It turns out that the "Wind Wand" is a Len Lye creation and that man is bloody awesome ... one of the true heroes of Noozleland art. The flight home was just as nice too ... same tiny Saab but stunning views of Mt Taranaki and the Marlborough Sounds as we swooped unexpectedly into South Island territory before landing in Wellington. Would that all work days were as pleasant as this!
‹ 30.10.03
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Crypt, Ios
Ahh, Greece. What a bloody great holiday that was ... just over three years ago now (holy crap). So I've been meaning to have Kerry over for dinner for ages, and we finally found an evening that suited us both, so I cooked him and Kyle up a bit of a Hellenic feast (if two dishes can be classed as a feast!). Thus, in honour of the dearly departed dinnerblog (which lives on at meish.org), I present for your potential inspiration the evening's delicacies:
Dave's Moussaka
This is adapted from several different "official" sources but here's how I did it tonight.
2 eggplants
1 onion
500g minced beef or lamb
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin Watties Morroccan-style tomatoes (or substitute with a second can of plain tomatoes and add more cinnamon and cumin)
½ t cinnamon
1 t cumin
2 t oregano
a good grind of black pepper
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 cups milk (approx.)
1 cup grated tasty cheese (plus extra to go on top)
2 eggs
Slice the eggplants lengthways into 5mm slices. Rinse with cold water, sprinkle liberally with salt and place in a colander for half an hour to allow any bitterness to drain away.
Dice the onion and sauté. Add the minced beef or lamb and brown off. Drain any excess oil away, then add the tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and pepper. Stir and allow to simmer for half an hour, stirring occasionally.
Make a roux (ooh, hark at me and my fancy cookery phrases) by melting the butter in a saucepan, heating it to bubbling point, then adding the flour and stirring until the mixture turns golden. Whisk in the milk a bit at a time until the sauce is of a not-too-runny consistency. Add the grated cheese and whisk to combine. Take the sauce off the heat and allow to cool.
After the eggplant slices have sat sufficiently, shake off any excess brine and shallow fry them over a high heat until they've softened and browned slightly (this will probably need to be done in two batches).
Still with me? If so, you're now ready to assemble the moussaka. At that point, beat the two eggs and whisk these into the cooled cheese sauce. Place a thin layer of the meat on the bottom of a rectangular lasagne dish, then cover with a layer of eggplant. Add another meat layer, then half the cheese sauce. On goes another eggplant layer, then some more meat, then any more eggplant you have left, then the rest of the cheese sauce to cover.
Finish by sprinkling the extra grated cheese on top of the moussaka, then bake at about 160°C for about 30-45 minutes until the topping is nicely golden brown.
Greek salad
I really shouldn't need to explain how to do this because it's so easy and yet it's possibly the tastiest thing on the planet ... you honestly can't beat a good Greek salad, laydeez and gennulmen.
3 fresh tomatoes
½ cucumber
250g feta cheese (goat's or cow's milk - it's all good)
½ red onion
10-15 black olives (preferably kalamata)
1 T chopped parsley
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T oil
Wedge the tomatoes, slice the cucumber in two lengthwise then slice it widthwise, dice the feta, slice the red onion thinly, stone the olives (not the crows), hack up the parsley and then mix them all up. Dress with the combined vinegar/oil.
Kalinikta!
‹ 23.10.03
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I'm very much looking forward to seeing Kill Bill: Volume 1 (and will aim to do so at my earliest convenience) for the following reasons:
- I haven't been to the flics for months.
- I remember how much Pulp Fiction polarised my peer group when it came out and that was kind of exciting in and of itself (being the generally laid back bunch we were).
- I got a book of ten Rialto tickets for my birthday and haven't used a single one thus far.
- Via (c), I get to shout my nice friend to the movies.
Yesterday, she told the Manukau District Court she awoke about 8:30am on January 21, mixed fruit juice, methamphetamine and cocaine, drank some of the mixture and did some housework ...Funny that ... "I'm not particularly good at the hoovering but by God am I going to give it a try!"She said that after she took two or three sips of the drug mixture, the effect was that she felt alert and energised. She was not able to perform tasks better, but was more motivated to perform them.
‹ 22.10.03 / 0 comment(s) ›
"Several people in Holland caused a small earthquake by jumping up and down together at a theme park" ... well that lends a whole new meaning to 'popping your clogs' doesn't it! (sorry, couldn't resist).
‹ 21.10.03
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The perfect cultural antidote/accompaniment to the testorone-fuelled RWC, newzealand.com has a brilliant little piece of multimedia on the haka:
While recent tradition suggests the haka was the domain of men exclusively, legend and history reflects a different story. Indeed, the story of the most famous haka, Ka mate!, proves to be about the power of sexuality.
You learn something every day. Plus, it's the best looking thing I've seen on the web in a long time.
‹ 20.10.03
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I always wondered where she'd got to ...
‹ 16.10.03
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‹ 13.10.03 / 0 comment(s) ›
Dodgy invoice update: Kudos to the Commerce Commission for warning "Domain Names NZ" to back the hell off. They'll have my big stick to contend with as well if I ever get a letter like that again.
‹ 12.10.03
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It looks as though the Ferrero Rocher ambassador (of whom I was peripherally aware during my time in the UK, thanks to vague pop culture references) is set to make a come-back:
It was not until the film was dubbed into English that it achieved true cult status and the immortal line, "Monsieur, wiz zese chocolates you are really spoiling us" - delivered in European accent of indeterminate origin - became, briefly, a popular catchphrase.
Perhaps we could adapt it for New Zealand use: "Monsieur, wiz zese incendiary speeches you are really spoiling us!".
‹ 12.10.03
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But wait, there's even more in the crazy billboard stakes: Woman with four breasts says no to genetic engineering, describes milking as "a bit itchy".
‹ 7.10.03
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Royal Watch (#1 in a never-to-be-repeated series): What on earth is blowing Mrs Queen's skirt up?
‹ 7.10.03
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Nea ewo ani so na yede ko dae mu.
Which means, "You dream about things that obsess your mind". That's the beauty of current affairs ... you never quite know when your country's latest foray into the muddy waters of racism will end up broadening your knowledge of national sayings as well.
‹ 1.10.03
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