Yotam Ottolenghi's Pearl Barley Tabouleh

With the weather starting to warm up, my mind and body has well and truly been set to salad mode.  With a long summer ahead, I am keen to broaden my repertoire and enjoy salads with all sorts of grains and pulses tossed through to give some substance to the dish.

I have written before about Yotam Ottolenghi and his Middle Eastern influenced dishes. I was originally going to make the Open Kibbeh from a page I had torn out of the Weekend Guardian but the Pearl Barley Tabouleh accompaniment caught my eye so the kibbeh will wait for another day.  This is so quick and simple, I will be making it quite a lot on a Sunday night so we can take it for lunch during the week.  With some good bread, it makes a filling lunch.  With some sumac rubbed BBQ lamb, it would be out of sight.

And how about that fork?  'Greetings from BOONAH'. Who'd have thought that they turned out such elegant souvenirs in Boonah? Another op shop find. 

Pearl Barley Tabouleh w Marinated Feta

• 40g pearl barley
• 100g feta
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp zaa'tar
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted & lightly crushed
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• good handful of parsley, finely chopped
• 4 spring onions finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 40g cashew nuts, toasted & roughly crushed
• 1 green capsicum, de-seeded and finley diced
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 60ml olive oil
• salt & pepper

Method

1. Place pearl barley in a saucepan, cover with plenty of water and boil for 30 minutes until tender but still with 'bite'.  Drain, refresh and place into fine sieve to drain whilst preparing other ingredients.
2. Mix zaa'tar, cumin, coriander and 1 1/2 tsp olive oil in bowl. Break feta into rough, 2cm pieces, add to bowl and gently mix to coat feta with spices. Set aside to marinate whilst preparing other ingredients.
3. Chop parsley, spring onions, garlic, cashews and capsicum.  Place in large bowl and add pearl barley.  Toss to combine
4. Mix lemon juice, oil and allspice to emulsify and stir through salad. Season to taste.
5. Divide salad between 4 plate and top with marinated feta.

Just like it's served in Boonah

Notes
- McKenzies Pearl Barley is available in the soup section of your supermarket, with the dried beans and soup mixes
- I didn't add the garlic as the flavour seems harsh, when raw in a salad and there's plenty of other flavours
- Substitutes: I had no cashews so toasted almonds on top, no capsicum so blanched green beans, no allspice so sumac added a nice tang
- I added some refreshing cucumber and salad leaves to make it a full meal rather than a side

Tiffin at the Club - That's 'At' not 'In'

What Club, I hear you ask?  The Club I seem to have spent most of my most time in.  Not Mannequin's Partyhouse at the old Treasury Hotel as you may think, but the Qantas Club.  I travel a lot for work and  consequently spend a lot of time in the QC.  I know all of their menu selections intimately for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Before I went overseas, I was seeing an awful lot of feta cheese and olives on the afternoon snack (you and I know it as Tiffin) selection and a few party pies that were hard fought over.  Woe betide anyone who jumped the hot food queue.  You certainly couldn't wander over and pretend to be getting some sweet chilli sauce and drop a few wedges on your plate at the same time.  BACK OF THE QUEUE!  Luckily a full bar was also included in the fee.....

Nowadays though, there are plenty of tasty treats on offer.  Lots of salads with with interesting tidbits nestled in amongst couscous or brown rice; lavosh, quince paste and muscatels; beetroot dip, tzatziki and homous as well as wholegrain breads.  I can't honestly say they are all low fat but they are a darn sight healthier than sausage rolls.  The wine selection has improved too and I was happy to see some Barossa Elderton on my last visit.  I'm thrilled to see jars of licorice allsorts too.

These bar snacks are also a step up from rice crackers - vegetable 'chips'.  Full of fat and salt but delicious to unwind with after work.

Yummy!

There's obviously been a sea change in the QC over the past two years.  Whilst I've been globetrotting on budget airlines, Qantas has obviously been worrying about those same budget airlines eating into their profit.  What to do.....Charge less? Higher weight limits on luggage?  No. Stuff the bread and butter travellers.  Let's charge to use credit cards, charge for extra luggage and court our business customers by giving them decent food in the QC.  It works for me. Luckily a full bar is also included in the fee.....

Not Quite Eggact - Egg Bistro, East Bris

My brother posted a comment that he had managed to make it into not one, but two recent blog posts.  As he visited again from the big smoke last weekend, I have decided to make it a hat trick.  I have been wanting to go to Egg Bistro for a while as I pass it every day on my way to work.  Ever since the Courier Mail included it in 'Brisbane's Best Breakfasts' though, there had been long queues outside ever since.  Amazingly though, I have ended up visiting twice in a week.

The Monday lunch crowd is very much 'ladies who lunch' and as I sat in the cool and casually elegant courtyard, I was able to listen in on conversations about buying organic, greedy nieces and setting up a shelf company (the minimise tax kind rather than the Ikea kind).  The Saturday lunch crowd is made up of 'ladies who lunch' and those who work 9 to 5 paying their taxes because they have not been clever enough to set up a shelf company.  There were a few birthday groups tossed in for good measure.  I chose well on Monday and was looking forward to recommending my dish to the others but by Saturday, the menu had changed.  At least you know it's fresh! Lunch mains vary from around $16 for a small portion to around $30 for larger meals.  The Steak Salad was a rare piece of steak sliced and tossed through salad leaves with small dots of pate, crispy onions and a potato dressing.  It came with three buttery pieces of thinly sliced, toasted baguette.  I have to say that I demolished it and particularly enjoyed smearing small bites of pate onto the toast with little crispy bits of onion squished on. The thing it lacked was some decent seasoning when the steak was cooked and some type of zesty dressing or a sharp salsa verde with capers to offset the subtle flavours in an otherwise delicious salad.

I had seen the Risotto of the Day on Monday and it looked great so I ordered a portion for Saturday.  The Saffron Risotto with Scallops was creamy, the rice had the perfect give to it, there were discernible flecks of saffron but it had absolutely no seasoning.  My husband had a taste and deemed it bland.  Not sure if they were using salt reduced stock or whether anyone had checked the dish whilst they were cooking but it was a disappointment.   Sean had the Barramundi and Crab burger (or the 'fish burger' as the waitress called it when she delivered it), served on a bun swathed in tartare sauce and some shoestring fries  that looked liked they were from a packet.  I can't say how it tasted as it was on the plate one minute and in his stomach the next but said it was tasty though probably over egging the pudding have both barramundi and crab in a burger.

Anthony had Duck Maryland that came with a salad of coleslaw that was fresh and perky.  The duck was well cooked and came away from the bone easily.  We both love the dark meat so in the words of the Iron Chef, I had a Battle Royale getting a small piece to try.  I thought it a little dry but the dressing or baste (fruity?) made it tasty enough for a Saturday lunch.  A small salad of Spinach and Pepitas dressed in a Paprika dressing to finish was good but again, lacked a sharp note.  Anthony also enjoyed an old fashioned Vanilla Milkshake with small vanilla specks visible throughout. It was a very hot Saturday when we visited so although the ceiling fans were moving the air, I found it muggy inside.  The front windows could do with some tinting or a mesh blind to cut both the glare and heat to cocoon us inside Egg.  The service on both visits was friendly and relaxed and is find it refreshing that there is a (albeit casual) Maitre'D overseeing proceedings to make sure meals are being delivered on time and to the right table.  Not an extravagance you would usually find in a local bistro.

For now, I'm ambivalent about Egg.  An interesting menu that is reasonably priced but in both visits, there were some hits and misses.  The food is fine but doesn't set the world alight, the service is good.  It's very close by to where I live and there is certainly a good vibe about Egg so I haven't written it off just yet but it needs more polish if it's to become a firm fave.

Egg Bistro

989 Stanley Rd

East Brisbane Qld 4169

http://www.eggbistro.com.au

Visited: Mon 12th & Sat 17th September 2011 - Lunch Service

When Life Gives You Lemons.....

It's been a busy week in the Camp Hill kitchen.  I have had lots of unexpected guests and on Tuesday, I was casting around, looking at what was left in the fridge and cupboard that could feed six on short notice.  One thing I did have was a grove of lemons.  It's like that with seasonal produce isn't it? At the end of summer, you can't get a locally grown lemon for love nor money but at the end of a literally fruitful winter, I had gifted lemons coming at me in all directions.

I decided to use to the last gasp of winter chill as an excuse to make Lemon Delicious puddings for dessert.  I have always made Lemon Delicious in the microwave, straight out of the Woman's Weekly Microwave Cookbook.  Now I know most of you would have had one of these books and most of you also would have long ago donated it to an op shop.  I know, because every time I visit an op shop, microwave oven cookbooks line the shelves.  Sure, it's full of naff recipes from the early 80's but it also has a section on steamed puddings (perfect for the microwave) and one on making lollies and jams.  Anything that involves sugar or butter is prone to seizing, burning or sticking  in a saucepan but you will rarely have a problem when you make sweets in a microwave.  I recommend the Butterscotch Brazils. I commend you to hunt out the Woman's Weekly version and re-house it in your own bookshelf.   They don't even print it anymore so it's a collector's item!

Anyway, back to the Lemon Delicious.  On this occasion, I did not make it in the microwave as the oven was already on.  Instead, I looked to Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2 and made this simple recipe that could be popped into the oven whilst we were eating our meal.  The result is a cross between a souffle and a self saucing pudding. 

Lemon Delicious

• 40g butter, softened
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
• 2 eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup milk

Looking vaguely like lemony scrambled eggs

 Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. Use electric mixer to combine butter and sugar in a bowl until pale
3. Add lemon rind and eggs yolks and beat until smooth
4. Sift in flour and baking powder and combine
5. Add lemon juice and milk and beat until smooth
6. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form
7. Gently fold egg whites into lemon mixture
8. Grease 4 large ramekins or tea cups ( 1 & 1/2 cup capacity) and fill with lemon mixture
9. Place ramekins in a baking tray and add hot water half way up the side of ramekins
10. Bake to 20 - 25 minutes or until risen and golden

Notes
- Donna suggests 2 tablespoons of flour but I prefer 3 to 4 so they are a little more cake like
- Serve dusted with icing sugar is you like.  This would suit some cold pouring cream as a foil against the tangy lemon but I had none to hand so we demolished them as is.

Straight from the oven

Cumulus Inc - Revisited for Breakfast....... My 100th Post!

The very first blog I ever posted was about Cumulus Inc, and their crunchy Silk Purse for a Sow's Ear dish.  I wrote about it because I loved the meal and had recently discovered the 'solo dining theory'.  In honour of my 100th post, I am writing again about Cumulus Inc.  I revisited Melbourne for the second time since I came back from overseas and although I was only there for one night, managed to squeeze in dinner at Golden Fields and breakfast at Cumulus Inc.  Andrew McConnell got his money's worth out of me in that 24hrs.

There's no booking at Cumulus Inc.  Although I'm no morning person, a lifetime of living in Brisbane where, at the height of Summer the sun is peeping through the curtains at 4.30am means that, even in Winter, I am  generally up before most of Melbourne on a weekday morning.  I got in just before the rush and jagged a table to myself.  Service was once again attentive and it's clear to me that good service is high on the list of 'things that make a quality restuarant' pinned to Andrew's noteboard in his kitchen.  The water glass was filled immediately, newspaper proffered and a coffee order taken whilst I perused the menu.

There's plenty on offer including Bircher Muesli, Cooked Breakfast, Toast and Preserves as well as more exotic options such as House Smoked Sardines with Slow Cooked Egg.  Price wise, these options were all a few dollars less than what I have been paying for at the 'Festival of Birthday Brunches' in recent weeks.  For me though, I only had eyes for the Shakshouka - Baked Eggs with Roasted Peppers & Marinated Feta.  When it arrived, it was a delight to the senses, sizzling in it's little cast iron frying pan with flecks of bright green parsley scattered over the tangy feta.  I had asked for my eggs to be cooked firm (not runny, not rock hard, just firm).  I ask this at every breakfast and whilst it's written down on the notepad, the message rarely gets through to the kitchen.  This time the eggs were delivered with the words 'Shakshouka cooked just a little longer so the eggs are firm' and indeed they were.  It was a great combination and an enormous serve that set me up for the rest of the day.

It's clear by now that your unlikely to get any complaint from me about Andrew McConnell.  For me it's about good food and excellent service and that's what I get, every time I visit.  Next time, it's Pain D'epices with Poached Quince & Prunes and Sheep's Milk Yoghurt.

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog, subscribed or visited on a regular basis. I enjoy your comments and am glad you enjoy my posts.  Make sure you tell a friend! Special thanks to Tanya S who suggested the idea of blogging and got the ball rolling.

Cumulus Inc

45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

(03) 9650 1445 no bookings

http://cumulusinc.com.au/

Visited: Tuesday 24th May 11 - Breakfast Service

Medusa Dining - Bardon

Blog Photog

I've been blogging for a while now so I'm happy to have slowly worked my way into the Food Blogger's circle and all that it has to offer  On this occasion, it was an invitation to a Food Blogger's Dinner at Medusa Dining in Bardon, to celebrate their Spring Menu (listed at the bottom).

Medusa is in an unusual location, at the end of a set of modern strip shops including a fast food pizza shop and bakery.  Great view though - two sides of the restaurant are glass walled with wonderful views over the twinkling lights and greenery of Bardon and beyond.  There were 40 of us for dinner but only 32 showed so 8 naughty Bloggers RSVP'd but didn't show.  How rude!  I sat beside Amy (@sensiblespice), Tereza (@PhatOink) and the wonderful Danielle (@digellabakes).  Danielle started #Baked Relief, a kind thought that spawned hope, comfort and hundred of cakes for the victims of the Queensland Floods in January 2011.  I was accompanied by my non blogger husband Anthony (@DJTonyP).

Dinner was an ambitious 7 course degustation focusing on local produce.  The chef, Minh Le put himself under quite a lot of pressure, feeding 30+ guests in one sitting and it took a while for the food to start coming out.  When it did arrive, it came in generous portions. Very generous.  It's not often at a degustation that you are starting to fill up by the second course.  It was all good but there were a few high notes and one slightly flat.  The White Asparagus & Roasted Nuts w Quinoa and Quail Eggs was tasty but the elements remained separate, rather than combining to deliver a flavour packed combination.  Highlights were the Yellowfin Tuna Marinated in Thai Pesto w Mooloolaba Prawns and the Cured Cape Grim Beef Carpaccio w Morels.  The Mooloolaba Prawns were huge and the Thai Pesto and Bonito Vinaigrette gave a delicious zing to the thick slices of raw Tuna.  The tender Carpaccio was also coated in a zesty dressing (although probably a bit overwhelming for the Morels).

The stand out dish for me was the Crispy Skin Gooralie Pork Belly.  The Pork Belly was as it should be (meltingly tender with crisp skin) but the accompaniments of Roasted Apple and Celeriac Puree, Green Papaya Crab Salad, Nuoc Cham with Endamame Beans and Salmon Roe cut through the richness of the pork and elevated the dish.

Gooralie Pork

The night was a long one and with the delay in the first dishes, it was well after 10.30pm on a school night before we left.  There are some things to work on - many have commented on the austere overhead lighting which was dimmed on the evening I visited but still had a spot light quality over certain seats.  The situation with the toilets leaves a lot to be desired.  Medusa is a large restaurant (probably taking up two shop fronts) yet it doesn't have it's own bathrooms.  In a move that is becoming more common, the toilets are outside the restaurant, shared with other tenants.  Though you require a key, it's not really good enough for fine dining a restaurant to go traipsing through the car park, particularly when the toilets are messy and untidy.   Bardon is not my stamping ground but Medusa Dining is in general, worth a visit.  The service is professional and friendly and there is certainly value for money in the Degustation Menu in quality and freshness of ingredients and size of portion.  The dishes looked great with lots of pretty touches and I certainly appreciated the effort that Chef Minh Le put into the evening and for taking a punt on inviting a bunch of picky food bloggers to launch Medusa's Spring menu.

(Oh my goodness - I've had a look at the photos and they're not very good are they?  Believe me, it looked fab on the plate)

Medusa Spring 2011 Degustation

• White Asparagus with Roasted Nuts, Quinoa & Quail Eggs
• Hervey Bay Scallops with Veal Sweetbreads, Cauliflower Puree, Chantarelle Mushrooms & Truffle Jus
• Yellowfin Tuna Marinated in Thai Pesto w Mooloolaba Prawns, Nasturtium Leaf, Asparagus, Buckwheat Crumble, Quinoa, Endamame Beans & Bonito Vinaigrette
• Cured Cape Grim Beef Carpaccio w Morels, Baby Split Peas, Quail Egg & Pommes Souffle
• Crispy Skin Gooralie Pork Belly w Chilli Honey Glaze, Roasted Apple & Celeriac Puree, Sous Vide Abalone, Green Papaya Crab Salad, Nuoc Cham, Endamame Beans & Salmon Roe
• Buche d'Affinois with Lavosh, Quince Paste, Muscatels, Apples & Beetroot Puree
• Raspberries with Violet Curd, Raspberry Sorbet, Brandy Snaps & Violet Crystals

Medusa Dining
1/62 Macgregor Terrace
Bardon  Qld  4065
http://www.medusadining.com/web/

Visited: Tuesday 31 August 2011, Dinner Service

Nightboat to Cairo

Do you know what Koshari (or Kushari or Koshary) is?  No, I didn't either.  Apparently it's one of the most popular dishes in Egypt but until I visited there, I'd never heard of it.  After I arrived in Egypt, I saw lots of shwarma and felafel stands and even a KFC run by the deaf community in Cairo, but no Koshari stalls.  I obviously wasn't in the right location or was too busy being dazzled by those big, triangular pointy things to pay attention.

Before...

After...

When we had finished visiting the big, triangular pointy things, we dropped into a Koshari shop to sample the ultimate fast food.


You order the size you want and it's made up for you on the spot for just a few Egyptian Pounds.  The basic mix is vegetarian with rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni, topped with crunchy onions and a spicy tomato sauce.  Different shops specialise in different combos and whilst I was a little dubious of it's star quality, I still managed to wolf it down (must have been that desert heat).  So next time your visiting the land of big stone obelisks, pointy things and excessive eyeliner, make sure you look out for the Koshari stalls and shops.

PS: make sure you check out the link to the KFC You Tube video - possibly the only video on You Tube with no talking, music or commentary

The Crazy Adelaide St Sushi Queue

It's hard to miss.  Stretching over a hundred metres down the block, the queue for sushi from LR Sushi rivals the banana queues at the City Farmers Markets.  But there's no shortage of sushi in Brisbane and not even a shortage of sushi on the block, yet there is massive queue every day from 11am right through till after 2pm and then again from around 4pm (commuting diners?)  

LR Sushi has been located in Queen's Plaza since it opened in 2008 and was popular right from the start.  The idea of being able to buy something quick to eat without fighting your way through a food court is obviously appealing.  From time to time I had seen devotees queuing for sushi at lunch.  But now, the queue has formed to monster proportions.  It often trails all the way down to the corner of Edward & Adelaide Streets.  LR Sushi has had to install a velvet rope and concierge system at lunch time to make sure people don't queue across the doors of shops beside them.

Why do they come?  I've tried the sushi from LR Sushi and it's OK.  Not bad, not the best sushi I've ever tasted but fine.  The rice could certainly be better seasoned.  The reviews online are always positive and colleagues tell me they go there because it's fresh.  However, because it's so busy at LR Sushi and they need to keep up with the demand, sometimes the rice is still warm in the sushi rolls.  That's a little too fresh for me.  Sushi should be chilled or at room temperature - not warm.

They come because there's a queue. If there's a queue, it must me good.  So now,  LR Sushi is destination dining rather than just wander past snacking.  There are other locations dotted around the city so I can only guess at the queues in these locations (MacArthur Central, Felix St).  Other vendors would kill for such dedicated patrons. Who wants to queue over their entire lunch hour to buy some $2 sushi?  That's just crazy people! I have better things to do with my lunch break.  Besides, I know that there's a no name sushi shop directly opposite my building at 149 Adelaide St, that has fresh, hand made sushi every day with no queues whatsoever.

LR Sushi
Queens Plaza, ground floor

149 Adelaide St
Brisbane 4000