​During home isolation throughout Covid-19 restrictions, there was no way that I was going to waste the festivities of a Saturday night! Our plan was for the two of us to watch a large screen movie at home after a meal designed around the theme of the movie. We completed this series over a period of 7 weeks and this is one of them.  Menu and Recipes below.

This film is about an American man whose family runs a barbecue rib restaurant. He is groomed to inherit the business, however he instead travels to France to follow his ambition of becoming a Master of Wine.  I created a recipe of French style pork ribs. We did a little Uncorking ourselves.
Menu:

• French Style Barbecued Marinated Pork Ribs
• Quick Red Onion Pickle
• Home made chips /frite
• Cos Lettuce with Creamy Herb Dressing

French Style Ribs

1 rack of full width American style pork ribs (12-14 ribs)

Rub Spices:
1 tspn sea salt
1 tspn ground black pepper
1 tspn finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 tspn smoked paprika
1 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn ground ginger

Braising Ingredients:
1/2 bottle of medium bodied red wine
1 tblspn tomato paste
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk of fresh rosemary
500mls veal stock (Moredough brand is good)

To garnish:  Pickled Red Onion, Tarragon  Flowers and Cucumber or Radish Slices

Rub the spices all over the rib rack and marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 160C fan forced.  Select a roasting dish large enough to fit the whole pork rack and that can be used on top of the stove. Add wine, tomato paste, garlic, rosemary and veal stock and bring it to the boil on the stove. Turn off heat, add  pork rack and baste  all over with  braising liquid.  Seal completely with foil and bake in oven for 3-4 hours or until pork is tender (do not overcook or the meat will fall off the bone too much).

Remove pork rack from liquid and allow to cool on a tray.  Strain the braising mixture into a saucepan and boil to reduce to thicken. (This will be your baste for later).  You can do this in advance, even 1-2 days before - just make sure that you wrap the meat in foil before refrigerating. Then simply bring it back to room temperature when ready to cook.

Preheat your bbq grill or kitchen grill pan, baste the meat and cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes. This will be a continuous basting and turning process every couple of minutes. Ribs should be hot through and a rich brown colour. Note:  There are no sugar ingredients in this recipe, so you wont get stickiness - just beautiful succulent meat with French overtones.


Cos Lettuce with Creamy Herb Dressing
2 heads of baby cos lettuce
2 tblspns good quality mayonnaise
2 tblspns thickened cream
2 tspns lemon juice
1 tspn white wine vinegar
2 tblspns finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tblspn finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together (except lettuce!) and allow to sit in fridge for an hour for flavours to infuse. This can be done the day before.

Wash lettuce heads and discard outer layers. Cut lettuce into quarters lengthwise and drizzle with dressing.


Quick Red Onion Pickle
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tblspn sugar
1.5 tspns sea salt
1 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly

Place water, vinegar, sugar and salt into a glass bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add onion slices and allow to pickle for at least 5 minutes and up to 2 days.  Store in fridge. You can also add slices of baby cukes to this pickling mixture.

During home isolation throughout Covid-19 restrictions, there was no way that I was going to waste the festivities of a Saturday night! Our plan was for the two of us to watch a large screen movie at home after a meal designed around the theme of the movie. We completed this series over a period of 7 weeks and this is one of them.  Menu and Recipes below.

This film was set in Egypt, filmed in Morocco and yet had no dining scenes in the film whatsoever!  So my imagination came up with this menu:

• Sugar and Spice Almonds 
• Lamb Shawarma with Spiced Yoghurt
• Koshari (Rice Pilaff)
• and of course, Champagne, which is so very Miss Fisher

SUGAR AND SPICE ALMONDS (Thank you Karen Martini)
40g unsalted butter
60mls extra virgin olive oil
400g blanched almonds
3 large cloves of garlic, peel left on and bruised
4 tblspns sea salt
2 tspns caster sugar
2 tspns ground cumin
1 tspn smoked paprika
1 tspn sweet paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper

In a large fry pan, heat butter and olive oil on medium heat. Add almonds and whole garlic and stir for 4-5 minutes until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels, discard garlic and place almonds in a bowl.

Place salt in a mortar and pestle and grind to a powder. Add sugar and spices and mix well. Add spice mixture to hot almonds and toss together.  Spread on a tray to cool before serving.

These nuts crisp up as they cool and can be stored in an airtight jar for 1-2 days.

LAMB SHAWARMA (Lamb Cutlets with Spiced Yoghurt)
6 meaty lamb cutlets
1.5 cups natural yoghurt
3 tblspns lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tspns ground cumin
1 tspn ground turmeric
Big pinch of ground allspice
1 tspn ground coriander

Combine yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside half of this mixture to use as a serving sauce. With the remaining half, add spices and mix well.

Lay out lamb cutlets on a large plate and firstly season with salt and pepper.  Now coat the cutlets with the spiced yoghurt, leaving bones clean.  Cover and marinate in fridge for up to 12 hours. This process not only allows flavours to immerse, but also tenderises the meat.

Heat bbq grill or grill pan on med high heat. Wipe off excess marinade from cutlets and discard. Cook cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side (for medium) or until desired doneness.

Spike a skewer through the cutlets to stack them in a tall pile. Arrange on a platter with lettuce leaves, pita bread and the reserved yoghurt. 

KOSHARI (My version of a popular Egyptian street food)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 small green capsicum, deseeded and diced
1/2 tspn ground cardamon
1/2 tspn  chilli powder (optional)
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1 cup long grain rice, washed and drained
2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup currants
1/2 cup flaked almonds
2 tblspns each of chopped parsley and coriander leaves
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds/anvils (optional)
2 eschallots or small onions, peeled and thinly sliced as rings

Heat oil in a medium sized fry pan on medium heat. When hot, add almonds and cook until golden brown, stirring constantly. Quickly remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Add currants to the pan and cook for 1- 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Add onion rings to the pan and cook until deep golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

In the remaining oil, add diced onion and cook, stirring until soft. Add capscium and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cardamon, chilli powder and cinnamon.

Add rice and stir for flavours to combine. Turn up heat to high and add 1 cup of chicken stock. (The level of stock should be a fingers width above the rice mix so add extra if necessary.) Once stock is boiling, turn heat down to medium low and continue to cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes until liquid has been absorbed. Do not stir through this process. (After 15 minutes, the rice should be cooked through. If not, add a little extra hot stock and cook for another couple of minutes).

Once the rice is cooked through and all liquid absorbed, continue to cook on medium high heat to allow a little browning on the bottom of the pan. Scrape rice mix into a large bowl and add currants, almonds (retain some for garnish) , parsley, coriander and pomegranate.  Toss together and season to taste.

Arrange on a plate, piled to a centre peak like a pyramid. Garnish with the fried onion rings and reserved almonds.

​Sauerkraut is naturally fermented cabbage. During fermentation, live bacteria is produced which are known as probiotics. These probiotics give us good gut health which in turn improves our digestion, strengthens our immune system and helps us to lose weight. Sauerkraut provides dietary fibre and many essential vitamins and nutrients. And it is delicious served cold in a wellness bowl or sandwich, or hot served with roast meats or vegetables. In the markets of Riga in Latvia, it is possible to buy cups of the naturally fermented juice and it is surprisingly delicious as a drink!
 
It is a simple process – start well ahead of time to allow a few weeks for full fermentation.
 
You will need:
1 x 2 litre glass jar with lid (or a combination of smaller ones)
1 whole cabbage
3 tblspns of sea salt for every 2kgs of shredded cabbage
 
Wash jars and sterilise (see notes below)
 
Wash cabbage and remove the outer leaves. Keep these for filling the top of the jar.
 
Cut in half, remove the core and discard. Finely shred the remaining cabbage.
 
Place 2kgs of shredded cabbage into a wide based saucepan or bowl, sprinkle with 3 tblspns of salt and lightly pound down for several minutes with a wooden mallet (I use my cocktail muddler) until you get juice and cabbage is changing its texture.
 
Spoon into your jar and press down so that the top is covered with liquid. (Keep pressing to release the juices). Press in the larger outer leaves, folded loosely to fill in the gap. Close lid.
 
Keep in room temperature for 1-2 weeks for fermentation to take place. During this process, you may need to open the lid to remove excess gasses. After that, it should be stored in the fridge and will keep for many months.
 
After 2 weeks in the fridge, you can start to eat the sauerkraut but keep in mind that flavour and texture improves with age.
 
No need to drain or rinse. Eat it as is. Yumm
 
 ​Options for Sterilising Jars:

1. Wash jar and lid and boil in a big pot of water for 5 minutes. Using clean tongs, carefully lift out and allow to drain on a clean tea towel.
2. Wash jar and lid in the dishwasher on a regular cycle.
3. Wash jar and lid and dry in a 120deg oven for 10 minutes.

Watermelon, Prawn and Feta Skewers   Makes 12
 
This is a refreshing canape and delicious with or without prawns. To serve as an entrée, cut larger pieces and stack with melon at the bottom and an upright prawn at the top.
 
12 medium sized raw prawns, washed, shelled and cleaned
3 cups water
Large pinch of salt
2 large strips of lemon rind
¼ seedless watermelon, cut 12 cubes of 2cm each
12 mint leaves
100g Tasmanian smooth feta
Dressing, see recipe below
 
Place water, salt and lemon rind into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add prawns and continue simmering for a further 2-3 minutes until cooked through and pink.  Drain and allow to cool.
 
Cut feta into 3cm slices. Now cut squares slightly less wider than watermelon. Lay out watermelon cubes and top each one with a mint leaf and then a cube of feta. Starting from the top, carefully skewer them together (make sure your skewer is not too thick), finishing with a flat prawn at the bottom. Drizzle with dressing up to 30 minutes before serving.


For the dressing:
Mix together and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes:
 
2 tblspns olive oil
2 tspns lemon juice
2 tspns finely diced red onion
2 tspns finely chopped parsley
Large pinch each of sea salt and pepper

So sad that Margaret Fulton has left our world. Her feisty and confident approach to cooking inspired our culinary world. Her wicked humour made me laugh out loud. Her Butter Cake was perfectly divine.

I was fortunate enough to meet her on numerous occasions through the Food Media Club of which she was Patron. In 2008, she presented me with ‘The Margaret Fulton Award Recognising Potential in an Emerging Recipe Author’ and I have been writing ever since. Her advice to me still remains in my ear: ‘Continue what you are doing, continue having fun, enjoying it, inspiring others – and things will naturally flow.’ And wear good shoes!

I made lunch for her one day and we had it together in her home. What to make for such a kitchen hero?! In a dramatic voice on the phone, she told me to not make huge mounds, so I decided on something true to my heart. Latvian open sandwiches. The whole plate was devoured (phew) and she asked if she could keep the remainder of my Citrus Butter Cake. Now that was the ‘icing on the cake’ – so to speak.

​ I feel sad for her passing, but happy that she achieved so much and was able to spread that passion and humour to me and so many others.

Freekeh is  young green durum wheat which has been toasted to give its unique smoky nutty taste. It is often cracked to shorten cooking times, but I recently held a Whole Foods class so I opted for the uncracked freekeh. It was as simple as placing one cup of freekeh into a saucepan with 2 cups of water, bringing it to the boil and simmering for 45 minutes. I then stirred, turned off the heat and alllowed it to sit for 10 minutes to absorb the final moisture. When cool, it can be refrigerated for many days making it a quick and easy source of protein and fibre (in fact, twice the amount than quinoa).

Here are one of the recipes that I used in the Whole Foods Vegetarian class:

Roasted Cauliflower with Freekeh, Almonds & Pomegranate     Serves 3-4
 
1 small head of cauliflower, broken into approx. 2cm florets
1 tspn cumin seeds
3-4 tblspns olive oil
½ cup cooked Freekeh (follow packet instructions)
½ cup finely chopped parsley and chives (or a mix of your favourite green herbs)
2 large green shallots, finely sliced white and green sections
½ cup almonds, roasted in 180C oven for 10 minutes
Pomegranate (You will need approx. ½ cup of arils. See note below)
Extra 2 tblspns olive oil
1 tblspn lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
 
Heat oven to 180C
 
To Roast the Cauliflower: In a bowl, mix together cauliflower florets, olive oil, cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked to desired texture. (Toss halfway)
 
To Make the Dressing: Mix together 2 tblspns olive oil, 1 tblspn lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
 
To Compile the dish:    Roughly chop the almonds in half diagonally.
 
In a large mixing bowl, place cauliflower, cooked freekeh, herbs, shallot and pomegranate arils. Mix together with dressing and just before serving, fold through half of the almonds, reserving some for a crunchy topping.

Tomato and Goats Curd Tartlets   - Makes 16
 
Deliciously light and fresh and so simple to make for larger numbers
 
1 sheet frozen short crust pastry
250g fresh goats curd
2-3 Roma tomatoes, ripe but firm
1 small brown eschallot, peeled and finely diced
1 tspn finely chopped chives
Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
16 small basil leaves
 
Heat the oven to 180 deg C fan forced
 
Cut rounds of pastry and lay them in a greased tartlet tray (for 5cm tarts). Prick the bases with a fork and bake for 10 mins until golden brown. Cool on a rack. (When cool, these can be kept in an airtight container for a couple of days or frozen).
 
Slice off the base of the tomato and cut the tomato in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the inner membrane, seeds and excess juice.  Now thinly dice the remaining flesh and place into a mixing bowl.
 
Add the diced eschallot, chives and seasoning and mix together. (Can be prepared a couple of hours in advance).
 
Place a teaspoon of goats curd into each pastry shell, top with tomato salsa and garnish with a basil leaf.

Saddened to hear the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He was such an inspiration to me with food, wine, travel, people and the quirky little bits of other cultures. He has made me smile, frown, look away in disgust and laugh out loud. My favourite episodes of his shows were definitely Romania, Rome and uncannily, Paris, where his life ended. Who would've thought that someone who loved life so much could end it?!

I always said that the 'Deconstructed Dish' phase was ridiculous! Just an excuse for a cheesecake that didn't turn out. Well, Have a look at these ridiculous Decontructed Dishes: