Campion & Curtis Food and Wine Newsletter
June 2004
Welcome to the July 2004 edition of the Campion and Curtis newsletter. For those of you living in the southern states of Australia
you'll be well aware that winter is well and truly upon us. For the first time in a few years we've had driving winds,
cold nights, serious rain and decent snowfalls in alpine areas. There's still plenty going on however, especially in
the warmer states as you'll read with Brisbane Masterclass on this month and Stefano de Pieri also heading north. We also have cheese
awards news, great seasonal ingredients to look for and many winter recipes to try. Enjoy.
Click here to visit the Campion and Curtis website
In-season
The cool wet weather has been kind to local farmers and there are some amazing quality ingredients available at present.
Beetroot, cabbage, fennel and potatoes are excellent at present. It's also a peak time for root vegetables such as parsnips, swede,
turnips and sweet potato, so get out there and enjoy them. On the fruit side mandarins have been excellent in recent weeks,
along with pink lady apples and navel oranges. The fruit on our pink grapefruit tree are ripening slowly but surely and they have
an amazing sweet and sour flavour. The recent rain has also given our herbs and seedlings a much needed boost. The only thing we
missed out on this year was a crop of olives. Some say the trees fruit best in alternate years, so perhaps we'll be eating our own
olives again in 2005.
Five things to do with root vegetables
1. Deep-fry wafer thin slices of parsnip to make chips with a difference.
2. Roast carrots with olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Make vegetable soup with diced root vegetables and barley.
4. Sprinkle parsnips with Worchester sauce and honey, then roast.
5. Serve steamed turnips with roast duck.
Enoteca Sileno
Many food lovers will have visited Enoteca Sileno at their tiny store in Amess Street over the years. They now have a
new home on Lygon Street and it is quite a place. This former corner hotel offers a beautiful display room for the Enoteca
products, shelves are filled with artisan pastas, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegars, Bobo's Sugo sauces,
anchovy fillets and tuna just to name a few. A humidity and temperature controlled cheese room has been created for the
wheels of parmigiano. There is also a most amazing collection of Italian wines, including one room dedicated to barolo. A casual
dining room offers an opportunity to taste small Italian dishes and match them with a glass or two of wine from the extensive list.
There is also a cooking school planned for the upstairs space. With an offer like this Enoteca Sileno is sure to become a
must-visit spot for food and wine lovers. 920 Lygon Street Carlton North 03 9388 8554. Shop hours Mon-Sat 8 am-6 pm.
Australian Specialist Cheesemakers' Association Awards
We're quite partial to some good cheese, so Michele jumped at the chance to a judge at the 2004 Australian Specialist Cheese
Show. After tasting over a dozen cheddars before mid-morning she was not quite so sure. Anyhow, it was a great opportunity
to see and taste a huge array of local cheeses. This is a sample of the winning entries.
Grand Champion Winner: Meredith Dairy Cargerie
People's choice: Maffra Aged Rinded Cheddar
Gold medals to the following:
Fresh Curd Soft - Meredith Dairy Ashed Pyramid
Fresh Curd Matured - Meredith Dairy Cargerie
Fresh Curd Marinated - Binnorie Dairy Marinated Fetta
White Mould- King Island Dairy Black Label Double Brie & Milawa Cheese Company Goat's Camembert
Blue Mould - Tarago River Cheese Company Gippsland Blue & Jindi Cheese Company Jindi Blue
Washed Rind - Gilbert Chandler Campus Wyndham Gold & Lactos Tasmanian Heritage Red Square
Cheddar - Maffra Cheese Company Aged Rinded Cheddar & Ashgrove Cheese Traditional Cloth Matured Cheddar
Semi Hard Cooked Style - Heidi Farm Raclette & Elgaar Farm Bergkäse
Brisbane Masterclass Weekend
If the southern chill is really getting to you then the 10th anniversary Brisbane Masterclass may be just the thing to get things
warmed up. There's some great sessions on offer over the weekend of July 24th and 25th including international guests Gabriele Ferron
on risotto, Franco Conterno showcasing his barolo wines and Charlie Trotter from the US. Locally the talent includes a Penfolds grange tasting
led by its maker Peter Gago, olive oil with Andrew Konowalous and demos from chefs such as Cheong Liew, George Colombaris, Mark Best
and Peter Conistis. More details are available on the website. www.qldmasterclass.com/
A Gondola On The Reef
If you really want to make the most of a Queensland visit you could fly to Cairns and catch up with Stefano de Pieri at The Sebel
Reef House & Spa on Friday 23rd July, then zip down to Brisbane for the Masterclass Weekend. He's visiting as part of their Chefs
On The Reef program and will be using local ingredients to create an array of dishes, inspired by his cooking at the Mildura Grand
Hotel. Cost $ 95 per person inc matched wines. Bookings on 07 4055 3633.
Wild Turkey Lunch
Slow Food Yarra Valley are hosting a great sounding lunch on July 31st based around rare breed turkey at Roundstone
Winery Restaurant. Five courses of winter fare will be matched with Roundstone wines. Sounds like quite a meal. More details are
available on the attached flyer. Bookings on 03 9730 1811. Wild turkey lunch flyer.
Recent bottles
There have been a few decent reds enjoyed over the past few weeks including the Seppelt Victorian Premium Reserve Shiraz. We
first had a taste as a by-the-glass offering in a regional restaurant and were impressed with the complex, savoury nose and ripe
fruity flavours. Beautiful with our French onion soup. Just the next day we were able to taste a five year old version of the same
wine and here the wine had developed into a deep and brooding red with hints of old leather, cigars, spice and ripe berries.
For a wine that is offered at under $15.00, it's amazing value for money. We've also become big fans of the James Squire beers
recently. The India Pale Ale is probably our overall favourite, but we're pretty keen on the Original Amber Ale and the Pilsner too.
It's great to have quality boutique beers at a reasonable price.
Food tours and classes in June
Convivial Times
Chocolate masterclass, Diane Seed workshop and Chefs Table with Peter Doyle.
Queen Victoria Market Cooking School
Celebrate Diabetes Week, Asian winter basises with Allan C on July 20th and learn seafood fundamentals.
Cooking Co-ordinates
Kids in the Kitchen, knife skills and masterclass with Graham Green.
The Essential Ingredient
Tony Tan on Nonya Currys, George Biron on malking pasta and Chris Manfield with dishes from east@west in London.
Sydney Seafood School
French food and wine with Lyndey Milam, seafood BBQ and chilli crab.
Tony Tan
Sassy Shanghai, simple Vietnamese and enchanting Balinese classes.
Gourmet Safaris
Winter foudue banquet and a walking tour-cooking demo in Cabramatta.
In the August edition of the Campion & Curtis newsletter we have a sneak preview of our Seasonal Produce Diary 2005. It's been
out of print for a few years and we're thrilled to say it's back better than ever, so more news next month. Also information about a
couple of overseas food tours which sound fantastic. Until then happy eating.
Regards
Allan Campion & Michele Curtis
Winter vegetable recipes
Swede and carrot mash
500g (1 lb) swede
500g (1 lb) carrot
100g (3 1/2 oz) butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel swedes and carrots and cut to a similar size.
Bring to the boil over medium heat and cook until very soft, about 30 minutes.
Drain water, add butter, salt to taste and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Mash well.
Serves 4.
Roast parsnips
1kg (2 lb) of parsnips
150g (5 oz) shallots, chopped
75ml (2 1/2 fl oz-1/4 cup) olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
Peel and cut parsnips into 1cm x 5cm (1/3 in x 2 in) sticks.
Toss with shallots, oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Spread out in a shallow baking dish and cook in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and tender.
Turn parsnips occasionally during cooking to ensure even browning.
Serve alongside roasted, pan-fried or grilled meats.
Serves 4.
Middle-Eastern carrot salad
4 carrots
Olive oil for cooking
1-2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 lemon
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
Peel carrots and cut into slices.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat.
Add enough oil to cover base of the pan, add cumin seeds and carrot slices.
Cook until golden.
When all are ready, toss in sweet paprika and bake in preheated oven until tender.
Squeeze lemon juice over to serve.
Serves 4.
Recipe from Fresh - The Seasonal Produce Cookbook by Allan Campion and Michele Curtis.