Category: Blog

I have previously mentioned our community dinners, that we hold five times a year. The October dinner, our most recent, was our nineteenth. That one was a little bit different as it had a theme –‘Retro’ and it was three courses instead of two.

During the four years that our social committee have been offering the dinner to our residents we have endeavoured to have unique menus for each dinner.  However, we have repeated corned beef and also the dessert, bread and butter pudding – both by popular demand.  I have been asked for both these recipes numerous times so I thought that I would feature the corned beef recipe today, before the weather gets too warm. The B and B I’ll keep for next year.

Corned beef

Corned beef has been around for many centuries and is quite common in not only Commonwealth countries but also in some parts of Asia, U.S.A, Israel and Polynesia.  Originally considered a delicacy, the process of ‘corning’ or ‘salting’ was indiscriminate when it came to choosing which cuts of beef were suitable.

Nowadays we associate corned beef or corned silverside with cuts of beef that require an extended cooking time either by boiling or pressure cooking.  Premium cuts such as sirloin, rump and fillet are best grilled or roasted.

The corning process can not only include the addition of salts and sugars but also nitrites.  Nitrites give corned beef a pink colour when it is cooked.  Often the flavour can be generic but individual butchers sometimes have their own closely guarded recipes.

In your kitchen at home, you can experiment with flavours.  I believe the recipe where the corned beef is cooked in ginger beer is quite popular.  My recipe uses ingredients you should have in your pantry.  For the beef you will need a suitably sized lidded saucepan.

Corned Beef

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Servings: 4 serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 kg corned silverside whole
• 1 large onion peeled and halved
• 70 ml white wine vinegar
• 50 g brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 thyme sprigs optional

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Place the corned silverside in your saucepan
   
3. Cover with cold water
4. Add the other ingredients to the saucepan
5. Lid the saucepan and slowly bring to the boil
6. Cooking time will vary but generally 60 minutes per kilo of beef is OK. The cooking time should start from the time you have a constant simmer at a low temperature setting
7. Check the short video on how to check if the corned beef is ready
8. The skewer will pull out under the weight of the corned beef. Take care, the water is hot
9. When the beef is ready leave it submerged in the lidded saucepan off the heat, while you prepare the horseradish sauce

Horseradish cream sauce

If you are game, you might consider making this sauce from scratch, but fresh horseradish being related to wasabi, is particularly pungent. The horseradish root can be quite large and has little aroma; however, the preparation process, which involves grating, can severely irritate your eyes and sinuses. So, for this recipe I use a pre-prepared, horseradish cream

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Course: Main Course, Sauces

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 40 g butter
• 30 g plain flour
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 65 g horseradish cream
• 30 g dijon mustard
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 80 ml sour cream or cream
• parsley chopped (optional)

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Melt butter over low heat and add flour to form a roux. Cook gently for one minute
   
3. Take of heat and add stock. Whisk to remove any flour lumps. Bring to boil and then simmer
4. Whisk in horseradish, mustard and lemon juice. Return to simmer
5. Add sour cream
6. Adjust seasoning. Serve
   

Using up leftovers

Often cooking corned beef will mean leftover cooked meat. There are a number of ways to use the meat but in the meantime keep the beef refrigerated, immersed in cold stock for up to one week.

Corned beef and mustard pickle sandwich

This really needs no introduction. It has to be on fresh white bread (maybe lightly buttered) and the ingredients are in the name.

Reuben Sandwich

An American classic which is a favourite of mine. You could use your sandwich toaster (contact grill type) adjusted to a light press for this thick sandwich and serve it warm or hot. Ingredients can be adjusted to suit personal tastes.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• Cooked corned beef, 100g in slices, gently warmed
• Rye bread, two slices
• Butter
• Swiss cheese, two slices
• Sauerkraut, 50g, slightly warm
• Dijon mustard, 10g
• Horseradish cream (condiment) 10g
• Mayonnaise, 25g
• Dill pickle, slices (optional)

Method /Assembly:

• Lightly butter both sides of the rye bread
• On your grill gently toast one side of your sliced bread.
• On the toasted side of both slices of bread place the cheese
• Next, either individually or mixed spread the mustard, horseradish and mayonnaise on the cheese
• On one slice of bread place a layer each of sauerkraut, beef and pickle and top with the second slice of bread
• Return the sandwich to the toaster and toast until golden brown
• Serve

Corned beef hash with poached eggs

Another tasty American dish that you rarely see in Australia. See my egg poaching technique from Newsletter # 14.

Ingredients (per person:

• 30g Butter
• 1 small onion, peeled, finely diced.
• 1 cup cooked potato, 1cm dice
• 1 cup cooked corned beef, ½ cm dice
• 5 Cherry Tomatoes, split
• Parsley, chopped
• Seasoning
• 1 or 2 poached eggs per person

Method:

• Melt the butter in a non-stick frypan and sweat onions for two minutes
• Turning up the heat a little add the potato and fry mixture until the potato starts colouring
• Stir gently to ensure even colour
• Add the corned beef and continue sautéing for a few minutes. Continue stirring
• Add cherry tomatoes
• Adjust seasoning
• Serve topped with poached eggs and sprinkled with chopped parsley

Rice specifically suitable for making a risotto is a high starch, medium to short grain variety and is associated with the Lombardy Region of Italy. While rice had found its way to Italy as early as the 10^th Century it wasn’t until the early 20^th Century that the grains we are now familiar with started appearing. Arborio rice is probably the most popular Italian variety in Australia and is the one I use frequently, but for today’s recipe I am going to use an Australian grown rice called ‘Nice Rice’.

The brand ‘Nice Rice’ is grown at Finley in the Riverina region of N.S.W. and it is one of a number of different varieties grown in N.S.W including the Doongara long grain, which is exclusive to Australia. While it changes from year-to-year, Australia is considered a net exporter of rice for we tend to import certain varieties of rice, particularly from Asia, but export the types of rice that Australia does well.

Risotto is just one of a number of ways that rice can be prepared. It is not only a stand-alone dish, it is also a good accompaniment for fish, poultry, veal and naturally vegetarian dishes.  While it is Gluten-free, care should be taken when adding ingredients or when using risotto as a base for Arancine.

For a successful risotto at home, it is advisable to have all your ingredients ready before you start. Other important aspects include almost constant stirring and using freshly grated parmesan cheese.

I’ve always regarded risotto as ‘wet rice’ and I tend to make sure I have a little extra stock on hand. The finished risotto should be ‘wet’ enough to not heap on the plate when serving but certainly not of soup consistency.

Chicken with peas, corn and tomato (topping for risotto)

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Servings: 6 serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 400 g skinless chicken thigh fillet cubed
• seasoning
• a few thyme sprigs
• 50 ml olive oil
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 firm ripe tomato skinned and deseeded
• leftover stock or chicken stock

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and thyme leaf
3. Heat oil in your frypan and the sauté the chicken until fully cooked
   
4. Add the stock
5. Turn the chicken out into a bowl and keep hot
6. Add peas and corn to the same frypan and cook on medium heat
   
7. Add tomatoes and cook for another minute
8. Add the chicken back in
9. Ready
   
10. Serve on top of the risotto. See separate recipe for risotto.
11. Decorate with a thyme sprig

Shopping the other day and I noticed some trimmed lamb rump at the good price of $22/kg. I compared that to the average price of lamb cutlets of more than $40/kg -$50/kg, which makes them more than $4 each, or $8 – $12 per portion.

In our household, over the last few years, the only time lamb had been elevated above casserole status was with the occasional roast leg. But at less than $5 per portion and with no bone at $40 – $50 per kilo to contend with, grilled lamb rump was back on the menu.

So, I thought it was time for a nice, tasty and easy lamb recipe to highlight the time of year when lamb is at its best. This recipe (or close to it) was offered as part of a two/three course menu for people who wished to dine before going to the theatre in the evening; so, they had to be on their way by around 7.15 pm at the latest. Most patrons would choose the entree and dessert option with the longest cooking time for a main course being 15 minutes.

Once the meat is marinated you should find this an uncomplicated recipe.

Marinated Lamb rump, sweet potato mash, rocket and walnuts

5 from 2 votes

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Servings: 2 serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Marinade:

• 2 200g trimmed lamb rump net
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs tamarind paste
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 lime leaf finely sliced
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs light soy sauce
• ½ tbs sesame oil
• ½ tsp rock salt
• ¼ tsp minced chilli
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 tbs olive oil
• ½ tsp ground black pepper

Mash:

• 300 g sweet potato peeled, diced (250g net)
• 1 cup water
• ¼ tsp rock salt
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tbs white wine vinegar
• 20 g butter
• Ground white pepper scant

Salad:

• 40 g rocket leaves
• 40 g shelled walnuts halves
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs Extra virgin olive oil (E.V.O)

Equipment

• If you have an air-fryer you could use it to cook the lamb as long as you have a small pan to fit the air-fryer, otherwise a lidded frypan.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a bowl prepare the marinade by combining the first thirteen ingredients
3. Add the lamb to the bowl and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 4 – 6 hours
4. Closer to the time you want to eat, cook the sweet potato in a small lidded saucepan with one cup of water and salt.
5. Simmer the sweet potato with the lid on until the sweet potato is tender – about 20 minutes
6. Remove the lid and let it simmer for about another 5 minutes to reduce the liquid
7. Test the sweet potato to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Take off heat
8. Add the white wine vinegar, honey, butter and ground white pepper
   
9. Mash with a fork, stick blender or whisk. Check seasoning. Keep warm
   

Cooking the lamb:

1. Drain the lamb, reserve the marinade
2. In your frypan, over medium heat, seal the lamb on all sides – there should be no need for extra oil
   
3. When the lamb is nicely sealed pour in all of the marinade and lid the frypan.
   
4. Slowly cook the lamb to your liking – 20 mins to well done if that’s the way you like it or less
5. Take the lamb out and rest it on a plate. Take the pan off the heat

Assembly:

1. Meanwhile add the rocket leaves, walnuts, E.V.O. and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and lightly toss
2. Return the frypan to a medium heat adding any collected meat juices to the cooking residue
3. On two warm plates place a generous serving of the mash
4. Slice each lamb rump into two or three pieces
5. Arrange the lamb on top of the mash
   
6. Divide the pan juices evenly between the two portions
7. Top with the rocket salad
8. Sprinkle with a little black pepper
9. Ready

Notes

Marinating for 4 – 6 hours is probably best, but can be overnight in the fridge

The mash works well pre done as well and re-heat in your microwave is OK

Lamb back strap is also a good cut for this recipe

Pancake is a generic name for a flattish cooked batter of starch, liquid and other ingredients. They may be sweet or savoury; decadent or healthy; big or small; meals or snacks. With so many varieties you could probably find a different variety of pancake with each country you visited, whether it be ‘Poffertjes’ in The Netherlands, Okonomiyaki in Japan or the daunting pancake stack of the U.S.A. In Australia and New Zealand, you will find the humble pikelet.

Today we will have a look at three different pancake recipes. Firstly, the Crepe, from France followed by Japanese Pancakes and finally a pancake style you may find on any good breakfast menu in Australia.

The Crepe

In France, crepes have religious significance and date back to the fifth century. They are traditionally served on the Christian Holiday named Candlemas and are enjoyed throughout the world.

The batter is very simple and is noted by the fact that it has no significant raising agents in the recipe and hence is very thin.  The flavour could be described as neutral. Additional ingredients added later can make the crepe either sweet or savoury. Crepes Suzette is an example of a sweet dessert crepe that can be prepared table side. Being very thin they can also be rolled into a cylindrical shape and filled with crème patisserie. There are lots of possibilities and they can be made in advance and also frozen for future use.

Savoury crêpes are called Galette and can be served with a multitude of fillings. In Melbourne’s Flinders Lane, the restaurant Roule Galette served me their delicious ham and egg version.

Crepes

Ingredients for about 12 crepes:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup plain flour
• 20 g melted butter cooled
• vegetable oil for cooking

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Combine the flour and salt
3. In a separate bowl combine by whisking the eggs, milk and water
4. Whisk the flour mix into the egg mix thoroughly to make a smooth batter
   
5. Finally mix in the melted butter
6. Ready

Cooking the Crepes:

1. A suitable sized crepe is around 15 cm diameter and should plate up nicely if you were rolling or folding the crepe. A flat non-stick pan with a minimum base diameter of 18cm should allow you to attain reasonable shape. A measured amount of batter is also important – around 50ml to 60 ml. A one quarter cup measure would be suitable. Initially, after heating a little oil in your pan, tip off the excess oil. I use kitchen paper soaked in oil and rubbed over the hot pan for subsequent crepes. The pan should be hot enough to set the batter but also allow the batter to run as you tilt the pan.
   
2. Heat the oil in the pan
3. Tip of excess
4. Holding the pan by the handle pour into the batter a little off- centre
5. Tilt the pan around the full 360 degrees to attain a circular shape
6. Return to heat
7. Cook for 1 -2 minutes. Light golden colour is good
8. Turn with spatula and cook for a little less than a minute
   
9. The side now facing you is the presentation side
10. Turn the crepe out onto a plate
11. Ready
    

Notes

For a thinner batter add a little more milk.            

A simple accompaniment is fresh lemon juice and icing sugar.

Japanese Fluffy Pancakes

Words to describe Japanese Fluffy Pancakes include addictive and delicious. Tricky is another word that can crop up when at first you prepare them.

Originating in Honolulu in the early 2000’s they have since become a Japanese staple and are popular throughout the world. They are relatively low in carbohydrates requiring only a little flour. A down side is that they ‘deflate’ as they cool.

While not compulsory equipment, these pancakes are often made in moulds similar to large egg-rings. This gives most people the ability to aim for restaurant standard. Free-form is also OK. The cooking process requires the pan to be lidded and slightly steam the pancake.

Japanese Fluffy Pancakes

Ingredients for two generous pancakes:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 egg yolks
• 25 ml milk room temperature
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• ¼ cup self raising flour
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• salt scant
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 30 g caster sugar
• water for steaming
• unsalted butter for cooking

Method

 

1. In a bowl mix the egg yolks, milk and vanilla
2. Add the flour, salt and extra baking powder to the egg mix
3. Whisk to form a smooth thick batter
4. Meanwhile melt a little butter in your pan over a low heat
5. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form
6. Continuing to whisk gradually add the sugar. Continue until all of the sugar has dissolved and a meringue has formed
   
7. Carefully fold the meringue into the batter. Do not overbeat.
   

Cooking:

1. Check that the pan is not too hot
2. Using a set measure place the batter in the frypan. Let it find its own height
   
3. Repeat until you have some well spaced pancakes to suit the size of the pan
4. In the same order place another scoop of batter on top of each one
5. Add about 10ml water to the pan (avoiding the pancakes) and cover the pan with lid
   
6. Cook for 1 ½ minutes.
7. Add a third scoop to each pancake before replacing the lid
   
8. Cook for a further 4 minutes
   
9. Turn the pancakes and add a little more water before replacing the lid
10. Cook for a further 4 minutes. Serve immediately
11. The finished pancakes can be served with your choice of sweet topping
    

Blueberry & Ricotta Pancakes

Pancakes in Australia were championed in the 1960’s by the establishment of the Pancake Parlour Restaurant Chain in Melbourne. Sixty years on Pancake Parlour is still running as a family business.

When I was apprenticed in the early seventies pancakes were generally not a feature item on a breakfast menu and the breakfast buffet was still in its infancy. In Sydney if you wanted pancakes ‘Pancakes on the Rocks’ was the place to go.

Short Stacks (two pancakes) and Stacks (three and up), which were on offer then at breakfast, highlighted our pancakes American origins, but being an inventive bunch we came up with lots of options which pushed pancakes into ‘anytime’ eating.

In Australian restaurants and cafes their in house recipes can be very similar, opting for lighter batters. Once again differences can be achieved by adding ingredients such as fruit to the batter and also the toppings and sauces.

My recipe can be used as both a pancake recipe and a waffle recipe, which is very handy when you are catering for grandchildren.

Blueberry & Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients for 3 servings:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 egg yolks
• 250 ml milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla essence
• 150 g self raising flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 30 g caster sugar
• 25 g melted unsalted butter
• 2 egg whites
• 150 g blueberries washed and dried
• 150 g fresh ricotta broken up into smaller lumps
• blueberries garnish
• 20 g butter for cooking

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a bowl mix the egg yolks, milk and vanilla
3. Add the s.r.flour, salt, baking powder and sugar
4. Whisk to form a smooth batter
5. Mix in the melted butter
6. Stir in the blueberries
7. Gently fold in the ricotta
   
8. In a separate clean bowl whisk the egg whites to a meringue consistency
   
9. Gently fold in the egg white. Stir until the egg white is well distributed
   
10. Should be used within 30 minutes
    

Cooking:

1. In your frypan, over medium heat, melt a little butter
2. When the butter is sizzling add a generous scoop, say 220ml
   
3. Tilt the frypan to distribute the batter to give a diameter of around 12cm
4. Cook for 2 – 2½ minutes – bubbles will start to appear. Turn the pancake
   
5. Cook other side for about 1 – 1½ minutes
6. Repeat until all the batter is used
7. Serve one or two pancakes with whipped cream and maple syrup
8. I topped mine with honeycomb butter, toasted almonds, some more blueberries and a dusting of icing sugar.
   

Honeycomb butter

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 50 g unsalted butter softened
• 50 g light cream cheese room temperature
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• 40 g honeycomb crushed

Method

 

1. Using a whisk, cream the butter until it is pale
   
2. Add cream cheese and vanilla. Continue beating
3. When the butter and cream cheese is nice and fluffy whisk in the honeycomb
4. Ready
   

Ah, Spring has arrived! Crisp mornings, clear blue skies, warm days. Or so I thought, for by the second week of September it had reverted to soup weather.

So today another soup recipe but with a number of variations for you to try.

Potato and Leek soup had its origins in 19^th century France and could be regarded as a peasant style of soup which was elevated to classic status with its ultimate variation being the chilled soup, Vichyssoise, invented by the French Chef Louis Diat while working at the Ritz Carlton in New York in the early 20^thcentury.

I had always assumed that any recipe to do with leeks probably came from Wales or Scotland. How wrong I was.

While many different recipes can be found depending on where you were in France, the common ingredients were leeks, onions, potatoes and stock. This soup is another example of a potage – a broth thickened by the weight of the ingredients.

Potato and leek Soup:

Ingredients for 2 litres

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Servings: 6 generous serves

Course: Soup

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 20 ml olive oil
• 20 g butter
• 3 onions peeled, 4mm dice
• 2-3 leeks trimmed, split 6mm cut, cold rinsed
• 3 potatoes peeled, 6mm dice
• bay leaf
• thyme sprig
• 2 litres vegetable stock
• seasoning

Equipment

• You’ll need a single medium sized saucepan for this recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Sweat the onion in the oil and butter for 6 minutes. Avoid colouring
   
3. Add leek and sweat for a further 5 minutes
   
4. Add potato and herbs
5. Add stock, bring to boil
   
6. Simmer for twenty minutes
   
7. Adjust seasoning. Remove and discard herbs
8. Ready
   

Notes

Check the leeks for sand and soil even if they look clean. Trim and cut and then cold rinse.  I used a good quality one litre vegetable stock, supplemented by some powdered stock and water.

Variations:

Potato and leek soup makes a good base soup, lending itself a number of tasty preparation methods.

Puree:

Using the basic recipe, take half of the cooked vegetables out and puree them with a stick blender, before returning them to the hot soup.  That way you have the thickness of the puree combined with the textures of the individual ingredients.

Vichyssoise:

Using the basic recipe, blend the finished soup and then strain the puree through a fine strainer. Chill the soup. Add 300ml of fresh cream. Adjust the seasoning and strain again. Serve chilled with chopped chives.

With Chicken:

Replace the vegetable stock with chicken stock. Garnish the hot soup with strips of poached chicken breast.

With bacon:

Start the basic soup recipe with 200g diced bacon. Sweat the bacon for 8 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the basic recipe. Finish with 200ml fresh cream. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot, topped with a sprinkle of chives and croutons.

In Newsletter # 11 I touched on an early Sydney Hotel, the Adam’s Hotel. That hotel went the way of many fine buildings in 1960’s Sydney when it was demolished in 1969.

The Adam’s hotel’s unique charm was replaced in 1975 by the Brutalist architecture of the Sydney Hilton Hotel, which at the time, with nearly 600 rooms was Australia’s largest hotel. This was the Hilton group’s third appearance in Australia with the Chevron Hilton, King’s Cross opening in 1960 and the Melbourne Hilton on the Park opening in 1970.

In early 1975 I had finished my apprenticeship, and I had been lucky enough to work with a French Chef who had been transferred from the London Hilton to work in Sydney. He had arrived early, and the new hotel wasn’t ready, so he worked at the Hyatt Hotel (where I worked) for a number of months. When the Sydney Hilton opened, he asked me to work with him. It was the first time I was head-hunted, but I still had to survive the interview process.

On the day of my interview with the executive chef, I joined a queue of many hundreds of other job seekers. I didn’t stay in that queue for long for my mentor passed by and whisked me away to see the boss. The feeling of guilt I had for queue jumping didn’t last long.  For memory I started in the main kitchen one week before the Sydney Hilton Hotel opened.

Unlike many hotels today, the Sydney Hilton had multiple food and beverage outlets. The hotel featured four stand-alone restaurants; six bars, three of which ran menus; a nightclub; a service bar to cover two of the restaurants, the 24-hour room service and the function/events floor. Also, within the hotel we had a staff cafeteria which was open 24 hours a day.

I started in what was then regarded as Sydney’s best restaurant – The San Francisco Grill, at the Sydney Hilton Hotel. It was the place for celebrities and the well healed to be seen and with food and service to match. The cuisine in the Grill room had a West Coast of North America influence, in particular the Fisherman’s Wharf precinct of San Francisco. The decor featured lots of dark timbers and polished brass. It was also a time of no breathalyser or fringe benefits tax with many long lunches being held in the restaurants private dining room. Over time I worked in a number of the other food outlets that I mentioned above, before returning to the San Francisco Grill as Chef de Cuisine.

The following recipe was inspired by the Bouillabaisse at Di Maggio’s restaurant, which like the restaurant I once worked in, is long gone. The accompanying dipping sauce is called Rouille and has a separate recipe card

Seafood Gumbo

Really important. Because this is quick to cook, make sure you assemble all the ingredients, before you start cooking. Avoid over seasoning or too much liquid. Remember you can always add, but you can’t take away.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 50 ml olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic or 4 cloves peeled and finely chopped
• 150 g onion – One medium sized peeled and finely chopped.
• 1 tsp minced chilli
• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 150 g celery – washed peeled, cut julienne
• 150 g carrot – washed peeled, cut julienne
• 100 g leek – the white part split, washed, cut julienne.
• 150 g fennel washed, cut into julienne
• 500 ml fish stock
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 300 ml white wine
• 40 ml lemon juice
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
• 200 g tomato - ripe blanched, skin and seed removed.
• 18 Green prawns -shelled tail on, de-veined
• 12 Mussels -in shell
• 2 squid tubes – cleaned cut into twelve pieces
• 450 g white fish fillet – skinless boneless, cut into six pieces. 300g net
• 12 scallops - out of shell. 100g
• 12 oysters – In the half shell out of shell
• chopped parsley.

Equipment

• A five litre Dutch oven or similar sized saucepan.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Sauté the garlic and onion in the oil, over low flame for 2 minutes. A little colour is acceptable.
3. Add chilli, paprika, cayenne. Stir in for 1minute.
   
4. Add celery, carrot and leek. Continue cooking/stirring for another 2minutes.
   
5. Add liquids, bring to boil. Turn down to slow simmer.
   
6. Add tomato. Check seasoning.
   
7. Add Mussels and Prawns. Bring back to a slow simmer. Should take less than two minutes.
   
8. Add Scallops and fish. Bring back to slow simmer.
   
9. Add oysters, parsley. Taste test. Adjust to suit.
10. Serve in large pre-warmed bowls with the rouille on the side
    

Notes

Substitute the seafood to suit your taste.
Decrease/Increase the spice to suit.
The ingredient list looks a little daunting; however you can break the recipe into two separate jobs. Firstly the vegetable broth which would include everything but the seafood and parsley. You could even consider cooking this the day before. The second part is naturally the seafood.

Rouille

When you search for a recipe for rouille you generally will find the starch ingredient will be bread with the potato variety less common, but effectively it achieves a similar result. Apart from an accompaniment for the soup it also makes a great dip with crackers.

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Course: Side Dish

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 100 g cold boiled or steamed potato peeled.
• 1 red capsicum washed, split, deseeded, roasted and skinned.
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper
• 2 egg yolks
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 100 ml e.v. olive oil
• 30 ml warm gumbo stock liquid only

Equipment

• you’ll need a stick blender for this recipe

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a bowl place the potato, capsicum, garlic, cayenne, seasoning, egg yolks and lemon juice
3. Blend to a smooth paste
   
4. Slowly add the olive oil while continuing to blend
5. Thin with a little gumbo stock
6. Ready
   
7. Serve with crusty bread

Early Italian migrants to North America brought with them traditional recipes which naturally they adapted to suit the local ingredients. One of those original recipes was parmigiana which is an eggplant dish topped with a tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. It was adapted to suit both chicken and veal.

The basis of the meat parmigiana is thin breaded veal which we commonly refer to as schnitzel. Its origins can be traced back both Austria and Northern Italy and shouldn’t be confused with a similar dish called Picatti.

In Australia we embraced the schnitzel, particularly the chicken variety a few decades ago. Now it would be almost impossible to find a pub or club in Australia that did not have chicken schnitzel on the menu.

I remember when I was apprenticed in the early 1970’s; veal schnitzel was a specialty of the restaurant I was working at. It was pan-fried in a mixture of good quality oil and butter. You would probably have found veal schnitzel on the menu in most restaurants offering cuisine from Germany, Austria and the Benelux countries.

So how did the chicken schnitzel become so popular in Australia? Well basically it came down to a few core reasons. For the customer it was the appeal of the crunchy breadcrumb coating and the reasonable price. For the pub or club, it was a no-brainer. Chicken schnitzels were easy to prepare and even easier to cook; pan-frying was out, and deep-frying was in. A big advantage of chicken as opposed to veal was price stability throughout the year. I think a big reason was that people were not deep-frying food at home because it is just too expensive and messy; and we do like deep-fried food.

So, I have slightly digressed, for the subject of today is parmigiana and depending on where you live in Australia the term parmigiana can be used pretty broadly.

In Victoria, in 2018 the then premier, Dan Andrews released a statement intended to stifle debate on whether ‘parma’or ‘parmi was the correct term when used in conjunction with buying a beer. Parma and Pot won the day, but the debate still rages, and pub menus are still running with both Chicken parmigiana and the eggplant variety.

In N.S.W. the national love of abbreviating names continues, and people refer to chicken schnitzels as ‘schnittys’. Taking the discussion a little further you will find that a ‘parmi’ night (my preferred spelling) can also refer to a chicken schnitzel without the said tomato sauce and cheese but with an array of different toppings and sauces.

At the end of a day chicken schnitzels are an expensive way of buying breadcrumbs

So, I thought for today I would show you a simple, easy and a little different way of preparing chicken parmigiana.

The no crumb chicken parmigiana:

Coating a thin slice of raw chicken with breadcrumb can increase the weight of the finished schnitzel by 50%

By deleting the breadcrumb, you will be decreasing the weight and also minimizing the amount of carbohydrate in the coating and hence the amount of chicken you use per person should be increased.

Skinless chicken breast fillet is your best option for this recipe, but you can also get a good result using skinless thigh fillet.

The coating for this recipe is a light dusting of flour and beaten egg. But firstly, let’s have a look at the all important tomato sauce recipe; in fact, two recipes, both using a small saucepan.

Tomato sauce #1

per person

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 125 ml Classic tomato sauce from newsletter # 13
• ¼ tsp minced garlic
• ½ small ripe tomato blanched, peeled, deseeded and chopped (4mm dice)
• Dried basil to taste

Method

 

1. In a small saucepan combine the four ingredients and heat
2. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Ready
3. Ready
   

Chicken Parmigiana

per person

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 150-180 g chicken breast fillet
• minced garlic to taste
• ground paprika to taste
• plain flour
• 1 egg beaten
• 30 g grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tspn chopped parsley
• 15 g olive oil
• 15 g butter

Assembly Ingredients - per serve

• 120 ml tomato sauce
• 30 g grated mozzarella cheese

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Flatten or cut the breast fillet to an even thickness of around 4mm
   
3. Season both sides with a little garlic, paprika, salt and pepper
   
4. Light dredge the chicken in flour, pat off excess
5. In a small bowl mix the egg, parmesan and parsley
6. Dip the chicken in the egg mix. Ensure good coverage
7. In a non-stick frypan melt the butter with the oil over medium heat
8. When the butter is hot enough to foam place your coated chicken fillet in the pan
   
9. Add a little more egg mix to the chicken’s top side. Cook on medium heat for two minutes
10. Turn the chicken and cook the reverse side for a further two minutes.
    
11. Take out and place on absorbent kitchen paper.
12. Ready

Assembly:

1. Set your oven to grill setting, or turn on your air-fryer
2. Place the cooked chicken on a suitably sized oven able dish
   
3. Coat the chicken liberally with the tomato sauce and top with cheese
   
4. Grill the chicken for about 3 minutes until the cheese is bubbling

Notes

An ideal side for the chicken is a vegetable risotto.

For a smooth tomato sauce use your stick blender.

I used baby bocconcini instead of mozzarella. 

 

In a country like Australia where we enjoy authentic cuisine from many different countries it is still possible to find offerings that are unique to a smaller part of Australia.

Yes, it is surprising that variations in cuisine do occur within Australia; some dishes have become national icons like the meat pie, the Democracy sausage and the lamington. The same dish may also be known by a different name in a different part of Australia. Today’s recipe is an example of a dish that is famous for its relative isolation – Tasmania’s Curried Scallop Pie.

SUCCESS

From Smithton in the island state’s North-West, to Tasmania’s state capital, Hobart, in the South-East and many points in between, when the scallops are running the curried scallop pie is being baked.

But before we look at the pie recipe, let’s have a quick look at Hobart’s famous Salamanca Markets where you will definitely find this tasty speciality.

Chris and I had only visited the markets once before, in 1983, having missed it on two more recent visits. The July 2025 Tasmanian visit was my ninth and Chris’s fourth (yes, we love Tasmania) and this time we made sure we were in Hobart on the Saturday, when the Salamanca Markets are always on.

The markets have been running since 1972, and they had become much larger since our previous visit. Nestled close to the picturesque harbour with the backdrop of the re-purposed Heritage sandstone warehouses the markets stretch about 500 metres along Salamanca Place from the Davey Street intersection.

For those people where the very mention of a market evokes thoughts of “the same old stuff”, Salamanca has more than 350 stalls that offer something uniquely Tasmanian including food, wine, woodwork, spirits, handicrafts and so much more.

The markets open at 8.30 am and we arrived a little before they officially opened to find that most stalls were ready to trade. The morning was chilly, but the skies were clear, and the sunny weather continued.

Starting at Davey Street end, Chris and I worked our way down Salamanca Place’s gently sloping pavement past the various traders offering leather work, clothing, souvenirs, books and packaged foods. For memory there was only one stall offering takeaway food in this area.

Once you pass the first 100 or so stalls, Salamanca Place levels out and from here you will find more than thirty stalls offering take away foods. Also, in this area you will find fresh fruit and vegetables, distillers, winemakers, confectionary, ice cream and toys. There are also lots of other non-food stores distributed throughout this area.

Naturally it was the food stalls that were of great interest with so many locally made products on display. The quality and variety of the hot food offered made you want to purchase something at every stall, but we had to pace ourselves.

It was in the take-away food section that we were reacquainted with the curried scallop pie.

The Curried Scallop Pie

One of the features that Tasmania is renowned for is fresh fish and seafood.  No point in Tasmania is more than 80 kilometres from the sea (as the crow flies), so fresh fish and seafood is generally plentiful; and July is the tail end of the scallop season.

The curried scallop pie (it’s also available as Mornay) shouldn’t be treated like an ordinary meat pie. I have only seen it sold as an individual serving. This pie would not be successful at the footy. Scallops are placed in the pastry raw and then the cold curry sauce is added, followed by the pastry lid. The baking process will cook the scallops and at the same time thin the curry sauce, so the sauce is a bit runny. You could make the sauce thicker, but this would be less traditional.

Each baker has their own preferred spice mix – their proprietary blend (or so I’m told). This would give a point of difference. Further differences can be achieved by adding other ingredients – onion, carrot, celery and potato. These ingredients would need to be finally chopped and used sparingly otherwise you run the risk using less scallops than is recommended; and that number varies, but between four and eight scallops per pie, depending on size, would do the job.

The sauce will be a derivation of another “Mother sauce” our fourth one – Veloute. In this case it will be made with basis of fish stock.

Finally, the pastry should be shortcrust pastry. It can be store bought but avoid puff pastry. The recipe provided is quick, easy and any leftover uncooked pastry can be frozen.

Shortcrust pastry

It is well known that making pastry dough by hand can give varied results with temperature being the main culprit. Basically the warmth of your hand softens the butter too quickly and this can be worse when the air temperature is warmer in summer. By-pass the problem by using a food processor. I used the attachment on my stick blender.

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Ingredients for three individual pies:

• 220 g cups plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 115 g unsalted butter diced and chilled hard
• 2 ½ tbsp plus 1 tbsp iced water

Equipment

• The pie tins inside measurements was 10cm x 14cm with a depth of 2.5cm

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Place the flour and salt in your processor and give it a quick pulse to mix
   
3. Add the cubed butter and intermittently pulse the processor for about 30 seconds.
4. The mixture should look like a course breadcrumb
5. Add the 2 ½ tbsp of chilled water. Process again for up to 10 seconds
6. There should be some change, but it won’t look like a ball of dough yet.
7. With your fingers see if the mixture comes together. If not add a little more iced water and give it a quick pulse.
8. Turn the mixture out and quickly work into a ball
9. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and chill for one hour
   

Notes

The addition of caster sugar with the flour and salt will give you a sweet shortcrust pastry.
Don’t be tempted to substitute margarine instead of butter.

The Curried Scallop Pie

As already mentioned the curry sauce is a veloute. Basically it is prepared in a similar fashion as béchamel sauce. The roux is cooked a little longer, perhaps a minute and the milk is replaced by stock – in this case fish stock. The amount of roux will dictate the thickness of the sauce. A little extra texture comes with the added vegetables and the curry powder. I used fennel, which is a good accompaniment for seafood.

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Curry Sauce:

Ingredients for 750ml sauce:

• 65 g butter
• 80 g onion peeled, finely chopped.
• 80 g potato washed, peeled, finely chopped
• 80 g fennel washed, finely chopped.
• 20 g curry powder
• 55 g plain flour
• 500 ml fish stock
• 5 ml lemon juice
• 100 ml cream
• Salt
• ground white pepper

Assembling the pie:

• 10 g butter melted
• 100 g shortcrust pastry as per recipe
• 4 - 8 Tasmanian Scallops per individual pie The weight of mine were 150g
• 160 g curry sauce
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 10ml milk

Method

 

Curry Sauce - method:

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In your saucepan on a moderate heat melt the butter on your stove top
   
3. Sweat the onion and fennel for 2-3 minutes. Avoid colouring
   
4. Add curry powder and gently cook for a further one minute
   
5. Add the flour, combine well and cook for a further one minute
   
6. Take off the heat and add the fish stock and lemon juice. Mix well to break up the roux. Return to the heat and bring to the boil. Sir until you have a smooth sauce
   
7. Add potato. Simmer for 12 minutes
8. Add cream. Bring back to simmer for 1 minute
   
9. Check seasoning
10. Ready
11. Chill the sauce before using it in your pies

Assembling pie - method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180c
2. Lightly grease the pie tin with melted butter
3. Roll out the pastry to approx 2mm thick
   
4. Line your pie tins with the pastry. Avoid air bubbles under the pastry. Avoid stretching the pastry
   
5. Trim the pastry to the edge of your pie tin
6. Chill the pastry for a few minutes to firm the pastry up again
7. Gather scraps into a ball and roll out the pie top to suit the size of your pie
8. Fill the base with the scallops and enough cold sauce to give a domed effect after you lid the pie
   
9. Brush the edge of the pastry with the egg yolk mix
10. Cover the filled base with the pastry top
    
11. Seal the pie by crimping the base and top together
    
12. Brush the top of the pie with the egg yolk mixture
13. Cut a couple of steam holes in the top of the pastry
14. Place in the your oven and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown and the sauce is bubbling through the steam holes
    

Notes

I used non stick metal pie dishes, offering a better heat transfer than ceramic or glass.
Place a baking sheet on the shelf below the cooking pies to catch any overflows

The leg of lamb that we won at the golf club resided in our freezer for a few weeks until we entertained a couple of friends. This recipe is similar in preparation to pulled beef/pork or chicken and like those other recipes it is a great dish to prepare the day before and the finished product also stores well in your freezer. You can substitute lamb shoulder and naturally the lamb can be boneless.

Traditional lasagne ticks most the boxes when it comes to comfort food. But it can be so much more as it lends itself to a number of variations including seafood, chicken, and vegetarian and let’s not forget gluten free pasta.

Within my own community lasagne is a go-to dish that is offered as a wellness meal, and I am often asked for the recipe; so here it is.

But first let’s have a look at a common problem – estimating the amounts of the sauces and pasta you need; having too much sauce finds you searching for a supplementary lasagne baker; having too little sauce means you are going to have to make more sauce.

Firstly, your lasagne baker should be 6cm – 7cm deep. Bakers made from glazed ceramic, glass or enameled cast iron is best

Next check the volume of your baking dish (if you don’t already know it). This can be done by filling your dish with a measured amount of water. The one I am using takes 3 litres; hence the finished product will be approximately 3 kilograms, which will give you 10 -12 portions.

Standard packets of lasagne sheets are 375g (fresh or dried). You don’t have a lot of options here, but surplus fresh pasta can be frozen, and the dried variety can go back in the pantry. Depending on the dimensions of your baker you may have to cut the pasta to size. The 375g pkt was just enough.

The meat sauce can account for 50% of the weight of the finished lasagne.

The cheese sauce will add a further 30%.

So, for the 3kg lasagne I will need 1.5 kg meat sauce and 900ml of cheese sauce to add to the 375g pasta and the grated cheese to top the lasagne.

Finally, most lasagne sheets are sold ‘instant’ or ‘ready to bake’. If you are using the dried variety your sauces will have to be slightly thinner. Alternatively, the dried lasagne sheets would benefit from quickly dipping the pasta in warm/hot water as you use each sheet.

You’ll need a medium sized lidded saucepan for this recipe.

Lasagne

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Ingredients for the 1.5 litres meat sauce:

• 20 ml olive oil
• 120 g onion finely chopped
• 120 g carrot finely chopped
• 120 g celery finely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic crushed
• 800 g lean beef mince
• 20 g plain flour
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 400 g can crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups rich brown beef stock
• 1 cup dry red wine
• salt and pepper
• chilli flakes – optional
• worcestershire sauce - optional

Ingredients for Mornay sauce:

• 800 ml full cream milk
• 1 onion peeled
• 2 clove
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 black peppercorns
• 40 g butter
• 35 g plain Flour
• salt
• ground white pepper
• 200 g grated cheese – Gruyere cheddar, parmesan mix

Pasta sheets:

• 375 g lasagne sheets
• Hot water (if you are using dried lasagne sheets)
• 200 g cheese mix

Method

 

Meat Sauce

1. Prepare your ingredients
   
2. In your saucepan, heat the oil and sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for about 4 – 5minutes. A little colour is OK
   
3. Add the mince and break up by stirring until there are no large lumps of mince. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated.
   
4. Stir in tomato paste. Cook for a further 1 minute. Take off heat.
   
5. Stir in the flour – enough to absorb the fat and oil. Place back on the stove and cook for a further 1 minute
6. Stir in the stock and tomatoes.
   
7. Add the herbs. Turn the heat down to low.
   
8. Give the sauce a stir before lidding the saucepan
9. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally
10. After 1 hour take lid off. Stir occasionally for 20 minutes
11. Add red wine. Take out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and discard. Ready.
    
12. Keep warm, ready to assemble your lasagne
    

Mornay sauce

1. Mornay sauce is a derivative sauce from a French ‘mother sauce’ – béchamel. Previous newsletters have looked at both espagnole and tomato sauces. Bechamel  or White sauce is the base for many other  sauces including Mustard, Nantua, Dill and Horseradish. You’ll need a small saucepan, whisk, spatula and a strainer plus a bowl to heat the milk, for this recipe.
   
2. Push the 2 cloves into the onion, do the same with the bay leaf by making a small incision with a knife
   
3. Place the onion, cloves and bay leaf in the milk
   
4. Heat the milk to just under simmering temperature. Do not boil the milk
5. In a saucepan melt the butter and add the flour to form a roux.
   
6. Cook on a medium heat for about 1 minute. Avoid browning the roux. Take off the heat and cool slightly
   
7. Remove the onion from the hot milk and discard.
8. Add the hot milk to the roux. Whisk until the roux has dissolved. Return the saucepan to the heat and continue whisking
9. The milk will thicken and then boil. Turn heat to low and continue whisking for 1 minute. Take off the heat. At this stage you have prepared Bechamel
10. Stir in the grated cheese until it has melted.
11. Strain the sauce. Ready. Keep warm ready to assemble your lasagne

Assembly:

1. Set your oven at 170c
2. In your baker cover the bottom with about 3mm of mornay sauce
   
3. Place one lasagne sheet on the mornay sauce
   
4. Cover the pasta with one quarter of meat sauce
   
5. Add another pasta sheet, followed by another ¼ of the meat sauce
6. The next layer will be lasagne sheet followed by a layer of mornay sauce
7. The next two layers will be pasta sheets and meat sauce
8. Top the last meat sauce with pasta sheet and cover with the rest of the mornay sauce
9. Finally top the mornay sauce with the cheese mix
   
10. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and the sauces are bubbling.
    

Notes

Milk can burn easily – make sure you regulate the temperature and stir constantly.
I find that the microwave can heat the milk perfectly (without stirring)
Grate the cheese directly from the block. Avoid pre- grated packaged cheese for the sauce. If you have no alternative but pre-grated, avoid boiling the sauce after you add the cheese.  I used Jarlsberg cheese which is a good substitute for Gruyere cheese.

Portion leftovers and freeze them in labelled containers.