Pizzazz at Il Nido, Balgownie NSW

The Il Nido Restaurant in Balgownie NSW opens only on evenings from Tuesdays to Sundays.

The patriarch of the family run place maintains a rather friendly atmosphere with his wife Diane and son Adrian. It is popular with local family groups.

On a recent week night, a group of us had a variety of thin crust pizzas to accompany the pan fried king fish, seafood penne and Hunter Valley wine. Above, generous servings of prosciutto on a well done and freshly made crust.

Above, the garlic bread as starters and below, potato and chorizo as toppings. Chorizos come with a hint of a spicy bite, and although I prefer the fresh versions, on pizzas, the fermented, cured or smoked types are often better.

Nothing like a bit of feta cheese to liven up a well dressed Italian inspired salad serve.

Red Chilli Sichuan Restaurant, Chatswood NSW

In Chinese script (above),the name of the establishment,at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Neridah Street in northern Sydney's Chatswood, means it is the "House of Well Water", an indirect reference to a source of wealth and resources.  The Red Chilli Sichuan Restaurant in English can be snappy and easier to remember, but it is the quality of the food served that will make diners return. Janie and Joyce joined me on a Sunday evening to sample the Sichuanese cuisine that this House offers.   The place we visited, opposite the Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre,  is only but one of a chain operating in the Sydney area.

I am a fan of duck dishes,whether from Tassie, Europe or Asia.  Smoked duck (above) is made by infusion with a choice of tea or lychee - and cooked with camphor wood fire for the aromatic effect.

The version dished out by the House of Well Water was moist, hinted of rubbed spices and with lean meat.

I share below a straight forward recipe I found from

http://m.ifood.tv/recipe/sichuan-smoked-duck

Sichuan Smoked Duck recipe

Servings4

Cusine: Chinese

CourseMain Dish

Main Ingredients: Poultry

Ingredients

1 fresh duck

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered Sichuan peppercorns or sansho

3 spring onions, coarsely chopped

8 cm (3 in) ginger, sliced

1/2 cup Chinese rice wine

3/4 cup black Chinese tea leaves

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup bay leaves

4 whole star anise

2 sticks cinnamon, each 8 cm (3 in) in length

4-6 spring onions, white part only, shredded

Sauce:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder or sansho

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon oil

Directions

GETTING READY

1) Wash and pat dry the duck.

2) Sprinkle the duck inside and out with salt and Sichuan pepper by massaging properly.



MAKING

3) Pour over the rice wine and leave to marinate for 45 minutes.

4) Remove the duck from the marinade.

5) Ina wok, heat some water, lower the bird into the wok.

6) With a large ladle, scoop the water over the duck.

7) Blanch for 1 minute, drain and leave to dry while preparing the smoking ingredients.



FINALIZING

8) In a bowl, mix tea leaves, anise, and other ingredients. Put it in the wok.

9) Heat over a moderate fire, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, then put a rack over the smoking ingredients.

10) Place the duck on the rack, cover the wok and smoke the duck over low heat for 1 hour.

11) In individual bowls, put the stirred sauce.

12) In individual bowls, again, put spring onions.

13) When the duck has been smoked, remove from the wok, discarding the smoking ingredients.

14) Heat oil for deep frying and fry the smoked duck over very high heat, turning to cook all over to a golden brown.



SERVING

15) Drain, cut into serving pieces and serve with Steamed Dumplings

16) Serve with sauce and spring onions.

Egg plant slices are a favourite of Asian cuisines, although not mine.

However, I was happy with the combination of a braised prawn and eggplant creation (image above), which lured me with its texture, an emerging sense of chili pepper and an appetising after taste.

Our third dish was literally served on a paper funnel placed over a bowl - easy-on-the tongue silken tofu pieces brewed with ham bits and sitting on an egg-based gravy.  Chinese styled dishes do go well with steamed white rice, although we did not have any that evening.  We did have piping hot smoked tea.

Barista Coffee

Above image - presentation and style from a barista at Rush 2, Wollongong.

It is said that women prefer men like their coffee - strong, fresh and hot. The practice of having caffeine infuse our bloodstreams and activate alertness is not the sole prerogative of coffee, for tea, other specific herbal plants and mixtures like Red Bull are readily available, to mitigate the undesired effects of a regimented working life, or an unbalanced lifestyle without sufficient exercise and too much consumption.

Alex Levine observed that only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.

Having originated in Ethopia, roasted coffee beans were the mainstay of a cultured and elegant way of life in the Middle East, before it spread through adventure, trade and migration to outlets of emerging colonies, established nations and commercial franchises. These days, in any modern urban setting, it takes a strong will and discipline to avoid the temptations of coffee - its aroma, its congregations, its variety and its blending into mainstream habits and suggestions.

Barista, as a word, is Italian for bar tender. Baristas are the males or females behind a commercial espresso machine; these can be operated manually, semi automatic or automatic. A manual machine requires pulling a lever to direct and push water through ground coffee. Electric pumps are utilised by semi-automatics, but the barista has to stop the flow of espresso at the optimal moment, using an on\off switch or button. An automatic machine will turn on and off, after a preset amount of water has been pushed through the grounds. Machines help, but the critical difference from an ordinary cuppa to one that delights depends on the human factor - the skills, experience and touch of the barista.

It is said that there has never been a better office communication system than the coffee break. It need not involve drinking the brew, but the option is then utilised to have a breather, refresh the mind, or provide a forum to chat over things one may not say in an open office.

Anne Spencer said that good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard. I say that good baristas are as engaging as effective and enjoyable communication masters, for the draw to cafes may not just be for coffee, but the whole experience of soaking in the offered ambiance, the familiarity with the baristas and the escape to a magical alternative.

In conclusion, I quote Diane Ackerman - "After all, coffee is bitter, a flavor from the forbidden and dangerous realm." Coffee drinking can be addictive, but when offered with other draw factors, becomes part and parcel of an experience away from the mundane. Maybe, in short, strong, fresh and hot!

South Indian Mee Goreng

Yellow Hokkien noodles are thoroughly mixed in a potato-based gravy that is garnished with the juice of kalamansi limes, cut green chilies, prawn and onion fritters, a dash of spring onions, bits of Chinese celery. fried shallots, slices of hard boiled egg, fresh bean sprouts and tau kwa (deep fried pieces of firm tofu). The gravy is most critical in deciding the quality of the overall feel and taste of this dish, for it also contains a combination of dried shrimps, chicken curry paste, tamarind paste juice, ground fine peanuts and salted soybeans. The resulting product - mee rebus - pictured above from the kitchen of Janie Low - just means simmered noodles. Janie's version I tasted is removed from the main stream, a dry concoction but equally with the distinct flavours of this unique South Indian creation. Back on Penang Island, I just adore the version made by Mum!

Flora and Fauna in Balgownie NSW

Guppies and tetra, although minuscule, have a liveliness in them - a dash of colour and group display.

They do not require much in feeding - but tolerant only of a narrower range of water temperatures,important in a temperate and colder climate zone.

In Balgownie, the challenge is to ensure a continuity of blossoming plants even in the cooler

mid-year season. On the other hand, succulents and other breeds not requiring much care nor watering epitomise the most adaptable plants for the Australian weather (background, with frangipanis and jade plants).

Ornamental plants are a hit with time starved modern lifestyles anywhere.

Above image, fern like grass and below, the small leaf jade plant.