The Friday Feast | 16 August, 2024

Affordable steaks, “overcooked” greens, and looking to Spring

Winter is in its final throes. Spring is in ascension. The signs are all there. Buds are just beginning on trees, the Rhododendrons and Jonquils are out, and the icy chill has left the air. This means at the merest hint of an opportunity, the cooking moves outside. We’re getting our BBQ eye in, getting the last of the winter veg out of the garden and into a pan, and looking to the coming season.

Affordable BBQ via gentle pounding

Cheffy-pants has been working on a technique to turn underrated cuts into tender grilled steaks. Prime cuts are prime, but we can have just as good a time with the underrated cuts. Everyone can chuck some chuck into a slow cooker. But that season is behind us, and it’s time to hit the grill hard.

Pounding is an age-old technique for tenderising tough cuts, and it’s been somewhat neglected in contemporary cuisine. There is more to an excellent pounding than chicken parmies. With a few licks from a sharp knife, a few whacks with a meat mallet, and a good marinade, one can turn a lamb leg or pork shoulder into a grillable cut. The technique in question is the butterfly, precisely as you’d do for a chicken schnitty. You’re cutting into the meat laterally to be able to increase its surface area and reduce its thickness. What this also does is cut connective tissue and muscle groups, which allows the pounding to be effective. Once butterflied, put the cut between some baking paper and hit it with the meat mallet, firmly, until you feel the muscle fibres start to give way. Then, flip the mallet to the studded side, and texturise the surface.

Pick your cut, apply this technique, add this marinade, and start experimenting.

Marinade: two shallots, two cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of thyme leaves, four sprigs of rosemary, a teaspoon of sea salt, and half a teaspoon each of ground coriander seed, smoked paprika, and chilli flakes. Blitz with 125mls of vegetable oil until smooth.

“Overcooked” greens

Here, we mean both idiomatically, as in old silverbeet plants in the garden, and literally: overcooked. Some winter leaves have this weird property of being delicious when cooked briefly, awful when cooked too long, but then becoming delicious again when cooked even longer. SIlverbeet is one such example, and savoy cabbage is another. You’re probably thinking, ‘I’m so sick of ruddy silverbeet’, and no one would blame you. But if you are growing it, then this is a great way to get that thing out of the ground in time for spring. If you’re not growing it, well, maybe you’re not sick of silverbeet and this is the idea for you!

Perfect with, say, a butterflied and marinated lamb leg…

Separate the white stems and green leaves from the silverbeet leaves. Finely slice the stems and leaves, keeping them separate. With a finely sliced shallot and clove of garlic, begin to sauté the stems gently in plenty of butter. Cook for about 8 minutes until the stems are very soft. Add a few tablespoons of stock, and continue to cook. Let the stock cook away until it’s a glaze, then add a few more tablespoons. Repeat this 2 or 3 times, until you can crush the stems against the roof of your mouth with your tongue. Add the sliced green leaves and repeat. They’ll go a bit brown, and you’ll freak out, but trust us. When you can crush the leaves between your thumb and forefinger, you’re good to go. Make sure to finish with the stock reduced right down to a glaze and a little touch more butter.

Looking to Spring

We love winter. Sort of. It has its charms, and there is plenty to do and eat during winter in Tassie, but no one can deny that they’re looking longingly in Spring’s direction. We like what we’re hearing from the farmers about their hopes for the coming Spring and Summer, too. There are a few spring recipes and party menu plans that we’ve been dying to bust out. Asparagus soon. Lamb has already started. Herbs are already on. Beans and peas. New garlic, oh, how we yearn for the new garlic season. Flowers in abundance to come. We’re as busy as ever getting ready to bring it all to you, and we couldn’t be more excited about doing so.

Thanks for reading! See you in the morning.

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