Holy Guacamole!

I was overseas for quite a while and now that I'm back, I have noticed a few things.  Food prices are through the roof, Qld winters really are the best and Mexican is the Comida del Dia.  Everyone rolls their eyes about Tex-Mex and Montezuma's and how hard done by Australian's are when it comes to real Mexican food.  The love affair started with Taco Den, was cemented by Casa Fiesta and has not really evolved from there.

But now it appears that there are a few new kids on the block, trying to introduce the concept of Mexican market eating.  Fresh produce, quality fillings and authentic ingredients all delivered in the time it would usually take for you to order two all beef patties.  Last Friday, I was invited to a blogger event to have lunch with Clovis Young, head honcho of 'Mad Mex - Fresh Mexican Grill'.  The idea was to meet the man behind the concept, sample the food, shoot the breeze about the hottest jalapeno we had ever tried and hopefully I would get a good meal and they would get a mention in my blog.  Well, it worked.  Last week I was writing about my own Mexican adventure and this week I am writing about someone else's.

Clovis grew up in California, enjoying the delights of Mexican food but once he moved to Beantown on the East Coast, there was no decent Mexican to be had so it was up to his family to recreate their own Mexican meals and dream of a better life.  Identifying a gap, indeed, a gaping whole in the market in Australia he decided he was the one to introduce us to the authentic flavours of Baja California.  A few years ago, it was just one grill in Sydney, now there's 10 and he's hoping to expand further into Qld, hence the invite.

Soft Taco w extra Jalapenos

Ordering is easy.  Choose your style (burrito, corn chips, soft tacos etc), choose your filling (chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian etc) and then choose your salsa (hot, spicy, mild etc).  All come with black beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato fresca and salsas.  By the time you have worked your way along the counter, your order has been warmed, filled and wrapped - ready for eating.  Even with a queue, I would have waited no more than 1 minute from ordering to receiving.

Quesadillas

But what do they taste like?  The tortillas in my soft tacos were just as I would expect and were made from white corn.  The chipotle marinated pollo (chicken) filling was tasty but the slow roasted, shredded carnitas (pork) was amazing.  Melting and tender with lime, cumin and garlic, now I want to recreate the carnitas in my own kitchen.  Dayle Moses - a fellow Brisbane Blogger had a burrito that was the perfect size for lunch.  A mid sized portion filled generously with meat rather than being ridiculously humongous and filled just with lettuce.  There were also Quesadillas to sample and along with my carnitas soft taco, they were a standout.  Corn chips are made in the traditional method with corn softened in lime water and stone ground and were accompanied by a range of salsas including an ingredient rarely seen or known of in Australia - the tomatillo. We finished with a serve of churros and chocolate sauce and I can honestly say they were some of the best churros I have tried.  Many's a time I was disappointed by cold, oily churros sans sugar and cinnamon in Spain.

Damn good churros

Mad Mex has made an effort to court the fickle fast food fancier.   Attention has been paid to dietary needs with gluten free and low carb options and there is a nutritional calculator on the website.  Corn chips are made by an Australian family company, produce is sourced locally for each Grill and all meat is Australian.  They do import a lot of ingredients but make no apologies, stating the best black beans, specific spices and condiments can not be sourced locally.  Those shipping containers include one of my favourite soft drinks, discovered in Florida last year.  Try a genuine Jarritos Tamarind Soda for a taste of the south.  As an added bonus, it's licenced. Dayle and I shared a lunchtime Margarita and there are Coronas too - upcycled into Coronodaliers when they are done.

Hot Sauce w Margarita lurking in the background

It's a simple concept - fresh, tasty, fast.  It works.  Brunswick St Mall is perhaps not where you would open your Qld flagship store.  Try as the BCC might to gentrify and modernise the mall, it's seen better days but the Mad Mex storefront is welcoming, groovy and was very busy on the Friday lunch I visited.  Perfect for office workers grabbing lunch but also good for tourists and those looking for a change from the myriad of Asian options in the surrounding precinct.  Hopefully, Mad Mex will get a toe hold elsewhere and offer a decent alternative to the mega burger and chicken chain options.

Clovis @ Max Mex Brunswick St Mall

PS: make sure you click on the Taco Den and Casa Fiesta links to see some great ads.  If only meals started from $3 nowadays!

Bengal Apple Chutney

I don't make jam but I do make Chutney, which is very in keeping with the TIFFIN theme.  I do use recipes but have also been known to whip up a batch of whatever I have to hand and just make it up as I go along.  You can't go far wrong as long as there is vinegar, sugar, fruit and spices in the pan.  Today though, I made a batch of an old favourite, Bengal Apple Chutney from a little book called 'Hot' that I picked up on a remaindered table several years ago.

The inspiration to get cooking was a big bag of green apples from Aldi and a need to supplement a housewarming gift for friends.  Try this easy and tasty recipe - great with a curry of course but also excellent with a sharp cheddar.  Delicious on home cooked corned beef sandwiches or on an omelette.

Bengal Apple Chutney

• 8 large cooking or Granny Smith apples
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups malt or cider vinegar
• 30g fresh ginger, grated
• 1 small onion chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 tbspns mustard seeds
• 2 tspns salt
• 2 - 3 tspns chilli powder
• 3/4 cup sultanas or raisins

Method

1. Peel and chop apples into eighths ( ¼ and then chop each ¼ in half) 
2. Combine in a large saucepan with sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil.  Cover and simmer until apples are tender – around 20 minutes 
3.  Add ginger, onion, garlic, mustard seeds, salt, chilli powder and sultanas 
4. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until mixture has reduced and thickened, stirring regularly
5. Cool slightly and place in sterilised jars
6. Before you seal with a lid (see notes), tap the bottom of the jar on a folded tea towel on the bench to release the air bubbles and let them travel to the top to escape
7. Store for at least 2 weeks before opening to allow flavours to mature

Notes
- Add a handful of dried, chopped dates for an extra dimension
- I always add a couple of cloves (remove before bottling)
- An alternative to the oven is to sterilise jars by running them through a hot dishwasher
- The vinegar in the chutney will react with metal lids so cover with a waxed disk (if you just happen to have one lying around....) or - a piece of cellophane, dipped in water, stretched over the neck of the jar and secured with a rubber band (which Australia Post very conveniently deliver every day) will do the trick.  Then just pop the lid on when the chutney is completely cold
- Keeps for 6 months.  It must be said that I have stored this for up to 12 months.

Holy Mole!

South Beach, Miami

Last November I went to Florida for two weeks, to get away from the cold of another European Winter.  I had a wonderful time swimming in the lovely warm Gulf of Mexico, trying my first Cuban food and admiring the Art Deco buildings of Miami.  The other thing I did was to lug back bottles of Hot Sauce and other Mexican fixings.  Tabasco is fine but who can resist a bottle of Texas Pete Garlic Hot Sauce at Walmart for 99c?

One of the items I bought was jar of Dona Maria Mole Sauce.  I have been wanting to make a Mole for years and thought this might be a good way to test the waters.  It takes many ingredients, time and love to make a great Mole so I decided that if I liked the general taste, then I would make the commitment to doing it right in future.  I knew I was onto a winner when I saw the exact same jar at Pennisi Cuisine at Woolloongabba for $8.

Well I had the jar, but what to do with it?  The instructions on the jar were scant but a quick 'jar of dona maria mole' search on Google turned up a wealth of information, particularly on Chowhound (a site I highly recommend).  So, I followed the tips, adding stock, tomato paste and some dark chocolate to make a thick mole sauce.  We had it over poached shredded chicken, sprinkled with sesame seeds and accompanied by a corn and avocado salad dressed with orange juice; cumin and chilli powder; and fresh coriander.  Soft tortillas would have been nice but we were all out so I added a few plain corn chips to the plate for crunch.  It was delicious!  I am determined now to make the real deal but I'll need to use the rest of the jar first.  I saw a tip for using leftover sauce smeared on warm tortillas filled with scrambled eggs so there is obviously plenty of scope.

God Bless America!

A Taste of Slovenia

I have been working on the endless task of sorting 18months worth of holiday photos into some semblance of order.  It's a cheap shot (literally) but on the coat tales of 'A Taste of Croatia' and 'Another Taste of Croatia', I bring you the ice cream that's all the rage on the shores of Lake Bled, Slovenia.

'Classic'

The marketing people will need to brush up on their English translations before they send it further afield.

Gem Scones - perfect for a rainy Sunday

I've always been curious about Gem Scones.  Ever since I saw a recipe for Gem Scones dipped in jelly and rolled in coconut in one of my Mum's old cook books, I wanted to know more.  How does the cast iron pan known as a 'Gem Iron', work?  Do the scones come out of the irons round?  Why are there irons - why didn't they just make then in a cake tin?  If you dip them in the jelly, does it make the scones soggy?  Why wasn't I invited to a party where they were served? After years of visiting Op Shops and seeing the forlorn little irons sitting on dusty shelves, I finally decided to buy a set.  My rule about Op Shops in 'Under $5 - just buy.  Over $5 - do you really need it?'  In this case, the irons were $8 so I really had to think hard about it but as I needed to solve the questions running around in my head, I lashed out.

So the first thing you need to know is that Gem Scones are not scones at all, they are small cakes - probably a pre-cursor to patty cakes.  The second thing you need to know is that they are delicious!

Gem Scones

• 60g butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• butter for greasing

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220C. Place gem irons into oven
2. Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg yolks
3. Fold flour into creamed mixture with milk. Gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites

4. Remove gem irons from oven. Brush hot irons with melted butter, and while butter is still sizzling, two-thirds fill each iron with mixture
5. Bake in a moderately hot oven 190C for 10-15 minutes or until cooked and lightly browned

Some Notes

• You can halve this recipe (I did) and it makes around 15 small scones
• If you only have one set of gem irons (like me), remove cooked gem scones from irons, place gem irons back into the oven to heat up for 5 minutes, remove and brush irons with butter and continue as before

So now I'm on the lookout for a 2nd set of reasonably priced irons.  They're quite common but as you know, I am trying to follow my Op Shop buying rule.   As to the jelly dipping - it's was wondrous when I was 8 but I just don't think it's going to happen.

MasterChef MasterStoke

Many of you would know that I spend a lot of time in airport lounges around the country and am well known for picking up anything that is not nailed down.  I recently acquired a copy of MasterChef Magazine - something I hadn't seen as it started being published whilst I was overseas.

The magazine was OK but I saw an ad for a MasterChef branded product that created a real light bulb moment.  Amongst the slicers and dicers, crushers and sifters was a MasterChef Mesh Spice Ball.  What a brilliant idea!  No more fishing out cloves and cardamon and no more poking around for pieces of ginger or juniper berries.

Of course, I'm not going to pay $14 for a branded item so I went to The Tea Centre in Brisbane Arcade and picked up a large tea ball for half the price.  I can't believe such a simple idea will make such a difference.

It's all about the Cheese - Brisbane Cheese Awards

As mentioned a few posts ago, I was invited to the Brisbane Cheese Awards breakfast at Portside on Sunday along with the producers, luminaries of the industry and other Brisbane food bloggers.  It was a casual stand up affair of pastries, coffee, fruit and juice for around 60 people with a punishing Sunday morning 8am start.  I attached myself to a group of bloggers and met some a couple of the bloggers I follow including a fave 'Eat Drink and Be Kerry'. Sadly, Barbara from Winos and Foodies was not there. By 9am, the awards and trophies were announced, with the exception of the 'Best Qld Cheese' and the 'Lord Mayor's Cup' and it was time to move on to some cheese sampling.

They were already queuing to get into the Peoples Day event, where we had complimentary entry a freebie of Divine Dairy Bio Dynamic Feta.  There were over 20 stalls to work through so we headed straight to the far end with the idea of working our way back to the entry.

I was thrilled that the first stall we came to was Olympus Cheese.  I am a big fan of their Halloumi, made just down the road from me at Coorparoo.  It's too delicious,  precious and pricey to share with cheese philistines so only the 'inner circle' are ever offered the real deal.  A favourite Friday night 'wind down from work' treat is some slices fried in the pan with a squeeze of lime, a lick of chilli and a nice crisp white wine.  When I hear 'food hero', I think of people like those who run Olympus. Springing from a family business, they are still local producers who not only make fab halloumi, but are relaxed and convivial and very happy to talk about their products.  The range includes plain and flavoured ricottas and fettas and I would commend anyone to seek their products out at local deli and fruit shops.  As an added bonus, there was a big special on the halloumi, so we stocked up for all those Friday nights ahead.

Local producers were slim on the ground but represented by Kingaroy Cheese, Emmos Fine Foods from the Lockyer Valley with their wonderfully named Nannybert and Towri Sheep Cheeses near Beaudesert.  Other artisans had come further afield but were no less delicious.  Particular favourites were the Divine Dairy Blue,  Yarra Valley Dairy Persian Fetta and Jindi Triple Cream Brie - still winning medals and you can see why. The Udder Delights Chevre was delicious and incredibly good value at $8 for 200g so that was slipped into the dilly bag.

By midday, the crowds had swelled and the queues for each stall snaked around but thankfully, our cheese lust was well and truly sated. Winner of the 'Best Qld Cheese' was Witches Chase Cheese Co for their LI (Labour Intensive) Washed Rind and the 'Lord Mayor's Cup' went to Jindi for their Old Telegraph Road Heritage Blue.  The People's Day is a work in progress (more seating and shade needed) but if you are in any way interested in cheese at all, it's worth a visit next year.

Lots of links in this post, I know but then, there were lots of great cheeses!

Yes Sir, We Have No Bananas

I'm not a fan of bananas, which is a pity as they are the perfect 'take anywhere, anytime' snack.  They also grow by the bucket load in Queensland so they are handy and cheap.  Except when there has been a devastating weather pattern bringing floods and cyclones to the State.

 For me, no great loss.  For the mothers of small children and gym junkies of Brisbane - it's a trying time.  Banana supplies are low and prices have skyrocketed to over $15 a kilo. This is why you see queues at the City Farmer's Market every Wednesday morning.  The little golden beauties are on sale for between $5 and $10 a kilo.  Orderly queues form as early as 7am (or so I am told) and a recent addition is the crowd control with witches hats, a velvet rope and a 'bouncer' to make sure nobody grabs a bunch and runs. They are always all sold out by morning tea.

Banana crowd control

Those of a certain vintage recall sleeping out on the footpath in Elizabeth St for tickets to go on sale at Festival Hall.  So, for those that are keen or have small mouths to feed, a sleeping bag may be an option in the hope that they are at the markets early enough next week.