Chicken with Okra

I received a bag full of home grown okra the other day from a new friend, for those who don't know it is a long green or purple vegetable that looks like a chilli but is not hot.  It doesn't have a lot of taste, but has soft texture when cooked well.

This dish was made in a French style, with butter and cream, you can just use vegetable oil and stock if you wish.

4 chicken legs, skinned
1 1/2 cups home made chicken stock
good knob of butter
1 tbsp grape seed oil
1 onion, diced finely
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 handfuls of okra, cut and washed

In a frying pan, brown the chicken legs in hot butter and oil. Season with sea salt.
Set aside in a warmed casserole dish (I use my italian dish)
Add onion and fry gently for a couple of minutes in the oil and butter until clear (about 2 minutes)
Add stock to the pan and deglaze.
Pour the onion and stock over the chicken
Add sliced okra, and spoon dijon mustard over the chicken.
Season with more a little more salt if necessary (be careful if stock is store bought)
Cook with a lid on in a medium oven about 180deg C for 50 minutes
To thicken the sauce, remove chicken and okra from the dish, and pour stock into a sauce pan, bring to boil, add a knob of butter and 1 tbsp cream.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and okra in a large serving bowl.

Delish

Vine Pull in Griffith

In a sign of the times, there are many blocks like this around Griffith

Piles of vines waiting to be burned

Abandoned, too expensive to maintain, and no market

Glad I didn't invest in the wine industry 10 years ago :)

Italian food here in Griffith

Griffith has a long history of Italian culture. Last nite I was fortunate to receive a beautiful feast with my friends Natalie and Rick. Natalie is Italian descent.

Menu

gondoletti (Italian crumbed steak)
tuna and rice balls crumbed with parmesan
potatoes with olives and herbs
char grilled capsicum with olive oil and chili
salad of mushrooms, tomato passata, sweet corn
lovely sweet potato in olive oil, baked in foil
garlic bread

wine from my cellar, a crisp dry white
set amongst the ripening shiraz vines on a cool summer evening...

Australian Politics' Finest Hour?

Multiculturalism is a divisive subject; similarly immigration. But when I saw this piece about Immigration I just had to laugh.

Teresa Gambaro, Opposition Spokesperson on Citizenship has suggested new migrants on work visas are not integrating into the mainstream as they should. 

"Without trying to be offensive, we are talking about hygiene and what is an acceptable norm in this country when you are working closely with other co-workers," she said.

Wearing deodorant and waiting in line politely were about "teaching what are norms in Australia". *

Since when has wearing deoderant and waiting patiently in line being one of the 'important norms' of Australian society?

What about Ms Gambaro's level of personal hygiene?  How is it rated? Looking at her press photos, her hair looks out of place.  Is that a sackable offence?  Go back to your electorate you grubby politician!

From her absurd comments I would assume she never smells in public, or pushes ahead of somebody in the supermarket queue like the rest of us...and anyway, who would care if she did?

As for other parliamentarians: I suspect Mr Abbott would need a bottle of Brut 33 after running a marathon, the chubby Ruddy always looks in need of aircon, and Senator Conroy, being a pom probably only has a bath once a week...

 

Teresa Gambaro (pic lifted from the net, oops)

 

* Daily Telegraph 10/1/12

Aussie Bucco

it's not quite a classic Osso Bucco, it doesn't even contain veal.  It is 100% homegrown.  But it works.

3 large pieces of Beef shin, you know the osso bucco cut that has the big round bone
1/2 litre chicken stock
fresh tomato, sliced thickly (used homegrown grosse lisse)
salt, pepper, flour
1 small onion, diced finely
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp grape seed oil
1 tbsp grape seed oil, extra
lemon juice, chopped parsley

lightly dust the beef in seasoned flour by dipping in flour, shake the excess flour off.
In a heavy fry pan over high heat, seal the beef on both sides in the oil. Remove and set aside.
In the extra grape seed oil, cook the finely diced onion over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, and reduce over high heat for 5 minutes.
In a good baking dish, place the beef and cover with the sauce.  add sliced tomato and bake for 2 hours at 150deg C.
Serve with mashed potato, chopped parsley and lemon juice.
Drink with a Hunter Shiraz (if you can afford it).

It's italian inspired, but aussie made

Westend Estate Cellar Door

This is Griffith's answer to a Tuscan villa: stucco, grapevines, large doors and oakbarrels.
I had to pinch myself I wasn't in Italy, all I needed was a decent view and it would have been complete.  That said, it is only 5 minutes from home..

The cellar door is a warm environment for tasting, well lit, the displays are clean and tidy; it's a place for browsing and taking in the history of the winery and the Italian-Australians in the Riverina, since 1945. On the menu are the almost complete range of current releases wines, from the cool climate series, Riverina, reds, whites, sparkling, moscatos, stickies and fortifieds.  Most of the wines are well priced too: owners the Calabria family certainly do value for money.  Wines such as the Richland Range, well made quaffers which are widely available, some will improve in the cellar for up to 5 years: $9.95 a bottle.  No need to buy a dozen to get a good price.  A step up the rung is the 3-bridges range, for less then $20 you can get a pretty good red such as the bold but eminently drinkable Durif or a classic warm climate Oz Shiraz destined for the back of the cellar, only to be pulled out at 10pm when you've polished off the fancier plonk and discarded the bow tie.

There are wines for every body and every occasion, and a couple of oddities: Aglianco (a mouthfull of medium bodied red wine wrapped around leathery tannin) and the interestingly perfumed and smokey tasting St Macaire (another red which would come into its own with antipasto one would assume).

I will definitely be taking the family there after Christmas.  Wine Cellars don't have to be showy to be good: just offer friendly service, affordable wine, a smile and no pretentions.  Throw in a sense of place, and you have a destination worth visiting.

(Whilst I was there, Win TV were doing a piece to Camera on the 3 bridges 'Golden Mist' Botrytis Semillon. Apparently it is being served on V-Australia.  There you go, good promotion for the business and the Riverina.)

Horse Racing’s $150Million dollar windfall.

Sydney’s Randwick racecourse is receiving $150 Million in government money for the upgrade of grandstands, a fancy new horse parade ring and turning the racecourse into yet another facility for corporate functions, public and private entertainment.
Is this a good idea?
Should the public purse be used for what is essentially a gambling institution?
The NSW Racing industry is a billion dollar industry. Whilst there is no doubt it contributes to the economy, and stimulates growth, provides jobs etc, does it have to be subsidised by the taxpayer? I am not sure.
Anyway, I thought I would have a look at a few facts and figures on Racing in NSW:
Returns to owners, including prize money and starting bonuses of $141 Million in 2009-10
The State’s richest race, the Golden Slipper for 2 y.o.s is worth $3.5 Million in prizemoney
Upgrade of Randwick Racecourse… $150 Million
Amount received by Racing NSW from Tab Corp each year, for the licence to run NSW betting…$150 Million. A common theme?
Amount received by Racing NSW from other sources of gambling outside the state: $54Million per year
Amount wagered on racing in NSW each year…$4 Billion
Additional NSW Government subsidy for regional NSW Racing over the next 2 years…$5 Million
Amount in NSW State Budget 2011/12 to reduce problem gambling in NSW… $14.5 Million
Budget of the State of NSW $60 Billion
$150 Million divided by the number of households in NSW (2.5Million) and it equates to roughly $60 per household. That is $60 that could be used to help pay the electricity bill.
View from the corporate box overlooking the winning post at Royal Randwick…pricelessAre we getting value for our money?

You be the judge…


Mr Ed: Laughing all the way to the bank..