Welcome to the July 2005 edition of the Campion and Curtis newsletter. We trust everyone in the southern Australian states is enjoying the cooler weather.
It's what we all long for in order to enjoy real winter cooking, and then start to complain about as the reality sets in; driving rain, foggy mornings and cold, cold nights.
On the up-side there's warm jumpers and coats, umbrellas to keep us dry and plenty of good food and wine options to warm us from the inside. Let's enjoy winter
while it lasts.
Click here to visit the Campion and Curtis website
Winter produce
Utilising winter produce continues in earnest in the Campion-Curtis kitchen. Sweet potatoes have been prepared for the pot, cooked until tender then mashed. To ensure
they were really good a decent splash of Tasmanian organic cream from Elgaar Farm was added. Quite a treat. Pumpkin was given a similar treatment with beautiful organic
butter and plenty of ground nutmeg. Patrone potatoes were simply washed, cut in half and tossed with sage leaves, bay leaves and lots of peeled garlic cloves,
then roasted to perfection. A chicken was filled with a bread stuffing flavoured with chopped lemon zest and fresh thyme leaves and carved to accompany the roasted patrones.
From the fruit bowl we've been cooking stewed rhubarb to go with breakfast or sprinkled with a crumble topping for dessert. Bosc pears are making wonderful eating just as
they are, probably the best we've tried in years. Get out and enjoy these ingredients while they last. On the meat front try some braised lamb shanks this weekend,
we've included a recipe for braised lamb shanks with mint and harissa at the end of this newsletter.
A Taste of Slow
More information has been coming to hand in recent weeks for the Taste of Slow festival due to run in Melbourne from August 28 to September 11 2005.
The first international guests have now been announced. First up is Marco Canora from the New York restaurant Hearth.
Marco will be passing on his knowledge and experience in a series of hands-on classes. There's a full-day class at Fenix restaurant (Friday 9 September) and two
three-hour sessions at William Angliss (Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September). UK artisan baking teacher, Paul Merry, will be
coming to Melbourne from his home in Dorset, England. He'll return to this original bakery at St Andrews to team with his one-time apprentice, Doug Pollock, to run an intimate class for 9 people. He will also run a
full-day hands-on workshop at William Angliss (Saturday 10 September).
Guests from Alsace in France have confirmed their involvement in this inaugural festival too in partnership with T'Gallant Winemakers.
This includes chef Philippe Gaertner, his Sommelier, Eric Von Der Ohe, as well as one of the country's most highly regarded winemakers from Domaine Paul Blanck,
Frederic Blanck. The trio will work together to host a series of special lunches in La Baracca Trattoria at T'Gallant Winemakers, a hands-on cooking class at Fenix
restaurant (8 September) and William Angliss (10 September) and a dinner at Botanical (4 September). Bookings for A Taste of Slow will open on 25 July 2005.
General Public Inquiries: (03) 9823 6100 or www.atasteofslow.com.au.
Food News
The Michelin Guide is under attack in Europe from those who most benefit from being included in it; French chefs. Philippe Gaertner, coming to Melbourne
for the Slow Food winter festival, is one of those actually renouncing his stars from the guide. The guide has been the arbiter of restaurant dining in Europe for over 70
years. Deeming where one should eat each year. Apparently it is known within foodie circles simply as "the bible."
Read an article about this from the Post Gazette.
We have yet to hear of any Australian chefs returning their Age Good Food Guide or Sydney Morning Herald 'hats' as a sign of support for their Gallic colleagues!
Jonathan Gianfreda
The passing of Jonathan Gianfreda earlier this year left many of those who wondering what would become of his smallgoods business and retail store. Before Jonathan
passed away he had made the decision, with his family, to close the smallgoods side of the business while the Smith street store would continue. We are very happy to be
able to report that Jonathan's partner Joe Mittca has continued the legacy of producing top quality meats and food products at the store. The display last week is a
credit to Joe and Jonathan with the amazing beef wellingtons and pies in-store for winter dining, the terrific new wagyu burgers, lots of wonderful looking aged steaks
and all the cuts needed for long slow braising. Hams and sausages are as good as ever and the range of take home meals is enormous. So while we all still feel the
loss of this amazing man, we can be assured his legacy to bring the very best to Melbourne food lovers is on-going. Long may it last.
Jonathan's of Collingwood 122 Smith Street Collingwood 03 9419 4339.
Stephanie Alexander's eulogy for Jonathan
Queensland Masterclass
For those who feel the need for a winter thaw then later this month could be just the time to do it. The Queensland Masterclass is on again on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st
July. The two day event to be held at the Brisbane Hilton hotel includes chefs the likes of Sydney's Serge Danserau and Pascal Proyart from London, Robyn Wickens presents dishes from his Interlude restaurant
as does Peter Kuruvita and Michael Lambie from Flying Fish and Taxi respectively. On the wine side big names include Paolo de Marchi from the wonderful Isole e Olena
vineyard in Tuscany and Cyril Brun from Verve Clicquot. The weekend also includes appearances from chocolate lover Kirsten Tibbles and caterer Ton Burke.
Sessions cost around $60.00 each. Bookings via the website.
Here
Cheese Workshops
Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder have a number of options for those wanting to learn more about cheese. The cheese rooms own Sophie Classon will be hosting her informal cheese tastings
later this month on Tuesday 19th and 26th. $55.00 per person includes tastings, cheese notes and a glass of wine. Early next month well known cheese expert Will Studd
joins Sophie for a European Cheese Workshop. This will be a structured in-depth tasting of specially matured and ripened cheeses. Cheeses from Spain, France, Italy and
the UK will be matched with wines and larder accompaniments. To be held on Thursday 4th August, costs $65.00 per person. Bookings on 03 9421 2808. Find out more on the RHCL website.
The Exhibition of Victorian Winemakers
The Exhibition of Victorian Winemakers has become one of the most popular annual wine tastings. Over 100 exhibitors from 22 Victorian wine regions will be showcasing
around 600 wines, and the one-off entry fee will get you a taste of each and every one of them. It always provides a terrific opportunity to meet the makers face to face and learn
about the wines directly. This year the Vintage Wine Bar will offer an opportunity to sample from many back vintages of Victorian wine by the glass, there will also be
a new Regional Food Emporium offering food tastes from across the state. Daily wine tutorials and special wine seminars and presentations will also be on available.
To be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from Wednesday July 27 to Saturday July 30, 2005.Find out more here.
Recent Drinks
After a couple of excellent weeks on the hunt for great drinking we've had a couple of duds. Definitely a few corked wines (great news when you've parted with
$30.00 a bottle at cellar door), or wines that were just poorly made. One shining light in recent days has been a bottle of Kim Crawford 2004 Marlborough
sauvignon blanc. Usually we're sauvignon blanc fans in summer months, however this wine has a richness and good mouth feel that adds to the classic gooseberry,
herbaceous flavours. This makes it a terrific choice for drinking at this time of year. On the subject of corked wines perhaps its time to stick with screw cap wines
to avoid the hassle of trying to return a bottle of wine to a winery many kilometers away.
Cooking classes and food tours
Tony Tan cooking school. Tony Tan has lots on offer this month including modern Chinese, cutting edge Spanish, simply Vietnamese
and enchanting Balinese.
Convivial Times Fans of Peking duck can join a tour of Chinatown to find out where to source the best ingredients
followed by dinner of Cantonese favourites, including Peking duck of course.
Essential Ingredient Big names are again packing the house here with George Calombaris, Gabriel Gate, Shannon Bennett, fresh from opening his new CBD Vue de Monde and the always wonderful
Partizia Simone.
Cooking Co-ordinates, Canberra Cooking under pressure is a feature next weekend, followed by a Maggie Beer product tasting.
Chef Chris Ross will be in at the end of July with baking savoury and sweet pies.
Simon Johnson Talk+Eat+Drink
Get bookings in early for Chris Manfield who will be presenting a class titled Cooking with Cheese on August 6th.
Gourmet Safaris A Greek walking tour of Marrickville is on the agenda this month at Gourmet Safari.
Sydney's Seafood School Classes are set for Thai seafood, chilli crab and seafood barbecuing.
Click here to visit the Campion and Curtis website and find out about up-coming cooking classes and food tours.
If you have a fantastic event coming up let us know via email - wfood@vicnet.net.au
Cheers until next month, Allan and Michele
July recipes
Braised lamb shanks with mint and harissa
We love long slow-cooked lamb with a bit of spice; it helps to cut through the richness of the meat. If you like you can add some vegetables to the lamb as it cooks.
This is excellent with spiced couscous.
Oil for cooking
6 lamb shanks
1 ½ tsp harissa
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoky sweet paprika
½ tsp allspice
1/3 bunch coriander, roots and all, chopped
2 sprigs of mint, chopped
625 ml (2 ½ cups) chicken stock
375 ml (1 ½ cup) tomato sugo
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat a large heavy based saucepan over a medium heat.
Add a splash of oil and shanks and cook until well browned on all sides.
Add spices, herbs, stock and sugo and bring to the boil.
Set aside until ready to cook.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Transfer lamb to an ovenproof casserole dish, cover with lid or foil and cook for 2 hours, or until lamb is tender and almost falling off the bone.
Place spiced couscous, on a large platter, arrange shanks on top, pour sauce over and serve with a green salad.
Serves 6
Wine Match - Grenache or Merlot
Spiced couscous
You can change the spices to add some difference to this couscous, or cook it without any spices.
Try substituting stock for some orange juice for another flavour dimension.
500 ml (2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
Pinch of each allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp oil
500 g (2 ½ cups) couscous
1 tbsp butter
Place stock in a large saucepan.
Add spices, a pinch of salt and oil, bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat, stir in the couscous, cover and allow to rest for 2 minutes.
Place saucepan over a low heat, add butter and stir with a fork to break up the grains.
Serves 6
Recipes from Food with Friends - recipes and menus for easy entertaining
Published by Hardie Grant Books. RRP $39.95.
Find out more here.
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