I don’t know if having an American style barbecue on the Australia Day weekend is somewhat perverse or likely to get your Australian citizenship annulled. My husband and I along with our friends, Gina, Hot Dog, Teena and Phillippe do World Theme Nights on occasion and, Your Honour, when planning our American theme night, it just happened to coincide with the Australia Day weekend. Our World Theme Nights involve cooking the chosen nation’s food, dressing in the clothing, speaking with the appropriate accents and listening to the music.
Since Gina is Canadian, which is near enough to America, she told us about her nephew, Matthew Fabian who lives in Milton, Canada. Prior to this he lived in Burlington and every year many cities in Canada enjoy a Ribfest competition where restaurants in the area have a stall in the park with their rib recipe for all to try and they compete for title of ‘best ribs’ as voted by the critics and public. Matt did not officially compete as he is not a restaurant, but as the story goes, a large group who went to Burlington’s Ribfest, then to Matt’s place, (unofficially) nominated his recipes as the best tasting on the day. He has kindly given me, via her, the recipe for these babies and I was more than happy to try the recipe out. The instructions are his word for word as I thought the fact that he wasn’t sure if we had Bourbon in Australia was funny and how he specifically mentioned using a new and not used paintbrush was truly hilarious.
If it does seem like a bit more work than your usual ribs, I think you could probably use a very good bought BBQ sauce instead of making your own but as I am literally a trouble maker, as in someone who prefers to make things more complicated, I made the BBQ sauce. Instead of using baby back ribs, I use regular pork ribs that my parents have found a reliable supplier of as they’re juicier and meatier. The heady smell of the dry rub will have you salivating and they’re worth the extra effort and the home made sauce is gorgeously tangy, much nicer than any bottled sauce you could buy although it seems to become a little milder once bottled and refrigerated. Dare I mess with perfection and suggest a drop or two of Tabasco? The ribs themselves are fantastically good, soft and incredibly flavoursome with the heady mixture of the dry rub and BBQ sauce permeating each bite. They aren’t what you’d call photogenic, looking almost burnt but glisteningly so, because of the dark dry rub and BBQ sauce basting.
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January 28th, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Catching a movie at 6.30pm is a perilous experience for me. I fear for my stomach you see. I hate the idea of feeling hungry but not being able to do anything about it, being trapped in a cinema with a movie running. And I’m one of those people that the cinema hates for I do not indulge in the Candy bar often (unless its a swoon-worthy Dendy ice cream). So rushing to the cinema one week night we ensured that neither of us would experience hunger pangs by grabbing something quick from the Food Court. We were looking for a place called Pho Garden, apparently serving bird bath size bowls of Pho soup but alas, it looks like it has closed down. We settle for another place, recommended to us called Shanghai Gourmet. Prices are laughably small with nothing over $7 with most larger items hovering around the $6.60 range. We choose the pork and vegetable won ton soup ($5), the chicken steak and noodles ($6.60) and the mini pork buns ($6.60).
Noodle soup with chicken steak $6.60
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January 27th, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
I need very little excuse to try new jams and the Faye and Jack’s Passionfruit butter was crying out for another taste. The problem with eating it with a spoon straight out of the jar, aside from hygiene, is that before you realise it, you’ve emptied the whole jar. The recipe is from a Vogue forum poster tabs whose Mother, presumably Norwegian, made these for her.
If you’re undecided by the cardamom spice, in that its usually used in curries, please don’t be. It really adds to the flavour of these and will not remind you a jot of a curry. The best part for me about these is the little lumps of sour cream that explode in your mouth when you bite into them. If you do use light sour cream instead of the sumptuous full fat version, be aware that those delicious little lumps of sour cream disappear completely.
My husband adores these and since I have a hate hate relationship with my waffle plate which has relegated it to the “never use unless its end of the world” pile, I make these as small pancakes to an equally satisfying round of compliments.
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January 26th, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
Housed in one of Manly Corso’s little arcades, this little Japanese noodle house does a steady trade of well fed Northern Beachers. When we lived in Manly, we used to walk past this eatery, always curious but never quite getting the chance to eat there instead partaking of Manly’s many other restaurants. Not tonight though, we’re here, we’re hungry and we’re ready to eat Ramen!
There are two waitresses hurrying and flurrying about tonight so we seat ourselves in the arcade section and peruse the menus laid out on the table. I immediately gravitate towards the Mabou tofu ramen ($11.50), remembering, very fondly, the delicious mapo tofu from Iron Chef Chen Kenichi. Of course I know it won’t be anywhere near as good as his but a girl can reminisce can’t she? We take the easy route here and order the Bento box ($16) which consists of your choice of two of the following: Tonkatsu (deep fried pork), Shoga-yaki (sliced pork ginger sauce), Ebi-fry (deep fried prawn), Yakiniku (pan fried sliced beef), Teriyaki chicken or Fish or Karaage (deep fried chicken); with salad, rice, miso soup and gyoza. I select the pork with ginger and the chicken karaage. We opt to try their takoyaki ($6.50) and their Jipang Epi prawn roll ($4).
Takoyaki Octopus balls ($6.50)
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January 25th, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
I’m sure Nigella would forgive me for changing her recipe. I’m 200% sure that she is a recipe fiddler (and who isn’t really when you’ve run out of ingredients?) and fiddling is good for you unless you are say…. an accountant fiddling with the numbers.
I did three substitutions: 1. I replaced the pears with a Granny Smith apple as there were no Beurre Bosc pears to be had and 2. I substituted the Marsala for Brandy and 3. I substituted the walnuts for pecans as I like pecans better and had run out of walnuts. And let me say that the smell of this cooking is wonderful, truly.
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January 24th, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
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