HUNGZHOU KAU YUK, SESAME CHOY SUM AND PINEAPPLE & STAR ANISE CHUTNEY

Some famous Chinese dishes have wonderfully evocative names. Ants climbing a tree, black dragon spits out pearl, buddha jumps over the wall are a few of my favourites. Kau yuk is not one of these romantic names. It is a very pedestrian description of a cooking technique. It translates as long-cooked meat. There are versions of long-cooked meat all over China. No, make that all over the world. This version from Hungzhou is quite simple - pork spare ribs marinated then braised in a mix of dark brown sugar, shaoxing wine, ginger, dark soy sauce and water. It is simmered for 3 or 3 1/2 hours in a shallow pan with a lid cracked open to allow a little evaporation. By the end of the cooking time, the pork is soft and the sauce has thickened and caramelised. Simple steamed choy sum drizzled with sesame oil after plating up. The pineapple & star anise chutney works a treat, being loaded not only with pineapple and star anise but also a lot of ginger, which gives it a spicy tang to counterbalance the richness of the meat.

HUNGZHOU KAU YUK, SESAME CHOY SUM AND PINEAPPLE & STAR ANISE CHUTNEY

CONFIT OF OCEAN TROUT, BALSAMIC CABBAGE, CAULFLOWER PUREE WITH AN ALMOND & SHERRY VINEGAR SAUCE

Leftovers. Of sorts. I had some almond & sherry vinegar sauce in the refrigerator. Also some cauliflower puree (recipe from Justin North at Becasse in Sydney). I also had the confit base left over from last week - a mix of olive & grapeseed oils, goose fat, lemon zest and garlic. I bought some more ocean trout at the markets yesterday, along with a sugarloaf cabbage. The cabbage was braised really slowly in olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt. The belly flap of the ocean trout made a great sashimi to accompany the bubbly before dinner.

CONFIT OF OCEAN TROUT, BALSAMIC CABBAGE, CAULFLOWER PUREE WITH AN ALMOND & SHERRY VINEGAR SAUCE

SWORDFISH WITH THREE PEPPERS

Is tuna the steakiest things to come out of the sea? Probably. Certainly, the colour of tuna is closer to that of meat than most other fishy things. Swordfish misses out on colour, but it sure cooks like steak. And that means it loves a BBQ. The three peppers double up as three doses of antioxidants. Red capsicum, orange capsicum and sweet chillies. And a slice of polenta - also given the BBQ treatment. Lime & coriander mayonnaise and a squeeze of lime juice on top.

SWORDFISH WITH THREE PEPPERS

PANCETTA, QUARK, TOMATO & CAVOLO NERO PIZZA

Some people struggle with bitter foods. I am not one of them, but I have to acknowledge that such people exist. I am married to one. Well, guess what. I have found a way to get Sharon to eat cavolo nero. The funny thing is I cooked it exactly the same way I have cooked it in the past. The only difference is that after being sauteed in olive oil and garlic, it was scattered over this pizza before serving. If quark is not familiar to you, it is cottage cheese. But this version is a lot richer in flavour than many commercial cottage cheeses. Some really soft flat pancetta bought at Fratelli Fresh and small organic tomatoes from the local markets. Pizza base recipe from John Lanzafame.

PANCETTA, QUARK, TOMATO & CAVOLO NERO PIZZA

RED CURRY OF PRAWNS & PUMPKIN

Spent part of the day studying personality colours, listening to Big Al, aka Tom Schreiter. A very funny man. Big Al has managed to reduce 5 years of psychology into a couple of hours and four colours. Seems we are all predominantly yellow, red, green or blue. And our colour indicates how we think, how we behave and the values we have. This is a food blog so I will save the descriptions of the traits of each colour for another place and time. Anyway, I thought it was appropriate after thinking about colour to cook a red curry.

RED CURRY OF PRAWNS & PUMPKIN

CONFIT OF OCEAN TROUT, CAULIFLOWER PUREE & SPRING VEGETABLES

I never know what I will bring back from the Saturday markets. Today it was ocean trout, baby organic carrots (these are about 6-7 cms long),  beetroots (about 1 1/2 cm diameter) and big fat asparagus. Also a small cauliflower. The ocean trout was cooked at 50C for 45 minutes in a bath of goose fat, olive oil, grapeseed oil, lemon zest & garlic. The cauliflower puree is a sensational mix of eschallots, garlic & cauliflower sweated in butter, chicken stock, thyme, salt & pepper. Given my need to boost my antioxidants, here is a plate with 3 really good sources of them - the fish, the beetroot and the carrots. (And yes, I know it we are still a couple of weeks away from spring - but try explaining that to a vegetable.)

CONFIT OF OCEAN TROUT, CAULIFLOWER PUREE & SPRING VEGETABLES

BEETROOT RISOTTO

I have posted beetroot risotto previously. So why is it here again? Because this one is better. What did I do differently? A change of stock. I normally use chicken stock. This time I used squab stock. Squab? I hear some of you asking. Pigeon. I bought some a while back, then used the frames to make this stock. Gotta say that the extra richness of the stock worked beautifully with the roasted beetroots. There is only one wine to drink with this - a pinot noir.

BEETROOT RISOTTO

FOODS THAT FIGHT CANCER, ALZHEIMER'S AND AGEING

The Pharmanex biophotonic Scanner

I mentioned on my Facebook page that I had my carotenoid (antioxidant) level checked on this nifty biophotonic scanner made by Pharmanex. The machine takes about five minutes and uses a low energy laser to determine carotenoid levels by scanning the palm of your hand. I was shocked how low my levels were. I immediately went in search of all the things that are champions at boosting carotenoid levels and fighting the free radicals that cause ageing, memory loss and cancer.

Here is a list of foods rich in natural antioxidants -

1   Dried beans - for centuries these have been the primary protein source of Indians in central America. Pinto beans, black beans, red kidney beans, cannellini beans ... all brilliant. As well as antioxidants, they are also packed with iron, potassium, thiamin and phosphorus

2   Berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries

3   Apples - dear old Granny Smith and her relatives

4   Artichokes - much loved in Spain, related to the thistle (much loved in Scotland - but not eaten)

5   Sweet potato - another staple of the Amerindians

6   Broccoli, spinach, kale, cavolo nero - eat your greens, children

7   Almonds

8   Salmon - it is that omega-3 oil that does all the good

9   Green tea - a Japanese study showed that 2 cups a day reduced cognitive impairment by 50%

10 Plums

Caretnoids are great antioxidants. As you might guess, carrots are high in these. So too other orange or red vegetables. I will boost my intake of all of the foods listed here and report back on the improvement in my carotenoid levels.

FOODS THAT FIGHT CANCER, ALZHEIMER'S AND AGEING

STIR FRIED CHICKEN, BEANS & HOLY BASIL

I read somewhere a while back that stir fries are cooked more often in Australian homes than anything after pasta. That would be in homes where people still cook. Too many people buy take-away. Not sure why, but I am guessing laziness. It wouldn't be to save time, because a stir fry takes 5 minutes. So here's what can be done in five mins with some chicken thigh fillets, beans, sweet chillies, bean sprouts, chilli paste with holy basil, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and home-made green curry paste.

STIR FRIED CHICKEN, BEANS & HOLY BASIL

SAFFRON BARRAMUNDI WITH GREEN MASALA

Chris Manfield, owner/chef at Universal in Sydney, is one of the most confident users of spice that I know. She is not afraid of robust flavours, knows how to combine multiple spices and still manages to let the core ingredients shine through. Many of her signature dishes show a strong affinity with Asia. It was from her that I got the recipe for green masala. There are many masalas. This one has fennugreek seeds, cumin, lots of garlic, turmeric, coriander leaves and mint amongst other goodies. A wonderfully fresh, vibrant sauce. This is a simplified version of one of her dishes. I made a saffron-infused cream in which I marinated the barramundi before oven roasting. There is a bit of purple poking out from under the fish - purple congo potatoes mashed with some of the saffron cream.

SAFFRON BARRAMUNDI WITH GREEN MASALA

WHITING WITH HARICOTS & SPINACH

If there is one thing I have learned about cooking it is plan - and then plan to change your plans. I had thought I was gong to do something Asian, but when I saw this whiting at the fishmonger and then discovered that the greengrocer next door had sold out of bok choy, the Asian dinner became an Italian one. Or a French Italian one. A glorious bunch of spinach, some haricot beans I cooked this morning, some cherry tomatoes roasted yesterday, a sprinkling of toasted panko and a slab of pan-fried polenta and dinner was completed.

WHITING WITH HARICOTS & SPINACH

CURRIED PARSNIP SOUP

Christopher Columbus and the Spanish settlers (or invaders, depending on your view) discovered a whole lot of food unknown in Europe. One of the vegetables they brought back from the Americas was the potato. Until the potato, the role of a starchy vegetable in European cooking went to other root vegetables like turnips and parsnips. Parsnips need cool climates in order to grow and their season is autumn and winter.

2 TABLESPOONS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1 SMALL WHITE ONION

1 1/2 LITRES CHICKEN STOCK

250 MLS MILK

3 MEDIUM PARSNIPS

2 WHITE STARCHY POTATOES

2 TABLESPOONS MALAYSIAN OR MAURITIAN CURRY POWDER

SEA SALT

WHITE PEPPER

Peel and chop the onion, parsnips and potatoes. Heat the oil in a saucepan over low/medium heat and sauté the onion until soft. Add stock, milk and curry powder and stir well. Add parsnips and potatoes. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes (until vegetables are soft). When ready to serve blend until smooth. Taste and season with sea salt and white pepper (preferably freshly crushed).

Serves 4 

Wikipedia - Parsnip 

CURRIED PARSNIP SOUP

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE & LEEK SOUP

Ever eaten daisies? Maybe you have without realising it. Jerusalem artichokes are members of the daisy family. If you are yet to discover Jerusalem artichokes, do so now by trying this soup, where the artichokes meet another great winter vegetable, leek. 

2 TABLESPOONS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

2 LEEKS

2 CLOVES OF GARLIC

1 1/2 LITRES QUAIL STOCK (OR HOME MADE CHICKEN)

1 KILO JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

SEA SALT

WHITE PEPPER

Wash, dry and slice the leeks into 1cm rounds. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a saucepan over low/medium heat. Add leeks and fry until softened. Add garlic and fry a little longer. Add stock. Meanwhile, peel the artichokes and cut larger ones into 3cm chunks. Add to the saucepan, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. When ready to serve, blend until smooth and season with sea salt and white pepper (preferably freshly crushed).

Serves 4

Wikipedia - Jerusalem Artichoke 

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE & LEEK SOUP

LAMB SHANK WITH POLENTA

Shanks for the memories. Dreadful pun. Lamb shanks are the epitome of comfort food. So is polenta. One classically Australian, one classic Italian. Northern Italian. Polenta was to peasants in the north what pasta was to those in the south - the food on which meals were built. Interesting that it took the Spanish colonisation of the Americas to make it possible. The good conquistadors found a vegetable called corn which was a staple of the natives in what is now Mexico. They took it back to Europe (along with other local goodies like avocado, sweet potato, chocolate and tomato), which eventually resulted in polenta. What I love about polenta is how it can be served soft like a porridge (as it is here) or cooled, sliced and fried or grilled so it becomes a toasted corn bread. Warm days here at this time of year, but cool nights - perfect for something as comfy as lamb shanks & polenta and a rich red wine.

LAMB SHANK WITH POLENTA

SINGAPORE-STYLE CHICKEN CURRY

How many versions of chicken curry must there be? Several from India. From Bangladesh. Pakistan. Sri Lanka. Burma. Vietnam. Thailand. Cambodia. Laos. Various African nations. Mauritius. Sundry Caribbean islands. Fiji. England. Hell, for all I know Iceland might have a version. This is an Indian curry re-imagined in Singapore, executed in Australia. Executed, but not murdered. Its multiculturalism gives it ingredients like curry leaves, coconut milk, tomato and tamarind paste. I think its flavour base comes from frying down finely chopped eschallots, garlic and ginger at the start of the cooking. This sets a rich tone that the following ingredients build on.

SINGAPORE-STYLE CHICKEN CURRY

CHICKEN WITH HUITLACOCHE AND GREEN RICE

I want to write about smut. In Mexico, smut has been elevated to an art form. Everyone loves it. Everyone lusts after it. Mind you, there is a distinct smut season, which means that for several months of the year, Mexican aficionados are denied satisfaction. But when the smut season starts - well, look out world. Huitlacoche is corn. Not just ordinary corn, but infected corn. An airborne fungus attacks the kernels, swelling them to many times their normal size. The yellow flesh turns to a very dark grey or black. The flavour is unique - imagine a cross between truffle, corn and portobello mushrooms. When we returned from our 2 years in Mexico, I contacted various state Departments of Agriculture to see if corn smut existed in in Australia. It does. The trouble is that it is regarded as evil and corn framers will do whatever it takes to eradicate it. If only they knew how extraordinary huitlacoche tastes. It is ironic that in Mexico, infected corn sells for many times the price of healthy corn. In Australia, it is destroyed. Now, about green rice. It gets its colour from a mix of green leaves. In this case, I used rocket, epazote (a Mexican herb we grow at home), baby spinach and peas. You could also use coriander leaves and mild green chillies to get the colour. I cooked the rice using the absorption technique, adding the puree of green herbs at the very end - to preserve the vibrant colour. The chicken is a breast. With skin and with the first wing joint intact. It is sometimes called a Frenched breast. Or a supreme. Or a Frenched Kiev - which is really muddling nationalities.

CHICKEN WITH HUITLACOCHE AND GREEN RICE

MOROCCAN GOAT WITH MOGHRABIEH & OKRA

There must be a more creative name for this dish. And I might think of one. Eventually. Until then, this will have to do. A forequarter of young goat was braised very, very slowly with finely diced onion, garlic, tomatoes, allspice, smoked paprika, bay leaves and lamb stock. If you are yet to experience moghrabieh, think of them as salmon-roe sized pasta balls - because that is what they are. Very large couscous. After boiling and draining, I added fine slices of preserved lemon and olive oil. Okra is an interesting vegetable. Overcooked, it goes slimy and not very pleasant. There are four ways to stop this happening. The obvious one is to avoid overcooking it. The second is to fry it. The third is to use it in a stew (where the viscous slime acts as a binding/thickening agent). The fourth is to skip okra all together and eat frozen peas. But that is a cop-out. The goat was extraordinarily tender and rich. Like a romantic heiress.

MOROCCAN GOAT WITH MOGHRABIEH & OKRA

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH CHORIZO

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who make sausages and the other sort. You could say the same about anything. Those who do quilting and those who do not (I tried to type dont but the apostrophe button on my keyboard is on strike), those who tongue-kiss lizards and those who do not. You can add your own. These chorizos have been smoked and then grilled. The vegetables are Jerusalem artichokes, eggplants, Brussels sprouts and spring onions. Brussels sprouts are interestingly named. Unlike other sprouts, these dont (or do not, as my keyboard forces me to write) develop into fully-grown Brussels. Jerusalem artichokes are also interesting. They look nothing like globe artichokes. They do taste a little like their globular namesake. Would they recognise them in Jerusalem?

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH CHORIZO

LAMB CUTLETS, PARSNIP & POTATO MASH, GARLIC & ONION JAM

Lamb. It doesn't get much more Australian - unless it's from New Zealand. One day we'll beat the Kiwis at Rugby. Politicians will also tell the truth, bottles of wine will never run dry and vodka will come from taps ... on the Big Rock Candy Mountain. Very simple fare for those days when time gets away from you (and in my case, it started to do that the day I was born). The garlic & onion jam is inspired by a garlic jam made by Spoonfed Foods in Sydney.

LAMB CUTLETS, PARSNIP & POTATO MASH, GARLIC & ONION JAM

GOLD BAND SNAPPER, BEETROOT, ALMOND & SHERRY VINEGAR SAUCE

Goldband snapper doesn't look anything like snapper. In some places it's called jobfish. Or gold band jobfish. Or gold-banded jobfish. Or band of gold jobfish. Or sharptooth jobfish. Or toothless jobfish if it's very old. Or sharpfin snapper jobfish. Or sharptooth sharpfin goldband blue-eyed whistling trouser-wearing snapper jobfish. We'll settle for goldband snapper.

Or maybe not. In this case it could be also be called panko-crumbed goldband snapper - because that's what it is dusted in panko crumbs and cooked in ghee. Apart from the panko crumbs (which are Japanese), the meal is inspired by Spain.

The sauce is a Spanish classic, with a texture like tartare sauce or mayonnaise or hummus and a flavour that's a cross between tartare, mayonnaise and hummus. Funny about that.

ALMOND & SHERRY VINEGAR SAUCE

150 GMS BLANCHED ALMONDS
1 SLICE OF STALE SOURDOUGH BREAD 
1 CLOVE OF GARLIC
SALT
1 TABLESPOON OF SHERRY VINEGAR
6-8 TABLESPOONS WATER
1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
1 1/2 TABLESPOONS OF CAPERS 


Grind the almonds finely (I use a coffee grinder I keep for spices and nuts) and place these in a food processor or a canister for blending. Cut the crusts off the bread, tear it into chunks, soak it in cold water, squeeze it dry and add this to the almonds. Peel the garlic and crush this to a paste with the salt. Add this to the almond & bread, along with the vinegar. Add a few tablespoons of water and mix briefly until integrated. Add the rest of the water and the olive oil and blend until smooth (it should be the thickness of mayonnaise. Rinse the capers and finely chop them. Stir these through the sauce and serve. Great on fish, vegetables (like beetroot used here) and chicken.

GOLD BAND SNAPPER, BEETROOT, ALMOND & SHERRY VINEGAR SAUCE

OXTAIL & MUSHROOM PIE

What does a stew become in its next life? A pie. The oxtail that was dinner a few nights ago has returned for an encore - taken off the bone, reduced, with some field mushrooms added for textural interest. I bought a huge bunch of broccolini at the Pyrmont Growers Market in Sydney this morning. Simply steamed with some sensational Colonna Granverde olive oil flavoured with organic lemons. Proper home cooking.

OXTAIL & MUSHROOM PIE

AGAVE-GLAZED PORK CUTLET WITH MEZCAL HERB SALSA

Hands up all of you who've had a bad experience with pork. I'm talking tough, dry, flavourless pork. Don't blame the breed, blame the breeder. Commercial pigs have been cross-bred so there's no fat on the poor animal. Combine that with the old wives' tale that pork has to be well done and what you've got is pointless crap. A wonderful man called Joe Byrne died recently. Joe started the Bangalow Sweet Pork company in protest at what pork had become. Joe got some local farmers (naturally, around Bangalow in northern New South Wales) to go back to some heritage breeds of pig. These were breeds that were in danger of disappearing, their places taken by the new lean breeds. Of course others have now followed in Joe's pioneering footsteps. There are several brands of pork available now throughout Australia from great breeds like Berkshires. The extra fat and the natural sugars in the meat of these animals ensures rich flavour. The sugars caramelise when given some decent heat. The other trick to getting a great outcome is to cook the pork only medium rare - medium at most. It should still be pink and juicy inside. I marinated these Bangalow pork cutlets in agave nectar & mezcal. I made a salsa using coriander leaves, watercress, olive oil, lime juice, a little mezcal and some sugar. Pumpkins from the neighbours' farm. Slow-roasted small tomatoes from the markets.

AGAVE-GLAZED PORK CUTLET WITH MEZCAL HERB SALSA

BRAISED OXTAIL WITH POLENTA

I could have put a photo of some brown meat on yellow porridge here. But I figure you can imagine what braised oxtail looks like. Same goes for polenta. So here's the label of the wine we drank with it - a 1985 Cote Rotie from Guigal. Just magic. The oxtail was pretty good too. Recipe to follow.

BRAISED OXTAIL WITH POLENTA

ZUCCHINI & PANCETTA FRITTATA

Got eggs? Got dinner. If you don't have time to cook something fancy, the answer isn't take-away. You can whip up a frittata in 10 minutes, start to finish. You can put pretty much anything in a frittata. Wet ingredients, like tomatoes, don't work (unless you're using diced deseeded Romas). Here's the recipe for the one I have done here.

6 LARGE ORGANIC EGGS
50 MLS MILK
SALT & PEPPER
2 ZUCCHINI
100 GMS FLAT PANCETTA
2 TABLESPOONS GHEE OR BUTTER
3CM CUBE OF PARMESAN
4-5 SPRIGS PARSLEY

Heat oven grill to 180C. Place a shelf on the second top setting (about 20cms from the top). Whisk the eggs, milk, salt & pepper in a bowl. Heat the ghee in a 25cm non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise, then cut into 1cm slices. Cook until lightly browned. Meanwhile, dice the pancetta. Add this to the pan and toss so that the zucchini & pancetta are distributed evenly around the pan. Pour in egg mixture. Grate parmesan on top and add finely chopped parsley. After 3-4 minutes, place the pan into the oven until the top puffs up and browns. Check that the middle of the frittata is cooked by pressing lightly on the top. Served here with a mixed lettuce & watercress salad dressed with lemon-infused olive oil and sherry vinegar

ZUCCHINI & PANCETTA FRITTATA

RED CURRY OF BEEF & EGGPLANT

Some rib of beef left over from last night. Some small eggplants from the markets. A batch of curry paste I had made a couple of weeks ago. Voila. A very simple Sunday meal.

RED CURRY OF BEEF & EGGPLANT