Australia Day Lammies

I am proud to be an Australian. I think that my county is a beautiful one, with beautiful landscapes, animals, cities, waters, flora, food and people. Some of my favorite things about Australia include:

• Our flag. I really like the Aussie flag. I guess the powers that be said that if we're getting a really bad national anthem, we should get a nice flag to compensate. 
• Australian bluntness. I could not imagine calling my boss 'sir' at work. Or having to hide my opinions and defer to the natural order of seniority. Aussies tell it like it is. Go us! 
• Multiculturism. Being a closet asianophile (maybe not so closeted) i love that we have such diversity in our city centres. This is something we need to realize and embrace, because at the moment, we're not doing a good job here. 
• Australian food. Tim tams. Vegemite. Lamingtons. Cherry Ripe bars. Pavlova. Meat pie and sauce. Barbeques. Not only to we have all of these daggy things, but we have amazing examples of every other cuisine, all over the place.

This recipe is what Australia Day would be all about... if it were designed by the gay director of a Rock Eisteddford act.

Braised Beef Cheeks with Beetroot Gnocchi

This recipe came originally from a website dedicated to the brilliance that is Canberra, can you believe it? I originally found it when trawling the web to find a good recipe incorporating beetroot gnocchi! This dish certainly looks fancy and is sure to impress, but it stressed the heck out of me in the kitchen! Lots of stuff going on at once. Don't attempt without at least 3 burners!

Beef cheeks are available at many butchers if you don't ask. A secondary cut of meat that is gaining in popularity, it is rich and riddled with tendons and marbled fat and obviously requires extended cooking to bring out it's succulent beauty.

Prosciutto Wrapped Lamb Fillet with Pomegranate Reduction on Potato & Asparagus

Whenever i watch Iron Chef Sukai on SBS i am fascinated by his use of caul, a fatty membrane surrounding the organs of some animals, to encase pieces of meat. The fat of the caul keeps the mean juicy and succulent as it is being fried, or more generally, roasted.

With the same concept in mind, i have seen, and on occasion tried, wrapping lean cuts of meat in thin shaved slices of fatty prosciutto. In addition to retaining the juices of the lean meat, the prosciutto adds its own seasoning, flavor and personality to the dish.

When i was making this dish i felt like it belonged in the annals of an old Women's Weekly 'entertaining' cookbook. With the asparagus and mashed potato, the dish harks back to what was considered haute cuisine when i was younger. The retro style of the plating reflects that. However in using prosciutto rather than say, bacon, and with the addition of balance through the sweet-sour pomegranate reduction, i think i've been successful in achieving a bit of 'retro-chic' with this dish.

A note on both asparagus and the pomegranate reduction. Firstly, asapargus is best in season in Spring, when the spears shoot up from the ground and are at their sweetest and most succulent. The worst thing you can do to these delicious vegetables is overcook them! Blanch in salted water for 30 seconds at most! And to the pomegranate reduction: you can buy ready reduced pomegranate juice in the form of pomegranate molasses. But why pay $20 plus for a bottle of the stuff when pomegranate juice is easily available and ready for reduction at any local supermarket. Look for Pom, it's normally located in the fresh produce aisle of your supermarket.

Chocolate, Raspberry & Marshmallow Wheels

So i'm back from my jaunt over to sunny, humid, Thailand! Great trip, had a blast, got to see some amazing food (and scoff it down). Except some Thai recipes coming very shortly!! (Red curry coming up on Tuesday for starters).

Coming back, i was craving some good old fashioned Aussie food. And what could be more Aussie, nostalgically so, than Wagon Wheels!

This came out a little different looking but they really do taste identical to the Wagon Wheel we'd all be so familiar with if we grew up in Australia. Cakey biscuit filled with marshmallow and jam, topped with smooth dark chocolate. Very indulgent!

Retro-Stylin' Tuna & Chickpea Bites

Okay so returning to my cupboard-emptying recipes finally! This one was a jackpot. I cleared my cupboard of 3 little cans of tuna and the remnants of a packet of dried chick peas. I was even going to chuck in a can of cannelini beans but the chickpeas swelled to be more than i expected so i didn't need anything else.

I think these bites would go really well inside of a wrap, in lieu of falafel.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped roughly
  
• 2 large carrots, chopped roughly
  
• 1 large bunch coriander, chopped roughly
• 300gm canned tuna, drained
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, left to soak overnight. 
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 eggs
  
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• Yogurt and lemon wedges to serve with.

Method

Essentially; chuck all the ingredients in a food processor and blend blend blend!

For a more scientific approach, and to ensure even food processing, do the following:

Add garlic, onion, coriander, and carrots to processor first and blend until finely chopped.

Then add the chickpeas and tuna and do likewise.

Then add the flour, spices, seasonings and eggs and process one last time.

Scoop the mixture into large tablespoon sized balls and place on a lined baking tray.

Cooking in the oven at 180 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until golden and crunchy on the outside.

Enjoy with yoghurt and lemon.

Pepper Eye Fillet with Red Wine & Anchovy Reduction and Pommes Puree

The first time i can remember feeling like i was actually cooking and taking a joy in it for the process itself, was when i made what quickly became my specialty: kangaroo with red wine jus and 'smashed' potatoes.

Well slowly my tastes have changed, and my signature dish has changed with it. So many things in this dish today i would have thought were completely wrong when i first started out cooking. Like

• how could you ever use beef instead of kangaroo! Kangaroo is like paying $5 for a prime rib! Well, i still love my kangaroo, but the marbled fat in a good beef steak is a luxury unmatched by kangaroo.
• Anchovy in my sauce? Disgusting! I've become a complete convert to the little anchovy- but only when i can't see the damn things. Anchovies i consider to be a seasoning agent; use sparingly to add a bit of depth to the dish
• How can you not boil down a bottle of wine to one 30ml shot glass worth! Ok this one took me a while to learn. For so long i would reduce my jus until it was a as thick as possible, and i would flesh it out with beef stocks and pepper. Now, i  follow the credos Keep It Simple Stupid. I want to taste the wine. 

Anyway! This is a dish to impress. Especially if you can find those fancy vine tomatoes (hint: if you can't find those, then use dutch carrots for looks)