ME ON A PLATE

The desire to replicate known recipes, to do it with attention to detail and to share the experience of flavours and textures with family and friends had its beginning during my teens.

I can still recall the first time I made something from scratch. It was a carrot cake. Grating the carrot, measuring out the ingredients then bringing it all together to bake. It was a success. I was pretty chuffed, being all of 14 years of age and male.

Both my parents worked while I was growing up. For the late 60's, through to the 80's, that was rare. Mum prepared most, if not all our meals with Dad, being from Ukraine, occasionally putting together a pot of Potato Soup, Borscht or Cabbage Rolls. My mothers "speciality" was Chicken Chow Mein which was requested for and provided to almost all major family functions. Another favourite meal was "Mock Fish". I would help by grating the potato. Mock fish had a soft internal texture with a crunchy exterior. This culinary delight evolved over the years to become Potato Rosti.  

Skip ahead to present day where I have decided to not only continue with my culinary passion but to further share acquired knowledge, skills, techniques and experiences by publishing such.

Over the years I have been fortunate to have dined in several fine dining restaurants. Yes, I am one of those who takes photos of their meals in many circumstances. Undoubtedly those photos and associated experience will be a part of this blog.

As for produce, my desire to further explore and taste many "extravagant" ingredients was strong enough to ensure I seek them out to fulfil the appetite for them. More on those later.   

I consider myself as an all-rounder, not just in body shape, but in that I will attempt to recreate many different cuisines and all course types.

The satisfaction and reward that is gained from enjoying the passion for food I have, comes from the pleasure I see on family and friends faces when they dine on something that has been prepared just for them to experience. Yes, the praise and compliments are most welcome but what really makes me happy and content is when my guests have had a wonderful meal and time.

Over the years I have seen hundreds of cooking shows, read many magazines, especially Delicious, (5 or so years of monthly subscriptions) and perused the Internet. So much inspiration. 

UK Masterchef, without a doubt, is my most favoured cooking program. Far,far superior to the Australian version. With UK MC it was a case of cook, be judged, stay or "sod" off. The Aussie version was more scripted, drama filled. All for ratings. That's what TV is all about though. 

My opinion of MC Australia didn't stop me from watching it altogether. I was inspirited to attempt several recipes presented. From these attempts came a few of my most successful recreations. More on those later on the Masterchef page.

While some people post political, environmental and religious views as well as photo after photo of their kids, pets, cars, etc, on social media, I'm one of those that probably drive others crazy with my food photos. We all have opinions, interests and passions that most of our friends and family are aware of. Social media has many positive and advantageous aspects that can be tapped into.

Through social media I have made contact with many friends from my past, especially from High School. It is by putting my passion "out there" that I have been presented with new recipes, cuisines and challenges. It is a lot of fun and gives me pleasure and enjoyment. Never short of inspiration. 

FODMAP

My wife Jen suffers from IBS and now follows a Low FODMAP Diet.
When I first met Jen, I would always have some type of prawn dish ready for her when she came home from work on Thursday nights. It was a treat. After a period of time she would always be in pain after eating prawns. Off the menu they came, for Jen at least. Over the following months she would suffer the symptoms of IBS on a daily basis. Many visits to her GP and specialist, along with research on the internet led Jen to a lot of information about FODMAP diets, available books and recipes. Jen started following Dr Sue Shepherd's Low Fodmap Diet with great results. There are many recipes available that are full of flavour, easy to prepare and that also made eating enjoyable again.
I will say that, for some time while Jen was going through the "process of elimination", I did loose some desire to cook. Jen was the main person I would cook for, the main person I wanted to share new recipes and produce with. The passion and desire slowly returned as I learnt to adapt to cater for Jens condition. If it meant a variation had to be prepared just for Jen, then so be it. I wasn't going to miss out. I still have the meals with the garlic, the onion and the everything that would upset Jen.

BON APPETIT again!!!!

Get Inside My Belly

Another recipe from Delicious Australia.

This Pork Belly with Chargrilled Peach Salsa is well worth the effort.


INGREDIENTS

1.2kg boneless pork belly, skin scored
1/2 tsp each ground white pepper, ground nutmeg and ground cloves
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 bay leaves
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
Micro parsley, to serve

Peach Salsa

3 ripe peaches, halved, stones removed
1 tbs olive oil
1 tomato, cut into 2cm pieces
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

METHOD

1. Remove pork from fridge at least 1 hour before cooking and bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 240°C.

2. Toast the spices in a small dry frypan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Pat pork skin with paper towel until very dry. Drizzle the oil over the skin and season with 2 tsp salt. Turn the pork, skin-side down, and rub the spice mixture into the flesh (avoid the skin).

3. Place onion and garlic in the centre of a large roasting pan and place pork, skin-side up, on top, ensuring onion mixture is tucked under pork. Roast for 20-30 minutes until skin is golden, blistered and crisp. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven to 165°C. Add bay leaves and stock, ensuring liquid does not touch skin, then roast for a further 1 hour 45 minutes or until meat is tender. Remove the pork from the pan and transfer to a chopping board, then rest, loosely covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Set pan with juices aside.

4. Meanwhile, for the salsa, preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue to high. Brush peaches with oil, then grill, cut-side down, for 1-2 minutes until charred. Remove from heat and roughly chop. Place in a bowl with remaining ingredients, then season and toss to combine.

5. Skim fat from the reserved pan juices. Squeeze garlic from skins and mash with a fork. Add garlic, onion and 1/3 cup (80ml) pan juices to salsa and toss to combine.

6. Carve pork and serve with peach salsa, remaining pan juices and micro parsley.

Prepping the Salsa

Ready to go

Vegan

Last weekend we had a visit from my son Adam, his wife Kylie, my other son, Edna** (Joel) and his girlfriend Amanda. We went to the footy in the afternoon then back home to our place for dinner. As Kylie has adopted a vegan lifestyle, I was determined to present a few vegan dishes for the evening. About a week and a half prior I started researching vegan requirements and a few recipes. I decided on three and was very happy with the result. They all had wonderful flavours with Kylie being very appreciative of the effort. 

We also had Indian Style Roast Chicken Drumsticks for the "meaters". I made a few non-garlic ones for Jen due to her dietary restrictions but unfortunately, being caught up in the night, she had some of the risotto which contained not only garlic but onion as well. Poor Jen was down for the count after 30 mins. A lay down and a few heat bags were in order. Good night, see you on the morrow.

The three "dishes" were as follows:

Summer Vegetable Terrine
Saffron Risotto with Butternut Pumpkin and Spinach
Open Vegetable Tart with Crumbed Potato Topping 

Summer Vegetable Terrine

The terrine presented as the most challenging as it required firm unpressed tofu as an ingredient. Looked everywhere for it. Even Asian grocers had no idea what I was after. I settled for Firm Silken Tofu which worked well.

Tofu and Savoury Yeast Flakes

Processed Tofu, Yeast Flakes, Basil and Parsley

Prepared Vegetables 

Sautéed Vegetables with Tofu mixture and reduced vegetable stock  

Vegetable/Tofu mixture pressed into Steamed Zucchini lined loaf tin

Turned out and almost ready

Ready

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Pumpkin and Spinach

Open Vegetable Tart with Crumbed Potato Topping 

The only concern I had with the Tart was obtaining Vegan Puff Pastry or at worse, a recipe to make it. Luckily, vegan puff pastry is readily available. The Borg's brand is vegan suitable as is one of the larger supermarkets "homebrand".

The tart had three layers.
Mushroom and Spinach
Broccoli and Tomato
Potato with Dill and Mustard

Baked and ready to serve

** "The Black Adder" The Foretelling

Ven a Son Comes for Dinner

Venison!

When will we have it?

What will we serve with it?

Who will enjoy and appreciate it?

Where will I be able to purchase some?
Questions I always ask myself when I have an appetite for this very delicious game meat.

Answers:

This weekend.

Colcannon (I used parsnip mash)

Not too many came to mind. My son Joel and his girlfriend Amanda had spent the past 2 and half years in the UK and travelling Europe. Obvious choice. (Amanda's Irish heritage influenced the decision to choose colcannon)

Alpine Game Meats at Propsect was the place of purchase but I did discover a great butcher at West Hoxton, NSW that carries a range of fine and superior quality products. I was like a kid in a candy shop. Recommend you give Campisi Butchery a try.

Kitchen Time:
Seared venison loin with licorice sauce, and glazed parsnip colcannon was the chosen recipe to follow.

Fine grating of the licorice root - purchased a few years back from one of those British lolly shops at Darling Harbour

Boiled parsnip passed through a ricer

Prepping the savoy cabbage, onion and leek

Ready to serve

Entree' for the night was Celeriac Soup

Dessert - Salted Caramel and Chocolate Tart

Celeriac and Bacon Soup

Now that the cold weather has turned "this is bullshit" cold, a nice warming bowl of soup is on the menu tonight. The chosen soup being celeriac and bacon.

Many people have heard of celeriac but not too many have seen or tasted it.

Celeriac is a root vegetable with a bulbous hypocotyl, (the part of the stem of an embryo plant beneath the stalks of the seed leaves and directly above the root).Typically, celeriac is harvested when its hypocotyl is 10–14 cm in diameter. It is edible raw or cooked, and tastes similar to the stalks of common celery. Celeriac may be roasted, stewed, blanched, or mashed. Sliced celeriac occurs as an ingredient in soups, casseroles, and other savory dishes.








As with most soups, this is an easy and basic one to make. 
For this recipe, I used the following:

1 Leek-sliced thinly
2 Rashers of Bacon-diced
1 Celeriac "Bulb"-peeled and cubed
2 Potatoes-peeled and cubed
500-750ml Chicken Stock

Using a little olive oil and a tablespoon of butter, sweat down the leek in a medium size saucepan,over medium heat, for 4-5 mins than add the bacon and cook for a further 5 mins.

Add the celeriac and potato and enough stock to just cover. Bring to the boil and cook until tender.
When ready and in batches, transfer to a blender and process until you have a smooth and creamy texture. 





Ladle into bowls and serve topped with bacon crumble.

Bacon Crumble

2 rashers bacon, cut into an extremely fine dice (about 2mm)
1/4 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs (I use Panko Bread Crumbs)

Sauté the bacon in a frying pan. When the bacon is starting to cook and release its fat, add the breadcrumbs. Stir continually, until the breadcrumbs are golden and the bacon pieces are crunchy. 

Taste and season with salt if required – this will depend on how salty the bacon is – then drain on a paper towel. 

Soft Shell Crabs

There's not too many, if any, people I know who enjoy seafood that would knock back a meal that had soft shell crab in it. 

Many sushi restaurants now have soft shell crab sushi rolls.

When I discovered a few months back that our local seafood shop had them, I knew then that it would not be long before I purchased a box to try a couple of yet to be decided recipes.

Two weeks ago I acquired my first box of frozen crabs. I would loved to have been able to get hold of some fresh crabs but that will never happen due to location, time of year, lunar phase, molting and something to do with unicorn burps.

FYI (Northern Hemisphere) (Australia)

Soft shell crabs are not their own species, despite what many people may think. They're just a regular crab (in the U.S. they're often blue crabs) that have gotten too big for their shells. In order to keep on growing, they have to shed their shell to grow a new, bigger one. This typically happens after the first full moon in May and continues to occur until October.
To shed their shell, they form a new "coat" underneath, and then puff themselves up to break their current shell. Once they release themselves, the crab's coat will harden in just a couple of hours into a new shell. It's a very short window for fishermen to catch the crabs during this transition, so instead they're caught a couple of days before molting and kept in a tank until they remove their shell.

At a cost of $22 a box with 10 in the box, although frozen, I saw value in my purchase.

Now to the chosen recipes. I decided to go with Soft Shelled Crabs Meuniere and Panko-Crusted Soft Shelled Crab with Ginger Ponzu Sauce.

Preparing the crabs for cooking involved "cutting off the face", removing the underside flap and the gills (dead man's fingers).

Soft Shelled Crab Meuniere

Milk soaked and dusted with flour.

Ready for pan fry. 

Burnt butter and Tarragon Sauce

Panko-Crusted Soft Shelled Crab

 with Ginger Ponzu Sauce.

Both plates of crab were delicious. A definite must do for future guests.

What else was delicious tonight?

Lime and Coconut Ice Cream!!!

Chai Time

Chai, Chai Tea, Masala Chai, Chai Latte? What is the correct name?

I'm no expert but my understanding is that Chai is a word for tea in numerous languages, derived from Mandarin Chinese. Chai Tea, well, based on the previous, we might as well just say Tea Tea or Chai Chai.

Masala Chai, which is what this post is all about, is literally "mixed-spice tea" and is a flavoured tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices. Originating in India, the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffee and tea houses. Although traditionally prepared by a decoction of green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground ginger, and black peppercorn together with black tea leaves. Retail versions include tea bags for infusion, instant powdered mixtures, and concentrates. In some places the term "chai," alone, can refer to the beverage.

As for Chai Latte, it's just Masala Chai with some bubbling froth. A lot like the discussion on what we call this very aromatic and pleasant tasting beverage.

Here is a recipe that I recently discovered and take the time out to make at weekends. Once you try it, I'm sure you'll take the time too for this fantastic brew.

INGREDIENTS

1 inch piece fresh ginger, cut into thin rounds
1 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoons black peppercorns

1 star anise
5 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods

1 black cardamom pod
2 cups cold water
3 bags of black tea (preferably Darjeeling)
2 cups whole milk (I use Rice Milk)
1/4 cup raw sugar. (suggest using half this amount if you do not like your tea too sweet or omit altogether)

Using a mortar and pestle lightly crush and bruise first 7 ingredients mortar.

Place in a saucepan and add 2 cups water, bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pan, and simmer gently 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add tea bags and steep 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. 

Add milk and sugar. Bring tea just to simmer over high heat, whisking until sugar dissolves.

 Strain and serve hot.