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OUR COOKS CO-OP WEB SERIES CONTINUES TO EXPLORE THE BURGEONING FOOD SCENE IN THE HAWKESBURY VALLEY; HERE, WE SHARE CHEF MARTIN BOETZ'S COLLABORATIONS WITH TOP PRODUCERS FROM THE RIVERSIDE REGION
CUCUMBER KIMCHI Serves 6
500g small cucumbers
1½ tsp salt
2½ tbsp sugar
1-2 tsp Korean red chilli flakes, to taste (see tip)
1½ tbsp peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced into matchsticks 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried shrimp, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish (see tip) 1 small carrot
1 green onion (shallot), trimmed
¼ small onion, thinly sliced
1. Cut cucumbers in half lengthways. Cut halves into 1cm thick spears and place in a colander. Add ¼ teaspoon of the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar and toss until combined. Stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, put in the remaining salt and sugar. Add chilli flakes, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce and dried shrimp and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Cut carrot and green onion into 5cm lengths. Thinly slice each piece of carrot lengthways. Stack slices and cut into matchsticks. Cut green onion into long thin julienne strips.
Add carrot, green onion, small onion and cucumber to bowl with fish sauce mixture and stir until combined. Let stand for 15 minutes, turning once or twice.
4. Arrange cucumber in a shallow dish, spooning the shredded vegetable mixture, aromatics and liquid on top. Garnish with extra shrimp. Store any leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Korean chilli flakes and dried shrimp are available from Asian supermarkets. OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Robert Gordon oil jug, $41.95, The Dea Store. Vintage French paddle board, $175, The Bay Tree. Weck jar, $22 (lid not shown), The Lost And Found Department. Linen napkin, $60/set of 4, Road Less Taken. Iro plate in Bark, $25, The Dea Store. Vintage spoon, stylist’s own. Weck jar, $11.50/small, The Lost And Found Department. Round resin bowl, $9.95, The Bay Tree. Stockists, page 188
ROASTED CARROT, PUMPKIN, GINGER & HONEY SOUP Serves 6
300g butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into rough pieces 1kg carrots, peeled, halved
1 brown onion, peeled, quartered
8 eschalots, unpeeled
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
50g ginger
1 leek, trimmed, roughly chopped
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and white pepper, to season
2L vegetable stock
1 bunch thyme
2 bay leaves
Organic honey, to serve
Micro herbs, to garnish (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Place pumpkin, carrot, onion, eschalots, garlic, ginger and leek in a large roasting tray. Drizzle over oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until coated. Roast for about 45 minutes or until caramelised, turning vegetables halfway.
2. Place stock, thyme and bay leaves in a heavy-based pot and bring to a simmer. Squeeze garlic and eschalot flesh from their skins into stock. Add cooked vegetables and bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove pot from the heat.
3. Remove thyme stalks and bay leaves and discard. Use a handheld stick blender to puree the soup in pot or puree ladlefuls in a food processor until smooth. If soup is too thick, add more stock or water. Season to taste. Drizzle each bowl of soup with honey to serve. Sprinkle with micro herbs if desired.
“in fruit our and family, veg. we always grew our own i can honestly say I've been doing this all my life!" - gerry harvey
SPICE-RUBBED PORK NECK STEAKS Serves 6
25g fennel seeds 10g coriander seeds 10g white pepper 25g sea-salt flakes 1 pork neck (1.5kg) 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp coconut oil
1. In a spice grinder, blend fennel seeds, coriander seeds and pepper to a coarse powder. Remove to a bowl and mix with salt.
2. Generously rub pork with spice mixture until coated. Cut pork neck into 2cm wide steaks. Preheat an oiled chargrill plate over a medium-high heat. Add steaks and cook for 3-4 minutes each side. Mix soy sauce and coconut oil together in a jug and baste steaks with mixture in last minute of cooking to give a good caramelised finish.
3. Remove steaks and cover loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 8-10 minutes before eating.
CRISP SCHOOL PRAWNS Serves 4-6
2L canola oil
500g green school prawns 100ml Thai fish sauce (see tip) 300g tapioca flour
Lime wedges, to serve
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
1. Heat oil in a wok to 160°C.
2. Line a tray with absorbent paper. Place prawns on top, cut long whiskers off to make it easier to separate prawns and pat dry. Discard paper. Season prawns with fish sauce.
3. Prepare prawns in small batches so they don’t clump together once floured. Place about one-fifth of the prawns in a large sieve over a bowl and sprinkle over one-fifth of the tapioca flour.
Shake until prawns are coated with flour.
4. Place prawns in hot oil and cook for about 5 minutes or until crisp and golden. Use a mesh spoon sieve to scoop up prawns and drain on absorbent paper towel. Repeat with remaining prawns and flour.
5. Serve prawns with lime wedges and sweet chilli on the side.
The prawns will be well seasoned from the addition of the fish sauce. OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dinner plates, $30 each, Road Less Taken. Vintage forks, $150/set of 6, The Bay Tree. Stone kharal, $125, ‘Lovely Linen’ napkin, $95/set of 4, both Road Less Taken. Metal dish, stylist’s own. Tumblers, $4.50 each, The Bay Tree. Stockists, page 188
“some of the best food producers not only supply local top markets. restaurants, they also sell at you'll be amazed by the quality of food available" - Marty
GRILLED FENNEL & SILVERBEET WITH ROASTED ESCHALOT DRESSING Serves 4-6
2 large fennel bulbs
½ bunch silverbeet
2 lemons, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup parsley leaves, rinsed
1 bunch rocket leaves, rinsed, trimmed
Dressing (see tip) 10 eschalots, unpeeled 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled 100ml olive oil
50ml pomegranate molasses 30ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. To make dressing, preheat oven to 180°C. Place eschalot and garlic in a small roasting dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, trim the top and bottom of fennel bulbs, leaving some of the core attached. Cut bulbs in half from top to bottom. Cut into thick wedges making sure core is attached so pieces stay together.
3. Remove and reserve leaves from the stalks of silverbeet.
4. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, add fennel pieces and poach for 5-6 minutes or until just tender. Remove and set aside to cool. Poach stalks of silverbeet in boiling water for
5 minutes. Set aside with the fennel once cooked.
5. To finish dressing, squeeze flesh from eschalots and garlic, roughly chop and place in a small bowl. Add oil, molasses, vinegar and sugar.
6. Preheat an oiled barbecue or chargrill plate to medium-high heat. Grill lemon halves until caramelised. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Squeeze juice from lemons and strain into dressing mixture. Season and stir to combine. Set aside.
7. Drizzle fennel, silverbeet stalks and leaves with oil and gently rub over vegetables. Place on grill and caramelise for 3-4 minutes each side. Remove from grill. Add silverbeet leaves to grill and cook until just wilted. Cut silverbeet stalks into smaller pieces.
8. Arrange grilled fennel on a serving plate or in a large shallow dish. Combine parsley leaves, rocket, grilled silverbeet stalks and leaves in a large bowl. Add some of the dressing and toss until combined. Spread salad over fennel and serve.
Store any remaining dressing in the fridge for 2 weeks. Allow to come up to room temperature before using. “make friends farmer's with the growers market at your local to make sure you always get the freshest ingredients" - Marty