I Can't Find That Ingredient...

JOURNAL ENTRY: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAy 14, 2001

"This past weekend was amazing! On Friday night, Karine and I went into the city to a restaurant called Shakespeare's for dinner. It's a place that specializes in meat pies. They have a bunch of different flavors and they are beautiful! You order a small french fry and they give you a bag with heaps of chips. It was soooo filling! Another thing they do here is put chicken salt on their fries. It's actually way better then it sounds. After we ate, Karine, Jen, and I went to a pub called Shakespeare's (hmmmm, not too original... lol) for drinks. Lots of Jen's friends were there and we had an awesome night.

Mom - I wanted to thank you for your help last night with the spanish rice. I wasn't sure what to do when I couldn't find the marinated vegetables we use at home. Your suggestion to just add a bit of red wine vinegar and fresh vegetables worked perfectly. THANKS! Next time, no panicking... I promise."

TIP #3: I CAN'T FIND THAT INGREDIENT...


When cooking in foreign countries, there are chances that you won’t find every item that you need for a recipe. You are probably asking, “What do I do if you can’t find an ingredient?” This is a very common question and may happen to you when you are traveling. You basically have two choices: panic or take a deep breath and be creative! This dilemma can actually be the best thing that may happen to you. You may be thinking that if I don’t have the ingredients the recipe requires, then how can I cook it? Recipes are guides that give you direction but there are no rules. Have fun with your food and be adventurous. You never know, this may be the push you need to become an amazing, inventive cook!


My main suggestion is to explore local markets, talk to the people, and experience the flavors of the world. If you are looking for a certain spice to use, and can’t find the one you need, feel free to s-mell the spices on the rack and choose the one you like. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, touch and smell are going to be your guides. If you see something you have never seen before, add it to your cart and try it. The best way to learn about a country is to eat their food so just go for it!



I know, I say this a lot, but food and cooking should not stress you out. It should be a Zen moment for you at the end of a hectic day. When food is comforting, it makes you want to eat it and enjoy it. When it is stressful, it tastes stressed. So please take a moment, relax, and turn on the oven.


Have fun!


The Hostel Chef

Recipe 2: Beer Chili

JOURNAL ENTRY: PARRAMATTA, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 4, 2001

"I am back in Parramatta, and let me tell you, it is no Surfer's Paradise! I have so much to catch you guys up on, so I will start with the most exciting event... wait for it... wait for it... it happened before we left on our trip to Surfer's. Are you ready for this? Ok... Well they have a "Chili's Grill and Bar" here! It is about a 15-minute train ride from where I am staying here! How cool is that?! The layout was exactly like the one at home and even the bathrooms were in the same place! Too cool! Ok, maybe I'm a little over excited about this, but having a little taste of home is such a treat for us. I had the fajitas (of course) and Karine had the chili. It was really good!

I booked my tickets for the Good Will Games in Brisbane. I know I am really early but the tickets are selling fast. I am going to go see beach volleyball and I am in the 5th row. It should be awesome. Hopefully when I am there, there will be tickets for other events available. It sounds like a great time with all the athletes taking over the city!"

RECIPE 2: BEER CHILI

(serves 4)

Beer Chili

photo: Ryan Szulc www.ryanszulc.ca

Food Stylist: Noah Witenoff - the Hostel Chef www.nustyling.com

What you need:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of minced lean ground beef (454g - 600g)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped (tip - use your knife to smash the garlic and remove the skin)
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, cut on a diagonal
• 1 jalapeno (optional) seeded and chopped (wash your hands and knife right away to avoid getting any in your eyes)
• 1 package of taco seasoning mix
• 2 splashes of beer (adds a lot of flavor and you're drinking it anyways!)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (796ml)
• 1 can of water (796ml)
• 1 can of red kidney beans or any bean of your choice, drained and rinsed (540ml)
  
• 1 tablespoon of chicken powder
  

What you need to do:

• Heat the oil in a large pot.
  
• Brown the meat for about 5 minutes or until it is cooked through.
• Add the onions and garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
• Add the carrot, celery, and jalapeno.
  
• Deglaze the pan by adding the beer and allow to cook for a minute while stirring to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom.
• Add tomatoes, water, and chicken powder and bring to a boil.
  
• Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
• Eat with bread, rice, or on its own.

Here are some leftover suggestions:

• Try a sloppy joe on a hamburger bun.
• Use it as a meat sauce for pasta.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and keep me posted with your recipe suggestions. Much more to come!

The Hostel Chef

Cooking for You + 1

JOURNAL ENTRY: BLUE MOUNTAINS, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 17, 2001


"Today was a gorgeous day. We took the train out to Blue Mountains National Park in Katoomba. It was a beautiful ride and we were super excited to see the Three Sisters rock formation that everyone had told us about. When we got there, we were not surprised to see so many tourists but it did annoy us that we weren't the only ones!

Near the lookout there was a staircase that seemed like it went down forever. We had heard that there was a scenic train that would take us back up the hillside which sounded really cool. We started to walk down and it was breathtaking. I think in all, it took us an hour and half to get all the way to the bottom. When we finally reached flat ground, Karine, Nathalie, Christine, and myself almost died when we saw a sign for the train that read: "CLOSED"!!!! We had no choice but to walk all the way back up the stairs which seemed like they went forever up this forested mountain! It was beautiful but there were times where we thought we weren't going to make it! Moral of the story...always read the signs!

When we got back to our hostel, we made a delicious meal all together. It was the first time that Karine and I cooked with the girls and we ended up saving at least 15 dollars. This is what we will be doing from now on when we are all together. After dinner, we decided to sit by the fireplace in the hostel and just chat. I didn't think that backpacking would be this cool. I have met so many different people that I would have never had the chance to meet."


TIP #2: COOKING FOR YOU + 1

When you are cooking in a hostel it is always important to think about three things:

• Budget

• Waste

• Leftovers for the next day

When possible, it will always be cheaper to cook for more than one person at a time. If you are alone, you can always cook for two and that way, your leftovers become tomorrow's lunch. This is a great way to save time and money. If you make a big pot of chili one night, you can definitely save it for lunch the next day and maybe even dinner! Another cool thing about leftovers is that sometimes you can use them the following day in a new recipe. For example, if you made chicken one night and you have leftovers, you can use it on a salad, or in pasta, or to garnish a soup. Many options can be made from one meal.

Staying in youth hostels is a fantastic way to travel... because it is almost 100% a social way to travel. Cooking is a great way to meet people and a fun activity to do together. Why not take that pot of chili and share it with some new friends? There were many times that I would be cooking in a hostel, and a random stranger would come over to see what I was making. We would end up sharing the meal and getting to know eachother. I met a lot of people this way, and am still in touch with them to this day.

Here are some tips about leftovers:

• Make leftovers for lunch. Plan to cook a bit extra for each dinner, so that you’ll have leftovers for your lunch. Pack it right away, after dinner, so you don’t have to worry about it in the morning.http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/50-tips-for-grocery-shopping/

• Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers within two hours of their preparation. Store in a covered container in your fridge. Don’t reheat leftovers more than once. Eat leftovers within two days. WHEN IN DOUBT - THROW IT OUT.http://sgfoodfad.blogspot.com/2009/06/food-safety-tips-handling-leftovers.html

• Some suggestions for leftovers: http://gomestic.com/cooking/some-suggestions-for-leftovers/ Cute ideas that might spark something in you and inspire you with your own leftovers.
  

Don't forget to have fun! Food is not about stress. Take your leftovers and try something that you never thought would work. Worse comes to worse, you order in a pizza... lol. Good luck and keep me posted!

The Hostel Chef

The Cook's Bag

JOURNAL ENTRY: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 14, 2001

"Well, the sun has come back out finally! After what seemed like forever, the heat returned. It rained here for 7 days straight! It was crazy. Everyday we would wake up and look outside and hope for sun. Well, yesterday the sun G-d's heard our prayers. I spent the day in the park reading my book and basking in the sun. This backpacking adventure is quite relaxing, I must say..hehe.Friday I am off to Blue Mountains with some friends and will write again after that excursion. We have been cooking every night and so far so good. Karine and I went to get some water bottles to transport our olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Not sure if this will work but fingers crossed. I really don't feel like washing all my clothes... oy!"


TIP #1: THE COOK'S BAG

Ok guys, here is my first tip. When you are travelling from hostel to hostel you want to have as few bags as possible. However when you are cooking in hostels, you will need to buy a few items that you will want to bring with you so you don't waste your money at every stop you make. This is where the "cook's bag" comes into place. The cook's bag is basically your bag of cooking essentials that you will need for almost every recipe you make. Here is how I made this work for me:

Food staples for the cook's bag:

• Olive oil


• Balsamic vinegar

• Salt and pepper mix


• Cajun spice mix or curry spice

• Chicken powder (great as a salt substitute but gives a lot of flavor as well)
  

Before travelling you can purchase two small water bottle-type containers for your olive oil and vinegar. These containers usually come in space saving designs which are ideal for travelling. When I backpacked, my "cook's bag" was a simple plastic grocery bag with my name clearly marked on it. I would attach it to the outside of my pack when I had to switch hostels or carefully pack it in my day bag.

When it was necessary, I would buy some extra items, leave some items behind, and share some items with fellow backpackers. One of the greatest things about cooking in hostels is that there almost always is a communal section where people leave sauces, spices etc. These are things that usually are costly so it is great when you can find something for free and it is equally great to leave something behind for the next backpacker.

The greatest reason to have a "cooks bag" is that you will save tons of cash by avoiding double shopping. Saving cash is awesome because then you get to spend your money on cool things like seeing the sights, going out, and of course...drinking! You will quickly see that cooking in hostels is cheaper then eating out all the time. Also eating real, fresh, tasty food is just as affordable as the canned stuff so please put down the canned meatballs and let's make them instead!

Stay tuned for more tips, advice, and of course recipes.

The Hostel Chef

Recipe 1: Hostel Pizza

After doing some looking around the house, I stumbled upon my old emails that I had sent when I was on my backpacking adventure through Australia. It was quite a moment of nostalgia finding these emails...so much so that I have decided that they would be a great way to start each of my posts and follow them with a recipe designed just for you. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed finding them!

JOURNAL ENTRY: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 4, 2001

"Well guys, I did it....I tried kangaroo! It was in sausage form so I still have to try it in a steak, but it was pretty good (as long as you tried to not think about what you were eating).

Today it rained, which sucked! It was the first bad day since we got here so instead of going to the beach, we went in town to Sydney. We went to Hyde Park - which was really nice, St. Mary's Church, the Great Synagogue, and the Australia museum. The museum took 3 hours! A bit long but I learnt a lot.

Once we left the museum, we were famished so when we got home, we made our pita pizzas. They are really great and easy and super cheap! Karine and I have mastered the food shopping, if I do say so myself. 40$ for a weeks worth of food! Don't ask me how, but somehow we are doing it."

RECIPE 1: HOSTEL PIZZA

(serves 2)

Hostel Pizza

photo: Ryan Szulc www.ryanszulc.ca

Food Stylist: Noah Witenoff - the Hostel Chef www.nustyling.com

What you need:

• 2 large Lebanese style pitas (or any large flat bread available)
• Half a large red onion, cut into half moons
• 1 green pepper, cut into random medium size pieces
• 1 can of artichoke hearts
• 1 small can of pizza sauce
  
• 2 coffee mugs of shredded mozarella cheese
• 8 basil leaves (optional)
• 1 sheet of aluminum paper

What you need to do:

• Preheat oven to 375°F or gas mark 5.
  
• Place the sheet of tin foil on the middle rack in the oven.
• Drain the artichoke hearts and cut into quarters if they are not already cut in the can.
• Cover each pita with half the sauce.
• Place the green peppers and the onions randomly over both pitas.
• Cover each pita with cheese and place the basil over top.
• Place pitas directly on the oven rack and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• When it's ready carefully slide your pita on a cutting board or directly on your plate.

Ok now here are some options for you guys who are saying what if I can't find basil:

Feel free to change any toppings for anything under the sun. You can put pepperoni, prosciutto, tomatoes, olives or any other of your favorite pizza toppings. Just remember budget and that you don't want to buy too much that you won't use and that you will end up wasting. If you won't finish a whole pack of pepperoni, try to get the deli counter to cut just what you need and save some money.

Also if you are nervous about cooking your pizza on the rack, you can always put it on a tray (if you have one at your hostel) or stick it directly in a pan and cook it like that.

Don't forget to have fun and enjoy!

No more spaghetti out of a can on toast. It is time to see how easy and cheap it is to enjoy great food while you backpack.

The Hostel Chef

A Long Time Coming

How does a cookbook designed for backpackers travelling in youth hostels sound? It has been my dream for many years to publish a cookbook 100% designed for backpackers travelling around the world and living in youth hostels and so I have decided to do it the modern way...blog style! This blog is based on my travels and my experience. I am now a professional food stylist with much experience in fine dining but my cooking and career started in youth hostels, where I fell in love with cooking.

8 years ago I travelled through Australia on the greatest adventure of my life. I was a university student looking for something new and exciting to do with my life. I hated what I was studying and like so many university students I had no idea what I would do when I had to enter the "real" world. I graduated with a degree in International Business and the only reason I went into the program was because I loved to travel....not the smartest move I ever made : )


In Australia I taught myself how to cook while travelling from hostel to hostel and living on a tight budget. I quickly learned that the best way to budget my food expenses was to cook fresh and tasty food in hostels, and when I travelled from one hostel to the other I would leave some stuff behind for fellow backpackers and bring my key ingredients with me. Cooking in hostels was a way for me to be social as well. I would cook for me and some new friends and next thing you knew, we were touring the city together. It was a great experience and I am super excited to share this way of travelling with you all.


I really hope you all enjoy this blog, and are able to use these recipes while you travel. Feel free to leave me your comments and questions and lets chat about food and how you can take a recipe and make it work for you.



Talk to you all soon!


The Hostel Chef