Boston Baked Beans
Boston Baked Beans - Serves 2-4
250 grams of cannellini beans
1 teaspoon of mustard powder
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tin of tomatoes
150 grams of pork speck
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves
1 bay leaf, torn
Salt and pepper
Heat oven to 180ºC. Soak the beans overnight. In a large saucepan,
fry the onion, speck, cloves and bay leaf until the onions are
transparent. Add everything else except the beans and simmer for 10
minutes to reduce the liquid a little.
Drain the beans and add. Put a lid on the saucepan and bake for
three hours, stirring occasionally. Serve.
Zucchini Ribbon Pickles
Frankly, even though the other dishes tasted good they all looked pretty average in the pictures so with the one final zucchini I had left I dug around and found, via The Kitchn, a Martha Stewart recipe for zucchini ribbon pickles. I hadn’t made these things for years! Perfect. I scaled down the recipe quite drastically since I only had one zucchini left but here’s my take on it, scaled back up for you.
UPDATE: Jeanne has posted the roundup of this month’s theme. Thanks again Jeanne. I love Joanna from The Passionate Cook’s Courgette and Thyme Croustades with Parmesan Cream. Yummo.
Zucchini Cannelloni with Brie Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
It also gave me a chance to break out the Multix piping bags I picked up ages ago. They worked a treat. If you don’t have use for a professional piping bag I’d highly recommend them even thought there are only 5 bags in a pack.
Ricotta and Zucchini Cannelloni with
Brie Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
Ricotta and Zucchini Cannelloni with Brie Stuffed
Zucchini Flowers - Serves 2
2 Zucchinis
250 grams of ricotta
Salt and Pepper
12 cannelloni tubes
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of flower
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
20 grams of gorgonzola
50 grams of grated parmesan
½ cup of tomato based pasta sauce
100 grams of mozzarella
4 zucchini flowers
50 grams of brie
1 egg, beaten
½ cup of breadcrumbs
Sunflower oil for frying the zucchini flowers
Heat oven to 170ºC. Grate the zucchini and press out as much of the
liquid as possible. Mix it in with the ricotta and add salt and
pepper to taste. Spoon into the piping bag and fill the cannelloni.
Place into an oven tray that will hold them without too much extra
space. I ended up using a bread tin.
In a saucepan, melt the butter until bubbling then add the flower.
Whisk for about 10 minutes so that the gluten cooks and the flour
doesn’t catch on the pan and burn. Slowly add the milk in about
tablespoons until a paste forms. Add the remaining milk and whisk
to smooth. Add the nutmeg and cheeses and stir until melted. Spread
evenly over the cannelloni. Pour over the tomato pasta sauce and
then grate the mozzarella over the top. Bake in the oven for 20-30
minutes until the cheese has browned. Take out and allow to cool
slightly.
Heat the sunflower oil to 200ºC. Cut the brie into four cubes and
stuff inside the zucchini flowers. Dip the flowers into the beaten
egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Fry until golden and serve.
Artichoke & Zucchini Flowers
I made a couple of zucchini flowers to go with it. They were pretty nice but next time I’ll make a lighter batter or crumb them.
Stuffed Artichoke & Zucchini
Flowers
Stuffed Artichoke & Zucchini Flowers -
Serves 2
Artichokes:
2 globe artichokes
¼ cup of vinegar
2 cups of cold water
1 cup of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
lemon zest from one lemon
2 anchovy filets
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Zucchini Flowers:
4 zucchini flowers
1 tablespoon of ricotta
2 anchovy filets
Salt and pepper
1 cup of flour
¼ cup of ice water
Sunflower oil for frying
Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC. In a bowl, mix the vinegar and water
and put aside.
Cut the stems of the artichokes, pull off the outer leaves until
the softer inner leaves are visible and slice off the top half of
the globe, just above the widest point. Dip the artichokes in the
water to stop them from blackening. Open up the inner leaves of the
artichoke and using a teaspoon, scoop out the fluffy choke, making
sure you get all of it. Once done, put the artichoke back into the
water until ready to bake.
Mash the anchovy filets and mix in the breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon
zest, salt and pepper. Stuff the centre of the artichokes with the
mix and press the remaining mix in between the leaves. Place on an
oven try and bake for 45 min to an hour.
For the zucchini flowers, mix the anchovy and ricotta together and
season with salt and pepper. Gently open the flower and stuff the
cheese mix inside, being careful not to over fill it. The
yellow/orange parts of the petals should be able to be twisted
around the filling to close it in.
When the artichokes are ready, heat enough oil in a saucepan so
that it will cover the flowers when they’re fried. Mix the flour
and ice water together, dip a flower into the batter so it’s
lightly covered then fry until just turning golden. Drain on paper
towel and repeat with the other flowers. Serve immediately.
Squid Tubes and Crumbed Scallops
Squid Tubes and Crumbled Scallops - Serves 2
10 Scallops
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup of flour
¾ cup of breadcrumbs
1 squid tube
1 tablespoon of sumac
Sunflower oil for frying
Mustard, mayonnaise or tartar sauce to serve
Salad leaves
In three separate bowls, place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs. One at a time, roll a scallop in the flour then dip in the egg. Let the excess drip off then roll in the bread crumbs. Dip the crumbed scallop back in the egg then the breadcrumbs again. Set aside. Repeat for the remaining scallops.
For the squid, make incisions diagonally across the flesh being careful not to cut al the way through.
Fry the lot of it. The squid for 20 seconds and the scallops for about 45 seconds or until the crumbs are golden.
Serve on salad leaves with your choice of condiment.
Roti Bread
I’ve frozen all of mine, save the one or two I taste-tested. They’ll defrost quickly next time I whip up some indian.
Roti Bread - Makes 12
250mL of warm water
1 sachet of dry yeast
2 teaspoons of sugar
3 cups of flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
1½ tablespoons of oil
Mix two tablespoons of the water with the sugar and yeast and leave
to get all frothy, about 10 minutes.
Knead the rest of the ingredients together well and let rise for an
hour or until doubled in size. Cut into 12 pieces and roll into
rounds.
Heat a non-stick frying pan to hot then spread with a little oil
and fry one of the rounds of bread. It will start to bubble, press
them down with a dry, folded tea towel and flip over and fry on the
other side until golden. Repeat for the remaining bread. Best
served hot.
Mixed Berry Jellies and Vanilla Ice Cream
Even better, it is very easy to make, can be made days in advance and you’ve probably got everything in the cupboard anyway.
Mixed Berry Jellies and Vanilla Ice Cream -
Serves 4
1 packet of flavoured jelly crystals (any berry or even
port-wine)
1 packet of frozen berries, thawed (any, or a mix)
Ice Cream
Make jelly as per packet instructions. Put in fridge and chill for
an hour and a half or until the mix is quite thick but not set.
Stir in berries.
If the berries do sink to the bottom before it sets, or you forget
the jelly in the fridge before adding them place the moulds in a
sink and add hot water until it comes half way up the sides. The
jelly will soften enough so you can add the berries or stir them
through again.
Leave to set then serve with ice cream.
BBQ'd Piri-Piri Chicken
I made all of the sauce, but only cooked half of the chicken since it was just me after all, a quarter for dinner and the other quarter for lunch the next day. Even though I have a charcoal BBQ, I don’t have a rotisserie so I just turned it once in a while with some corn and a sweet potato next to it. A little bit of bacon didn’t hurt either!
It’s damn tastier, and healthier than Oprorto and that’s saying something coming from me.
Charcoal chicken
with piri piri
sauce
1 whole chicken
Marinade: 8 cloves garlic, crushed Pinch salt Juice of 2
lemons 1 tsp bay leaf powder 2 tsp paprika 2 shots scotch whisky
(80mls) 2 tbsp very soft butter 1 whole chicken Rock salt Piri
Piri Sauce: 10 – 12 birdseye chillies, chopped finely (medium
size, medium heat) Pinch salt Juice of ½ lemon 100mls olive oil 2
tbsp garlic powder (not crushed garlic as the mixture will be too
runny) Mix all ingredients into a thickish dipping sauce.
Mix all ingredients for marinade together. Prepare chicken – trim
away excess fat. Then use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut
the chicken through the breastbone. Open out, turn over and flatten
by pressing down with your hand along the backbone. Make a small
cut under each wing to help it flatten further. Make several
incisions in the flesh with a sharp knife. This will allow the
flesh to absorb the marinade and allow fat to drain. Prick all over
with a large fork. Brush both sides with the marinade and sprinkle
with rock salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 – 45
minutes. Cook over a charcoal BBQ (or any hot grill if you don’t
have a BBQ) turning frequently and basting continuously with the
remaining marinade until both sides are golden brown –
approximately 30 minutes. Cut the chicken into pieces with kitchen
scissors and brush with Piri Piri sauce.
Hey dude, wanna buy a fridge?
Auction ends on the 5th of November at 1900hrs AEDST
Walloon Biscuits
From: Luther
Subject: Re: Something to sweeten your weekend?
Date: 24 October 2008 10:48:49 PM
To: Will
This weekend's cooking challenge: Belgian biscuits. =P
From: Will
Subject: Re: Something to sweeten your weekend?
Date: 24 October 2008 11:23:41 PM
To: Luther
Belgian biscuits?
From: Luther
Subject: Re: Something to sweeten your weekend?
Date: 24 October 2008 11:58:29 PM
To: Will
Made from real Belgians! (Mind you, at this rate they'll eventually be called Walloon biscuits... depending upon your knowledge of world affairs. =)
http://www.chelsea.co.nz/ViewRecipe.aspx?id=711
From: Will
Subject: Re: Something to sweeten your weekend?
Date: 25 October 2008 2:22:23 AM
To: Luther
I'll see what I can come up with :D
Belgian Biscuits
Homemade Turkish Bread
The texture is beautifully chewy and has a well developed flavour too. Unfortunately it didn’t have those extra large air-bubbles inside you’d get from your store-bought turkish bread but I think if you left it long than I did you’d be fine, it was also a little cold when I baked mine and that never helps.
Homemade Turkish Bread
Homemade Turkish Bread - Makes 6
Sponge:
½ cup of warm water
1 sachet of yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar or honey
1 cup of flour
Dough:
1¼ cup of warm water
1 sachet of yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar or honey
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cups of flour
1 cup of whole-grain flour (I used rye)
1 tablespoon of salt
Sesame seeds or nigella seeds (black onion) for garnish
1 egg, beaten for a glaze
Mix the sponge ingredients, except the flour together and set aside
until foamy, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and combine well.
Cover with a tea-towel or loosely with plastic wrap and set aside
overnight. Don’t cover the sponge tightly because the air inside
with become anoxic and the yeast will die.
The following day, mix the second lot of yeast, water and
honey/sugar together until foamy then add the remaining ingredients
except the sesame seeds or nigella seeds and egg then knead until
the dough is smooth and very elastic. Add more flour if the dough
is too wet. It should be slightly damn but silky smooth. Mine took
20+ minutes.
Pre-heat your oven to 250ºC. Once the dough is the right
consistency, ball up and place in an oiled bowl covered with a
tea-towel or loosely with plastic wrap for 3+ hours or until the
dough has doubled in size. Punch down the dough then kneed again
for another 10 minutes or so. Divide into six pieces and roll out
to the desired shape, quite thinly and put on a greased baking try
and put in a warm place for an hour or more until the dough has
risen significantly. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle over the
sesame or nigella seeds.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crush is golden.
Rich Italian Chocolate Cake with Crushed Hazelnuts
Rich Italian Chocolate Cake with
Crushed Hazelnuts
Rich Italian Chocolate Cake with Crushed
Hazelnuts
250g hazelnuts
250g of almond meal
250g of dark chocolate, finely chopped
100mL of brandy
60mL of espresso
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of milk
1 cup of caster sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tub of mascarpone
Heat the oven to 180ºC. Grease two 20cm sponge tins and dust with
cocoa. Roast the hazelnuts on an oven tray for 15 minutes until the
skins are blackened, wrap in a tea-towel and let them steam and
cool. Rub off the skins then grind in a food processor.
Mix the first seven ingredients plus half of the sugar and the egg
yolks in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the egg whites in
a separate bowl to soft peaks then slowly beat in the rest of the
sugar until the egg whites are glossy. In several small batches,
gently mix the egg whites into the cake mix. Divide the mix between
the two sponge tins and bake in the middle shelf of the oven for
45min to an hour or until a skewer comes out clean, or with a few
crumbs. Leave it to cool .
Spread the mascarpone on the top of one of the cakes then squish
the second one on top, dusk with icing sugar and serve with either
more mascarpone or some ice cream.
UPDATE: I gave the rest of this cake to some friends the following day and it tasted even better once the flavours had time to properly mingle with each other. So I’d recommend making the cakes, leaving them wrapped in plastic in the fridge for 24 hours and then spreading them with mascarpone and serving it with ice cream.
Spiced Lamb Pistachio and Beetroot Salad with Orange Dressing
Spiced Lamb with Pistachio and
Beetroot Salad with Orange Dressing
The lamb itself was tender and cooked to just pink with a brilliant
sumac based spice rub and the orange and honey in the dressing
balanced out the beetroot. A bit of cumin in the dressing tied it
in with the lamb and a bit of honey did the same for the
yoghurt.
Spiced Lamb
Pistachio - Serves 2
2 lamb back-straps
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ tablespoon of coriander seeds
1½ tabelspoon of cumin seeds
1½ tabelspoon of allspice
2 tabelspoon of sumac
¼ cup of shelled pistachios, crushed
Mint Yoghurt
½ cup of yoghurt
1 tabelspoon of finely sliced mint leaves
½ tabelspoon of honey
Beetroot Salad with Orange Dressing
1 beetroot, diced
1 potato, diced
½ cup of grated carrot
½ tabelspoon of fresh ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of orange zest
juice of 1 orange
½ tabelspoon of honey
2 handfuls of salad leaves
Starting with the beetroot salad; steam the beetroot for about an
30-45 minutes or until it’s fairly tender but still has a bit of
resistance. Add the potato and carrot and continue to steam until
all is tender and the tip of a knife has no resistance left to it.
Toss through the salad leaves and put aside until serving. Mix the
remaining salad ingredients into a bowl for the dressing.
For the mint yoghurt, mix it all together. Put aside until
serving.
Lamb. Toss the lamb, garlic and oil together and stand to marinade
for two hours. Grind and mix the spices together. Once the lamb has
marinaded for the set time, rub the spice mix all over the meat and
fry or bbq on medium-high for 5 minutes each side. Take the lamb
off the heat and wrap in foil for 8-10 minutes to rest.
Dress and plate the salad. Slice the lamb back-strap on the
diagonal and plate. Sprinkle with the pistachios and drizzle around
the mint yoghurt.
Roast Tomato and Risotto Soup
Roast Tomato and Saffron Risotto
Soup
Roast Tomato and Risotto Soup - Serves
2
6 ripe tomatoes
1 onion
1 capsicum
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs of thyme
6 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 Liter of stock (I used rabbit)
2 cups of leftover
risotto
Pre-heat your oven to 170ºC. Into a roasting pan, slice the
tomatoes and capsicum in half and the onion in quarters. Add the
herbs and spices and a dash of olive oil and toss them all together
to coat. Roast in the oven for about an hour or until the tomatoes
have dried and started to caramelize.
In a saucepan, heat the stock to boiling and add in the roasted
vegetables (remove the bay leaves). Heat the roasting tin over the
stove and when it’s started to simmer, splash in some of the stock
and deglaze the pan. Scrape up all of the juicy bits and add them
into the pot with the stock. Simmer for 10 minutes then whizz up
with a stick mixer or a blender until it’s a little your preferred
texture (I like mine thick, thin out with more stock if you
want.
EIther, re-heat the risotto in a frying pan and spoon into your
soup bowl and pour around the risotto, or add the risotto to the
soup and mix through to re-heat before serving.
Saffron and Pea Risotto with Pancetta Scallops
I’ve made saffron risotto a couple of times before but I’ve never been satisfied with the yellowness of the end result. In magazines and on TV it’s always almost fluorescent yellow but today it seemed to come out just about right. I guess I used twice as much saffron as usual and let it steep into the stock before I cooked it into the rice.
Fresh Pea and Saffron Risotto with
Scallops cooked with Pancetta
Saffron and Pea Risotto with Pancetta
Scallops - Serves 2
2 liters of fish stock (or vegetable)
1 teaspoon of saffron threads
½ white onion, diced
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 cup of arborio rice
½ cup of fresh peas
2 rashers of pancetta (or bacon)
10 scallops (or prawns, lobster etc)
Bring the stock and saffron threads to simmering point. Fry the
onion in the butter until it’s translucent and add the rice. Fry
until the rice has turned white and one ladle at a time add the
stock and stir until the stock has been absorbed. Continue until ¾
of the stock has been used and the rice has begun to soften.
In a separate pan, fry the pancetta until crisp and the fat has
rendered, do not discard the fat from the pan. Dice the pancetta
and add that along with the peas into the risotto. Continue adding
the stock until the risotto is cooked through.
In the same pan as the pancetta was fried, add the scallops and fry
for one minute each side or until the surface is caramelized and
the flesh has turned opaque.
Pile the risotto on a plate and scatter with the scallops, or if
you’re feeling a little wanky, shape the risotto in a ring then
arrange the scallops around the edge.
Chickens with Pockets
So when I had some bacon, camembert and a chicken breast handy a chicken paupiette was called forth.
Chicken Paupiette of Bacon and
Camembert
Chicken stuffed with Bacon and Camembert -
Serves 2
2 Chicken breasts
4 Rashers of bacon
250g of Camembert, sliced
Salad leaves to serve
Slice a pocket into the thickest parts of the chicken breasts
trying to make each pocket as big as possible but not to cutting
through to the other side. Lightly hammer out the chicken to as
thin as possible without breaking apart the chicken.
Stuff the pocket with half of the cheese and a rasher of bacon then
slowly pan fry until the chicken is cooked through and browned on
the outside along side the two spare rashers of bacon.
Slice the chicken in half and lay over salad leaves with the extra
pieces of bacon.
Wok-it like its hot!
[From: GS - 11 October 2008 9:09:10 AM
Hi Will,
I had a couple of foodie questions I thought you might be able to help me with.
The first is slightly embarrassing. With the weather warming my thoughts turn to my annual summer menu trauma. I’m very much a hot food winter cook.
I’m thinking this year I might try to do more stir-fries through summer, but EVERY time I cook a stir fry the place completely fills with smoke. The meal’s OK, but the smoke lingers here for hours. I figure I’m doing something wrong, but want someone to perhaps witness my mistakes (hence the discomfort) and let me know what I’m doing wrong.
Onto more fun things, I’m wondering if you’ve ever seen a home nut-roasting setup?
I roast nuts on a weekly basis (even if it’s just a packet of pine nuts) and I’ve been thinking for some time of building (if I can’t buy) a setup designed to roast nuts. I’ve taken inspiration from the chocolate-coating machines at Haighs that resemble concrete mixers! I think a metal vessel (like a small mulk-frothing jug) rotating off axis with a hair drier (or “heatshrink gun” – similar to hair drier but DANGEROUSLY hot) stuffed into the opening is probably going to do the job nicely, and on the sort of scale I require.
But the overpriced eBay jobbies are an interesting approach. Or just the drum on its own.) What do you think. Had any ideas, or seen devices that are designed to do that job?
G.]
Happy to try and help you out with your foodie questions if I can.
As far as your stir-fry problems are concerned: Yes you can have the heat too high. The temps are important for stir-fries, when you add meat or veg to a wok it lowers the temp and releases water. If the temp is too low, the vegetables, meat etc will stew in their own juices instead of searing and sealing which is the point of stir-fry. Too high a temp and your oil will start to burn causing smoke and flavour changes in the food; or you know, a fire.
Who ever it was that said to cook things like steak and stir-fry at the highest possible temp probably said it when domestic stoves couldn't get above 200ºC (can we blame Bernard King?). Your stove is a bit more than standard domestic so yes, it could be getting too hot.
Sounds like you're using a fairly neutral tasting oil because the smoke isn't affecting the taste of the food, just your ability to see it. There's a Table of Smoke Points at Cooking for Engineers that will give you an idea of what oil can do what. Stay clear of oils with a flavour to them because if they do burn, you'll taste it in the food. If you want the flavour cheat and drizzle a little bit over once it's cooked.
You can use a low temp oil for stir-frying, the catch is that your wok will be have a lower maximum temp due to the oil so you will have less of a range to cook in. Each time you add something it will lower the temp for a while and take longer for the released water to evaporate so it’s fine if you're cooking small amounts but otherwise you might need to cook each ingredient type in batches so they don't stew until everything is cooked. At that point you can add everything in together to warm through. If you use a higher temp oil your wok can be hotter so there is a bigger range to drop in temp before it's too cold so you can add more stuff at a time.
Your nuts:
The overpriced internet jobbies are just coffee roasters with the word coffee scratched out and replaced with a 20% premium which is hard to do on something that's already as marked-up as coffee.
I'm sure there are others, but a 2 minute google search came up with Sweet Marias, that have a variety to choose from and what seems to be cheap compared to the ebay one you sent me.
If you want to make your own, you might want to have a look at this design for the UglyRoast
OR; also from Make, but in the physical magazine I've got here are the instructions for a more McGyver esq coffee roaster made from a metal sieve locked into the head of a cordless screwdriver which together are mounted at 45º to a small camp stove so that the sieve is above the flame. Toss in a cup of coffee beans (or nuts), light the stove, turn on the drill and the sieve rotates al la haighs drum.
An Adventure on the Korean Peninsula
Dak Busut Jim (Braised Chicken and
Mushrooms) and Oyi Namul (Cucumber Salad)
Every meal is served with rice and one
or more small side dishes that can be used to add variety to the
taste and texture of the main course, especially the ubiquitous
kimchi which is style of
pickling vegetables that includes a fermentation process and
usually starts with a base of cabbage. As you’d expect for a
national dish, every region and every grandmother has their own
recipe. If you can’t wait the several weeks it takes to make, good
asian supermarkets sell fresh kimchi in the chilled foods section.
If you can only find the commercial version in a jar, you might
want to skip it unless someone can recommend one to me?
Unlike Japanese food that tends to take 1 teaspoon of a dozen
ingredients that you’ll never use again and are only sold by the
kilo, the only thing I was missing from my cupboard for tonight’s
meal were bamboo shoots that you can pick fresh at good asian
supermarkets or either canned and vacuum packed, all for around
$1.
The braised chicken and mushroom was great with the black pepper
being the surprise front runner and the chinese mushrooms giving a
good mix in texture. The cucumber salad had a nice refreshing but
not overpowering sourness that was needed against the strong
flavours of the chicken, but with some cayenne pepper, keeping a
spicy note.
Dak Busut Jim - Serves 4-6
(Braised chicken and mushrooms)
10 dried mushrooms
1 x 1kg chicken
3 Tablespoon light soy
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper of chili powder
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 white onion, in 8th and layers separated
125g bamboo shoots, sliced thinly
4 spring onions, sliced, including greens
2 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Cooked white rice to serve
Soak mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes then remove stalks,
slice and return to soaking water.
Cut chicken into joints then into small bite sized pieces,
including the bones, place in a bowl. Add in the soy, sesame oil,
garlic, cayenne and black pepper. Mix together and marinade for 30
minutes.
In a wok, add the drained chicken (keep the marinade) and fry until
brown. Add the mushrooms, the soaking liquid and the reserved
chicken marinade. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the remaining
ingredients and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with toasted sesame
seeds.
Oyi Namul - Serves 6
(Cucumber Salad)
2 large green cucumbers
3 teaspoons coarse salt
1 Cup of water
2 Tablespoons mild vinegar (eg: rice)
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 spring onion, sliced
3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Peel (if desired) and as thinly as possible, slice the cucumber and
put into a bowl with the salt and water. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Drain off all of the water then add all of the remaining
ingredients, combine well and serve chilled.
No salmon for you! @ Varga Bar
I ended up with a sandwich. Luckily it was tasty but given it was a bacon sandwich ($10), a little light on the bacon.
Bacon, Avocado, Tomato and Lettuce on
Sourdough @ Varga Bar
White Degustation and the Hilton Auckland
The second night I stayed I went to White, the hotel’s restaurant with Italian chef Cristiano De Martin running the show. You can see his European training and years of dedicated practice in the way every dish was executed, starting with the produce then preparation and cooking then finally the presentation. De Martin’s dedication to his food extends to joint venture called Homegrown with NZ primary producers to source the best ingredients. I can’t see any losers here, especially as I get presented with my first course.
The Assistant Manager (who did an amazing job all night) disagreed with the chef on his choice of wine for a number of dishes and I either saw her point or agreed completely. This time I only saw her point. She gave me some of the listed wine, a Cloudy Bay ‘08 Sauvignon Blanc, and the wine she thought was best, a Brancott ‘07 Sauvignon Blanc, both from the Malborough. I’m sorry to say I wouldn’t have said either were a perfect match b