let's try out some australian food.......i mean they gave us mad max and the road warrior (two pretty good flicks)......let's see how they cook. Meat Pie This is one of Australia's "icon" dishes. It is traditionally about 15cm (6 inches) in diameter and eaten in the hands with tomato sauce (or tomato ketchup, is you are from the U.S.A.) and is usually accompanied by a cold beer. The pastry is always shortcrust, with sometimes a flaky pastry cover. This recipe makes one large pie or several smaller ones. The smaller ones, just large enough to hold in one hand, are the most common in Australia, being sold as snack food. for the filling: 1½-2 kg chuck steak, trimmed and chopped into small cubes. 3 bacon rashers (optional), chopped. 2 onions, peeled and chopped. 2 cups water. ½ teaspoon black pepper. ½-1 teaspoon salt. ½ teaspoon dried thyme (optional). 1 stick celery, finely chopped (optional). 3 tablespoons plain flour. 1 batch shortcrust pastry (see below). Fry the bacon and onion over a low heat until the onion is soft. Add the chopped steak. Pour in the water and season with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Then add the celery. Cover and simmer for about 1½ hours. Mix the flour with a little water to a smooth, runny mixture (roux), then stir this into the meat mixture. Stir until the mixture thickens. Pour into a deep pie dish. If you are making small pies, then line small pie dishes with the pastry and fill them with the meat mixture. Wet the rim of the pie with milk or beaten egg. Place a layer of pastry on top of the pie to form a lid. Trim the lid to the shape and size of the pie dish. Press the edges together with a fork to seal. Make some steam holes in the top and glaze with beaten egg or milk. Bake in a hot oven for 30-40 minutes (maybe less for the smaller ones). for the crust: ¾ cup plain flour. ¾ cup self raising flour. pinch of salt. 100 gm cooking margarine or butter. 3 tablespoons of cold water. 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. The above ingredients make one batch of the shortcrust pastry for the meat pies. You might need to make more than one batch to complete the small pies. Place the flours and salt into a mixing bowl, rub in the margarine or butter with your fingertips, and mix into a dough with the water and lemon juice. Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead lightly with a little flour. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before rolling it out into a sheet ready for the pie crust
Beef Nambour The name is a tribute to Nambour, a town in the Sunshine Coast area to the north of Brisbane, Queensland. The area produces sugar and is Australia's main growing area for ginger - two of the ingredients of this dish. 500gm of diced beef (17.5 oz or a little over a pound). 1 tablespoon plain flour. 2 rashers (slices) of bacon. 1 packet of French Onion soup mix. One 440gm (about 16 oz) can of pineapple pieces or half a fresh pineapple. 1 pinch of ground ginger or a small amount of fresh ginger - the latter is better. Coat the beef with the plain flour. Brown the beef and the bacon in a pan. Put the beef and bacon into a casserole dish. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the balance of the flour. Add water and stir to give a smooth consistency. Cook in a moderate oven (180-200ºC or 350 degrees farenheit) for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Garnish with parsley and serve with boiled rice or mashed potato. conversions: farenheit = (degrees celsius x 1.8) + 32 1 oz = 28.34 grams rasher of bacon is how the english describe a slice of bacon
Pavlova Pavlova is one of the few dishes to originate totally in Australia. It was invented in Perth by Herbert Sachse, chef at the Esplanade Hotel, as a tribute to the great ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Some say it was created in 1935, after she had visited the city in 1929; other say that it happened during her visit. Meringue cakes are quite prominent in cookbooks of the period, but Sachse added cornflour and vinegar to the basic egg whites and meringue. He later recalled, "I had always regretted that the meringue cake was too hard and crusty, so I set out to create something that would have a crunchy top and would cut like a marshmallow." 4 egg whites a pinch of salt 1 cup castor sugar (granulated sugar) 1 teaspoon cornflour 1 teaspoon vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla essence whipped cream - lots! fruit - traditionally passionfruit, but any fresh fruit that you like will suit very well Preheat your oven to 150ºC (300ºF) before you start any other preparation. Beat the egg whites and the salt together until they are stiff enough to form peaks. Sift the sugar and add it slowly to the mixture, beating it at high speed until all the sugar has dissolved. Lastly, fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence. Pile the mixture on a tray with greaseproof paper placed on it. Shape the pile into a circle, mould the sides with a spatula so that they are a little higher than the rest of the flat top of the "cake." Bake in the bottom of the oven for about 1½ hours, or until it is quite firm to touch. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in it until cool. Fill the depression on the top with whipped cream and garnish with the fruit. Serve in large slices with more whipped cream and fruit.
ANZAC Biscuits These biscuits (cookies) are named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, a famous army corps from World War I. The acronym Anzac has become synonymous with the Australian spirit - why these biscuits have the name, I do not know! 2 cups rolled oats ½ cup sugar 1 cup flour 125gm (about 1/4 lb) butter, melted 1 tablespoon golden syrup - a product made from cane sugar 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 2 tablespoons boiling water Combine the oats, sugar, flour and melted together. Then add the golden syrup, and finally the bicarbonate of soda dissolved in the boiling water. Put spoonfuls of the mixture on a greased tray and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15-20 minutes or until cooked a golden-brown colour and crispy.
Kangaroo Tail Soup This dish is very hard on the kangaroo, but you can substitute oxtail or similar, if you don't like the idea of eating an Australian icon. This version of the traditional dish is upmarket and modern. 1 kangaroo tail. olive oil. 1 large carrot. 2 sticks of celery. 1 large parsnip. 1 small bulb of celeriac. 100gm butter. 1 large brown onion. 2 bay leaves. 1 teaspoon finely-ground black pepper. water. 1 teaspoon sea salt. parsley. Heat the oven to 200°C or 400°F. Run the kangaroo tail through a little olive oil and put it in the oven until the tail browns all over. While the tail is browning, wash the vegetables and dice them very finely. Keep each vegetable in a separate pile. Melt the butter in a pot and fry the onion. Then add all the remaining vegetables, one at a time. Cook them very slowly for about 10 minutes. Place the kangaroo tail on top of the vegetables, add the bay leaves and pepper, and cover with water to at least 10 centimetres (4 inches) above the top of the tail. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the meat comes off the bones easily. Season to taste and serve with lots of finely-chopped parsley.
Sponge Cake Country cooks in Australia have always been famous for their sponge cakes. It was a matter of great pride in the bush if your sponge cake always rose the highest and was the lightest in the district. And you always guarded your secrets jealously and handed them down to your daughter when she married and left home (well, maybe you did). 4 eggs. ¾ cup caster sugar - fine granulated sugar. 1 cup self-raising flour. 1 level tablespoon cornflour. 1 heaped teaspoon butter dissolved in 4 tablespoons of boiling water. 2 sponge sandwich tins (20cm by 4 cm). Grease the cake tins with butter - add a tiny pinch of flour to the butter to make sure that a good crust will form on the sides and bottom of the cake. Some cooks also put a small circle of greased paper in the bottom of the tin to stop the cake sticking in the centre. Whip the eggs with a rotary beater for a few minutes until they are light and frothy. Do not use your food processor - it won't give enough aeration - this is vital! Sprinkle the sugar over the mixture, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and when all the sugar has been added, continue to beat the mixture until it is very thick. This could take up to 10 minutes - good for your fitness level! Sift the flour and cornflour together on some paper and then gradually add it to the eggs using your hand or a metal whisk. Stir through the hot water and butter mixture quickly and pour into the prepared tins. Bake in a moderatley hot oven for about 25 minutes. The test to see if the cakes are baked is when they are springy to the tips of the fingers and when they shrink a little away from the sides of the tins. Remove them from the oven and let them stand for a minute before tipping them out onto a cake cooling rack. The traditional method of decorating these cakes is to spread strawberry or plum jam on the top of one cake, placing the other on the top of it like a sandwich, and then coatong the whole thing with butter cream or whipped cream. Another way that I like is to mix tinned black cherries and their juice into whipped cream and coating the cake sandwich with that mixture. If your sponge cake sinks in the middle, fill the hollow with whipped cream and no one will notice!!!
Steamed Pudding with Golden Syrup Golden Syrup is a medium-heavy syrup made commercially from cane sugar. It is thick, dark gold in colour, and very sweet. This recipe was a standard family dessert in the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. It is filling and warming in winter. 1 egg. 90gm (3-4 oz) butter. 3 tablespoons caster sugar - fine grained white sugar. 1/3 cup milk. 1 cup self-raising flour. 1 teaspoon vanilla. 3 tablespoons golden syrup. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Fold in the flour alternately with milk and vanilla. Put the golden syrup in the bottom of a 4 cup pudding basin or ordinary ceramic basin. Spoon the pudding mixture on to the top of the golden syrup. Cover with a lid or pudding cap, or use greaseproof paper or aluminium foil fastened with string or a rubber band. Put the bowl in a large saucepan with about 10cm (4-5 inches) of water. The water should come halfway up the side of the pudding bowl. Simmer gently for about 1½ hours. Remove the water, let it rest for 5 minutes and then turn it out onto a dish. serve with cream or icecream or, more traditionally, custard (hot in winter).
what australians eat during the holidays (in this case christmas): So what do Australians eat at Christmas? Anything and everything! Some have traditional European meals - hot roast with vegetables, with hot Xmas fruit pudding and custard to follow. Others have cold meats and salads and a cold dessert. It all depends on the family tradition. My family - me, my wife and three children, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law - always have: Breakfast - cold sliced ham with fried eggs and champagne (makes the rest of the day more relaxed!) and orange juice. Late lunch - cold meats (chicken, roast lamb or beef, ham) with salads (potato salad, coleslaw, pasta salad, tomato, lettuce, cheese, capsicum, onion, sweet corn, beetroot), followed by a cold Xmas pudding with custard and ice cream and cream. Drinks - wine and beer and softdrinks. Evening meal - hardly anything! - but usually leftovers from lunch. Example 1: Potato Salad There are many different ways of preparing potato salad. This is my favourite. The tangy taste of the vinegar complements the smooth creamy taste wonderfully. Double or treble the amounts, otherwise you might not get any for yourself! 4 cups of diced raw potato. 1 onion. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint. Dressing: 1 hard boiled egg, chopped finely. 1 tablespoon sugar. 2/3 cup cream. 1/3 cup white vinegar. Boil the potato until it is just tender. Drain it and add the finely chopped onion and the mint. Mix together carefully. Mix the dressing ingredients well. Add to the potato mixture. Mix carefully so that the potato does not break up. Serve chilled. Keep some for yourself! Example 2: Pasta Salad This is just one of a thousand different ways of making pasta salad. This one is quick and easy. 500gm pasta spirals (17.5 oz or a little over a pound). 2 tablespoons olive oil. 200gm baby mushrooms, sliced (or 7-8 oz). 3 sticks celery, sliced. 1 large red capsicum (bell pepper). 1 large green capsicum (bell pepper). 1 can corn kernels, drained. 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped. 1 bottle (250ml) Caesar salad dressing (or an 8 oz bottle). Add the pasta to a saucepan of boiling water and boil, uncovered, until the pasta is just tender. Drain off the hot water and rinse under cold water. Allow to drain again until cool. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well but gently. Example 3: Cold Collation This is not really a recipe - it's more a collection of the things we might have for Xmas dessert. Substitute your own mixture of ingredients, depending on what is available at the time. Ice cream - vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or whatever your favourites are. Fresh fruit - strawberries, rockmelon (cantaloupe), watermelon, pawpaw, banana, passionfruit, mango, apricots, peaches, plums, cherries - the list goes on and on. Fresh cream. Custard - cold. Traditional Xmas rich fruit pudding - cold. Anything else you like. Mix together in the proportion that your tastebuds prefer or that your dietician recommends. Eat well - it's Xmas only once a year!
really good roast pork and sausage dish from one of australia's restaurant chefs: Robert Castellani Barbecued Free Range Pork Chop from the Western District with Italian Sausage The unique taste of free-range pork combined with an open red-gum fired barbie. Choose large ribs with very large "eyes". Score the rind so as to prevent it from curling up. Rub the rind well with sea-salt. Season the flesh with pepper. Cook the pork chop over red gum and Mallee root coals for about 10 minutes. Ensure the crackling is crisp and well seared. Rested for 5 minutes in a warm place. At Donovans the pork is served with grilled Cotechino sausage. (Cotechino is a traditional style sausage made with pork rind, lean pork meat and back fat. The coarse mixture is seasoned with cloves and cinnamon and formed in a pig’s casing.). Donati’s Butchery in Lygon Street, Carlton makes the sausage used at the restaurant. You can see the sausages hanging in the front window when you walk past. Poach the cotechino for 1 1/2 hours very slowly. When the sausage is cool enough, slice generously. Serve the pork chop and sausage with some smashed fennel seed and parsley butter.
another australian chef recipe: Stephanie Alexander Goat cheese soufflé Ingredients 240 g plain flour 240 g butter 300 g goat cheese 4 tbspns grated Parmesan 1.4 litres milk 12 egg yolks 16 egg whites extra cream for cooking soufflé melted butter for moulds Method Make a roux with the butter and flour. Cook 2-3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and bring to boiling point. Mash the goat cheese until soft and add to the hot sauce. Add the Parmesan. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Fold in the yolks thoroughly, taste for seasoning. Beat the whites until stiff but not dry and fold in quickly but lightly. Spoon the mixture into the moulds and bake the souffles in a bain-marie at 180 degrees (350 degrees farenheit) for about 15 minutes until firm to the touch and well-puffed. Remove from the oven. The souffles will deflate and look wrinkled. Allow to cool before turning out. To serve, place soufflés in a buttered baking-dish and pour over cream to moisten them thoroughly. Place in the oven at 200 degrees (about 400 degrees farenheit) for about 12 minutes until puffed and golden. Arrange salad of sliced pear and witlof spears on one end of the plate and the soufflé on the other.
