delicious May 2016

ONE OF THE greatest gifts my mother gave me was the ability to cook, and she encouraged me to love it as well. Growing up, she gave me a great deal of autonomy in the kitchen, and I remember baking on my own from a very young age and enjoying the solitude, the creativity and the sense of achievement. These feelings stay with me today, and it is a great pleasure that I now have a daughter of my own who enjoys being in the kitchen (and a son who also thoroughly enjoys licking a bowl or two). It is a real privilege to have children to cook for and cook with (not that it’s always easy finding something everyone likes!). My daughter looks forward to studying home economics when she…

“Indian meals are often overlooked for wine pairing with most opting for beer, but rosé and aromatic whites can really work well.” Mike Bennie, drinks writer SPICED FEAST INDIAN BANQUET Tandoori eggplant skewers, p 74 Eastern Peake Pinot Tache Rosé 2015 Baked butter chicken, p 96 SC Pannell Pinot Grigio 2015 Cardamom pistachio cookies, p 112 Frogmore Creek Iced Riesling 2013 “Cooler weather calls for days best spent baking and sharing the bounty of your efforts with friends and family.” John Hannan, digital producer COMFORT FOOD BEST BAKING Gluten-free potato, leek & creme fraiche galette, p 44 Cavolo nero & sausage pizza, p 122 Baked berry cheesecake, p 118 “Fresh autumnal ingredients, coupled with slightly drying, tannic, yet flavourful drinks will keep your palate dancing in cold weather.” Aaron Gaulke, bar manager, Bennelong LONG LUNCH AUTUMN ENTERTAINING Seared bonito salad with horseradish dressing, p 22 French 75 Oxtail pot-au-feu, p…

THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN this month is Mike McEnearney’s eagerly anticipated new restaurant No. 1 Bent St By Mike, and you’re invited to an exclusive first taste. The brand new venue (the builders and painters are making their finishing touches as we go to print) at The Wintergarden in Sydney’s CBD, features McEnearney’s switch to formal dining with a menu that perfectly reflects his ethos of seasonally-led food made using locally sourced and house-made produce. “We’re looking forward to being a part of the CBD, where the food just gets better and better. No. 1 will have a small daily-changing menu with a strong focus on produce. And although the setting may be more formal, I hope it will feel familiar to those who loved Kitchen By Mike,” says McEnearney.…

“AT THE FARM, I MAKE MY OWN BREAD, REAR MY OWN GOATS FOR MEAT, AND BREED PIGS FOR GUANCIALE AND PROSCIUTTO, PORK CHOPS, OR TO BARTER IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.” GARLIC & PRESERVED LEMON RAINBOW CHARD SERVES 4 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 bunch rainbow chard, stalks cut into 4cm lengths, leaves chopped, blanched and refreshed 1/2 cups (375ml) vegetable stock 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained 1 preserved lemon, flesh and white pith removed, finely chopped Goat’s curd and toasted slivered almonds, to serve Heat oil in a frypan over medium heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chard stems and cook for 1 minute or until softened. Add stock, chickpeas and preserved lemon. Season and cook for 4-5 minutes until reduced by half, then…

RAINBOW CHARD Those vivid mixed bunches of white, yellow, ruby red and pink stemmed chards you find on shelves – commonly referred to as rainbow chard – are confusingly cut from different varieties of the same plant, related to sugar beet. Swiss chard and silverbeet (actually the same thing) are most common, but the coloured specimens are becoming increasingly popular. Like silverbeet, stalks and leaves can be treated as separate vegetables, with succulent stems making a juicy addition to minestrone or taking well to rich sauces and leaves working as a pleasantly coarse substitute for spinach in gnocchi or Greek spanakopita (spinach pie). BONITO There are several varieties of bonito found across the globe, with three main commercial varieties commonly sold in Australia (generally just sold under the label ‘bonito’). These are all…

It’s the kind of documentary-style television that gets viewers hooked: man rearing beast or bird, then slaughtering it for his own sustenance. Such is the remit of River Cottage Australia , the show on which former Melbourne Vue de Monde chef and now television host and farmer Paul West grows, sources and rears his own food in Central Tilba, five hours south of Sydney. It’s the dream of many urbanites, a rural idyll where long lunches are held al fresco; a pig, a tomato patch and a dog called Digger the lunchtime entertainment. But it’s not all cups of tea fireside. “Stuff goes wrong. But that’s nothing new. No matter how hard you work, nature has bigger plans. Farmers go out and put the work in, but sometimes it doesn’t happen.…