Barbecue Daze
January 2012

Brought to you by Fresh Finesse Fresh Food Promotions – www.freshf.com.au

Blessed with long, warm days in WA it seems cheeky not to take advantage and partake in a little alfresco eating and what better way to do it than with a classic Aussie Barbie? “Throwing another Shrimp” has become a tongue- in-cheek part of our vernacular and for good reason. Hot grill plates are designed for absolute cooking simplicity and is just a matter of selecting your choice of meat and veggies then cracking open an icy beer whilst the barbecue heats up. Prawns, funnily enough, are a fantastic choice and delicious threaded onto rosemary skewers and doused with a little lemon juice and olive oil before serving. This method of skewering also works equally well for firm white-fleshed fish and Mediterranean vegetables such as capsicum, mushroom and eggplant.

Marinades are a fantastic and easy way to add a distinctive touch to a barbecue. A home-made tandoori paste of lemon juice, garam masala, paprika, garlic and natural yoghurt is wonderful smothered on chicken prior to grilling. A little Dijon mustard and vinegar brushed on potatoes towards the end of cooking gives a tangy kick to an essential barbecue side. Large field mushrooms work really well marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and pepper then grilled till cooked and garnished with a dollop of a soft white cheese such as goat’s, ricotta or buffalo mozzarella.

Foil Parcels filled with delicious vegetable treats are another fuss-free barbecuing option. A combination of tomato, black olives and cubed, cooked potato is lovely, as is a parcel of swiss brown and button mushrooms, butter and haloumi cheese. Simply seal and pop on the barbie until cooked to your liking. This is a particularly good option for vegetarians or fussy eaters- get them to create their own favourite combinations.

The best thing to accompany some aromatic grilling is a fresh, crunchy salad and what’s more, they’re one of the simplest of dishes to prepare. A classic green salad is en-livened by the addition of some toasted nuts and unusual salad varieties such as tatsoi and snowpea tendrils. A fantastic potato salad is an absolute staple of any barbecue- experiment with different flavours such as dill, mustard, bacon and cumin.

So go on…..this weekend, do what those pesky foreigners expect and throw another shrimp on the barbie! Give the following variation of the classic a go.

Method:

Place prawns and ¾ cup coriander into a medium bowl and mushrooms onto a large plate. Combine oil, mustard, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a screw-top jar. Shake well to combine. Pour ¼ cup dressing over prawns and toss well to combine. Drizzle remaining dressing over mushrooms. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Preheat a greased barbecue plate on medium-high heat. Spoon prawns and marinade onto the barbecue plate and cook, tossing frequently, for 2 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium and cook mushrooms for 2 minutes on each side or until just tender. Arrange mushrooms and prawns onto serving plates. Sprinkle with remaining coriander. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

My love of Shepherds Pie is always associated with January because it’s when I have the most left over cooked meat from Christmas celebrations. Using leftover meat minced up and mixed with fresh ingredients to make a scrumptious tasting pie is also so good for the wallet. If you don’t have any leftovers, use fresh mince instead.

If you want a particular recipe from me, don’t hesitate to drop a line to me at Have a Go News. Send your enquiry to Vince Garreffa c/- Have a Go News PO Box 1042 West Leederville 6901, or email your question jen@haveagonews.com.au
Buon Appetito!

Ingredients for 1 big tray or 6 individual pies
• 1.2 kg minced leftover meat of your choice ( lamb-beef-pork-chicken-turkey-ham)
• 150 gm onion fine diced
• 150 gm carrot fine diced
• 150 gm celery fine diced
• 150 gm Tomato Paste (preservative free)
• 50 ml Worcestershire Sauce
• 400 ml lamb/beef or chicken stock
• 50 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(EVOO)
• Freshly cracked black
pepper to taste
• West Australian Organic
Lake salt to taste

Creamy Potato Mash
• 1 kg Royal Blue potatoes
• 50 gm butter
• 100 ml cream

ONE WAY to buy a good bottle of wine very cheaply is to look for bin ends. Those are small numbers of cases left over just taking up storage room in the winery. There are too few to make it worth advertising them, so most wineries sell them off to passing customers.

The problem is finding bin ends when you want them. Good wineries don’t want their premium customers to lower their price expectation so you will rarely find bin ends mentioned on a website. Rather visit the cellar door and keep a look out for boxes discretely hidden away from the main selling area, or just ask.
I recently bought a case of six magnums of Cape Mentelle classic red for $120 at the cellar door. That’s the equivalent of $10/bottle.

Harvey River Bridge Estate has a 2008 Viognier available at the cellar door for $60 a case. That’s just $5/bottle for an excellent wine. It is well worth calling in if you are travelling south.

Some wineries advertise bin ends on their newsletter. One such winery is one of my favourites, Kim Tyrer’s Galafrey winery at Mount Barker. In January they should have 2004 Chardonnay, 2003 Frankland River Shiraz and their 2007 Riesling, but being bin ends they could easily be sold out. Email Kim Tyrer kim@galafreywines.com.au to see what bargains they have.

Here are some wine suggestions for summer drinking.