What did Andrew find in Catherine’s Drawers?

Well, what a great evening! Not only did we have good company and a few wines, we had some absolutely fantastic quick cook tips from one of Wanaka’s best known chefs.

Andrew you were fabulous! All of us on the Social Club organising committee would like to thank you for allowing us to look so good as organisers. We didn’t actually do anything! And Catherine, your home is the perfect venue for this type of thing. Thank you so much for allowing alll those strangers in to watch Andrew do his thing, and for letting him into your powdered drawer! Have you no shame?? Thanks should also go to Amanda Inkster of Infinity First National for filling the group out! Even though she couldn’t make it in the end…….and if any of you would like to sell fundraiser tickets, just let Amanda know!

We picked up some wonderful tips and it was very special being able to sit with a highly skilled chef and pick his brains about various things which had dogged us throughout our various culinary escapades. I would also like to thank Debbie Fewtrell for actually having the brains to write all the tips down! Never thought of it myself. And I’m popping her items in below. Hopefully you can enjoy. If you have any questions or comments on the recipes that follow, please leave a comment, would be great to get a conversation going about it and some feedback to let us know how you felt about the evening.

So thank you all again for coming and thank you to Catherine for being so free with her drawers! It was a great night.

What was in Katherine’ Drawers

- with Chef Andrew Speigel

Tips for a good stock

Water, veges, bones, salt + pepper +??? “you are limited by your imagination”

Time to simmer:

• Fish – 1hr
• Poultry – 7 hrs
• Beef     1-3 days

Chef Speigel tip: Once made, freeze in ice cube trays

Easy aioli

2 egg yolks

1/8 red onion

2 cloves garlic

Handful basil

Handful parsley

2 tsp malt vinegar – to emulsify (balsamic gives whole new taste sensation!)

2 tsp mustard

Lemon juice

Place all above ingredients, in order, into stick blender jar.

Fill container with Canola or salad oil (does not need to be drizzled in) to 400ml line, then top up to 500ml line with olive oil.

Salt to taste – generous.

Cayenne pepper – 1/2 tsp

Whizz with a stick blender! Push it to the bottom of the container, whizz and then tilt it slightly sideways whilst drawing it slowly out of the container. That incorporates the remaining ingredients and – quite magically – you have aioli!

Chef Speigel tip: Again, limited by imagination. All sorts of vinegars give different flavours, as do different types of mustards. Add whatever herbs you have in your extensive garden and shallots will soften while white onions will sharpen! Wheee!!!!!!!

 

Fishcakes

1 tin sweet Thai chill tuna

1 egg

½ tin salmon

1 heaped tablespoon aioli

Approx 1 cup breadcrumbs or bashed up dried crusts or cooked rice

Mix all ingredients and shallow fry small patties in oil.

Chef Speigel tip: Use different flavours of tuna, serve with side of home made aioli. Any left over bread crusts? Dry them out, crumb them and have a “permanent bag” in your freezer to add them to.

Fancy Rolled things!

Any thinly sliced meat, ham, and salmon

Filling -    feta

-         red onion finely chopped

-         capers  or anything else tasty

Sprinkle a little water on the kitchen bench and then use it to hold a strip of cling film onto the surface

Place a strip of sliced cold meat or salmon on top of cling film.

Mash together the filling ingredients and lay onto the meat in a strip near one edge.

Use the clingfilm to firmly roll the  meat around the filling .

Chop into bite size slices then remove clingfilm.

Chef Speigel tip: You can also use bread as your outer covering.

 

Italian Zabaglione – aka fancy alcoholic custard

5 egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

1 cup white wine slightly warmed to body temp

Small amount finely grated lemon zest

Place egg yolks and sugar in a bain marie or over direct heat (carefully so the eggs are not scrambled) and whisk rapidly whilst slowly dribbling in the warmed wine. Remove from the heat temporarily if overcooking.

Serve when all wine is added and the sauce forms ribbons when dropping from the whisk.

Pour over any desert, crepes or ice-cream.

MY GOD! This was just delicious! But someone did need to save all those egg whites!!

IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE A MORE PRESENTABLE VERSION OF THESE RECIPES, LET ME KNOW AS COMMENT AND I CAN EMAIL DIRECT – CLAIRE claire@wanakasigns.co.nz