We travelled to Sicily just to eat at this patisserie/bar called Caffe Sicilia. It was worth two overnight trains, a three hour drive and the complications of rescheduling an extra day, they’re closed on Mondays, as we found out, the hard way.

L to R: Some sort of milk pudding, vanilla layered cake with hazlenuts and at the bottom, a Sicilian speciality, Cassata, an almond marzipan with cream filling, icing and candied fruit.

Strawberry and tomato granita.

Basil gelato.

The aftermath.

This was all in one sitting. It was a beautiful moment in my life.

I got this recipe from the kind chef at the L.A Museum of Art’s cafe. It’s pretty basic but I think what makes this magic is simmering the wine until it’s syrupy.

• Stew beef (anything with fat running through it), cubed
• Bottle of red
• Onions, carrots, potatoes and any root veg you have lying around, roughly chopped.
• Store-bought beef stock or three cups of homemade stock

1. Get a big pot, add a little, little bit of olive oil and when the temperature is on high, brown your cubed meat. Do it in batches if there’s heaps.
2. Take out the beef and set aside. Turn the heat down to low, add the veg and stir on low until the brown bits of the beef come of the bottom of the pan.
3. Add two cups of red wine. Drink the rest, if you’re into that. Simmer until the wine is almost halfed and syrupy. Don’t boil otherwise your veg would turn into mash.
4. Add the stock and add enough water so everything is covered. If you’re using store-bought stock, don’t add salt but add pepper.
5. Bring to the boil until the sauce thickens and then simmer for two hours, at least. The longer, the better. Serve with some crusty bread.

a) a living room that could fit 12

b) food that could feed 12 bellies

and well, my apartment is tiny. So I sent off an email and thought nothing of it until I got a reply. This is what I cooked for a woman that continues to inspire me.

Zucchini slice, that I had previously blogged about and hadn’t pictured. Fred from the Nervous Cabaret thought it was a bread of some sorts. I was stoked that he didn’t realise it’s main ingredient was (drum roll please) a vegetable.

Pumpkin and tatsoi pasta. A uber healthy shot of baked pumpkin (butternut squash), tatsoi sauteed with garlic, pine nuts, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil and goat cheese. Substitute a cream sauce with olive oil and the left over oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. I know you think that the prep work is crazy but I roasted the butternut a couple of days before and sauteing the tatsoi took 5 minutes tops. You can use spinach or any leafy green.

Roasted mushrooms in tomato and chickpea sauce. Easy as. Two cans of pureed tomatoes, one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, washed mushrooms with the stalks removed. Oven at 180 C (350 f) for half an hour. Garnish with basil. Done!

And at midday, I had this:

And at the end of the day, it was gone.

© Tash Jayasinghe

You will need:

• Left over roast veggies (can be left out – don’t sweat)
• Stale bread, crust on, cubed
• One sausage, sliced
• Grape tomatoes
• Chopped herbs

1. With a little bit of olive oil, cook up some sausage and the veg until almost cooked. Just when it starts to get brown around the edges is perfect.
2. Add the bread and tomatoes. Add a huge dollop of butter if you value your taste buds. If you want to use any spices or cheese add now.
3. Serve onto plates. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and a bit of balsamic and olive oil, if you so please.

time needed: 8 mins prep, roughly 35 mins cooking.

• four zucchinis, washed and grated (skin on)
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used jarlsberg)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 slices chopped bacon (if you’re not a vegetarian)
• 3/4 chopped onion
• salt + pepper
• any herbs or veg you want to use up
• a tiny bit of butter

1. Coat your large baking dish with butter.
2. Put everything in. Mix with your hands until smooth.
3. Bake at 180 C (350 F) until crispy on top. Serve.

When I was mixing I thought: Argh! This is too healthy, where’s the butter and milk? Where’s the flavour? But believe me, it’s there. And if you like quiche lorraine, you’d love this.

Gone is the luxury of a meal that took an hour and a half to cook. Instead, I’m all flustered and tired when I get home and the Mexican take out across the road calls my name a little too loudly.

Sorry for the absence. This is a cry for help. I’m sure that many people, including yourself, has faced this exact issue of nutritional, tasty food vs. time. So what gets you through the work week? Any tips or tricks you’d like to share on the uninitiated?

Please send anything you’ve got to tash[at]littleflutters[dot]com.

Recipes will be featured on this blog.

Love! Tash

• three strips of bacon per person (unless you’re using non-American bacon, in which case use two)
• buns cut in half or lightly toasted bread
• one overtly ripe tomato, washed and sliced. Remember to smell your tomatoes at the market. The more they smell like tomato, the better it will taste. No smell = no taste.
• rocket (arugula) lettuce
• sliced onion
• four tablespoons of good mayo
• 1 clove garlic
• half a lemon
• salt & pepper

1. Slice your onions and tomatoes.
2. Turn a pan to medium and fry up the bacon until it’s brown and crispy. Leave to drain on absorbent paper.
3. Dice the clove of garlic very finely. When you think it can’t get any smaller, add a sprinkle of salt (which draws out the moisture) and dice until it’s practically smooth.
4. In a small bowl, mix half the garlic clove, four tablespoons of mayo and salt and pepper. Add a quick squeeze of lemon juice. Adjust to taste.
5. Smooth some of the garlic mayo onto the bottom of your sandwich, add the salad, then tomatoes, onions and bacon. Add some garlic mayo on the top of your bun and bob’s your uncle. Eat promptly.

This is a quick fix for your sweet tooth and if it has fruit, it must be healthy.

• One pineapple, peeled and cored. Or, if you have two seconds, canned, sliced pineapple.
• Pineapple cake mix, or butter cake mix with one teaspoon pineapple flavour
• Whatever eggs etc. the cake mix requires.
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven according to the cake box directions. Make your cake batter as directed.
2. Put your cake tin over a medium heat and add the butter to the bottom. Once the butter is melted, make sure the whole area is covered and add the brown sugar so it’s evenly covering the tin. It should resemble wet sand, don’t freak out.
3. Lay out the pineapple rings on top of the sugar. If you want to be kitsch, put cherries in the middle of each ring.
4. Gently fold the cake batter into the cake tin and bung it in the oven.
5. In 40 minutes, check the consistency by having a peak through a crack in the door. If it looks like it’s not cooked, close the door gently so the cake doesn’t flop. When it looks done, skewer the middle of the cake with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, take the cake out. Grab a fork. Let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes then gently turn it upside down onto your serving dish. If any of the rings stick to the pan, use the fork to take it out put it quickly in place on the cake.

Enjoy!

This took around two hours to make, including cooling time. I thought that wasn’t too bad, I had plenty of time to run around and do my thing.

First things first, take out three eggs and two sticks of butter (225g) so they get to room temperature by the time you need them.

Ingredients for cake:

• 2 large eggs, at room temp.
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vege oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot black coffee

Ingredients for buttercream icing:

• 6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet chocolate, either in chips or broken up
• 2 sticks (225g) unsalted butter at room temp
• 1 large yolk, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted icing sugar

1. Butter and flour the inside of your two 8 inch cake tins. Line the bottom with baking paper and preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa into a mixer bowl and mix quickly with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds.
3. In a medium bowl pour the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
4. Using a mixer on slow, add the wet ingredients into the dry. Add the coffee and stir just to combine. It’ll have a runny consistency, don’t freak out.
5. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula and pour the batter evenly into the two cake tins. Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 30 mins then turn it onto a wire rack. Make the frosting during this time.
6. For the frosting: Put the chocolate into a glass bowl and blast it in the microwave for 15 second intervals. Mix thoroughly after each blast, otherwise the chocolate will burn. Once it’s melted, set it aside so it reaches room temp. Boy, we’re loving things at room temperature, aren’t we?
7. Using the mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it becomes lighter in colour, should take around 3 mins. Add the egg yolk and keep on a-mixing for another 3 mins.
8. Turn the mixer to low and add the sifted icing sugar in four intervals. Scrape down the side of the bowl occasionally. Add the chocolate on the mixer’s lowest speed and when just combined, start spreading it on the cooled cake immediately.

Adapted from a wonderful Ina Garten recipe.

Hurricane cocktail and Mint Julep © Tash Jayasinghe

I just returned from an awesome four day trip to New Orleans. Go there if you have a sliver of a chance. I had a great time, the people are welcoming, the food amazing and culture oozes out of every crack.

And my god, do they drink! It’s not uncommon to stroll from bar to bar with a couple of beers in your hands. They don’t let the morning light stop them either, people are still partying on the streets throughout the day.

I don’t mean to sound like an alcho, but this is one of my top ten places!

If you want a little piece of New Orleans magic, I would recommend a hurricane cocktail and mint julep, in that order.

Hurricane cocktail:

• 4 ounces (120mls) rum
• 2 ounces (60mls) passion fruit juice
• 1 ounce (30ml) orange juice
• 1 lime, juice squeezed into drink
• 1 tb sugar syrup (boil equal quantities of sugar and water until it thickens to honey consistency. Let cool then use.)
• 1 tb grenadine

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail mixer. Pile a long cocktail glass with ice.*

Garnish with a cherry if you feel fancy.

Mint Julep:

• 3 sprigs fresh mint, washed.
• 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
• a dash of soda water
• 3 ounces (90mls) whiskey

Put the mint, sugar and a tablespoon of the water into a long glass. Smash this mixture with the back of spoon for 30 seconds. Add ice. Pour in whiskey. Top with soda as needed. Garnish with mint. Serve with a smile.

*A typical American habit is to fill the whole glass with ice and then pour in the drink. Personally, my teeth freeze and it’s far too cold for me, but when in Rome. If you’re the bartender and you don’t want to be busy the whole night, make double the quantities and put half the ice. Simple, effective and fun to watch.