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ABOUT EATORI

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This blog is home to the stories of a Sydney born food writer, Victoria (Tori) Haschka. It’s the story of The Hungry One (the husband) and our mutual search for the best ways to eat, drink and be merry.

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Monday musings. Everyone has their favourite analo Monday musings. Everyone has their favourite analogies for writing novels. For me- they are trifles. (No, not trifling things- anyone who met me in the middle of the structural edit of draft 3 of ‘A Recipe for Family’ in lockdown last year when I deleted an entire narrator’s perspective would know that). But it’s about knowing where you’ll start and where you need to finish up. The end needs to be significantly different to the start. Something needs to change. There needs to be variety along the way. Each layer, or section needs to have a turning point. And it can’t be too sweet. You need some bitterness or tartness in there (alcohol, citrus, coffee, dark chocolate etc) to temper the whole, lest it be a cloying mass. But mainly, they take time. Layer by layer, bit by bit the sum of the parts make something pleasingly lovely, even if the middle is a bit of a mess. Picture description; black forrest trifle; morello cherry jelly, chocolate sponge, dark chocolate and salted caramel praline mousse, chocolate sponge brushed with cherry gin, coffee cheesecake cream, cherries, toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate shavings.
Here’s a thing. Pregnancy can radically alter th Here’s a thing. Pregnancy can radically alter the long term health of a mother. I wouldn’t trade my two children for anything. They are my light and legacy. But pregnancy is brutal on a woman’s body. Women can die - yes- that still happens- or have their health outcomes fundamentally changed leaving decades of prolapse and pain. I had two ‘good’ pregnancies and births- but the effect of the hormones on my already lax hip ligaments led to a bulging disc and acute back that has seen me hospitalised for days and in more agony than un medicated labours. I have an autoimmune disease that came on after my second child, when my immune system took the job of protecting the foetus too far, and then turned on itself. After birthing children I take medication everyday, do rehab everyday and have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on endocrinologists and physiotherapists to recover. I have pain as a side kick most days. I doubt I could be a functional mother to my current children and sustain another pregnancy. The majority of terminations come from women who already know the burden of bearing a child. Fuck those callous men. I’d like to see them try to carry a life to term. My heart bleeds for the women of America this morning.
Pre order for the pelmeni recipe in the back… #a Pre order for the pelmeni recipe in the back… #arecipeforfamily (stay for the discriminatory pears, au pair shenanigans, MLM meltdowns and kindergarten restorative justice sessions). Link to pre order in bio. Out August. 💜❤️🥂
Ten days until holidays friends. I cracked a month Ten days until holidays friends. I cracked a month ago and booked us on a plane (😳- remember those?) to Phuket 🏝. I am craving sunshine, salt water and some time with a fat stack of books (surely the kids will be supportive of that 🤣). Currently I have cued to come with me a few pairs of bathers and floaty dresses, some face masks and flip flops and Annabel Abb’s ‘The Language of Food’ ,Kristin Chen’s ‘Counterfeit’, Lisa Taddeo’s ‘Ghost Lover’ and Charmaine Wilkerson’s ‘Black Cake’. What else should I put in? (I remember now that this is why Kindles are useful. 🧐).
Hey Tori, what should I cook? Eggs. When in doubt Hey Tori, what should I cook? Eggs. When in doubt, I turn to eggs. Omelettes and a glass of wine, scrambled over avocado toast. Hard boiled and smashed with kewpie and celery, capers and parsley and nudged into a wedge of endive. But dippy eggs will always be real comfort to me. These eggs en cocotte with leek and tarragon are great for a brunch- you can prep all ahead and just pull the out to the table when the coffee is ready. But I like them even more for supper. Breakfast for dinner is a real thing. Eggs en Cocotte with Leek and Tarragon Makes two portions Ingredients 2 leeks, tough top green section and roots discarded, halved and rinsed. 30 grams of butter 1 tbsp flour Small bunch of tarragon 4 eggs 4 tbsp of creme fraiche, or double cream Salt and pepper to taste Crusty bread, toasted and cut into piano key size slices Method 1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350 F. 2) Slice the cleaned leeks into thin slivers. 3) Melt the butter in a large fry pan and sautee the leeks with a pinch of salt over a low to medium heat for 15 minutes until they have sweated down to a soft tangle. Add around 15 roughly chopped tarragon leaves and the flour and stir to cook for two minutes. 4) In a small bowl season the creme fraiche well with pepper. 5) Divide the leeks into the base of the ramekins, creating a small well in the centre. 6) Crack two eggs over the top, being careful not to break the yolks. 7) Gently place 2 tbsp of the creme fraiche over the top of the eggs, being careful again not to puncture the yolks. Decorate the top with two tarragon leaves in the shape of a heart, if you fancy being a bit naff. 8) Transfer the ramekins to a baking dish.  Carefully fill the baking dish with hot water so it reaches half way up the side of the ramekins. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the white is set. 9) Serve with slices of toast glossed with truffle oil or truffle butter for additional richness, or with a bitter leaf salad on the side.
What do I know after writing two novels (plus the What do I know after writing two novels (plus the terrible one I drafted when I was 22 about a series of 21st birthday parties that will never see the light of day?) Not that much, but here are a few takeaways. For the next few months I’m going to do some Monday Musings… Writing thoughts… 1)Always take notes on your phone, or in a notebook. Things you see, things that tickle your fancy, combinations of words, images that won’t leave you alone. You’ll use them, I promise. 2) Write the books that you like to read- because before it’s over you will have read it 189 times or more. 3) Write what scares you. The ugly bits. Art therapy is real. 4) Try not to accidentally give one of the best dudes you know’s name to the villain in your novel. 5) Keep a running document of who is married to who and who their children are. If you don’t you’ll be neck deep in the sequel and will have somehow lost three children. 6) Having more than two narrators is hard when it comes to structural edits. Three is harder. Four; borderline madness. (I will not attempt four again. I promise). 7) If you get lost in the middle of a project go to the end and work backwards. I like to know where I’m going to end up, so often plot the ends first. But middles are always messy. Novels aren’t just stories. They’re a piece of design, with words as your tools. Happy plotting.
‘It’s Lava Love mum’ says Evie. Here are so ‘It’s Lava Love mum’ says Evie. Here are some things getting lava love from me this week. @dollyalderton ‘s ‘Everything I know about Love’ series on Stan. I laughed, I cringed (we all ‘dated’ a version of Street right?)- and I cried. Oh how I cried. Lock yourself away with your best early 20’s nostalgia meal of take away pad see ew, a bottle of Four Sisters classic dry white and tuck in for an excellent night. @elizabday ‘s ‘How to Fail’ with Minnie Driver. Like eaves dropping on one of the best catch ups between wise friends. Also makes me want to go buy Minnie’s book immediately. The nine spice chai porridge @thehungrymonkeyofficial on the winter breakfast menu. Makes the frost on the leaves all worthwhile. I am only making porridge with chai tea instead of water or milk from now on. I’ve been pretty exhausted with asthmatic kids this week- and when I am I like to read things I’ve read before. It’s been the perfect time to dip back into @victoriabrookmn ‘s savvy, brilliant rom com ‘Burnt Out’ - and also troll Chris Hemmesworth and Elsa Pataky on Instagram about why they haven’t optioned it. (Her as Calida, him as Arlo- who else can see it?) All the love from folks near and far for the reveal of the cover for ‘A Recipe for Family’. And when your sister does her Facebook shout-from-the-ceiling- post which makes you wonder when people are going to finally twig who the wordsmith in the family is. Hope all is kind in your worlds. What should I be watching this weekend?
And… here we are. Please welcome the next book And… here we are. Please welcome the next book baby. I am so chuffed to share this. It’s been a mother to birth but I am so thrilled that we are here. Out in August. Preorder link in profile. (Please do- it makes a huge difference 😘) What is it? ‘A Recipe for Family’ is about how food connects us and assumptions divide us – and how true family can come from where you least expect it. Things are getting slippery for Stella. With her husband away she’s juggling a full-time job, a tricky stepdaughter and a relentless four-year-old – all while trying to find her footing in her spouse’s shiny world. Joining the throng of local mothers, she reluctantly hires an au pair in the hope that it will lighten the load. Stella’s mother-in-law, Elise, thinks this is a rotten idea. An industrial chemist and staunch feminist, she finds the ethical murkiness surrounding the au pair solution difficult to swallow. But she’s promised her son not to meddle, has her own career battles to slay and ghosts of her own past to contend with. For Ava, life in Sydney as an au pair could help fill the void left by the loss of her mother. With her family recipes in her hand and hope in her heart, she sets off to reinvent herself in a place far away. Three women, drawn together by impossible circumstances, will discover that the greatest comfort can often be found in the mess. There are recipes and calamity. The Beaches Mums Facebook page will make some cameos. And you may even see some old friends in the mix. It’s about women trying their best, when the world is hard (and that was even pre pandemic 😘) I hope you love it as much as I do.
Baking is good for morale. It helps to fill in the Baking is good for morale. It helps to fill in the days when you’re at home with small people - whether poorly or not (greetings from a house of sick). It helps to have something in a tupperware to pull out and have with tea at any hour of the day. It helps in so many ways. I have duelling banjos of two kids with asthma at the moment. We are not strangers to the winter-coughs. Eight years of chronic croup and asthma with Will means I can tell with disappointing accuracy when a throat clear will escalate to an episode. It’s a divination I could do without. The steroids they need to breathe also send my kids bonkers, so baking is a good sensory distraction. These banana pear oatflour muffins were yesterday’s project, in between a rewatch of ‘Inside Out’ - I forgot how brilliant that film is. I sobbed at Bing Bong. Surely I’m not the only one? They’re dairy free for Evie, but you could use Greek yoghurt and mild olive oil just as easily. They’re mainly sweetened with pear and banana. And they’re made with oat flour because we like the flavour, my body enjoys it better than wheat, and because Evie likes to whizz the oats into dust. Last night was long and noisy. At 5 am this morning with my first of many cups of tea, I was thankful for yesterday’s efforts. Once more into the breach friends. Banana Pear and Oat Muffins Makes 12 Ingredients 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1 egg 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or other neutral oil 1/3 cup coconut yoghurt/plain yoghurt 2 ripe pears, diced 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 1/2 cups oat flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon Pinch of salt 2 tbsp ground flax or LSA Method Preheat oven to 180c/350 F Grease a 12 hole muffin tin well Combine all the wet ingredients in a blender or food processor and whizz to combine. You want the pear to become a purée. Fold in the dry ingredients. Portion into muffin tins. I find an automatic ice cream scoop is incredibly helpful for this. Options; sprinkle with extra oats before baking. Bake for 25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Use a knife to loosen the edges and allow to cool in the tin.
We had always joked that she was going to help cor We had always joked that she was going to help correct my stroke. Nobody could swim like her. Some days are harder than others. Last night my children hacked and coughed all through the dark. We would always text each other after those nights with commiserations and gallow’s humour. Asthma and croup mums know the cold, barbed edges of 3.53 am well. This morning I miss her like a phantom limb. Check in on a mate today. I’m going to make some banana oat cookies. I’ll make double, like I often did, so she would eat something on her way to the pool. I wish we could go for a swim.
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