Cheap Thrills: Wolf Hollow in Ipswich

Checked out Wolf Hollow in Ipswich last weekend with Chloe. It's right down Rt 133 in Ipswich just before the turn-off onto the road to Russell Orchards. I'd been waiting until Chloe was old enough to have a hope of sitting thru the hour-long talk that's part of the presentation.

She actually managed to pay attention pretty well. The presentation is given at 1:30 in the afternoon and two wolves are present behind a double fence while the guide talks about wolf varieties and their history with humans. The two wolves are Weeble, the oldest wolf and Nina, a young female. Weeble sniffed around a couple of times, ate some cheese treats and retreated to the shade of a large tree while Nina trotted back and forth constantly making eye contact.

There's a full moon howl on this coming Saturday too: Wolves, reggae, beer and barbeque! Adults, $10.00, kids under 5 free. Event starts at 3pm.

Wolf Hollow Saturday Presentation: 1:30pm
Adults admission: $7.50
Kids admission: $5.00

Cheap Thrills: Wolf Hollow in Ipswich

Beat the Heat: Green Curry

Even though it's hot and sticky outside and the cicadas are screaming, I still can't put down my wok. Standing over a pan-full of frying tofu and vegetables while sweat beads on my forehead makes it even more worthwhile when you are sitting down and eating this awesome vegetarian curry!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil
4 oz tofu cut into 1-2 inch strips
1 small head of broccoli
2-3 handfuls of green beans
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 slices
2 or 3 handfuls of mushroom slices

for the sauce:
1/2 medium sized can of coconut milk
1 cube of vegetarian bullion
1-1.5 tablespoons of curry paste (I use Patak's)
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root shredded or 1/2 tsp ginger powder

1 cup of brown rice
2 cups water

Prepare the vegetables and keep them close to the wok for quick, efficient cooking. Heat the oil in the wok over medium heat until it starts to smoke. Add the tofu with a long-handled utensil (to avoid spatter burns) and fry it until it has all browned on both sides.

My general rule of thumb is to add vegetables in the order of their water content. Since the broccoli is the hardest one (least watery) here, add it after pushing the browned tofu up into the sides of the wok. Cook the broccoli until it has softened a little and push it up before adding the green beans. Once they have cooked, add the zucchini slices and the mushroom slices along with the ginger.

Stir-fry everything together for about a minute and then add enough water to cover the bottom of the wok. Add the bullion cube and let that dissolve before adding in the coconut milk and curry paste. Stir the sauce in with the vegetables until everything has blended and then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors together.

Turn off the heat and add the curry to helpings of rice and enjoy outside with a nice frosty beverage. (A crisp white wine is a good choice)

Beat the Heat: Green Curry