Australia
captures the imagination.
It's the sixth largest country in the world and is around
the same size as mainland USA. Yet it has the lowest population
density - only two people per square meter.
Sydney Chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan explains the role
of outdoor cooking in the culinary life of his great and
expansive country.
________
Long
before Paul Hogan invited Americans Down Under with the
promise that he'd "throw another shrimp on the barbie",
Australians had turned the backyard BBQ into a national
pastime.
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"A
backyard BBQ for me is the quintessential Aussie experience.
Good friends, wonderful food and the great Australian
outdoors is a tough combination to beat.
And
for once the chef isn't stuck in the kitchen!"
LUKE
MANGAN
________
|
From
sausage sizzles at school fetes to gourmet burgers at Sydney's
beachside pubs, BBQs have always been a key part of Australia's
outdoor lifestyle. For decades, Australians have used the
BBQ for social gatherings, soaking up the warm climate and
beautiful surroundings. With seasons reversed in the southern
hemisphere, many Australians nowadays opt for an informal,
BBQ Christmas lunch in the summer sun, rather than the traditional
roast meal of their northern hemisphere counterparts.
For
celebrated Sydney chef Luke Mangan, the BBQ epitomizes Australia's
laid back lifestyle.
"A
backyard BBQ for me is the quintessential Aussie experience.
Good friends, wonderful food and the great Australian outdoors
is a tough combination to beat. And for once the chef
isn't stuck in the kitchen!"
But
don't confuse relaxed with dull. With an extraordinarily
wide variety of high quality ingredients, the Australian
BBQ is anything but boring. As well as meat and poultry
of every kind, Australians love to experiment with seafood,
vegetables, cheese and eggs, and some BBQs even come equipped
with woks to simultaneously stir-fry or even pop corn!
Native
Australian foods are also starting to appear on the BBQ
menu. Lemon aspen,
bush tomatoes, Illawarra plums, lemon myrtle and lilli pillies
are just some of the ingredients that sustained the Aboriginal
inhabitants of the continent for some 40,000 years before
white settlement. A number of "bush tucker" suppliers
are now ensuring these unique and truly Australian flavors
make it onto plates around the country.
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Luke
Mangan is heralded as one of Australia's best chefs and
highly regarded internationally as a shining example of
the excellence of Australia's food and wine culture. His
Darlinghurst restaurant Salt,
in the boutique Kirketon Hotel, continues to win numerous
awards. Bistro
Lulu, his latest Sydney venture with partner Lucy,
opened to rave reviews in 2000 and has been packed with
diners ever since. In 1998 Luke launched a gourmet food
line, Luke Mangan Fine Foods, which includes meats, terrines,
sausages and stocks. Luke has also written a cookbook, BLD,
reflecting his philosophy in the kitchen: simplicity.
Here
are two of Luke's favorite BBQ recipes:
Barbecued
lamb chops with port and red wine butter, and rosemary potatoes
Ingredients:
1
cup port
1 cup red wine
1 red onion, finely chopped
250 g butter, room temperature*
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
4 sprigs rosemary
2 tbsp butter, extra
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
12 loin lamb chops
Chopped parsley for garnish
Method:
Heat
the port and red wine in a small saucepan and simmer until
the liquid is reduced to about a third of a cup. Cool to
room temperature. Cook the red onion in 1 tbsp of the butter
until soft. Cool.
In
a small bowl, combine the port/wine reduction and the rest
of the butter. Add the red onion. Beat for 3-4 minutes,
or until light and fluffy. Season and keep in the fridge.
Cover
the potatoes with cold water, add one sprig of rosemary
and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and strain.
In
a deep frying pan, heat the extra butter and olive oil and
sauté the potatoes until tender inside and golden brown
and crisp on the outside (about 10 minutes). Just before
they are ready, strip the leaves off the remaining rosemary
sprigs and add to the pan.
Grill
or barbecue the chops to your liking.
Serve
on a bed of potatoes, with a good dollop of red wine butter
on top. Garnish with parsley.
Serves
4.
Excellent
with a glass of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon.
©
Luke Mangan 2002
My
figs with strawberries and balsamic vinegar
12
figs
2 punnets strawberries
Caster sugar
Aged balsamic vinegar
Semi-whipped cream
Chopped mint leaves
Cut
the figs in half, roll them in sugar, sprinkle with balsamic
and cook on a hot grill until they color and soften slightly.
Place them in a bowl. Repeat the process with the strawberries.
Serve
the combined figs and strawberries with a dollop of cream.
Sprinkle with mint and drizzle with a little more balsamic.
Serves
6.
Serve
with a glass of Champagne
©
Luke Mangan 2002
* Conversion chart
