Newsletter # 5

First apologies, I promised some pear recipes, however, the pears aren’t quite ripe yet.  Hopefully next Newsletter. Ken.

History Bites  – Carbohydrates in Diet

 

These days’ for many people, particularly older Australians who enjoy a western diet, the mention of the word carbohydrate will have connotations of some of the many foods that their doctor has advised them to avoid or limit their intake. Yes, bread, pasta, pastries and potatoes are pretty tasty and because they are so available, in so many varieties, there is a natural tendency to over consume. It is now known that carbohydrates, particularly starchy ones were essential to the evolution of modern big-brained humans and were crucial for energy, overall fitness and brain development.

Naturally occurring sources of carbohydrate have existed for tens of thousands of years and have helped shape the cuisines of every continent except Antarctica and Australia. The frozen continent far to the south is an obvious exclusion, but why Australia.

Indigenous Australians were considered Hunter-Gatherers and sourced carbohydrates from a variety of grass seeds, tuberous roots, berries, nuts, fruits and legumes. Depending on where the clan lived Bunya nuts, Millet and Kangaroo grass seeds, Mulga Wattle legumes and fruits and berries from the Kurrajong tree may have been on the menu. Australia is big so the variety matched its size.

However, Australia became a country welcoming many different ethnicities and from the time of European settlement we have relied on the naturally occurring carbohydrates sources of the other five continents. Even now few attempts have been made to commercialise indigenous foods.

Scientific evidence shows us that Oats were eaten in Eastern Europe as long ago as 30000BCE and cultivated from around 9000BCE. Think of Porridge and Welsh Oat Cakes.

Rice was cultivated around 7000BCE in China. By 3300BCE rice was a staple throughout East and South-east Asia. It’s hard to imagine Asia without rice on the menu. Rice failed to migrate into the Pacific Islands, but the Austronesian peoples, the predecessors of the Polynesians slowly populated the Pacific as far as Easter Island. It is generally believed they brought the sweet potato plant back from its native South America, where it had been cultivated for thousands of years

Sago originated in the Indonesian Archipelago and is similar to the Cassava Plant of South America, both yielding starchy “pearls”. Sago is thought to be as old as rice while cassava is a little younger. They both enjoy widespread consumption in the tropical areas of South America, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

We owe the Americas gratitude in coming up with Maize and Potatoes. Both can be traced back to being cultivated around 7000BCE. Maize formed the basis Central and South American cuisine, being used for tortillas, tamales, porridge and alcohol. Potatoes had a similar heritage with an estimated 3000 varieties in Chile alone, so it featured in many dishes. The Incas even had a Goddess for Potatoes; her name was  “Axomamma”.

One of the biggest cultivated crops these days is wheat and there is evidence that it was first cultivated in the Middle East around the year 5000BCE. The earliest use of wheat  was the baking of bread.

The Age of Discovery that started in the late 15^th century bridged the geographic divide between the “Old and New Worlds”. The term “Colombian Interchange” is used for the exchange of cultivated plants and animals between the eastern and western hemispheres. For most of this time the “New World” received a very bad deal but it did transform the culinary landscape of the world.  Maize, Sweet Potato and Potato were among the many plants that arrived back in Europe, while the “New World” would never be the same after wheat, rye and rice found its way from the “Old World”.

By the time of European settlement in Australia, rice was the fourth most valuable export out of North America and polenta (corn meal) was entrenched in Italian cooking. The Great Famine of the mid 1800’s resulted in the population of Ireland to nearly halve by the year 1901.

So for thousands of years these very individual plants existed, separated by distance, but in the space of 400 years these same plants were being grown in many locations and enjoyed international appeal.

Today’s recipes focus on potatoes.

Who doesn’t like potatoes? Most people agree that in our diet it is not the potato that is the problem; it is the way in which it is prepared and the volume that we consume.  Moderation is the key. Keep that in mind when preparing the following recipes.

Delmonico Potatoes

Makes 10-12 portions

There are many recipes available using the name of this famous New York restaurant. Few are the same, but all share common ingredients, apart from potatoes. Dairy, in the form of cream or milk; cheese; breadcrumb and/or cheese as a topping; before finally going in the oven. Sound familiar? Pommes Dauphinoise from France as well as Australia’s very own Potato Bake comes to mind.

My recipe cooks the Kestrel potatoes in a microwave for about 16 minutes, whole, the day before and grates the cold skinned potato. Alternatively you could cook them in your oven at around 175c, covered and with a little water but it would take longer. I have also added natural yoghurt to the recipe.

If you use your microwave remember to treat with caution when removing the HOT cooked potatoes. You will need a small saucepan, a baking dish, a grater and a bowl plus your dishes for crumbing, for this recipe. I used two smaller Pyrex dishes instead of a baking dish to achieve the same result.

Ingredients:

• One kilo Kestrel potatoes.
• 125ml Pure cream
• 125ml full cream milk
• 125ml natural yogurt
• 150g grated cheese
• One small onion peeled; finely chopped.
• 65g butter
• Salt and pepper
• 80g course breadcrumb
• Smoked paprika

Method:

• Rinse the potatoes in cold water and place them in a microwave safe bowl. A little water in the bowl is OK. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or microwave safe plate. Cook for about 16 minutes
• Refrigerate the potatoes overnight.
• The next day skin the potatoes (discarding the skins) and course grate the potato

       

• Pre-heat your oven to 175c
• Grease a suitable size baking dish with a little of the butter and add the grated potato. Put aside
• In the saucepan on medium heat sweat the onion in about 50g butter. Avoid colouring the onions
• When the onions are transparent (about 3 minutes) add the cream, milk, yogurt and half the cheese. Bring to the boil before turning down the heat. Simmer for two minutes. Season.

 

• Pour the cream mix over the grated potato

• In the meantime melt the remaining butter and mix into the breadcrumb
• Top the potato with the remaining cheese and breadcrumb

     

• Finish with a little sprinkling of paprika
• Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese/ breadcrumb is golden brown

     

Notes:

• If you prefer the finished product to be softer increase the cream, milk and yogurt proportionally.
• This recipe works well when it is baked in a muffin pan for individual portions. Make sure the pan is well greased
• Your finished product can be frozen

 

Croquette Potatoes

Makes 10 – 12 portions

Deliciously addictive, with the combination of the crunchy coating and creamy interior. You’ll need a saucepan to boil the potatoes plus a second similar saucepan (or clean the first one) for your temporary deep-fryer plus a fine wire sieve and a couple of bowls, a whisk, a spatula, a large spoon plus a slotted metal spoon for your finished croquettes.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Kestrel Potatoes
• 50g Butter
• Two Egg Yolks
• Salt and pepper
• 400g Panko Breadcrumb
• Flour
• One Egg plus two egg whites
• Vegetable oil (Canola or similar, but not Olive oil)

 Method:

• Peel the potatoes, discarding any blemishes and eyes.
• Cut the potatoes into 2cm cubes and place in your saucepan. Give them a good cold rinse before draining them.
• Cover with fresh water and add a little salt.
• On high heat bring the potatoes to the boil before turning the heat down to simmer the potatoes. Cook the potatoes until they are tender but not falling apart – about twenty minutes
• Drain the cooked potatoes well. Return them to the saucepan.
• Whisk in the butter. Check seasoning.
• Whisk in the egg yolks, on at a time. Be sure to get into the base of the saucepan.
• Transfer the potatoes into your sieve in batches. Push the potato through the sieve with your spoon. Continue until all the potato has all been passed through.

• There are a couple of ways to portion the potato to make it ready for crumbing.

     

• You can use a disposable piping bag to form long tubes and then cut or use a large ice cream scoop to do individual portions.

           

• For both preparation methods the potato is best handled very gently at room temperature but should be chilled after crumbing to firm them up before frying.
• Consult images below.
• The crumbing procedure is flour egg and breadcrumb – in that order.

                                                         

 

Cooking:

• In a small saucepan pour 400ml oil and bring to frying temp – around 175c. Keep an eye on the temperature. Check the temperature by dropping a little loose breadcrumb in. It should bubble vigorously.
• Gently lower the croquettes into the oil. Maintain separation. Don’t overload.

                  

• Regulate the cooking temperature, up or down
• Cook for one minute. With your slotted spoon turn them to prevent scorching on one side
• Total cooking time is 2 minutes or until golden brown.
• Take the croquettes out with your slotted spoon and on to absorbent kitchen paper. Do another batch
• You should able to do at least 3 batches without keeping the cooked ones warm
• Serve

Notes:

• You can substitute a generic brand breadcrumb if you wish. They tend to retain more oil and colour more quickly
• Yes you can keep them warm in a slow oven but the croquettes will lose their crispness if kept too long
• The finished oil should still be usable. Strain or filter the cooled oil, seal the oil in a dark container, date and label the container and keep in the fridge.