Newsletter # 8 – The Mixed Grill

Iconic Australian Hotels – The Adams Hotel Sydney.

I wish I had a direct connection to The Adams Hotel, but this famous hotel was demolished in 1969, the year before I reached the legal drinking age. I did however work in the hotel that replaced it – The Sydney Hilton. Any conversation about The Adams Hotel could very easily drift into one of the many other interests that George Adams, the hotels namesake, had.

George Adams migrated to Australia in his mid teens, in 1855. He spent a number of years in various occupations including gold mining, jackaroo, stock dealer and butcher. Over time Adams developed a love of horse racing and gambling. By 1875 he was able to purchase the license to a Hotel in Kiama on the N.S.W. south coast.

A likeable man of influence and with many good friends, Adams frequented The Tattersall’s Club in Sydney where the common interest was gambling. The Tattersall’s club had already been re-named The Tattersall’s Hotel when in 1878 three of Adam’s friends purchased the hotel for him. Apparently it was a deal done on a handshake. Did I not mention that they were very good friends.

Still under the name Tattersall’s, George Adam’s expanded the gambling operation to be even more successful and by 1884 he had repaid the 40000 pounds that his friends had paid for the hotel.

The hotel had not undergone any updating since 1860 and realising that he had to stay ahead of his competitors, Adam’s in 1890, embarked on a renovation spree.

The work included expanding the hotel’s footprint to include constructing The Palace Theatre next door which included Sydney’s first electric power station. An arcade running from Pitt Street to George Street, decorated with imported marble and rich timbers was also constructed. By far the most opulent appointment was the fabulous Marble Bar and its collection of Julian Ashton paintings. Designed to Adam’s specifications, very early on The Marble Bar was destined to become a world famous watering hole.

George Adams became very wealthy and still found time to run a coal company in N.S.W. plus a brewery in Tasmania. But the main source of his wealth was his gambling empire –Tattersall’s.

Today, George Adam’s financial legacy is entwined in Tabcorp, Australia’s largest gambling company. However I like to think he might like to be better remembered for his beautiful Marble Bar.

The Mixed Grill

A popular counter lunch at The Adams Hotel in the early 20^th Century was the mixed grill. The classic English version could have featured lamb chop, beefsteak, pork or beef sausage, lamb’s fry, kidney, gammon, chicken and bacon. A fried egg, green peas, grilled tomato as well as gravy would have accompanied the meat. This was all balanced with a healthy serving of chips. It sounds like a very challenging meal.

Many cuisines offer an interpretation of the mixed grill. In Italy marinated chicken would be featured while you would find skewered meats in menus not only the Middle East but also in Spain and Latin America. Generally the main ingredients should be grilled but the cooking style of the accompaniments will differ – baked potato and beans in China; chips and chutney in England; pickled vegetables in Romania; buttered toast in the American mid- west.

Today, by popular demand, I’m featuring an updated version of the mixed grill that doesn’t feature meat; but don’t worry, a more traditional mixed grill will be featured in a couple of weeks

You’ll need a flat top grill or ridged grill or a frypan, a small saucepan for blanching, and a stick blender to prepare this meal.

Vegetarian Mixed grill:

It is important that the cooking times for all the vegetables are similar and this can be achieved by blanching. Some vegetables benefit from blanching in boiling salted water prior to grilling, particularly denser vegetables. I blanched the potatoes, corn, sweet potato and onion. Additionally I blanched the asparagus. The way you cut the vegetables is also important; different shapes will give you better presentation on your plate. If you are doing a large amount use your oven to keep the finished vegetables. The choice of vegetables is up to you – whatever is good in the market. Some vegetables are best avoided. These include leafy greens, peas and beans. The volume of vegetables you have to purchase will feed more than 4 persons, but keep in mind you have the rest of the week to use up your vegetables in other recipes Some of the zucchini will be turned into a blended sauce.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• Two Kestrel Potato – peeled 4 thick slices, blanched 10 minutes
• One ear of corn – cleaned cut in four, blanched 8 minutes
• One small sweet potato peeled, cut in four, blanches 7 minutes
• Two small onion peeled, halved, blanched 7 minutes
• One bunch of asparagus 4 spears, trimmed, blanched 2 minutes
• Two Japanese eggplant washed, split
• 1 x 200g Haloumi cheese 4 x 50g slices
• One red pepper with garlic and pine nuts
• Two medium size tomatoes washed, cored, halved
• ½ Butternut pumpkin peeled, 4 x 1cm thick slices,
• 350 g zucchini washed, 4 x 60g slices for grilling, the rest thinly sliced for the sauce
• Four mushroom caps destalked.
• Six cloves Garlic peeled, 4 slit, 2 chopped
• One bunch basil – about 8-10 leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 10 g Pine nuts toasted
• Extra virgin olive oil.

Method

 

1. SAUCE
2. Heat your small frypan with a little oil
3. Add the chopped garlic, sauté for 30 seconds
4. Add sliced zucchini. Cook for another one minute
5. Add basil leaf, stir in.
6. Season
7. Blend all with stick blender
8. When blended chill to retain colour
9. GRILLING
10. Heat you pan – hot enough to sear and brown the vegetables
11. Brush the vegetables and the pan with oil
12. Start with the vegetables which take the longest – potatoes, corn, sweet potato and pumpkin. Turn the vegetables occasionally
13. Colour these before you put the next vegetables on – eggplant, zucchini red capsicum and mushroom
14. Add 8 halves of garlic. Cook those a little before putting them onto the mushrooms
15. Add onion, tomato and asparagus.
16. Cooking times will vary. Adjust heat accordingly
17. When finished serve with zucchini sauce. Sprinkle the grilled capsicum with pine nuts

1. SAUCE

2. SAUCE

3. SAUCE

4. SAUCE

BRUSHING VEGETABLES

GRILLING VEGETABLES

Next week: Ossobuco with creamy polenta. An easy recipe for one or two people