Recipe of the month

Method

Preheat oven to 160C
Process the pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, add the polenta, flour and baking powder.
Melt the butter and add it to the olive oil
Whisk the eggs with the sugar until light
Add the oil and butter mixture
Whisk in the pistachio mixture
Whisk in the juices and zest
Bake in a greased and floured tin at 160C for 45 minutes
Rest in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a cake rack.

Olive Oil Ice Cream

with Jacques Reymod

Ingredients

•  250ml milk
•  50ml cream
• 20g milk powder
• ½ tsp tremoline (stabiliser)
• 200ml olive oil
• ½ dry vanilla bean
• ¼ tsp dry kaffir lime zest
• flake salt
• pepper

Method

Bring milk and cream to 30`C; add tremoline and milk powder and bring to 80`C.

Add vanilla; cool in fridge until room temperature.

Add kaffir lime zest, and a pinch of salt and pepper; infuse for 1 minute; strain.

Put milk mix in Thermo-mix (blender) on speed 5; drizzle in olive oil until all has been emulsified.

Pour into Paco-jet container and freeze for at least 24 hours before churning.

Artichoke & parmesan gratin

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 5 x 280g btls Sandhurst Artichoke Hearts, drained
• 50g (2/3 cup) fresh breadcrumbs(made from day-old bread)
• 20g (1/4 cup) shredded parmesan
• 2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tbs Australian extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the artichokes, in a single layer, in a baking dish.

Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley and thyme in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Drizzle over oil. Toss to combine.

Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the artichokes. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

If you don’t know about the brilliance of certified Australian extra virgin olive oil …where have you been? On the moon?

By now, we all know about the health aspects of this golden green luscious liquid but it is it’s culinary versatility that gets the taste buds quivering with anticipation. There is really nowhere in cooking that it can’t be used:

• Steamed with very good cocoa,
  eggs and a couple of other
  ingredients, it makes a moist and
  long storing chocolate cake.

• Used with canned tuna, EVOO
  makes an excellent ‘tonnato’ sauce
  to pour over cool poached veal

• wisp a film of it onto whiting fillets
  to add that protective, non-stick
  flavour addition for pan frying

• …oh and then there’s the flavour.

Nothing brings steamed potatoes to their peak like a drizzle of certified Australian EVOO …cooked pasta with semi roasted tomatoes, ricotta and some certified Australian EVOO makes an easy lunch that is really delicious.
I knew I loved cooking when I watched egg yolks romance olive oil to make mayonnaise in my first cooking class in 1970. It seemed to me a miracle but it was a simple emulsion sauce that I have used forever as a base for so many flavoured dollops. Just on its own, hand made mayonnaise (made with certified Australian EVOO) is fabulous. In the recipe, it is used again for a verdant aiöli that shows the versatility of this oil. If all else fails, rub it into you hair, or throw it to your partner to precipitate a friendly massage. A tablespoon of it oozed over your palate is a simple reinforcement of this sacred and succulent versatile oil’s excellence.

Prosciutto prawns with rocket aiöli

Ingredients

16 large green King prawns, peeled completely and de-veined

16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes or metal skewers

8–16 slices prosciutto

Take each prawn and thread it onto a skewer starting from the tail. Roll each prawn in prosciutto so as to cover all the prawn. Store on cling wrap covered plate in the refrigerator until ready to use.

The size of the slice of prosciutto will depend on the size of the prawns being used.

Cook the prawns on a medium hot flat plate turning regularly for even cooking. When the top (head end) of the prawns is completely white, they are ready to eat. The prosciutto wraps around the prawn very tightly as it cooks — serve with a bowl of the aiöli.

Rocket aiöli

Makes 1–2 cups
4 medium cloves garlic
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 egg yolks
½ cup blanched and well drained rocket
125mL Australian extra virgin olive oil1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put the garlic, salt and egg yolks and rocket into the food processor bowl and work for 30 seconds.
When this mixture is starting to thicken, slowly pour the oil down the feeder shoot. As it takes, you can add the oil a little more quickly until finished. Use immediately or store up to five days only and stir in the lemon juice as you serve.