Recipe: TALK TKL 8/2/97 Aussie Food Chat and Recipes - Hosted by Chef Pete

PLEASE NOTE: The chat content is edited to contain only information regarding the topic AUSSIE FOOD

Betsy, NY (9:14:24 pm) :
Tonight Chef Pete will be hosting an Aussie Food chat
Chef Pete, please tell us a little about yourself

chef pete (9:19:34 pm) : Betsy o.k. ..........
i was born in england and started to work in a pub when i was still at school
(cleaning toilet's)
went to a catering college in my home town.
however i did not do that well there.having too much fun doing other things.
then i worked on passenger ship's for a few year's as a waiter and assistant head waiter..
this is where i met my wife hence my move to australia.
we are just about to celebrate our tenth birthday with our own catering company
and cafe

Cookie, NH (9:20:59 pm) : Sounds like you've had an exciting life chef pete. :)

chef pete (9:22:09 pm) : we are based in the city (sydney)
when we started my catering exstended to assorted sandwiches, cheese and fruit and marinated chicken legs......
bit by bit (mistake by mistake) we took off

chef pete (9:23:03 pm) : is anyone here familiar with an australian cuisine??????

Cookie, NH (9:23:46 pm) : Sorry Pete I'm a New Englander.

Vicki,La (9:23:48 pm) : not here

SueA, CA (9:23:49 pm) : chef Pete; I'm not at all.

chef pete (9:25:00 pm) : ok maybe i should tell you something about how it has evolved to where it is today.

chef pete (9:27:15 pm) : for 40,000 years there was an indiginous
diet of the aboriginal people.they where a hunter gatherer population eating bush foods that they would move
to through the seasons

chef pete (9:29:30 pm) : 210 years ago england came to australia to use it as a prison colony, so the diet of the english arrived...
(i some times wonder how food would have developed had the french arrived first)

chef pete (9:31:39 pm) : it was not untill this century, that the influences of other countries started to make any influence

Betsy, NY (9:33:34 pm) :
That's interesting Chef Pete - are there any dishes from the Aborigines that have been carried down?

Judi, TX (9:34:00 pm) : Did the penal colonies not have any influence over the foods until the 1900's? That seems an awfully long time for them to have kept out of the diet.

chef pete (9:36:14 pm) : when the first italian restaurants started here after the second world war by newly arrived imigrants....
australians did not take to them straight away.....took a few years for an australian public to get used to going out and eating an octopus....
they where used to useing them for fish bait not eating...

Judi, TX (9:37:38 pm) : You're wondering what would have happened to the foods had the French been their first, is an interesting thought. Texas was French for a short while but they left little influence on our foods.

chef pete (9:39:01 pm) : Betsy ......only in the last few years have australian chefs been looking at aboriginal bush foods and some technics such as baking on hot stones with food wrapped in paper bark and leaves

Judi, TX (9:39:46 pm) : Chef Pete - You mention wrapping foods in bark for baking. How much flavor does the bark impart to the foods?

chef pete (9:45:02 pm) : judy ..
depending on the bark the bark is often soaked in water first so you actually steam the food, but some melaluca tree bark can add a slightly smoked mushroom flavour

Judi, TX (9:46:01 pm) : Chef Pete - Are there any particularly different methods of cooking done by the Aboriginal tribes that are not done by other cultures. I realize that the ingredients would be different, as not many US Plain's Indians had kangaroo to eat, but I was thinking of the cooking methods.

That melaluca tree bark sounds delicious.

chef pete (9:48:29 pm) : today we have a heavy asian influence......
Judi..... i do not think so....they did not really make use of pot's or pans..
just an open fire or hot rock's under the ground

Judi, TX (9:50:22 pm) : The reason that I asked is that being an island continent, you were so isolated. Most cultures use some sort of wrapping of foods, like our tamales and the the use of banana leaves. With corn husks, there is not flavor transfer, but I believe that's because the husks are dried, but then one puts corn into them, so maybe there is, I just never noticed it.

Judi, TX (9:51:33 pm) : Does the aboriginal culute make use of chiles or are they not native to Australia?

chef pete (9:54:45 pm) : no native chillies here but there are
native peppers "Dorrigo pepper, Tasmanian mountain pepper."

Judi, TX (9:55:42 pm) : Are those hot peppers or mild ones?

Judi, TX (9:57:07 pm) : We may be going to Australia this coming fall. What kinds of foods should I look for in order to taste some of the aboriginal foods?

chef pete (9:57:14 pm) : in the early eighties some inovative chefs here started to use asian flavours with western cooking technics
judy they are a mild pepper

Judi, TX (9:58:00 pm) : We have that Asian influence here a lot. I believe they are not calling it infusion.

Judi, TX (9:59:00 pm) : I find it interesting that I get a lot of questions about our Mexican or Tex-Mex foods from Australians. Is there a big interest there or is it a fad that's going on now?

chef pete (10:01:21 pm) : there has always been a liking of tacos and such dishes here... but people are becoming more adventuraous towards mex food

chef pete (10:03:05 pm) : i will post to the message board in the next few days a few site addresses relating to aussie restaurants,food

Judi, TX (10:03:06 pm) : What about the heat factor. Are the Australians taking to the hotter chiles and foods? Where do they get the ingredients for them?

chef pete (10:04:11 pm) : Judi.....yes people are becoming more and used to the chillie factor

chef pete (10:06:32 pm) : in our cafe we only trade mon - fr 7:30 am - 4:00pm
toasted focaccia , fresh salads, gourmet sandwiches
but our catering is where i get to be creative

Judi, TX (10:07:23 pm) : Chef Pete, I know I missed this, but where is your cafe?

chef pete (10:09:49 pm) : judi sydney in the city
we mainly service corporate clients with our catering service.
cocktail parties , board room lunches,
buffet's, dinners, event catering..

Betsy, NY (10:10:07 pm) :
Chef Pete - what is the most popular dish you serve at your cafe?

chef pete (10:12:36 pm) : in the cafe it would be
marinated artichoke, pesto sauce, roast capsicum and baked ricotta...toasted focaccia

chef pete (10:13:44 pm) : for our catering service
cocktail parties and board room lunches would be our most popular

Betsy, NY (10:13:51 pm) :
Is that all one dish Pete?

chef pete (10:14:39 pm) : Betsy yes like a thick toasted sandwich

Betsy, NY (10:15:45 pm) :
That sounds heavenly

SueA, CA (10:16:33 pm) : chef pete> Does Australia have very distinctive regional differences in cooking like we do in the US?

chef pete (10:19:16 pm) : boardroom menu i have to do tomorrow
entree
Angel hair pasta with smoked salmon & dill
main course
poached Gippsland lamb fillet
with tomato butter and fresh horse radish

chef pete (10:22:39 pm) : SueA......not so distinctive........more like subtle influences
in tasmania, an island southern most point of australia there is a strong dairy industry
cheeses that are beating the worlds best in compertitions

chef pete (10:25:48 pm) : in adelaide and south australia
there has been a long established wine region, developed first my germans end of last century...they now discover that olives grow very well too after greeks planted some when they first came out 50-70 years ago just for personal use

SueA, CA (10:26:34 pm) : I've had some Australian wine..it was pretty good.

SueA, CA (10:25:30 pm) : Pete: To what extent has American fast food affected your country? Are you overrun with McDonald and Kentucky Fried Chicken?

chef pete (10:26:53 pm) : SueA ....yes but dont get me started or i wont stop..lol..coca cola taste buds

SueA, CA (10:27:57 pm) : Are you familiar with the Outback Restaurant chain here in the US purveyors of Australian Food?

chef pete (10:29:26 pm) : SueA Outback Restaurant..no - are they on the web?

SueA, CA (10:30:25 pm) : I don't know but recipe requests for some of their specialties appear often.

Judi, TX (10:30:44 pm) : Chef Pete - Do you have to have your smoked salmon flown in from Scotland?

SueA, CA (10:31:29 pm) : Outbacks are a pretty nice steak house type place but I doubt very Australian in reality.

chef pete (10:33:58 pm) : judi......
no we are producing some of the best smoked salmon here in australia tasmania again is the largest area but some is starting to appear on restaurant menus that have been caught by hand in rivers in victoria

Judi, TX (10:35:08 pm) : I wasn't aware that you had salmon at all in Australia. It's got to be such a neat country and continent.

chef pete (10:38:43 pm) : we are selling alot into asia now
yellow fin tuna
abalone
all kinds of seafood from unpolluted waters
we have devloped methods to export fish alive so that the restaurants around the world can have australian seafood alive in their tanks

Judi, TX (10:39:50 pm) : Do you export to the US? It sounds wonderful! I love seafood of all kinds.

Judi, TX (10:42:26 pm) : Is most of your fish exporting done via air? I assume it has to be. I can't even fathom how long a slow boat would take.

chef pete (10:42:33 pm) : i am going to adelaide in south australia about 3 hours flying time in october to a "tasting australia festival" i will be attending a couple of days of master class cooking courses wine tastings, food and wine writers festival
and a gala dinner 7 of this countries best chefs each doing 1 course 7 courses and 7 wines

Judi, TX (10:43:24 pm) : Oh, Chef Pete, that sounds like a wonderful seminar. I envy you.

chef pete (10:43:31 pm) : Judi yes the fish can be caught here and on a plate in tokyo in under 24 hours

Betsy, NY (10:43:32 pm) :
Pete: Outback Steakhouse Menu and Locations
http://www.outbackbowl.com/outback/

SueA, CA (10:43:43 pm) : That sounds wonderful.

chef pete (10:45:32 pm) : my wife and i are planning to put our business up for sale.....
and then i would like to get into sourcing our finest ingredients and exporting them

Judi, TX (10:45:59 pm) : I have a question about lamb and beef in Australia. I know that in Europe, what we refer to as lamb is not what they refer to as lamb. Their's is milk fed, much like our veal. Is it the same way in Australia? Also, many, many years ago, 30+ to be almsot exact, I was in the Orient for 6 months and most of the beef we got was Australian but it had a strange taste to it. At least strange to me.

Judi, TX (10:46:55 pm) : What sorts of things would you class as your "finest" ingredients?

SueA, CA (10:47:26 pm) : I think you should write a cookbook. Collectors of cookbook would love to have an Australian Cookbook to add to their collection.

Judi, TX (10:48:37 pm) : I know that I, for one, would love to have a good Australian cookbook. I know so little about the food and would really like to know more.

chef pete (10:49:41 pm) : Judi.....people are just starting to develop milk fed lamb and veal here
asians can find our lamb too strong and the smell alone can turn them off but our beef is the melt in the mouth variety

Judi, TX (10:51:06 pm) : Your lamb must be more like ours then. I personally love it, but I could really see the difference in ours and European lamb.

Betsy, NY (10:55:10 pm) :
Cooking the Australian Way - Elizabeth. Germaine
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0822509237/thekitchenlinkA

Here's the book you referred to earlier Pete:
A Taste of Australia : The Bathers Pavilion Cookbook - Victoria Alexander
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0898157560/thekitchenlinkA

SueA, CA (10:57:10 pm) : Betsy, you have found some Australian cookbooks. I' ll have to tell my husband who is looking for birthday ideas.

SueA, CA (10:58:09 pm) : Chef Pete what would be, if any, the Australian version of a fast food?

chef pete (10:58:10 pm) : finest ingredients:
yabby- larger than a prawn
marron- larger than a yabby like a small lobster but much sweeter not with that nutty taste that you can get..
our topical fruits
our cheeses

Betsy, NY (10:58:20 pm) :
Are you familiar with either of the books Pete?

Judi, TX (10:59:14 pm) : Those shrimp sound wonderful. I dearly love shrimp and lobster of all kinds. Thank you for the information.

chef pete (11:00:33 pm) : yes "a taste of australia" she has a wonderfull restaurant on sydney harbour

SueA, CA (11:04:04 pm) : I think this question got buried in conversation earlier: Pete is there an Australian fast food that is typical?

chef pete (11:04:36 pm) : judi
if there is one book to have it would have to be......
"the cooks companion.....by stephanie alexander

chef pete (11:06:44 pm) : someone metioned earlier that they were comming to australia.
who was it?

Judi, TX (11:07:43 pm) : That was me. There may be a rice grower's/millers convention in Thailand and if we go, we'll go via Australia. No point in getting that far East without getting to Australia.

chef pete (11:09:24 pm) : judi
well if you come to australia you wil have to visit our rice growing area too......we have just broken into the japenese market

chef pete (11:09:58 pm) : SueA it would have to be a meat pie

Judi, TX (11:10:33 pm) : If we come, we will be visiting your rice growing area, I can assure you of that. "we have just broken into the japanese market" -sob- Make my jealous, that's OK. -GG-

SueA, CA (11:11:00 pm) : Similar to a pasty in England?

chef pete (11:12:47 pm) : the rice industry here is not the most popular ......using too much water from the east coasts main river supply

SueA yes like a pasty
do you know how pasties came about?

chef pete : SueA......they came from cornwall
the tin miners used to take them down into the mines for lunch.....
they made them with the crust so they could hold them with there filthy hands
and not put any dirt in there mouth's

Betsy, NY (11:12:55 pm) :
Thank you so much for joining us Chef Pete, we really appreciate you sharing your time and knowledge with us.

END OF CHAT

AUSTRALIAN RECIPES:

Betsy, NY (9:40:29 pm) : Australian/US Food Substitution Chart

Copha = Hard vegetable shortening (made from coconut).
Corn Flour = Corn starch
Caster sugar = Regular sugar (actually slightly finer than regular US sugar, but not much)
Golden Syrup = Dark Corn Syrup
Icing sugar = Confectioner's sugar

Betsy, NY (10:00:14 pm) :
Australian Stuffed Pumpkin

1 stalk Celery, chopped finely
1 1/2 cups Water
1 tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Grated Parmensan Cheese
2 Tbsp Dill
100g Mushroom (Cups/Buttons), sliced
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1 Bay Leaf
1 slice Wholemeal Bread, crumbled
3/4 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup Rice (Brown)
1/2 cup Lentils (Brown)
4 Pumpkins (Baby Nugget)

If desired - soak lentils in 1 1/2 cups of water for 1 hour. Drain, rinse and drain again. Place lentils, rice,
chicken stock and bay leaf in saucepan, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes
(water should be absorbed). Remove bay leaf. While lentils are cooking, pierce pumpkins in several places with
a sharp skewer and bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cut lid from top and scoop out
seeds. Combine cooked lentils, mushrooms,celery, dill and cottage cheese. Use this mixture to fill pumpkins.
Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and paprika, sprinkle on top of pumpkins. Bake in a moderate oven for 25
minutes. Serve with green salad or steamed green vegetables.

Betsy, NY (10:04:31 pm) :
Australian Cheese and Sage Damper

2 cups Flour (Wholemeal Self Raising)
3/4 cup Cheese (Low Fat Cheddar)
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Pepper (Black)
1 tsp Sage Leaves (Dried)
40g Butter (low fat/low salt) or margarine
1 cup Skim Milk (Evaporated)
3 tsp Milk
2 tsp Parmensan Cheese, grated
2 tsp Poppy Seed

Using a food processor, grate cheese. Mix in flour, paprika, pepper and sage. Add butter, or margarine, and
process until crumbly. Add evaporated milk and mix to a soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough
and shape into a 20cm round shape. Using a sharp knife, cut almost through the dough into 8 wedges. Brush
top with milk and sprinkle with Parmesan and poppy seeds. Bake at 180 C for 25-30 minutes. When slightly
cooled, cut into wedges and serve.

Betsy, NY (10:06:13 pm) :
Australian Sticky Toffee Pudding

Recipe By : Jill Dupleix
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

1 cup dates (180g) -- pitted and chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup boiling water
2 TBSP butter
1 cup soft brown sugar (150 g)
2 eggs.
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (180 g) -- sifted

Toffee Sauce:
1 cup soft brown sugar (150 g)
3/4 cup light whipping cream.
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP butter

Mix dates and baking soda in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water on top
and leave to stand. Cream butter and sugar until pale, then add eggs one
at a time, heating well after each addition. Gently fold in sifted flour,
stir in the date mixture, and pour into a lightly buttered 18cm or 7"
square or round cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven (180 C) for 30-40
minutes, until an inserted skewer comes clean.
Combine sugar, cream, vanilla essence and butter in a saucepan, bring to
the boil, stirring, and simmer for five minutes. Set aside until ready to
serve, then quickly reheat when needed. Cut pudding into squares and place
each square in the centre of a warm dinner plate. Pour hot toffee sauce
over each square and serve with fresh cream.

SueA, CA (10:06:36 pm) : Australian Lamingtons
This was in my file. Thought I'ld throw it in. Probably an American version of something.
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups sweetened flacked coconut
Cocoa Icing (recipe follows)
In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat well. Mix in vanilla and
milk. Stir together flour and baking powder, then beat into egg mixture until blended.
Butter and flour-dust an 8-inch square pan; spread batter evely in bottom. Bake in a 350 oven until a slender
wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cook in pan on rack for 10 minutes, then
turn our of pan onto rack and let cool.
Cut cake into 9 equal squares. Place coconut in a bowl. Dip cakes pieces, 1 at a time, in icing, then turn in
coconut to coat. Place on a rack until icing is firm to touch, about 10 minutes. Serve, or store airtight up to 2
days.. Makes 9 servings.
Cocoa Icing
In a bowl, beat 3 tablespoons butter or margarine. Sift in 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa and 2 1/4 cups powdered
sugar. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/3 cup hot water. Beat until smooth; use warm.

From Sunset Annual 1989
They may look like fuzzy lambs but supposedly named after Lord Lamington.

Betsy, NY (10:26:40 pm) :
Australian Dairy Foods Advisory Board
http://www.adc.aust.com/dfab/dfabhome.htm

Betsy, NY (10:55:10 pm) :
Cooking the Australian Way
Elizabeth. Germaine
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0822509237/thekitchenlinkA

Here's the book you referred to earlier Pete:
A Taste of Australia : The Bathers Pavilion Cookbook
Victoria Alexander
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0898157560/thekitchenlinkA

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