Josie Bones… Hmmm Yaaaaa…..
Posted on | January 19, 2012
I think it's pig for dinner
So, I’m an avid Master Chef fan and I’ve never hidden that. I’ll admit I was never a fan of Chris Badenoch, so going to his restaurant was always one of those things I sort of toyed with and mostly down played. When Chris cooked that pigs head on Master Chef Australia, I must say I was very intrigued and since then there has been this simmering, boiling interest deep down inside me that has transcended anything I’ve ever thought, firing this desire to eat one of his creations.
Today, when deciding on where to eat with Tim and Ange, I thought, hey, let’s check out Josie Bones…
From what I’d heard on the grape vine, Josie Bones has one of the widest beer selections in Melbourne and if Chris’s cooking on Master Chef was anything to go by, this was going to be a carnivores delight. I had a gut feeling that this was going to be a great dining experience. No matter what my pre conceived perceptions were.
Oh boy, what an experience we were about to have.
From the moment I walked in the door, I was invited to the party. The service was exemplary.
Beer special
I started with the Beer Special and why not when you are dining at a beer speciality restaurant. Brewed with Cherries and bitter to taste it started off quite tart, but after I made it half way through I started to appreciate the taste and boy, it started to taste great.
Once we had all arrived, we started with the ‘Crackling of the day’; which today was Chicken Skin. OMG, they have a crackling of the day?
Matching everything I ate with a beer, it was like a wine based degustation but not quite, sort of.
Duck prosciutto
One of the highlights were the Duck Prosciutto, with candied walnuts… Amazing combination of tastes and textures.
Rolled Pigs head
The rolled Pigs Head was the most succulent juiciest and crispiest piece of pork I’ve ever eaten. This dish has made me realise that I should never cook pork myself again.
Eating plates of made to share food, we enjoyed everything we ordered.
I’ve been turned, the food and dining experience at Josie Bones was second to none. I totally recommend eating at Josie Bones and I will definitely be eating there again.
MasterChef Master Class, Miguel Maestre’s Mountain Rice Paella…
Posted on | June 17, 2011
I had seen the advert for the MasterChef Master Class and I saw the Paella; knowing I had a dinner party on Saturday with a couple of foodie mates, I’d let them know in advance I was going to do a Paella. It did help that I had happened to get Tim a Paella dish for his last birthday.
When I saw the MasterChef Master Class add, I caught a glimpse of what I thought were Mussels in it, boy was I wrong! As the show was airing, I was out to dinner with a friend Kat but I knew they would have recordings of the show on their site that I could watch later; so I wasn’t too concerned.
‘It’s got Rabbit in it’ was the first text I got during dinner, ‘It’s got Quail’ was the second… And the third and final text that I received that did make me wonder if I was setting myself up for disaster was: ‘And blood sausage!’. It didn’t really dawn on me until the next day watching they show, that Ange actually meant Morcilla. It’s much more subtle than blood sausage or black pudding as I’ve known it in the past; I first tried it at Min Lokal in scrambled eggs, a must try dish.
 Paella Ingredients |
 Rabbit |
After watching the MasterChef Master Class, I jotted down the recipe and started planning my day. I knew it was going to be tight as I was meant to have marinated the Rabbit for 24 hours before cooking it. I bought the Rabbit from Jonathans on Smith Street and headed to Casa Iberica on Johnson Street, as it is the must go place for any Spanish cooking. Handily they are both around the corner from each other.
Timmy picked me up from home and after a coffee from Min Lokal to start the day right, we headed to Casa Iberica where we picked up Bomba Rice, Morcilla, Chorizo, Paprika, Quality Chicken Stock and Saffron. We did get a bit carried and also bought some Jamon, baking dishes, Pipis and other Spanish spices.
We did forget to get the Juniper Berries but after a post for help on Facebook and Twitter, Jana got the message and found some at Rita’s Coffee and Nuts at the South Melbourne Markets. Co-incidentally they had had a rush on Juniper Berries that day, so I’m guessing there were a few people watching the MasterChef Master Class and Miguel Maestres’ Mountain Rice Paella was going to get a good going over this weekend.
 Quartered Rabbit |
 Chopped Up Rabbit |
From the Footscray Markets we picked up the Quails and blanched Almonds. The rest of the ingredients were pretty much off the shelf and we picked them up from the local superduper.
I did make a couple of stuff ups taking down the recipe and this is my interpretation. The Rabbit was whole, so I tried my best to quarter it, then strip the meat off it. I feel sorry for the poor Rabbit, I don’t think a Rabbit has quite been stripped of meat like that before.
 Rabbit Marinade Ingredients |
 Rabbit Marinade |
I made up the marinade from the following ingredients in the mortar and pestle:
- 1 teaspoon of Juniper Berry
- 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 garlic cloves
- olive oil 60ml
- sherry 60ml
Once pounded senseless, I rubbed it thoroughly into the Rabbit chunks and left it to stand.
Timmy then proceeded to whip up a number of Tapas dishes, as the Rabbit obligingly marinated.
 Morcilla Chorizo Quail |
 Paella Pan |
When it was time to cook the Paella, the dish went on to the stove with about 40ml of Olive oil. Once heated I turned the gas down a bit, spread the Rabbit out on the pan and browned it slowly.
 Meats Ready |
 Rabbit |
The two quails had been cut into about four pieces each and added to the pan. The morcilla and chorizzo were then sprinkled over the meat in the pan and the heat turned up, to sear the meat but not cook it all the way through.
 Rabbits Ready |
 Quails Added |
Once seared on the outside, the meat was removed and put to the side, leaving the oil and juices in the pan.
 Morcilla Chorizo Added |
 Meats Seared |
Next the Safrito (Spanish for aromatic mix) is made up by adding to the pan:
- an extra bit of Olive Oil
- 3 chunkily slided cloves of garlic
- half bunch of thyme
- half a bunch of orageno
- a chunky cut red capsicum
- 50g blanched Almonds
- big pinch of Saffron
- Paprika – sweet and smoked
- 60ml Sherry – sweet
- 1 litre of quality Chicken Stock
- 400g of Bomba rice
 Sofrito Started |
 Capsicum Blistered |
Cook the garlic very slowly, rubbing pan with wooden spoon as you go to loosen the sediment and flavours from the meat, off the bottom. Deglazing as it were.
 Almonds Added |
 Saffron |
Add the herbs and capsicum and caramelise it slightly, every thing will cook fully later.
In went the Almonds, Saffron, Paprika, Sherry and Chicken Stock.
 Paprika |
 Ready To Add Liquids |
Bring the liquid to simmer and add meat back to pan, making sure the meat is evenly spread out over the pan.
Next evenly sprinkle the Bomba rice over the liquid by hand. If there is rice outside the liquid, give the pan a gentle shake to ensure all the rice is soaked.
 Adding The Meat Back In |
 Ready For The Bomba Rice |
Leave the dish untouched for 25 min to cook, over a low flame. It’s important to make sure you don’t stir the dish, when the liquid is soaked up a crusty layer will form on the bottom of the pan and that’s when you know the Paella is ready.
 Adding Bomba Rice |
 Paella Cooking |
The lucky recipients of my Paella were Stephen Bennetts, Jana and Sandra Clack, Tim and Ange McKellar, Claire Robinson and Mark Torpy. I didn’t exactly advertise all of the ingredients, as to prevent any unfounded misperceptions.
 Paella Still Cooking |
 Paella Cooking Still |
The flavours in the Paella were amazing and I really couldn’t believe how great it turned out. The dish was a hit, when I explained exactly what was inside the dish there were some funny faces pulled, but in general it couldn’t be faulted.
 Paella Cooked |
 Paella Plated |
This is definitely a great Paella to try, thanks Miguel Maestre for sharing it with us!
MasterChef Reactive Style – Team 5
Posted on | June 14, 2011
We welcomed to the kitchen Team 5, the last team of the first Week in the Reactive Melbourne MasterChef challenge.
 Team 5 |
 Chop Chop |
Team members Sam Chalmers, Liddy Chin, Marina Kosmatos and Beth Walsh flew into the kitchen with the force of an unstoppable hurricane; up against the core incredients pumpkin, Beef steak and pasta.
 Got The Fry Going |
 Mid Cook |
A whir of chop chop, frying, bubbling and boiling they took on the challenge with head strong determination to cook up something tastey and great.
 Cooking Away |
 Team Cooking |
It wasn’t long before the team got to enjoy the spoils of their toil.
 Plated Up |
 Go Team 5 |
MasterChef – Reactive Style – Team 4
Posted on | June 10, 2011
It was day 3 in the Reactive Melbourne MasterChef kitchen; starting the round was Team 4: Jesse Dymond, Sian Evans, Ross Richard and Byron Salau.
 Ingredients |
 Planning |
Their mystery box revealed Beef Rump Steak, Potatoes and Beans… What to cook? After some deliberation, a Goulash’n'Mash.
 Spudding |
 Spuds up |
Having to use a bit of ingenuity to work around a missing utensil or two, the team managed through adversity to get a great creamy mashed tata’ going.
 A happy team |
 Goulash's on |
One thing they learned along the way, it having a laugh as you go makes it all the more enjoyable.
 Plating up |
 Team 5 |
With the dish complete and the mission accomplished Team 4 was happy to hucker down into their Goulash.
MasterChef – Reactive Style – Team AMA
Posted on | June 9, 2011
Team AMA was the next to grace the Reactive MasterChef kitchen. Comprising of team members Peter Kung, Adam Marsh, Jim Marshall and Steve Pranidhita team AMA (Aussie Meets Asia) found Chops, Pumpkin and Rice in their mystery box.
 The Ingredients |
 The Planning |
This team stood out from the rest so far with their initial strategic planning process. The dish would be spiced chops, pumpkin and tomato mash with a side of rice.
 The Start |
 Chops |
With the kitchen a buzz with Team AMA all hands on cooking and the odd Reactivite adding to the traffic, the smell of chops in the pan filled the air.
 Onions |
 Pumpkin |
A job well done and again some vibrant colours on the plate; Team AMA happily chowed into their tasty meal.
 Plated Up |
 Team AMA |
MasterChef – Reactive Style – Team 2
Posted on | June 8, 2011
Day two and after one or two delays, it was full steam ahead with the ironically named Team 2. Troy Outtram, Ken Park, Adam Phin, Shane Tomlinson and Samith Weththasinghe made up the next Reactive MasterChef troupe to hit the kitchen.
Picking the same mystery box as Team 1, it was a dish made from Chick thighs, Spinach and Ricotta on the menu today.
 Hello Team 2 |
 Preparation |
A quick hunt through the pantry and the dish for the Reactive MasterChef Team 2 was to be a chicken and spinach pasta with a tomato based sauce, topped with ricotta and sided with garlic chilli bread.
 Cook it up |
 Vibrant Colours |
The office was filled with the aroma of the food in no time and I suddenly had had hunger pangs… hmmm… need food.
 Cleaning Up |
 Plating Up |
The team split off into jobs and together the meal came. The heated plates were a great idea, ensuring the food didn’t cool off when it was plated up and the team cleaned the kitchen.
 Voila c'est fini |
 Team 2 - Enjoy |
A great take on the ingredients and their own touches has given Team 2 an equal standing with Team 1.
MasterChef – Reactive Style – Team 1
Posted on | June 7, 2011
Today marked the start of the Reactive Melbourne team building MasterChef series of lunches. An initiative to get to know your work mate and build on the team spirit, the inaugural Melbourne Leadership group came up with the MasterChef lunch challenge.
 Washing Hands |
 The Ingredients |
First off the rank were Tim Fouhy, Aurelien Boucher, Leon Hazen and Alex Williams; Team 1. Their mystery box of 3 ingredients were Chicken Thighs, Ricotta and Spinach; along with a pantry of staples their challenge had started.
 Chefs In Progress |
 Cutting The Chook |
The dish du jour was an open chicken sandwich. Splitting into teams a busy kitchen was filled with slicing, frying, grating, chopping and most importantly cleaning. The work space was kept clean as they went and finishing well within time there was enough time to eat. The hour time limit included eating time, so it would have been disastrous if they had cooked and weren’t able to eat.
 Nearly Ready |
 Team 1 |
The sandwiches were demolished and Team 1 have set the bar!
 The Dish of Team 1 |
 Happy Team 1 |
Maroccan Chicken Tagine
Posted on | May 22, 2011
Chicken. That’s it, Chicken; Stephen declared. Tonight’s dinner was bought to you, er… Us by the chicken.
Our inspiration, chicken thigh, was to be cooked in the Tagine. Can’t remember if there was something on TV that gave us the idea, but the dish was going to be Moroccan in taste. Luckily Mark and Stephen just happened to have a near virgin (non-stick) Tagine.
I had a Google for Chicken Tagine recipes and came across one in the New York Times that I used to base our dinner on.
A quick trip down to the South Melbourne Markets and we’d found everything we needed. Including the new ingredient of the day, Ptitim or Israeli couscous. It’s larger than the standard cous cous and round in shape. We picked this up from Rita’s Coffee and Nuts at South Melbourne Market.
To accompany the chicken tagine, I was inspired by Nigella Lawson. I had the food channel on all afternoon and she had made this wicked beef stew with a whole bottle of Red wine. On the side she made a fresh and simple salad that looked like just the perfect side for our dish too.
I’m pretty loose with my measurements so if you need an exact recipe to follow, check out the New York Times version, but if you cook to taste I’ve simplified it.
The Chicken Tagine
Chicken Tagine Ingredients
Heres what went in:
5 Chicken Thighs
a cup of chopped dried Apricots
a can of Chick Peas
a large oinion
around a table spoon of:
Minced Garlic
Grated Ginger
Ground Coriander Seeds
Ground Cumin
Ground Cinnamon
A cup of chopped fresh tomatoes
Chicken stock
Salt & Pepper
Coriander for a garnish
Preping the meat and spices
 Chunky Chopped Chicken |
 Ingredients Chopped |
We chopped the chicken into large chunks and brown it all over in a large pan; then removed it from the pan and put it to the side.
 Cooking Chicken |
 Onion Cooking |
Next we added the onion to the pan and cooked until it started to soften; in went the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, dried apricots and chopped tomatoes.
 Ginger And Garlic |
 Onion And Spices |
After cooking it for a bit, the mixture turned into this amazing smelling ‘poultice’. It looked so vibrant and the house was filled with the most wonderful fragrance.
 Added Apricot |
 Added Tomato |
Once the tomatoes had relaxed a little we moved the mix to the tagine, added the chickpeas and 1 cup of stock.
 The Tagine |
 Maroccan Poultice |
The tagine was put on the lowest the element would go; then when the mixture had heated up we added the chicken.
 Moved To The Tagine |
 Ingredients In The Tagine |
Once the chicken was added we put the cover on the Tagine. Checking the dish occasionally I found I had to remove some of the liquid and also be careful that the apricots didn’t stick to the bottom. As the dish cooked, it needed some seasoning and I added salt and pepper to taste.
 Tagine Cooking |
 Simmering Tagine |
We cooked the tagine for about an hour and a half.
 Cous Cous Cooking |
 Cooked Cous Cous |
Whilst the tagine was cooking, there was time to prepare the salad and couscous.
The couscous cooks like a pasta, I used the left over stock and topped it up with water. It will take about 20 minutes and soak up a lot of liquid; make sure you have water handy on the side I needed it.
Once it’s finished, just drain it.
The Salad
The side salad, I got from Nigella Lawson and it’s really good. I tried to make it with out Nigella’s trade mark love of sugar, but I had to add just a little bit to round out the flavours.
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/14753/hot-and-sour-shredded-salad
Salad Ingredients
The salad is made up of:
3 carrots
4 spring onions
1 long red chilli
1 long green chilli
coriander
And the dressing is:
Juice of a lime
4 x 15ml tablespoons fish sauce
A decent pinch of Brown sugar
 Salad Ingredients Prepared |
 Salad Ingredients Julienned |
Peel the carrots, cut into long slices and then julienne them.
Trim and halve the spring onions, then julienne.
De-seed the chillies and cut into julienne also.
Finely chop the coriander.
 Salad To The Bowl |
 Salad Mixed |
Combine all the julienned vegetables and the chopped coriander in a bowl.
In another bowl mix the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Mix in to the salad slowly and taste it as you go, you’ll know when the right amount has been added.
Tagine On The Table
It’s probably easier to put it all on the table and let everyone serve up as much as they want. No doubt they’ll be going back for more.
Chicken Tagine
Mediterraneo – A warm port in the storm…
Posted on | May 14, 2011
It is absolutely freezing in Melbourne at the moment and with that in mind the hunt was on for somewhere warm. Our preferred dining location was Bridport Street in Albert Park.
 Outside Medi |
 Nibblies |
Some where we hadn’t dined at before was Mediterraneo Charcoal Grill – Steak & Seafood Restaurant. From the outside, it looked warm, inviting and with a name like Charcoal Grill, it had already started to give me a warm feeling.
We weren’t disappointed; the staff were extremely warm and inviting. We picked a table down the back next to the fireplace so all the boxes were getting ticked off pretty quickly.
I absent mindedly missed the point that the restaurant’s speciality is, of course, char grilled foods. The specials were not themselves different dishes, they are pretty much different types of chargrilled meats; tonight we had four cuts of red meat and three fish to choose from.
 Chargrilled Sausages |
 Hearty Beef Goulash |
We were recommended to share the skinless sausages as an entee; char grilled of course. They were magnificent, made from what can only be described as real meat. These tasty little sausages highlighted how good chargrilled food can be.
For our mains we both opted for the Beef Goulash, it was cold and the Goulash just sounded like the best thing to warm us up. The rich sauce and tender beef hit that spot we needed filling; inner warmth and filled were the two next boxes checked off. Although, after having the sausages, I wished I’d ordered some more of that chargrilled goodness.
 Goulashes |
 HOT Chillies |
As a side, we had the pear and parmesan salad and a side of chillies. These chillies we were warned would bring a tear to the eye of even the most ardent chilly lover; the yellow ones in fact were the ones we had to look out for. Holy be-jezuz… Not wrong, those yellow chillies packed a wallop that made J’nel’s stuffed chillies look like child’s play. The nostrils were blown clear, the sweat was pouring and the mouth had a burn going that didn’t want to let down. Brilliant, loved it.
 Lemon Lime Tart |
 Creamy Moist Tiramasu |
Saving only just enough room for dessert, I ordered the Tiramisu and Mark ordered the Lemon Lime Tart. The light delicate flavours of the Tart were so Moorish it didn’t matter if there was enough room, it was going in and the Tiramisu was moist and also tasty.
 Great Long Mac |
 Tart didn't last long |
My long Macchiato was as good a coffee as I would expect from Atomica, Min Lokal or Jasper.
And if you were observant enough to notice the two wine glasses, yes, my self-imposed alcohol ban for the month of May had gone awry…
Tony Barnett: I stole your Apple Tarte Tartin!
Posted on | May 12, 2011
One night in a suburb far far west, I was treated to a homemade meal by the very talented Tony Barnett. Always out doing himself, he treated us to Oysters, Saganaki (hot and fresh from the pan), Porcini Mushroom Risotto, which was followed up by the subject of this post, an Apple Tarte Tartin.
We thank you Tony Barnett for bringing the Apple Tarte Tartin to our lives…
Now when I cook, I can tend to just throw together what feels right at the time. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t; when it doesn’t, generally it’s not pretty. In the case of the Apple Tarte Tartin, I’ve been lucky.
 The Ingredients |
 Peeled Apples |
To start with, Peel and Chop a number of Granny Smith Apples. we use these as they tend to keep their shape and texture the best throughout this process. If you are preparing in advance, store them in lemonated water as the acid will help to prevent the Apples from browning. The Apples need to be chopped in to quarters, with core removed and then cut so the inner site is flat, they’ll sit better in the pan that way.
 Butter in the pan |
 Apples Just In The Pan |
Chuck a decent sized lump of real butter in to a hot frying pan; melt the butter down and then place the apples flat chopped side down, into the butter.
Whilst the apples are cooking on a medium to medium high heat, sprinkle brown sugar over the apples. Add a couple of cinnamon quills and a split vanilla pod, making sure they are soaking in the butter.
When the apples start to soften and the bottoms are looking like they are cooking, gently turn all of the Apples over.
 Sugar The Apples |
 Turn The Apples |
Give the pan a little jiggle to ensure the butter and brown sugar mix and give the Apples a good coating.
Put the pan back on the heat to cook the top/rounded sides of the Apples.
Keep an eye on the buttery sugary mix, to make sure it does de-solve but doesn’t burn.
Poke the apples, when they are just about cooked take them off the heat.
 Apples Moved To A Dish |
 Dish Ready For The Oven |
This is where you would put an appropriately cut piece of puff pastry over the top of the pan and then put it in the oven. As our pan was too big to fit in the oven, I carefully placed the Apples (round side down) in an oven tray and then laid a piece of puff pastry over the top.
The oven dish then goes into the oven, preheated to 200 deg’s Celsius.
 Pastry's On |
 Golden Brown Pastry |
Watch the pastry and when it gets to a nice golden brown take the dish out of the oven.
Place the serving plate over the pan/dish and flip it over. The pastry will make up the base of the dish and the Apples will make up the top.
 Flipped It |
 The Apple Tarte Tartin |
Tony, I know you’re gonna kill me now, here comes the Pièce de résistance; the Ice Cream! The best ice cream for this is Connoisseur Vanilla. Before you start cooking mix together some ice cream with some fresh Lemon Thyme from the garden. The combination of the ice cream and Lemon Thyme has this amazing fragrant aroma and the flavour really sets off the Apples sweetness perfectly.
Then put the ice cream back into the freezer to firm up before you serve it.
 Mixing The Ice Cream |
 Ice Cream Ready To Go |
You will really need to exercise for a week to burn this baby off! I think one per year is sufficient!
I hope Tony likes my homage to his Apple Tarte Tartin…
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