I keep being asked for my seasoning recipe, and I keep forgetting to post it here. Sorry about that.
So here goes:-
Flakey salt
course cut pepper
mustard seeds
poppy seeds
cumin seeds
dried chilli
celery seeds
coriander seeds
fennel seeds
nutmeg
clove
Turmeric
ginger
Method
make up 80 % of the final quantity with salt and pepper. the remaining 20% to be some or all of the remaining spices. I tend to use more cumin and chilli in the winter as they are warming spices and more celery seed in summer as it is cooling. Make sue you have the turmeric and ginger for the health benefit. Use a pestle and mortar to roughly break down the seeds.
Mix all together in a heat proof bowl. Heat a large pan on a medium to high heat, when hot add a tablespoon of veg oil (rice bran would be good) and tip all the seasoning in. Being careful not to burn, panfry the seasoning to release and amalgamate the flavours,stiring all the time. Should take about 5 minutes depending on quantity (use your nose to sense the flavour release). Once good and hot tip back into the heatproof bowl and allow to cool before putting in a sealed contained in the pantry.
I’m just back from foodie heaven, that being Melbourne. I had three days of cooking shows to do at a food extravaganza put on by ESSE stoves with Paul Mecurio. The shows were great fun but the real joy is being able to immerse myself in Melbourne’s food culture. We headed straight from the airport to the foodie temple that is Victoria Street Market. Wow what a place, it seemed like acres of beautiful fresh produce and halls of the finest fish, meat and deli products all just on the edge of the central city. As a chef I’m so jealous of my colleagues in Melbourne, what a pleasure it would be to be able to choose a menu from that astounding array every morning.
Speaking of restaurants, I must just mention the best Tapas that you’ll ever eat outside of Spain is in a restaurant called Movida. They have four restaurant spread around the city, but search out the original one half way up a graffiti strewn alleyway next-door to the theatre on Flinders, it is worth the effort.
