He Cooks Magazine Edition 4 by The Cooking School

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AUSTRALIA SUMMER 07

EDITION FOUR

HE COOKS 2007 • BLONDE BEERS • BBQ DINNER PARTY • WA WINE TRAVEL • SRI LANKAN COOKING • IS YOUR KITCHEN MAKING YOU SICK?

Our BBQ Classes are for anyone that wants to get the most out the BBQ.

THE BBQ COOKING SCHOOL BBQ CLASSES

NOT JUST FOR MEN

Now is a great time to get some professional tips on the classics and learn some new recipes to amaze your friends and astound your family when you next fire up the barbie! The classes are demonstration and hands on, held from September to March and all ingredients, salads and bread are included. In our classes we assume no knowledge, but have found that the more a student knows about BBQ cooking, the more they learn from our experienced chef presenters. Each lesson is only $99 per person all-inclusive, and can be taken as a set in any order, or individually.

Lesson 1 – How To Get The Most Out Of Your BBQ Tips on BBQ Set up, Safety, and Maintenance so your BBQ lasts as long as you do! ON THE MENU: • Tasmanian Salmon Skewers With Stir Fried Snow Peas And Baby Corn • Threaded Chicken Skewer With Preserved Lemon • Thai Beef Salad

Lesson 2 – Out Of The Kitchen, And Into The Fire! A close look at a range of BBQ accessories, and chef’s tips to get professional results quickly! ON THE MENU: • BBQ Prawns With A Lemon And Lime Salsa • Grilled Lamb Cutlets With Rocket And Basil Salad • Grilled Red Capsicum, Red Onion And Pumpkin With Eggplant Dipping Sauce

Lesson 3 – BBQ Dinner Party Get the WOW! factor the next time you cook for friends and family! ON THE MENU: • Chilli And Lime Salted Squid Hoods With Glass Noodles And Coriander • Oregano, Garlic And Chilli Flattened Chicken (Portuguese Style) With Crispy Potatoes And Coleslaw • Beef Skewers With Ranch Style Dressing • Strawberry And Chocolate Compote With Vanilla Cream

What A Great Gift! Course Folders are available prior to your lesson for an extra $10 (to cover post and packing), to make a really impressive gift!

Corporate and Private Classes We have great venues for your next team or corporate get together! For more details or to enrol, please go to our website: www.thecookingschool.com.au, or call us on Sydney (02) 9326 6222 Melbourne (03) 9606 2111 Brisbane (07) 3102 3129 Perth (08) 9467 4002 Check out the great article on cooking a BBQ Dinner Party on p18 of this issue!

Contents In this issue Ben Dalton

four seven 7

Gentlemen prefer blondes Andrew McKinnon Western Australian wines Ben Dalton

nine

Sick kitchen? William Angliss College

eleven 9

Sri Lankan cooking Paul van Reyk

thirteen fifteen

Summer cooking must haves Terje Andersen

sixteen

Home interest rates Brendan Gallagher

11 BBQ dinner party Bruno Gentile

eighteen twenty two

He Cooks classes 2007

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In This Issue Brendan Gallagher continues with his series of articles on your financial health, this time asking “With Rates On The Rise, What Are Your Home Loans Options?”

Hello and welcome to the Summer Issue of He Cooks Magazine for 2007! Andrew McKinnon seeks an answer to the age old question - not ‘What is the Meaning of Life?’, but something far more profound – ‘Do Gentlemen Prefer Blonde(Beer)s’?

Ben Dalton Director and Founder of He Cooks Cooking School for Men.

After conquering our thirst for all things beer, we then explore the Margaret River Wine Region in Western Australia. I have just returned from this fantastic spot south of Perth, and can’t recommend it highly enough. Great wines, good food and one of the most beautiful places in Australia. New He Cooks Chef Presenter Terje Andersen from Perth introduces himself with an article about the ‘must haves’ for Summertime Cooking that includes a solid stock pot, square pan and a good wok.

Veronica DaltonCorreas Big fan of the Pesto Pasta in Lesson 1!

Just in time for the summer workout, our Brisbane based chef Bruno Gentile fires up the barbie and provides some great tips for you to prepare a complete dinner party without downing the tongs! Bruno’s article includes recipes so you can put on a great BBQ Dinner Party. Class Dates for 2007 are included at the back of the magazine, as well as dates for the Beer Cooking Classes for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. There are some great special offers for Calpahlon Sets on p15, and some excellent Furi products on page 12.

Paul van Reyk is another new face who will be presenting our upcoming Sri Lankan Cooking Course in 2007. He whets your appetite with an overview of just what makes Sri Lankan cuisine so special, and hints at some of the secrets that he will be sharing with the guys next year in Sydney.

So grab a cold one, saunter over to the hammock and let it all swing in the breeze as you slip into Summer with He Cooks!

With an estimated 5 million cases of food poisoning each year in Australia, William Angliss Institute of TAFE (the hosts of our classes in Melbourne) have provided a ‘must read’ article on Kitchen Hygiene which, if followed, will ensure you will serve up great food a whole lot more safely.

Get cooking!

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Editor-in-Chief/Publisher: Ben Dalton Contributors:

Production:

4 HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

Andrew McKinnon Bruno Gentile Brendan Gallagher Claire D. Spicer Terje Andersen Paul van Reyk Bite Communications 02 9969 6633

As always, thanks to all contributors for their sensational efforts!

Ben Dalton

Founder, He Cooks For free e-versions of He Cooks Magazine back issues, please email getcooking@hecooks.com.au.

Produced and published by He Cooks Phone: 02 9326 6530 Email: getcooking@hecooks.com.au Web: www.hecooks.com.au Enquiries to: PO Box 491 Randwick NSW 2031 Dalton Corporation ACN 100 792 523 TRADE PRACTICES ACT 1974 The above Act contains strict regulation on advertising. It is not possible for this company to ensure that advertisements which are published in this magazine comply with the Act and the responsibility must therefore be on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement for publication. In case of doubt, consult your legal adviser. He Cooks magazine is published by Dalton Corporation Pty Ltd and is complimentary. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without Dalton Corporation’s prior permission. Liability howsoever as a result of use or reliance on advice, representation, statement, opinion or conclusion expressed in He Cooks Magazine is expressly disclaimed by Dalton Corporation Pty Ltd and all persons involved in the preparation of this publication.

He Cooks Update He Cooks Home Cooking School conducts cooking classes for all sorts of men of all ages, from 17 to 71 and beyond. The cornerstone of what we do is the six-week course, designed to meet the specific needs of men who want more confidence in the domestic kitchen. In our classes we assume no knowledge, but have found that the more a student knows about cooking, the more they learn from our experienced chef presenters. We have had over 2000 people enrol in our classes, and the two things they say they get out of it are that they find it relaxing, and it builds their confidence. This is everything that I wanted to achieve when I started the school three years ago. In February 2007 we will be starting classes in Brisbane and Perth, as we expand beyond our classes held at Glebe and Gordon in Sydney, and in Melbourne’s CBD. If you would like more details of course dates, menus, presenters and locations please visit our website: www.hecooks.com.au, or call: (02) 9326 6530 for Sydney, (03) 9606 2111 for Melbourne, (07) 3102 3129 for Brisbane and (08) 9467 4002 Perth. We have great retail offers on the equipment that we use and recommend in our classes, including the fantastic Calphalon One Range. The He Cooks range of equipment has been tested and built up over years. It represents that best quality and value that we can find and our professional chefs can recommend with confidence. The Beer Cooking Classes continue in 2007 where we talk about beer, cook with beer, eat what we cook and drink the beer, so if you like cooking and/or beer, this might be of interest! Details of these classes are on the back inside cover, and also on the website. There are two major projects for 2007 at He Cooks that go hand-in-hand. We want the He Cooks message of healthy home cooking that saves time and money and build’s men’s confidence to reach all of Australia. Thus we are developing ways that men will be able to access our material no matter where they are.

In addition we want men to be aware of the triple threats of Obesity, Heart Disease and Diabetes to their future. In the next three issues of He Cooks we will detail how we feel men can tackle these threats themselves, for not just for their benefit, but for the benefit of their families and our community. I’ll take this opportunity to thank all of the He Cooks presenters and staff for the amazing results we have got thus far. I thank all of the He Cooks students for their enthusiasm and feedback, as this is where all the many improvements at He Cooks have come from. Finally, I welcome any new students that will be coming to cook up a storm in 2007! Ben Dalton

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes "Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul." - Marilyn Monroe. So my friends, summer in definitely on the horizon now and a man’s thoughts very naturally turn to babes and beverages. Given I now write from the very respectable ‘family sedan’ of my middle years rather than the ‘sports coupé’ of my youth, there lies an opportunity to combine the two concepts of blondes and beer into a synergistic summer festival of bachanalian proportions. Blonde beer (or blond beer) is a fairly generic term used to cover a number of brewing styles; essentially blonde beers are ales that can be a pale straw in colour through to a deeper gold. Commercially, the distinction simply seems to be what the brewer decides to call the brew! Whatever the case, blondes are definitely the go for summer! They tend to be moderately hopped with a subtle/subdued malt, noted for citrus, spice and even banana notes, add to that a good level of carbonation and you have a quenching beer that still has flavour until the last drop!

PURE BLONDE Carlton & United Beverages have released Pure Blonde in response to more women wanting to enjoy the beer experience whilst not packing on the kilos commensurate with it. According to all reports the Pure Blonde has been a very popular product. I tried the product extremely cold and was well rewarded. It was very refreshing in the first instance but I wondered whether it could sustain me over a session. The Pure Blonde is clean and crisp when served icy cold but otherwise undistinguished. Food match: Go with fish and chips sitting on a beach somewhere!

cherries, kiwifruit, cloves and nutmeg on the nose. The colour is a deep gold colour and mouth feel is full and textured. An excellent choice for a hot day (but in moderation!). Food match: I would recommend cheese or even a dessert like a lemon/lime tart.

BONDI BLONDE NATURAL ALE Bondi Blonde is a blonde ale with a bright golden straw coloured ale. The Bondi Blonde claims to contain only natural ingredients, with no added sugars and no preservatives. Bondi Blonde is brewed using a blend of two distinct barleys, and one type of wheat. The wheat gives it a strong, healthy head, a smooth, natural beer with a mild after taste. Food match: Try seared scallops, cauliflower purée and herb salad with roast tomato oil (I have!).

UPCOMING HE COOKS BEER DEGUSTATION EVENTS As part of the He Cooks program for beer and self improvement, a number of beer degustation nights will be held in late 2006 and early 2007. They promise to be both sensational and informative evenings if the the trial events are anything to go by. The events will feature exceptional cooking in form of several courses matched up with premium imported beers. These nights are not about forcefitting beer with food but careful matching and balancing of flavours when preparing the menu. Any would-be beer and food fanatic or beer sommelier would be well advised to attend these nights.

Andrew McKinnon is a committed beer aficionado and has a passion for fine boutique crafted brew. He has written for number of publications and is a great supporter of the brewers’ craft. Andrew has travelled the world in his search for the perfect beer. As time progresses its often observed his head has become more ‘schooner-like’.

For further information about the He Cooks beer degustation events please send an email to getcooking@hecooks.com.au. Slainté mhath! (That’s Scots Gaelic for cheers!)

LEFFE BLONDE Leffe Blonde is brewed to the traditional recipe created in 1240 at the Abbey de Leffe in Dinant, Belgium The blonde is a bottle conditioned ale with a fairly high ABV of 6.6%. Highly hopped and aromatic the Leffe Blonde gives off lots of fruit,

Dates for Monteiths Beer and Food Classes are at back of this issue. For more details check out our website - www.hecooks.com.au

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

Chalice Bridge Wines www.chalicebridge.com.au

Is there more to WA wines than Margaret River? Is there more to Western Australian wines than Margaret River? If you have ever needed an excuse to visit Western Australia, wine as always provides the answer. Officially, Western Australia has nine wine making areas or appellations - Perth Hills, Perth's Swan Valley, The Blackwood Valley, Geographe, Great Southern, Manjimup, Margaret River, Peel and Pemberton. Wines have been produced in WA since 1829, beginning in the Swan Valley, just outside of Perth. As this can be quite a hot area, it typically produced some rustic reds and strong fortifieds. However, as seen in just about every wine producing area in Australia, it was in the late 1960’s and early 70’s that there was a significant expansion of the modern style table wines. In Western Australia, Margaret River led the way with quite a few boutique producers established such as Vasse Felix and Cullens.

From the outset, these pioneers concentrated on making high quality, not high volume wines. This has been the cornerstone for the region’s success, with Margaret River already recognized worldwide as one of Australia’s premium appellations. Margaret River is about 4hrs easy drive south of Perth is more or less on the same latitude as the Hunter Valley in NSW. However it is much cooler than the Hunter as it is surrounded on three sides by ocean. This means that the wines produced have full rich ripe varietal flavours, but retain elegant acids that gives the wine (when balanced) zip, structure and longevity. One style that Margaret River does so well is the refreshing, unoaked blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. This zesty and approachable style has been a signature of the region right from the outset, producing a wonderful aromatic and fruity (but not sweet) style that has a lovely smoothness sometimes due to a touch of malolactic fermentation (MLF). The Reds are also typically smooth, round, ripe yet layered structure and are very popular as the acids, fruit, oak, tannins and alcohol are more often than not in balance, which is the key to good wine. Established producers such as Leeuwin Estate and Cape Mentelle have expanded to well beyond the boutique size, but have not lost any status as their wines are consistently in the best of the categories they compete in. The Cabernet Tasting run each year by Cape Mentelle pits the finest Australian Cabernets of a selected year against the best in the world. This is well worth attending. Another great producer is Devils Lair, with the Margaret River Red and the Chardonnay always (in my opinion) in the top ten that Australia produces each year, punching well above their retail price weight. Established in 1981 with its own label wines being produced from 1990, the wines soon established a reputation for outstanding quality under winemaker Janice MacDonald (now at Stella Bella but also founding brewer at Little Creatures and founding winemaker at Chalice Bridge).

Moss Brothers Cellar Door – Wilyabrup WA.

In the early years, the Devil’s Lair Pinot Noir (now grafted to Cabernet) developed a cult status as

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

Killerby Vineyards - Geographe Region, WA.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS WHICH WINERY TO VISIT? To try the Devil’s Lair and Chalice Bridge wines, visit: The Margaret River Wine Centre 9 Bussell Hwy, Cowaramup Ph: 08 9755 5501 Amberley Estate Thornton Rd, Yallingup Ph: 08 9750 111 www.amberleyestate.com.au

Cape Mentelle Wallcliffe Road, Margaret River Ph: 08 9757 0888 www.capementelle.com.au

Capel Vale Mallokup Road, Capel Ph: 08 9702 1012 www.capelvale.com

desperate punters mortgaged the soul of their first born to get some of the extremely limited stocks. Similarly, the Fifth Leg White and Red also developed a ‘must have’ frenzy. Nowadays, the Fifth Leg Range is just as good as ever, is available all year round, and at half the price they used to be. There is now also a great Merlot /Cabernet Rose that is perfect for the approaching long lunches of summer! An up and coming winery to keep an eye on is Chalice Bridge. Established as a large family vineyard in 1998, the vineyards are further to the south, and a bit more inland than most. This means that the fruit takes longer to ripen, and thus retain a higher degree of cool climate characters and a fresh vitality. The Chalice Bridge Whites can be described as having an aromatic, fresh fruit driven style and the Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc and Un-Oaked Chardonnay are nothing if not refreshing.

www.cullenwines.com.au

The Reds have rich ripe black fruit character, but retain the hint of menthol and eucalypt that is a distinctive trait of the best of the Margaret River Region.

Juniper Estate Harman’s Rd South, Cowaramup Ph: 08 9755 9000

Chalice Bridge makes wines that are undeniably Margaret River, at an accessible price without sacrificing quality.

Cullen Wines Caves Rd, Cowaramup Ph: 08 9755 5656

www.juniperestate.com.au

Killerby Vineyards 12kms south of Bunbury, and Margaret River Ph: 1800 655 722 www.killerby.com.au

Leeuwin Estate Stevens Rd, Margaret River Ph: 08 9759 0000 www.leeuwineestate.com.au

Moss Brothers 341 Caves Rd, Wilyabrup Ph: 08 9755 6270 www.mossbrothers.com.au

Bootleg Brewery “An oasis of beer in a desert of wine” Cnr Pusey & Johnsons Rds, Willyabrup Ph: 08 9755 6300

at least one that will revive your palate and refresh your senses! If you do make the highly recommended trip to WA, try to drop in to Capel Vale and Killerby on the way back to Perth. Both wineries are to the north of Busselton, but before Bunbury. This is the Geographe Region, and the climate is much warmer than that of Margaret River only a short distance to the South. The climate here is more like the Swan Valley, thus the fruit gets riper quicker and picking is quite a bit earlier. The wines tend to be correspondingly bigger and stronger in style. If you can’t get to WA, the Houghton’s Regional Range is a great way to explore these other regions from the comfort of your living room or dining table, as the wines come from Pemberton, Dunsborough and Frankland River amongst other areas. The best way to check out all the WA wine regions have to offer is to see for yourself by taking a week to taste them in their native habitat.

But there is more to WA than just Margaret River. Other areas such as Frankland River have been producing outstanding Riesling for over 20 years, and newer regions such as Pemberton and Great Southern are already getting some notice, from both winemakers for components in blends, but also as great wines in their own right. If you can, set aside a week to explore these wines areas in the south-western corner below Margaret River around to Albany. Not only will you get to try some amazing wines, you will also be in one of the most beautiful parts of Australia. As always, a decent beer after all this wine tasting is a god-send. We visited the Bootleg Brewery for lunch on the way back to Perth and it was great! As there is a range of styles, not all the beers may be to your taste, but there will be

www.bootlegbrewery.com.au

10 HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2005

Devils Lair – www.devilslair.com.au

Is Your Kitchen Making You Sick? CLEAN UP YOUR ACT

SIX FOOD SAFETY RULES

With summer finally here and hot days and balmy evenings approaching us, correct food safety is paramount. Food poisoning bacteria, commonly pathogenic micro organisms, begin their ‘sickening’ journey to you in a number of ways. The bacteria can be present in the food brought into the house or may exist on the hands of those who are preparing and eating the food. The bacteria can also be present on the work surfaces of the kitchen and any equipment used in food handling. Naturally, any pests that enter the kitchen and tread over storage areas or work surfaces can also bring the bacteria.

Six ways to reduce the risk of food poisoning are listed in the following food safety rules:

Bacteria are living organisms; therefore they need food, water and the correct environment to multiply. In fact, the Salmonella bacterium is only one of the species of such bacteria; however the bacteria need to be present in large quantities, to cause food poisoning. High risk foods, such as moist animal foods for example milk, cream, eggs, meat, fish and poultry; and cooked moist rice and pasta, are favourite playgrounds for food poisoning bacteria. The Bacillus Cereus, one specific food poisoning bacteria, enjoys growing on starchy foods.

DANGER ZONES The temperature danger zone, 5°C to 60°C, is an essential fact for all men to know. Food poisoning bacteria can multiply very quickly on a high risk food item in this temperature zone, although most bacterium are happy growing in the middle of the temperature range at approximately 20°C to 40°C. Disgustingly, 1 bacterium can multiple to more than 16 million in 8 hours. Unfortunately, pathogenic bacteria can be transferred, via cross contamination, to other people, work surfaces, sinks, tea towels and dish cloths, cooking equipment and eating utensils and naturally to the food being prepared and then consumed. It must be noted that you are not trying to exterminate all micro organisms, that would be impossible as they surround us and are necessary and useful to our lives. You should focus on reducing the pathogenic bacteria that cause the illness and disease.

1. Food must be purchased from reputable, clean and fresh smelling shops. 2. Store your food correctly. Fresh foods and high risk foods must be kept out of the temperature danger zones. Ensure your fridge is working properly and the temperature inside is no greater than 5°C. 3. Wash your hands. Washing hands before, during and after food preparation reduces cross contamination. Correct hand washing must be taught to each member of the household. This means using warm water and soap, and importantly drying hands completely afterwards. Surprising to many, having wet hands helps you to pick up bacteria and transfer it to items and people, in fact, 10 times quicker than dry hands. 4. Pet food and human food must be kept separate. This includes the equipment used in handling such foods. Have individual and clearly marked pet food storage containers, bowls and utensils. Additionally, wash pet items separately from human items, washing your hands thoroughly before touching your own food.

Authored by Claire D. Spicer on behalf of William Angliss Institute of TAFE. William Angliss Institute of TAFE strives to provide specialist education, training and associated services to the Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts Industries. For more information, visit: http://shortcourses. angliss.vic.edu.au or ph: 03 9606 2111.

5. Food preparation tools should be well cared for. This includes washing them, rinsing them with hot water before leaving them stacked to air dry. Air drying is more hygienic than using damp tea towels which are one of the worst breading grounds for pathogenic bacteria. Dish cloths and sponges left on the side of sinks and stored in cupboards encourage bacterial growth. Try to dry cloths after use and ensure they are laundered regularly. Using a dishwasher to wash and rinse items used for food preparation is beneficial, however you must keep them clean and aired. 6. Keep kitchen work surfaces clean and tidy. Food and crumbs should not be left around at night as it invites pests to enter and feast.

To improve your kitchen’s hygiene and save $$$, see the FURI knife block and colour coded chopping boards on p12.

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

THE FÜRI TECH EDGE PRO SHARPENING SYSTEM Perfect Edges: Quickly. Easily. Professionally. The Füri Tech Edge Pro Sharpening System was developed by the engineers and chefs at Füritechnics Australia after years of research into cutting edges. The Tech Edge system is a big leap forward in knife sharpening technology, and is much faster, easier and more accurate than the traditional sharpening and honing tools it replaces, and far more professional than gadgets. Its fast, easy, accurate and great value!

HE COOKS

Product Code: FU001 RRP: $139.95

HE COOKS SPECIAL $99 – SAVE $40!

THE FÜRI PRO MAX SET The Füri Pro MaxSet is the ideal introduction to a world of real professional knives. Füri Pro knives were developed by engineers and chefs to perform for real working chefs. Based on years of research and practical experience, Füri Pro Knives are designed to perform like no other. Home gourmet cooks have increasingly demanded the same Füri Pro knives as chefs, so we put six of our most popular knives and our carving fork into the hygienic Füri Clean Store 2 knife block, to create the MaxSet. We also added our revolutionary Tech Hone sharpener, and left space for adding other Füri Pro knives of your choice. Product Code: FU003 RRP: $349.95

HE COOKS SPECIAL: $299.00 – SAVE $50!

WHY THE CLEAN CUT HYGIENIC CUTTING BOARD SYSTEM IS SO IMPORTANT Poor hygiene and food handling practices are a prime cause of food related illnesses .Cross-contamination is a serious food handling issue, including cutting inappropriate foods on the same cutting board. These risks are easily reduced by properly using the Clean Cut hygienic board system. When the cutting mats become extensively worn and scored from use as to make cleaning difficult they should be replaced.

TOP CHEFS RECOMMEND FÜRI® FX KNIVES

reasons aso why FÜRI® ason FX are X knives kni kn com om recommended by top p chefs ch Designed in Australia by engineers and chefs, the Füri® FX knife range solves the common problems found with most traditional knives. Füri® FX knives are revolutionary because only Füri® combines the following superior advantages. GRIP Wedge shape handle resist slip towards the blade even with wet or oily hands, making the Füri® FX a very safe and secure knife to use. DURABILITY No rivets or handle pieces to fall apart or melt due to its one piece seamless construction, and a lifetime warranty for manufacturing or material defects. HYGIENE One-piece seamless stainless steel alloy construction means no handle gaps or seams for food or germs to hide. Füri® FX is very easy to keep clean and hygienic. COMFORT Unique ergonomic handle shape fits the hand naturally. Chefs with arthritis helped design the mostcomfortable and usable handle ever. SHARPENING EASE Made from the finest German CrMoV alloy for supreme edge retention and corrosion resistance, so it requires less sharpening. Every Füri® FX knife comes standard with an extreme-sharp edge created by the Füri® Tech Edge Sharpening System.

Clean Cut Product Code FU002 Price: $89.95 Replacement Mat Product Code: FU004 Price: $49.95 (set of six). See article p11 about why the clean cut system is so important. To order, call 02 9326 6530 or go to our website www.hecooks.com.au

www.füritechnics.com

Rasa Cama: Not just rice and curry WHAT IS SRI LANKAN CUISINE? Sit down to a Sri Lankan meal, and you sit down to 2000 years of fusion cooking. It began with the earliest settlers, Tamils from the South of India and Bengalis from the Gangetic plain of North Eastern India. Then, as seafaring technology advanced, came traders riding the monsoonal winds from the Mediterranean and Arab worlds on the one hand, and China and South East Asia on the other. The foundations of this trade were spices, and when Portugal and the Netherlands took to the seas to seize control of the trade, they also naturally established trading posts in Sri Lanka. With the incorporation of the island into the British Empire, the transformation of the cuisines of these various nations into modern Sri Lankan cuisine was complete. Rice and curry form the basic menu, but it’s extended, turned on its head, and completely abandoned at times. So today Dutch slow cooked pot roasting techniques and indigenous lime pickle meet in Smoor. Arab steamed egg puddings are transformed into the palm sugar based desert, wattalappam. The Portuguese brought chilli and in return had their cakes enriched with coconut. Mulligatawny, the British Raj version of Indian pepper water, gets even more developed with specifically Sri Lankan touches. Chinese spring rolls fuse into roti rolls. Even the classic French omelette gets a re-working with eschalots and green chilli. But under all the fusion, there are some consistent regional ingredients that make the food distinctly Sri Lankan. There’s coconut; grated coconut in particular. It’s used fresh in the classic pol sambol and in mallungs, lightly sautéed and spiced mixes of shredded green vegetables. It’s also soaked and squeezed out to make coconut milk, the main liquid used to cook curries. Coconut oil is also extracted from it and used in some fried dishes, and it can also be turned into coconut vinegar. Versatile or what! By the way, the jury is still out on whether the fat in coconut is bad for you or not; but then, it’s not as if you are going to be eating Sri Lankan every night of the week either!

country’s history. The basic curry spices are coriander, cumin, fennel seed and turmeric, a foursome that is either ground and roasted for meat curries, or simply ground in fish, vegetable and egg curries. Then there’s a trio of spicy leaves that’s also a staple in many dishes – rampe (pandanus leaf), sera (lemongrass) and curry leaves, each adding degrees of pungency. Like South East Asian cuisines, Sri Lankan cuisine often balances sweet and sour, and spikes up the flavour with salty fishiness. The sweet often comes from cinnamon but in some dishes also comes from sugar. The sour comes from any one or combination of lime, tomato (first brought to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese), tamarind, and goroka. This last one is very particularly Sri Lankan, a fruit that’s dried whose use is virtually restricted to some fish and pork curries. For the fishiness, Sri Lankans don’t use fish sauce, but instead use Maldive fish, dried and smoked skipjack tuna, made in a way whose only near equivalent is apparently practiced in a small area of Japan. Go figure! Out of these basic flavourings, and drawing on a huge range of fruit, vegetables, seafood and a more limited range of meats, a cuisine has developed of tremendous variety and subtlety that’s well worth exploring.

Paul van Reyk Paul wants to turn Australians on to the richness of the cuisine of his native country. Paul has taught at the Seafood Cooking School and Accoutrement, runs a catering company (Buth Kuddeh), reviews South Asian restaurants (check out his recommendations in Sydney Eats) and runs foodie tours to Sri Lanka. Paul will be running a series of classes in Sri Lankan cooking in 2007 for He Cooks.

Check out his website www.paulvanreyk. com.au and hit the Food tab for recipes, reviews, and info on his tours. Dates for Paul’s classes with He Cooks in 2007 are on p22 of this issue.

Spice wise, you’ll find cinnamon flavouring virtually every curry. That’s no surprise. True cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and that’s the spice that everyone’s wanted to get control of throughout the

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

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'# -),.

#ALPHALON /NE )NFUSED !NODISED #OOKWARE IS A REVOLUTIONARY COOKING SURFACE THAT GIVES HOME CHEFS UNLIMITED CONTROL IN THE KITCHEN &OOD SIZZLES AND STICKS CREATING THE PERFECT SEAR AND THEN RELEASES WITH EASE 0ANS DEGLAZE BEAUTIFULLY AND EVEN CLEAN UP IS EFFORTLESS 0EOPLE WHO LOVE TO COOK WILL FEEL THE DIFFERENCE -ICHAEL ,AMBIE AND 4ONY n 4AXI $INING 2OOM -ELBOURNE

Three Must Have Items for Sensational Summer Cooking For sensational summertime cooking, here are three items that will enable you to cook just about anything from the He Cooks Course. In addition, you will get professional results by using top quality equipment. 1. Get a large (over 6ltr) stockpot with a pasta insert 2. A Wok (flat bottomed, esp if you are cooking on electric) 3. A good, heavy square grill pan The large stockpot will come in handy if you need to cook pasta for 6 people or more. I often hear of people cooking 500g of pasta in a pot not much bigger, and then wonder why the pasta would stick together, or not be fully cooked. As it (usually) says on the packet, you need a litre of water for every 100gms of pasta, so give the pasta some room! By sticking to the instructions (and the Italians take their pasta very seriously), you’ll get a much better result! We go through some of the ‘mythconceptions’ about pasta in Lesson 4 of the He Cooks Course. As an example, people often think that they have to add a little olive oil or butter to the water before boiling pasta. This is true if the pasta is fresh, but not if the pasta is dried! Similarly, you only rinse the pasta after cooking it if you are part pre-cooking a whole bunch. In most restaurants, we cook the pasta 3/4 of the way, rinse it and refrigerate it until the order comes through. We then finish cooking the pasta as we need it with whatever sauce is required.

One last thing, don’t add the salt to the water in the stockpot until it is boiling, stir then add the pasta. This way the salt will dissolve quickly and not corrode your lovely new pot! The Wok is perfect for cooking the Thai Squid Salad from He Cooks Lesson 6 – Seafood. The key is to get the surface nice and hot, and if the wok is well designed and of high quality, the heat will be evenly distributed along most of the surface. Add a little oil of your choice, and add a little of the ingredients at a time, and remove as soon as its cooked. By not adding too much at once, you’ll keep the temperature high, and you’ll get that lovely crisply seared affect. Finally, the square grill is a fantastic tool if you are (for example) one of more than 1.6 million Australians that live in a flat or apartment and thus may need an indoor BBQ. This means you get all the effects of a barbie, without having to go outside, scrape down the barbie, or go to the petrol station to get a refill cos you keep forgetting to turn off the gas at the bottle as well as the bbq! It’s always handy to have a nice heavy pan for lasagnas and other slow cooking dishes as well.

This article is an extension of Casimir Ross’ article about “The Evolution of Pots and Pans” in the last issue of He Cooks magazine. (Please go to the He Cooks website to request a free e-version of the mag – www.hecooks.com.au).

Terje Andersen Terje Andersen has worked in many restaurants in assorted Executive Chef roles and Chef Manager positions. Terje also had a couple of 'out of Perth' experiences in a small town called Moore north of Perth, and The Ningaloo Reef Cafe in Coral Bay. More recently, is yet again his own boss running a little cafe in the city called The Chambers Cafe in Howard St Perth. Terje is looking forward sharing his vast experience and professional knowledge with the men of Perth in 2007.

HE COOKS CALPHALON ONE SPECIALS Well it just happens that we have all these items on special! These premium quality tools are just fantastic, and if cared for, will last for years, making them an excellent buy. We especially recommend the sets supplied by Calphalon, as they mean great value. WHILE STOCKS LAST!

HE COOKS SPECIAL $299 Suggested Retail Price for the Set is $448 30cm Wok with lid as separate item RRP is $329, 28cm Square Grill as separate item RRP is $179

SAVE 33%!

CALPHALON 6.1LTR STOCKPOT WITH PASTA INSERT Suggested Retail Price $279

He Cooks Special $189

SAVE 33%!

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

Rates on the rise, what are your home loan options?

Brendan Gallagher is a principal of Financial Keys – financial advisers. Financial Keys provides advice on over $120 million of clients investments. Brendan has broad financial planning experience and advises clients from Australia and abroad. Brendan specialises in personal financial planning and corporate superannuation.

Financial Keys Suite 803, 37 Bligh Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Tel: 02 9233 3888 www.financialkeys.com.au

FIXED OR VARIABLE OR BOTH?

OTHER WAYS TO REDUCE THE PAIN

With the Reserve Bank already raising interest rates three times this year, most people with home loans are probably wondering what they can do to help ease the pressure.

Correct loan selection is very important. You don’t want to be paying for features you don’t use, or alternatively, you don’t want to be missing out of features that would save you money.

If you currently have a home loan, or are considering purchasing a property, taking some or all of your debt as a “fixed rate” loan is one way to reduce your stress levels. This simply means that for a specific period (anywhere between 1 and 10 years), your interest rate won’t change.

In reviewing clients' loans we often find there are areas where savings can be achieved. For example clients:

At the moment borrowers are able to obtain fixed rate loans at very close to the cheapest variable rate loans. In other words, the traditional “penalty” attached to fixed rates (i.e. a higher interest rate), doesn’t apply at the moment. For example, at time of writing, one major lender has a 5 year fixed rate loan of 6.99%, which is cheaper than any variable rate loan from any of the major lenders. The downside (there’s always a downside), is that fixed rate loans normally: • Only allow limited additional repayments on top of the required repayments. Not helpful if you are in a position where you are able to pay off your loan more quickly thanks to change of income, bonuses, windfalls etc. • Any extra repayments are normally not able to be accessed by you until the end of the fixed rate period (although some lenders now do offer a redraw on fixed rate loans). • If you break a fixed rate loan early, you can be up for substantial exit fees. A common solution is to split your loan, part fixed, part variable, and essentially hedge your bets. A typical $400,000 home loan might be split as follows: • Split 1: $50,000 variable • Split 2: $350,000 fixed for 3 years. The variable loan will allow additional repayments, redraw, and may even be linked to an offset account, and the fixed rate will give the protection against rate rises for the majority of the loan for the next three years.

16 HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

• May not need all the features of their current loan, and could easily switch to a cheaper basic loan either with the same lender or elsewhere; • May not be utilising possible features such as an offset account or a line of credit where they can deposit wages and other income to effectively reduce their interest costs; • Are simply not aware of the competitive loan packages available, and have previously considered the whole refinance idea too daunting. • Have money sitting in other accounts which could be better utilised sitting in their home loan reducing their interest costs; • May need to consolidate their loans; • May benefit from a shift to an interest only loan, particularly if you have a mix of non-deductible and deductible debt. • May need a review of their loan and investment structures to ensure they have an optimal configuration; So review your loan arrangements to ensure you're not paying more interest than you need to. If you need help evaluating your current loans or seeking out a more cost effective solution give us a call.

BBQ Dinner Party Summer is here, so lets venture over to the barbeque, whether it is tucked away in the shed or sitting all alone on the deck, remove the cover and the cob webs and bring the barbeque back to life.

SO WHERE DO WE START? Bruno Gentile Bruno is a multi award winning, classically trained chef who will be presenting our classes in Brisbane from Feb 2007.

Currently Executive Chef at Wilson’s Boathouse Seafood Restaurant, Bruno has extensive experience running his own restaurants, as well as teaching the commercial chefs of the future. The He Cooks students 2007 in Brisbane can look forward to getting a lot of professional tips that will improve their skills and increase their knowledge, delivered in Bruno’s relaxed yet professional manner.

While all care should be taken to clean the barbeque straight after using it, I think we are all guilty of leaving the cleaning to “Ron” (later on). So it’s out with the hot soapy water and plenty of elbow grease and away we go. • Firstly scrape of any residual food off the hot plate and grill plates. I find using a piece of alfoil crumbled up to form a ball, as a scourer, to scrape down the grill and hot plate is a helpful tool. • Using a can of cooking oil spray, spray the tops and bottoms of the plates and then turn the barbeque on. When the plates begin to smoke, turn the burners to low and leave the burners for 10-15 minutes depending on how badly dirty the barbeque plates are. • Turn the burners off and allow the plates to cool down completely. • Give the plates another good clean with hot soapy water using the alfoil ball. • Another quick spray with the cooking oil and you are ready to start cooking.

THE ENTRÉE: PRAWNS WITH TOMATO AND CAPER SALSA Serves 4 Ingredients: 16 1 tblspn 1 1 /2 cup 250g 1 cup 150g 1 x tblspn 2 x tblspn 2 x tblspn

Whole medium green prawns Extra virgin olive oil Garlic clove Salted capers Cherry tomatoes Parsley leaves Baby rocket Lemon rind Extra virgin olive oil Lemon juice Sea salt Cracked black pepper

Equipment: BBQ Chopping board Chef knife Tongs Strainer Pastry brush Mixing bowls Method: 1. Heat a BBQ or grill over medium heat 2. Peel the prawns and leave intact.

THE NEXT STEP - WHAT DO WE COOK?

3. Crush the garlic

While most people consider the barbeque as a device for cooking mostly meat and some seafood, I am going to show you how to execute a three course dinner party using the barbeque as the only cooking device. Best of all, you are going to be the star of the night and the envy of your friends, when they see the “Hidden Chef” within you.

4. Rinse and drain the capers

The menu for the night is a simple 3 course dinner, featuring an entrée, a main and a dessert. Yes that’s right, a dessert cooked on the barbeque. Most of the preparation for the recipes can be completed a couple of hours before the Barbeque dinner party starts, so that (most importantly) even you can enjoy yourself as well.

18 HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

5. Halve the cherry tomatoes 6. Wash the rocket 7. Brush the prawns with olive oil, add the garlic, salt and pepper and toss to coat 8. Cook prawns 1-2 minutes each side or until cooked through 9. Place in mixing bowl the capers, cherry tomatoes, rocket, olive oil and lemon juice and toss to coat. 10. Divide the salsa into small bowls 11. Top the salsa with the prawns and serve

THE BARBEQUE DINNER PARTY MENU Entree: Char Grilled Queensland Prawns With A Cherry Tomato And Caper Salsa On A Sea Of Wild Baby Rocket. Main: Oregano, Garlic And Chilli Flattened Chicken With Coleslaw Salad Dessert: Strawberry And Chocolate Compote With Vanilla Cream

Sea Salt Cracked Black Pepper

Chef’s hints on the entrée course Salad

Steps 2-7 can all be prepared before hand. To make lemon zest easier, line the fine side of a cheese grater with baking paper and rub the lemon over the paper to remove the zest. The paper will trap all the zest of the lemon while you are grating and will also make cleaning the grater easier. Remove the baking paper and carefully scrape the zest from the paper.

2 1 /2 cup 1 /4 cup 3

Iceberg Lettuces, Quartered Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves Chopped Chives Spring Onions, Chopped

Dressing /2 cup /4 cup

1 1

Whole Egg Mayonnaise White Wine Vinegar

Equipment:

CHEF’S TIPS FOR BUYING SEAFOOD

BBQ Mixing Bowls Kitchen Scissors Tongs Pastry Brush Wooden Spoon Chopping Board Chef’s Knife

•

Always buy seafood from a reputable and reliable fish monger

Method:

•

Look for fish that looks shiny, smells of the sea (not fishy) and has flawless flesh

•

When buying fresh whole fish look for shiny bright eyes, firm and intact scales that have not lifted from the skin. Also check the gills on the fish to ensure that the area is a red-pink colour.

THE MAIN: OREGANO, GARLIC AND CHILLI FLATTENED CHICKEN WITH COLESLAW SALAD Serves 4

1. Heat BBQ to low-medium 2. Use kitchen scissors to cut the backbone of the chicken 3. Trim off any excess fat and clean chicken. 4. Place the oregano, garlic, lemon juice, chillies, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix to combine. 5. Brush the chicken with half the marinade 6. To make the dressing place the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper into a small bowl and mix to combine.

1 x 1.5 kg chicken

7. Place the chicken skin side down on the BBQ and cook for 30-40 minutes, turning and basting every 10 minutes.

Marinade:

8. Remove the chicken from the barbeque and cut into portions.

Ingredients:

/4 3 1 /4 3 1 /2 1 /4 1

cup cup cup cup

Oregano Leaves, Chopped Garlic Cloves, Crushed Lemon Juice Small Red Chillies, Chopped Olive Oil Brown Sugar

20 HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

9. To make the salad place the lettuce, parsley, chives, green onions and dressing in a bowl and toss to coat

CHEF’S HINTS FOR COOKING MEAT Buy yourself a good quality cooking thermometer, which are readily available at most cooking shops. You can use this thermometer to probe your meat and ensure that the meat is cooked perfectly. The best way to use the thermometer is to insert the probe end into the thickest part of the meat that you are cooking. The probe will sense the internal temperature of the meat and give you an indication of how far the meat is cooked. As a general rule meat is cooked when the internal temperature is at:

THE DESSERT: STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE COMPOTE WITH VANILLA CREAM Serves 4 Ingredients: 250g 200g 1 x cup 1 x tspn

Strawberries Dark Cooking Chocolate Double Cream Vanilla Extract

Equipment: BBQ Aluminum foil Mixing bowl Spoon Whisk

Beef rare

60°C

Beef medium

71°C

Beef well done

82°C

Poultry

85°C

Lamb

85°C

Method:

Veal and pork

77°C

1. Heat a BBQ to low heat 2. Wash strawberries and hull

When cooking meat try to avoid turning and handling the meat too many times. Try brushing with a little oil, marinades or basting during the cooking process, to add more flavour and preventing drying out of the meat. Remember to always season your food with salt and pepper, as these spices bring out the flavours of your ingredients, Chefs call this 'bringing out the flavour.' Once the cooking process has completed allow the meat to rest. The best way to rest the meat is to use a baking tray with a cooling rack inside it. Place the meat on the rack, cover the baking tray with alfoil and let the meat rest for approx 5-10 minutes, the bigger the cut of meat, the longer the resting time. The reason we allow the meat to rest after cooking is that the resting period prevents muscle shrinkage and/or tightness and minimal moisture loss. The meat fibres will relax and the moisture and juices inside the meat will become evenly distributed which allows for a succulent and tender meat. The best tool to use when cooking meats is a pair of tongs. Forks are unadvisable as they tend to pierce the meat and allow juices to run out, whereas tongs are gentler on the meat.

3. Break cooking chocolate in small pieces 4. Wrap strawberries and chocolate tightly in foil 5. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side or until chocolate is melted 6. Place cream and vanilla in a bowl and gently whisk to combine. 7. Carefully remove strawberries and chocolate from foil 8. Place on plates and top with vanilla cream. So there you have it! A three course dinner party cooked and prepared by you for your guests, and where you can sit back enjoy the day as well. They will be totally surprised by your efficient and effortless work and how relaxed you have been all day. The food presentation is delightful, the fragrant aromas coming from the barbeque have been sensual and the CHEF in you has emerged!

Chef’s hints on the main course Steps 2, 3, 5 and 6, can all be prepared before hand. If you are not confident in removing the backbone from the chicken, you can ask your butcher to do so or you can buy the chicken already cut into portions. If you are using preportioned chicken, bear in mind that the cooking time will be reduced to approx 10-15 minutes and the smaller pieces of chicken will cook faster than the bigger pieces of chicken. If you have a hood/ lid for your barbeque you can close the lid and your cooking time will be reduce, as the closed hood traps more heat in, this will create an oven effect for your food. Check your food more often when using the hood until you gain more experience in cooking with the hood closed.

Check out the details of our BBQ classes on the inside front cover of this issue!

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

He Cooks Classes 2007 Sydney COURSE OUTLINE Lesson One Intro

He Cooks Glebe Campus – Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Bay

He Cooks Gordon Campus – Ravenswood School for Girls

All classes are from 6.30pm - 9.30pm

Lesson 1 – Introduction to He Cooks (all students to complete this class)

INGL0107 - Monday 5th February

INRA107 - Monday 12th February

Lesson 2 Eggs & Dairy

INGL0207 - Monday 19th February

INRA207 - Monday 26th February

Lesson 3 Fruit & Vegetables

Intro Course ICGL107

Intro Course ICRA107

Lesson 2 - Tuesday 20th Feb

Lesson 2 - Monday 5th March

Lesson 4 HE Rice & Pasta

C O Lesson OKS 3 - Tuesday 27th Feb

Lesson 5 Meat, Game & Poultry Lesson 6 Seafood

Lesson 3 - Monday 12th March

Lesson 4 - Tuesday 6th March

Lesson 4 - Monday 19th March

Lesson 5 - Tuesday 13th March

Lesson 5 - Monday 26th March

Lesson 6 - Tuesday 20th March

Lesson 6 - Monday 2nd April

Details of class menus, INGL0307 - Monday 16th April INGL0407 - Monday 30th April dates and locations can be found on our website: www.hecooks.com.au Intro Course ICGL207 Lesson 2 - Tuesday 8th May

INRA307 - Monday 18th June

Lesson 3 - Tuesday 15th May Lesson 4 - Tuesday 22nd May Lesson 5 - Tuesday 29th May Lesson 6 - Tuesday 5th June

INGL0507 - Monday 25th June

SRI LANKAN COOKING COURSE These hands on and demo classes can be taken as a course, or separately. All classes 11.30am – 2.30pm at Glebe SUGL0107 - Saturday 3rd February SUGL0207 - Saturday 3rd March SUGL0307 - Saturday 14th April SUGL0407 - Saturday 5th May

22 HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007

WHAT A GREAT GIFT! You can purchase He Cooks classes now, for our courses in February 2007! Gift vouchers are available so he can select the dates that suit him, or you can go to our website to get confirmed dates for 2007: www.hecooks.com.au

He Cooks Classes held here!

Melbourne TEAM – BUILDING AND CORPORATE CLASSES

William Angliss Institute of TAFE - 555 La Trobe St Melbourne CBD

We have specialized, fun classes designed to get your team and/or clients working together in a task that’s good enough to eat!

Classes in Melbourne are from 6.00pm - 9.00pm

We have provided some great classes for clients such as Microsoft, Telstra, Macquarie Bank, Horticulture Australia and Millers Storage.

WA05111 - Monday 22nd January

Email getcooking@hecooks.com.au to enquire about what we can do to make your next team building exercise memorable, fun and effective!

(NB: Private, Team Building and Corporate Classes are not just for guys).

Lesson 1 – Introduction to He Cooks (all students to complete this class)

WA05111 - Monday 29th January

WA05112 - Intro Course Lesson 2 - Monday 5th February Lesson 3 - Monday 12th February Lesson 4 - Monday 19th February Lesson 5 - Monday 26th February

BEER COOKING COURSE

Lesson 6 - Monday 5th March

We talk about beer, we cook with beer, we eat what we cook, and we drink the beer! These classes can be taken as a course, or separately. All classes 11.30am – 2.30pm

Brisbane & Perth

Summer Monteith’s Summer Ale Tempura Trout with Salad Dual Handmade Ravioli (Pumpkin, and Spinach and Ricotta) with Sage and Pinenut Cream Sauce – matched with Monteith’s Golden Lager Sydney: Saturday 17th February Melbourne: Saturday 24th February Brisbane: Saturday 3rd March Perth: Saturday 10th March

Please go to our website: www.hecooks.com.au or call numbers below for class details.

To book or purchase classes as a gift, please go to our website: www.hecooks.com.au, email getcooking@hecooks.com.au or call:

HE COOKS: PERTH

(08) 9467 4002

Autumn

BRISBANE

(07) 3102 3129

Black Mussel Risotto with Monteith’s Pilsner

MELBOURNE

(03) 9606 2111

Monteith’s Celtic Braised Duck with Spiced Red Cabbage and Bread Dumplings

SYDNEY

(02) 9326 6530

Sydney: Saturday 17th March Melbourne: Saturday 24th March Brisbane: Saturday 14th April Perth: Saturday 21st April

HE COOKS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2007