Chef's Special Vol # 75

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J O U R N A L

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C– R–E– D – I –T–S

Level 1, 165 Walker Street, North Sydney, NSW 2059 P- H- O-N- E

02 9463 9308 E-M-A-I-L

chefspecial@mla.com.au W- E- B - S - I -T- E

www. mla.com.au

M - L- A F - O - O - D - S - E - R - V- I - C - E C - O - N -T- A - C -T- S: M - A - R- K- E-T- I - N - G M - A - N - A - G - E- R F- O - O - D S - E- R-V- I- C- E

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Roger Bond (rbond@mla.com.au) N- S -W / A- C-T

E- D - I -T- O - R

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PUBLISHED

S EP TEMB E R 2011

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Reproduction in whole or in part of this publication is prohibited without the prior written consent of MLA. ©2011.

A-D-D-R-E-S-S

C – O – N –T– E – N –T– S pg. 32

pg. 28

pg. 20

pg. 18

pg. 16

pg. 12

pg. 08

pg. 04

E– D –I–T– O –R–'S

N – O –T– E

My dear readers, Many of you would have seen the footage shown to the Australian public in June of horrendous acts of cruelty to our cattle in Indonesia. There is not a person in this country that has seen this footage who was not sickened by it. No section of our red meat community was more distressed than those of us whose life’s work is the caring and raising of livestock.

Industry’s work in Indonesia over the last decade was directed at ensuring the type of actions depicted in the footage never occurred, and upon being made aware of this footage industry moved to immediately suspend the supply of cattle to the facilities identified in the footage, and committed to working with the Australian Government to address the acts of cruelty.

This involved the Government temporarily suspending the trade in June until a controlled system that assured the welfare of Australian cattle exported to Indonesia was implemented.

pg. 42

pg. 40

This suspension was lifted in early July once new auditable conditions that assured the welfare of Australian cattle throughout the supply chain were established – from the time they disembark the vessel, to the time they spend in feedlots, and finally their processing in abattoirs.

Industry played a key role in assisting the Government in establishing the new supply chain standards and along with the broader Australian industry is committed to ensuring that the approved supply chains will meet and exceed the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines. We are also working alongside the Indonesian industry to increase the number of facilities which use stunning.

Australia is one of 109 countries that exports livestock but is the only country in the world that invests money and has an on-the-ground presence in export markets to improve animal welfare.

Industry has never claimed “mission accomplished” with regards to animal welfare in foreign countries, or that all animal welfare practices in overseas markets are ideal.

Industry’s on-the-ground presence in these markets has been in recognition of these deficiencies. This presence has allowed us to identify where investment, resourcing and vital programs need to be focused. Our aim has been to continually and incrementally improve animal welfare practices so that over time these practices would reach acceptable levels and that OIE standards would be met.

Further information about live exports to Indonesia can be found here – http://www.mla.com.au/About-the-red-meatindustry/Livestock-exports/Animal-welfare-in-Indonesia/ Important-facts-about-live-exports-to-Indonesia Read on my Fleischmeister in the making, Connaugh

–03–

F–E–A–T– U – R–E

0 –1

A L amb’s Denouement

F–E–A–T– U – R–E

0–1

Mirrool Creek Lamb is owned and operated by the Hayes family who have been farming in the Riverina for over 125 years. ’s Special chats with Sam Hayes about how and why she dry ages her lambs— a process that very few lamb brands undergo in Australia.

What made you decide to dry age your lambs as opposed to wet agEing?

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When we started, we were taking advice from our local, country butcher — he dry ages his entire product so we emulated this process and it worked favourably for us. Now we insist on maintaining it as a standard. The abattoir we use to do the ageing then vacuum packs our entire product range for us. We vacuum pack to achieve a longer shelf life; we don’t use this as an ageing technique. (Although wet ageing does technically continue to age the product without further moisture loss)

–06–

F–E–A–T– U – R–E

How long do you age for and why?

— what does it do to the meat?

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0–1

How much moisture loss happens with dry aged lamb compared with beef?

The optimum dry ageing time for lamb is approximately 5 - 8 days. Basically, dry ageing allows the natural breakdown of muscle fibres to occur. This ensures that the meat tenderises as it naturally breaks down.

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Dry ageing is seen as falling somewhere between science and nature, although, to influence the end result much depends on the environment the meat hangs in.

What kind of environment do you age in?

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We use large, dry, cool rooms that stay at a constant temperature. We monitor three key factors closely: temperature, relative humidity and air flow. Cool rooms themselves have become a science these days, just ask Neil Perry about his state of the art cool rooms!

When you dry age a lamb you can expect to lose approximately 3% of the carcass weight over the 5 - 8 days.

Much of the loss occurs in the first 24 hours with approximately 2%.

When you dry age you need lambs with a good fat score, we prefer a score of 3 (the fat cover on a lamb carcase is graded by a scale of 1 to 5.

The score is determined on the depth of the fat tissue at the second last rib).

The covering of fat ensures that the meat does not dry out and therefore effect eating quality during the ageing process.

What is the difference between your lamb and lamb that hasn’t been dry aged?

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I was trying to do a bit of research before speaking to you and found that there isn’t much information out there about dry agEing lamb — how and where did you learn the technique?

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When we started we were taking advice from our local country butcher.

He dry ages his entire product range.

We soon learned that this was a really strong point of difference for us and we now work very hard to maintain our procedure. As the brand grows it becomes increasingly difficult. This is why we have a definite cap on how big the brand will get, so we can maintain the quality and consistency that we currently offer.

– 07–

We have never processed our lamb any other way so I suppose this means that we can only endorse dry ageing!

Personally, I think that when you dry age you can expect to achieve greater tenderisation and have a different flavour.Ø

How

to cut

a

lamb rump, cap of f (H.A.M #5074)

from a whole lamb leg

M – A – S –T– E – R

C – L– A – S – S

(H.A.M #4800)

–08–

1

M – A – S –T– E – R

C – L– A – S – S

2 1 1, 2 , 3 F i n d t h e A i t c h b o n e (t h e h i p b o n e) with the tip of your knife and follow it along to outline.

3

4 , 5 , 6 , 7, 8 Loosen the cup joint (holds the hip b o n e) w i t h y o u r k n i f e a n d s l i d e i t under the bone to loosen the meat on all sides. With your knife against the bone, completely remove the bone.

4

5

–09–

M – A – S –T– E – R

C – L– A – S – S

8 6 7

10

11

9 , 1 0 , 11 , 1 2 , 13 Find the seam bet ween the rump and it s c a p (i t s f a t) a n d g e n t l y, u s i n g s m a l l s c r a p e s with the blade of your knife, remove the rump from the rest of the leg.

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–¬ 11 02 ¬–

M – A – S –T– E – R

C – L– A – S – S

13

12

14 , 15 Tr i m o f f a n y e x c e s s f a t and use the lamb rump as required.

14

15

L a m b r u m p , c a p o f f_ H . A . M# 5 0 74 is one of the cuts used in the M a s t e r p i e c e s™ p r o g r a m .

L o g o n t o w w w.c h e f s p e c i a l .c o m .a u / lambmasterpieces to request a b r o c h u r e . F l i c k t o p a g e 31 i n this edition to see the lamb rump in action on the degustation m e n u a t D a r l e y ’s R e s t a u r a n t ; L i l i a n f e l s , Ka t o o m b a .

–11–

Russian chef Sevastyan Korol started his career at MOSCOW’s famous CPSU* hotel, the PresideNT. built in the 1980’s for the leaders in the Communist party AND high ranking officials, The hotel was of the highest quality and enjoyed special privileges which others did not. From hotels, Chef Sevastyan moved into restaurants working for almost 10 years in some of Russia’s best. He is now the Executive Chef for Corpus Group, a group of high end restaurants in Moscow. Chef Sevastyan developed a special interest in red meat while studying at The Beef Cattle institute in Kansas; USA, and has a keen interest, almost obsession, in sourcing quality product.

O – N T– H – E I – N –T– E–R– N –A–T– I – O – N –A– L S–T– A– G – E

12 – 13

I a m f o n d o f co o k i n g b e e f d i s h e s i n t h e r e s tau r a n t.

W e u s e n ot o n ly p r i m e c u t s s u c h a s t e n d e r lo i n b u t a l s o n o n - lo i n c u t s s u c h a s r u m p a n d o f fa l s s u c h a s c h e e k , to n g u e a n d l i v e r . O u t o f a l l t h e b e e f e x p o r t i n g n at i o n s , I p r e f e r to u s e Au s tr a l i a n b e e f b e cau s e o f it s q ua l it y a n d f l avo u r . T h i s i s a d i s h I c r e at e d w h i l e i n Au s t r a li a lo o k i n g at th e p r o d u c ti o n a n d p r o c e s s i n g o f t h e b e e f th at i s s u p p li e d to u s i n R u s s i a . T h e li g h t, s i m p l e sa l sa pa r tn e r s s o w e l l with t h e f l avo u r o f THE b e e f w h i c h i s s e rv e d a s a ‘ g r i l l - s t y l e ’ s t e a k – it g o e s s o w e l l wit h th e wa r m w e at h e r I f i n d i n AUSTRAL I A .

*CPSU refers to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

O–N

T– H – E

I – N –T– E–R– N –A–T– I – O – N –A– L

–14 –

S–T–A– G – E

O–N

2 kg c h u c k e y e l o g ( b o n e l e s s s q ua r e cut chuck)

FOR 1 PORTION USE 250G OF THE CHUCK Sal sa 5 g A n c h ov y pa s t e 10g Fre sh Corian de r 40g Olive oil S a lt AND P e p p e R RED CAPS I CUM

T– H – E

I – N –T– E–R– N –A–T– I – O – N –A– L

M e at :

Preheat oven to 175ºC. Sprinkle WHOLE CHUCK with salt and pepper, sear both sides. roast for 1.5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 55ºC. Rest meat for 15-20 minutes. Cut beef into SINGLE PORTIONED, thick medallions. Sear over a hot flame on both sides to caramelise.

–15–

S–T–A– G – E

Sal sa:

Roast capsicum in the oven at 180ºC. Remove the seeds and skin.

Chop the capsicum into small pieces; add anchovy paste, ground fresh coriander and olive oil. SEASON TO TASTE. Serve along side steaks.

F–E–A–T– U – R–E

–16–

0–2

F–E–A–T– U – R–E

–17–

0–2

F–E–A–T– U – R–E 0–3

Dry ageing is not a new method of tenderising and developing flavour in red meat. There is definitely scope for more restaurants to utilise this method when it comes to lamb — to be able to differentiate their product from other restaurants while using a highly flavoured, unique product.Ø

He feels this is a good way to differentiate his restaurant and the customers enjoy the product. He finds the ideal point to stop ageing between 2 and 3 weeks. This assists in the development of good flavour and tenderness, without it becoming overly strong in flavour. Graeme opted list the lamb on the menu as Dry Aged Spring Lamb and has made sure he has educated his staff to explain to patrons that the richer flavour has been developed from dry ageing, not from the product being mutton or an older sheep product.

–19–

Executive Chef Graeme Heenan from hatted restaurant Archie’s on the Creek in Gippsland, Victoria knows that listing dry aged beef is a selling point on a menu so he has also opted to list his dry aged lamb. Graeme ages his half carcases in-house in a special dry ageing fridge they installed originally to age beef.

Both methods are known to improve the tenderness of the final product, while dry ageing on the bone will also change the flavour of the meat. Wet ageing is the more popular method to age lamb as there is less yield loss of the product, which is a major consideration when working with the smaller primals on lamb.

Unlike beef which can be aged for 6 weeks or more, lamb benefits from a shorter ageing period of 7 — 28 days.

Ageing is the process whereby enzymes in the meats’ muscle fibres break down the connective tissue. There are two ways to activate these enzymes in the meat, be it lamb or beef. The more traditional method is referred to as ‘ dry’ ageing where the product is left unpackaged to air dry in a controlled climate. Technolog y now allows ageing to also be done as ‘wet’ ageing, which involves vacuum packaging the selected primal and ageing it in the bag.

Cooking with aged beef and listing it as such on the menu is a trend that has become popular in many of the top establishments around the globe.

However, lamb can also benefit from being aged and yet is rarely mentioned.

Ageing L a m b: Yo unge r a nd W ise r

BREAKFAST

We’re beginning to see North American-style breakfasts start to take hold also. Hash, brisket bagels, baked eggs, patty melts or brekky-shoe (the AM version of the Horseshoe sandwich) will take their place on more menus in 2011/2012.

O–N T– H – E M–E–N–U

While restaurant goers have recently become increasingly adventurous in their desire for new taste experiences, Saturday and Sunday breakfast traditions tend to die hard.

However 2011/2012 looks to be the year of global flavours and Chef’s Special has seen ethnic influences creeping into our morning meal – banishing the boring old bacon.

In the latest US National Restaurant Association survey of chefs, ethnicinspired breakfasts are predicted to be one of the hottest trends of the coming year.

With the flurry of Latin American restaurants opening in Australia, Hispanic breakfast menus are riding high.

The continent’s varied regional cuisines set to be some of the hottest over the next few years.

Breakfast tacos made with ingredients such as chorizo and pulled meats, salsa and eggs are just some that come to mind and Chef’s Special just loves choices like quesadillas and burritos because they give us a spicy kick on a slow morning, and can be eaten in or taken away.

Our breakfast recipes encapsulate some of these trends and Brekky at Mrs Rundell’s pays homage to the Bangers, bacon and beans of the English fry-up we’ve come to love.

MENUS

M–E–N–U

M et ho d >

Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Stir in the paprika and cook slightly to colour the oil, about 10 to 15 seconds. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent but not browned.

For a little spice, sauté 1 tablespoon of harissa paste or a minced chilli with the onions.

O–N

T– H – E

1

Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the peppers, water and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add more water as needed to keep it from drying out. Add the Merguez.

2

SERVES

4

Using a spoon, form four small indentations in the simmering peppers to hold the eggs. One by one, crack the eggs into the indentation. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes or so until eggs are cooked through.

3

In

Serve with crusty bread.

gr ed ie nt s>

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 to 2 tablespoons paprika 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced 2–3 green and red capsicums, diced 1 cup water

salt and pepper to taste 4 eggs 4 Merguez (spicy lamb sausages), sliced optional : harissa or minced chilli –22–

CHAKCHOUKA North African eggs and spicy Merguez

—

in a pepper ragout

–23–

poached

Hangtown Fry: Oyster and Bresaola omelette

Hangtown fry originated The story goes in Placerville, California, that a prospector during the Gold Rush. who struck it rich, walked The town was known as into a restaurant Hangtown in recognition in town and of the harsh justice often ordered the best meted out there. meal that money could buy.

In that place, at that time, the Hangtown fry was it.

–24 –

O–N

et

T– H – E

M ho d >

Heat the oil or butter over medium heat in a skillet.

Fry the oysters for about 30 seconds on each side and push them to one side of the skillet. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet with the oysters and cook until firm, lifting the edges to allow any uncooked eggs to run to the edges and cook.

2

Lay the Bresaola on the opposite side of the skillet from the oysters.

Fold the omelette over, remove it to a plate and serve hot.

3

MAKES

1

In gr ed ie nt s> 3 – 4 oysters, shucked and patted dry 1/4 cup flour 3 eggs, beaten with cream 1 – 2 tablespoons milk

—

salt and pepper to taste 4 pieces of Bresaola, fried until crisp oil or butter for frying

–25–

M–E–N–U

Toss the oysters with the flour, shake off any excess and set aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper.

1

O–N

T– H – E

M–E–N–U

—

SERVES

1

M et ho d >

Fry all ingredients together until warmed through and caramelised.

Season and serve on buttered toast.

In gr ed ie nt s>

roast potatoes, cubed pieces of roasted pumpkin, cubed – 3 pieces of roasted sweet potato, cubed roasted parsnips, sliced – 3 slices of roasted beef or lamb, cubed butter white country bread, toasted salt & pepper to taste 2 2 2 2 2

–26 –

BreKky Mrs Rundell wrote the earliest known recipe for Bubble and Squeak in 1806.

The name comes from the bubbling and squeaking sounds the meat and vegetables make while frying.

Mrs Rundell's –27–

at

F–E–A–T– U – R–E

CHE

0–4

FS

H a v Degustation menus have existed since the early 19th century when French cuisine transitioned from service à la Francaise – or banquet style eating, to service à la Russe (Russian style) – the plating of smaller dishes served one at a time in a pre-set order.

This style was famously endorsed by French chef Escoffier in the early 20th Century with his elaborate 14 course tasting menus.

–28–

F–E–A–T– U – R–E

0–4

Degustation menus have been in Australian restaurants since the early 1980’s but were viewed as being best suited to traditional French and fine dining restaurants.

Some 30 years later, however, it has become a popular way of allowing a chef to showcase his/her knowledge of fresh seasonal produce and introduce patrons to different cuts of meat and styles of preparations. Tasting menus cross many cultures and price categories and, as such, are appearing in a broader style at restaurants, pubs and even cafes.

M a r k J e n s e n , of R e d L a nte r n r e c e nt l y i nt r o du c e d a t a s t i n g me nu , s o a s to mor e e a s i l y c ate r for g r ou p s of 6 or mor e i n a s m a l l re st au r a nt . It prov ide d a veh ic le for h i m to te s t n e w r e c ip e s , u p d ate d a c c ord i n g to s e a s on , a nd p r ov id e a n e x c it i n g me a l s t r u c t u r e t h at b a l a nc e s f l a v ou r s a nd te x t u r e s .

M a r k s a y s “ You a r e e x p o s i n g t h e c u s tome r to s ome t h i n g t h e y m i g ht not n e c e s s a r i l y pic k of f t h e à l a c a r te me nu b ut onc e t h e y t r y it , t h e y r e a l i s e how g o o d it i s . T h i s i s of te n t r u e of t h e s e c ond a r y c ut s (non-l oi n c ut s), w h ic h on ou r me nu f e at u r e mor e a s c u r r i e s or b r a i s e s .”

i n g A L L

A mor e t r a d it ion a l Fr e nc h s t y l e d e g u s t at ion i s fou nd at D a rl e y’s R e s t a u ra nt L i l i a n f e l s , K ato omb a , w h e r e on e -h at te d c h e f C a r l M i d d l e t o n ov e r s e e s t h e me nu .

H i s d e g u s t at ion c on s i s t s of 8 c ou r s e s ; it a l l ow s t h e r e s t au r a nt to p r ov id e a mor e i nte r e s t i n g a nd p e r s on a l i s e d s e r v ic e to t h e d i n e r w h i l e s how c a s i n g t h e hou s e s p e c i a l it i e s .C a r l f e e l s t h at “ t h e deg ustat ion is t he pick of ou r d ishes, u p d ate d s e a s on a l l y a nd e n s u r i n g b a l a nc e i s b r ou g ht to t h e me a l .”

–29–

F–E A–T– U – R–E

0–4

Bo K h o ( b e ef b risket b raised in a ro m a t ic spices ) Mark J ensen : R e d L a nte r n

s e r v e s 5–7

•

M A R I N A D E •

3 star anise / 1 cas sia b ark 2 cloves / 1 /2 tsp five spice 2 tsp rice wine / 1 tb hoi sin s auce 375 mL 333 be er or l ager •

I n g redient s •

1.25kg beef brisket point end, de ckl e of f, cut into 5c m x 2c m pie ces 2 tb oil / 1 onion, dice d 1 tb garl ic, mince d / 4 tb tom ato p aste 3L be ef stock / 2 tsp s alt h andful of gre en be ans chilli and sliced green onions for garnish

M e th o d 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . In a fry-pan, roast star

anise, cassia bark and cloves until fragrant and slightly coloured. Grind in a mortar.

Combine the spices and the remaining marinade ingredients in a large bowl, add the beef brisket and mix well. Refrigerate overnight.

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . Place a wok over medium heat and add oil, diced onion and garlic. Stir-fry until the onion becomes translucent, then add the beef brisket and increase the heat. Continue to fry the meat until sealed on all sides.

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . Add the tomato paste and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add the beef stock and salt and bring it all to the boil.

Skim the impurities from the surface, and then lower the heat to a slow sim mer.

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . Cook the beef for about 2 hours or until very tender.

Once the beef is cooked, serve in individual bowls garnished with blanched green beans, green onions and sliced chilli.

–30–

F–E A–T– U – R–E

0–4

S low cooke d Rive rina la m b ru m p, vol - a u -ve nt of b raise d neck , ba by b eets, fen nel a nd so rrel bu t te r C a rl M i d d l eto n

D a rl e y’s R e sta u ra nt :

serves 2

•

I n g redient s •

300g R iverina l amb rump, cap of f 1 Riverina lamb neck fillet / mirepoix / thyme b a y l e af / garl ic / ve al stock to cover 6 b ab y re d be ets / 6 b ab y gol den be ets 1 kg fennel / 1 sprig rosem ar y 1 bunch sorrel / 1 kg butter / 2 esch allots 20 mL re d wine vine gar / 2 vol– au–vents 200g brown onion, sl ice d / cre am

Fennel M e th o d 300g Lamb Rump trussed and slow roasted at 56°C for 3 hours.

L a mb N e c k 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . Caramelised in a hot

pan then transferred to a heavy based pot with mirepoix, thyme, bay leaf, garlic. 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover reduced veal stock and braise for 4 hours until meltingly tender.

Strain liquid and reduce to a sauce consistency. 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . Add rosemary and allow to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain. 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . Roast beets on rock salt in moderate to hot oven until tender. Allow to cool slightly then peel.

S o rr e l

B u tt e r

Soften the butter and place in a food processor with the sorrel leaves. Blend until the butter turns a bright green colour. Add the diced eschallots and season with salt, pepper and vinegar.

Peel off the layers and cut into strips. Blanch in boiling salted water. With the remaining fennel, sweat down the onion in a little butter. Add the remaining fennel (finely sliced) and continue to sweat. Cover with cream and boil.

Then reduce the heat, cover and place in the oven at 150°C for 1 hour. Once baked, strain off the remaining liquid and blend the fennel in a vita prep to make a smooth puree.

To

F i n i sh

Caramelise the rump in a hot pan and baste with foaming butter.

Meanwhile place a spoonful of fennel puree on the plate and a hot vol-au-vent case adjacent to it. Fill the vol-au-vent with the braised lamb neck and top with a small amount of the sorrel butter.

Garnish the plate with the roasted beets and fennel. Carve the lamb rump into 6 slices and place 3 on each plate. Finish the dish with the lamb and rosemary jus.

–31–

O–N–E C– U –T

W– O –N–D –E–R–S

Lamb

* For different flavours try wagyu fat or dry aged fat.

Unless specified, lamb mince is produced from trimmings. The amount of fat in the mince can vary depending on the cuts (used in the mix) or how much fat is added. You can specify the desired fat content by quoting a CL level in your order specifications. (CL is a symbol of Chemical Lean and refers to the amount of lean meat contained in the mince e.g. mince labelled 85CL is 85% lean meat and 15% fat).* You can also specify fine or coarse cut mince depending on the dish you wish to create. The best cooking methods for mince are grilling, roasting or baking, simmering and stir frying.

Mince

The three

lamb mince

recipes

featured in

One Cut

Wonders were

generously

given to

Chef ’s Special

by the last

three winners

of the Young

Chef of the

Year award,

Electrolux

Appetite for

Excellence

2008 – 2010.

O–N–E C– U –T

W– O –N–D –E–R–S

O–N–E C– U –T

W– O –N–D –E–R–S

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O–N–E C– U –T

W– O –N–D –E–R–S

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B –I–T– E

S– I –Z– E– D

W h a t i s d a rk c u tt i n g ?

Da rk c ut t ing in me at is a result of a n a n ima l using up a ll it s energ y stores t h rough st ress or physic a l exer t ion pr ior to slaughter. A f ter processing , t he me at appe a rs da rk in colour, tends to be 'st ick y' or 'sloppy' a nd ha s a ver y h igh pH result ing in reduced tender ness . Da rk c ut t ing a lso incre a ses t he water holding c apacit y wh ich le ads to a h igh loss of moist ure dur ing cook ing. Th is h igh moist ure content a lso reduces shelf life bec ause bac teria g row more rapidly in condit ions of h igh pH a nd moist ure.

The most unusua l cha rac terist ic of me at t hat ha s come f rom a ‘ da rk c ut ter’ is t hat it appe a rs raw no mat ter how long you cook it for! Th is is bec ause h igh acidic condit ions in a ny food ma kes brow n ing ver y dif f ic ult — t h in k a bout how ha rd it is to brow n sourdough bre ad .

By ma na g ing t he process from paddock to slaughter a nd m in im ising levels of st ress ex perienced by t he a n ima l, t he occ urence of da rk c ut t ing is reduced .

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E lect r i cal s t i mulat i o n The optimum pH level of meat is 5.7 and below. Electrical stimulation; an electrical current being passed through the carcase after slaughter, provides a method for accelerating the fall of pH in meat. When properly applied, electrical stimulation will ensure muscles achieve the ultimate pH levels.

One of the most significant indicators of eating qualit y involves the measurement of lactic acid within the muscles. This measurement is taken using a pH probe.

— Did you know. . .

It ’s only after rigor mortis has occurred that muscles are referred to as meat.

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B –I–T– E

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M – O – M – E – N –T–A– R–Y

CheF •

F e l i c i tY G o o d a ll

Pendolino — Sydney

7. 3 0 P M // 5 t h A p r i l 2 0 11 Electrolux Showroom Mascot, NSW

Meat

&

la m b

L ive s t o c k

laun ch –42–

Au s t r al i a' s

Ma s te r p i ece s

e ve n t

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B –I–T– E

T he

S– I –Z– E– D

r ec i p e

s h o wca s ed

FE L ICIT Y

that

n i g ht

T O M A T O B R AI S E D L A M B W I T H P O L EN T A 2k g lamb neck fillet, boneless, diced 1c m x 1c m / 18 g sea salt 2g ground black pepper / 3 0 0 m l extra virgin olive oil 3 0 0 g onions, finely diced / 10 g garlic, finely diced 2k g pureed tomato / 1 fresh bay leaf s r v e

For more Lamb Masteriece recipes log onto www.chefspecial.com.au/lambmasterpieces and register to recieve the brochure.

Se

8

M e th o d f o r P o l e n t a

Season lamb with salt and Line the base and sides of a pepper. Heat half the olive oil 20 x 30 cm (base measurement) and brown meat. Set aside. baking pan with plastic wrap.

Place the water and salt in a To the same pot, add remaining large saucepan over high heat. oil, the diced onion, garlic and Bring to the boil. Gradually add bay leaf. Sauté for five minutes the polenta in a thin steady or until translucent. Add the stream, stirring constantly with a pureed tomato and bring to the wooden spoon until incorporated. boil before lowering the heat and placing the lamb back Reduce heat to low and cook, into the pot. Slowly bring to stirring constantly, until the the boil again then reduce to polenta thickens and leaves a simmer. Check for seasoning the side of the pan. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and and adjust accordingly. half the Parmesan. Season.

Cooking time may vary and will Spoon into prepared pan and take somewhere between two smooth the surface. Set aside and three hours. The lamb to cool. Preheat oven to 200°C. should be fork tender, with the Turn the polenta onto a clean meat just beginning to fall work surface and cut into 8 apart. A little stock may be rectangles. Cut each rectangle required if the sauce becomes in half diagonally. Place the too thick. Do not try and polenta triangles, in a single layer, on a large baking tray. reduce this sauce.

Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake until golden brown and heated through.

TO SERVE • Pl at e th e ov e n - ba k e d po le nta w i th th e to m ato br a i s e d l a mb n e ck a n d s e rv e i mm e d i at e ly.

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POLENTA : 2L water / 2 t s p salt / 310 g instant polenta 25g butter / 45g shredded parmesan / Salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 0 m l extra virgin olive oil

M e th o d f o r l a mb

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N – O –T–E–S