Café Baloo Grilled Aubergine

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Monsieur Wag

Food, scents and music are irrevocably linked and leave romantic etchings in our soul. One of my personal etchings, comes from a long time ago, from a café in the Russell St Melbourne called Café Baloo. I have such deep and very fond memories of ducking in there to eat the most astounding food I had ever tried. Thinking back, this Café had a remarkable impact on me. It was food like I had never had before and it had a sound that has stayed with me ever since.

The very second you stepped in the café, the smell, the sound and the spicy hum of the room, provocatively pulled you in. There was a glass cabinet filled with freshly cooked vegetables, grains and pulses. From the roof hung braids of garlic, chili and other flotsam and jetsam. Foreign movies were projected on to a small wall space with the sound turned down so that you could hear the jazz falling from the small speakers like smooth honey.

One evening, a good friend of mine, Judy, asked the wait staff what music was playing. And after another delicious dinner, we left to find the albums in the local music store. Even today, when I listen to Ronny Jordan, I am instantly transported to a belle epoch with a rousing hunger for their food once more. Sadly, those days have moved to the dusty but comforting halls of memory, but I still remember one of the vegetables served. It was a grilled eggplant served with the grated Parmesan cheese, the dried variety that is sprinkled from glass shakers.

2 aubergines
100g dried grated Parmesan Cheese
Sea Salt
Vegetable oil

Slice the aubergine into thin slices approximately half a centimeter wide. Lay each of the slices out on a board or plate and sprinkle them with sea salt. Leave them for about half an hour.

With some kitchen paper towel, pat the surface dry to remove any excess fluid drawn out by the salt. Brush each side with some vegetable oil.

Heat a grill until it is white hot. Cook each side of the aubergine until it is well caramelised and soft.

Remove them from the heat and place them on a serving plate. Sprinkle with generous amounts of Parmesan Cheese and serve. Perfect with other anti-pesto food

Radishes with Butter (Radis roses au beurre sel)

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Monsieur Wag

I first came across this dish when we were traveling in France a number of years ago. We were staying in a house in Velleron, Provence, where there was a small cookbook to encourage guests to cook using the local produce. When I found the fresh radishes in the Velleron farmers market, I could not resist. And it has been love ever since.

It can be a little tricky to find these long slender radishes in Australia, but when you do, grab a bunch and some good quality salted butter. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I love this dish so much, and can gnaw though a bunch with such voracity a rabbit would be envious. I’m not sure if it is the butter or the radishes I love more, but when they are combined, I’m in heaven. This dish is ridiculously easy to make and it is a great appetizer to serve with a glass of wine.

Given that there a few ingredients, it is really important to pick the best quality.

1 bunch of fresh radishes
Fresh butter
Good quality sea salt

Wash the radishes and leave them in cold water for a few hours. Rinse and dry the radishes.
Leave the green leafy stems in place, but trim the fibrous roots from the base.

Slice each radish lengthways, but only as far as the stem, ensuring you don’t cut all the way through. Take a small amount of butter and gently press it between the edges.

Serve with good quality sea salt.

Flat bread

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Monsieur Wag

Of course you can buy good quality bread, but there is something very comforting about making your own.

It is ridiculously easy to make flat bread and if you have a BBQ, you can achieve a great authentic result. If you don’t have a BBQ or it is raining, you can cook the bread on a dry frying pan.

The recipe works best if you use strong or baker’s flour, but plain flour will still work if that is all you have at hand. There is more gluten in strong flour (often called ‘000’ flour) than plain flour, which will give you a much better result.

400g strong flour
7g dried yeast
1 tsp castor sugar
1 tsp sea salt
225ml warm water.
Vegetable oil

Activate the yeast by adding it to the warm water. Stir to combine and leave it aside for a few minutes until small white bubbles appear on the surface.

Add the flour, salt and sugar in to a large mixing bowl and add the yeasty water. Combine the ingredients to form a ball. Remove the ball and knead it on a clean dry surface. There should not be any need to dust the surface of the bench. Knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes until you have a smooth ball. Take a small bowl of dough and tease it out with your fingers to form a small windowpane. If you can see the shadow of your fingers through the window without the dough tearing, it is ready. If the dough tears, keep kneading for a few minutes longer.

Cover the dough with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil and cover with cling film. Set it aside in a warm part of the kitchen and leave it to prove for about 2 hours. The dough should nearly triple in size.

Divide the dough into even portions, anywhere between 8 – 12 balls and use rolling pin to form flat oval shapes.

Place the ovals onto a tray or bench surface, lined with baking paper. Cover with cling film and leave it to prove for another 30-40 minutes.

Place a large pan on a high heat and allow it to heat for about five minutes.

Lightly brush vegetable oil over one surface of each oval. Depending on the size of the pan, place one or two of the oval flat breads, oiled side down. Cook for about two or three minutes. Large pockets of air will form. Brush the top surface with oil and turn the bread over to cook the second side. When both sides are toasty brown, remove and set aside, and repeat the process until all the bread is cooked.

Serve with curry or any other dish of your liking.

Baked ricotta with caramelised pear and walnut

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Monsieur Wag

Baked ricotta is a great dish to cook and because ricotta has a mild flavour, you can compliment it with any number of ingredients – savoury or sweet. Although it is not technically a cheese, it still behaves like one, which means you can serve it in its place or with other cheeses on a board.

There are many recipes for baked ricotta and there a lot of options you could use. Some recipes add egg in to the mix, but I find it gives a more solid, congealed result. You can leave the egg out which gives a more crumbly texture, but I believe it is more pleasant to eat.

This recipe is intended to serve with a glass of wine and crusty bread, so I have used ingredients that complement wine – such as pear and walnuts. You could also use orange and raisin, or lemon and thyme.

250g fresh soft ricotta
1 pear, pealed, cored and finely diced
50g crushed walnuts
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
extra honey and olive oil

Pre heat the oven to 160°C. Generously wipe a small baking dish (approx. 10x5cm) with oil.

Gently toss the diced pear in a pan over a medium heat. When the pear pieces begin to caramelise, turn the heat off but leave the pan on the stove. Add the walnuts, olive oil and the honey and gently toss the pear to coat each piece. The heat of the pan should be enough to coat each piece of pear without burning the honey or the walnuts.

In a mixing bowl, add the caramelised pear and walnuts to the ricotta and gently mix until it is well combined and smooth.

Spoon the ricotta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the ricotta is firm and beginning to caramelise.

Remove it from the oven and drizzle with an extra amount of honey and olive oil. Set it aside to cool. Serve at room temperature with crusty bread and wine. You can drizzle more olive oil across the top before serving if you prefer.

Cheddar Cheese and Spring Onion Cornbread

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Monsieur Wag

Cornbread is enjoying a resurgence at the moment with the ‘tex-mex’ theme that is gaining popularity. Its texture is one that can handle almost any flavour you can throw at it which means you can be as inventive as you like. Any spicy seasoning or flavour can be removed or added to this recipe to match your taste.

If you want heat, add chili, if you want more aromatics, just stir them in. But the worst thing you can do to cornbread is leave it bereft of any flavour at all. It is naturally dry so don’t serve it bland – it just won’t work. Saucy dishes or soups are an ideal partner at the table.

In this recipe I worked on the basis of cheese and onion and added the seasonings that lift it higher, such as cumin and nutmeg. Don’t hold back on the salt or pepper either.

350g polenta (or cornmeal)
75g plain flour
4 eggs
250ml milk
150g cheddar cheese, grated
4 spring onions, finely spliced
1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for the spring onions
1tsp baking powder
Nutmeg, pinch
Cinnamon, pinch
Cumin, pinch
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C and prepare a 20cm cake tin by lining the base with backing paper or silicon.

Sauté the spring onions in a small amount of oil until they are caramelized and set them aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, add the polenta, plain flour, spices and baking powder. Add the eggs, milk, olive oil, cooled spring onions and half of the cheddar cheese. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.

Spoon the mixture in to the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese across the top. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

Remove it from the cake tin and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Cut a wedge and serve with butter. Your favourite tomato relish would make a delicious accompaniment.

Chicken Liver Pâté

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Monsieur Wag

I was deterred from eating liver at very early age following a few grim encounters. On one occasion, I vividly recall telling my Nanna that I hated liver. She corrected me quickly and sternly told me that I had not eaten her version. I told her that it was in fact her dish that I last ate and hated. And so, my aversion was firmly imprinted and I refused to eat anything liverish for a very long time.

As I have often written throughout this blog, my core rule of thumb is to try everything at least once. And just because you hated it as a child does not mean you will still hate it. My advice is to try it again. So, it follows that when I tried chicken liver pâté again, I discovered that I loved it.

The most important piece of advice is to not over cook the livers. You must watch the clock and check the colour as you go. The livers must still be blushing pink. If you over cook them, the resulting pâté will be grainy and unpleasant. You can also replace the chicken with duck livers, or you can mix half and half. You can also change the herbs and seasoning to make your own flavour.

100g chicken livers, fresh
100g butter, cubed
1 shallot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced or crushed
1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
1 tbs port
2 tbs brandy
olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
100g butter, extra for the top layer
1 tbs fresh parsley
Cracked pepper, extra

Place the chicken livers, shallot and garlic in a hot pan with the olive oil. Sauté the livers for about four minutes. It is critical to make sure the livers are still pink inside. Remove the livers from the pan and set them aside, leaving the shallot and garlic to continue sautéing in the pan.

Add the thyme, port and brandy. Gently scrape the pan juices together to make sure all the caramelized flavours are incorporated. Remove the pan from the heat.

Place the livers together with the shallot, garlic, port and brandy reduction in to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz the ingredients for a few minutes. Continue blitzing and add the butter cube-by-cube, ensuring each cube melts into the forming pâté before adding the next. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste the mixture to make sure there is enough seasoning.

Pour the pâté into a small ramekin or serving dish, cover it with cling film and place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Slowly melt the extra 100g of butter in a small saucepan. When the white milk solids rise to the top, remove the saucepan from the heat for a few minutes. Line the inside of a strainer with a few layers of muslin cloth and place it over a clean heatproof jug. Pour the melted butter through the muslin cloth and strainer. Remove and discard the milk solids in the cloth.

Place the clean dry fresh herbs on top of the pâté and gently pour the clarified butter on the top to the depth of at least one centimetre. Season generously with freshly cracked black pepper. Cover and return the pâté to the fridge for a few hours to allow the butter to solidify.

Once the butter has set, it is ready to serve.

Goat Cheese with Figs

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Monsieur Wag

When we stayed in Vellaron, in the heart of Provence, the evening farmers market was my favourite part of the day. No matter how far or wide we travelled during the day, coming home to stroll through the stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables was the highlight beyond all others. My memories of doing so are just as vivid and fond as strolling through the streets of Paris. With a basket in hand and a few Euros, we could buy anything from local wines to the freshest cherries I have ever tasted in my life. But it was the cheese stalls that won my heart each time.

In one particular specialist cheese stall, the only produce they sold was their locally made goats cheese. Each one was shaped into small wheels, some were rolled in fresh herbs or freshly made spicy dukkah. Others were encrusted with cracked pepper or left naturally naked and raw. It was only natural that we took them back to our little French villa with a great bouteille de vin and fresh bread.

Back home, in Melbourne we are surrounded by equally delicious goat cheese and so it’s easy to produce the same seasoned and spiced wheels. I have tried a few varieties of goats cheese, and while the soft goat cheese is certainly scrumptious, it does not work very well in this way. So find a firm cheese in your local deli or food store.

250g-500g firm fresh goat cheese
Cracked pepper
1 chilli, seeded and finely sliced
Fresh parsley, washed, dried and finely chopped
Honey
Fresh Figs

Divide the cheese into equal quantities and with very clean dry hands, roll each amount into a smooth ball.

Roll one ball in the freshly cracked pepper and set it aside on the serving plate. Repeat again with the freshly chopped chilli and parsley. Set one clean smooth ball aside on the plate and drizzle with a small teaspoon of honey. Repeat with the remaining quantities of cheese.

Slice the figs into quarters taking care not to cut through the base. Gently pinch the base of the fig between two fingers to open the fruit wide. Place them on the plate next to the cheese. Drizzle with a small amount of honey.

There is no limit to the various ways you can season the cheese wheels. Just choose fresh, clean flavours and of course, use the best quality. There are only a few ingredients in this dish and so the flavours you choose will need to compliment the delicate cheese. For example, my favourite version is the one with honey, and so the honey will need to be a good quality product that works with the cheese.

Dukkah

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Monsieur Wag

Dukkah is the Arabic word meaning ‘to pound’, and that is exactly what this recipe is all about. Once you’ve pan toasted your spices, you given them a quick pound and it is all done. This is one of the easiest dishes you can make.

Dukkah can be used in countless ways. I love to eat it simply served in a bowl with chunks of fresh or toasted bread and good quality olive oil to dip into. But I will often toss a tablespoon or two with olive oil and blanched green beans for a yummy side dish on the dinner table.

There is no alternative to toasting your own spices – no matter the recipe. The aromatics that are released from the naturally occurring oils are lost with pre-ground store bought spices and herbs. If you want the best flavour, buy fresh whole spices and pan toast them yourself. And for the same reason, home made Dukkah is a much more intense and rewarding experience than store bought.

60g sesame seeds
50g hazelnuts
40g coriander seeds
25g cumin seeds
5g dried thyme
Sea salt
Pepper

Place all the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, into a pre-heated pan. Gently agitate the spices to keep them moving until you can smell the blended aromatics. As soon as you can smell the spices, remove the pan from the heat and immediately remove and discard the skins from the hazelnuts by rolling them in a clean, dry towel.

Pour them into a mortar and begin pounding the toasted ingredients with the pestle together with salt and pepper. Take care not to pound too hard or the nuts and seeds will release too much oil and you will end up with a paste. The alternative is to place all the ingredients together with the salt and pepper in a spice-grinder or small food processor. Use the pulse function and resist the urge to blitz or you will have a useless paste in a very quick time.

If the dukkar is still warm, let it cool and dry out before you place it in a clean dry jar to prevent any moisture ruining the blend. It is probably a good idea to keep it in the fridge to preserve the oils and aromatics.

Provençal Anchovy Toast

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Monsieur Wag

During our life time our exposure to foods and tastes increases to varying degrees and our palates develop and change as a result. But some people remain fixed on the idea of hating something – when the reality is, over time you may actually have grown to like it. Anchovies is one example.

When I was a child, I absolutely detested brussel sprouts and anchovies. I used to describe anchovies as exploding fluffy fish. But like most Australian’s my exposure to anchovies was limited to the supreme pizza and so, for a very long time, I would never eat anything with anchovies or even a supreme pizza.

It’s not hard to understand why as children, we form such strong reactions to various foods. Biting into an anchovy fillet results in a explosion of intense flavours – which, to a developing palate would seem extreme and overwhelming. Instead of rationalising and understanding that flavour – it is much easier to simply hate it and avoid it for ever after. Yet, the sad thing about never returning to a flavour, is that we restrict our palate and subsequently miss out on some amazing dishes.

Some time ago, I realised that anchovies are used as a base in many recipes of dishes that I loved – contradicting the idea of hating the little things and idea of being able to taste them in anything. The truth was, I could not recognize anchovies in the dishes or even the sauces such as my favourites like café de paris butter and even worcestershire sauce. So faced with a new reality, I tried them again – and I loved them.

My point is simple. You never know if you don’t like something if you don’t try it. And if your idea of hating a food or flavour is as old as your childhood – have another go. Your tastes are dynamic and are bound to have outgrown old ideas and memories.

This Provençal recipe is another example of simple, fresh, good quality ingredients. Because there are few – each one will stand out and influence the final result. The more you take care in choosing the best and freshest – the better the result.

6 anchovy fillets (at room temperature)
1 garlic clove
Olive oil – extra virgin
Parsley, roughly chopped
Sourdough bread – two slices

In a small bowl, mash the anchovy fillets into a smooth paste with some of the oil they are stored in.

Toast each side of the sourdough toast. While each slice is hot, rub the clove of garlic across the entire surface of one side.

Spread the anchovy mash across the toast and scatter the chopped parsley. Season with cracked pepper and drizzle the olive oil across the top.

Enjoy,
M.Wag

Eggplant and Zuccini Rice Paper Rolls

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Monsieur Wag

A walk along Melbourne’s Victoria Street in Richmond is all the proof you need to demonstrate the significant impact Asian flavours have had on our plates. And I, for one, am immensely grateful.

Of all the dishes and flavours on offer, I adore rice paper rolls the most. Each roll is a lesson in simple, clean, fresh ingredients – there is no hiding behind poor quality produce. As with all cooking, you will get what you put it to it, but none more so than rice paper rolls. So, take time to choose the best and freshest produce.

That said, you can fill rice paper rolls with anything you like. There really is no limit. If you think the flavours and textures will compliment each other – then try it.

48 rice paper sheets
100g glass noodles or vermicelli noodles
1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 small bunch coriander
1 small bunch Vietnamese mint
Rice bran or vegetable oil

Begin by taking time to prepare all the ingredients prior to assembly.

Thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini and sauté each slice in a little oil until they are cooked and slightly caramelised. Set them aside until later.

Wash and pick the leaves of both the coriander and mint. Set them aside until later.

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over the top of the glass noodles and let them soften. This should only take a few minutes.

Set up your work space with the prepared ingredients around you within easy reach. You will need a reasonable space to work with each rice paper sheet. Use a damp clean tea-towel to keep the rice paper sheets and completed rolls damp.

Fill a baking tray (about 5cm depth and sufficient width to accommodate the diameter of a single rice paper sheet) with hot water. A word of caution – you need to be dipping your fingers in the water, so use tap water.

Soak a single rice paper sheet in the water. When it is soft and pliable and almost translucent, remove it from the water and place it on the clean work surface.

Take a small amount of glass noodles and place it in the centre of the rice paper.

Next, take a small torn strip of zuccini and eggplant and place it on the noodles; follow with a mint leaf and a few coriander leaves.

Wrap the filling by folding the left edge and the right edge toward the centre. Then roll the length of the rice paper from the bottom. Use a little bit of tension to keep the filling snug and tidy, but not too much to tear the paper.

You can follow this youtube link to watch the brilliant Luke Nguyen demonstrate the process.

Place the completed rice paper rolls on a plate and keep them covered to prevent the rice paper drying out. It is for the same reason the rice paper rolls need to be made fresh. They tend not to last too long in the fridge. Serve the rolls with your favourite dipping sauce.

A simple dipping sauce is to bring 50mls of rice wine vinegar, 50mls of water, 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and two finely sliced red chillies to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to reduce by a third. Pour it into a small serving bowl and allow it to cool. You can also add 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and shredded carrot if you would like.

MONSIEUR WAG

Home food from my kitchen

Category Archives: Starters & Small Plates