Open House Food Service June 2014 Issue

JUNE 2014

New way to pay Winter warmers Tale of two pizzas

Pulled meat perfection Don’s Pulled Pork and Beef

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER

14

Making sliders has never been easier with the launch of Don Slow Cooked Pulled Pork and Pulled Beef.

32

Regulars 04 Editor’s note 06 News 12 In season

Features

JUNE 2014

10 Cover story

Don Slow Cooked Pulled Pork and

Pulled Beef 14 Beef & lamb

Slow cooked crowd pleasers

New way to pay Winter warmers Tale of two pizzas OH0614.indd 1

13 Origins

Caesar salad 31 Q&A

Miguel Cuevas, Flavours of Spain 32 Regional snapshot

Margaret River

22 Pizza & Italian

Traditional versus innovative

16/06/2014 4:39 pm

To ensure you never miss out there are now more ways to enjoy Open House.

As well as the monthly magazine, Open House is also available as a free iPad app, which is packed with exclusive extras. The Open House app is available at the iTunes app store.

28 Technology

Cashless point of sale options 30 Sustainability

Getting behind fair trade

34 Cooking the books

Subscribe to the OH iPad app

36 Products 38 Profile

Matthew McCool, Altitude Restaurant

Pulled meat perfection Don’s Pulled Pork and Beef

12

www.openhousemagazine.net

38 Australian Culinary Federation news www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 3

EDITOR’S WORD

Bridging the gap I

t's been a long time coming but I was pleased to hear earlier this month that the Government has decided to add chefs to the Skilled Occupation List, effectively giving the green light to businesses to look overseas to fill positions they're currently stuggling to fill locally, thanks to our ongoing skills shortage.

While the move isn't going to solve the shortage altogether, it does provide some reprieve for an industry struggling with downskilling, retention issues and high wage costs squeezing narrow margins.

What we need in the longer-term is an industry-wide strategy that targets the skills shortage from the ground up, providing better alternatives to the traditional apprenticeship system that are more attractive and relevant to today's young chefs, while still providing them with the skillset employers are looking for. It's easy to bash Gen Y and Gen Next but they are the future of our industry and isn't it time we worked out what works for us all?

Published in Australia by Creative Head Media Pty Ltd Suite 202, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards 2065 P.O. Box 189, St Leonards 1590 Website: www.openhousemagazine.net ACN 147 436 280 ISSN 0312-5998

PUBLISHER Alexandra Yeomans MANAGING EDITOR Ylla Watkins JOURNALIST Sheridan Randall SALES & MARKETING MANAGER Jo Robinson ACCOUNT MANAGER Leah Jensen, Mark Greenfield DESIGN/PRODUCTION MANAGER Bin Zhou EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Anna-Louise McDougall

HEAD OFFICE – SYDNEY Creative Head Media Pty Ltd Suite 202, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards 2065 P.O. Box 189, St Leonards 1590 Tel: (02) 9438 2300 Fax: (02) 9438 5962 Email: enquiries@creativehead.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 yr $99; 2 yrs $174; 3 yrs $261 (incl. GST and surface mail) Ylla Watkins Managing editor

Copyright © 2014 Opinions expressed by the contributors in this magazine are not the opinion of Open House Foodservice. Letters to the editor are subject to editing.

THIS MONTH’S TOP STORY It’s all about comfort food in the cooler months with slow cooked beef and lamb options offering maximum flavour for minimum costs. Find out more on page 14.

4 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Official publication for the Australian Culinary Federation

CAB Audited Circulation 20,553 March 2014

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Sydney council reviews outdoor dining fees Randwick City Council will lower its outdoor dining fees by 23-49 per cent for cafés and restaurants located in Maroubra, and up to 33 per cent for those in nearby Moverly, Matraville, Malabar and Randwick, from July 1, 2014.

The move has been welcomed by local businesses, as well as peak industry body Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA), with chief executive John Hart saying that at a time when business overheads continue to climb, a reduction in rental arrangements is good news.

Queensland Tourism cuts short sighted C

uts to funding for Tourism and Events Queensland announced in the latest Queensland budget will reduce the tourism industry’s competitiveness and impact the ability of the state to attract international and domestic visitors, according to hospitality industry body Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA).

Tourism and Events Queensland has been allocated a budget of $98.7 million, a drop from $118.9 million allocated in the 2013-14 budget. This is despite $11.6 million being allocated this year for destination marketing, major events and product development.

R&CA chief executive John Hart says the decision to decrease funding for Tourism and Events Queensland is short sighted given the growing international and domestic competition for tourism dollars.

“Queensland is one of Australia’s most tourism dependent states,” he said. “The sector employs 241,000 people directly and indirectly with a majority of these Queenslanders employed in small businesses such as restaurants and cafes.”

The timing of the cuts is also disappointing he says, given Tourism Australia’s new “Restaurant Australia” marketing campaign has built significant interest and awareness in the culinary experiences offered by the state.

“We have seen a real resurgence of the dining scene in Queensland, with a 17 per cent increase in restaurant turnover to $4.6 billion for the year ending March 2014,” said Hart. “Restaurant Australia seeks only to strengthen the work of Tourism and Events Queensland in promoting the state’s best food and wine experiences.

“Food and wine festivals such as the Noosa International Food & Wine Festival only further add to this narrative and continue to go from strength-to-strength.

“Uncertainty around funding for Tourism and Events Queensland will affect this organisation’s ability to host and grow major events such as the Noosa International Food & Wine Festival. This does not evoke confidence that the government understands the economic importance of the tourism and hospitality sector.”

6 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

“R&CA’s 2014 Benchmarking Survey revealed a staggering 45 percent increase in rent paid by café and restaurant operators, representing around 9.9 percent of total overheads.

“This coupled with the increasing cost of labour, produce, electricity and gas all reduce an operator’s bottom line.

“I am encouraged by the initiative Randwick City Council has taken to make it more cost effective for industry to do business. When local businesses flourish, the general locale benefits.

“I hope local councils of other popular suburban dining destinations follow suit and realise this is a strategic investment that will see businesses in their LGA [local government area] flourish.”

NEWS BRIEFS

Fair Work targets record keeping Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT over coming months, with a view to educating employers about their responsibilities and how the Fair Work Ombudsman can assist them to comply with

The Fair Work Ombudsman has reminded business owners of the importance of maintaining proper employment records.

Inadequate records hamper the ability of Fair Work inspectors to determine if employees are being paid correctly if a dispute arises over wages. In the past, the Agency has taken legal action against some employers who did not keep proper records and who were suspected of underpaying their staff.

In a bid to raise awareness of record-keeping obligations, Fair Work inspectors will visit 350 businesses throughout NSW, Victoria,

workplace laws.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says the Agency is making compliance easier for businesses by continually building on the information available on its website.

“Equipping people with the information they need helps to create fair and productive workplaces, as well as ensuring a level playing field for all,” she said.

Food truck trial for Melbourne launched Twelve of Melbourne’s most popular gourmet food trucks will be serving up a moving feast at selected sites across the City of Melbourne from this month as part of a three-month trial aimed at making the trucks more accessible to Melbourne foodies.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said dining at popup food vans was an increasingly popular part of Melbourne’s food culture.

“This trial is the first step towards making the City of Melbourne more welcoming for food truck operators and much more accessible to the hundreds of thousands of residents, workers and visitors who come to the city every day.”

The City of Melbourne has selected 12 gourmet food van operators to operate in three shifts – breakfast, lunchtime and dinner – at seven sites until August.

Councillor Kevin Louey, chair of Council’s Economic Development portfolio, said the successful operators were chosen based on

a range of criteria, including the quality of the food offer, the originality of the concept, their established popularity and the standard and quality of their vans.

The councillor said the rise of food trucks had been rapid, and as a result current policy is not as supportive of mobile food vans as it could be.

“Council’s policy aims to balance the interests of food van operators with the interests of established businesses. The sites we have selected have the potential to be popular, without putting them in direct competition with nearby restaurants and businesses,” he said.

Throughout the three-month trial, the City of Melbourne will work with operators to gauge the popularity of certain sites to establish their viability in the longer term. At the conclusion of the trial Council will conduct an evaluation ahead of its next food van tender process, due to commence later this year.

McCool named Chef of the Year Matthew McCool, head chef at ShangriLa Hotel, Sydney's Altitude Restaurant, has won Rare Medium Chef of the Year at the Foodservice Australia show. McCool won a trophy and a share of $10,000 prize money.

Beppi’s Restaurant celebrates record 58 years Beppi's Restaurant in Sydney’s east celebrates its 58th anniversary this month. The Italian institution was opened in 1956 by Beppi Polese and his wife Norma, and remains under the same ownership and in the same location, a record for a restaurant in Australia.

New restaurant for Heston Blumenthal Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant, The Perfectionists' Café, has opened its doors at the new Terminal 2 at Heathrow airport in London. The Café takes inspiration from Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection television series in which he explored and reinvented Britain's favourite dishes.

Carins to compete in World Chocolate Masters Rebecca Carins (pictured), from Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in Melbourne, took out the Chocolate Masters in an eight-hour “Inspiration from Nature”-themed contest held at Foodservice Australia in May. She will head to Taiwan later this year and Paris next year to represent Australia in the global finals of the World Chocolate Masters.

Peter Doyle @ the Quay closes The Doyle family's 27-year-old Circular Quay restaurant, Peter Doyle @ the Quay, has become the third restaurant to cease trading unexpectedly in the building due to the redevelopment of Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal to accommodate growing cruise ship traffic.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 7

Food trucks win Vivid award Sydney’s food trucks have been acknowledged for “spicing-up” the city’s night life.

The City of Sydney project was recognised recently at the NSW Local Government Arts and Culture Awards, presented as part of the Vivid Ideas festival in partnership with Destination NSW. The City’s recent food trucks trial earned the award for its role in developing creative and cultural industries. It comes two months after Council announced the food trucks would become a permanent feature on city streets.

“The City is delighted at how successful the Sydney food trucks have become in just over two years, and we’re looking forward to increasing their number so more people can enjoy great food at all hours,” Lord Mayor

Clover Moore said.

“More than a third of people we surveyed said they would have eaten at home if there wasn’t a food truck, so the program is generating new business as well as offering more dining options during the day and at night.”

The City’s current fleet of nine food trucks offer gourmet meals cooked to order, ranging from yum cha to veggie burgers.

In an average month the trucks serve 1700 customers at various locations such as big events, on the street or at pop-up installations.

The City plans to increase to 50 the number of food trucks operating under strict compliance requirements in custom-made mobile kitchens.

Smoking ban to stay in The Causeway and cafes, indoor and outdoor dining, and different types of patrons using the laneway every day.

Around 80 per cent of the 200 people surveyed had a positive response to the smoking ban.

Melbourne laneway The Causeway will become Melbourne’s first permanent smoke-free outdoor dining area after a six month pilot program received support from the majority of visitors, traders and residents surveyed.

The City of Melbourne held the trial in the laneway, which runs between Little Collins Street and the Bourke Street Mall, from October 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014, to test the public’s reaction to smoking bans in public places.

The area was chosen for the pilot by City of Melbourne as it has a varied mix of retailers

City of Melbourne People City Portfolio chair, Councillor Richard Foster, said the pilot project proved that Melburnians were overwhelmingly in support of protecting the health of city visitors and workers from the passive impacts of smoking.

“Interestingly, the research also showed that just under half of all respondents thought that smoking was already banned in outdoor areas of Melbourne,” he said. “I think the community is well and truly ready for a smoke-free Melbourne.

“The research gave us great insight into the issues around smoke-free areas. We had some helpful feedback on how we can improve our communications, which we will take on board for our next pilot programs.”

8 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Minimum wage decision criticised The decision by the Fair Work Commission Minimum Wage Panel to raise the national minimum wage to $640.90 per week and introduce a 3 per cent increase to all Modern Award wages will lead to job losses, according to industry bodies.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the decision will hit small-tomedium mum-and-dad businesses the hardest.

ACCI's chief executive, Kate Carnell AO said, “We cannot avoid the economic reality that artificially high wages destroy job opportunities, particularly for our kids and grandkids”.

“These are the sorts of jobs that are often filled by the most vulnerable and low-paid workers, usually low-skilled and very sensitive to being priced out of existence by a one-size-fits-all approach by government."

“ACCI argued strongly before the Commission that a rise of more than $8.50 at this time would impose unworkable pressure on employers who are already suffering under very difficult economic conditions.”

“There is this combination body blow to many small businesses who are hit with wage rises, higher superannuation at 9.5 per cent from July and excessive penalty rates particularly on Sundays. Unfortunately, the thing that's going to give way first is jobs.”

Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) chief executive John Hart said the decision goes against the association’s arguments for a wage freeze.

“Small businesses will most likely be forced to reduce headcount or weekly hours in order to pay these ongoing labour cost increases,” he said.

R&CA has called on the Australian Government to amend the Fair Work Act provisions for annual wage reviews, as small businesses may suffer with their inability to pay current minimum wages, which R&CA says are the highest in the world.

Hart said the Commission of Audit Report presented to the Federal Government identified a need for minimum wages to be reduced and indexed annually.

“This provided small business owners with the type of certainty they need to budget for labour cost increases each year,” he said. “This current system of wage fixation is broken.” OH

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NES061 OH 06/14

COVER STORY

Pulled meat perfection Set aside anything deep-fried for a moment as it’s all about sliders now, and making the popular American favourite has never been easier with the launch of Don Slow Cooked Pulled Pork and Pulled Beef.

R

oasted meat sliders are the hot new food trend to pop up in restaurants, cafes, bars and foodtrucks across Australia.

Slow cooked and packed with flavour, diners are showing no signs of losing their appetite for this trend sweeping the nation that adapts to any number of tastes, from good ol’ Southern Style to Vietnamese.

With the foodservice sector firmly in mind, well-known smallgoods manufacturer Don has launched a new product that cuts down the six hours of prepping time needed for pulled pork or beef to just five minutes, leaving operators more time and the need for less staff.

Slow cooked for six hours and naturally hardwood smoked, Don’s Pulled Pork and Pulled Beef are sure to please diners everywhere. Gently seasoned, the pulled meats are ready to customise with any signature sauce and spices. But it is not just classic American sliders on the menu as you can go a long way in creating a variety of classic and contemporary meals from a spicy Mexican taco to an authentic Asian stir fry with Don Slow Cooked Pulled Pork and Pulled Beef.

Manufactured in Castlemaine, Victoria,

10 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Don Slow Cooked Pulled Pork and Pulled Beef are now available in 1kg packs for effective stock management. Add this to the menu, give the dish your special look, feel or aroma and unite with Don in making Australia a foodie’s paradise. With nearly 70 years of smallgoods know-how behind them, not to mention a timeless motto, Don has created a great way to keep ahead of the curve and pull something special out the hat for menus everywhere with its new Slow Cooked Pulled Pork and Pulled Beef. OH

See recipe in the Open House iPad app.

A fresh new look for A quality product the chux brand has been around for over 40 years... It continues to deliver on its key promise of being strong, hygienic, reusable and of course reliable.

IN SEASON NOW

Passionfruit P

When choosing passionfruit, McPherson says “weight is the most important feature”.

assionfruit are more usually associated with summer, but the sub-tropical fruit has a second peak season from now until the end of July.

“Choose a fruit that feels rather heavy for its size,” she says. “It doesn’t matter whether the fruits skin is wrinkly as this is not an indicator of ripeness.”

With a sweet-sharp flavour that’s unlike any other, delicate aroma and elegant self-contained presentation, passionfruit is a versatile addition to both sweet and savoury dishes, lifting and intensifying sweet flavours, and cutting through richness.

As a sub-tropical fruit, McPherson suggests storing in the warmer part of your fridge, at between 8-12 degrees, for best results.

“Passionfruit is the garlic of fruit,” says Australian passionfruit grower Tina McPherson. “Adding it to your recipe will boost the flavour of any dish; savoury or sweet.

Queensland produces the majority of Australia’s passionfruit due to the state’s warmer climate. The most popular varieties are Purples and Panamas, although there are several varieties grown in Australia.

Passionfruit is known to be low in kilojoules, as well as rich in antioxidants such as vitamins A and C, potassium and dietary fibre. OH

“The best way to optimise passionfruit is to cut the fruit like you would a boiled egg.

Just nip the top off to ensure you don’t lose any of the delicious juices.”

June • Apples

July • Mandarins

• Quince

• Apples

• Mandarins

• Quince • Rhubarb

• Avocados

• Nashi

• Rhubarb

• Avocados

• Nashi

• Banana

• Olives

• Silverbeet

• Banana

• Navel Oranges

• Silverbeet

• Beetroot

• Onions

• Spinach

• Beetroot

• Olives

• Spinach

• Broccoli

• Oranges: Navel

• Sweet potato

• Broccoli

• Onions

• Sweet potato

• Brussels sprouts

• Parsnips

• Turnips

• Brussels sprouts

• Parsnips

• Turnips

• Cabbage

• Passionfruit

• Cabbage

• Passionfruit

• Carrots

• Pears

• Carrots

• Pears

• Cauliflower

• Pomelo

• Cauliflower

• Pomelo

• Celeriac

• Potatoes

• Celeriac

• Potatoes

• Celery

• Pumpkin

• Celery

• Pumpkin

• Custard apples

• Custard apples

• Fennel

• Fennel

• Grapefruit

• Grapefruit

• Jerusalem artichokes

• Jerusalem artichokes

• Kiwifruit

• Kiwifruit

• Kohlrabi

• Kohlrabi

• Leeks

• Leeks

• Lemons

• Lemons

12 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

ORIGINS

we know today as Caesar Salad. Moving to Mexico City in later years, Alex opened three restaurants, listing the salad on menus as “the original Alex Cardini Caesar salad.”

1

2

A third story has Paul Maggiora, a business partner of the Cardinis, claiming to have tossed the first “Aviator’s Salad” in 1927 for American airmen from San Diego, while other versions of the salad’s history say it was invented in 1903 by Giacomo Junia, an Italian cook in Chicago who worked in a small restaurant called The New York Cafe.

In 1938 Caesar Cardini moved to Los Angeles where he opened a gourmet food store. His patrons followed, visiting the store with empty wine bottles for him to fill with salad dressing. In 1948, the demand for Cardini's famous dressing made him decide to bottle it and to establish Caesar Cardini Foods with his daughter Rosa.

3

1 A historical photo of Hotel Caesar in Tijuana.

2-3 Chefs put their own stamp on Caesar salad.

Caesar salad From its origins in Tijuana, Mexico, the Caesar salad quickly became a Hollywood favourite and one of the best known dishes in the world, discovers Anna-Louise McDougall.

S

alads have been enjoyed for centuries but it wasn’t until the 1920s that Italian chef Caesar Cardini created arguably the most famous salad of them all, the Caesar salad, from left over ingredients in his restaurant in Tijuana in Mexico.

Having immigrated to the States with his brother Alex Cardini from Lago Maggiore in Italy after World War I, Seattle-based Caesar had chosen to open the restaurant over the Mexican border to avoid having to comply with prohibition.

The salad is said to have been created on July 4, 1924, on a busy American Independence Day weekend at Caesar's Restaurant. Cardini was short of supplies and didn't want to disappoint the customers so he concocted the salad with what was on hand, a few crates of romaine lettuce, half a case of eggs, a wheel of parmesan cheese, some lemons, dry bread and the big bottle of olive oil to which he previously had added garlic.

With the romaine lettuce as the only greens, Cardini experimented with the ingredients in the dressing. To bind the dressing ingredients together, he came up with the idea of coddling the eggs for a minute, then tossing them with the salad. The loaves of bread he cut into tiny cubes and slowly oven-toasted them to add to the salad at the very end. Conceived as a main course, Cardini arranged the lettuce leaves on a plate with the tips to the centre and the stem outward so that they would be eaten with fingers. It wasn’t until later that Cardini shredded the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

In a conflicting story, Caesar's brother Alex, a pilot for the Italian Air Force during World War I, also claims to have developed the salad, which he called Aviator's Salad. Alex Cardini claims that after a long night of celebrating, a group of Rockwell Field Air Force pilots woke up at Caesar's; the dish Alex made for them for breakfast is what

Wallis Simpson, who married Prince Edward VIII of Wales, is commonly credited with introducing Caesar Salad to Europe around 1940. Simpson was known to frequent Caesar’s Restaurant when she was in the area, and began instructing other chefs how to make it during her travels.

In an interview in 1952, Cardini said that the salad did not become well-known until 1937 when a Hollywood screenwriter for Paramount named Manny Wolfe provided the recipe to various restaurants, propelling the salad to fame in Hollywood.

An article published in the San Mateo Times in 1952 states that “Jean Harlow, Mable Hormand and all the stars would come to Tijuana and ask for a Cesar's salad”, while an extract from Gourmet magazine in 1948 said, “Caesar's Salad is as much of a part of the Hollywood pattern as swimming pools or the new look”.

At the 1951 meeting of the International Society of Epicures, held in Paris, Caesar salad was acclaimed as the greatest recipe contribution of the United States in 50 years. OH

Fast fact: American chef, author, and television personality Julia Child recalls in her book From Julian Child's Kitchen dining at Caesar’s Restaurant as a child, eating a Caesar salad made by Cardini himself.

Later on she contacted his daughter Rosa Cardini, to get the original recipe.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 13

BEEF AND LAMB

Winter warmers With the cooler weather finally making an appearance menus are ramping up their slow cooked beef and lamb options with comfort food that is easy on the bottom line and always a crowd pleaser, writes Sheridan Randall.

S

pecialised meats such as wagyu, angus, hereford and organic varieties are all over menus at the moment, but it’s the cheaper cuts that are really leading the pack.

Lamb ribs and belly, beef chuck, brisket, shin, neck, skirt and short ribs are just some of the secondary cuts being snapped up by canny chefs looking to maximise flavour and lower costs.

“You need to be able to use the whole animal otherwise it just costs you a fortune,” says Andrew Davies, head chef at Press* food & wine. The Adelaide restaurant’s six-hour braised beef brisket, macaroni and cheese is on the menu all year round.

14 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

“We braise it overnight, with about 10 hours in the oven at 130˚C with some red wine, light beef stock, little bit of soy, fish sauce, onions, thyme and garlic. It’s as simple as that really. It’s been on the menu since we opened three years ago, even during summer. Sometimes we put it with mash or root vegetables.”

Brad Jones, head chef at Sydney’s The Pavilion restaurant, says that “food doesn’t need to be complicated”.

Hearty dishes such as braised lamb shank, parsnip puree, baby veg and lemon feature on the winter menu.

“We use hanger steak, skirt steak, the knuckle out of venison, whatever we can get our hands on generally,” he says.

“We just seal it [lamb shank] off and slow braise it for five hours,” he says. “It is just mixed with a parsnip puree and whatever veg is in season – Dutch carrots or maybe some roasted beetroot, whatever we have got around. That’s about it. It is a pretty simple dish but is one of our best sellers.

Gregory Kreutgen, the French-born chef at Brisbane’s The Shore Restaurant and Bar and The Shipp Inn, is a big fan of cheaper lamb cuts, such as lamb shanks which “sell all the time”.

“I’m not about fussy cooking. It’s just about getting fresh produce in and dealing with it with care. If you give people food they can relate to but with extra taste nice then you are winning the battle.”

Davies is partial to using the cheaper cuts in an effort “to keep it affordable”.

“The second and third categories of meat, such as lamb shanks and lamb belly, are very popular and very cheap to produce,” he says.

“The best lamb shanks to cook are the 450g which is pretty big. You marinade it for a day, some red and white wine, some herbs – rosemary, thyme, bay leaves – carrot, red onions and garlic, like a bourguignon.

After a day seal it and put into a deep cooking tray and add the marinade and demi-glaze on top. Cook at 155˚C for around three hours.

“It is very popular anytime of the year. Just the garnish might change, maybe chips and salad during summer and potato gratin or mash potato in the winter.”

It’s all about the length of cooking for Kreutgen.

“One thing I learn, with any kind of meat you can bring flavour to it, and I can promise you that [meat] for $5, if you take time you will get a lot of flavour,” he says.

“Another good cut is the lamb flap, [although] not a lot of people use it.

You can take the cap off a lamb rack or you can order them in at around $5 a kilo. You trim it so it is little bit fat and meat, season it and then roll it. You can roll it with chorizo if you want to but we roll it with dry prunes. Then it is exactly the same thinking, you slow cook it but like a confit, so it is just herbs and fat. You submerge it and cook it at 155˚C for 2.5 hours. You can serve it for $22 and it flies out of the door.”

Todd Hunt, head chef at Botanic Gardens Restaurant in Sydney, says that the winter months are the best time of year.

“You get to eat that wintery peasant food that goes really well with wine,” he says. “It’s just comfort food. Lots of braises, roasts and slow cooks, that stuff gets me really excited.”

However, he maintains that even with non-prime cuts you still get what you pay for, as with their 12-hour braised beef cheek, smoked eggplant, Jerusalem artichoke.

“The dish starts off by sourcing some pretty incredible beef cheek from a black angus cow,” he says. “When it comes in I dry it out in the cool room for a week to remove any blood off the surface, that means when I marinate it for another 24 hours it takes on that extra love and care from the shiraz marinade.

“I then cook it for 12-14 hours at a really low temperature which means it doesn’t dry out at all and slowly renders the animal fat inside the cheek. It also slightly preserves it as it is being cooked in the red wine.

The flavour that comes out of that nine day process is just phenomenal, you just can’t beat it.”

Comparing beef cheek to wagyu in teams of the fat content, Hunt says that it’s all about the love and respect given to the cut that counts.

“I find with the cheap cuts that when you put a lot of thought into it and give them the respect and attention [they deserve] then they are just as good,” he says.

16 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Grass is greener for ‘world’s best steak’ A grass fed striploin from South East Queensland has been crowned Australia’s best steak at the recent Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Branded Beef and Lamb awards in Brisbane.

It’s just the second time in the history of the competition that grass fed steak has taken the title of the world’s best steak.

Produced by JBS Australia, the Swift Premium JBS striploin won the John Kilroy Cha Cha Char Grand Champion Branded Beef of Show, while Queensland’s Melrose Wholesale Meats took out the Champion Branded Lamb of Show for its Tasmanian Royal branded lamb product.

Judges tasted their way through more than 50 of the finest red meat products on the market, before crowning the best of the best, with chief judge Russell Smith saying the winning steak could easily be the world’s best.

“The winning striploin ticked all the boxes, it was full of flavour and had a wonderful texture which was surprisingly tender,” he says.

“What we’re seeing in this competition is Australia’s best and probably the world’s best.”

He also says that this year’s Branded Lamb Competition attracted the highest quality Australian products.

“The quality is getting better and better, this year’s highest scoring products exhibited even more flavour than in previous years,’’ he adds.

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Winterlicious 12 hour braised beef cheek with smoked eggplant and Jerusalem artichokes 2kg beef cheeks 1 carrot 1 onion 2 litres red wine 2 fresh bay leaf leaves ½ bunch thyme 4 cloves garlic 500g Jerusalem artichokes 100ml red wine vinegar 200ml good quality, thick veal or beef sauce 150ml cream 50g unsalted butter Peel the carrot and onion and put into a heat proof plastic container with the thyme, bay leaf and garlic. In a heavy-based saucepan bring the red wine to the boil and pour over the beef cheeks. Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

After the beef cheeks have finished marinating, strain from the wine.

In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter on a high heat and then add the beef cheeks. The idea is to blacken the outside, but not to burn it.

Once you have achieved this on both sides, add the carrots, onions and garlic that were in the marinade and lightly sauté. Then add the red wine and bring to the boil.

Chill everything back down again. Divide into 2 large vacuum bags, seal and cook in a controlled oven on steam at 86˚C for 14 hours.

(Alternatively you can put all into a slow cooker or pressure cooker and cook slowly). Once the beef cheeks are soft to touch and fall apart they are ready.

In a medium hot, dry non-stick pan toast the eggplants on all sides until black and crispy. This should take about 30 mins. Transfer into a metal bowl and cover with cling wrap to create a seal and steam. Once the eggplants have cooled in the bowl (about another 30 mins) carefully peel off the dark skin and keep only the inside white pulp, and the

See more recipes in the Open House iPad app. liquid in the bowl.

Place in a food processor and blend on high with cream until smooth and thick.

Peel the artichokes into water. Once peeled transfer into a fresh pot and bring to the boil with fresh water. Cook uncovered for about 7 minutes or until a thin knife can slide straight through. Strain and chill.

Heat butter in a small pan and add the artichokes. Cook on a low heat for 3-4 mins and then add the red wine vinegar. Cook on a high heat until the vinegar has reduced right down to a glaze and add 50ml of the veal sauce.

Heat the beef cheeks and plate. Heat the smoked eggplant and place next to the beef cheek. Place the Jerusalem artichokes on top and spoon the remaining sauce over the beef cheek.

Recipe by Todd Hunt, The Botanic Gardens Restaurant

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18 Open House, 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net ARM0624 Tic Tac_OHJune 60 x 210.indd 1

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Photo by Trippas White Group.

2 eggplants

Farm gate to plate There’s no better way to understand why something tastes so good than going directly to the source. In this case a trip to Toonga Farm in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, provided the perfect opportunity to see some of the finest grass fed cattle up close and personal and meet the people, namely the Castine family (pictured top right), talk about their passion in supplying premium grasslands beef both domestically and internationally.

Organised by beef processor Teys Australia and butchery Haverick Meats, the tour of the property included sampling some of the grassland beef courtesy of award winning chef Sean Connolly.

On the menu, grassland beef sliders, tenderloin carpaccio, followed by rib eye and slow cooked short rib straight from the hot coals of the

homemade barbeque.

“In our household we have eaten grass fed [beef] for 20 years, because of its clean flavour,” says Teys Australia executive director livestock Geoff Teys. “It’s a natural product, it’s HGP [hormone growth promotant] free, and it’s grazing naturally how they should be. It’s a wonderful product underpinned by Meat Standards Australia.”

Haverick Meats chief executive Peter Andrew says getting the message out about grass fed beef is a team effort.

“Coming out to this property today was overwhelming for me because it is so naturally beautiful here, so it is great to align ourselves with the best producers in Australia and processors,” he says.

“You need someone like ourselves to market it, prepare it and portion control this product to get it into the very best restaurants and we need Sean to put it on the menu and promote it. It really is an involvement of the entire team through and through and we are very proud of it.” OH

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PIZZA & ITALIAN

A tale of two pizzas Pizza is a popular addition to just about any menu, but with pizzas increasingly falling into two main categories, not everyone agrees on how to make it, discovers Ylla Watkins.

A

sk a dozen people what makes the perfect pizza and chances are you’ll get a dozen different answers. Thin and crispy; soft and pliable; deep dish. Minimalist; traditional; gourmet. Tomato based; bianca (“white”). Anchovies; no anchovies. Pizza, while universal in its appeal, inspires passionate and often divisive opinions in people and nowhere is this truer than in the chefs that make them.

Peter Wright, competition director of the Fonterra Global Pizza Challenge, believes there are there are two main categories of pizza maker: traditional pizza makers and

innovators.

“The traditional pizza maker will make the best margherita and the best napolitana and the best capricosa, where the innovators will do a soft shell crab pizza or sashimi tuna pizza, or something that’s a little different,” he says.

Founded about 10 years in Australia to promote and encourage culinary innovation within the pizza industry, the Fonterra Global Pizza Challenge has since grown into the world's biggest pizza competition, with national winners selected to compete in the

22 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Global Final. Competitors can nominate to participate in red or white meat, seafood, vegetarian and dessert categories, with judges assessing dishes on their originality, balance, creativity and “excitement factor”, criteria which arguably favour innovative pizza making.

“What we need to look at for next year is whether we add a category for traditional pizza, which I think is probably called for,” says Wright.

Two-time winner of the global competition (in 2010 and 2012), Simon Best, chef

and owner at Augello’s in Mooloolaba in Queensland, falls squarely into the innovator camp.

His gluten-free “Sushizza” creation saw him take out joint first place in this year’s national competition, held over two-days at the recent Foodservice expo, along with Kris Bailey from Pizza Religion in Melbourne.

“It’s basically a rice base topped with teriyaki duck, micro salad with dry roasted rice for crunch, teriyaki aioli and segments of mandarins,” he says. “By the time you cut it up its more like eating sushi than pizza. The rice base goes through the oven twice, once to cook it and the second time with all the ingredients on it.”

“There are no stipulations as to what pizza is. You could put all those same ingredients on a dough base but what I was after was the crunch, which you just can’t get with a dough.”

Entries such as Best’s do raise the question of

“when is pizza not pizza”, says Wright.

“Simon’s call was that he was making a gluten-free pizza, therefore it wasn’t a flour-base, it was a rice base. Technically that’s correct, but whether or not the greater community thinks that a rice based pizza is a pizza or not, is still something that is yet to be determined.

“It’s sort of left up to the judges at the end of the day.”

At Augello’s the Sushizza sells out every night, according to Best, although he admits it comes down to how the waitstaff sell it.

“If you came in here and wanted a duck pizza and that was what you got you might be a bit surprised, so we’ve spent a bit of time with the staff,” he says. “I recommend is as an entrée between two to three people.

And it’s only $20, which if I was going off what I normally go off with my food costs, is quite low; it should be about $25 but I put it at a price point that would not deter people.”

Traditional

Best’s previous winning combinations – a Hot Smoked Salmon pizza, consisting of a dill and parmesan infused dough, salsa verde, cheese, baby spinach, Huon hot smoked salmon fillet, onion jam, parmesan cheese finished with a caper and lemon juice aioli and salmon caviar, and a Tuna and Salsa pizza, consisting of a blended nori and sesame seed base, smashed avocado, cheese, mango, strawberries, chilli, red onion and coriander salsa, seared fresh tuna rolled in black sesame seeds, wasabi aioli and pickled ginger – are also best sellers.

“One in every two people who walk in the restaurant order one of them,” he says.

Wright puts the rise in innovation down to the increasing prevalence of pizza, which can now be found on a broader range of menus than ever before, including pubs, clubs and bistros.

“Any reasonably good gourmet pub or club will have pizza on the menu, in some form, so you are getting more trained chefs creating

Innovative

Pizza Margherita

Duck Sushizza

1kg "00" flour sieved

150g cooked medium grain rice, moulded, pan seared & basted with teriyaki/orange sauce

30g fine sea salt 1-3g fresh yeast 600ml water San Marzano tomato Buffalo mozzarella Fresh basil Extra virgin olive oil To make the dough, in a bowl combine water and salt allow to dissolve. Add 10 per cent of the flour and mix. Mix well; add the yeast. Continue to add the remaining flour and mix well until combined. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic. This can take up to 10 minutes. Place the dough into a lightly floured bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside.

Let the dough rest for half an hour, then divide into 10 round balls.

Cover with a damp tea towel and allow the dough balls to rise. This can take up to 10-12 hrs. Once the dough has doubled in size place on a lightly floured bench, stretch the dough by hand.

To make the pizza, roll out a 220g pizza dough. Spread the San Marzano tomato and top with buffalo mozzarella. Place 4 basil leaves on top and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil.

80g Perfect Pizza Cheese, grated 100g braised duck thigh and leg, pulled 60g parmesan cheese, grated 50ml teriyaki aioli 100g salad (red onion, chilli, coriander, bean sprouts, cucumber, snow peas, roasted brown rice) 80g mandarin segments Mould cooked rice and cook in pizza oven. Baste with teriyaki and orange sauce (mirin, sake, soy sauce orange juice).

Evenly spread pizza cheese.

Distribute braised duck evenly (duck legs and thigh, stock, star anise, orange peel, duck fat seasoning) slow cook. Cool, pull meat, stir through teriyaki.

Top with parmesan.

In a conveyer oven, cook for 4 minutes at 225˚C. Top with salad and aioli (1 part reduced teriyaki/orange juice to 10 part aioli – oil, egg yolks, vinegar, dijon mustard).

Bake in a woodfire oven for 90 seconds at 400˚C.

Dress with mandarin segments.

Recipe by Johnny Di Francesco, 400 gradi, Melbourne

Recipe by Simon Best, Augello’s, Mooloolaba

24 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Made Perfect, the Italian way.

Perfect Italiano combines old world recipes and excellence in cheese-making to create authentic Parmesan that’s true to tradition.

Aged to perfection for at least 18 months, and with a crumbly texture and distinctive bold flavour, Perfect Italiano Parmesan adds zest

and character to pasta, pizza, soups and salads.

Available in a traditional block, shaved, shredded or grated, Perfect Italiano is the Parmesan you can rely on for the consistent quality and superior taste that every busy foodservice kitchen demands.

method, type of oven, cooking temperature and time. True Neapolitan pizzas are additionally limited to only two toppings, Marinara (tomato, extra virgin olive oil, oregano and garlic) and Margherita (tomato, extra virgin olive oil, fiori di latte or buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil), a dish which was first created for Queen Margherita of Savoy in 1889 and meant to represent the red, white and green of the Italian flag.

pizza toppings,” he says. “As pizza become more universal, people are increasingly using ingredients that are on greater parts of the menu to create pizza toppings.

“Another trend is adding toppings post cooking. For example, with the Nutella pizza that won the dessert category, he stuffed the crust with ricotta, then brushed the base with olive oil, so that when it cooked the both the top and the bottom of the base was crisp.

After it was cooked he brushed on Nutella, crumbled meringue, and some pistachio mascapone and some fresh berries.”

While expressing a personal preference for simple pizzas, with “a relatively crisp and not chewy base” and just two or three good quality toppings, Wright enjoys seeing what chefs come up with.

“We had a soft shell crab pizza at the pizza challenge which was one of the winning pizzas from Pizza Religion in Melbourne and it was amazing,” he says. “How do you come up with the idea to put a fried soft shell crab on a pizza? And I had one in Thailand a few years ago which was fish floss mixed with ginger and chilli and garlic and deep fried, served with green papaya on top, and that was an amazing flavour on top of a pizza.”

“About five years ago I decided to find out a bit more about where pizza came from,” he says. “I came across the association and I really loved what they were doing, trying to preserve and promote quality pizza, not only in Naples, but around the world.

“I thought this is something that I want to share; I want to be someone who will preserve and promote this tradition that has been around for hundreds of years.”

In the traditional camp is Johnny Di Francesco (pictured above), owner of Melbourne’s 400 Gradi and the Australasian Principal of the Associazone Verace Pizza Napoletana (True Neapolitan Pizza Association), an international association dedicated to protecting and promoting authentic Neapolitan Pizza around the globe.

After studying the art of pizza making in Naples, Di Francesco gained his accreditation and has since accredited more than 10 other pizzerias in Australia and New Zealand. He recently took out first prize at the World Pizza Championships in Italy for his margherita pizza.

According to the association a number of guidelines must be met for a pizza to qualify as a real Neapolitan pizza including those relating to the ingredients used, preparation

“I’ve produced all styles of pizza over my

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26 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

career,” he says. “I’ve been in the high turnover, low cost, churn ’em out pizza game, but I think that end of the market has slowed down a bit. In the last five or six years the industry has changed. Now it’s more quality-driven rather than price-driven, and I think it’s great that it’s gone that way.

“There’s obviously a market for all types of pizza and people will decide what they want to eat. Not everyone is going to want to buy a pizza at $20, but the people that do, they know they’re getting a good quality product. The old saying of getting what you pay for is right. I don’t think you can produce a high quality pizza for $4.95, for example. If something is that cheap then they’re obviously they’re using cheap quality ingredients. And you have to do a large number of pizzas at that price to be profitable.”

Pizza short cuts for chefs Pizzas are an increasingly popular menu choice for businesses such as pubs and clubs, but not everyone can afford the time or bench space to make pizza dough from scratch.

Pre-made pizza bases are now readily available for foodservice and are a

cost-effective alternative which can help save on preparation time.

“Making dough requires estimating demand, which can create problems with waste of unused dough, or running short if customer demand is higher than the expected,” says Darren O’Brien, national account manager for Tip Top Foodservice, which supplies Bazaar Frozen Gourmet Pizza Bases.

“Keeping bases on hand in the freezer means the menu item is not only quick and easy to prepare but increased demand can be easily catered for with quick turnaround time, keeping patrons happy, and capturing sales opportunities.

Regardless of whether you veer towards the classic or the innovative, using good quality ingredients is vital, adds Wright.

As for the traditional versus innovative debate, O’Brien advocates keeping it simple.

“The beauty of pizza is that the range of toppings is limited only by the imagination, however taking a minimalist approach will let the diner experience the individual ingredients for what they are,” he says.

“Even your stock standard Hawaiian ham and pineapple pizza is going to a be a lot nicer if you make it with really nice shaved ham, than if you make it with some highly processed smoked pork product,” agrees Wright. OH

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159 Allen Street, Leichhardt NSW 2040 Australia • Phone: (02) 9560 9733 • Fax: (02) 9550 9731 www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 27

TECHNOLOGY

Digital wallet The way diners interact with foodservice operators is changing across a number of platforms, with digital payments set to be the next big thing, writes Sheridan Randall.

M

ore than one in five Australians has a PayPal account, with most of those using the payment company for things such as eBay and overseas money transfers. Recently though, PayPal has been busy expanding its transactional-based business model by partnering with point of sales (POS) providers in Australia with the aim of launching its “digital wallets” across as many foodservice outlets as possible nationwide.

With features such as facial recognition payments, Order Ahead and Pay@Table, the new PayPal app aims to change the way people pay in the hospitality sector.

In May this year, take away pizza chain Domino's began accepting PayPal as a payment option for online ordering, as part of Domino’s continued commitment to achieving 80 per cent digital sales over the next few years.

28 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

“We are constantly looking to enhance the Domino’s online ordering experience and the introduction of Domino’s first digital wallet will definitely contribute towards this," says Domino’s managing director, Don Meij.

“PayPal’s digital wallet allows customers to pay online using their PayPal log-in and password. The service gives people a method to pay without sharing financial information and with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts or credit cards.

“Digital wallets are set to replace cash and traditional credit card transactions in the future so it’s important our customers are offered this payment option when purchasing pizzas online.”

PayPal's foray into the hospitality sector comes as merchants prepare for the phase out of the signature as a form of verification on Australian credit and debit cards from August 1,

2014, with operators needing to change the way their customers pay and the way they process tips.

Jonathan Kelly, head of retail services PayPal, says PayPal is moving from an online payment platform “to an everyday commerce payment platform”.

“It means that you can access your digital wallet in the cloud and pay with PayPal in the physical world,” he says.

It's not just the big boys that PayPal has aligned with, such as Sumo Salad, Guzman y Gomez and Pizza Hut, it is also targeting small independent outlets, with Australia “on the front foot” when it comes to the adoption of a “digital wallet” payment system.

“We are a transactional company so all our money comes off transactional frequency,” he says. “There are no additional hardware costs. So we have a vested interest in getting our 5.5 million PayPal customers in Australia to download our app and go into stores and use our digital wallet to make purchases.”

With so much of our lives be digitised in one form or another it seems only logical that cash would be the next thing to be absorbed into our smartphones.

“A lot of times you go to a certain place and they only let you use Eftpos with a minimum $10 transaction but with PayPal that is obsolete and means you can eat or drink where you want to,” he says.

“We have also added other functions such as being able to order ahead. For instance every morning I cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge and order my coffee through the app, so that is there waiting for me the moment I walk in.”

The days of wallets and purses bulging with notes, coins and numerous loyalty cards from differing operators are numbered with PayPal's app synching with individual operators' loyalty programmes.

“Ease of use is where we see payments going," he says. “At the end of the day everything is going to move to the smartphone and we see taking payments to the phone as a natural progression of where we are going and what we are doing and fits in perfectly with how we want to interact with our consumers and merchants in an offline world."

One of the POS companies PayPal partnered with is OrderMate, which came on board the digital wallet concept around six months ago.

“People are slowly realising how operating systems can make their business more efficient," says Rebecca Hoffmann, sales and marketing at OrderMate.

“They are looking at this and saying ‘we may not have looked at this five years ago but this is now the consumer demand’. Ninety per cent of businesses offer Eftpos and this is just another gateway for people to pay.”

With the ability for the PayPal app to synch with an operator’s POS it offers customers the opportunity to pay at their table without the need to attract the attention of floor staff, which can save on costs and boost turnover, according to Hoffmann.

“Applications like PayPal and pay at table when you are a busy venue and you don’t have enough staff – which are very expensive – is just another way for operators to turn tables faster,” she says. OH

Online revolution The online revolution is changing the way consumers interact with foodservice merchants on every level including ordering.

Online ordering provider OrderUp, which describes itself as a “white label platform”, meaning their ordering software sits underneath an individual operator’s own website, is one such company looking to ride the wave of change.

Targeting those operators that offer delivery or pick up, OrderUp initially signed up independent pizza shops and cafes, but is now expanding into larger QSR chains.

“If they were a café at the bottom of a building for example it became more convenient for office workers to pre-order online, come straight down and pick up instead of having to wait during their lunchbreak,” says OrderUp director John Saadie. “The shops are getting new customers that wouldn’t have otherwise ordered from them.”

However, Saadie is quick to point out that online ordering is not a magic bullet for all types of businesses.

“It doesn’t work everywhere,” he says. “If you don’t deliver it is not going to make that much of a difference [to sales]. It also depends on the type of product you are selling and the marketing side of things.

“When you do it right [online ordering] is becoming 25-30 per cent of the stores revenue. Going forward it can only increase. If it’s convenient people will tend to use it.”

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 29

SUSTAINABILITY

Fairer chocolate for all With ethical products high on consumers’ shopping lists, Cadbury is supporting cocoa farmers in Papua New Guinea to become more sustainable, discovers Ylla Watkins.

C

adbury has thrown its weight behind the efforts of Club 3000, a group of cocoa farmers in Papua New Guinea, to achieve Fairtrade Certification, with the company taking delivery of its first shipment of cocoa from the collective last month.

cocoa market, the PNG cocoa industry offers great potential,” said Cadbury spokesperson, Stephanie Saliba.

Supported by Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand and Monpi Cocoa Exports, the 12 month project saw Club 3000 farmers receive training to help them produce high quality Fairtrade certified cocoa, enabling them to earn a sustainable income.

“Sustainability initiatives like Club 3000 are helping farmers to improve the efficiency of their farming, increase their yields and in doing so improve their livelihoods and lives.”

Club 3000, a name which refers to the average number of cocoa trees owned by the project’s 25 founding cocoa farmer members, grew to include 629 farmers in the Madang Province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea, an area which has previously suffered from food and water shortages.

The group’s Fairtrade certification means that they now meet Fairtrade standards for participation, transparency, and environmental and social performance. They also received training in business skills, recordkeeping and farm management, to ensure the group's long-term success.

Club 3000 plans to produce 120 metric tonnes of Fairtrade Certified cocoa in 2014, which will generate US$24,000 in “Fairtrade Premium” to be used for economic, social and environmental development projects to benefit the farmers and their communities.

“While relatively small in terms of the global

Following on from the success of the Club 3000 project, Cadbury and partner Monpi Cocoa Exports have recently announced a further partnership to provide training and support to 1000 farmers in the northern Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea, under the banner of Cadbury’s parent company Mondelez International’s $400 million global Cocoa Life program.

“As part of the world’s largest chocolate company, we have a unique responsibility to help transform the livelihood of cocoa farmers and their communities over the long term,” said Saliba.

The Club 3000 certification comes at a time when Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand is asking shoppers to drive change through their everyday purchases of products such as chocolate, coffee and tea.

Fairtrade: the facts • Fairtrade ensures that farmers within the system receive a price for their produce which covers the cost of sustainable production, known as the Fairtrade Minimum Price, as well as a Fairtrade Premium, which producer organisations can invest in projects within their communities.

• More than six million farmers and their families from 70 countries benefit from the Fairtrade system.

• There are more than 1700 Fairtrade Certified products available in Australia.

• Cocoa makes up 62 per cent of sales of Fairtrade products in Australia.

• The total chocolate market in Australia is $3.2 billion, of which sales of Fairtrade chocolate in 2013 equated to $119 million.

30 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Fairtrade’s “The Power of You” campaign highlights the close relationship between everyday purchases and the farmers that grow the products.

“Just by choosing a Fairtrade product over a non-Fairtrade product, shoppers can make a huge difference to the working standards for farmers and workers in developing countries, giving them the opportunity to improve their lives, develop their communities and plan for the future,” said Molly Harriss Olson, chief executive of Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand.

It’s a message that’s likely to be listened to, with new research revealing Australians place a high priority on purchasing products that support people in need.

The survey found 8 in 10 consumers (85 per cent) would be more likely to purchase a product which supported people in need, assuming product price and quality was similar.

“Purchasing ethical products is high on the shopping list,” said Harriss Olson.

“As a market based system of trade which supports farmers in developing countries, we must do what we can to continue to fuel this demand from consumers.

“Through the Fairtrade Premium, paid on top of the Minimum Price, almost $3.5 million has been raised for community infrastructure projects in 2013 alone, on top of sustainable pricing and on ground support in these farming communities.” OH

Q&A

Spanish sensation Fresh off the back of the success of the 1st International Spanish Paella World Championships, held in Sydney recently, founder Miguel Cuevas reveals the secrets of perfect paella to Anna McDougall.

Q: How did you become interested in paella?

A: I was a teenager and my uncle wanted to teach me to cook it. I wasn’t really interested until he told me it would impress the girls – so, suddenly I was interested!

Q: What role does paella play in Spain’s psyche?

A: Paella is definitely Spain’s most famous dish internationally but what is funny is that in some parts of Spain they never eat paella. It became the most famous dish outside our borders due to its presentation, huge cooking pan, yellow colour and most importantly, the amazing, unique flavour.

Q: What traditions are associated with eating paella?

A: Traditionally we eat it on a Sunday with family.

It is usually eaten directly from the pan with a wooden spoon each. Another tradition is cooking it using rabbit, chicken and snails like they do in its place of origin, Valencia.

Q: What constitutes an authentic paella?

A: The use of the right ingredients; for example, rice, saffron, flat green beans, the right kind of paprika and tomato. No more than about 10 ingredients should be used as some don’t mix well with others and they can end up cancelling each other out. Also, ingredients with the correct origin, for example Bomba, Calasparra or Valencian rice, will make it authentic.

Q: Has the recipe changed over the years?

A: The traditional Valencian recipe hasn’t changed at all and is pretty much the point of reference for paella. However, there have been many variations created from that one. One example is our own Paella Australia, created by my company, Flavours of Spain Catering. It uses only Australian ingredients (except the rice) and seafood provided

by Sydney Fresh Seafood in Manly. This recipe also includes lemon myrtle, which is an essential herb for our version.

Q: Why shouldn’t the rice be stirred during cooking?

A: When cooking paella you want to create a crusty layer at the bottom of the pan; this is called “socarrat”. If you increase the temperature of the rice you create a reaction called “maillard”; this is when the starch caramelises, darkens and increases in weight and taste. This will sink to the bottom of the pan where it will create a crusty layer. The result is “the socarrat”.

Q: Does the size of the pan matter?

A: Yes, it’s essential you have the right size. The best paellas are thin – no more than 3-4cm thick. The pan has to be much larger than what chefs usually use in Australia in order to get the perfect taste and

socarrat combination. I have noticed Australian chefs usually use a 90cm pan for around 50 people, when to achieve the perfect paella for 50 people you’ll need a 110cm pan. This makes a huge difference because you want the rice on top of the paella as close as possible to the bottom so it absorbs the flavours that sit there. If you have thick paella, 5-6cm thick, it will taste rich at the bottom and tasteless at the top.

Q: Why is adding stock so important?

A: If you only add water it will dilute the flavours of the paella ingredients but if you add some flavoursome stock related to the type of paella you are cooking, for example, fish stock to seafood, you will be adding flavour, and thus getting closer to making the perfect paella.

Q: The paella cooked by Hassan M'Souli from Manly’s Out Of Africa restaurant was recently judged the best in Oceania. What made it so good?

A: The perfect combination of ingredients, symmetry, socarrat, taste of the paella, cooking of the rice (al dente) and colour (golden, not yellow). It was deliciously executed paella.

The second and third came very close too, [Failino Lattarulo from Simply Spanish Restaurant, Melbourne, and Alex Fry from Sah Modern Mediterranean, Adelaide] so hats off to all the chefs and their great work.

Q: What can we expect from the 2nd International Spanish Paella World Championships?

A: With so many quality chefs coming from across Oceania and South America for the competition, the 2nd edition can only get better. The 1st edition increased the public awareness of what real paella is, how it is supposed to be cooked and what authentic paella is. OH

Fast facts: • Paella takes its name from the Latin word for “pan” or “dish”.

• Paella was first created in the 19th century in Valencia when workers in the fields would make the dish in a flat pan over a fire mixing in whatever they could find.

• March 27th is National Paella Day. • Valencian restaurateur Juan Galbis claims to have made the world’s largest paella in 2001 with a paella that is said to have fed 110,000 people.

• Traditionally lemon was used to clean hands from the soot produced when paella is cooked with firewood, or to clean sticky hands from meat fat.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 31

REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

3 1 Margaret River is one of Australia's premium wine producing regions. 2-6 Margaret River Gourmet Escape.

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Margaret River Surfing and wine put Margaret River on the map, but the region is increasingly drawing global attention for its dining and produce, writes Sheridan Randall.

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t was surfers who first brought the small town of Margaret River, south of Perth in Western Australia, to the attention of outsiders. Wine lovers soon followed with Margaret River (which refers to both the town of 6500 and the region between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste) now recognised as one the world’s premier wine growing regions.

Now it is its food and dining scene that is drawing the crowds, with the Margaret River Gourmet Escape (held in November) drawing names such as Heston Blumenthal, Noma's René Redzepi, Momofuku’s David Chang and Brazilian chef Alex Atala, along with thousands of foodies, to its annual celebration of food and produce.

The restaurants at Vasse Felix, Cape Lodge, Knee Deep and Must Winebar are all pulling in punters, with Aaron Carr, the long serving executive chef at Vasse Felix, rattling pots with Blumenthal, Neil Perry and Guillaume Brahimi at last year’s Gourmet Escape as part of its Collaboration Series.

Wine still dominates Margaret River in business terms, with the region's 5000 hectares of vines contributing a quarter of a billion dollars to the local economy. But its produce is still highly regarded. Truffles, seafood, cheese and game are all available.

It’s truffle season, with The Truffle & Wine Co. the largest producer of superior Perigord truffles in the southern hemisphere supplying restaurants across

32 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Australia and beyond with their much sought after truffles.

Truffles of another kind can be found at the enduringly popular Margaret River Chocolate Company which sells hand-made truffles and other sweet temptations. The Margaret River Dairy Company attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout the year with its awards winning cheeses and yoghurts including brie, camembert, club cheddar, feta and baked ricotta.

The Margaret River Venison farm shop stocks an assortment of venison products made from farm-raised deer. Buy direct from the source at the monthly Margaret River Farmers Market with local farmers and wine makers manning their stalls.

DIARY DATES

VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN

The Good Food & Wine Show Sydney June 27 -29, 2014

Celebrate wines from around Australia at the Riedel A+ Australian Wine Bar, rub shoulders with famed sommeliers and vintners at the Riedel Wine Theatre or relax in the Grazing Garden with the food trucks. Get up-close and personal with your favourite chefs at LifeStyle FOOD Chef's Table or take part in Zumbarons Masterclass with Adriano Zumbo. www.goodfoodshow.com.au/sydney

Aaron Carr, executive chef, Vasse Felix

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Favourite local ingredient: Our local freshwater crustacean marron is definitely a standout. We are also very lucky to have amazing pork, lamb and venison available to us, not to forget Rottnest scallops.

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Culinary inspiration: René Redzepi's philosophy is pretty hard to ignore, although I must admit to studying The French Laundry by Thomas Keller from front to back a couple of hundred times.

have an abundance of local wild ingredients from both the forest and the beach. So I would have to say yes.

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Your ethos as a chef: At Vasse Felix we just try and use whatever is in season, whether it’s for a few weeks or a couple of months. The seasons dictate what produce we use on our menus and everything else will happen from that.

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What do you do when you’re not cooking or surfing: Spend time with my wife and my two crazy boys down the beach fishing or just hanging out trying to relax.

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Best advice for the kitchen: Believe in what you are doing, ask for feedback on new dishes and not every customer is right. OH

Favourite meal at home: Beef rendang.

If there is one thing that the Thermomix does amazing it’s a rendang!

Most overrated ingredient: Truffle oil poured over everything.

Are you a forager? I enjoy foraging and we are very fortunate in Margaret River to

The Truffle Festival June 21-late August, 2014

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The ACT’s eight week celebration of the local Black Perigord Truffle harvest. Over 45 participating venues across the region offer the opportunity to taste and experience the prized truffle, with celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio also making an appearance. www.trufflefestival.com.au Truffle Kerfuffle June 27-29 2014

Showcasing the Southern Forest region’s black truffle this festival celebrates the work of local truffle producers in Manjimup, Pemberton, Northcliffe and Walpole in WA. Includes guest appearances from a long list of chefs including Guy Grossi, Aaron Carr and Kate Lamont. www.trufflekerfuffle.com.au

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 33

COOKING THE BOOKS

From the heart After falling in love with Vietnam more than a decade ago, Hanoi-based chef Tracey Lister and husband Andreas Pohl set out to develop a deeper understanding of Vietnamese cuisine. Here they share one of their favourite recipes.

Caramel fish with galangal (Cá kho tô) .

Serves: 6

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e came across this dish during our very first journey to Vietnam in 1994, on a trip to the Mekong Delta, where it is prepared from carp at roadside stops.

On the coast, it is made with mackerel.

The recipe below, which uses galangal and coconut milk, is typical of the version served in the southern beach town of Nha Trang.

3-4 mackerel cutlets, each 2-3cm thick 3 red Asian shallots, finely diced 2½ tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1½ tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 150ml coconut milk 3cm knob fresh galangal, cut into thin strips 1 long red chilli, cut into 5mm rings 4 spring onions, thinly sliced 1 small handful coriander sprigs Coat the mackerel with the shallot, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and the pepper. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

This is an edited extract and image from Real Vietnamese Cooking by Tracey Lister and Andreas Pohl (Hardie Grant Books, $49.95).

Meanwhile, put the sugar and 1½ tablespoons water in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then cook for 3-5 minutes, until the sugar becomes richly golden; do not stir the mixture during the boiling process.

Standing away from the pan, pour in 250ml water. When the spluttering has stopped, stir until the caramel sauce is smooth.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Brown the marinated mackerel on

34 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

both sides, leaving the shallot sticking to the fish.

Add the caramel sauce, coconut milk, galangal, chilli and remaining fish sauce to the pan. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.

Transfer the fish and sauce to a clay pot or casserole dish.

Cover and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 4-5 minutes.

Serve the fish in the clay pot or dish, sprinkled with the spring onion, coriander and some extra black pepper.

What’s on shelf this month?

Pies and tarts

Miguel’s Tapas

Tessa Kiros: the recipe collection

by Stephanie Reynaud Murdoch Books, $49.99

by Miguel Maestre New Holland, $35

by Tessa Kiros Murdoch Books, $59.99

Meat pies are as close to a national food as Australia has, but the French have elevated the creation of this pastryclad comfort food to a different level, as this book

by French chef Stephane Reynaud proves. From traditional French dishes such as pate en croute and ham pithiviers to luscious beef cheek pie and American-style apple pies, Reynaud has created the ultimate collection of sweet and savoury pastries, pies and tarts.

Step-by-step instructions are good for home cooks; while more experienced cooks will find plenty of inspiration for winter menus.

Is there a more laidback style of eating than tapas, or one more suited to the Australian lifestyle?

Shared with friends or family, you can order as much or as little as you like. In one go, or as you go. For a quick bite with a beer, or as the accompaniment to a leisurely catch up. Not according to Spanishborn chef Miguel Maestre, who invites readers into the kitchen of his Sydney restaurant, El Toro Loco, to share the secrets of his homeland in this new book. Read it with a cerveza (beer) and a snack to feel right at home.

With a passport full of stamps and a resume that includes stints at restaurants in London, Sydney, Athens and Mexico, chef Tessa Kiros has a passion for discovering new cultures and cuisines, as this book amply proves. A nostalgic look back at the dishes she’s discovered on her many travels and recipes she’s created, this gorgeous book is international in scope and inspirational in tone. OH

Get it while it’s hot!

Open House is now available as an iPad app, offering even more ways to enjoy industry news, views and feature stories on the key issues and trends affecting the hospitality industry.

This exciting free app is packed with bonus extras including recipes, behind-the-scenes videos and interactive features.

Updated monthly, the Open House iPad app is available to download free at the iTunes app store or www.openhousemagazine.net.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 35

PRODUCTS

Cooking class

Winter warmer

The Frima VarioCooking Center Multificiency is a multi-purpose cooking system combining a tilting pan, kettle and a deep-fat fryer. The technology allows simultaneous boiling, pan-frying and deep-frying in one compact unit. Equipped with an easy to use computerised control and monitoring system, the unit requires minimal supervision, eliminating overcooking. The VarioBoost heating system allows three times faster cooking than conventional appliances, with consistent results and is suitable for à la carte restaurants or large production kitchens. ● www.frima-australia.com.au

Maggi’s Soup Mixes are an ideal way for foodservice operators looking for an efficient and cost effective way to warm up their winter menus. With a home-made taste and thick appearance the soups include generous servings of freeze-dried vegetables and come in Thai pumpkin, Italian-style minestrone and noodle and sweet corn flavours.

The pre-portioned pouch-style bags make 3 litre batches and can be kept hot and ready to serve for up to four hours, making them ideal for table service or takeaway. ● www.maggi-professional.com.au

Pulled pork

Conscious containers

Murray Valley Pork from Rivalea has launched locally made Murray Valley Pulled Pork for delis, cafes and food services outlets. Made from 100 per cent Murray Valley pork, the product is convenient, versatile and simple to use for busy cafés and food outlets. Taking only 15 minutes to prepare in the microwave, meal variations can include bread rolls or wraps with salad, plated with rice and coleslaw, or as a delicious filling for burgers and sliders. The product has a shelf life of three months chilled and once heated stays tender and warm if kept at 60˚C in a baine-marie. ● www.rivalea.com.au

Confoil’s vegetable parchment baking trays are both a functional and environmentally friendly packaging solution suitable for foodservice packaging, production lines and display. Made from compostable vegetable parchment, the durable trays designed for baked products can be frozen and used in a microwave and will hold their shape during the cooking process. With siliconised coating and rolled-edge technology for easy release, the trays ensure consistently shaped baked goods. ● www.confoil.com.au

36 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Lounge coffee

Milk it

The Nescafé Milano Lounge puts the customer in control, serving up hassle-free barista quality coffee. The coffee system offers over 400 customisable refreshments, from a skinny latte to a cappuccino.

Dispensed in under 30 seconds, it allows customers to choose the strength of their coffee and how much milk they would like. Taking up only 1m of floor space with the base unit, the machine is also available as a tabletop unit. Ideal for busy shops, hotel lounges and cafeterias, the machine also enables sales data showing what customers are buying. ● www.nestleprofessional-beverages.com.au

For foodservice professionals looking to cater to a wider range of customers, Procal’s Lactose Free Milk is an ideal solution when catering to lactose intolerant and health conscious consumers. A fresh alternative to soy, Procal enables customers to enjoy all milk-based food and drinks on the menu. The milk is also gluten free, permeate free, high in calcium and easy to digest. ● www.procal.com.au

Easy ice-cream

Flavour hit

The Riva ice-cream system is a convenient and cost effective way to serve dairy-made ice cream during peak customer periods without the scoop time. The HACCP accredited, two flavour dispensing system offers a choice of vanilla or chocolate with an average portion cost of around 25 cents per 100ml. The Riva Real Tempering holding cabinet contains eight extra large tubs and with quick and easy installation, with the dispensing system suitable for staff of any skill level. ● www.rivarealeasy.com

For gourmet additions to appetizers, antipasto platters and savoury menu items of all kinds, Black Swan have launched their popular range of dips in 2.3kg easy to carry buckets for foodservice professionals. Flavours available include avocado, capsicum, caviar, hommus, tzatziki and eggplant. Black Swan also produces a range of 2, 4 or 10kg Greek-style yoghurt in easy to carry buckets and are available in either thick or creamy varieties. Delivery is available through their team of distributors. ● www.blackswan.com.au OH

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 37

PROFILE

Young contender Matthew McCool, of Shangri-La, Sydney’s Altitude Restaurant, was crowned the 2014 Rare Medium Chef of the Year at the recent Foodservice Australia expo, after two years as runner-up. Sheridan Randall spoke with him about what it takes to impress the judges and whether former winner Neil Abrahams‘ record of three wins is in his sights.

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or those watching the final heat of the 2014 Rare Medium Chef of the Year under the fluorescent lights of Sydney’s Moore Park, Matthew McCool certainly seemed to have everything under control, plating up well in advance of the final whistle.

regulations. I remember getting a guy to drive beef from Shanghai to Beijing for a service that night – it was an ongoing challenge.”

“Half the time you don’t know what you are going to do until you do it,” he says, shattering any preconception of being someone who thought himself predestined to win. In fact McCool had never really considered competing at all before being invited to enter the 2012 Rare Medium Chef of the Year soon after his return to his hometown of Sydney after many years honing his craft in Jersey, London and Beijing.

“The quality of vegetables and meat is fantastic here,” he says.

“Our menu here is seasonal and can change up to three times a week. We buy the best and serve it to its maximum potential.”

Brought up in Marrickville, McCool’s journey to the kitchen started young, with family visits to a local restaurant impressing on his young mind the chef’s passion for food.

“I felt that was something I wanted to do,” he says. With an apprenticeship at some of Sydney's leading culinary names including Quay, Guillaume at Bennelong, Hugos and Wildfire, McCool set off for Jersey to work in a traditional 5-star hotel.

“It was more a focus on traditional kitchen techniques,” he says of his early days.

Those traditional techniques landed McCool his first head chef role at China World Hotel [Shangri-La] in Beijing, something he describes as “fairly daunting and bit of a challenge”.

“I had got to the point where I needed to do it for myself,” he says. “All the financial and management side I learnt through trial and error. It’s a lot harder in Beijing than somewhere like Hong Kong, for produce and 38 Open House, June 2014 www.openhousemagazine.net

Now heading up a young team of 12 (no-one is over 30) in the kitchen at Altitude, McCool is spoilt for choice produce-wise.

Opening for dinner service only leaves time for experimentation.

“We make everything we can [in-house] from bread, cheeses and butter to salami and sausages,” he says. “We do our own charcuterie. It’s exciting for me and the team, as we get to try something new and [they] appreciate that it takes 12 weeks to make salami, so don’t waste the end of it!”

That ability to experiment paid off in spades during this year’s Rare Medium Chef competition, with McCool impressing the judges with dishes that included sous vide lamb rack, bone marrow custard, handmade ricotta cheese and goat’s cheese gnocchi, all prepared in a strict 60-minute timeframe.

“We make the ricotta here every day,” he says. “It is a different process but really it is just boiled milk split with some lemon juice, essentially curdled milk. It adds a bit of a wow factor. It’s about showing as many techniques [as possible] to the judges.”

Despite competition not being “something I searched for” McCool’s recent win may have set off a dormant competitive streak inside of him.

“It teaches you your capabilities to think quicker,” he says. “I’ll be going back next year, but just for the enjoyment.” OH

AUSTRALIAN CULINARY FEDERATION NEWS

Competing for the future

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ntries closed last month for the Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat 2014 and the Australian Culinary Federation (ACF) and Nestlé team had just one question on their minds – how are we going to accommodate 236 competitors (118 teams) across the country? A good problem to have, I say.

The Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat is the oldest running competition in Australia and has just grown to a record number of entries.

A testament to the ACF who facilitates this great competition on behalf of Nestlé and to the Nestlé team who see value in investing in the future chefs of our industry.

The last 12 month has seen a rise in competitor numbers across all competitions that the ACF facilitates. Is this a sign that industry is starving for more knowledge, education, skills and training or is it just good fun to compete and meet likeminded chefs? We know that our Certificate III in Commercial Cookery decreased from 29 units of competency to 25 units and the industry is moving rapidly to on the job training. Is culinary competition a great way to pick up and practise lost or diminished skills?

These are just a couple of questions I will be asking our members in the next ACF survey, as we need to be a little smarter in the way we run our events to attract a new generation of chefs.

I recently judged the 2014 Rare Medium Chef of the Year at the Foodservice Australia trade show, which also received a record number of entries this year. Seventy high level chefs entered this competition knowing that only 32 would be selected to compete at the show. I am excited to see such a high level of participation and it is even more pleasing to see such a rapid growth in our membership this year.

I can’t finish this month’s article without recognising and thanking our Pacific Continental Director of WACS, Glenn Austin, for his dedication and passion to developing chefs across the Pacific Rim. Prior to Austin taking this position the Pacific only had three nations represented in WACS – Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. But with Austin’s drive, passion and commitment he has developed the Chef Associations in Guam, Vanuatu, Cook Islands and Tahiti who are now all

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Neil Abrahams Australian Culinary Federation (ACF)

members of WACS. Austin steps down as Continental Director in July and will be recognised by WACS as a Life Member – well done and well deserved. OH

ON THE MOVE Spicers Retreats has announced that Cameron Matthews has been appointed as general manager of Spicers Clovelly Estate while retaining his role as executive chef. Cameron has been behind its acclaimed two-hatted restaurant The Long Apron.

The InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto has appointed Matthew Lambert as the new executive chef. With over 10 years’ experience as a food and beverage manager and executive chef, Lambert joins the team from Crowne Plaza Port Moresby where he was executive chef.

Aqua Expeditions has announced the appointment of Michelin-starred chef, David Thompson as executive chef of the Aqua Mekong river cruise ship to launch on September 30, 2014. Thompson’s restaurants include Nahm in London and Nahm Bangkok.

Sentosa Worldwide Resorts has announced a partnership with Sydney restaurateur, Maurice Terzini, to open the first international Icebergs Beach Club Canggu at Sea Sentosa in 2015. His previous restaurants have included Bondi's Icebergs Dining Room and North Bondi Italian.

Sydney chef and restaurateur Matt Moran and his business partner Peter Sullivan, from restaurant group MorSul, have been appointed as the new restaurant, cafe and event food partners for the Art Gallery NSW. The pair will take over the venue from July.

Merivale has announced the appointment of Zac Sykes as head chef of The Fish Shop in Sydney. Sykes’ extensive experience includes time at Felix, Pier, and Omega and more recently working at Capital Grill & Bar and Trocadero Brasserie & Bar in Melbourne.

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, June 2014 39

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