During...
After....
Tasty!!
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Nindigully Road Train Burger
Everyone gets them.
The emails that circulate around the office, whether they be the funny, the spam or the interesting ones, everyone receives them.
This is one of those emails.
Read on if you dare........
ONE GREAT AUSSIE THING TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE?
STOP FOR A BITE TO EAT AT THE NINDIGULLY PUB IN WESTERN QLD?
The tiny township of Nindigully is located on the edge of the Queensland outback - 160km west of Goondiwindi, about 530km west of Brisbane, and approximately 70 km north of the Queensland/New South Wales border.
Nindigully Pub is Queensland’s oldest hotel, located in its original condition and position on the banks of the Moonie River. The licence was issued in 1864 after operating as shearers accommodation for the Nindigully Station.
The "boom" town has now been reduced to just two houses, the pub, the old general store and the town hall, with a population of six!
Nevertheless, it was voted the Best Country Pub in Australia in 2006 by 44 Australia magazine, and you can see why - it has become famous for its truckies feed of the Nindigully Road Train Burger this giant hamburger is served with French fries, onion rings and a selection of sauces, says it will feed 1- 4 people, and costs $36 - the meat patty alone is 1.2kg!
Makes those "super" burgers from McDonalds & Burger King look small...
The emails that circulate around the office, whether they be the funny, the spam or the interesting ones, everyone receives them.
This is one of those emails.
Read on if you dare........
ONE GREAT AUSSIE THING TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE?
STOP FOR A BITE TO EAT AT THE NINDIGULLY PUB IN WESTERN QLD?
The tiny township of Nindigully is located on the edge of the Queensland outback - 160km west of Goondiwindi, about 530km west of Brisbane, and approximately 70 km north of the Queensland/New South Wales border.
Nindigully Pub is Queensland’s oldest hotel, located in its original condition and position on the banks of the Moonie River. The licence was issued in 1864 after operating as shearers accommodation for the Nindigully Station.
The "boom" town has now been reduced to just two houses, the pub, the old general store and the town hall, with a population of six!
Nevertheless, it was voted the Best Country Pub in Australia in 2006 by 44 Australia magazine, and you can see why - it has become famous for its truckies feed of the Nindigully Road Train Burger this giant hamburger is served with French fries, onion rings and a selection of sauces, says it will feed 1- 4 people, and costs $36 - the meat patty alone is 1.2kg!
Makes those "super" burgers from McDonalds & Burger King look small...
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Swordfish
Do you ever find yourself flipping through a cookbook just because you're bored? Sometimes nothing catches your eye, other times a recipe will jump out at you screaming "COOK ME!".
This is what happened yesterday. Flipping through one of Paul's cook books, Regional Foods of Southern Italy by Marlena De Blasi, I came across a simple dish - Pesce Spada di Bagnara (swordfish in the style of Bagnara).
It sounded interesting, marinating the steaks in red wine, bathing it in a chili & Bay oil, & cooking it over charcoal. I thought I'd give it a try. Living in an apartment I don't have access to a charcoal fire so the pan had to do.
The portions here are one third of what was in the cookbook, with the method changed to allow for the lack of a charcoal fire.
Ingredients
1x 400g or 2x 200g swordfish steaks
2/3 cup red wine (I used Pinot Noir)
1/3 cup olive oil
3 bay leaves crushed
1/4 tsp dried chili
Salt
Black Pepper
Rosemary sprigs
Method
Place the fish into a non-corrosive bowl & add the wine.
Cover the bowl & let the fish marinate for an hour or so, turning it occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat the oil till its almost simmering, then remove from the heat & add the bay leaves & chili.
Cover and let it cool & infuse.
Remove the fish from the wine & discard the wine.
Pat dry the fish with paper towel.
Pour half the cooled oil over the fish & massage the oil into the flesh.
Season well on both sides with salt & pepper.
Heat a heavy based fry pan.
Bruise the rosemary sprigs to release the oils.
place the fish into the fry pan and lay the rosemary sprigs on top.
Cook the steaks for no more than a minute, then remove the rosemary, turn the fish & replace the rosemary on top.
On a plate pour the remaining oil.
Remove the fish from the pan & place onto the plate, allowing it to absorb the oil.
Can be served immediately or allowed to cool.
This is what happened yesterday. Flipping through one of Paul's cook books, Regional Foods of Southern Italy by Marlena De Blasi, I came across a simple dish - Pesce Spada di Bagnara (swordfish in the style of Bagnara).
It sounded interesting, marinating the steaks in red wine, bathing it in a chili & Bay oil, & cooking it over charcoal. I thought I'd give it a try. Living in an apartment I don't have access to a charcoal fire so the pan had to do.
The portions here are one third of what was in the cookbook, with the method changed to allow for the lack of a charcoal fire.
Ingredients
1x 400g or 2x 200g swordfish steaks
2/3 cup red wine (I used Pinot Noir)
1/3 cup olive oil
3 bay leaves crushed
1/4 tsp dried chili
Salt
Black Pepper
Rosemary sprigs
Method
Place the fish into a non-corrosive bowl & add the wine.
Cover the bowl & let the fish marinate for an hour or so, turning it occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat the oil till its almost simmering, then remove from the heat & add the bay leaves & chili.
Cover and let it cool & infuse.
Remove the fish from the wine & discard the wine.
Pat dry the fish with paper towel.
Pour half the cooled oil over the fish & massage the oil into the flesh.
Season well on both sides with salt & pepper.
Heat a heavy based fry pan.
Bruise the rosemary sprigs to release the oils.
place the fish into the fry pan and lay the rosemary sprigs on top.
Cook the steaks for no more than a minute, then remove the rosemary, turn the fish & replace the rosemary on top.
On a plate pour the remaining oil.
Remove the fish from the pan & place onto the plate, allowing it to absorb the oil.
Can be served immediately or allowed to cool.
Monday, 8 March 2010
Paper Chef: 50th
Sometimes things just work. I like it when that happens. Sometimes there are hiccups.. as was the case with this month's Paper Chef.
Kathy of Prospect: The Pantry had selected the ingredients of: Honey, Ricotta, Dill & Eggs.
Very early on I had decided to do Ricotta Fritters with a honey mayonnaise, wasn't sure where I was going to incorporate the Dill, but a quick surf of the web lead me to believe that the Dill would work in the honey mayonnaise.
Being a Saturday we headed off to the Markets on the trusty route 79 tram.
Then all hell broke loose. Melbourne was hit with a hundred year storm. Our trusty tram became an island on what was a busy street.
An hour later we were able to get off the tram with dry feet & do our shopping, only to find that both the trams & trains weren't running & we were left with a walk home. Needless to say my creative mood wasn't there by the time we got home...
Take 2 on Monday. The Fritters were nice light & fluffy (they sank a bit in the pics), & the mayonnaise very tasty!.
Paul suggested that it would have worked well with some smoked salmon on top, which I'll try next time!
Ricotta Fritters
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 cups Ricotta
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1/4 tablespoon Baking powder
1/3 cup Milk
Salt
Directions
Sift dry ingredients into a bowl
In a separate bowl mix yolks and milk
Slowly add this to dry ingredients
Break up ricotta and add to the mix
Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks and fold through the final mix.
Heat a frying pan over a low heat and spoon in a large table spoonfuls of the mix.
When the top starts to firm up, flip over and finish until golden on both sides then place into an oven while you prepare the remainder.
Honey & Dill Mayonnaise
Ingredients
1 egg yolk
100ml peanut oil
25ml olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tbl lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon dill
Directions
whisk the egg yolk until light & fluffy then slowly add the oil a teaspoon at a time whisking until its all emulsified.
add the lemon juice.
whisk in the honey & season to taste.
just before serving finely chop the dill & add to the mayonnaise.
Kathy of Prospect: The Pantry had selected the ingredients of: Honey, Ricotta, Dill & Eggs.
Very early on I had decided to do Ricotta Fritters with a honey mayonnaise, wasn't sure where I was going to incorporate the Dill, but a quick surf of the web lead me to believe that the Dill would work in the honey mayonnaise.
Being a Saturday we headed off to the Markets on the trusty route 79 tram.
Then all hell broke loose. Melbourne was hit with a hundred year storm. Our trusty tram became an island on what was a busy street.
An hour later we were able to get off the tram with dry feet & do our shopping, only to find that both the trams & trains weren't running & we were left with a walk home. Needless to say my creative mood wasn't there by the time we got home...
Take 2 on Monday. The Fritters were nice light & fluffy (they sank a bit in the pics), & the mayonnaise very tasty!.
Paul suggested that it would have worked well with some smoked salmon on top, which I'll try next time!
Ricotta Fritters
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 cups Ricotta
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1/4 tablespoon Baking powder
1/3 cup Milk
Salt
Directions
Sift dry ingredients into a bowl
In a separate bowl mix yolks and milk
Slowly add this to dry ingredients
Break up ricotta and add to the mix
Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks and fold through the final mix.
Heat a frying pan over a low heat and spoon in a large table spoonfuls of the mix.
When the top starts to firm up, flip over and finish until golden on both sides then place into an oven while you prepare the remainder.
Honey & Dill Mayonnaise
Ingredients
1 egg yolk
100ml peanut oil
25ml olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tbl lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon dill
Directions
whisk the egg yolk until light & fluffy then slowly add the oil a teaspoon at a time whisking until its all emulsified.
add the lemon juice.
whisk in the honey & season to taste.
just before serving finely chop the dill & add to the mayonnaise.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Dinner for One (Me)
Its not often that I get to have a night to myself, but when I do I make the most of it. A DVD that tickles my fancy, usually something B-grade sci-fi, and cook something interesting for myself.
I wondered off to the shops on Carlisle St and came back with a chicken maryland half dozen baby desiree potatoes, some salad leaves, a bottle of white & the B-grade DVD: Lost In Space.
Some rummaging in the fridge revealed fresh tarragon, thyme, garlic & butter.
So here is my dinner for 1: Roast Tarragon chicken with Roast Thyme Potatoes.
Ingredients:
1 chicken maryland, skin on
5 or 6 baby potatoes
1/2 tbls tarragon
1 tsp thyme
1 small clove garlic
1 tbls butter
Salt
Pepper
2 tbls olive oil
Method:
Pre heat the oven to 230c
Peel & steam the potatoes until they are just cooked, easily pierced by a skewer.
Chop the tarragon roughly & place in a small bowl.
Peel the garlic & finely chop or microplane, add to the tarragon
Add about 1/2 tsp salt, & pepper to taste
Add the butter & combine thouroughly.
Place half the mixture under the skin of the chicken & rub the remainder over the top of the chicken.
Place into an oven proof dish just big enough to hold the chicken, skin side up.
Place the olive oil into a bowl & add the thyme leaves, pepper & salt.
When the potatoes are ready rough up the outsides with a fork and add to the bowl containing the thyme & oil, and toss coating the potatoes.
Place into a separate roasting dish from the chicken & scoop out any remaining oil from the bowl. Add a little more oil to the pan if it looks a bit dry.
Place both dished into the oven for about 30min, basting occasionally. Don't over cook the chicken!
Serve with a nice side salad and a fresh bread roll to soak up the juices.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Paper Chef #49
Everyone has a creative streak in them somewhere, whether its a big streak or just a small gnawing urge to create.
Its there.
Its to be human.
& it needs to be fulfilled.
Otherwise you'll whither away, & you won't grow.
My little bit of creativity is cooking. I like cooking & creating something. Maybe its based on a recipe I read somewhere, or food I tasted somewhere, or in this case, the Paper Chef Challenge.
Not all of my attempts have been successful, tastewise or lookswise, but they have helped satisfy that creative urge.
This month's ingredients were selected Cath from ShowFood Chef. With the help of her son she selected Prawns, Sweet Pepper, & Fennel randomly from the list, and her fourth ingredient was actually a theme: Passion (I guess its because its almost Valentine's Day....)
Its there.
Its to be human.
& it needs to be fulfilled.
Otherwise you'll whither away, & you won't grow.
My little bit of creativity is cooking. I like cooking & creating something. Maybe its based on a recipe I read somewhere, or food I tasted somewhere, or in this case, the Paper Chef Challenge.
Not all of my attempts have been successful, tastewise or lookswise, but they have helped satisfy that creative urge.
This month's ingredients were selected Cath from ShowFood Chef. With the help of her son she selected Prawns, Sweet Pepper, & Fennel randomly from the list, and her fourth ingredient was actually a theme: Passion (I guess its because its almost Valentine's Day....)
As soon as I'd read the ingredients the first though that sprang to mind was "rice paper rolls". From past mistakes I've learnt to go with the first idea, sometimes too much thinking can be your downfall.
So here are my Prawn & Fennel Rice Paper Rolls. My creative streak shone through & I had to use one of my favourite native ingredients, Finger Lime (see here for what they are). I thought they worked in the rolls, but Paul didn't like the bursts of acidity from the popping vesicles. They were served with Kecap Manis, a dark sweet soy like sauce for dipping.
Ingredients: (for 12 rolls)
50g rice vermicelli
1/2 fennel bulb
sweet pepper, peeled & sliced into fine strips
small handful coriander leave
small handful mint leaves
small handful fennel sprigs
6 peeled raw prawns
1 finger lime
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
12 rice paper sheets
Method:
Skewer each prawn on a bamboo skewer (this is to keep them straight as they cook).
Place the skewered prawns into a steamer & steam over boiling water until just done (if you over cook the prawns they end up very dry).
Remove from the steamer & allow to cool, then slice each prawn in half lengthwise.
Prepare the vermicelli as per the packet instructions (normally soak in hot water until soft & clear), allow to drain of all water & then place in a bowl.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar & lime juice to the noodles & toss to coat them, adjust the balance to taste.
Finely slice the fennel, use a mandolin if you have one.
Roughly chop the herbs & add to the noodles along with the fennel .
Assembly:
Briefly soak each sheet of rice paper in hot water, soak it too long & it becomes a soggy mess.
Lay it out on a kitchen towel.
Place a halved prawn on the power 1/3 of the rice paper and place a couple of pepper strips either side.
Place a generous spoonful of the noodle & fennel mixture on top.
If you wish you can also add a sprinkling of crushed unsalted peanuts.
Fold the sides of the paper in, then fold the bottom up & tightly roll. Don't be upset if the first couple look wrong - it takes practice. The first few that I usually make I end up ripping open & starting again..
Repeat until all have been made.
Place some Kecup Manis in a serving dish. If you wish you can also have sweet chili as a dipping sauce.
Serve & enjoy.
Ingredients: (for 12 rolls)
50g rice vermicelli
1/2 fennel bulb
sweet pepper, peeled & sliced into fine strips
small handful coriander leave
small handful mint leaves
small handful fennel sprigs
6 peeled raw prawns
1 finger lime
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
12 rice paper sheets
Method:
Skewer each prawn on a bamboo skewer (this is to keep them straight as they cook).
Place the skewered prawns into a steamer & steam over boiling water until just done (if you over cook the prawns they end up very dry).
Remove from the steamer & allow to cool, then slice each prawn in half lengthwise.
Prepare the vermicelli as per the packet instructions (normally soak in hot water until soft & clear), allow to drain of all water & then place in a bowl.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar & lime juice to the noodles & toss to coat them, adjust the balance to taste.
Finely slice the fennel, use a mandolin if you have one.
Roughly chop the herbs & add to the noodles along with the fennel .
Assembly:
Briefly soak each sheet of rice paper in hot water, soak it too long & it becomes a soggy mess.
Lay it out on a kitchen towel.
Place a halved prawn on the power 1/3 of the rice paper and place a couple of pepper strips either side.
Place a generous spoonful of the noodle & fennel mixture on top.
If you wish you can also add a sprinkling of crushed unsalted peanuts.
Fold the sides of the paper in, then fold the bottom up & tightly roll. Don't be upset if the first couple look wrong - it takes practice. The first few that I usually make I end up ripping open & starting again..
Repeat until all have been made.
Place some Kecup Manis in a serving dish. If you wish you can also have sweet chili as a dipping sauce.
Serve & enjoy.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Paper Chef.....
...or: how to stuff up a dish!
OK, I should have waited.
Paper Chef time is about the only time that I get really creative (much to Paul's distress). This month's ingredients were selected by Ilva from Lucullian Delights who also happens to be the driving force behind Paper Chef.
Her selected ingredients were: Red Cabbage, Rosemary, & Tuna, with the fourth ingredient being a theme this time: New! New for a new Year, or ingredient or just something new!
Paul was making pizza for dinner, so I pinched some of his dough and decided to create a Caramelised Onion & Red Cabbage Pizza with Tuna. I was basing this on the traditional Pissaladiere. I was planning on using thin strips of fresh tuna that had been marinated in some olive oil & rosemary, but the markets did not have any fresh tuna that looked appealing! So I thought I'd just use tinned tuna - and this was THE mistake....
- Paul's pizza dough - beautiful
- Caramelised onion & red cabbage (I also added rosemary to it) - tasty
- Favourite brand of high quality tuna - usual standard
Combined:
- Looked good prepared before going in the oven
- Looked good out of the oven
- The aroma out of the oven - epic FAIL
The roasted tuna was not a nice aroma at all, quite gross actually. So while it dose look good, looks can be deceiving! In hindsight I could have waited for some fresh tuna & stuck with my first idea, draping the fresh marinated strips of tuna over the hot pizza - or created something else!
& the "new" ingredient/theme?? Rosemary flowers - the start of a new cycle of life :)
OK, I should have waited.
Paper Chef time is about the only time that I get really creative (much to Paul's distress). This month's ingredients were selected by Ilva from Lucullian Delights who also happens to be the driving force behind Paper Chef.
Her selected ingredients were: Red Cabbage, Rosemary, & Tuna, with the fourth ingredient being a theme this time: New! New for a new Year, or ingredient or just something new!
Paul was making pizza for dinner, so I pinched some of his dough and decided to create a Caramelised Onion & Red Cabbage Pizza with Tuna. I was basing this on the traditional Pissaladiere. I was planning on using thin strips of fresh tuna that had been marinated in some olive oil & rosemary, but the markets did not have any fresh tuna that looked appealing! So I thought I'd just use tinned tuna - and this was THE mistake....
- Paul's pizza dough - beautiful
- Caramelised onion & red cabbage (I also added rosemary to it) - tasty
- Favourite brand of high quality tuna - usual standard
Combined:
- Looked good prepared before going in the oven
- Looked good out of the oven
- The aroma out of the oven - epic FAIL
The roasted tuna was not a nice aroma at all, quite gross actually. So while it dose look good, looks can be deceiving! In hindsight I could have waited for some fresh tuna & stuck with my first idea, draping the fresh marinated strips of tuna over the hot pizza - or created something else!
& the "new" ingredient/theme?? Rosemary flowers - the start of a new cycle of life :)
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
??
Yes, I've been slack & unmotivated lately in regards to posting anything or even cooking anything exciting. I guess its just this time of year that does it.Anyway here are a few things that I've come across recently & have captured my imagination....
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