My interpretation of a classic French dish from the Burgundy region.  The sauce is really moorish, I couldn’t get enough of it.

]]> http://www.cafecampana.com/2011/poulet-a-la-moutarde-de-dijon-chicken-with-a-dijon-mustard-sauce/feed/ 2 http://www.cafecampana.com/2011/furniture-shopping-cuisine-kottbullar-swedish-ikea-meatballs/ http://www.cafecampana.com/2011/furniture-shopping-cuisine-kottbullar-swedish-ikea-meatballs/#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2011 08:47:19 +0000 Mark http://www.cafecampana.com/?p=542

Last weekend I was in need of a small coffee table so I decided to brave the crowds at IKEA, Rhodes.  It was a bit rainy out so I think half of Sydney had the same idea so I had to circle the very cramped car park stalking patrons until a park became free.

Upon entering I mounted the escalator and entered the world of Swedish furniture and homewares.  I then kitted up with a catalogue, souvenir mini pencils and measuring tape.  Whilst these may not have been entirely necessary I felt like getting them anyway.

After kitting up I took two paces and found the coffee table of my dreams.  Well maybe not but it was a coffee table exactly as required.  Its called a Lack and cost less than $10.  I don’t know how they make it for that price.  I had no shopping left to do so I continued to follow the yellow line around the store.

Eventually I came to the IKEA cafe and after a little convincing it was meatball time.  Believe it or not I have never eaten these little treats before.  To be honest I was very sceptical.  Why would you queue up just to get some meatballs in gravy?  I got myself a snack sized plate of meatballs.  After the first bite I was hooked.  Unfortunately there were not enough and I quickly polished them off.  At this point I decided I must cook myself some of these.

When I got home a quick Google search for “IKEA Meatball Recipe” unearthed the hidden secrets of these balls.  I didn’t modify the recipe much except for oven baking them instead of pan frying.  I would recommend it as it is much easier and you can cook more at once.  These were so good they all disappeared in one sitting, sadly no leftovers.  So next time you visit IKEA make sure you pickup some Lingonberry jam so you can make them for yourself.

W00t W00t I have my first DSLR Camera.  I have made the plunge.  After an unsuccessful attempt to score one as a Christmas present (even after heavy suggestions for much of November and December), I have made the plunge and purchased one.

I have spent the last three days going to every website, camera shop and electronic shop in the Great Sydney region searching for a good deal.  It was frustrating at times but I have come up with the goods.

I decided on the Canon 550D as it has a lot of good features and isn’t too expensive.  I loved the feel of many more expensive cameras but I just could not justify the expense.  I have spent much of the afternoon playing with my camera and trying to remember what Billy was talking about at his Photography Workshop last year (yes it still feels funny saying that).

The dish below is nothing special, it’s just an everyday dinner that I felt the need to photograph just to play with my new toy.  This is pretty much the easiest recipe I know and it tastes great.

Time for me to kick back after all that shopping and suck down some beers.  Wow being a blogger is a hard life!

I have awarded myself the illustrious title of World’s Most Negligent Blogger.  I have left my blog unattended for just over two months.  If I had done the same with a puppy or a kitten the RSPCA would have locked me up for sure.

I would love to write a great story about how I was off saving rare endangered sea lions or bringing peace to Afghanistan through cooking treats, but sadly that is not the case.  My only explanation is laziness.  I just got out of the pattern of blogging and it seemed very difficult to get back into the swing of things.  Even today as I write this I was lost at what to write about.  Nothing humorous happened and I can’t think of anything profound to vent about.  But I am determined to keep rambling until something resembling a blog post comes out.

It is the time of year for New Years Resolutions so I may as well give it a go.  My resolution is not to be a lazy blogger.  Will it last for more than a week?  We shall see.  But I am determined to at least have a good go of it.

What are your resolutions for the new year?

Food is an amazing medium.  It is both an impermanent and permanent form of art.  Its presence is so fleeting that soon after it is created it is consumed by some hungry monster at the end of the table.  However it remains a very permanent fixture in our lives as we all must eat to live and people pass their recipes down through generations.

Much like art; there are creators, critics, snobs, ambivalent, uneducated and of course the passionate.  These different groupings display a wide range of different character traits that I will briefly outline.

• Creators are the chefs and cooks.  They are both professional and amateur.  These are the men and women who make the morsels that others either go wild about or riot in distaste.  They range in age, education, experience and genre.  Much like there are sculptors, painters and photographers in cooking we have people who cook based on regional cuisine or others who prefer pastries, meals or even snack foods.  Creation is at the core of all things food.
• Critics are much the same in all art forms.  Their role is to try food, evaluate it and share their experiences with others.  This can be in print, via word of mouth or now on the internet.  The role of a critic is one that many aspire to as they love the idea of being paid to eat and would love to have their opinions considered legitimate.
• Snobs hover around art like flies hang around dog poo.  Their sole purpose is to be associated with something good.  They consider their patronage at expensive establishments as status symbols.  A snob may not understand what they are eating or even have a desire for the food itself, they merely engage in food culture to achieve greatness through association.
• Ambivalent are those who don’t really care.  Unlike other art forms food cannot be avoided, it is required for life.  The gastronomically ambivalent is someone who can enjoy a great meal but would not necessarily go out of their way to make one or find a great restaurant.
• Uneducated are those who just don’t know.  Due to limited experience with food they might consider a Double Whopper as haute cuisine.  Often someone who does not understand food will be very xenophobic and scared of trying new things.
• Passionate foodies are where I feel most bloggers fit in.  It is a diverse crowd as some people like to create, others critique and some people just enjoy the view.  Passion implies some sort of engagement with the medium and a strong desire to enjoy or to have more.  This passion also spills over to sharing which ensures the blogosphere remains dynamic tapestry of foodie art.

As I cook and I blog I continue to learn more about food.  Recently I learnt of the Korean dish bibimbap.  I was first caught by its novelty factor and then by the simplicity.  I needed to give it a try.  As I can’t follow a recipe it has my own little tweaks and therefore is far from authentic.  I really enjoyed it and proceeded to make it for dinner for a whole week.  The crunchy rice and chilli sauce is a killer combination and it is incredibly fun to eat.