Comfort Food

“Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort.”
Norman Kolpas

So what is comfort food? Basically, they are foods that invoke memories of purer and simpler times, are evocative of childhood and all things ‘home made’. They are also foods that bring you comfort seasonally (images of winter in front of a roaring fire in your old ‘Onkaparinga’ dressing gown – with one tassle missing from the cord – with a bowl of steaming soup and a plate of hot buttery toast to dunk in it, a hot chocolate to come, thick and foamy with a marshmallow melting on top of it); or bring you comfort through difficult times either at work, socially or in your family life as when someone dies or gets ill. Comfort foods will vary from one person to another, and can tend to change as we get older. To me, comfort foods consist of soups, roasts, casseroles and stews, toasted sandwiches, macaroni cheese, rissoles, spag bol, pan-frued sandwiches and schnitzels. Anything with chocolate, rhubarb, hot steaming puddings, self-saucing puds, mousses, pies and tarts sum up the sweet side of things. My mother used to make this Sunday night dish she called Mock Fish. How it got it’s name i have no idea (though strangely it did taste slightly of fish), as it was basically just grated potato, squeezed, bound with an egg, then flat cakes were fried to a golden crispness. Today it is called a rosti and is served even in high class eateries. I loved them, and requested them probably more often than my mother was willing to grate all the potatoes. She was ahead of her time after all. I can still bring to mind images of them during winter, almost setting ourselves on fire in front of our open fire in the loungeroom toasting slices of bread held on a carving fork in front of the flames. I don’t know why, but the toast done in front of the fire always tasted better than that made in the toaster.. Modern additions to my comfort food catalogue would be salt and pepper prawns, Caesar salads, risotto, and just about anything with cheese.

In a world where I often hear sports-minded (read boof-headed) people declare that food is only fuel and they don’t care what they eat as long as it is healthy and uncomplicated; and having lived in a HIV world of nutritionists who basically declare the same thing, decrying the enjoyment and celebration of food (Cudo’s to Geoff Honor for reiterating this recently) it is good to see that people are still doing food for enjoyment, to bring them comfort and to celebrate the sheer exuburance of friendship and love.We could spend all day debating the healthy/unhealthy aspects of comfort foods, but it doesn’t alter the fact that a good number of us baby-boomers were raised on these diets, and there weren’t the childhood obesity problems and allegy proliferation that seems to be around these days, especially since the advent of fast-food in its many guises. The last time I had KFC- and it was a hell of a long time ago, I can tell you – it not only came out of a bain-marie but was dripping so much oil that I threw it out, and vowed ‘never again!’.

So it is time to celebrate comfort food. If you are health conscious or a nutritionist don’t read on. It will only lead you to despair. For all my other readers, get out your duna, turn up your heater and prepare to snuggle up in front of the tele with a steamy plate of memories.

LAMB SHANKS with PARSNIP LEMON & HERBS:

4 red onions, quartered

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 sprigs thyme

4 lamb shanks (about 1.2 kgs)

1 large parsnip, peeled

8 sage leaves

250ml veal stock (use beef or vegetable if veal not available)

GREMOLATA

1 tablespoon small capers, rinsed and drained

1 garlic clove, crushed

1lemon, zested

3 handfuls flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Make a bed of the red onions, garlic and thyme in a deep casserole dish. Put the shanks on top., then arrange the parsnip and sage leaves over them and season well. Pour over the veal stock, and cover with a lid or foil. Bake for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for a further 30 minutes, oruntil the meat is pulling away from the bones.

To make the gremolata, put the capers, garlic, lemon zest and parsley leaves on a chopping board and chop them together finely with a sharp knife. Serve sprinkledover the lambshanks.

Serves 4

BARBEQUE GLAZED MEATLOAF;

1 small red capsicum

400g beef mince

150g sausage mince

1 medium brown onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup packaged breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten lightly

½ cup coarsly chopped seeded green olives

¼ cup coarsly chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano

8 bacon rashers, rind removed, sliced lengthways

200g green beans, trimmed

BARBEQUE GLAZE

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Quarter capsicum; remove and discard seeds and membrane. Roast under grill or in very hot oven until skin blisters and blackens. Cover in plastic or paper for 5 minutes. Peel skin away; cut capsicum into thinstrips.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 8cm x 25cm bar tin with plastic wrap. Oil a 25cm x 30cm swiss roll pan.

Combine mince, onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, olives, basil and oregano in a large bowl. Press half the meat mixture into the bar tin. Lay capsicum strips over the top, leaving a 1cm border; press remaining meatloaf mixture over capsicums.

Turn bar tin onto prepared swiss roll tray; remove plastic wrap from meatloaf. Cover top and sides of meatloaf with bacon, overlapping bacon. Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make barbeque glaze; Combine ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Pour off any excess fat from meatloaf, brush with glaze; bake uncovered abiut 25 minutes or until meatloaf is cooked through. Stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve beans with meatloaf.

Serves 4

PEPPERY PROSCIUTTO & MOZZARELLA FRENCH TOAST

2 brioche rolls, halved (or other soft rolls)

2 tablespoons store-bought caramelised onion or chutney

4 slices prosciutto

60g mozzarella cheese, sliced

2 eggs

¼ cup milk

Cracked black pepper

20g butter

Spread the basesof the rolls with the caramelised onion, top with the prosciutto and mozzarella and sandwich with the tops.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and pepper in a bowl. Heat the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Dip the rols in the egg mixture, drain briefly, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden and the cheese is melted.

Serves 2

SELF-SAUCING CHOCOLATE PUDDINGS

½ cup plain flour

1½ tablespoons hazelnut meal

¼ cup brown sugar

1½ teaspoons baking oowder

3½ tablespoons cocoa, sifted

½ cup milk

35g butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup brown sugar, extra

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 180°C. Sift the flour, hazelnut meal, sugar, baking oowder and 2 tablespoons cocoa intoa bowl. Add the milk, butter egg and vanilla and mix well to combine. Spoon into 4 x 1 cup ramekins and place on a baking tray. Place the extra sugar and remaining cocoa in a small bowl and mix to combine. Sprinkle over the puddings and pour ¼ cup of water over each. Bake 12-15 minutes or until the tops are firm.

Serves 4

COOKING TIPS:

•When using beans and vegetables (eg cannelini, berlotti beans, capers, peppercorns, potatoes etc) from a tin, always rinse thoroughly under water before using. This removes the taste of the brine, and stops beans being ‘farty’.
•Keep unused grated mozzarella cheese n a plastic bag in the freezer. Comes in handy for pizzas.
•Keep cut cheese blocks wrapped in foil in the fridge. This stops the cheese drying out and going mouldy. The same applies to cold meats, though for no longer then 5 days.
•Keep bottles of lemon and lime juice in the fridge.It is always a shame to waste a lemon by only using a teaspoon of juice.
•Keep unused cut avocado from going brown by replacing the stone in the fruit and wrapping tightly in glad-wrap. To stop going brown when cooking, rub with lemon juice.

Tim Alderman 2014

The Sunday Roast

The Sunday roast was an institution when I was a kid, usually had at lunch time on Sunday, or occasionally in the evening. It was taken for granted that there WOULD be a roast on Sunday, so much so that no one really ever gave it much thought. It was so ritualised that any guests visiting on Sundays would be included in the lunch, and about once a month my father would do the trek from Sylvania to Leichhardt to pick up my grandparents to participate in the meal. Because Saturday afternoons were baking times, the pie or strudel for dessert would be already made and ready to go at the end of the meal. I remember my mother having a heavy steel baking dish that always turned out the most delicious roasts and vegetables, and it had a build-up of baked on fat on it (we used dripping back then to bake) that my mother claimed was the secret to the perfect roast.

These days I constantly hear people say that they can’t cook a roast as good as their mothers, or they say they are no good at all with roasts. There are secrets to a good roast, and if you follow a few simple directions success can pretty well be guaranteed. I cook great roasts, and have the art of perfect baked vegetables down pat. In this column, I am keeping the recipes to a minimum, but giving you a world of hints and advise that will ensure that your family and friends will always want to visit you for your roast. I will attempt to break things down into general advise, meat advise, vegetable advise and a section for all the little extra’s that take a roast dinner from good to great.
So, get out your roast, peel your veges and here we go…

GENERAL;
• Use a heavy-based baking dish for best results.
• Roasts are best baked at around 220°C.
• Use vegetable or canola oil for baking – olive oil really doesn’t work.
• Don’t worry if your meat is not fully defrosted – just add an additional 30 minutes to the cooking time.
• I cook my meat first, then leave it to sit while i bake the vegetables. Allow yourself at least 2-21/2 hours to get a baked dinner ready.
• As I have stated before, as far as I’m concerned ‘Gravox’ is as good as home-made gravy. However, for the purists I will describe the lost art of gravy making.

MEATS;
• Allow thirty minutes cooking time per 500g of weight, irrespective of lamb, beef or poultry.
• Remove from oven at least 30 minutes before serving, cover with foil and allow to stand. This allows the juices to flow back into the meat, making the roast more moist and succulent.
• Test your meat by pushing a baking fork or skewer into the centre of the meat. If blood flows out, allow a little longer. It is okay to leave both lamb and beef a little pink in the middle (NOT RAW), but poultry and pork should be cooked thoroughly.
• Unfortunately – and I’ve said it many times before – Australian lamb is not what it used to be. Our best meat is now exported and us good old Aussies are expected to accept second-best. Finding a lamb leg roast that is not tough these days is like playing a game of chance – with the odds stacked against you. If you can find a good butcher, stick with him, and if necessary pay a little more for your meat. The quality of supermarket meats is always in doubt, and you are never really sure what you are getting.
• Always carve your meat along the grain.
• If you want your roasts to be totally fat-free, place them on a trivet in your baking dish. This also tends to brown them evenly all over.
• Stand meat, then carve and leave ready on plates. When the vegetables and gravy are ready, zap the meat for about 40 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave (longer in lower wattage microwaves.
BEEF;
• The following cuts are best for roasting – Scotch fillet (rib eye); eye fillet and butt fillet; bolar blade, rump & sirloin; standing rib, silverside, topside & round.
• Some people like to brown their roasts before cooking, though I personally wouldn’t bother. If you do want to brown it, heat a mixture of oil and butter in a heavy-based frying pan, and brown on all sides before placing in your baking dish.
• Beef can be flavoured in many ways, including rubbing the whole roast in mustard before baking. The following Indian Spice Paste is also a great way to add a different flavour to your beef: INDIAN SPICE PASTE : 2 teaspoons coriander;1 teaspoon cumin; 2 cardamon pods, buised; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 star anise;1 teapoon ground turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder; 1 medium brown onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, peeled; 4cm piece ginger, grated; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons brown sugar; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 1/2cup peanut oil – combine seeds, cardamom and star anise in a heated, dry frying pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add turmeric and chilli ; remove from heat. Blend or process spice blend with onion, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar and juice until smooth. While motor is running, gradually add oil until well combined. Using a sharp knife, pierce beef all over with deep cuts. place beef and Indian Spice Paste into a large resealable snap-lock bag or large shallow dish. Rub beef with Indian Spice Paste to ensure an even coating; cover, refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
• For an Asian flavour, try rubbing it with a mixture of honey, ginger and soy sauce.
• You can buy commercially prepared dry rubs that can either be used as dry marinades, or add some oil and turn into a paste.
LAMB;
• Lamb leg or lamb shoulder are the best cuts – if you can buy good quality.
• If you want to roll, or stuff and roll your lamb, get your butcher to remove the bone for you. Keep it for the hound.
• Rosemary and mint go beautifully with lamb. Pierce your lamb leg all over with a sharp knife and push slices of garlic and small sprigs of rosemary into the cuts. Mint sauce is still the best accompaniment for lamb.
• Don’t forget that lamb is very fatty. Supermarket rolled roasts are notorious for being nearly all fat – so DON’T buy them. Roll your own – that way you can trim off a good deal of the fat.
• ROLLED LAMB FILLING: Quarter a red capsicum, remove seeds and roast in a very hot 240°C oven, skin-side up, until skin blisters and blackens. Cover capsicum in plastic wrap for 5 minutes; peel away skin; slice. Lay slices of roasted capsicum down the centre of your deboned lamb loin, and top with 20g baby spinach leaves and 1/3 cup loosely packed basil leaves. Roll tightly and secure at 2cm intervals with kitchen string. Don’t use coloured string otherwise you will colour your roast – remember Brigid Jones?
PORK;
• The most seductive thing about pork – apart from he sweetish meat – is the delicious, morish crunch of crackling. It is also the one thing people find difficult to do. I have tried various recipes over the years, and have found the following the best. You can score the fat yourself, or get the butcher to do it for you. The rind needs to be scored about 1cm apart, across the pork in the same direction you will carve. It needs to be scored deeply through to the fat, to ensure he fat is rendered and the crackling will be crisp. Preheat the oven to very hot 250°C. Place pork in a large baking dish. Rub the scored rind with course cooking salt. Roast pork, uncovered, in very hot oven 25 minutes or until the rind blisters, Drain excess fat from the dish. Reduce oven temperature to 180° and roast according to weight.
• Alternatively, if you find you are still having problems, remove the rind entirely from the roast, rub with some oil and salt, and either bake on a flat tray in a 250° oven until it blisters and crisps or place under a griller on its lowest height and grill until blistered and crisp.
POULTRY;
• Supermarkets often keep a range of marinated chickens, including flat-splayed, in the butchers section. If you want to save yourself the hassle of marinating, I have found these quite convenient.
• The size of a chicken will tell you its weight ie a size 16 chicken is 1.6kg in weight, a size 20 is 2kg etc.
• Check your chicken doesn’t contain a giblet bag, and remove the neck if tucked inside. Your dog will love you for this little treat. Rinse the chicken under cold water, and pat dry with paper towel before baking.
• Stuffings are always nice with chickens – but not essential. A simple and tasty flavouring is to stuff the cavity with 12 unpeeled garlic cloves, and 10 lemon thyme sprigs. Rub the skin with a halved lemon, then brush with 2 teaspoons oil. CHORIZU-STUFFING: 10g butter;1 medium brown onion, chopped finely;1 chorizo sausage, diced; 11/2 cups breadcrumbs; 1/2 cup ricotta. Melt butter in a fry pan and cook onion and chorizo until onion softens. Cool 10 minutes; combine chorizo mixture in medium bowl with breadcrumbs and ricotta. Stuff prepared chicken cavity with mixture before baking. COUSCOUS STUFFING; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 medium brown onion, chopped finely; 11/2 cups chicken stock;1/4 cup olive oil;1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind;1/4 cup lemon juice; 1 cup couscous; 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds; 1 cup seeded dried dates, chopped finely;1 teaspoon ground cinnamon;1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 egg, lightly beaten. Heat oil in small frying pan. Cook onion until soft. Combine stock, extra oil, rind and juice in medium saucepan; bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Add couscous, cover, stand about 5 minutes or until stock is absorbed, fluffing with fork occasionally. Stir in onion, nuts, dates, spices and egg. Stuff prepared chicken cavity with stuffing before baking.
• Use dry rubs on chicken skin to enhance flavour of both skin and breast.
• 40 CLOVE CHICKEN; Separate coves from 3 garlic bulbs, and leave unpeeled. Place half the cloves inside the cavity of the chicken, and the remaining cloves in the baking dish. This sounds like a lethal garlic overload, but quite the contrary, Baking lightens and sweetens the flavour of garlic, imparting a really delicious flavour to chicken.
GRAVY &SAUCES;
• BASIC GRAVY: (Makes about 2 cups) Pan juices; 2 tablespoons plain flour; 2 cups chicken or beef stock. Remove roast from pan and cover. Reserve 2 tablespoons juices in baking dish. Stir in flour and cook, stirring,about 5 minutes or until browned. This is known as deglazing your pan. Stir in stock and cook over high heat, stirring, until gravy boils and thickens. Strain before serving. You can replace 1/2 cup of stock with red wine if preferred. For onion gravy add a small, finely chopped brown onion to the juices and cook until soft before adding flour. For peppercorn gravy place prepared gravy into a small saucepan and add 1 tablespoon drained canned green peppercorns. For mushroom gravy place prepared gravy into a small saucepan and add 100g finely sliced, cooked button mushrooms. Cook stirring 2 minutes.
• MINT SAUCE: 1 cup cider vinegar; 1/4 cup boiling water; 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stand 30 minutes before serving.
• APPLE SAUCE: 2 small apples; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1/2 cup water; pinch ground cinnamon. Peel apples, cut into quarters; remove cores; slice apples, Combine apples, sugar, water and cinnamon in a small saucepan, cover, bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 5 minutes or until apple is pulpy. Whisk until sauce is smooth.
VEGETABLES;
• I hear as many complaints about problems baking vegetables than anything else. ‘They don’t brown’ is one of the commonest complaints, and I’m about to tell you the secrets to perfect baked vegetables.
• All root vegetables are suitable for baking, including swedes, turnips, onions, carrots, sweet potato (white), kumera (orange), Jerusalem artichokes etc. Don’t forget the pumpkin. To add some real variety to your baked vegetables, try adding some beetroot, fennel or celeriac to your mix. All root vegetables take around about the same time to cook, so put them all in together. CUT THEM EVENLY, and NOT IN HUGE PIECES. Keep it smallish for quicker, more even baking.
• Vegetables should be baked at around 240°C, which is why you do them separately to your meat.
• You are often told to place pumpkin in later than potatoes, but I don’t agree. I really love my pumpkin overcooked – as do many other people I know. It develops the most delicious sweetness, and the outside will caramelise (it is NOT burnt) due to the sugar in pumpkin. I could eat this and nothing else with my roasts. Use Butternut, Jap or Queensland Blue. Some of the little novelty pumpkins also bake nicely.
• The following potatoes are best for baking – chat, desiree, russet burbank (Idaho), kestrel, King Edward, kipfler, nicola, royal blue, ruby lou and spunta.
• My personal favourite – despite being a bit more expensive than traditional potatoes – are kipfler. They look great on the plate, bake beautifully and taste delicious.
• Make sure your oven is right up to heat before adding your baking dish to the oven.
• Cut potatoes into smallish pieces – if you cut a 1 – 1 1/2 cm slice from the potato, cut off the top third, then cut the remaining two-thirds in half. this makes them a perfect size for baking. Place in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup water and microwave on high for 5 minutes (alternatively, place them in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes). Drain. Toss or roll all your vegetables in canola or other oil (NOT olive oil) and place in the baking dish. DO NOT ADD OIL TO TH DISH. Bake at 240°C for around 30 minutes for until vegetables are cooked and brown. Turn them over at mid-point. They may take up to 45 minutes – just keep an eye on them after the 30 minute mark.
• Any green veges go with a roast, though the traditional green accompaniments are peas or beans. Buy them fresh and cook them in the micrwave. Peas take 3-4 minutes, and beans 2-3 minutes. Don’t under-estimate microwaves. They are really great for cooking vegetables perfectly in a very short time.
• Broccoli, cauliflower and broccolini are also great roast accompaniments.
• MINI YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS: Something for the true traditionalist. 2 eggs; 2/3 cup milk; 2/3 cup plain flour; 1 tablespoons vegetable oil; 20g butter. Preheat oven to very hot 250°C. Whisk milk, eggs and flour in a medium bowl until smooth. Heat oil and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Pour the oil mixture into a small jug. Divide oil in jug among holes of 2 x 12-hole mini muffin pans . Place in very hot oven about 1 minute or until oil mixture is very hot. Working quickly, divide batter among holes of pans. Bake, uncovered, in very hot oven about 10 minutes , or until puddings rise and are browned lightly.

COOKING TIPS:
• When beating egg whites, ensure your bowl and beaters are spotlessly clean. Any impurities or grease will stop your whites from becoming stiff.
• The secret to great scambled eggs is to add the eggs to the pan when the butter starts to foam fiercely. Leave to start setting, then working quickly scramble them in the pan, leaving a little bit moist. DON’T OVERCOOK.
• For poached eggs, add salt and 1 tablespoon white vinegar to the water. Bring to the boil, then turn off the hotplate. Quickly add your eggs to the water (egg rings are best for poached eggs) then leave for 8-10 minutes until set and cooked to your taste.

Tim Alderman
Copyright 2014

A Café in Your Kitchen

Tea drinking used to be ‘art’ of the average household, with its associated rituals and the fact that tea-drinking was so much a part of our English heritage, and had been around for so long.

Coffee drinking used to be considered something very European or American (I believe the Americans make the worst coffee imaginable), so was slow in its uptake here. Instant coffee has been around in various guises certainly for as long as I remember, and coffee substitutes like chicory essence even longer. There have always been acceptable instant coffees – for when you are in a real rush – such as ‘Nescafe’ (now doing amazing things with there filter coffee ranges under the ‘Nespresso’ label; see http://www’nespresso.com.au), ‘Moccona’ etc right through to the ones we like to joke about – like ‘International Roast’, which has never quite lived ujp to its name.
However, in the last 10 years filter coffee in its many incarnations of filter, plunger, vacuum, espresso etc have really come to the fore, and changed the way we not only make coffee but view the world of coffee in general. There is hardly a house without an espresso maker these days, from the low end machines for around $100 to the really kick arse top-end machines that can be $4000-$5000, and often imitating the original Italian machines. Coffee has become the new ‘art’ for moring and afternoon tea, and for after dinner drinking. Mind you, we haven’t all been totally seduced. I own a ‘DeLonghi’ espresso machine – this really space-age looking machine that sits unobtrusively on the kitchen bench, and uses the ‘Nespresso’ system of coffee capsules, which come anywhere from lighter tasting coffees to really dark, robust blends that really give you a kick start. I only have 0ne coffee a day – unless entertaining- and it is usually at lunchtime. It is always an espresso, as this is the best way to enjoy the flavour of coffee, just as black is the best way to appreciate the flavour of quality tea.
So other rituals have now come into our lives, and the rituals involving your kitchen espresso machine are important if you are to fully appreciate and enjoy your coffee. To start with make sure you’re using good quality water. Your espresso will be made up of 90% water so its taste will have a big impact on the flavour of your coffee. Additionally, the quality of your water will determine the longevity of your machine. Sydney generally has good quality water, though if you are from an area with hard water, take appropriate care. Scale can clog the various valves and temperature probes within your machine causing all kind of problems. Bottled or filtered water are generally the recommended options but rainwater also gets good results.
Temperature also plays an important part, so the easiest way to make sure that this factor is stable is to allow the espresso machine to completely heat — not only the water in the boiler or thermoblock, but also the portafilter and surrounding metal of the body (around 15–25 minutes should be sufficient).
The other check boxes for you to tick are cups, a tamper, milk jug and grinder. You often receive a tamper with your espresso machine but these are usually a cheap afterthought and rarely fit your basket. Achieving an evenly compressed and level biscuit of coffee within your basket is imperative to extract the maximum flavour out of your grinds. Investing in a good quality tamper like a Reg Barber with a base that fits your basket will help with consistency and make the entire process more enjoyable.

Along with using freshly roasted coffee (ideal is within two weeks of roasting), the other key to achieving spectacular, café quality coffee at home is the use of a burr grinder. Rather than the ‘whirley blade’ grinders (generically known as ‘spice and coffee grinders’), which actually crush the coffee beans unevenly — a burr grinder will shave the beans into clean and consistent particle sized grounds. This allows the water to pass evenly over all of your coffee. Grinding fresh, just before you need to brew your coffee, will ensure that all the volatile oils and aromatics are kept trapped within the particles rather than, after being exposed to air for more than ten minutes, evaporating into the ether.
The amount of ‘crema’ or head on the top of your coffee is also very important, and good crema comes from a combination of both good coffee, and a quality machine.
Naturally, what you eat or make with your coffee is also important, and good quality espresso coffee can make a huge difference to the quality of the treats and desserts you make.

In all the following recipes, please feel free to exchange the instant coffee for an equivalent amount of fresh, strong espresso.

Pistachio, Date & Chocolate Meringue Cake;though not made with coffee, this indulgent treat is the perfect accompaniment for a good cup of coffee. If you find the cake too sticky for your taste, leave it in the oven for a further 30 minutes. It is SOOO delicious.
3 egg whites
¼ cup caster sugar
125g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
125g dates, roughly chopped
125g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and dust with caster sugar 10 individual cake or muffin tins or one 20cm spring-form cake pan.
Whisk egg whites until soft peaks hold there shape. Add caster sugar and beat until incorporated. Fold in pistachios, dates and chocolate.
Scoop into prepared tins and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before removing.
Serve with fresh dates and pistachios.

Coffee Bean and Cherry Biscotti;
85g plain flour
85g self-raising flour
60g polenta
85g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g dried cherries
50g chocolate-coated coffee beans
30g blanched almonds

Preheat oven to 160°C and grease a baking tray.
Sift together the plain and self-raising flours, polenta and sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Beat together the eggs and vanilla extract and pour into the dry ingredients. Add the cherries, coffee beans and almonds and stir. Knead gently until the mixture comes together into a sticky dough.
Shape the dough into a log about 20cm x 20cm x 2cm and put onto the prepared baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the oven (leaving the oven on) ands leave to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a chopping board and cut into slices about 1cm thick. Arrange the slices in a baking sheet and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through until crisp and golden.
Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.
Makes about 20

Squidgy Coffee bars;
150g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
100g light soft brown sugar
1 tablespoon quality instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon just-boiled water
1 large egg
225g self-raising flour
60g dark chocolate chips
70g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
70g fudge, roughly chopped

Pre-heat oven to 190°C. Grease and line a 20cm square cake pan.
Beat together the butter, caster and brown sugars until smooth and creamy. Beat in the coffee, followed by the egg. Sift over the flour and fold in, then fold in the chocolate chips, hazelnuts and fudge.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan, spread out evenly and bake for about 25 minutes until golden and risen. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before cutting into 12 bars.
Leave to cool for a little longer in the tin, then lift out and carefully peel off the lining paper.
Makes 12 bars

Cappuccino Cheesecake;
150g chcolate-covered digestive biscuits (or whatever you fancy)
60g butter, melted
500g mascarpone (a thick, sweet Italian cream from the supermarket)
125ml crème fraiche (a sweet version of sour cream, from the supermarket)
3 tablespoons quality instant coffee dissolved in 3 tablespoons just-boiled water
125g caster sugar plus 1½ tablespoons for the topping
4 eggs, beaten
240ml sour cream
cocoa powder, to dust.

Put the biscuits in a food processor and blitz until crumbs, then combine with the melted butter.
Tip the mixture into a 20cm spring-form cake pan (greased) and smooth out to make an even base. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Beat together the mascarpone and crème fraiche until smooth, then stir in the coffee and sugar. Stir in the eggs until well mixed.
Wrap the base and sides of the tin in two single layers of foil, then pour the mascarpone mixture over the crumb base. Put in a roasting pan and pour water around the cake tin so that it reaches half to two-thirds of the way up the sides. Bake for about 50 minutes or until set but still soft.
Meanwhile, stir the remaining 1½ tablespoons sugar into the sour cream. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, gently spoon over the sour cream, spreading it out evenly, then return to the oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely, then cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, carefully unmould and dust with cocoa powder.
Serves 8 (or 4 very greedy piggy’s)

Rich Almond Tiramisu;
300g mascarpone
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 eggs, separated
300g Amaretti morbidi (soft Amaretti) biscuits
120ml cold espresso
about 1½ tablespoons Kahlua
cocoa powder and finely grated chocolate, to sprinkle

Put the mascarpone, sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and beat together until creamy.
In a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold a couple of spoonfuls of the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites, one third at a time.
Put a couple of spoonfuls of the mascarpone mixture into the base of 4 serving dishes or glasses and smooth the surface. Working carefully, soak about half the amaretti in the coffee for a minute or two until saturated but not collapsing. Puit a couple on top of the mascarpone, then sprinkle ¼ – ½ teaspoon Kahlua over each serving.
Continue layering with more mascarpone, coffee-soaked amaretti and Kahlua, finishing with a layer of mascarpone. Dust with cocoa powder , then cover and chill overnight.
To serve, sprinkle with more cocoa powder and grated chocolate.
Serves 4

HINTS COLUMN
• Buy the best quality chocolate you can afford for cooking. It DOES make a difference!
• Add a pinch of salt to everything you cook – including sweets and chocolate. It helps to enhance the flavour of foods, which is why you ALWAYS see chef’s adding salt to dishes.
• To make caramel from condensed milk, cover the unopened tin in water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 3 hours. This produces an imitation of a South American sweet called dulce de leche. DON’T LET THE PAN BOIL DRY!
• Use dried herbs at the start of cooking (due to their intense flavour), and fresh herbs at the end.

Tim Alderman
Copyright 2014

The Art of Speed and Substitution

Instead of giving readers a long string of recipes this column, I have decided to share some of my personally gained expertise regarding cooking with you.

One of the great problems with todays fast world is that too many people see cooking as complicated, and a time-consuming chore. The is a general misunderstanding of terminology (in many ways cookings own fault for sticking with French terminology), the ways food is prepared, and a fear of experimentation that can cut corners and lead to your own unique-styled dishes. There is also a greater cultural diversity with dishes combined with some concern about breaking away from the ‘normal’. Mum may have been a good cook, but she sure as hell wasn’t a healthy cook – good old-fashioned English-Style cooking is NOT healthy, with all the goodness being cooked out of vegetables, meats and poultry being overcooked, unhealthy fats used for frying and baking etc.
I have spent almost my entire life studying food and its preparation. At school I read a number of books on food preparation, and used to invent my own recipes instead of doing my maths homework – perhaps a reason for me not doing well in maths…oh let’s be realistic. I loathed maths. The fact that I didn’t get my credentials in cooking until late in life was due more to bad experiences when I left school than to not having the inclination. The way to get into cooking in those days was to start in some place like a hospital kitchen, but I had this image in my mind that if I got stuck in that rut, the only food I would ever cook would be insipid, bland food, or end up in a el-cheapo café, so I bowed out. I did start pastry cooking with a cakeshop in Campsie, but the 5.00am start at 16-years of age soon put me off. The fact that all I seemed to do there was wash dishes didn’t help things along. In some ways, this was to my advantage, as by the time I decided to go to TAFE to do my chef’s creds, I already had a huge amount of personal experience with preparing food, and had sampled a wide variety of cuisines. I did dare to question the way food preparation and cooking was taught at TAFE (trust a mature-ager to stir the pot). I wanted to know why, in an Australian institution like TAFE we were still taught French-styled cooking with its heavy emphasis on rich fatty sauces, delicate food preparation (like parsley having to be chopped so finely it was almost a powder), defined sizes for chopping, French names that meant nothing (I bet YOU don’t know what a voloute is – and that you probably don’t care), and a lot of cuts of meat, fish and game that people really have little interest in trying, let alone preparing. My argument was that this was Australia in the 21’st century, with one of the most diverse cuisine cultures anywhere in the world. Anybody who watches “Food Safari” on SBS will know how staggering the variety is. Also, that we were becoming more and more health conscious with our cooking, which meant that French cooking really had little relevance to our local eating habits, or to our health. Naturally, my arguments fell on deaf ears, but I did at least bring the subject up, and though the tutor agreed with me – that is how cooking is taught. C’est la vie.
So, to help take some of the mystique out of cooking, and as a guide on how to do things quickly and tastefully I offer the following hints and advice.

MELDINGS: Some things just naturally go together, so when deciding on what to put with what, knowing this can help to put dishes together.
WITH BEEF use mustards, strong peppery spices like paprika, five-spice, tumeric, start anise etc. When cooking, use cheaper cuts for stewing or casseroling – but only when cooking is long and slow to break the meat down. For quick stewing and stir-frying use better cuts, as they remain tender with quick cooking. Don’t be like your father and use cheap steak for barbeques – use better cuts and cook quickly over high heat. Don’t put meat into a wok until the oil is smoking, and stir it quickly from the bottom of the wok to the sides, then back down to get it to cook through. If adding a sauce that needs to be thickened, cook the meat three-quarters of the way through, then let it finish cooking in the sauce.
WITH LAMB use rosemary or mint, and some of the milder spices and pastes. Lamb is not as strong as beef, so requires softer flavours. Try rolling lamb fillets in dukkah for a great, crunchy coating.. Lamb is always better if not quite cooked through, leaving it a little pink. Lamb fillets are expensive, but worth the money as they are always tender, have little waste on them, and can be eaten hot or cold in a salad. The same goes for backstrap. I find chops not only very fatty, but not good value for money as they have little meat on them – likewise for cutlets. Lamb stir-fries well, but buy and cut it yourself, as ready-cut stir fry meat is usually cheaper cuts that are tough. Tandoori pastes taste great with lamb, in fact lamb goes well in Indian cooking – full stop. Unfortunately as much as we love it, the lamb roast is not as good as it used to be. We sell all our really top quality lamb overseas, leaving ourselves with the cheaper, older cuts. Two out of three lamb shoulders for roasting is as tough as shoe leather – a great shame for those who love it.
WITH POULTRY use things like oregano, parsley, coriander and mild spices. Serve with peaches, pawpaw or mango. Use fresh coconut shavings. Chicken breast are great with rubs and pastes – cut diagonal slits in the top of the breast and push the rub or paste into it before cooking. They are also fantastic when slit open and stuffed with things like pancetta, proscuitto, fetta, goat’s cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted capsicums, baby spinach etc. Make sure you sew the slit shut with toothpicks to keep the filling in. Stir fry chicken quickly, and use any types of Asian sauces. Don’t bother measuring things like Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, honey etc. It only takes a few seconds to taste it and see what you need to adjust. Add a tablespoon of cornflour to a couple of tablespoons of water or stock, then add to a wok to quickly thicken sauces. DON’T add cornflour directly to a pan – it will form lumps and taste yucky. Don’t be afraid to experiment with spices – but remember that only in Indian cooking is a huge variety of spices usually used in one dish. Learn to make your own curry pastes in a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Make a quantity and freeze what you don’t use. They are so much more authentic and aromatic than commercially prepared pastes. The same applies to Asian cooking. DON’T be afraid to adjust recipes to your own taste – if you like a green curry that is full of the tang of lime, add extra zest and juice, and maybe one or two more kaffir lime leaves than the recipe suggests – or add the same things to pep up a dull, commercial green curry paste. For red curries, add more chillies if you like it hotter, or more paprika, or cool it down with yoghurt. MAKE a quick raita (Indian accompaniment) with Greek yoghurt, diced cucumber and chopped mint.
WITH FISH use dill, parsley, chilli, lemongrass, limes and lemons. Use strong tasting rubs to flavour – do the same as with chicken to push the flavours into the fish. Cook quickly – 2-3 minutes per side. Overcooked fish will just fall to pieces when you try to take it out of the pan. Keep the skin on salmon, as it gets lovely and crisp when fried quickly at a high heat. I know it is time consuming, but run your fingers all over the fish flesh and remove ALL bones before cooking. There is nothing more off-putting than fine bones in your mouth. Fish boning tweezers can be bought quite cheaply from a kitchen supplier, or keep a small pair of cheap pliers just for the purpose. To steam fish either wrap in baking paper with your choice of herbs, ginger (cut into slivers) chillies (deseeded and cut into slithers) and citrus zest OR use banana leaves if you want to be a bit more exotic. Steam for 8-10 minutes in a bamboo steamer over a wok.
ALL THINGS FRUIT & VEGETABLE: Vegetables are staple foods full of vitamins and minerals – DON’T cook the life out of them. If serving vegetables as accompaniments or in salads, blanch for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, then dip straight into cold water to keep the colour. If you need to reheat them, USE THE MICROWAVE for 30 seconds. TO SKIN tomatoes and peaches, remove the stalk at the top, then cut a cross-shape into the skin at the bottom. Dip into boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then remove and drop into cold water. Skins should peel straight off. To DESEED tomatoes, cut in half horizontally and use a teaspoon to remove seeds. CUCUMBERS are best if cut in half along their length, then use a teaspoon to remove the seeds before chopping. This takes the bitterness out of them. Lebanese cucumbers are better than traditional thick cucumbers. The heat in CHILLIES is dependent on their size, and their seeds and membrane. The smaller the chilli, the hotter it usually is. To drastically reduce the heat, cut in half and scrape out the seeds and membrane – WEAR gloves when you do this – or keep your hands away from your face for a while after deseeding and chopping. Green chillies are usually milder than red. CAPSICUMS are a member of the chilli family. To roast capsicums, you can do one of two things – (A) Remove the seeds and membranes, cut into flattish slices and place under a high griller until they are blackened and blistered OR (B) rub with oil and place in a very hot oven until they are blackened and blistered. Remove and place into a plastic bag – laid flat – while still hot. Seal the bag and leaved for 15-20 minutes. When you remove the capsicum from the bag, the skin should peel off. LET your imagination go when adding fruit to salads – you can add anything from melons, pawpaws, mango, grapes, peaches, nectarines, apricots, kiwi fruit to strawberries, blueberries, apples, grapefruit or orange segments. TO MAKE AN EASY DRESSING when adding citrus to a salad, cut the segments from between the membranes and add to the salad. Squeeze the remaining juice from the remaining membrane into a bowl, then add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, whisk and add to salad. You can now buy ready-roasted cashews and peanuts to add to salads, but if you do need to ROAST cashews, peanuts or pine nuts to add to a salad, place spread on a tray in a moderate oven for about 5 minutes. You can ALSO ROAST THEM in a microwave using about 5-6 x 20 second bursts at HIGH.
The same goes for CHOCOLATE. Place in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts at HIGH until it has melted. REMEMBER that chocolate will retain its shape in a microwave, so you need to stir it after each burst to see how much it has melted. To melt traditionally, place chocolate in a glass bowl and place over a small saucepan of simmering water until it melts. DON’T allow steam to get into it, or any water, as it will sieze. IF CHOCOLATE DOES SIEZE, add small amounts of cream or butter to it until it returns to normal. DON’T use cheap brandy to flavour chocolate, as it often contains water, and again the chocolate will seize.
YOU CAN FREEZE left over pastry, grated cheese and eggwhites (though not the yolks). If a recipe requires just egg yolks, either freeze the whites till later, or use them to make meringues. If you don’t use a full knob of mozzarella, grate the remainder into a freezer bag and freeze.
TO SKIN GARLIC, place cloves on a chopping board and place the flat of a large kitchen knife on top of it. Hit sharply with your hand. The skin will pull away from the flattened flesh. There is NO NEED to skin fresh, young ginger.
To make your own SELF-RAISING FLOUR add 1½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt to every cup of plain flour. CASTER SUGAR is used in baking as it is finer than table sugar, and dissolves quicker. RAW, DEMERARA & MUSCAVADO sugar have varying degrees of molasses left in them. Substitute one for another if you like a more treacle flavour in your baking. BAKING IS A SCIENCE, and cake baking and bread dough cooking are the only areas of cooking where the quantities and temperatures MUST be accurate for the end product to look like it should. Don’t guess, and don’t cut corners. IF A CAKE HAS A PEAKED HILL IN THE CENTRE when you remove it from the oven, the oven temperature was too high. If it is sunken, the temperature was too low, or it was not cooked for long enough. ALWAYS check your oven temperature with a thermometer when you first start to use it, so that you can adjust the temperature up or down accordingly. At home, I need to add 10 degrees to my oven temperature for it to be accurate. THE PUSH TEST is still the best way of judging if a cake is cooked. If it springs back when two fingers are pressed lightly onto the centre of the cake, it is cooked.
LITE CREAM cannot be whipped – the fat has been removed, so there is nothing to give it thickness. THICKENED CREAM can be substituted for pouring cream in many recipes. GRAVOX is as good as real gravy – but I never told you that. To make a cheats custard tart, buy a large sweet pie flan from your supermarket, and a packet of egg custard. Blind bake the flan (Place some baking paper in the flan – still frozen – and fill with rice or dried legumes. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and rice and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until golden), then make up the custard according to the packet instructions. Pour into the flan, sprinkle some nutmeg over it and chill until set. Tell everyone you spent hours making it.
SEA SALT flakes are the best for everything. CRACKED BLACK PEPPER should be on your work bench, and your table. VANILLA essence is a cheap substitute and should be avoided at all costs. Use only vanilla extract (halve what they recommend for essence) or vanilla bean paste. If you only use the seeds from a vanilla pod, place the pod in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar. This is great is coffee, and in all types of baking. Buy WHOLE nutmegs and grate as needed. Store all spices in glass jars, NOT in plastic. Gelatine leaves are best for cooking that requires gelatine. Use TITANIUM strength and soak in cold water for 5 minutes before adding to hot liquids. AGAR AGAR is a natural gelatine substitute, but you need to use a lot more than regular gelatine to get things to set. You can also buy powdered gelatine from supermarkets – use according to instructions. ARROWROOT can be substituted for cornflour. There are two types of rice paper – depending on what you are doing. There is a square white rice paper, bought from health food stores, that is used for things like nougat, macaroons and panforte. It is crisp and edible. The other is from supermarkets and Asian grocers, and used to make spring rolls. ROSEWATER is available from chemists and health food stores. Gold and silver leaf are edible, and available from many craft stores, or artist suppliers. Roses and lavender flowers are edible, however if you aren’t growing and picking them from your own garden, be careful. If they are bought from a florist, there is a high risk that they have been sprayed with insecticide. Places like ‘Herbies’ at Rozelle sell dried flowers that can be eaten.
OILS are a world of their own. Use whatever you prefer, however oils like canola and camellia tea oil have high smoke points – this means they can be raised to a very high temperature without burning. This makes them great for things like stir frying.

I could go on forever, but hope this gives you some help as you enter into the world of food cooking and food prep. Please contact me if you need any info on any cooking products or techniques.

Tim Alderman
Copyright 2014