Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sauerkraut

Being obsessed with fermenting, sauerkraut is great because it’s so simple (relative to other fermented products like wine, cheese and even olives). Chiffonade/shred cabbage of choice, pack into an air-tight container that allows expulsion of gas without ingress of air, … Continue reading

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Coffee Roasting: Guatemala Nueva Granada Estate

An RFA that’s consistently true to its Central American self. IMO, best roasted just (a few seconds) into second crack. It shows chocolate and caramel with a citrus (orange-like) note; sweet and fairly creamy in the mouth. A very well … Continue reading

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Heading east

Lamb backstrap is an amazingly tender (and yet flavoursome) cut of lamb in Australia. It’s delicious Morrocan-style: BBQed after marination in olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, coriander leaf/cilantro, cumin, garlic and sweet paprika. Dukka/duqqa is a great compliment. Pretty good … Continue reading

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Vietnamese-style BBQ pork kebabs

This is a dish for lovers of meat and greens. The “kebab” is pounded pork mince with soy sauce, fish sauce, lemongrass, garlic and chilli added. This is then wrapped in a lettuce leaf (I prefer something like oak leaf … Continue reading

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Coffee Roasting: Costa Rica Finca la Lia

From the Ureña family’s 30 ha farm in the Tarrazú region, grown at an altitude of 1400 to 1600 m. Given a relatively short roast at moderate heat to just into 1st crack. It’s not as lifted or citrusy as … Continue reading

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Winter Menu

Miso, soy sauce, mirin marinated salmon. Slivers of potato and butter stacked, baked and compressed. This dish did NOT work with a Fromm Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004, but perhaps that’s not a total reflect on the pairing, since the wine … Continue reading

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Aussie Lamb

Australian beef doesn’t impress me at all: it just doesn’t have the depth of flavour. I used to think it must be the wide-spread short (or non existant) hanging time, but even Aussie beef that’s been hung for weeks doesn’t … Continue reading

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Fish: Pike

Aussie-Asian fusion continues to hold my interest, and I like to combine citrus with fish… Not bad with a Rias Baixas either.

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Bolognese

A good bolognese starts with a good soffritto, and I’ve come to believe the classic use of milk is beneficial. I prefer a 100% durum wheat Italian semolina (non-egg) pasta, but making egg pasta is fun anyway…

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Making the most of asparagus

Thinking like a chef who has to squeeze every last bit out of an ingredient to bring in the money has its advantages. The hard stemmy ends are souped and sauced back in spring…

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