April 2007 – Abstract Gourmet

3 days in Sydney

So here are a few things that we’ve done so far that have been either worthwhile or noteworthy…

Day 1
– Had a great view of the city from the Harbourview Hotel
– Wandered through The Rocks, found some interesting staircases and a lot of other tourists.
– Had a very average meal at Bar Luca on Phillip Street in the city (with the worst Sangria i’ve ever tasted)
– Still hungry and unsatisfied, made our way to Chinatown (guaranteed to be open late on a Tuesday night) and had dinner 2 at Red Chilli Sichuan.

Day 2
– Went to Cremorne and Mosman and visited Gerardo’s fantastic cafes there (Don Adan, and Don Adan Too)
– Wandered through Kings Cross, to Sharon’s friends place where we are stayed. Checked out some of the more interesting sights that only the Cross can offer.
– Had some extremely tasty lamb cutlets at a restaurant called Lotus somewhere on Bayswater Rd in the Cross
– Went to the institution that is Hernandez Coffee for 24 hour hot chocolates and churros

Day 3
– Hopped a train to Newtown and checked out Campos coffee, had a superb short macchiato
– Had lunch in Newtown at KA Sushi, nothing spectacular but it filled a void.
– Bought a t-shirt from Funky Munky on King St in Newtown, Sharon bought a bag, a dress, a belt… innumerable other things.
– Wandered around finding interesting things to take photos of that didn’t seem to cliched…failed miserably.
– Caught the train back to Central and wandered through Surrey Hills. Found out where Bills 2, Billy Kwongs, and a few other places are for future reference
– Walked from Surrey Hills into the city, stopping briefly for refreshments, before ending up at The Strand, and amusing myself while Sharon slowly made her way through every designer shop she could find.
– Had tapas dinner at the old school, but highly recommended Capitain Torres in the Spanish Quarter… marveled at the fact that there even is a “Spanish Quarter”.

East side

So yeh… if I hadn’t told you, or completely forgotten to mention it… I’m in Sydney !

Sharon and I have jetted over for a week and will be sampling as many of the sights and sounds and tastes as we can before returning to reality in Perth next week sometime.

What this means is that if you’re trying to get hold of me I may not answer my phone, and unless I can find a few more places like the ever gracious State Library of NSW with free internet access, I may not be replying to much email either. I may try and get some photos up and a few quips about how I’ve found the place so far… but for now, my only piece of advice is to avoid the $30 tapas plate with complimentary jug of sangria at Bar Luca in the CBD… however cheap and tempting it may seem to someone who hasn’t eaten in over 15 hours….

Later homies.

Szechuan Seared Kangaroo w/ Sauted potatoes and cherry tomato jus

What is it about cute animals that causes such controversy when they’re turned into tasty dishes ? Rob certainly knows what I’m talking about ever since recreating an El Bulli masterpiece of deep fried bunny ears (!) Now any card carrying PETA member will get sufficiently riled at the mere thought of eating meat, whether it be sheep, cows, pigs, or other… but nothing fires up those latent animal rights activists, who might otherwise let meaty bygones be bygones, more than something cute and furry on the menu.

Now I’m not about to start harvesting kangaroo ears or tails, or paws, and turning them into some kind of elaborate sorbet that requires a half tonne of liquid nitrogen and an industrial meat mincer to create. I’m much more concerned about eating something tasty, rather than pushing any sort of quasi political agenda, however I do find it interesting that there is still something about eating our native animal and national emblem that a great deal of Australians find off putting. We’re still really working out whether we even have a national dish.

The thing is though… Kangaroo is delicious meat. It’s dark and rich and gamey, and if seasoned well and cooked properly, can evoke all the melt in your mouth qualities of a well cooked hunk of beef. Of course, Kangaroos aren’t renowned for the amount of fat they have on them, so if you overcook it, it will turn out dry, and hard, and rubbery, and terrible. Along the lines of one of Dad’s lambs fry (fried liver) breakfasts from my childhood.

Don’t expect me to start draping myself in the flag, eating witchety grubs for breakfast, and seasoning everything with wattleseed. But I think Kangaroo is something that everyone should try at least once so they can say they have. The sooner we break out of the mould of thinking of ourselves either as a former British colony, or as the Mediterranean relocated down under… the sooner we’ll be able to embrace much more of our native produce in new and interesting ways.

Ingredients

Kangaroo fillets (the thicker the better)
Olive oil, salt, to season
Szechuan peppercorns
potatoes
cherry tomatoes
red onion
garlic
butter
red wine

How I made mine

So basically rub the fillets all over with olive oil and season well with salt (perhaps trying some Murray River salt as mentioned by Linda in the comments recently), then grind the Szechuan peppercorns up and rub it all over the meat. Leave that to sit for a while, and in the meantime, put the potatoes on to boil.

When the potatoes are almost cooked, but still quite firm, take them out and plunge them into an ice bowl (or bowl of cold water). Then carefully (they’ll still be hot inside) peal them. Cooking them in the skins supposedly keeps the flavour in while they’re cooking… but if you can’t be bothered, peel them beforehand.

Once they’re peel, slice them into little round pieces for sautéing. Season a pan with olive oil on high heat and very quickly fry some garlic for flavour, then throw in the potato slices and a good stick of butter. Sauté the potatoes on a high heat until they are nice and crispy and golden on the outside.

Now we’re ready to cook the kangaroo. Remember… less is more… less time cooking = more juices and flavour left in the meat… obviously there’s an optimal point for everyone, but I personally don’t go much past rare when cooking kangaroo. So put it into a hot pan with olive oil and sear quickly all over for a few minutes (depending on how thick the piece is). Give it a poke to try and work out how done it is, and when it’s close to being done, take it out and put it into the oven to finish cooking. It should only be in a moderate oven for a 10 minutes or so before being ready. Take it out of the oven, let it to sit and rest for a few minutes, and then slice it up into elegant morsels.

When you’re done with the kangaroo, deglaze the pan juices with red wine, add your cherry tomatoes, red onion, and a little sugar for a caramelising effect to the sauce. Reduce it down until the onions and tomatoes are falling apart and the sauce is thick… And you’re done.

Arrange your potatoes and kangaroo on a plate and spoon the sauce over the top. I served mine with a robust Shiraz (the Croftiers Shiraz from Houghtons in the Swan Valley), which fit the full flavours of the kangaroo perfectly.

If that isn’t a slice of Australia, I don’t know what is !

A Taste of Origin

I was fortunate enough to attend a coffee talk recently facilitated by Kamran and Louise of Fiori Coffee. The talk was given by Gerardo Barrios, a 7th generation coffee grower, roaster, and cafe owner, who’s family estate in Honduras produces wonderful coffee using natural processes and innovation, coupled with techniques and traditions passed down through the years.

Gerado gave us an insight into the world of coffee growing and the importance of the crop to the economy of Honduras, as well as some idea of the work and love that is involved in creating the finest coffees, woven through the story of his families coffee, and his attempts to bring it to the rest of the world.

It’s hard not to get inspired and excited when listening to Gerado speak. His love for coffee is unshakeable, and the romanticism of it all is hard to escape, tempered only by the solemn reality that the livelihoods of so many people rely on this one little bean. As Gerado wisely says… this so called “humble bean” is not so humble.

Also fortunate for me was that I’ve been asked to do a write up for a local magazine, so for now, head on over to Grendels blog, and check out his excellent wrap up on the talk and some of the pertinent issues raised.