Canny Granny — aka Queenie of Collingwood

Preserved Lemons

I've been playing with my Tagine a lot lately. Simple to use, certainly turns all vegetables into exciting mouthfuls, thanks to Ottolenghi. I'm now preserving lemons. All you need is an airtight jar, lemons and salt. It takes about a month … [Read more]

How to Make Garam Masala

Pretty easy really and you don't need to be a fan of Indian food to use Garam Masala in your kitchen. It's much tastier when you get the whole spices and roast them lightly for a few minutes and then grind them yourself. Then you end up with … [Read more]

A City Hunts a Murderer

You wouldn't think the story of a child murderer would lend itself to comedy, but this Austrian television production, shot on location in wintry Vienna, sprouts some dark humour. It also has the cheerful banality of a TV police procedural. Do all … [Read more]

How to Hard Boil an Egg

It's easy enough to boil an egg isn't it? You may be surprised at the number of people who don't know how to. Put your eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover the eggs - a couple of centimetres. Bring eggs to a boil over medium … [Read more]

Pork and Fennel Meatballs

Sometimes I just don't know what to whip up quickly for a particular grandson, a sturdy lad who could manage a meal for six and still feel hungry. He has have a fondness for minced things, seen too many ads for burgers I suppose. These meatballs hit … [Read more]

How to Make Curry Powder

As a child I imagined there was a plant, a friendly, bushy sort of plant with little brown berries that were crushed to produce curry powder. I was wrong, of course. Like Chinese 5 Spice, you make your own. Here's a simple curry powder mix which … [Read more]

1983

I didn't know they made good TV shows in Poland. I didn't know they made any TV shows at all. . This dystopian thriller is set in an alternative 2003. Poland is subject to totalitarian rule ever since a terror attack twenty years earlier which led … [Read more]

Lamb and Halloumi Cutlets

Lamb cutlets were a standard in my childhood, but then I'm from a generation raised on lamb in the days when "Australia rode on the sheep's back". It's a long time since Australia rode on anything. And certainly not sheep. A light Mediterranean … [Read more]