Beer & Brewer Winter 2016 Teaser

Preview of The Australian National Homebrew Conference – see page 54

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BREWING EQUIPMENT From tanks to taps – all you need to know

The Dark Side

BEERS & CIDERS

TASTED

Who said brown was boring?

GAME. SET. MATCH.

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PLUS! LOWER ALCOHOL BEERS | 11 HOMEBREW RECIPES TO TRY | CANBERRA BREWERIES

CONTENTS

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Winter 2016

14 FEATURES 14 Style Notes – Dark & Brown Ales In today’s world of craft beer drinkers who go crazy for sours, imperial this and anything including the letters IPA – dark and brown ales are often overlooked.

Jeremy Sambrooks reports on the often underappreciated style

22 Brewing Equipment We look at the latest trends and innovations in brewing equipment

34 Beer & Food Matching Want to know how to pair beer and food like a pro? We tell you how

40 Lower Alcohol Beer International beer judge, Ian Kingham, takes a look at the ‘lighter’ end of the beer market

62 Travel – Canberra With two new brewers hitting the Canberra beer scene within the past year and a half, we look at this burgeoning craft beer haven

66 Entertaining – Food We head to America’s Deep South for three mouth-watering recipes; Jambalaya, Southern Fried Chicken with Green Tomato Gravy, and Pecan Pie

4 www.beerandbrewer.com

HOMEBREWER 44 Welcome 45 Letters 46 Q&A Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer tackle one of the most important areas of brewing, safety

48 Recipes Baltic imperial porter, porter, dark rye imperial porter, American stout and a Belgian tripel IPA

52 Randy Mosher Homebrewer technical editor Jake Brandish chats with international homebrew legend Randy Mosher

54 Australian National Homebrewing Conference Homebrewer editor Chris Thomas looks at what to expect at the Australian National Homebrewing Conference (ANHC) in Adelaide this October

60 Homebrew Club We check out the Wort Hogs homebrew club and get a bohemian Pilsener recipe to boot!

“One of the best things about the beer is that it fills the brewery with a beautiful biscuity malt aroma, so you always know when we’re brewing a brown” – Matt Bebe, Mornington Peninsula Brewery

82

62

REGULARS 3 Editor’s Letter 6

The Brew What’s happening and things to do

9

News The latest in Aus/NZ beer industry

12

New Venues

13

Bits & Bobs

70

Tasting Notes Stouts, imperial stouts, porters, ciders and new releases

78

Directory

82 A Pint With…

Beer industry legend, Chuck Hahn

Check out the Canberra craft beer scene 34

66

Winter 2016 5

BROWN & DARK ALES

Brown, but far from boring IN TODAY’S WORLD OF CRAFT BEER DRINKERS WHO GO CRAZY FOR SOURS, IMPERIAL THIS, WET HOPPED THAT AND ANYTHING INCLUDING THE LETTERS IPA – DARK AND BROWN ALES ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED. JEREMY SAMBROOKS REPORTS ON ONE OF BEER’S MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED STYLES

14 www.beerandbrewer.com

BROWN & DARK ALES

T

he brown ale family of beers is a relatively small one, with the Brewers Association (BA) listing only two distinct styles – English and American brown ale. One could argue the third is oud bruin, a strong

and tart style of Belgian ale that also goes by the name Flanders brown ale, but it’s really a better fit for the sour category. Closer to the mark is English dark mild, a style which today is essentially a lower gravity, less hopped brown ale. While the BA does not recognise dark ale as a distinct style, many beers use the name dark. Some of these are classic examples of the mild and brown ale styles, while others are fairly unique.

The term ‘brown ale’ was first used by London

Matt Bebe, Mornington Peninsula Brewery

brewers in the late 17th century. At the time, these beers were lightly hopped and brewed from 100 per cent brown malt. Brown ales enjoyed a period of popularity

a beautiful biscuity malt aroma, so you always know

before they died out around 1800, due to brewers turning

when we’re brewing a brown.”

away from brown malt. Maltsters had recently begun roasting malt with coke – a type of fuel made from

AMERICAN BROWN ALES

coal – which resulted in a new kind of malt called pale

The first North American brown ales started as copies

malt, which was cheaper to use due to its higher yield.

of their English counterparts. Things started to change

Brown ale resurfaced in the late 19th century with the

when home brewers began experimenting with using

production of Mann’s Brown Ale in London.

citrusy American hop varieties in brown ales. Amateur brewing competitions saw the need for a new style

ENGLISH BROWN ALE

category to accommodate these new beers, originally

It wasn’t until the 1920s that brown ales became widely

using the names ‘California dark’ and ‘Texas brown

brewed in England and in 1927, Newcastle Brown Ale

ale’ before finally settling on American brown ale. The

was launched. Today, ‘Newky Brown’, as it’s often

BA describes American brown ale as being deep copper

called, is one of the 20 highest selling ales in the world

to very dark brown with subdued esters, caramel and

and remains a benchmark for the style. The English

chocolate-like aromas and flavours with medium to

brown ale style is sometimes separated into the dark

high hop bitterness. The level of hop aroma and flavour

brown, sweet, lower alcohol beers from the south and

in these beers can vary greatly – some aren’t much

the drier, reddish brown beers from the north. Today,

hoppier than an English brown, while others are as

the southern English brown ale style is all but extinct,

aggressively hopped as an IPA.

with Mann’s one of the last remaining examples.

The BA describes English brown ale as being copper to very dark in colour, with low hop character and malt flavours that can be biscuity and toasted. Frankly, the description is a bit lacking and doesn’t convey just how

Andrew Ong, one of the brothers from 2 Brothers Brewery, has had success with his American-style brown ale, dubbed Growler.

“Inspired by my first chainsaw, Growler was the very first batch of commercial beer that we made when 2

“ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE BEER IS THAT IT FILLS THE BREWERY WITH A BEAUTIFUL BISCUITY MALT AROMA, SO YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHEN WE’RE BREWING A BROWN” – MATT BEBE, MORNINGTON PENINSULA BREWERY

delicious a good English brown ale can be. Someone who would no doubt agree with me is Matt Bebe, managing director at Mornington Peninsula Brewery.

IF YOU LIKE DARK BEERS

You might also like these beers:

“Mornington Brown is my favourite winter drink,” says Bebe. “It’s an English brown ale, so it’s not as robust as a porter or a stout and as sessionable as a pale ale. It’s a dark beer with a malty nose and flavours of chocolate and toffee. Mornington Brown isn’t a difficult beer to make, the most challenging thing was getting the recipe right in the first place. Our head brewer, AG (Andrew Gow), made two trial batches; the first was like a chocolate milkshake and the second lacked malt flavour. Thankfully, the third batch was just right and we use the same recipe today. One of the best

Munich Dunkel: A clean brown lager with great malt depth and complexity.

Doppelbock: A very malty, strong lager with big, bready malt character.

Mild: A lower-alcohol, easy-drinking beer with plenty of malt character and very low hop presence.

English Porter: A fairly substantial English dark ale with restrained roasty characteristics.

things about the beer is that it fills the brewery with

Winter 2016 15

1. Newcastle Brown Ale First brewed in 1927 in Newcastleupon-Tyne, England, Newcastle Brown Ale is now brewed by Heineken. Featuring fewer hops for a less bitter taste, Newcastle Brown Ale has a blend of light and dark malts creating a smooth caramel flavour. Light golden brown in colour from the combination of English pale and dark caramel malts. A light to light-medium bodied brew, with a carbonated mouthfeel and mixed nut flavours of almond, walnut and pecan.

2. FrankenBROWN Crafted by the team at Big Shed Brewing Co. in South Australia, FrankenBROWN American brown ale is a hoppy dark beer, which will drop some badass funk on your taste buds. The high percentage of specialty grain brings the soul of malt, biscuit and coffee notes. The bitterness and aroma comes from the hit of hops added throughout the boil as well as dry-hopping. Backed up with a higher than normal alcohol, FrankenBROWN is a beer that is right on.

Barbeque herb-rubbed lamb chops ABV: 4.7% RRP: $5 per bottle (330ml) Newcastlebrown.com

A hoppy double brown ale, which complements both the roasted and fruity aspects of the coffee without putting up too much of a fight. The coffee was selected in collaboration with Christchurch institution C4 Coffee and consists mainly of lightly roasted, delicate and floral, Ethiopian beans.

Aromas of coffee, light chocolate, caramel, toffee and fig. Taste is sweet coffee and chocolate, with a slightly bitter finish.

FOOD MATCH FOOD MATCH

FOOD MATCH

3. 8 Wired C4 Double Coffee Brown Ale

Mushroom risotto ABV: 5% RRP: $6 per bottle (330ml) Bigshedbrewing.com.au

Tiramisu ABV: 8% RRP: $15.50 per bottle (500ml) 8wired.co.nz

4. HopDog BeerWorks Redhopulous Maximus Feel the glory! Taste the hops and the ‘ulous! Redhopulous Maximus stands tall and victorious as the general of the Lupulin legions!

Redhopulous Maximus is the beefy bigger brother of the most excellent Redhopulous, and an excellent rendition of a red IPA, another oxymoron. Brewed with more robust melanoidin and crystal malts than ever before, and hopped with American Chinook and Australian Ella hops.

RedMax is hugely malty, with lashings of caramel and burnt toffee and piney hops and hints of aniseed. Robust, bitter and dark red in colour.

FOOD MATCH Oysters natural ABV: 5.8% RRP: $5.50 per bottle (330ml) Hopdog.com.au

Dark & Brown Ales 20 www.beerandbrewer.com

WE HEAD TO THE DARK SIDE AND CHECK OUT SOME WINTER WARMERS TO KEEP US COMPANY THIS SEASON

DARK & BROWN ALES PROMOTION

5. Coopers Dark Ale Meet the dark side of the family.

A dark brew full of promise.

Coopers Dark Ale is a journey in taste. Fresh, creamy and finishing with a lingering coffee flavour it’s made using roasted and chocolate malts, giving it a rich dark colour and unique flavour.

FOOD MATCH Sunday roast with potatoes and pumpkin ABV: 4.5% RRP: $4.20 per bottle (375ml) Coopers.com.au

6. Garage Project Golden Brown Never a Frown Original Strength Well rounded and satisfyingly drinkable with a balance of juicy malt character and bitterness.

Brewed to the original 24/24 recipe launched in 2011, this beer has lifted citrus hop notes from a generous dose of Cascade and Ahtanum and a long, lingering biscuit malt finish. There is never a frown with this golden brown.

FOOD MATCH Nutty cheeses like Gouda or a young Comté ABV: 7% RRP: $21.50 per bottle (650ml) Garageproject.co.nz

7. Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar This is a nutty twist to a traditional European brown ale from Rogue Ales in the USA. Pours dark amber with off white head. Aroma is sweet hazelnut, with a rich nutty flavour and a smooth malty hazelnut finish.

FOOD MATCH Barbecue steak with mushroom gravy ABV: 6% RRP: $7.50 per bottle (355ml) Rogue.com

8. The Hotchkiss Six For Little Creature’s second winter seasonal, the brewers’ challenge was to nail a fullflavoured, complex stout that could be enjoyed all year round.

Enter The Hotchkiss Six. A smooth stout, with indulgent dark chocolate qualities from caramel malt, English chocolate malt and roasted barley. Oats add to the full and rounded palate.

Fruity aromas and aniseed-like spice come from late brewhouse additions of NZ Rakau and Southern Cross hops.

FOOD MATCH Oysters, chocolate cake or slow roast lamb ABV: 4.5% Littlecreatures.com.au

Winter 2016 21

BREWING EQUIPMENT

Tools of the Trade WE LOOK AT THE LATEST IN BREWING EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT TOP BREWERS ARE BUYING FOR THEIR BREWERIES

22  www.beerandbrewer.com

BREWING EQUIPMENT

W

hile enjoying a well-crafted beer, seldom do we think about the brewing equipment that has helped create it. Sure we may think about the brewer and his skill in creating such a delicious beverage, but a brewer is only as good as his tools.

And just as craft beer has been growing exponentially, so too has brewing equipment technology.

“The development of technology is levelling out the playing field, allowing smaller brewers to be as competitive as the bigger players in the market,” explained FB*PROPAK managing director Paul Baggio.

“The global nature of the craft beer movement has brought with it a scale of manufacturing. The higher quality brewhouses engineered in Italy are now available here. Where brewers used to look to US technology, they are now looking to Europe.

“It is an exciting time to be involved in the craft beer industry as the technology is opening up opportunities for craft brewers and aspiring nano brewers to experiment with different styles and flavour.”

BREWING EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY TRENDS For the past 20 years Baggio has been visiting BrauBeviale, the major global trade fair for the production and marketing of drinks.

After travelling to Nuremberg last year for BrauBeviale, Baggio noticed some interesting trends in brewing technology.

“In previous years, Brau was dominated by German or Eastern European suppliers and producers. This year saw a noticeable increase in representation from France and Italy as other skilled stainless steel and beverage fabricators are investing their knowledge and skills into craft beer production,” he said.

“I think in Australia we’ll see further experimentation with flavour, due to the French and Italian influence, with a trend towards more Pilsners and European styles.

“I see the elevation of prominence of homebrewers; this was evident at the US trade shows and at Brau.

“We’ll also see game changing new technology making brewing more affordable and accessible, and also efficiencies in production with the collapsible keg.”

One such “game changing new technology” is cross flow filtration, which was previously only available to the big breweries, but is today more accessible for smaller brewers.

“The evolution in beer filtration is cross flow. Cross flow is a technology long used in other beverages but this year is the first time many manufacturers are now using it for beer,” said Baggio.

“The days of PAD or earth filtration look like they are numbered.

We’re excited to see cross flow take its place in craft breweries.”

Another new technology causing waves in the industry is collapsible kegs like KeyKeg. “They offer a significant cost saving as they can be disposed of after use, eliminating the need for washing the keg or organising return transport. They are much lighter than metal kegs so can be stacked four on top of each other, so brewers are getting economies of scale on each pallet,” said Baggio.

“Any opportunity to reduce supply chain costs is good news for brewers and beer drinkers. Collapsible kegs are being used in the US and in Europe and I think it will be only a matter of time before Australian brewers get on board.”

Winter 2016 23

Q&A

Safety & Homebrewing JAMIL ZAINASHEFF AND JOHN PALMER TACKLE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS OF BREWING, SAFETY

Q: DEAR BEER & BREWER

WORT

CHEMICALS

I was truly shocked to read the brief account of

One of the most important things to

When dealing with chemicals of any kind,

Andrew Childs (Behemoth Brewing) and Jason

remember is that hot liquid contains a

take the time to put on protective gear. Full

Bathgate (8 Wired Brewing) suffering terrible

tremendous amount of energy. Covering a

face, arm and body protection are required

burns while adding hops to a double IPA, as

large part of your body with boiling liquid

at our brewery when handling the chemicals

recounted by Andrew while describing how to

could quickly put you into shock and kill

used to clean and sanitise our equipment.

brew ‘In Ya Face Double IPA’ in the last edition.

you. If it doesn’t kill you, you will lose large

While it may seem overly cautious to

As a safety engineer, I look into treating the

amounts of skin. Think of your boiling wort

someone who has not suffered a chemical

symptoms of these sort of accidents on a daily

more like a hot vat of acid or a thermal bomb

injury, a few minutes spent donning proper

basis, but I know I’m probably as guilty as the

and you’ll have a better mindset of what

protection will save days spent in the

next home brewer in wearing a pair of thongs

you’re dealing with and the potential for

emergency room and rehabilitation from a

while bringing the wort to a rolling boil or man

disaster should you be careless. Always avoid

chemical burn.

handling a stainless kettle with 30L of hot wort

any actions that might result in you getting

off the burner and into position to drain into my

covered with that liquid. Only use strong and

CARBOYS

fermenter. I recognise that all of these actions

stable stands for supporting your boiling

Unique to homebrewing is the use of large

are putting me at risk of an accident and more

wort. Make sure transfers are set up in a way

glass vessels referred to as carboys (these

and more I’m trying to address these actions

that you do not expose yourself to contact

are especially popular in the US). These have

with improvements to my brewing rig, and

with that wort.

resulted in terrible wounds for homebrewers

mostly just remembering to wear the rubber

in the past. They are heavy when full

PRESSURE

and often slick with water or sanitiser

Pressure also contains life threatening energy.

when moving them from brewery area to

homebrewing community (myself included)

Whenever dealing with pressure, think about

fermenting area. A dropped carboy can result

if you were to investigate the best approaches

what might happen should that vessel explode.

in large shards of glass that hit around the

to managing hazards in the home brewery, from

What potential is there for shrapnel and who

lower leg level, cutting major blood vessels.

explosive boil-overs to exploding bottles during

could it hit? Always use calibrated gauges

Once that happens, without assistance, death

bottle conditioning, heavy and awkward lifting, to

when pressurising a keg or any other vessel.

is only minutes away. Wearing thick pants

the nasty cleaning agents we use to keep our beer

Do not pressurise vessels that are not rated

helps, but it is better to only move the carboy

and brew gear clean.

for pressure. In the case of bottles that are

with a protective crate or cradle around it.

developing carbonation or have the potential

Having roller wheels attached to the crate

their efforts in keeping their workplace free

to keep carbonating, they should be stored in

can ease the move both on your back and for

of accidents?

case boxes. The boxes can prevent glass shards

the potential of dropping the carboy. Another

from flying out uncontrolled. If you notice that

option is to use plastic fermenters, which are

A: This is a tough question to answer in short

a box has a burst bottle, the best action is to

much more popular in Australia. They weigh

form. There are many books and courses on

dispose of the entire box without handling the

substantially less and will not shatter like a

industrial safety because safety is more of a

individual bottles. One tiny piece of glass can

glass carboy.

lifetime study than an afterthought.

easily take out an eye or worse.

boots when brewing.

I think it’d be a real service to the

Do the professionals have any tips from

46 Home Brewer

Overall, think about what you are about

to do and make sure your actions will not result in a hazardous condition. Homebrewing is fun, but I’ve met far too many people who have tragic stories to tell about being careless around the brewery.

ONE FINAL NOTE John Mallet is head of operations at Bells Brewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan (US) and in their weekly production meeting they always start the meeting with this agenda: • Safety • Morale • Quality • Production

SAFETY BASICS FOR HOMEBREWERS - Leather boots/gumboots

This means that ‘safety’ is always the first priority and

- Thick canvas pants and shirt

always the first order of business. Then they talk about

- Eyewear (goggles)

‘morale’ because happy brewers and staff are ‘quality’

- Heat proof gloves

brewers and staff. In fact there is a weekly quiz for the managers of all departments to identify various pictures of staff from all areas of the brewery and beer

- Gloves for handling harsh chemicals or sanitisers

café – know your people! It is part of their performance review! It is a good priority list.

Winter 2016 47

ANHC 5

STONE RUINATION IPA Mitch Steele has provided us with the recipe for the original Ruination IPA from Stone Brewing Co. It is a classic American double IPA and was the first double IPA bottled year-round and sold nationally in the US. It has intense citrusy, piney and resiny hop character from Centennial hops and is incredibly bitter.

“When brewing use a low conversion rest temperature to make the beer dry. Ferment with a clean ale yeast and dry hop after most of the yeast has settled out. If you can rack the beer off the yeast cake prior to dry hop, even better,” recommends Steele.

STONE RUINATION IPA CLONE

STONE RUINATION IPA CLONE

All Grain Expected Brew Figures

Extract with Specialty Grains Expected Brew Figures

OG: 1.075 FG: 1.010 ABV: 7.7% IBU: 100+ Volume: 19 litres

OG: 1.075 FG: 1.010 ABV: 7.7% IBU: 100+ Volume: 19 litres

Ingredients

Ingredients

6.6kg 2-Row Malt 450g Briess Crystal Malt (15 ºL)

3.3kg Light Dried Malt Extract (LDME) 450g Briess 2-Row Malt

64g Magnum Hops (90 mins) (16.0% AA)

450g Briess Crystal Malt (15 ºL)

43g Centennial Hops (0 mins, steep for 5 mins) (10.5% AA)

1 tsp Irish Moss (15 minutes)

57g Centennial Whole Hops (dry hops)

43g Centennial Hops (0 mins, steep for 5 mins) (10.5% AA)

1 tsp Irish Moss White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) Yeast (2 litre yeast starter)

64g Magnum Hops (16% AA) (60 mins)

57g Centennial Whole Hops (dry hops) 1 tsp Irish Moss (15 mins)

Method

White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) Yeast (2 litre yeast starter)

1. In the lead up to brew day make a 2 litre yeast starter

Method

2. Mash your grains at 65°C for 60 minutes 3. Collect enough wort to boil for 90 minutes and have a 19 litre yield 4. Add Magnum hops at the beginning of the boil 5. With 15 minutes remaining add 1 tsp of Irish moss 6. At flameout add 43g Centennial hops and steep for 5 minutes 7. Whirlpool, cool the wort, transfer to fermenter then aerate and pitch yeast 8. Ferment at 20°C and hold at this temperature until the yeast has finished fermentation 9. Add 57g Centennial whole hops and dry hop for three to five days 10. Bottle or keg as usual and enjoy!

1. Steep the two crushed grains in 3 litres of water at 65°C for 45 minutes 2. Remove grains from wort, add water to make 23 litres of wort, add malt extract and bring to a boil 3. Boil for 60 minutes, adding Magnum hops at the beginning of the boil 4. With 15 minutes remaining add 1 tsp Irish moss 5. At flameout add 43g Centennial hops and steep for 5 minutes 6. Whirlpool, cool the wort, transfer to fermenter then aerate and pitch yeast 7. Ferment at 20°C and hold at this temperature until the yeast has finished fermentation 8. Add 57g Centennial whole hops and dry hop for three to five days 9. Bottle or keg as usual and enjoy!

56 Home Brewer

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ENTERTAINING – FOOD

Deep South F WE HEAD TO AMERICA’S DEEP SOUTH FOR THREE MOUTH-WATERING RECIPES; JAMBALAYA, SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN WITH GREEN TOMATO GRAVY AND PECAN PIE

or Mississippi-born and UK-based chef Brad McDonald the story

of American cooking and American food

culture today all began

back in the South. This hearty style of

cooking has been so influential and yet has remained relatively unchanged for generations.

In Deep South McDonald delivers his own modern take on Southern cooking from the Delta and beyond. From its Creole and Cajun roots to the dishes of rural Mississippi, Southern cooking is

vibrant and rich with spice and puts the emphasis on taste.

Deep South brings you authentic Southern food with an urban edge and an amazing array of flavours. Inside you’ll find pickles and preserves – from green tomato chow chow, to salt-pickled turnips and pickled peaches; small dishes like cheese straws (Southernstyle) and devilled eggs; fish and meat dishes – shrimp and grits, dirty rice with smoked oysters, roasted pork neck with peaches, coffee-rubbed beef shortrib; baked goods including McDonald’s perfect cornbread; plus sweets like pecan cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, peach cobbler and brown butter caramel cake.

Southern food may lack the romantic language of French food or the precision cuts of Japanese but there is no lack of depth of flavour. Deep South celebrates

This is an edited extract from Deep South by Brad McDonald published by Quadrille RRP $45 and is available in stores nationally.

the food of McDonald’s homeland while offering a new take on a cuisine that has been profoundly influential worldwide.

Deep South also provides a glimpse into a different way of life. Tied up in these comforting plates of soulful food is a more delicate, deliberate pace to life.

66 www.beerandbrewer.com

ENTERTAINING – FOOD

Jambalaya Serves 6

Ingredients 20g unsalted butter 115g andouille sausage, sliced into rounds 4 boneless chicken thighs 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 bunch of spring onions (scallions), white and green parts separated, chopped 1 green (bell) pepper, chopped 500g plum tomatoes, roughly chopped in a food processor 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 bay leaf 20g Creole seasoning (see recipe below), plus extra to serve 4 litres chicken stock 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce 300g long-grain rice 450g large raw peeled prawns

Method Melt the butter in a large pan, add the andouille sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, until all the fat is rendered. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and fry until beginning to brown. Add the yellow onion, the white part of the spring onions and the green pepper and cook until translucent.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf and Creole seasoning and cook gently for 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and Tabasco and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced by about a third.

Return to the boil and stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the rice is about two-thirds cooked.

Add the prawns and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the rice is tender and the prawns turn bright pink. Be careful not to overcook.

Serve hot, garnished with the green part of the spring onions and an additional dusting of Creole seasoning.

Creole Seasoning 12g (2½ tsp) black peppercorns 12g (2½ tsp) white peppercorns 12g (2½ tsp) cayenne pepper 12g (2½ tsp) paprika 7.5g (¼ oz) celery seeds 18g (¾ oz) sea salt 45g (1½ oz) tomato powder 10.5g (2¼ tsp) onion powder

12g (2½ tsp) garlic powder 15g (½ oz) dried oregano 5g (1 tsp) dried thyme

Method Lightly toast the peppercorns, cayenne, paprika, celery seeds and salt in a dry frying pan, then grind them in a spice grinder. Mix with the remaining ingredients and store in an airtight container. The seasoning mix will keep for 3-4 weeks.

Winter 2016 67

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