Monday, October 18, 2004

Lunch in the City
A Springy Baguette

baguette
It's been quite a while since i last updated my 'lunch in the city' database. I guess there isnt so much excitement about city food. There are of course a lot of good restaurants and cafes in the city, after all this is Sydney we are talking about.

But what about something healthy, delicious and most importantly with prices that would not stir up a heart attack when you sight the bills? Kinda hard to think of places like that in Sydney, isnt it? Besides our bodies are feeling more and more sluggish. We definitely need to stop eating out so much.

A simple solution: bring our own lunch.

Corn Fritter & Bacon Baguette
♥ pinkcocoa's spring inspired colourful baguette:
corn-fritter with grilled bacon and roasted tomato on a bed of baby rocket with a generous drizzle of sweet chili sauce

It has also been a long time since I have lunched with ShinChan in the city. This weird baguette combo was actually made and eaten about 3 weeks back just before ShinChan went to Taiwan. We had a few days of very spring weather: warm and sunny! So we took advantage of the weather and went across to Hyde Park to have a mini picnic. I have to say I definitely enjoy eating outdoor than sitting on the tiny food-court table inside the very noisy and stuffy food court.

Right now, I am waiting for Sydney's weather to become sunny again. We have a rainy week ahead of us. Let's hope that by Sunday, the rain will clear. It has to clear because I am so looking forward to the Spring Picnic at Centennial Park this coming sunday!

Bill Granger's Corn Fritter:
(recipes from Bill Granger's Sydney Food)
1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob
1/2 cup diced red capsicum
1/2 cup sliced spring onions
1/4 cup chopped coriander and parsley
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and paprika into a large bowl, stir in sugar and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and milk. Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. The batter will be quite stiff.

Place corn, capsicum, spring onions and herbs in a mixing bowl and add just enough batter to lightly bind them (about 3/4 cup). Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non-stick fying pan on medium heat, then drop in 2 tablespoons of batter per fritter and cook 4 fritters at a time, Cook for 2 minutes, or until the underside of each fritter is golden. Turn over and cook fritters on the other side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining batter.

Notes from Bill:
The fritter batter can be kept for up to 3 days, but do not mix the batter with the vegetables more than an hour before you're ready to cook, or the fritters will be soggy.