I’m expecting somewhat the same out of this trip, except I’m older and wilier now and much more likely to act if someone gropes my butt on public transport.
If you’ve travelled overseas since the pandemic locked us down, I’d love to hear about where you went and how it went; I hope it was a resounding success. If you haven’t yet, where do you next plan on going? Or where would you like to go?
Rest assured, this newsletter will be keeping its usual fortnightly schedule over the next few weeks, although the next few editions may be less novella-like in length (depends on how much transit time I have to deal with).
A FODMAP-friendly vego lasagne recipe
Well, we’ve sadly come to the end of our lasagne adventure. In part one, we made what is not-so-secretly my favourite lasagne recipe, wonderfully enhanced by the addition of silverbeet and feta in the bechamel sauce. Then, it was onto bread lasagne, always a crowd pleaser in our household.
We’re rounding it out with a lasagne designed for sensitive tummies (I see you and I empathise!), intended to be FODMAP-friendly.
This recipe is courtesy of Monash University.
What you’ll need
1¼ tblsp of garlic-infused oil. You can make this by peeling around six garlic gloves and dropping them into a small saucepan of virgin olive oil. Heat to boil, simmer for a few minutes, then cool. Transfer to a sterilised glass jar and use to enhance your cooking.
2 medium zucchini/courgette depending on which part of the world you’re playing in
1 medium red capsicum (bell pepper)
½ sweet potato, around medium in size
1 tsp dried oregano
handful of baby spinach leaves or silverbeet
canned diced toms. Or, chop up around 4 tomatoes and stir in some passata
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
150g cottage cheese
¾ cup milk. Can be low-fat or lactose-free
6-8 lasagna sheets, gluten-free if required
mozzarella cheese or your fave vegan cheese.
What you need to do
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
Heat olive oil in pan, while you chop up the zucchini, capsicum and sweet pot. Throw in with the oregano and sauté over medium heat.
Once the veggies has softened, add the tomatoes and bring the whole thing to the boil. Then add the spinach/silverbeet and mix in well.
Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Combine the milk, ricotta and cottage cheese in a saucepan on low heat. You’re looking for a consistency that’s similar to a thick white sauce.
Lightly oil a baking dish and line with lasagna sheets. Spread half the veg sauce over the sheets.
Place another layer of lasagna sheets on top, then add the rest of the veg.
Add most of the cheese mixture and another layer of lasagna sheets.
Spread the remaining cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.
Bake for around 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let stand for about 10 mins and serve with a side salad.
Delish! Have you tried to make any of these lasagnes? If so, which is your fave? I’m still pretty firmly on team silverbeet and feta, but I’m not mad about having other options up my sleeve.
The best thing(s) I ate this fortnight
Yup, we’re back to multiple things.
Let’s tip our hats to Bomba, in Melbourne city. If you like Spanish tapas, then you’ll be quite pleased with this restaurant’s offerings. For me, it was plates of excellence, washed down with a delicious glass of tempranillo from Rioja, Spain. Very good. Their pre-theatre menu in particular is a nice treat, if you’re seeing a show and feel like taking your tastebuds to town.
Second shoutout goes to Hail Lilith in Footscray. I’ve previously talked about vegan chicken being a hard one to get right, in texture and flavour. Well, this place seems to have nailed it. I don’t have any photos, as it is hella dark in there, but their fake spicy chicken wings are a) not wing-like at all in shape and size and b) completely delicious. Pop in, if you’re in the area.
And a highly commendable goes to the taro mooncake from Nhu Lan, also in Footscray. Anything taro is good, really, but this is particularly yum yum. Their bahn mis are pretty nice too.
The best thing I read this fortnight
Hello new section!
I haven’t read as much as I would have liked to these last few weeks, as I prepare for what hopefully ends up being a somewhat relaxing holiday (where I plan to get as much reading done as possible).
The Passenger is a travel series with a difference; writing, art, reportage and photography consolidated into a beautifully presented book. As you can see from the above picture, I went a bit overboard and accidentally bought three, but to be honest, I was being quite restrained as I could have helped myself to many more editions. I haven’t actually finished these and had to leave them in Australia due to unreasonable luggage restrictions, but I’m looking forward to coming home and devouring them, my time spent in these destinations fresh and front of mind.
Plus, one of the books in the series is about space, which is pretty out of this world.
Anyway, we’ll wrap things up here for this edition of What’s Cooking. This newsletter is a bit lacking in images; I’m finishing it off on an iPad at the airport at 3am, which is about as upsetting as it sounds.
-Celine
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PPS. Rest assured, any puns are always intended.
"Plus, one of the books in the series is about space, which is pretty out of this world."
This is the writing I come here for.