With pleasure
In her new book Home, Australian chef Stephanie Alexander reveals simple ways to combine beautiful ingredients.
Deep-fried calamari must be one of the most-ordered dishes in cafes around Australia and beyond. And it is easy and quick to prepare. The usual cautions regarding deep-frying exist – you need plenty of ventilation, a thermometer for the oil (which should be at about 170°C), clean oil with at least a percentage of olive oil for flavour, a paper-lined tray to drain the fried calamari, and a low oven where batches can be kept warm.
SALT & PEPPER CALAMARI WITH FRIED LEMON, OREGANO & SAGE
4 calamari ( bodies 12-16cm long)
¼ cup plain flour
¼ cup fine semolina
1 tbsp dried oregano flowers, as rubbed from a
sprig of dried oregano grapeseed or sunflower oil (plus some extra-virgin
olive oil), for deep-frying
1 lemon, finely sliced
12 sage sprigs sea salt lemon wedges, to serve
COATING BATTER
(makes about 1½ cups)
½ cup self-raising flour
½ cup cornflour
200ml cold sparkling mineral water
Fill the sink with cold water and have a cutting board and knife or scissors handy. Have a bowl ready to take the calamari innards, a plate for the cleaned calamari, and paper towels within reach. Tip the calamari into the sink of water. Take hold of all the tentacles in one hand and pull and twist them firmly – the tentacles will come away with the guts attached. Cut the tentacles just below the ink sac with a knife or scissors. To locate the “beak” (mouth), take hold of the tentacles and press them away from you. The beak will pop out. Using a knife, cut away the guts, beak and ink sac and drop them into the bowl. Rinse the tentacles in water and set aside on the plate.
Locate the cartilaginous shield inside the body and add to the bowl. Discard the contents of the bowl.
Rinse the body under running water and strip off and discard the purplish-black or pink membrane. Rinse the body inside and out and add it to the tentacles. Dry the cleaned calamari well with paper towels before slicing, as it will be slippery. Cut the body into fine rings and the tentacles into clusters about 4cm long.
Mix the flour, semolina and dried oregano in a shallow tray. Dip the rings and tentacles into the flour mixture, giving each a good shake to remove any excess, then carefully transfer to a separate tray. The more careful this coating, the better the final dish. You do not want excess flour in the oil.
Preheat the oven to 120°C with a serving plate in it. Line a baking tray with paper towels. Select a
heavy-based, deep saucepan for the deep-frying unless you own a temperature-controlled countertop deep-fryer. Pour in oil to a depth of about 6cm, then heat to 170°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, a tiny cube of bread dropped into the oil should sizzle instantly when it is hot enough.
Carefully place a few pieces of calamari in the oil (do not drop them in as the oil will splash and burn you). Add only enough so they sizzle well and are not crowded or stuck together. Fry until golden brown, moving the pieces gently in the oil from time to time with a long-handled wooden spoon, chopstick or brass skimmer. Scoop on to the waiting paper-lined tray for a moment, then transfer to the warm plate in the oven. Give the oil a minute or two to recover before adding another batch.
Make the coating batter for the lemon and sage. Put both flours into a bowl and whisk to mix. Slowly whisk in half the water. Whisk in the balance gradually to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. Use at once or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Give a quick whisk to reincorporate the flours if the mixture has settled, then dip the lemon slices into it, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Carefully lower the lemon into the hot oil and fry for a few minutes, moving the slices about as before to ensure both sides are golden brown. Follow with dipped sage sprigs.
Serve the fried calamari, lemon slices and sage sprigs immediately with a scattering of sea salt and the lemon wedges. An indulgent extra would be a bowl of lemon or plain aioli on the side. Or some chilli sauce for those who like their food spicy.
Serves 4.
A PILE OF mussels in the centre of the table looks dramatic and leads to much laughter and conversation. In France and Spain, one sees enthusiasts using an emptied shell like tongs to take the next mussel from the central bowl. An ideal dish to share with good friends – or new ones.
You need a deep, wide pot with a lid to cook mussels. I use a wok with a lid. I then scoop the opened mussels, and their strained juices, into a deep, warm bowl to present at the table. Give each diner a wide soup plate and have a large dish in the centre of the table for the empty shells.
MUSSELS WITH TOMATO & CHILLI & GARLIC-RUBBED TOASTS
2kg mussels
4 x 1.5cm thick slices sourdough or
other substantial bread extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 onion, sliced
½ tsp chilli flakes or ½ long red chilli, seeded and
very finely chopped
200ml dry white wine
¼ cup tomato passata or 3 tomatoes, grated
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Gently tip the mussels into a sink or a large bowl of cold water. Don’t tip them from a great height as the shells are very fragile. Discard any with broken shells. Have a bowl nearby for the cleaned mussels. Scrub them lightly, then pull out each beard with a sharp downward tug. Give the mussels a final rinse to remove any sand or scraps of shell. Transfer each cleaned mussel to the bowl until you are ready to cook. They take only 5 minutes from pan to plate, so everything else needs to be ready.
Preheat the oven to 120°C with serving bowls and an extra-large bowl for the mussels in it.
Heat a chargrill pan to make the toasts. Brush the bread lightly with oil on both sides, then toast on the hot pan. Aim to have grill marks on the bread. Remove to a work surface and give one side a swipe with a cut clove of garlic. Transfer the toast to a plate to keep warm in the oven.
Gently transfer the mussels to a wide pan or wok with the onion and chilli. Pour in the wine, cover with the lid, then place over high heat. In about 4 minutes, a gush of steam will indicate the mussels have opened.
Quickly scoop the opened ones into the waiting large, warm bowl. Strain the cooking juices through a fine sieve into a jug, keeping back the final few spoonfuls that will always be dirty. Rinse the pan or wok, return it to the heat, then toss in the strained juices, tomato and parsley. Return to a boil, then pour over the opened mussels.
Take the bowl of mussels to the table and allow everyone to serve themselves. A ladle is a good idea to scoop up some of the juice. Offer the toast alongside. And provide napkins, as fingers are a must here.
Serves 4.
THIS DELICIOUS CHEESECAKE has a tangy flavour and a crisp crust. The whipped cream on the top may seem like overkill, but somehow it enhances the cheesecake’s lemony character. Best of all is if you can find cream cheese in a delicatessen or at a market stall specialising in European-style products – I especially like to use quark. Such cheeses have a distinctive flavour and more acidity than supermarketbought cream cheese. However, that option will still produce a good cheesecake.
LEMON SOUR CREAM CHEESECAKE
1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry plain flour, for dusting
500g cream cheese or quark
¾ cup caster sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 free-range eggs juice of 2 lemons, strained few drops of pure vanilla extract pinch of sea salt
1 cup thickened cream
Prepare and rest the shortcrust pastry. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Choose a loose-bottomed 24cm tart tin.
Dust your workbench and rolling pin with flour. Roll the pastry from the centre, turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. Wrap the rolled dough around the pin, then unroll it over the tart tin. If you trim the pastry a bit high, you can turn in the extra to create a doubled edge. Press the pastry into the base of the tin. Chill for 1 hour. Line the pastry with a large sheet of baking paper or a doubled sheet of foil, then fill with pastry weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool and remove the weights and paper. Sit the baked shell on a baking tray. Reset the oven to 160°C.
In the food processor, combine the remaining ingredients except the cream. Process just until smooth. Scrape into the baked shell, then smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the filling is set but still slightly wobbly – about 40 minutes. Cool, then chill for at least 3 hours. Unmould the cheesecake carefully. Whip the cream until thick, then either spread firmly on top of the cheesecake or offer it separately.
Serves 8-10. ▮
Extracted from HOME, by Stephanie Alexander (Macmillan, $59.99)