Hierarchy of nuts

by Martin Field

Nuts are a favourite accompaniment to wine. They are delicious when served with bubbly and other aperitifs and a plate of nuts and dried fruit is obligatory when savouring a vintage port after dinner.

But did you ever notice that in any bowl of mixed nuts, in shell or not, certain varieties are always eaten in exactly the same order of preference?

...continue reading "Hierarchy of nuts"

Posted by Martin Field on Tuesday 22 April 2008 at 02:41
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Noshtalgic cheatin’ in the kitchen

by Martin Field

Pickled eggs ‘n Scrumpy
I was telling Beery Mag about getting legless on scrumpy (a strongly alcoholic rustic cider) on the morning of a mate’s wedding many years ago.

We rode borrowed motor bikes down narrow hedgerowed lanes near Rockwell Green in Taunton, Somerset, and stopped for morning tea at a quaint little tavern that sold cider.

...continue reading "Noshtalgic cheatin’ in the kitchen"

Posted by Martin Field on Wednesday 27 February 2008 at 23:47
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Noshtalgia

by Martin Field

Barbecued lamb flaps in Alice Springs
Lamb flaps, as I remember, were barbecuing over a smoky wood fire, near the old water hole at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station. Our hosts were members of the Pitjantjatjara and Tangentyere people and one of the guests was Peter Brook, visiting the Alice following his involvement in the 1980 Adelaide Festival.

As dusk turned to dark, a local guitarist played Slim Dusty songs and we sat around drinking beer and wine, chewing the fat and gnawing the lamb in the sandy, waterless, riverbed.

Afterwards there was a party in town in honour of Peter. He asked if he could get a lift there with us.

‘Sure,’ I said. ‘If you don’t mind riding in back of the Moke with Kali the Blue Heeler.’ Here I should mention that there were no seats in the rear of our yellow Mini Moke, rather an uncomfortable metal shelf, and no seat belts.

He didn’t mind, and we were treated to the sight of this eminent director, no doubt used to more luxurious transport, crawling onto his uncomfortable ‘seat’ while the dog licked his face in welcome.

He survived the trip and we partied on.

Posted by Martin Field on Wednesday 19 December 2007 at 00:03
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Noshtalgia

by Martin Field

Two Faces Restaurant
In the early 1970s, Two Faces was Melbourne's, perhaps Australia's, best restaurant. Run by that great restaurateur Hermann Schneider, it offered a classic European menu and an extensive, cosmopolitan wine list.

I well remember my first visit, around 1974. I was so intimidated by its reputation for being expensive that when I rang up to book a table I asked how much a dinner for four with wine might cost. I can't remember the quote, but it was just affordable.

Four of us turned up in the classy dining room, which was decorated elegantly and conservatively with dinner-suited waiters. The menu listed one dessert as, ‘Mangoes in Champagne’. Two of our party asked the waiter if they could have this as an entrée. ‘Certainly Ladies,’ he replied.

Back then, it was not possible to obtain fresh mangoes in Victoria, due to plant and fruit fly quarantine laws. My pushy friend Claire said, ‘We don't want them if they’re not fresh, I don't like tinned mangoes.’

‘Madarme!’ He was horrified at the suggestion. ‘Madahme,’ he accentuated the last syllable as he glanced around conspiratorially. ‘Madame,’ he whispered. ‘It is illegal… but they are fresh.’ Then, even more quietly, ‘We fly them in on a private plane.’

This was the beginning of a magnificent dinner, accompanied by excellent wine. We went back over the years for special occasion dinners and damned the expense.

Posted by Martin Field on Wednesday 14 November 2007 at 10:21
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Faux Crème Fraiche

by Martin Field

Crème fraiche frequently pops up its tangy head in recipes broadcast on English TV cooking shows, but when you go to shop for said recipes this vital ingredient is rarely to be found - at least on Australian supermarket shelves. When you do find some, it is usually packed in tiny containers carrying a boutique brand name and a hefty price tag.

We asked Beery Mag, our R&D chef for an easy recipe for making crème fraiche in the home kitchen. As usual, she came up with the goods.

Beery: ‘This essential ingredient is not literally fresh but is actually a lovely drop somewhere between fresh and sour cream. To make a batch take about 600mls of fresh cream – though not that hideous thickened cream made with gelatine. Gently heat the cream to body temperature, about 37 degrees centigrade. Use a thermometer – preferably not a rectal one - or a clean finger to test.

‘Stir in about a quarter of a cup of cultured buttermilk. Leave it covered – a soup thermos flask or a yoghurt maker is ideal – at room temperature for 24 hours, then refrigerate. The cream will thicken somewhat and acquire a delicious, slightly acidic tang along with a buttery nutty flavour.’

She advises that her faux crème fraiche will keep in the fridge for a week or more and reckons you can use it in any savoury dish in place of cream and that it goes wonderfully with fresh strawberries. Another of her tips is to create a dessert topping or sauce by beating a cup of the chilled faux crème fraiche with a third of a cup of chilled botrytised white and half a teaspoon of pure vanilla essence. Yummy.

‘Use the leftover buttermilk in place of milk when making pancakes and muffins. They’ll taste just gorgeous’ added Beery – who tends to gush occasionally.

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 21 September 2007 at 07:53
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Noosa Farmers Market

by Martin Field

‘Do you miss Melbourne?’ It’s the main question Melbournians and others ask about our move to Noosa. ‘Nah.’ I answer. ‘Could be a greater range of ethnic restaurants up here. But nah. The things I like about Melbourne are just fading away as I become more acclimatised to the sub tropics, the warm surf and the local lifestyle.’

And the local attractions are many. For example, it's only a short stroll to the Sunshine Beach Surf Club for a pot of Coopers Pale Ale and a spot of whale watching from their terrace bar. And then there’s the Noosa Farmers Market. We go there every Sunday morning early. Early because the bloke with the perfect tomatoes for five bucks a kilo sells out quickly.

One of the delights of the market is watching the customers. Many locals of course, and tourists from all over. Kens and Barbies from Miami or Noo Joizy in matching candy-striped playsuits. And there is a certain Noosa type that always catches the eye.

Take a typical couple: one’s hair is shortish and permed, bottle blonded with shady roots. The face bears a jaundiced solarium tan and a smile that is really a grimace, driven by one too many facelifts. The eyebrows for the same reason are raised in permanent enquiry. Unfortunately, the taut skin above is belied by the turkey wattle below. The body is typically clad in a colourful but saggy top and a pair of ‘does my bum look big in these?’ designer jeans, best worn by teenagers. As for his good lady wife…well, enough said.

Strangely, when I described this species to our Gold Coast friends they said they were probably from Toorak. Our Sydney friends said they sounded like Gold Coasters. Our Melbourne friends said they’d met many people like that from Sydney’s north shore. You just can’t tell.

And, as you wander through the crowded stalls, a strange but likeable fragrance wafts by. A whiff of frying pancakes blends with the pungency of patchouli oil adorning ageing hippies down from the hills. This in turn mingles with a miasma of Chanel No 5 dabbed extravagantly on Noosa socialites. Next you notice the rich roasting aromas swirling from the Auswana coffee stand, along with top notes distilled by the hot morning sun from the multitude of surrounding eucalypts. Just having breakfasted, your nose is already triggering thoughts of what’s for lunch.

Noosa is a noticeably expensive area but the prices at the market are surprisingly low. Sourced from the Sunshine Coast and the hinterland, much of the fruit and veg is organic, or at least spray free, and often cheaper than that sold at local supermarkets – and presumably much fresher.

Last week we bought eight Tahitian limes for $2. Three beautiful big fresh ears of corn for $2.50. Some ‘Swiss’ style Tilsit from the Fromart cheesery for $31 the kilo. Then there were the punnets of strawberries, netted bags of macadamia nuts in shell, tangy passionfruit at giveaway prices, free wine tastings and other lovely stuff in abundance.

The Noosa Farmers Market is a feast and it’s fun. If you’re in Noosa for any reason at all, you cannot afford to miss it. Sundays until noon at the footy ground, Weyba Rd Noosaville. Plenty of parking.

Posted by Martin Field on Saturday 15 September 2007 at 01:36
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Early days in Noosa

by Martin Field

Fauna and flora
I've been off the air for a while - not least of all due to months of house selling and buying, household removal and acclimatising to the sub tropics. We’ve moved from a house a few kilometres from Melbourne’s city centre to sixty acres of eucalyptus bush in the hinterland of Noosa, Queensland. Our temporary accommodation comes complete with lace monitors (big lizards), scrub turkeys, carpet snakes, feathertail gliders and paralysis ticks. Oh, and a lot more sunshine than we’re used to.

Not just Hastings Street
Getting acclimatised means getting around and checking out the local scene. One thing you learn quickly after visiting the local eateries is that Noosa is not just glitzy Hastings Street.

For example, the restaurant strip in and off Gympie Terrace, Noosaville, is first class. For starters, check out the Italian style cuisine at Pilu Ristorante E Bar, at 2/257 Gympie Terrace. We dined there a few weeks back and I went there again for a Noosa Long Weekend tasting of Barambah Wines.

Barambah is made in Queensland’s South Burnett region by winemeister Peter Scudamore-Smith. His Barambah First Grid Verdelho 2007 is a stunner. Water pale, with a fragrant kiwifruit and fresh cut cucumber nose, it displays a lively palate of fruit salad cut with citric tang. Could be the region’s answer to NZ Sauvignon blanc. About $19 – order via the website (www.barambah.com.au)or email manda@barambah.com.au.

...continue reading "Early days in Noosa"

Posted by Martin Field on Saturday 30 June 2007 at 08:05
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Travelling Blues

by Martin Field

Someone once alleged that the journey rather than the arrival was ninety percent of the fun of travelling – he or she must have always travelled first class. Moving the household from Melbourne to Noosa entailed driving twice up the Newell and Bruce highways – some 1900 kilometres each time. We stayed at various inns, hostelries and motels and it was like a trip into the past. Quality control and modern amenities appear to be very low on the accommodation industry priority list. Here are a few items that annoyed me 20 years ago, and still do.

Slimy shower curtains that cling to legs like glad wrap
Mini fridges where the freezer is fully occupied by impenetrable permafrost
Bathroom vanity basins that hover adjacent to or just above the toilet bowl – be careful with your toothbrush, specs and dentures
Threadbare bath towels the size of large handkerchiefs
Sachets of instant tea dust and instant coffee that taste of mud – or nothing
Nano-serves of milk, butter, jam, honey and tomato sauce in plastic squeezy things
Absence of individual bedside reading lamps or, worse, bedside lamps that could light up the MCG
Polyester blankets and sheets
Filthy toilets at service stations and municipal rest stops
Electric hand dryers – your hands are still wet after five minutes of gesticulating wildly under tepid zephyrs
Beds with sheets and blankets tucked in by sadists
Tablets of soap that smell like Bangkok Bordello Number 5, so small they are in constant danger of inadvertently disappearing into various orifices.

I should add however, that the standards of accommodation associated with travelling in Australia are a joy compared with those I have experienced in Europe.

Posted by Martin Field on Saturday 30 June 2007 at 08:02
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Flavours of Slovenia

Traveling for work is much more enjoyable if you can fit in some gastronomic discoveries. This week in Slovenia I took my friends Harry and Vondelle to the Gostilna Pri Danilu, in Reteče near Škofja Loka, close to Ljubljana. I had written a few notes on my last visit there about a year ago on this blog. This time my friend Tomaž Sršen was away in Munich where he was attending a concert, so while enjoying my dinner he sent me an SMS from Munich: “Aerosmith rocks!”.

I am not sure if going to a place twice qualifies one as a “regular”, but that is certainly the way I felt when the Čarman family greeted us at the door. The new sommelier, Gregor, took care of us expertly as we navigated through the excellent gastronomic menu, theoretically a 5 course meal, but in fact three extra smaller dishes complete this generous panorama of traditional Slovenian cooking reinterpreted in a contemporary key. Of course, each dish is accompanied by a glass of Slovenian wine.

...continue reading "Flavours of Slovenia"

Posted by Mike Tommasi on Saturday 16 June 2007 at 17:44
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Gourmandising and Nobelly rotten acid

by Martin Field

Indigestion, wine and sin
As a typical big eater and drinker, it’s hardly any wonder that I’ve suffered for years from chronic indigestion. I love highly tannic reds, white wines acidic enough to strip the duco from a car, smoky shots of single malt whisky, chili-laden food, and all that stomach attacking stuff.

So how has my doctor treated this indigestion so far? Never bothered mentioning it to her. Due no doubt to my early Catholic upbringing, my subconscious figured that the alimentary discomfort was spiritual vengeance for my sins of gluttony. I learned to live with it.

Balloon breath
Then Lucy went to the doc and complained about her ongoing indigestion symptoms. The doc gave her a capsule to swallow and 10 minutes later had her blow into a silver balloon. The balloon, complete with breath sample, then went off to the pathology lab for testing. The diagnosis? Indigestion caused by the bacterium Helicobacter Pylori.

She was prescribed a one-week course of Nexium – a triple dose regime comprising an acid suppressant and two different antibiotics. Four weeks later, she took the breath test again and the doc pronounced her cured.

HP source - Catching acid
Mmmm. Maybe I was also suffering from the dreaded H.P. Indeed, the doc’s fact sheet stated that the bug could be transmitted from person to person. So it was off to the clinic for some balloon blowing.

Yep, it turned out that my stomach lining also harboured the dreaded bug. The doc prescribed the same treatment; with similar success. I still eat and drink prodigiously but no longer experience the dreaded ‘heartburn’. More importantly, I’ve minimised the risk of reinfecting the family.

Prize winners
The 2005 Nobel Prize for medicine went to the two Australians, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, who discovered H. pylori’s role in causing peptic ulcers, gastritis and various chronic stomach inflammations - some of which can lead to cancer. They also developed non-invasive diagnostic techniques and a cure – for which we should all be extremely thankful.

According to one H. pylori fact sheet I read, it is estimated that up to half the human population may carry the bacterium, although many carriers are asymptomatic; that is, they display no symptoms.

Gulper? Slurper? Chronic indigestion? Ask your doc for a silver balloon.

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 06 April 2007 at 03:46
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Noshtalgia

by Martin Field

How the rich live
A long while back, we had a big New Year’s Eve party at the beach shack. It was one of those turns where everyone mucked in and shared.

One very wealthy couple (luxury holiday house at Portsea Back Beach etc.) brought along two bottles of beer and a can of four-bean mix. ‘Just put the beans in a bowl with some dressing,’ they said graciously. Later we learned that they’d borrowed the two bottles of beer from another guest on the way in. ‘Just so it looks like we’re bringing something.’

We drank the beer and kept the can of beans for years as a conversation piece.

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 06 April 2007 at 03:39
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Noshtalgia

by Martin Field

Mango juice in Peshawar
In 1971, I travelled the hippie trail over land (and sea) from London to Melbourne and stayed a little while in Afghanistan, which was as peaceful as you’d like. We left Kabul late one afternoon in our clapped out bus, heading to Pakistan via the Khyber Pass. Somewhere in the Pass we stopped at a lawless village where fierce-looking Pathans wandered round with rifles and bandoliers. Most things banned in the rest of the world were on sale there. Cheap.

We headed onwards to Peshawar and stopped in the dark by the steamy roadside to camp. Out of the night came an armed local with whom we shared a smoke or two. He looked up suddenly and disappeared into the scrub. Next thing up drives a Pakistani army Jeep with a lieutenant and a couple of off-siders. They told us it was unsafe to camp there ‘Too many bandits.’

Too tired to move on we insisted on staying so they went off and came back later with six more soldiers (and a welcome jerry can of drinking water) and spent the night with us. In the morning, they accompanied us to the next village and took us to the well where they'd got our water. It was full of scum and algal bloom...

I didn’t fancy another glass of sludge so from one of the many stalls along the road I bought what I thought was a bottle of soft drink – it was icy cold mango juice – the quintessence of fresh mango to my dry and bacterially laden tongue. This heavenly mango juice sustained me on my trip through Pakistan. After all these years, I can almost taste it now.

PS I met one of my fellow travellers in Melbourne years later. He too had drunk the scummy water that night and still had an immovable colony of dysenteric amoeba residing in his guts to prove it.

Posted by Martin Field on Sunday 11 February 2007 at 00:31
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Cheatin' in the kitchen

Puffed sangers in the electric samosa maker
by Martin Field

Our resident genius R&D chef, Beery Mag, has created yet another culinary mistresspiece. She calls it ‘Electric sandwichmaker leftover puff pastries’. (No surprise that Beery dropped out of her copy-writing course early.)

This is one of her variations on the theme. Defrost some sheets of frozen puff pastry. Heat up the non-stick sandwichmaker – one of those with two square compartments, each divided into two triangular sections. Rifle through the fridge for some non-toxic leftovers.

...continue reading "Cheatin' in the kitchen"

Posted by Martin Field on Sunday 03 December 2006 at 23:00
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Noshtalgia

Muttonfish at Apollo Bay
by Martin Field

One summer, when I was about twelve years old, I went camping with friends and we set up our tents by a creek near the surf, down Apollo Bay way. Rob and I spent the days getting sunburnt, trying to bodysurf, fishing, chasing elusive crayfish and generally mucking about. To quote Noel Coward, ‘I couldn’t have liked it more.’ While snorkelling below the turbulent water line we scraped from the rocks a number of strange-looking, ear-shaped shells. I thought they were a sort of large sea slug but Rob’s dad Art told me they were muttonfish, which, he said, the locals used for fishing bait.

...continue reading "Noshtalgia"

Posted by Martin Field on Sunday 03 December 2006 at 22:58
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The vego jackaroo

by Martin Field
So whaddaya reckon vego wine writers do on their weekends off? In my case they round up cattle. Yeah. Sounds incongruous, whatever you want to label it - but it happens.

We’ve got friends who run a cattle property where they make a little wine on the side. They occasionally invite us up to the farm (1500 acres – a herd of three or four hundred Black Angus beasts at any one time) for the weekend. But it ain’t a lolling round the open fireplace, drinking Scotch, country house in tweeds weekend. It’s a full-on, get yer hands dirty, sweaty old Akubras, hideously dirty jeans, up to the tops of yer elastic-sided Blundstones in sheeit and don’t turn yer back on the shaggin’ bulls weekend.

Socialising cows
The boss cocky had a plan. Nine visiting, well-hung, stud bulls had been bed and breakfasting and socialising with around three hundred cows and calves, in three non-contiguous paddocks. Now it was time to move the three different mobs of cattle to the cattle yards to inoculate the calves against seven different kinds of deadly bovine ague.

This exercise involved a quiet enough ramble along a few kilometres of back roads. The country air perfumed with the smell of gumtrees and cow crap that combined into a not unlikeable fragrance. The walk is accompanied by the lowing (and highing) of the cows and the ear-splitting shrieks of hundreds of amused, sulphur-crested cockatoos who have turned out to watch the passing parade. And as you amble along, shouting such endearments as ‘Move yer stupid *%*#& arse!’ you hope that the local boy racers don’t come hoon-mobiling over the next rise in Top Gear fashion, en route to hamburger heaven.

You persuade each mob to enter the yards and then try to separate the calves from their mothers and the rather promiscuous, polygamous bulls from their lovers – none of them, it seems, wanting to say farewell. There’s much yelling and effing and blinding and not a little dangerous excitement before the calves are channelled, wild-eyed and reluctant, into the race.

Self-inoculation
This is where our Farmer Giles administers the aforesaid, multi-functional inoculation from a backpack, via a mean-looking hypodermic into the hide above each calf’s neck. The calves have other priorities. They’re practising for the next calf Olympics. Apparently their events will include reverse parking, leap-frogging, piggy-backing, playing dead, and self-throttling through the steel bars on a cattle race. Consequently Farmer ‘this won’t hurt a bit!’ Giles not infrequently shoots the vaccine (ironic that) into his thumb. As a result it can be safely said that he won’t ever suffer from certain unspeakable cattle diseases in his allotted life span.

Raging Bulls
Eventually, the on-loan, not quite shagged out bulls have to be moved into separate pens to be picked up and returned to their home the next day. This is when the fun begins. Picture it, there are three yappin’ dogs whose aspirations in the cattle herding arena far outweigh their capabilities. Us two city folk are driving an old Subaru 4x4 ute; gentleman Farmer Giles is in a big Toyota ute leaving his partner quite unprotected riding a none too stable, all-terrain vehicle. All of us are in a large paddock where we’ve cornered nine huge, lascivious, red-eyed, rampaging, rootin', tootin', fightin’, we’d rather be shaggin’, dustin’ and pawin’ the ground, angry bulls.

All we had to do was push them through rather narrow gates then separate them into individual pens.

They had other ideas...

Much later, congratulating ourselves on our survival as wranglers, we eat a huge dinner accompanied by a few bottles of fine red and then loll around in front of the open fire sipping a few shots of Laphroaig as a night cap.

Then Farmer Giles suddenly remembers that there’s another mob that has to be done early the next morning.

Posted by Martin Field on Saturday 30 September 2006 at 13:20
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Cheatin' in the kitchen

by Martin Field

Bloody eggs!
E-vine’s ever-industrious R&D chef – we’ll call her Beery Mag – has come up with a sensational Sunday breakfast, hangover heart-starter. She admits that like all recipes this is a variation on a well-known theme. She calls it Piquant Pick-me-up Poached Eggs.

Ingredients: a cup or so of tomato juice, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of Tabasco sauce, coarsely ground black pepper, free range eggs, a shot or two of vodka - optional.

Mix all ingredients except eggs and vodka in a shallow non-stick pan and bring to a trembling simmer. Break an egg into a small saucer then slide it from the saucer into the simmering brew. Poach for three and a half to four minutes, until the white is firmish, occasionally spooning the hot liquid over the yolk.

Meanwhile, depending on the state of the head, throw a shot or two of ice cold vodka down the throat while spreading thick slices of wholemeal toast with butter. When the egg is poached to your liking remove it from the pan with an egg slicer and place it on the toast, along with a spoonful or two of the poaching liquid as sauce – season with salt and pepper.

Keep leftover cooked juice in the fridge to use in tomato-based sauce recipes.

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 29 September 2006 at 13:28
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Wasabi or not Wasabe - read the label

by Martin Field

Wine lovers will probably know that under Australian labelling laws a wine can be called by the name of a single grape varietal, for example, cabernet sauvignon, if the bottle contains at least 85 percent cabernet sauvignon.

I was reminded of this legal requirement whilst reading the ingredients listed on a bottle of S&B Wasabi Sauce I purchased recently. It contained not 85 percent of Wasabi (or Wasabe), not 33 percent, not 5 percent, but a miniscule 0.1 percent!

The ingredients, in order of descending proportion, were: water, rapeseed oil (contains antioxidant 306 - tocopherols concentrate, mixed), sugar, tapioca starch, horseradish (4.5 percent), salt, corn starch, vinegar, egg yolk, emulsifier (475 - polyglycerol esters of fatty acids), flavour, thickener (415 - xanthan gum), wasabi (0.1percent), spices, acid (330 – citric acid), flavour enhancers (621 - monosodium L-glutamate, 635 - disodium 5' -ribonucleotides), colours (102 - tartrazine, 133 – brilliant blue FCF).

NB. In case you were wondering, I have translated the mystifying number codes into the names – in italics - of the mystifying chemicals they represent.

How can this be? Don’t ask. But I expected, naively perhaps, that I was buying wasabi sauce and that it would contain a significant amount of that ingredient. I would have been similarly annoyed if I’d bought a bottle labelled tomato sauce and found that it contained only 0.1 percent tomatoes.

Posted by Martin Field on Thursday 24 August 2006 at 12:03
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Field trip - sunny winter holidays in Noosa

by Martin Field

We've been on holiday, checking out the Noosa scene. The region is the hub of food and wine activity on the Sunshine Coast and we like it so much we’re planning to move up there in 2007. Not least of the local attractions is the weather. Having experienced one the coldest winters ever in Melbourne we found ourselves on Noosa beach enjoying sunny skies and daily temperatures of 22C.

Mostly we whizzed around real estate offices looking pensively (and apprehensively) at photos of million dollar plus houses. Luckily, however, there seemed to be a few derelict hovels that might suit our budget when it’s time to pack the wine cellar.

There wasn’t much time to do a tour de cuisine but we checked out a few local eateries. Highlights included Gusto Riverfront Restaurant – a bright friendly place on the river waterfront with knowledgeable chatty staff, a separate vegetarian menu for non-omnivores, and super fresh ingredients – their gnocchi was a treat. Gusto, 257 Gympie Terrace, Noosaville, Queensland, Phone: (07) 5449 7144.

It’s a bit of a drive but worth the effort to locate (correct usage) the Spirit House in Yandina; a Thai influenced place set in stunning tropical gardens. The setting is reminiscent of Poppies Restaurant in Kuta, Bali, if you’ve been there, and similarly redolent, with the occasional faint waft from the kerosene lamps that dot the gardens – but without the exotic aroma of clove cigarettes – if I may digress.

None of us coped well with the American-style, semi-formal, ‘sir’ and ‘madam’, ‘Hi my name is Gaston and I’ll be waiting on you today.’ service. But our friends enjoyed their generous serve of Whole Crispy Fish (schnapper) with Tamarind & Chilli Sauce. I was less excited by my Indian Gujarat Vegetarian Curry with spiced Pistachio Panir Dumplings, which I thought expensive at $27. See their menu. Spirit House, 20 Ninderry Rd. Yandina, Queensland - Phone/fax:(07) 5446 8977.

For an old-fashioned beer and snack you can’t go past a balcony table at the Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Clubhouse. An ice-cold schooner of beer, the sun, the surf, the surfers, the sand. ‘Aaahhh… Stella Artois…’

Posted by Martin Field on Thursday 24 August 2006 at 11:52
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Cheatin' in the kitchen

by Martin Field

Tomato juice as stock
Tomato juice is not just a handy breakfast juice, it’s also a great morning after pick-me-up – mixed with a splash of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper, and, depending on your constitution, a shot of vodka.

But don’t forget tomato juice in the kitchen; it is an excellent substitute for stock when you need to thin gravies, curries and tomato-based sauces. Tip: to off-set the acidity you get sometimes in tomato-based dishes, add a teaspoon or two of sugar – works wonders.

I can’t believe it’s not better: spreadable butter from the fridge
It’s easy to make your own spreadable butter – spreadable straight from the fridge, that is. Take a block of good butter, cut it into smallish cubes, soften it gently but do not under any circumstances melt it. Whiz it in the food processor/blender and as it is whizzing pour in approximately half its weight in extra virgin olive oil. For example, if you use 500 grams of butter add 250mls of oil. When the mixture is well combined place it in an airtight container in the fridge. Use as you would butter – for spreads or cooking.

There is an added benefit here for those who worry about dietary fats. The blend, though buttery to taste, now contains less cholesterol and saturated fats than butter and has more beneficial monounsaturated fats.

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 07 July 2006 at 01:11
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Bali Booze

by Bruno of Balmoral

Jest back from Bali. It was quiet out on the streets of Kuta, partly because of the soccer but mostly due to an observable lack of Aussie tourists, surfers and families. The resulting reduced number of flights meant that our planes coming and going were almost full but we noted that most fellow travellers were a bit on the grey side with only a smattering of younger surfers on board and the only child under 15 being a babe (in arms).

I used to joke a few years back that there was at least one shop for every tourist in Bali, now I'd have to adjust that to 50 to one, and naturally the competition is fierce and the desperation, very sadly, irritating. If it wasn't for the expat business people there wouldn't be any business.

We had dinner with a hotel owner one night and he said he had 10 guests at his large establishment, all older returnees, and that he'd been selling off bits of land he owned to maintain his (admittedly comfortable) lifestyle. Apparently the drop off in Bali tourism has also had a big impact in Java, where resort investors, furniture, clothing and handicraft manufacturers etc are being hit hard by the downturn.

Good value wine is still hard to find in Bali though we found a decent 2004 McWilliams Hanwood Shiraz at my favourite local restaurant, Warung Sobat at Kerobokan, for around A$20 and it went down rather well with a spicy Rendang Sapi (A$4).

Ann took me to a rather more upmarket establishment for my 61st. Lovely looking place called Warisan where we were seated on a broad patio overlooking the rice paddies with the usual superb sunset lending us a rosy, reflective glow. The wine list featured a 2002 Grange for around A$600 but we settled for a St Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Trimoulet '99 for about A$90 which, while not 'off', served to remind me that I was past my prime and had spent far too many weeks cooking in the sun on Kuta Beach.

And I do quite like the local Hatten Rose which sells for about $10. It's relatively low alcohol and has a crisp, dry, almost mouth puckering finish which perfectly suits a tropical setting and saves on mouthwash. Goes well with Gado Gado and Sate Ayam, cutting through the oily peanut sauce a treat. I usually knock over a bottle of this every night with dinner (in Bali) but have never yet had a hangover as a result. The same cannot be said for the Hanwood which, coincidentally, was served on both our Australian airline flights. Yellowtail used to be ubiquitous in cattle class but seems to have 'tailed' off a bit.

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 07 July 2006 at 01:06
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The good life

by Martin Field

Sub-urban self-sufficiency
Fans of British TV comedy will fondly remember that BBC classic The Good Life, where a comfortable suburban couple attempted to turn their backyard into a self-sufficient small holding. I was reminded of the show when, after having pizza for dinner one night, Lucy remarked on the home-grown, home-produced ingredients that went into its construction.

The dough was kneaded in the bread making machine and topped with home-made habanera sauce, then we added hand-picked (at Red Hill) pickled pine mushrooms, and then came pickled jalapenos, herbed olives in oil, and a sprinkling of rosemary and oregano and basil – all grown in our garden. Field mushrooms, flour and mozzarella and yeast came from the supermarket and the pizza was cooked in our Pizza Chef pizza machine. We washed it down with home-made cider - made from bought apples and apple juice.

...continue reading "The good life"

Posted by Martin Field on Saturday 03 June 2006 at 01:30
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Cheatin' in the kitchen

by Martin Field

Stilton spread
Take a piece of Stilton, say 300 grams, bring it to room-temperature. Put it in a blender with a squeeze of lemon juice (a teaspoon more or less), 50ml extra virgin olive oil, 50 grams softened (but not melted) unsalted butter and 50ml of thick (not thickened) sour cream. Blend until just combined but not to the mushy stage. Refrigerate. Delicious on toast, in canapes etc. Keeps well in the fridge. Use same proportions for larger or smaller amounts of cheese.

Fridge inverter
The good lady wife wanted to lash out on a new fridge, one of those newfangled setups that have the freezer at the bottom instead of on top.

I countered with a brilliant, money-saving idea; suggesting that we could achieve the same effect by turning the old fridge upside down.

As the atmosphere between us suddenly turned frigid, I knew I was onto something.

Posted by Martin Field on Thursday 04 May 2006 at 01:40
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Desert Island Wines

by Martin Field

Len Evans is reported to have once said that he’d hate to be marooned on a desert island with nothing but goats' cheese to eat and sauvignon blanc to drink. With that in mind I conducted a straw poll of Australian wine writers (and one cheesemaker), based on the premise used by the BBC’s Radio 4 show, Desert Island Discs. That’s the long-running program where celebrities are invited to choose music to take with them in the event that they are about to be marooned on a desert island.

The hypothetical situation set for the writers was that they were about to be stranded on a desert island and they could only take with them two currently available Australian wines, a dozen of any one red and a dozen of one white (including bubbly).

Here’s what they said.

...continue reading "Desert Island Wines"

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 31 March 2006 at 08:23
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Picks of the mostly Oz bunch

by Martin Field

Caves de Beblenheim Pinot Blanc 2004 - Around $17 to $18
Appellation Alsace Contrôlée. Juicy aromas of ripe pears. Lovely mouth-filling style with flavours of pears and Granny Smith apples leading to a firm zesty finish. Excellent aperitif and solid entrée accompaniment.

Brown Brothers Vermentino 2005 (cellar door release) - $16-ish
Very pale, edge of green. Distinct citrussy fragrances on the nose. Quite a dry style with lots of mouth-watering, acid tang and noticeable alcohol (14.5%) warmth. Flavours are of citrus and maybe hay – not unlike a good semillon.

...continue reading "Picks of the mostly Oz bunch"

Posted by Martin Field on Friday 31 March 2006 at 08:17
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Clos des Fées, Angiolino Maule and others for dinner

Sunday evening we invited our winemaking friends Laurent Barrera and Emmanuelle Dupéré and as usual we ended up with quite a lineup... you can see some pics on their own Nowatlover blog

Starting with Champagne "Les Rachais", the new cuvée from my friend Francis Boulard of Champagne Raymond Boulard, one of those wines that act as terroir enhancers, you have never tasted anything like it, my impression is iodine, salt, seawater, oysters with lemon juice, some people have a hard time with it, I just love it, end so does everyone at the table, made from his biodynamic vineyard (undergoing conversion), I would love to actually try it with oysters...

Next, four bottles get served blind at the same time, we are told that one is a very expensive super-something wine worth over 60 Euro, and that they all have something in common.

...continue reading "Clos des Fées, Angiolino Maule and others for dinner"

Posted by Mike Tommasi on Tuesday 28 February 2006 at 09:47
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Vital fluids

by Martin Field

Splashing around at St Andrews Beach in brain-boiling 40C degree temperatures, during the Australia Day holiday week, I came over all strange. Despite the liberal application of aged, slightly rancid coconut oil, with an SPF rating of minus 25, my skin turned the colour of a two year old Beaujolais – a sort of sickly brown-edged red - and I felt faint.

After a relatively short wait (less than a day) in the local medical centre, the doc asked me what was the trouble. I described my symptoms. ‘Were you drinking?’ she asked. ‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘Plenty of water.’

‘If water was any good,’ she said, ‘we’d have it running through our veins instead of blood. I’m sorry to say you are severely debeerated.’ ‘What does that mean?’ I asked naively.

‘Debeeration,’ she explained, ‘Is a condition that occurs when a person has not consumed sufficient brewed liquid. Deprived of essential complex alcohols and other associated vitamins and minerals, the victim’s system will then start to fail, their muscles will melt down and eventually they may die.’

‘But along with water I’ve also been drinking a lot of light and mid-strength beers.’ I countered in mitigation.

‘Aha! There’s your problem.’ she said. ‘They’re not actually beer. If I may speak scientifically, they are a sort of no-frills substitute for the real thing. In laypersons’ terms, they are the tragic equivalent of drinking instant coffee.’

Horrified and chastened at her insight into my condition, I replied plaintively, ‘Please Doc, what am I to do? I place myself entirely in your hands.’

‘Well, first we’ll have to urgently rebeerate you. I don’t think you’re that far gone that we need to put you on a beer drip but I recommend the immediate consumption of half a dozen stubbies… of ice-cold, full-strength, amber fluid. After that I want you to drink at least two litres of genuine beer daily, avoid imitation beer and strenuous activity and come back and see me in a month.’

With this she wrote out a prescription listing a number of local and imported ales, advising me, ‘Unfortunately these are not subsidised but they should be available on discount at your local drugstore*.’

‘But Doc. What about driving? You know it’s illegal for me to drink and drive.’

‘Do you want to live or do you want to drive? she snapped. ‘You clearly have a problem identifying life priorities!’ ‘Next.’

*liquor store.

...continue reading "Vital fluids"

Posted by Martin Field on Tuesday 31 January 2006 at 23:39
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On the Road - continued

by Martin Field

Chateaux in St Emilion and Bordeaux
The neighbouring regions of St Emilion and Bordeaux are a wine lover’s paradise. Vineyards and wineries are everywhere and there are innumerable lovely reds and whites to sip, to drink, to wallow in. There are guided tours available from the St Emilion and Bordeaux tourist bureaux or, armed with a map, the adventurous wine tourist can simply drive around and check out likely looking chateaux. But check out the tourist brochures first - many places are open to the public ‘by appointment only.’

Yes, you quickly discover that French winemakers are very much into the semi-mystical (to Australians anyway) concept of terroir – the concept of wine quality based on soil types, micro- meso- and macro-climates and all that. But despite reported French antagonism to what they dismiss as Australia’s industrial wines we noticed that many wineries have now entered the equivalent of the oenological industrial revolution and purchased kazillions of euros worth of stainless steel fermenters and associated modern winemaking equipment. Just like the Australians.

...continue reading "On the Road - continued"

Posted by Martin Field on Monday 02 January 2006 at 06:23
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On the road

by Martin Field

I’ve been on holidays. London, St Emilion, Paris and San Francisco to be exact. Phew! It’s good to be back in Melbourne. Here follow a few random thoughts on the trip.

Mummified suitcases
Travel isn’t the fun it once was – or maybe I’m getting old. I travelled a lot in the late ‘60s and in 1971 the hippie overland trail from London to Calcutta was a highlight. Back then you could travel (rough) without too many concerns about personal security. Thirty to forty years on it’s strange to note that in a supposedly more civilised world international travel can be a bit of a worry.

...continue reading "On the road"

Posted by Martin Field on Tuesday 22 November 2005 at 07:12
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What the Dickens!

‘Unsophisticated ALES & STOUTS. GOOD BEDS’ so used to read a sign on the wall of the Leather Bottle pub, Cobham, Kent, before the pub was restored. The Leather Bottle was frequented by Charles Dickens and is mentioned in his Pickwick Papers. Clearly, unsophisticated in this sense means pure and unadulterated. Pity the same can’t be said of many present day ales and stouts. Source, photograph in The Legacy of England, third edition, B.T. Batsford, London,1946-47.

...continue reading "What the Dickens!"

Posted by Martin Field on Saturday 01 October 2005 at 01:21
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Champagne restaurant syndrome?

In a comprehensive piece, If MSG is so bad for you why doesn’t everyone in Asia have a headache? a Guardian Observer correspondent discusses the whys and wherefores of the food additive MSG (monosodium glutamate) – pretty much demythologising the so-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS).

What caught my attention was the mention that MSG is a major constituent of autolyzed yeast extracts – like Marmite and similar products. Now students of wine will know well that a significant flavour (umami) component of Champagne is autolyzed yeast. This raises the obvious question: if CRS does exist does the consumption of Champagne create problems for those who feel they are susceptible to that alleged condition? Should one risk accompanying Chinese food with Champagne?

Posted by Martin Field on Thursday 01 September 2005 at 08:11
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