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