Chef's Blog

Textachef's Christmas Wine Selection

2011-12-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

We have a dozen interesting and diverse wines to rate over Christmas and the New Year. Have a look at our selection on the Eat & Sip page. All wines are available at The Wine Shop at Summer Hill, Sydney

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Blog live with the Chef Sunday 12pm EST - Online now !!

2011-11-12T17:12:00.000-08:00

Blog live with the Chef Sunday 12pm EST

Char Grilled Octopus

2011-11-12T02:20:00.000-08:00

Char Grilled Octopus

Octopus Greek style! There are many & varied opinions on the techniques of cooking octopus. My technique was developed from a 75 year old Cypriot woman. This technique gives you a very tender flavoursome octopus.

STEP ONE - Always freeze the octopus straight away for 3 days. Defrost in the fridge on day 4.

STEP TWO – Genltly whack the cleaned octopus with the flat side of a mallet for 10 minutes to tenderise.

STEP THREE – In a large pot place the octopus, vinegar, red wine, ABC sauce & garlic. Bring to the boil. Simmer 1 hour. Allow to cool then place pot in the fridge overnight.

STEP FOUR – Remove octopus from marinade & pat dry very well with hand towels.

STEP FIVE – Sprinkle with fresh oregano, lemon juice, sea salt & cracked pepper - Place octopus onto char grill, grill 5 mins each side. On a chopping board cut octopus into serving size, place onto serving platter- Finish with another squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients

1kg cleaned octopus
1 cup red wine
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ABC sauce ( sweet thick soy )
4 cloves garlic
1 teasp fresh oregano
1 teasp sea salt
1 teasp cracked black pepper
2 lemons

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Oxtail Kare Kare

2011-11-12T02:07:00.001-08:00

Having recently cooked a banquet for my Phillipino friends , this dish was by far the most impressive on the night . This is traditional Phillipino fare . The tip with this one is to simmer the ox-tail , ensuring it is very tender around the 3 – 3 ½ hour mark before adding vegies .

Ingredients for Oxtail Kare-Kare. (Serves 6)

1kg of beef oxtail, which has been chopped into slices around 2" thick.

2 medium sized onion,

1/2 a head of Bok Choy, roughly chopped.

I eggplant, sliced into 2" pieces.

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped.

150gm of green beans, trimmed.

½ cup tomato puree.

3 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter.

Good pinch of cayenne pepper and a couple of shots of Tobasco (optional)

Good pinch of salt and pepper.

How to prepare Oxtail Kare-Kare.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the oxtail, garlic,onion, salt, pepper and Cayenne, if using.
Simmer the oxtail over a medium heat, occasionally removing any froth that forms at the top of the water, for approximately 3 – 4 hours, or until the oxtail is tender.
After 3 ½ hours the water will have reduced a little, ensure there is enough water to cook the vegetables in.
Add the green beans, egg plant, Bok Choy, tomato puree and Tobasco. Add a little more water as necessary.
Simmer over a medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to taste.
Using a cup, take some of the broth mixture and in a small bowl, stir in the peanut butter. Blend until smooth and then return the mixture to the pan.
Bring to the boil, stirring for around 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Serve on a bed of rice

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2011-10-19T05:49:00.000-07:00

Braised topside & red wine sauce

Simple tips -
Make sure you carve the meat across the grain , otherwise it will very chewy .
Cook for longer if you feel it's not as tender as you like (you're not going to overcook it ) .
Add a little cream to the sauce when nearly thick enough

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat oil in a casserole dish over high heat. Add beef and cook for 1 minute each side or until brown. Transfer to a plate. Add onions and carrot to the dish and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until brown. Add wine & stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes .
Return beef to the dish with peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in preheated oven for 3 hours or until beef is tender. Transfer beef, onions and carrot to a heatproof bowl. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Place dish containing juices over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until starting to thicken. Strain through a fine sieve into your sauce jug.
Carve the beef across the grain into thick slices. Divide the beef, onions and carrot among serving plates. Drizzle with pan juices and serve immediately with fresh greens & mashed potato.

Live Blog Saturday 10 am

2011-10-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

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Filo pastry problems

2011-10-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

I just had a question about filo pastry .

Filo is very thin . When working with filo pastry - do it quickly & keep a dry cloth over it . I like to use clarified butter - instead of oil( for the taste ) - brushing between the layers , generally aout 3-4 layers of pastry .

If you're using filo pastry for a pie , use a solid base pan & when your pie is all packed in ready to go - put the pan on & cook pastry over heat for 60 seconds or so before adding to the oven ( thus crisping up the bottom pastry .

Remember filo pastry can be rustic , not perfect so you can shape how you like .

Enjoy that nice crispy taste !!!

Blinis with chives and smoked salmon !!! Yum

2011-10-07T01:56:00.000-07:00

Blinis with chives and smoked salmon
Makes 15-20 small blinis

¾ cup self-raising flour
½ cup cornflour
Salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp oil
100g cream cheese
Baby capers - 1 small jar
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Smoked salmon, sliced 200g

Place the flour, cornflour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the milk and egg, and whisk to a smooth batter.

Stir in the chives.

Preheat a large, lightly oiled non-stick frying pan over medium heat. For each blini, place 1 tablespoon of the batter into the pan, making sure that the blinis do not touch.

When bubbles appear on the surface, turn the blinis over with a spatula and cook for a further minute, until golden brown. Remove the blinis from the pan and allow to cool.

Spread the cream cheese over each blini .Top with smoked salmon & baby capers ,season with black pepper and serve.

Rum ribs for fathers day !!

2011-09-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Try these awesome ribs for your dad !!!

http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/barbecue-recipes/barbecue-rum-ribs.htm

Help cooking the perfect stir-fry

2011-07-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

I had dinner with friends last night & she followed the stir-fry recipe which said " after vegetables are 3/4 cooked place meat in & stir through for a further 8 minutes to cook "

Now not being a regular cook she followed the recipe & what happened ? The pan went cold after adding the chicken , it stewed through & was tough .

My advise , when cooking a stir fry is to add the meat to a smoky wok at the start to seal for about 1 minute constantly moving the meat , then remove from the pan & set aside .

This will seal in all the juices & flavour in the meat & is now ready to add once the veg, noodles & sauce are all ready . Place the meat back at this stage and check meat is cooked ( Beef or lamb fillet for example will not need much at all , chicken maybe a minute to ensure cooked through ) .

How to fix a split mayonnaise

2011-07-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me an email last night wanting help to rescue her mayonnaise. It was the second time she made it and it split !!
Firstly I explained the egg , vineagar & oil all have to at room temperature . The oil must be added slowly and only whisk in the one direction .
To save the split mayo I advised her to get another 2 egg yolks , whisk them to a creamy stage then slowly add the split mayo drop by drop .

It worked , she was able to serve her smoked chicken breast & avocado salad with her spicy lime mayonnaise & we were able to save the night !!

Chef's Blog: How to season a new wok

2011-07-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Chef's Blog: How to season a new wok: "Seasoning a new wok is always fun !! Here is an easy way to do it ( especially an hour before your guests arrive with restaurant smells thr..."

How to season a new wok

2011-07-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Seasoning a new wok is always fun !!
Here is an easy way to do it ( especially an hour before your guests arrive with restaurant smells through your house ! This will get rid of that yukky metal taste from the wok.

Place your new , oil free wok over a hot flame. After your wok is evenly heated throughout , then ad a splash of sesame oil , some chopped carrots, onions, celery , garlic & ginger ( rough chop ) . Once everything is cooking nicely give the ingredients a toss then turn down flame to low for 20 mins to slightly burn the vegies .

Now throw out the vegies , rinse the wok and rub with oil .

Your wok is now ready to cook some amazing banquets !!!

Helpful cooking tips

2011-07-24T02:09:00.001-07:00

Ideas to save your dinner party

2011-07-24T02:08:00.000-07:00