Kathy Paterson family favourites
Mother’s Day is the perfect time to serve your family’s favourite dishes, or to create some new ones
Treasured family recipes were on the menu at this year’s Melbourne Food and Wine Festival held at the beginning of April. Six of the country’s best chefs gave us the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a guest at the family dinner table.
At the forefront was the story behind Angie Hong (ex Thanh Binh) and son, Dan’s (executive chef at Mr Wong, El Loco and Ms.G’s in Sydney) Monday Hong Dinners. Every Monday evening the Hong family of five would eat at a different restaurant to give them some time off and a chance to relax. Plus it doubled as an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of other cuisines and generally check out what was going on in the Sydney restaurant scene.
Increasing numbers at dinner eventually led to the Hong family staying at home and cooking. They began inviting foodies and chefs, which has led to an all-out scramble to get an invitation to Monday night dinner at Angie’s.
Angie says the best outcome of sharing a family meal with great guests, is the camaraderie, the sharing of ideas and the positive influence on the young adults. Angie has seen them grow up and become confident and ambitious.
The following recipes are some of my family favourites that might inspire you to bring your own family together this Mother’s Day.
Marinated chicken with zucchini
This is a variation on a recipe by the great Italian cook, food writer and teacher Marcella Hazan. I have also made it with fish rather than chicken and swapped the celery out for pine nuts and raisins. This dish is marinated overnight in the fridge and then served at room temperature and makes for an interesting starter or the perfect lunch dish. Serves 4 4 small chicken breasts,
skinned 1 egg ¼ cup milk 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1-2 celery sticks, very finely
sliced 1 bay leaf 4 small sage leaves ¾ cup white wine vinegar (chardonnay vinegar is good here) ¾ cup water 4 small zucchini, trimmed Oil for shallow frying 1 cup dry white breadcrumbs (homemade are best) 1 Place the chicken breasts on a chopping board. Using a large sharp knife, cut through each breast horizontally and open out ( as if you were reading a book). Cover the opened- out chicken with baking paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, end of a rolling pin or the base of a small heavy saucepan, pound the chicken thinner (about 5mm). The thicker end of the breast will need a little more pounding than the thinner end for even thickness. 2 Break the egg into a large shallow dish, add a good pinch of salt and beat with a fork. Beat in the milk then drop in the chicken. Cover and set aside. 3 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and cook until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the bay leaf, sage leaves and pour in the vinegar. Let it bubble away for about 1 minute, then add the water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook gently for about 10 minutes until well reduced, then remove from the heat. 4 Meanwhile heat a chargrill over high heat. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into about 5mm slices. Place on the hot grill and cook on both sides until dark grill lines appear. Transfer to a plate to cool. 5 Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to cover the base. Heat until the oil is medium-hot. 6 Place the breadcrumbs on a flat plate. Drain each chicken breast from the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off then place chicken in the crumbs. Pat both sides with the crumbs to ensure the chicken is evenly and securely coated. 7 Place in the hot oil and cook on both sides until you have a golden brown crust, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to some crumpled kitchen paper to drain and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook chicken in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding the pan. 8 Choose a deep dish — cover the base with a single layer of chicken, then half of the zucchini. Top with half of the onion and celery marinade. Repeat finishing with the marinade. 9 Once completely cold, cover and place in the fridge overnight. Return to room temperature before serving with a green salad.
Tiny crumbed pork meatballs with beans and tomatoes
You could also pan-fry these meatballs and serve with mash and green vegetables. Serves 4 350g pork mince 4 slices pancetta, diced 2 Tbsp white breadcrumbs (made from stale bread), plus about 1 cup for crumbing ¼ cup milk 1 egg 1 shallot or ½ small red
onion, very finely chopped 2 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley, plus extra for sprinkling 1 tsp finely chopped sage
leaves ½ tsp ground fennel seeds,
optional ¼ cup olive oil 400g can chopped
tomatoes in juice Chicken stock, to thin sauce 1 cup canned borlotti beans,
drained and rinsed 1 Place the pork mince and pancetta in a bowl. Place 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour over the milk. Leave to soak for 5 minutes, then add to the pork. Add the egg, shallot, chopped herbs and ground fennel, if using. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix to combine. Shape pork mixture into walnut-sized balls. 2 Place the 1 cup breadcrumbs on a flat plate and roll the pork balls in the crumbs. 3 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pork balls and brown on all sides. Lower the heat, pour in the tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes until the pork balls are cooked through. Add a little chicken stock to thin the sauce if it is starting to look dry. Add the borlotti beans and heat through. 4 Serve pork meatballs in their sauce sprinkled with chopped or shredded parsley leaves (or 2 sage leaves, finely shredded).