Friday, August 17, 2012

Winter meals with a difference

Lauraine JacobsBy Lauraine Jacobs| Published on August 17, 2012 | NZ Listener - Issue 3771


Right - Pork sausage and butter bean soup, photo Devin Hart

As new restaurants open their doors, they need to produce something exciting and enticing to stake a claim on the dining public’s interest. Too often, new eateries are echoes of existing establishments, especially in their menu. Don’t you hate perusing a menu only to see the same old stuff just with lightly altered garnishes? We have seen some twists and turns in Wellington and Auckland recently, with Mexican menus to the fore. But although Mexican food may be the hot new thing, you’ll be left feeling short-changed if you have dined in Mexico City or elsewhere in that rich and diverse country. The aromas of masa harina (the stone-ground corn flour essential for tortillas and other Mexican specialities) should pervade the restaurant, but I have yet to smell them here – apart from in one tiny Ellerslie cafe that’s as authentic as any in Mexico. The key to a successful menu is the chef, or a restaurant/cafe owner who can really cook. Maybe the theme will be drawn from a fascinating and distant cuisine, the product of immersion in another culture, or simply reflect a fine idea whose time has come.

Other ways to stand out might include emphasising a particular cooking method or zeroing in on a key ingredient. Our country is full of farmers who produce high-quality beef and lamb, yet we have few of the steakhouses popular overseas. South American grill-over-fire restaurants have caught on in Sydney, so it shouldn’t be long before we have them here. We already have a plethora of sushi places in our cities, and now we’re starting to enjoy other Japanese cooking styles in robata grills and yakatori bars. At Two Fifteen Bistro, on Auckland’s Dominion Rd, owner/chef Jeremy Schmid prepares and makes a wide variety of cured meats and sausages. There are several specialists who manufacture smallgoods for supply to restaurants and cafes, but Schmid has such a passion he offers an extensive range of his own tasty treats on his menu. It’s worth a visit to try his house-made charcuterie: a platter of air-dried beef, smoked pork, chorizo and sausage. Chewy, well-flavoured and prepared with the best ingredients, this food sets his restaurant apart. Many of his dishes incorporate these meats, as in these two recipes, which are served at the restaurant and feature in his new book. They won’t be quite the same without Schmid’s fine meats, but use the best sausages or dried, cured pork you can. This is a quick and easy winter soup. For a heartier soup, add a cup of diced vegetables when cooking the sausages. You may need to add a little more liquid, too.
Full piece including recipes at The NZ Listener

Chef Jeremy Schmid reveals his expertise in Bangers to Bacon (New Holland, $45), which is filled with tips for curing, brining, smoking and air-drying meat. He includes comprehensive instructions for creating your own sausages, with step-bystep photographs showing how to achieve that professional look. He also has easily achievable recipes from his restaurant menu that are bound to be family favourites. This exciting book is beautifully illustrated with photography by Devin Hart.

For more on this book and further recipes link here.


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