Tag Archives: maggie beer

I’m a sucker for good seafood. Luckily, living in South Australia, I’m able to regularly indulge myself with seafood of exceptional quality.

When I was a kid my dad regularly went crabbing for blue swimmer crab and we went digging for cockles (pippies) every Summer at Goolwa Beach, too. Still do, in fact. Fish and prawns bought from the fishmonger featured regularly on the menu as well, as did the occasional squid caught with our own hands off a jetty.

My parents never cooked a lot of mussels at home though – I’m not really sure why except that my mum mentioned tonight that she usually finds mussels too chewy.

So the first time I ate a whole kilogram pot of mussels was when I was living in London in the early 2000s. London was (and is) an expensive city so when I ate out with my friends it tended to be at cheaper Asian places in Soho. However a few times I ate at Belgos, a restaurant that featured one kilo pots of mussels, Belgian beer and waiters dressed as monks.

The first time I ate there I ordered Moules Marinieres. My pot arrived piping hot with a side of frites and mayonnaise and as I opened the lid the most amazing fragrance escaped.

My version of this classic French dish is tasty and ridiculously easy to make at home so you have no excuse not to make this yourself.

My mother’s verdict tonight?

“Mmm. These aren’t chewy. Nice flavour.”

Bon appetit!

INGREDIENTS

• 30 grams butter
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 leek, white part only, chopped finely OR 3 shallots, chopped finely
• 1 kilograms mussels
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, plus extra for garnishing
• 1/2 glass dry white wine or verjuice (I use Maggie Beers’)
• Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Scrub and de-beard mussels with a scourer under slow running water.
2. Heat butter in heavy pot until bubbling. Add garlic and leek and stir, cooking for a minute or two until soft.
3. Tip in mussels all at once, then add herbs and white wine.
4. Put lid back on and cook over medium-high heat for around three minutes.
5. Check mussels – if nearly all of them are open then turn off heat. If not, cook for another minute or so.
6. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
7. Tip contents of pot into large serving dish, removing any unopened shells and retaining all of the lovely juices.
8. Garnish with extra fresh parsley and serve with lots of crusty bread to mop up the juice.

If there was such a thing as food royalty in Australia then Charmaine Solomon would surely be in its inner circle. Like Stephanie Alexander, Maggie Beer and Margaret Fulton, Charmaine has influenced the eating habits and home cooking of generations of Australians as a food writer and recipe developer. My mother cooked from Charmaine’s cookbooks back in the 80s and I have continued cooking her recipes today – see my post on her The Complete Asian Cookbook. 

Charmaine’s cookbook, The Curry Cookbook, published in 1980, was the first cookbook I ever read. Unlike most cookbooks of that period, which were devoid of personality, Charmaine and her jazz musician husband Reuben had commented on each recipe with their tips and preferences. It was that glimpse of the people behind the cookbook that I found so interesting and made the recipes so much more meaningful.

More recently, Charmaine has launched an excellent range of curry pastes and condiments. They’re staples in my pantry and fridge for the days I want to cook a tasty meal but don’t have time to cook from scratch. So I was thrilled when Charmaine agreed to share her story and some of her favourite foods with us today. Everybody, meet Charmaine!

Charmaine, how important is food in Sri Lankan culture? As a child, what was your favourite Sri Lankan dish?

Christina, food is very significant in Sri Lankan culture, with special dishes representing particular events. Kiribath (milk rice), which is eaten for breakfast on the first day of the month, most notably on New Year’s Day (the first day of the first month) was and still is a sentimental favourite. It’s delicious and very easy to prepare – see the Sri Lanka chapter of my Complete Asian Cookbook for the recipe.

If you were cooking for a family celebration what would you cook?

Stringhoppers make a meal a special occasion for me. I can’t believe the rigmarole I went through squeezing the rice flour dough through a brass press with tiny holes to make the thread like noodle strands that are extruded in overlapping circles onto bamboo mats to make the lacy pancakes, which would then be steamed. Turning the handle of the press while rotating it over the bamboo mats is quite a challenge – a little like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. These days stringhoppers are made by machine, so I order them from a specialist caterer and serve them with homemade spicy scrambled eggs, seeni sambol and chicken curry.

You worked as journalist before you moved to Australia in 1959. How useful was that training and experience for your later career?

I’m sure that was part of the reason I was asked to join the staff of Woman’s Day. I remember my news editor’s motto was “tell it like it is”. This helped me develop an easy-to-follow style of writing when it came to explaining recipes. I imagined that the recipe had to be straightforward enough for even my self-confessed non-cooking friend, Sylvia, to follow. As a result, the style spoke to many other novice cooks. It’s so nice to meet people who tell me that I taught them to cook.

You learned to cook after you moved to Australia. What was your first impressions of Australian food and what was the first Australian dish you remember cooking?

You have to remember that as a young wife and mother in Sri Lanka I never had to cook. I lived in a five star hotel (in those days) with my husband, Reuben, who was the leader of the hotel’s orchestra, and an ayah (nanny) for each child. We had meals in the international restaurant. Before I married, I lived with my maiden aunts, and servants did the cooking and cleaning. It was quite a steep learning curve coming to Australia. Plus we weren’t wealthy immigrants, as the government restricted the amount of money we were permitted to take out of the country at the time we left Ceylon. I seem to recall we ate a lot of mince. And pasta was easy to cook. Australian food was pretty dull back then. I am not a fan of overcooked vegetables.

I understand you got your start in recipe development when you won a White Wings baking competition in Women’s Day and attracted the attention of Margaret Fulton. Can you tell us what happened next?

Actually, I won second prize. When Margaret found out that I worked as a journalist in Sri Lanka she asked if I would join her staff. They were nine of the happiest years of my life. During that time I was offered the opportunity to write my first cookbook when Margaret’s publisher saw me typing her manuscript. Maybe he’d heard about my curry dinner parties, but he asked if I’d like to write a book. I joked that I only worked to a deadline. He replied that I had one, if I wanted it. That was how it all began.

As a young woman, did you ever imagine that you would make food your career?

No. As a young woman I never needed to cook, though I had an interest in food. All I’d ever cooked before I came to Australia were frivolities – cakes and candies. In Australia I taught myself to cook as a diversion during the longs nights I waited for Reuben to come home from nightclub gigs. The children were asleep and there was no TV. With his encouragement, I became quite a decent cook. I found that I loved cooking. But even more, I loved his praise. It’s a good thing he was so appreciative!

Your first book, The South East Asian Cookbook was published in 1972 and you’ve published 30 other books since, many of them international award winners. For people who are keen to try your recipes but don’t know where to start, which three books would you recommend and why? Is there any particular book that you are especially fond of?

I think for a collection of iconic recipes from Asia and the Asian subcontinent, you can’t go past The Complete Asian Cookbook, recently revised. It has all the recipes from the original edition as well as some new ones. I also think if you are inquisitive about food ingredients, the Encyclopaedia of Asian Food is a must have. I enjoy Charmaine Solomon’s Family Recipes for sentimental reasons … though it is no longer in print … so perhaps the Vegetarian Cookbook would be my number three.

You also produce an excellent, award-winning line of pastes, marinades and chutneys. How did this come about and what are your favourite products?

I was teaching classes at various cooking schools and heard my pupils say the curries they made at home never tasted as good as mine. When I asked didn’t they use the curry paste recipes from the book, I discovered that, to save time, many were using store bought pastes instead of making their own from scratch. Reuben saw this as an opportunity to let more people enjoy authentic curries and the range just took off. Hard to pick a favourite. I go through phases. Rendang, Thai Red and Green, Butter Chicken … and if you don’t like it hot, the Moroccan Spice Blend.

You’ve accomplished so many things – what has been your proudest achievement?

My family. I am proud of them not so much for what they have accomplished as for the kind of people they are.

What’s next for you?

I am 82, have four children and five grandchildren. I love to spend time with them. I like it when my children and my grandchildren cook for me. I like to read, watch old movies, catch up with friends and I enjoy playing scrabble. It’s really nice to get emails and letters from people who still enjoy cooking my recipes or want to thank me for changing the way they eat. I feel very fortunate to have been able do something I love for so long and, through it, to give pleasure to others.

Photo credits: top and third photos from The Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon. Author photograph by Jennifer J. Richards. All other photos courtesy Charmaine Solomon. Thanks to Nina Harris.

Yesterday I received a long-awaited email from the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) informing me that their updated Foodi app for Ipad is now available for download from the Apple store.

Why am I so excited? Well, because three of my recipes from The Hungry Australian appear on the Foodi app, alongside recipes by chefs like Maggie Beer, Simon Bryant, Matt Moran, Bill Granger and Poh Ling Yeow!

*pinches self*

I don’t know how I’ve managed to kept quiet about this for so long. I was approached by a producer at the ABC way back in February and it’s been a long six months waiting to see the final result.

Continue reading →

Regular readers will know how much I love the Barossa Valley, Australia’s most famous wine region. I’ve written before about how much I love visiting and how I day-dream about moving my family there. Situated about an hour from South Australia’s capital of Adelaide, it’s a picturesque region with world-class wineries, numerous fine dining restaurants, galleries and an excellent farmer’s market.

So I was thrilled when I found out that as part of the recent Tasting Australia media famil, I would be visiting the Barossa Valley for two days with a group of international food journalists, authors, chefs and bloggers.

Here are some of my trip highlights.

Maggie Beers’ Farm House

This is moments just before the Maggie Beer knife incident.

Yes, I cut my finger while chopping pears next to Maggie Beer. I’m not proud to admit it.

Ridiculous, right? Here I was cooking with one of the legends of Australian cooking in front of a group of distinguished foodies. It should have been one of my finest hours but instead I’m so intimidated I actually manage to cut myself while chopping the pears. Complete fail. Massive shame attack.
Luckily, a glass of Maggie’s Sparkling Ruby Cabernet helped me to recover my composure. It’s a delightful non-alcoholic wine made with early harvest Cabernet grapes. Isn’t it just the most gorgeous colour?

We’re at Maggie Beers Farm House today for a special audience with Maggie. We cook lunch with her in the very kitchen that her hit TV series, The Cook and The Chef was filmed. I feel privileged.

Maggie is a gracious and exuberant host, a consummate multi-tasker and a highly focused and energetic woman. As she shares her plans for her hugely successful signature label gourmet food line, I’m reminded that there is no secret trick to success.

My mate Thang (@ThangNgo) from popular Sydney blog, Noodlies, recently tweeted:

“My Viet corner shop man opens 6am everyday. He now owns a huge mansion. Success is just consistent hard work.”

To which I (@HungryAustralia) replied,

“Yes, there’s no secret trick to long-term, sustained success. I love the saying, ‘the harder I work the luckier I become’. True!”

Maggie is a success because she works bloody hard. Yes, she’s talented, knowledgeable, passionate and energetic. But it’s her strong work ethic and perfectionist streak that ensures that she is constantly striving to improve and grow. She’s an absolute inspiration.

Lunch today is a lovely roasted pheasant salad – Maggie started her career with the legendary Pheasant Farm Restaurant after all – featuring radicchio and rocket and dressed with olive oil and Maggie’s signature verjuice. It’s the type of food – heavy on protein and vegetables – I can eat happily for lunch any day of the week.

Dessert is the pear pie that I have had a hand, sorry, finger, in making. *Groan*. Served with Maggie Beer’s own vanilla bean ice-cream, it’s comfort food with a capital C.F. I make a lot of crumbles and pies for my family in winter – it’s my way of saying ‘nyah nyah nyah’ to the chilly nights.

It’s been a memorable visit. Thank you Maggie for your warmth and hospitality. I shall return and when I do I’ll come in disguise so you don’t recognise me as the twit that cut their finger in your kitchen.

Maggie Beers’ Farm House
End Of Pheasant Farm Rd, Nuriootpa SA 5355
Tel: 61 (0)8 8562 4477
Open everyday, 10.30am – 5pm, except New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Christmas and Boxing Day.

Rockford Wines

This gentleman from Rockford looks completely relaxed, doesn’t he? He could be enjoying a a balmy Spring day. He must have the constitution of an ox because it is actually absolutely freezing!

We arrive at Rockford on a chilly and overcast Autumn morning. Storm clouds cover the sky and the air is damp with moisture.

After a brief explanation of the winery’s history and Rockford’s wine-making process, breakfast is served outside in their lovely courtyard. Today Rockford’s chefs Sandor and Lauren Palamai have prepared a menu featuring fresh produce grown at Krondorf Farm.

We’re all shivering so we leap upon the hot food with enthusiasm. First up, this lovely porridge with fruit and nuts.

Next we’re served mini leek and chicken pies. The pastry is golden, flaky and light while the filling is gorgeously moist and succulent without being gluey. I manage two before they’re all snaffled up.

The next dish, scrambled eggs with salmon, is gorgeous. I adore the combination of salmon and eggs – it’s one of my favourite breakfasts – and here the eggs are barely cooked, just as they should be.

To finish, we enjoy some lovely friands dusted with icing sugar. They’re delightfully chewy, but not overly sweet. I’m loving them but I’d be loving them even more if they came with a cup of hot steaming tea.

I complain about the cold to Helen who immediately says, “I know what will warm you up. Let’s do a jumping shot.”

Appellation at The Louise

We’re running late and as our bus pulls up to Appellation at The Louise we see executive chef Mark McNamara and what seems like the whole kitchen and wait staff standing outside, waiting patiently in the chilly wind. They must be freezing but they greet us with smiles and firm handshakes  – it’s an impressive first impression, and one that only grows steadily during our time at Appellation.

Mark McNamara and Mark Hix (above) greet each other warmly. They’re both two hard-working chefs at the top of their game.

Before we separate into groups for our masterclasses we take a group photo.

From left to right: Richard Fox, Martin Bosley, Elaine Reeves (The Mercury), moi, Rebecca Variadel (Inside Cuisine), Helen Yee (Grab Your Fork), Antony Suvalko (Foodie), Angeline Thien (Singapore Women’s Weekly), Julie Buiso,  Grant Allen (New Zealand Herald), Lynnette Lim (Wine & Dine Experience), Billy Law (A Table for Two), Kaylene Murray from Style Living, Christine Salins, Tom Murray (Style Living), Ryan Edwards (Appellation) Bingbin (China Daily), Mark McNamara (Appellation), Ruby Stobart (Appellation) and Mark Hix.

Then we split into groups – some of us make pig head terrine in the Appellation kitchens, some of us explore the kitchen garden and some of us have a bread making masterclass with Mark and pastry chef Anna Motteram using a nearby kitchen. I’m in the last group. I’m glad to be in the warmth of a kitchen but even more glad to have a chance to get up close and personal with Mark and Anna.

Mark explains that Appellation bake three differnet kinds of bread every day — a plain loaf, a fennel and sultana and a rye bread — with South Australian Lauke flour. Using a natural ferment process that captures the indigenous yeast in the air, they created a speciality sour dough starter with high levels of natural bacteria and yeast. It’s extremely sensitive to humidity so they feed it once a day in summer and three times a day in winter.

After Mark and Anna demonstrate the correct kneading technique we are all encouraged to have a go.

It’s a lot harder than I imagined – you need to put some serious effort into the kneading! Now I understand why bakers have serious forearms.

Ta da! And here’s the finished bread, hot out of the oven. It smells so good I have to restrain myself from diving straight in.

Afterwards, Mark shows us how to make a Lime Pie, using a Thomas Keller (French Laundry) recipe as a starting point. This is a gorgeous pie but one that requires a lot of work over a hot stove – the sabayon needs a good ten minutes of solid whisking. Mark manages it with a smile.

As we cook, I ask Mark about his plans as he’s just announced that he’s stepping down from Appellation in June.

“I’ve been cooking for 35 years,” he says. “I want to go to India and travel, have a break, get inspired again. I may even do some study or training.”

And afterwards?

“Well, there are opportunities of some consultancies, cookbooks and writing,” he says, with a smile.

Personally, I am sure that Mark will be besieged with offers and can’t wait to see what he does next.

Here’s the finished pie, served with slow-roasted quinces as part of our lunch afterwards. It’s wonderfully light and fragrant with lime.

Lunch is spectacularly good. Check out some of the beautiful bread sticks wrapped in prosciutto and our stunning main, Duck Two Ways with butternut, sunchokes and pomegranate.

Mark’s successor at Apellation is his Sous Chef, Ryan Edwards. Like all of the Appellation team, Ryan comes across as completely focused, respectful and professional. In fact, when reflecting upon our class and lunch at Appellation, the saying ‘well oiled machine’ springs to mind.

So I very much look forward to returning to Appellation when it reopens in July. Yes, Mark will be gone, but his legacy, and the excellent Appellation team, will continue to wow and delight.

Appellation at The Louise
Corner Seppeltsfield and Stonewall Roads
Marananga, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Tel: +61 8 8562 2722
Email: stay@thelouise.com.au

Christina Soong-Kroeger visited the Barossa Valley as a guest of Tasting Australia.