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Newsletter #1

I’ve heard of that – Chicken Marengo

There are probably a number of culinary dishes that have an association with victories on the battlefield. I would have thought that the fact that you were still alive and unscathed was enough reason to celebrate, but 200 years ago things were very different.

Chicken Marengo was named after Napoleon’s victory over the Austrian forces near the village of Marengo, in Piedmont, Italy in the year 1800. But they say never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

It is generally considered that Napoleon ate whatever the common soldier ate on a day-to-day basis, but considering his ongoing health issues, I find that questionable. It is also thought that following a victory he would ask his

personal chef to prepare something special. That sounds like it could be correct.

The story goes that following the day long battle at Marengo which resulted in the French victory, Napoleon’s chef, a man named Dunant (or Dunan), foraged the countryside looking for ingredients for Napoleon’s dinner. A chicken, crayfish, tomatoes and eggs were some of his haul. Voila, Chicken Marengo. Napoleon thought it delicious and would not allow the recipe to be changed, for fear of bringing him bad luck.

Now let’s forget about the fact that more than 50000 men from both armies had pillaged the local countryside over a period time, leaving scant offerings. Researchers have actually questioned the availability of tomatoes in the year 1800. Tomatoes have been an essential ingredient in Italy for many years but were pretty rare in the year 1800.

More importantly Chef Dunant was not in Napoleons employ at the time. He was actually in Russia and did not join Napoleon until 1801. Dunant first published “Chicken a la Marengo” in 1809.

Over the years various chefs have changed the recipe (sometimes dramatically) and still retained the name, something that I hate. The fried egg has disappeared, and mushrooms replaced crayfish. In Australia there was a natural tendency to use prawns instead of Australian Crayfish, but the Freshwater Yabby would be more authentic.

The French naturally have a name that you can apply for this type of cookery. It’s called “bricolage” and basically means making use of whatever is available. It is a possible theme that I may explore in the future,

The following recipe is generally regarded as authentic (with a few adjustments) having been made “restaurant worthy” in Paris, sometime after Napoleon’s famous victory. I have left the fried egg from the original recipe as an option.

This recipe is perfect for your slow cooker. You will also need your non-stick frypan.

 

Chicken Marengo

Serves four.

       

Ingredients:

.  30g butter.

.  Salt and pepper.

.  Plain flour (for dusting chicken)

.  600g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, quartered or 750g skin-on, bone in chicken thighs.

.  1 medium size brown onion peeled and thinly sliced.

.  2 cloves garlic – peeled and minced.

.  200g sliced mushrooms.

.  1 cup chicken stock.

.  1 tbsp tomato paste.

.  80ml (1/3 cup) white wine.

.  500g ripe tomatoes, skin removed, deseeded and chopped in 1cm pieces.

.  2 tsp dried oregano leaves.

.  30ml Brandy.

.  8 medium green prawns, peeled, deveined.

.  1/4 cup chopped fresh continental parsley.

.  Zest from half an orange.

       

Method:

• Turn your slow cooker on to the high setting. On your stove top pre-heat your frypan. Add butter to frypan.
• Season the chicken thighs and coat them in flour. Pat off excess. Butter should be sizzling. Adjust heat down to avoid butter burning.
• If you are using whole thighs place them in the frypan skin side down. For thigh fillets it is less important.
• Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown before turning and repeating on the other side. After this place the chicken in the slow cooker.
• Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Gently sauté to golden brown. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add onion mix to slow cooker.
• Deglaze the pan with a little of the chicken stock and put that liquid in the slow cooker as well. Place the frypan to the side for future use.
• Now add the tomato paste, white wine, tomatoes and oregano to the slow cooker. Give the chicken a little mix. Lid the slow cooker. After 30 minutes it should be time to turn the slow cooker down to low. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, lightly blanch the orange zest for about 30 seconds. Boiling water out of the jug should suffice. Refresh the zest in cold water and then drain. Keep aside.
• When you think the chicken is ready, check the seasoning and turn to “keep warm”. Add orange zest.
• Heat your frypan again with a little olive oil and sauté the prawns until just ready.
• Finally add most of the chopped parsley and brandy to the chicken. Stir it in.
• To serve. If you are using whole thighs, place those on your serving plate first and then ladle the sauce over. Top with the cooked prawns and a sprinkle with parsley. If you are using thigh fillet ladle out even portions. And finish as before.

           

 

Notes:

• This dish works best with minimum liquid so keep the lid on the slow cooker as much as possible. If you feel it is too dry ad a little more chicken stock.
• The amount of flour retained on the surface of the chicken will dictate the thickness of the final dish.
• Black olives have also featured in the Marengo recipe, but it is debatable if they were part of an original recipe.
• If you use the egg option, it is served sunny side up, on top of this dish.
• If you were tempted to create a one pot meal (using thigh fillets) you could add pasta to the last 10 or so minutes of cooking time. You would definitely need to add some more stock, adjust the seasoning and of course the bread would be optional. Alternatively, you could serve it with crusty bread.

 

 

Iconic Australian Hotels – The Carrington Hotel, Katoomba.  

In 1943, my parents honeymooned at the Carrington Hotel, Katoomba. I can’t remember the first time I went there but it was probably sometime in the 1960’s, when I was a teenager. My sister would have baked biscuits, and our family took thermoses of hot milky coffee with us for the day trip. Although I had escorted overseas tourists to Katoomba during 2019/20 and dined at the Carrington on a number of occasions I would have to wait until 2024 before Chris and I actually stayed there for a few nights.

 

 

The Carrington Hotel was originally called The Great Western Hotel and was established in 1882. It was an imposing Victorian building with nearly sixty bedrooms. It was the second of three (now considered iconic) hotels in the Blue Mountains. It is slightly pre-dated by Jenolan Caves House and about twenty years older than The Hydro-Majestic Hotel. Fortunately, all three properties are still in existence, and all are still operating as hotels but only The Carrington has a heritage listing as the only 19^th century Grand Resort Hotel still in use in N.S.W.

 

Situated on an elevated expansive block, close to Katoomba railway station, the newly built Carrington Hotel was surrounded by lawns and the early plantings of gardens and trees.

The original owner died in 1885, and ownership passed to Frederick Goyder who was responsible for renaming the hotel after the then Governor of N.S.W. Lord Carrington. Business must have been good for by the following year Goyder had increased the number of rooms to 119 plus seven suites. Other additions included a dining hall, two drawing rooms and a music room. Outside in the spacious grounds two tennis courts and a vegetable garden were added. By 1888 Goyder had purchased the hotel outright.

 

Between 1898 and 1901 The Carrington had a variety of owners before settling with Arthur Peacock after Frederick Goyder died in 1900. The Hotel continued to flourish with the addition of lavatories, bathrooms and water closets on each floor. Notably a power station was built in 1910 at the rear of the Hotel. It supplied power for not only the hotel but also the rest of Katoomba and surrounding villages. The power stations chimney still stands and remains an unusual landmark visible from the neighbouring village of Leura.

 

Continued success and improvements came when the ownership was acquired in 1911 by the highly successful James Joynton Smith who also had interests in both the Imperial Hotel at Mount Victoria and the previously mentioned Hydro-Majestic hotel at Medlow Bath.

The Carrington enjoyed popularity well into the 1960’s even as visitor numbers in The Blue Mountains declined. Despite attempts to modernise with the addition of a swimming pool and improved landscaping The Carrington eventually succumbed to its age and closed in 1986.Possibly a victim of its own success, the original grounds had been slowly cannibalised as the township grew. The swimming pool had been filled in and the tennis courts disappeared. It remained empty and boarded up until 1991.

 

The delicate task of refurbishment began in 1992 under the guidance of owners dedicated to not only the Hotel’s preservation but also charged with a mission to return it to its former glory. Fortunately, the well-established gardens on east side of the Hotel (the main entrance), with the decades old European and North American trees, remained relatively untouched.

 

Today, The Carrington thrives with the Grand Dining Room, a Brassiere, a deli/wine room/ bottle shop, a brewery and a cabaret room. Most importantly the hotel has retained its beautiful mix of Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco construction and its lush interior furnishings. Of particular interest is the elevator or lift which dates back to 1927 and is close to original condition.

 

The Carrington gained its iconic status based on grandeur, elegance and location. You could add to that mix with the succession of influential owners. However, The Carrington probably never consistently achieved the culinary standards that it should have. But it may have come close in 1927.

 

When the Duke and Duchess of York visited Australia way back in 1927, more than one million people turned out to see them in Sydney. Five days after their arrival, the Royals’ and their entourage

journeyed to the Blue Mountains.    This not insignificant distance was covered by a Royal Train before the party transferred to a fleet of British made Crossley motor vehicles (a favourite vehicle of the future King).

 

 

 

 

One of the problems of being a high-ranking Royal is the huge amount of food on offer during a royal visit. The Royal’s enjoyed breakfast at Government House in Sydney and light lunch at The Carrington Hotel followed by afternoon tea at Hampton and finally a fifteen-course dinner at Jenolan Caves house. One would have assumed they also had refreshments on the train. They certainly would have had to pace themselves. The dinner menu at the Caves included Lobster Newburg, Roast turkey Saint James and Rum Omelette.

 

Little is known of the light lunch menu at the Carrington Hotel, but it is generally considered that it included a selection of sandwiches and fresh fruit. This must have peeved the Carrington Hotel chef, not to mention the Hotel’s owner James Joynton Smith, knowing that they had missed an opportunity to really cater for the Royals’.

 

Visiting dignitaries gave us the opportunity to showcase the best produce on hand, so putting aside what The Royals ate for dinner at the Caves, what might the locals have offered the future King had he dined at The Carrington.

At the time the Royal household had continued a tradition of menus heavily influenced by the French. That influence would have followed the Royals to Australia and indeed any menu served to them would probably have been vetted by the Royal household to some degree. I have chosen Soufflé Rothschild as a suitable dessert that would have fit the bill at the time and even today is a dessert worthy of special occasions.

Soufflé Rothschild

 The soufflé is considered by many as a dessert that is hard to prepare. It is a dessert that has to be cooked and then served immediately, which in a restaurant environment requires the co-operation of the customer and naturally the wait-staff. You also need a dedicated cook whose primary task is to produce soufflés. This is because a soufflé cannot be kept hot or re-heated. It has a relatively short lifespan. In short “the customer waits for the soufflé”.

In the early 1820’s a French chef named Antonin Careme, already a person noted for his culinary skills was employed by the prominent Rothschild’s family in Paris. It was Careme’s last salaried position and not only was he paid very well, he was given very flexible working hours which gave him time to work on his cookbooks. There was also time to invent new dishes and refine existing recipes, one of which was the soufflé.

Soufflé  Rothschild  honoured his employer and reflected Careme’s use of expensive ingredients – it contained  Goldwasser, (a herb liqueur that contained flakes of real gold) and macerated glace fruits. As tastes changed later examples used other liqueurs and different fruit mixes and even separate sauces, but strawberries remained a constant accompaniment.

In my opinion the soufflé is perhaps one of the more spectacular yet easier desserts to make – provided you get the basics right. I’ve re-worked the recipe to include pineapple and papaya with a hint of Grand Marnier.

Souffle Rothschild Recipe

Serves 4

You will need four 200ml ramekins for this recipe plus a small saucepan and a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.

 

Ingredients: 

.  25g unsalted butter.
.  20g plain flour.
.  120 ml milk.
.  115g caster sugar.
.  Vanilla paste, scant.
.  4 x medium eggs, at room temperature.
.  ¼ x tsp crème of tartar.
.  ½ x cup glace fruit, finely chopped (Cherry, Pineapple, Papaya)
.  ½ x punnet strawberries, hulled, rinsed gently dried and halved or left whole if small
.  1tbs Grand Marnier.
.  A little caster sugar or sugar syrup for strawberries.

 

Method:

• In your saucepan melt the butter. Use a little of the melted butter to individually grease the insides of the ramekins.
• Using just a few grams of the sugar coat the inside of the ramekins. Once done tip out any excess sugar from the ramekins. There should be very little; it can be added back to the rest of the sugar. Keep the ramekins warm.
• Separate the eggs into clean bowls.
• Turn the heat up on the butter and add the flour. Cook the flour and butter (this is called a roux) for about one minute, before taking the saucepan off the heat.

               

 

        

• Whisk in the cold milk to the saucepan. Keep whisking until the liquid has broken down the roux. Return the saucepan to the heat and continue stirring until the liquid thickens. Turn the heat down to a low setting.
• Continue stirring as it slowly boils for three minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Take off heat. Stir in egg yolks, one at a time. Return the saucepan to the heat when the egg yolks have been incorporated. Cook for a further one minute. Take of heat. Let the mix cool to room temperature. This mix is called Crème Patisserie.

       

 

          

• Set your oven to 400c
• When the Crème Patisserie has cooled drain the Grand Marnier from glace fruit. Pour the Grand Marnier/syrup over the strawberries. Chop the glace fruit into a small dice and add the fruit to the Crème Patisserie. Make sure the fruit is mixed in well.
• In your stand mixer place the egg whites. Add the Crème of Tartar to the egg whites. Turn your beater on firstly at a low speed for 30 seconds. This helps
• break down the egg white and distribute the Crème of Tartar.
• Turn mixer up to a medium speed. You are looking for the egg whites to form a meringue consistency of stiff peaks; it could take a couple of minutes. Avoid over beating.
• When the egg white (meringue) is ready, take about one quarter of it and gently stir into the Crème Patisserie before gently folding the rest of the egg white. Mix well.
• Finally divide the mix between the ramekins. About three-quarters full or a little more is good, any less would look lead to a less appealing dessert.
• Place the individual ramekins in your pre-heated oven. Do not open the oven door again until they are cooked. Cooking time will be a little less than twenty minutes.
• Check them after about 12 minutes (through the oven door window). The Soufflés should have risen above the rim of the ramekin.
• When ready they should be a golden brown on top.
• Serve immediately with the marinated strawberries.

 

 

Themes # 1 – Soups.

 

Goulash soup

Who doesn’t like hot soup on a cold day? This recipe for goulash soup is both hearty and nourishing and perfect for lunch or dinner or putting your feet up on a wintery afternoon to watch a favourite movie. A non-stick frypan and a lidded pot or slow cooker will be handy for this recipe.

Serves 4 to 6 persons.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil.
• 400g beef chuck steak, trimmed, 1cm cubes.
• 1 medium brown onion peeled and chopped ½ cm cubes.
• 1 medium carrot peeled and chopped ½ cm cubes.
• 1 stick of celery, washed, peeled ½cm cubes.
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed.
• 11/2 tsp sweet paprika.
• 1 tsp caraway seeds.
• 2 Bay leaves.
• 1 litre beef stock.
• 20ml lemon juice.
• 400g can diced tomatoes.
• 450g potatoes, washed and peeled, 1cm cubes.
• Salt and Pepper.
• Chopped fresh chives to serve.
• Sour Cream to serve.

Preparation:

• Pre-heat your slow cooker. Alternatively put a very low heat under your pot.
• Add oil to pan and turn up the heat. Sear the beef in batches and add to your pot.
• When all the meat is browned add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until brown, occasionally stirring. Add carrot and celery and continue cooking. Add the paprika and caraway to the pan and continue cooking and stirring. When all the vegetables are soft add them to the pot.
• Deglaze the pan with a little beef stock and add to the pot.
• Add the rest of the beef stock, lemon juice and tomatoes to the pot. Stir. Lid and bring the pot to a slow simmer. Simmer for 11/2 hours or until meat is just tender.
• Add potatoes and continue simmering for 20 minutes.
• Check seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Remove bay leaves.
• Serve the soup in heated bowls, topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.
• Crusty bread on the side is a good accompaniment.

       Recipe Notes:

• For a thicker soup you could lightly flour the meat before searing or add a little flour to absorb the oil when you add the paprika.
• A little lemon zest, unbranched, will enhance the flavour.