Foods

Recipes

Mix the ham and chicken together and keep to one side.
In a wok over high heat, bring the oil to smoking point and add the garlic. Stir for 5 seconds and add the mixed meats.
Using the back of a large spoon or a wok spatula, mash the meat so it does not get lumpy. Pour in the hoisin sauce and ½ cup of water, then add the water chestnuts. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cilantro and stir in.
To make the sauce, mix together the sweet chili sauce (or substitutes), soy sauce and lime juice.
Serve the choi bao in a large bowl in the middle of the table with the lettuce cups and sauce to one side.
TIP: It is sometimes difficult to get enough lettuce-leaf cups from a regular lettuce, so try using cos lettuce. The individual leaves are removed from the stem, trimmed, washed and crisped in the refrigerator. They are shaped more like boats than cups, but they are much easier to handle.
Recipe courtesy of Peter Howard
Image copyright of Joe Filschie 2004

Australian Shiraz is the perfect complement to this dish.

In a medium bowl, combine dressing ingredients and gently mix.
Preheat the grill to hot. Make sure the grill bars are clean. Brush the salmon fillets with olive oil and sprinkle Lemon Pepper on both sides. Put the fillets presentation side down on the grill and cook for 2 minutes, then turn over and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the fish from the grill and rest for 1-2 minutes in a warm place; this will give you medium-rare salmon.
Place one salmon fillet on each of four large white plates. Top each filet with dressing and serve immediately.

Australian Chardonnay is the perfect complement to this dish.

Four 9 oz. sirloin steaks, preferably 2 inches thick and marbled

Trim the steaks of all fat that you don't want (leaving some on is a source of great flavor). Grind over with black pepper and set to one side.
For the Butter:
In a mixing bowl, mash all the ingredients together with a potato masher and then whisk to combine. The finished butter can then be placed in a serving bowl and refrigerated until ready for use. Alternatively, it can be rolled in greaseproof paper to a sausage shape and frozen.
For the Steaks:
Cook the steaks on the grill of your very hot barbecue. Leave for 2 minutes, then flip onto another part of the barbecue where no meat has rested. (The reason for this is that the heat will have gone from the place where you've just cooked, and you need heat to seal the meat.) Cook a further 2 minutes, then turn onto a spot that has medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side if you like your steak cooked to medium. For rare, cook the steaks for the initial 2 minutes on each side and then a further 1 minute on each side; for well done, cook for the initial 2 minutes on each side and then a further 5 minutes on each side. Lift the cooked meat onto a warmed plate and leave to sit for 3 minutes.
Serve on individual plates with the butter either served on the side in a bowl with a spoon (remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before use), or cut into 1 cm thick rings if using the freezer method. The butter is delicious as it melts over the steak.
Recipe courtesy of Peter Howard
Image copywright Joe Filschie 2004

Australian Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz is the perfect complement to this dish.