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Heartwarming fare For years now anyone who follows former Cold Chisel vocalist Jimmy Barnes on social media has been treated to glimpses of the food that he and his wife Jane prepare for their family. Fans have been asking - Jane – when is the cookbook coming? And the answer is, finally, this Christmas. But Where The River Bends – released early November - is a bit more
than a cookbook. Through the book Jane and Jimmy have invited fans and foodies to their kitchen table to share heart-warming stories and favourite dishes ranging from nutritious breakfasts and healthy lunches through classic pastas and Thai curries to Sunday roasts and delectable desserts. Inspired by the food they love and the legendary feasts they host for family and friends, Where the River Bends
THAI DEEP-FRIED WHOLE FISH Serves: 4 Ingredients: 2 whole baby snapper or bream, 500g each, cleaned and scaled dash fish sauce
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This is my favourite way of eating fish: fried crispy and served with a little Thai seafood dipping sauce (nam jim). The expert fish fryer in our family is Jimmy; he learned his technique from my aunty’s Thai cook, who taught us many of our favourite Thai dishes over the years. Method: 1. Pat the fish dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the fish with 3–4 diagonal cuts on each side. 2. Place the fish on a plate, douse with fish sauce and season with white pepper. 3. In a large wok, pour in enough oil so it’s one-third full. Place over a high heat. It’s ready when it starts smoking, or if it starts bubbling when you throw in a coriander
· white pepper · canola or rice bran oil · banana leaves, to serve · Thai seafood sauce (nam jim, page 304) leaf, as Jimmy likes to do. 4. Cook the fish one at a time. This keeps the oil at a high temperature, which you need for the crispiness. About 4 minutes a side should see the fish turn golden crunchy brown and be perfectly cooked. 5. Lift out of the oil and place onto paper towel to drain. 6. Serve on banana leaves with Thai seafood sauce on the side. Cook’s Notes: To achieve crispiness with any protein, it is important to make sure that the skin is dry. For example with pork, the dryer the skin, the better the crackling, and it’s the same with chicken. That’s why we pat the fish dry at the start of this recipe.
features more than 70 recipes, accompanied by personal recollections and anecdotes and stunning photography. “Recipes from Where the River Bends by Jane and Jimmy Barnes, HarperCollins Australia, $49.99.” For years Jane Barnes has been putting up pictures of her cooking on social media and now she and husband Jimmy have launched a cook book of all of their family favourites.
HAINAN CHICKEN (THAI STYLE) Serves: 6 In Thailand this is served early in the morning. People on the way to work, or kids on the way to school, will stop for a plate of it. Our favourite spot for this dish in Hua Hin, where we have holidayed as a family for the past 40 years, can be sold out by 11 am on busy days. Most regular travellers to Southeast Asia will know this dish well, as it’s available in various forms in most countries in the region. In Singapore they poach the chicken, but the Thais steam the chicken in a big steamer, with the water in the bottom pot catching the fat drippings, which are in turn made into a delicious broth to have with the chicken-fat rice. I always brine my chicken, even when I’m steaming, as I always get a better, juicier result. This is my go-to comfort food, a family favourite. And I love to take my time making this meal, because I think it’s the time and love that add extra deliciousness.
Steamed chicken
· 4cm
knob ginger, flattened, plus extra for steaming Method: 1. Brine the chicken (page 305), using the ginger, garlic, coriander roots, Chinese cooking wine and soy sauce in the brining liquid. Drain well and pat dry before using. 2. Rub the chicken with kecap manis. Put some flattened ginger, garlic and coriander root inside the body and place into a large steamer over a large pan of simmering water. Cook for 50–60 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Let the chicken rest in the steamer until you are ready to serve (reserve the liquid underneath).
Thai deep-fried whole fish.
Hainan chicken (Thai style).
· 3 garlic cloves, smashed, plus extra for steam· · · · · · · · ·
ing 4 coriander roots, cleaned and crushed, plus extra for steaming dash Chinese cooking wine dash light soy sauce 1 whole chicken 1 tablespoon kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) coriander leaves, to serve 4 cucumbers, sliced ginger, green shallot and sesame sauce (page 302), to serve sweet soy sauce with chilli (page 303), to serve
3. Meanwhile, to make the chicken-fat rice, place the chicken fat in a frying pan over medium heat and heat until rendered (melted). Add the rice and stir to coat well with the fat. Transfer to a rice cooker and mix through the garlic, coriander roots, ginger and pandan leaf. Season with salt and add the stock or water. There will be less liquid than when you usually cook rice, but we want this rice to be a little drier and not over-cooked. 4. Not under-cooked or al dente either; chicken rice should be on the firmer side. Cook according to your rice cooker directions.
ROAST FILLET OF BEEF WITH PORCINI Serves: 12
· ¼ cup red wine
You can’t go wrong with this recipe, so don’t be Roasted eschalots afraid of trying it. For the meat, I recommend using the most tender cut of all, the eye fillet. 2kg beef fillet 2 tablespoons olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 30g butter mushroom jus 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 2 garlic cloves, smashed and sliced 30g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes 1 beef stock cube 400g mixed mushrooms (king, shiitake, Swiss), cleaned and sliced
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· 10 eschalots, peeled and chopped in half · 3 garlic cloves, smashed Method: To make the peas, place a frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter and a pinch of salt. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the frozen peas and stir to combine. When the peas turn a brilliant green colour, add the stock and simmer until the liquid is mostly gone. Slice the beef and serve drizzled with the porcini mushroom jus, with roasted escha-
· ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped · 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, finely chopped · 2 tablespoons olive oil · 1 tablespoon butter, chopped lots and peas on the side. Cook’s Notes: If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can just check the meat’s readiness by pressing down on the roast. If it bounces back like the fleshy part of the palm of your hand, it is ready to take out to rest. Allow the meat to rest for the same time as the cooking time. This will stop it bleeding out when you carve it up.
Roast fillet of beef with porcini and wild mushroom jus, roasted eschalots and peas. SUMMER: DECEMBER 2021 SENIORS TODAY 37
