Welcome to the August 2003 edition of the
C&C newsletter. We're now into the final few
chilly weeks of winter which means it's our last chance to
enjoy warming casseroles, hearty soups and hot curries. A real
favourite of ours is a spicy Indian lamb, spinach and potato curry which we
serve with steamed rice and naan bread. The recipe is at the bottom of the
newsletter. Anyway, lots of food and wine news to get through this month, so
let's get started.
Our backs have been up recently with the flood of Canadian/American
cherries on the market. Why are we importing cherries from the other side of the
Pacific? Personally we love cherries and we take great pleasure in waiting
for the first of our local season to appear, but will an imported cherry cross
our lips? No way. Remember only 90 sleeps until the local season starts.
We're just gearing up to the publishing season for 2003. First up will be
the main Sydney and Melbourne food guides. No doubt chefs and restaurant owners
will be wondering just who will get the big gongs this year. Well we don't have
any insider information and even if we did we'd hate to spoil the surprise!!
We'll all just have to wait and see. John Newton has passed on news that the
book he mentioned in his romesco sauce recipe last month Catalan Cuisine by
Colman Andrews (see right) has been re-printed. Type it into Google and you'll
find that many if the on-line book stores have it available.
The Divine Games
It was exactly three
years ago the first Divine Games was staged and it was such a hoot that editor
Andrew Wood vowed to do it all again. The Games will be divided into three
sections - Track and Field (food), Swimming (wine) and Gymnastics (theory) -
which will put your food, wine and culinary knowledge to the test. For
example, one of the multiple-choice questions in the Swimming might involve
three masked bottles of riesling in which you have to name the origin of the
wines: Clare, Eden Valley and Drumborg. The whole event is designed to test
your food, wine and culinary knowledge as well as give you the opportunity to
try a fantastic selection of wines (about 50) and food. The tastings are open to
anyone, and you can either complete the course alone or with a group of friends.
We can highly recommend as we participated
last time (and won in Melbourne we might add). So we’ll be there to defend our
title! The person or team with the highest
number of correct answers in each city will receive a set of the newly released
Le Creuset Indian cookware as well as a bottle of four great Australian
wines - a prize with a total value of $700. Sydney - Tuesday 19 August, Canberra -Wednesday 20
August and Melbourne - Wednesday 27 August. To book phone 03) 5422 7500.
Cost $33 (including GST).
Pomegranates
We have had an unusual request at Chez
Campion & Curtis and thought one of our better informed readers may be able
to assist. We have been contacted by someone who has a farm group coming
from India later this year who would like to visit pomegranate growers. Any
thoughts let us know at allan@campionandcurtis.com
Celebrating the pig
Yarra Valley Free Range Pork and
the Yarra Valley Regional Food Group have combined with local restaurants
to create a series of dinners, all using local pork of course. These will be
held on Friday nights throughout August and September starting off with Friday
15th August at Cunningham's 03 5967 1080, Roundstone on 22nd August 03 9730 1181
and travelling to Yering Station on the 29th August 03 9730 1107. At
$60.00pp (without wine) they represent amazing value for money.
Cheese news
We're partial to a wedge or two of good
cheese so were interested to hear about a fun sounding cheese
competition where local cheeses are put up against overseas ones.
Apparently the last time they held this event the 'rest of the world selection'
won by a rind. All details available on www.vplay.com.au/GPO/gpo_july.html#cheese
Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder
'From the farm... anticipating spring' is the title of a special dinner to
be held at RHC&L on August 10th. It'll feature milk-fed lamb from Sandy
Cameron's farm at Meredith (the source of Meredith Dairy cheeses), combined
with the youngest, sprightliest vegetables and freshest greens available.Cost
$120.00pp (wine included), bookings on 03) 9421 2808.
13th Australian Symposium of Gastronomy
The 13th Symposium, which is to be held in Orange, N.S.W. from 13 February
to 17 February 2004. It will, like the previous twelve, combine intense and
informed discussion of what we eat with hands-on celebration and enjoyment of
it. Previous events have included a table-cloth of raw animal stomachs
knitted together by Gay Bilson, drag queens forcing diners to go down on
Christine Manfield's phallic desserts, tongue and lambs' brain served by a
company of clown including the young Geoffrey Rush. Symposiasts in 2004
will cook for themselves and for each other - foraging around the Orange
Growers' Market for ingredients - and take part in intense discussions about the
production, distribution and consumption of food in Australia today, focusing on
the Symposium's theme of Food, Fears, Fads and Fantasies. There'll be an
opportunity to enjoy the wines of the region and sample the food of local
chefs. As ever, the Symposium will culminating in another surprise
banquet. Total cost includes all facilities, meals, drinks and accommodation,
and is $750 per person. To secure your participation please send a $50 deposit
to: Symposium of Australian Gastronomy, PO Box 221, Petersham, NSW
2049. Enquires: robbie@classic.com.au or telephone (02) 9004 1140.
Convivial Times
Organic bread is available as a hands-on workshop this month on Aug 9th,
Margaret Alcock will be presenting a thorough examination of sugar on Aug 13th
and then it's John Susman's spin on oysters and prawns on Aug 25th. Bookings on
02) 9380 8327.
Canberra cooking
A spices Masterclass is on the class list for August in Canberra with
well known cookery author Charmaine Solomon.
Charmaine will teach
you how to recognise a good spice and how best to use it. You will also learn
how to avoid buying “bastard” saffron, taste the difference between a Sri Lankan
curry and a Thai curry with accompanying fragrant rice dishes, and discover the
divine delights of Kulfi. Saturday, August 16, 2003 11:30am- 2:30pm, $79.00.
Bookings via the website
www.belconnenmarkets.com.au or telephone 02) 6253
5132.
The Essential Ingredient
There's a great line up at the Essential Ingredient in
Melbourne during August. Ruth Claase - Chocolate on Aug 9th,
Valli Little - Comfort Food on Aug 11th, Beh Kim Un - Modern Asian Vegetarian on
Aug 20th. Adrian Richardson - A Man And His Pig on Aug 26th and well know
food expert Abla Amad - Secrets From A Lebanese Kitchen on Aug 27th.
Bookings for all classes on 03) 9827 9047.
Queen Victoria Market Cooking School
Plenty happening here too with Jason Jujnovic from Il Bacaro presenting
Shellfish recipes from The Ligurian Coast (Aug 2nd), Italian Antipasto with
Robert Monteau of De Bortoli Yarra Valley Restaurant (Aug 5th). Also on show is
Frank Camorra with his take on Spanish food (Aug 16th) and Emma Mackay from The
Kingston Hotel with Warm Winter Desserts. Bookings on 03) 9320 5835.
Wine news
We've had a few outstanding wine tastes over the last few weeks which we
feel compelled to tell everyone about. A friend brought along a
bottle of Seppelt DP59 rare tokay and it was
an absolute knockout. Intense rich toffee, chocolate and
caramel flavours were abundant in every sip. In fact the empty bottle still
retains considerable aromas weeks after it has been enjoyed. Without a doubt one
of the most outstanding aged tokays we've ever tasted. We enjoyed every drop
with a chocolate self-saucing pudding. The pudding will cost you around
$3-$4, the tokay somewhere in the vicinity of $55-$70.00
At the other end of the price spectrum was a bottle of Preece 2001 pinot
noir. Unlike a lot of pinot in this price range the Preece had a real savoury
character to it and a good balance of sour cherry/strawberry flavours and a few
hints of subtle spice. Well worth a try in our opinion and retailing
somewhere in the $12-$16.00 range.
Victorian Wine Week (or should that be fortnight) is on again from 6-18
August. The main event here is the Exhibition of Victorian Winemakers on Friday
15th-Sunday 17th, with a trade day on the Monday 18th. Held at
Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre, Clarendon Street,
Southbank. There are also plenty of special wine dinners and events taking place
right through the state, in fact way too many to mention here. All details at www.vicwineweek.com
An interesting media release came our way this week which gave the
results of a competition organised by Hardys as part of their 150th anniversary
celebrations. Young designers from Central St Martins College of Art and Design,
in London, were asked to put their creative energies into developing a prototype
wine bottle - circa 2153, 150 years away- in a futuristic, but practical style.
The four best designs, as adjudged by a panel, were unveiled for the first time
at Vinexpo, in Bordeaux, France. And the winners are -
Self Cooling Animated Bottle - complete with a built-in mini TV screen and
its own temperature control device.
Egg Transformer - a transparent
egg-shaped ball that snaps in half to form a goblet.
Gem Drop - a pod of concentrated wine, which is dissolved in water for
instant wine that travels well
Fresh Tubes - a lightweight, stainless steel bottle that is split into
three separate sealed modules to avoid wine
wastage
We can hardly wait!
Cheers, Allan and Michele
Indian lamb, spinach and potato curry
The long, slow cooking results in
tender meat beautifully coated with a smooth rich curry sauce.
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground
turmeric
200 g (7 oz) natural yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 kg (2 lb)
diced lamb, such as leg
Oil for cooking
2 onions, diced
1 garlic
clove, crushed
1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, peeled and diced
400 g (14 oz)
crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
100 g (3 1/2 oz) spinach leaves, washed
Steamed rice and naan
bread to serve
Combine spices, yoghurt and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add lamb, mix
well and set aside to marinate for at least 2–3 hours, or better still
overnight.
Place a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium–high heat. Add a
splash of oil, the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add lamb mixture,
potatoes, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to the boil, season with salt and
pepper, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1–1 1/4 hours or until lamb is
tender.
Check seasoning and add spinach.
Cook for a further 2–3 minutes, or until spinach softens.
Serve with
steamed rice and naan bread.
Serves 6.