We’ve had a busy week!
On Tuesday, Mum and I discovered the Viet Hoa Fish Market in Flemington (now Homebush West). Everything was gloriously fresh – there were live abalone, mud crabs, spanner crabs, lobsters, mussels, pippis, barramundi and trout, as well as a wide selection of bright eyed, clean smelling fish.
I came home with three flatheads (which they kindly filleted for me) and two salmon heads. The salmon went into the freezer and the bones and skin from the flatheads were turned into stock…
That night, we coated the fillets in sourdough breadcrumbs and deep-fried them. They were served with oven baked potatoes, homemade avocado oil mayo, sourdough bread baked that morning, and a 1997 McGuigan’s Hunter Valley semillon.
Big Boy and Small Man are thoroughly enjoying the old wines from our cellar, and this was one of those perfect moments shared with the people I love most in the world…
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The following day, I stopped by Southern Cross Supplies to pick up some nuts and noticed this damaged bag of bakers flour on the clearance pallet. At $10 for 25kg, it was impossible to pass up the bargain. There was a slight tear on the top, but the flour was fresh (expiry date of 2017) and I was happy to save it from being thrown out…
The Perfection Bakers Flour is actually Allied Mills’ higher protein blend. It produced a pair of magnificent loaves…
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On Thursday, Pete and I caught the ferry from Drummoyne Wharf to Cockatoo Island to visit the Biennale of Sydney’s Embassy of the Real. If you’re in the Inner West, don’t make the mistake we’ve always made of catching the ferry from Circular Quay to the island. At Drummoyne, there’s lots of free street parking, and the trip takes less than five minutes (thanks for the tip, Diana!)…
Even when there’s nothing on, Cockatoo Island is always a wonderful place to visit…
Starting life as a penal colony in the 1800s, the island was home to the longest running Australian shipyard from 1857 to 1991. Remnants of its nautical history are everywhere…
There are twenty-one Biennale exhibits at Cockatoo Island. Here are three that we loved…
Willing to be Vulnerable (2015 – 2016) by Korean artist Lee Bul is spectacular and glorious and humungous, filling the entire 1640m² industrial space with carnival themed pieces. I’m sure the artist had a deeper message to convey with her work, but I just found the whole installation joyous and immersive. Being able to see this one artwork made the trip to Cockatoo Island worthwhile…
A photo taken from under the huge mylar blimp. It’s hard to convey the scale of this installation!
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Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time, No. 2. (2013) by choreographer William Forsythe is a large room filled with swinging pendulums. The plumb bobs on the end of long wires move to a predetermined pattern that repeats in a forty minute cycle. The spectator is invited to move through the pendulums without touching them – thereby “dancing” to a routine “choreographed” by Forsythe. Here is my Pete as art…
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Six Women (2013 – 2016) by English artist Bharti Kher is a series of life-sized sculptures cast from real women in the artist’s New Delhi studio…
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On the way home from Cockatoo Island, we met up with our friends Juan and Olivia of Time Flies Designs to see their new rings. They’re seriously cool – Juan is 3D printing the bands from mixed materials, combining plastics with metals and cement…
I felt privileged to be able to sit with the designers in a coffee shop and discuss their art! They had just one ring with a band made from cast raw aluminium. It slipped onto my finger like silk and stayed there. If you’re interested, visit Times Flies Designs at Paddington Markets on Saturdays, and please say hi for me…
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Finally, at 5am on Friday morning, I crawled out of bed early to chat with Nick of Country Meats Direct who was dropping off our latest delivery. We were delighted with the Ajani pasture raised pork we bought from them last month, so we placed another order for May. A full half pig is a lot of meat!
The Ajani Pork is delicious, and a bit leaner than other pork, which I find oddly comforting. I’d expect an animal who gets to run around outside all day to have less fat. It’s been a dream to cook with – here’s our favourite oven-baked meal of loin chops with potatoes and pears (it’s an old Jamie Oliver recipe)…
Lovely Nick of Country Meats Direct and I had a great chat about sourdough bread. I gave him some starter and a bit of my bargain bakers flour, and he insisted on giving me an extra bag of sausages! So I passed some of the bangers to our English friend Will, who cooked them up for dinner last night, then complained when he had to share with his kids.
We turned six sausages into dinner, combined with pasta, garlic and broccoli raab from the garden…
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It’s truly been a great week! Wishing you all a happy, fun-filled weekend! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
That art installation where Pete is walking is so cool, we can’t stop watching and my daughter keeps asking questions. It is almost disorienting.
Beautiful!
That is one glorious week. Bargains and art, food and family- perfect.
Am SO happy for you! For me too as you always give me tips to pass onto Inner West friends who appreciate places you find!! Lucky duck; THAT fish market darn well keeps all I cannot get here in the country!! And, oh that ring: so my style I will be looking at it all day :) !
I enjoyed your week too:). I like being able to see the art works through your eyes. Those rings really fascinate me. Is the top of the ring protected by glass?
Celia, I absolutely love your “Fig Jam & Lime Cordial” and always drool when I see your delicious crusty sourdough bread. Keep on blogging for us all to enjoy. Wishing you another wonderful week from Anne
Love the ring it fit you perfectly, I so wish we had a source for fresh meats like those. Have a wonderful weekend.
Lury
Such a great find with the flour. Wonderful looking breads and foods. :)
So many good things for you. I do love a tray baked dinner so I’ve printed off your picture for inspiration. We’ve been having pork a couple times a week lately so this will be dinner soon!
Cheers – Joolz xx
That meat looks great and your bread looks awesome. Have been thinking about you this week as I’ve had another go today at starting a sourdough starter (you sent me some dried starter last year but it was so hot here I didn’t really get it to work…more me than your dried starter I’m sure). I’ve used the River Cottage starter so giving that a go….stay tuned. I’ve been reading your sourdough recipe and instructions too….my starter should be ready in 7 to 10 days so I’ll see how I go. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane (ps…I’ll have to make your dumplings again my kids think they are out of this world.)
It does seem like a great week indeed Celia :) All that yummy meat – I hope you have a humongous freezer! Xo
Loved those six women. Glad you had such a wonderful week!
So much joy Celia! You show us a wonderful slice of life in Sydney and within your community. As I have said before to you, a girl can never have enough flour. Great find x
Looks delicious
I live in Maine—the hinterlands of the Northeastern United States. Nevertheless, we have a vibrant art scene in our small state. Nothing, however, compared with the incredible art you feature on your blog. I so enjoy looking at the art you feature, both in this post and in many others. And that ring! Tempus fugit, indeed!
Boys, bargains, bread = beautiful. Love that art concept!
What a lovely adventure! Note: Don’t get bread dough in the ring. ;-)
Hugs, Maz.
A really great week… a lovely shortcut way for me to see whats hapoening, and some fresh food ideas :)
The fish market looks awesome! The installation that Pete is in is mesmerizing.
That really does sound like a perfect week! Fantastic fish market and you know I love those grand scale art installations. That 6 women sculpture is very moving too. I do wish I could find somewhere local in England to buy large bags of flour. That’s something that’s easier and cheaper in Spain. I’ve just started looking at ordering free range goat meat in England which we eat a lot of in Spain. Leaner than lamb and lower in cholesterol there do seem to be a few enterprising farmers starting to rear this meat. I’ll have to order in bulk as you do with the pork but think it will be worthwhile!
It does sound like a perfect week. Those women are mesmerising – it must have been beautiful to look at. As for all that pork! How nice it is to see pork chops with a nice bit of fat and on them – proper meat from well raised animals. All those ribs though – my favourite piece of meat :)
Celia, ’twas a great week indeed. So thankful you shared it! I loved all of the art, but I have to say that your artistic slashes in those sourdough loaves stole the show. :) xo