31.5.14
Spanish baked eggs, spicy tomato sauce, chorizo, avocado, tortilla
Mexican food seems to be enjoying one hell of a resurgence at the moment, but I've loved this dish ever since I used to eat a variation on this - the mexican classic Huevos Rancheros - at the original Hugos on Campbell Parade in Bondi Beach, back in the day before there were 65 branches of Hugos all over Sydney.
There just seems to be something about the combination of spicy grilled chorizo, creamy baked egg, the slight chill kick and the crispy tortilla that just sets you up for the day.
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30.5.14
29.5.14
Beef cheek massaman curry
Our last two family holidays have been to Thailand, and on our last trip I decided to enrol in a Thai cookery masterclass being offered at our resort. I've never done a cooking class of any kind, so was intrigued to discover what would be on the agenda.
Upon signing up I was told that each class generally had about 5-8 participants, so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at hotel reception to meet my teacher that I was the only one taking the class that day.
My teacher was one of the chefs at the hotel, and he only spoke limited English - although compared to my non-existent Thai, he was practically fluent. Whilst we waited for the car that was to take us to the local island markets to learn about traditional ingredients, he asked me where I was from.
"Sydney,Australia" I replied.
"Oh, yes, Australia….beautiful country. Tell me - are there Thai restaurants in Australia?"
"Oh, there are heaps"! I exclaimed.
"And where you live? Is there thai restaurant?"
"Absolutely. Just in my suburb (which is in Sydney's east) I'd say there are, oh, about 15?"
Silence.
I think he thought I must have slightly confused.
"….Oh! ….Thai food…is very popular in Australia then?"
And it is isn't it? When I was growing up - it wasn't. Our local restaurant was Italian or Chinese. Pizza Hut or Sizzler was considered to be a reasonably classy night out. But now…Thai. Its everywhere.And I am absolutely no expert on cooking the cuisine, but I have had enough Thai takeaway in my life to know what I would change about one particular dish.
Beef massaman curry.
Instead of big, melty chunks of slow cooked beef, most Thai restaurants seem to serve their massaman curry with shrivelled strips of thin, stir fry style beef. By the time its been simmering away in the sauce for as long as it should its like eating curry flavoured beef jerky.
Beef cheeks are absolutely one of my favourite winter cuts. They are as cheap as chips and very deceptive. Even with a sharp knife they're so tough you can barely cut through them whilst raw, but after a few hours they are just magically, meltingly rich and buttery soft.
Beef cheek massaman curry
Duck breast, celeriac slaw, leek rings
Leeks are cheap at the moment, and the other day I was pondering why you never see leek rings on a menu the way you do onion rings?
With a slightly sweeter and more mellow flavour than the onion, you'd think it would be a perfect bar snack or garnish to add a crunchy, slightly oily, slightly naughty note. And lets face it - is there ANY food, any food at all, that couldn't be slightly improved by crumbing and frying?
They turned out beautifully and were the perfect accompaniment to a celeriac, red cabbage and apple slaw I made to serve with some duck breast.
28.5.14
25.5.14
salmon gravalax,citrus hollandaise, poached eggs
I own a thermomix, although I wouldn't call myself a fanatical thermomix user. We all know them. They have the air of a religious zealot about them and wander around making comments like"oh, Thermie came with us on holidays, of course! There was no way I was going to leave him alone in the house for 10 days…" THOSE people. The ones who fly interstate for the weekend with the machine on their lap and their kids in checked baggage. And you can't dare suggest there is even one thing the machine doesn't cook brilliantly (although there are several) because it is a member of their family.
If I was ever to join their ranks though, there would be one reason.
Hollandaise sauce.
More importantly, the ease at which this machine makes hollandaise sauce.
So when friends come over and they ask me if they should buy a thermomix I say to them, "well, look…do you like Eggs Benedict?" Because that style of sauce - or anything that requires constant stirring over a constant temperature - is what this machine is made to do. Don't believe those who tell you it can do everything…. I once used it to make a bolognaise and it was so bad, I had to throw it out and start again on the stovetop. But this kind of sauce it just cannot seem to fail at.
Salmon gravalax, citrus hollandaise, poached eggs. Serves 2.
What you'll need:
4 eggs (always free range and I like the 800 gram ones as they seem to work best with my method of poaching.
Six slices of salmon gravalax or smoked salmon
One lemon
4 egg yolks
130 grams cold unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Two slices of sourdough or brioche, toasted
Salt and Pepper
Sliced chives or spring onions to garnish.
How you'll do it
Throw the egg yolks, butter, salt and pepper and lemon juice into the thermomix.
Insert the butterfly whisk and cook on speed 2 for 10 minutes at 80 degrees. That is ALL YOU HAVE TO DO for perfect sauce. Best of all, if you end up having a poached egg disaster and need to start them over again, you can just leave the sauce stirring away. I once had the hollandaise cooking for 30 minutes and after adding a little water and an extra squeeze of lemon it still turned out perfectly
To poach the eggs perfectly, put a saucepan of water on the stove with a good splash of white vinegar and heat until it is just below boiling.
Use a spoon to create a whirlpool in the water, then break the eggs into a small teacup or bowl and slide them in to the saucepan. Cook for 3 minutes, lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Assemble in this order:
Toast
Salmon
Eggs
Sauce
Garnish
21.5.14
Salmon nicoise, baby olives, dill butter
I'd say even the most committed foodies have one food they just won't eat.
For most people its probably something like tripe, or brains or kidneys. For me, its tinned tuna.
I do, however love the flavours in a salad nicoise, so what I do is make it with a fillet of salmon
18.5.14
11.5.14
10.5.14
3.5.14
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