Paper Chef 20: The Final Island Edition
This is our last Paper Chef in this house.
In two and a half weeks, we’ll be moving back to Portland after 20 months of camping out and caregiving on an island we only occasionally called home. I can’t say that we’ll miss this disastrously tiny and ill-equipped kitchen, but we will have fond memories of a few small miracles we were able to pull out of the chaos.
At long last, this Fall, we’ll be back in our own home sweet home and our own kitchen. Sure it’s in serious need of updating — the linoleum floor has divots you could hide a mouse in, the drawer faces have a habit of falling off at inconvenient times, and there’s no dishwasher — but it’s ours, ALL ours, and that’s what counts!
But, because we’re here and because it’s Paper Chef time once again, we had to create just one last bit of chaos before we ramble on, and this time we had a grand bit of help from the annals of Paper Chef history and our bloggy neighbors from Down Under.
This month’s ingredients? Peaches, cherries, something hot & spicy, and a “new herb.” Now, by “new,” our Paper Chef host, Owen (welcome back, Owen!) means something we’ve not tried before. Not an easy command for Chopper to follow, as he’s used just about every herb on the island and then some.
But wait! What about that scrumptious and heady prize we received from Noodle Cook for Paper Chef 13? Aussie herbs and spices, the likes of which we’d never seen before? Perfect!
For this challenge we bent the rules a tiny bit to include spices (though by strict definition, two out of our three selections are ground leaves and should be considered herbs) and chose one for each of Chopper’s dishes. For his Tandoori Style Chicken with Stone Fruit Chutney, Chopper used Mountain Pepper Leaf, for the Chile Rellenos with Stone Fruit Salsa, Lemon Myrtle, and for the Spicy Braised Short Ribs with Dueling Gastriques, Wattle Seed. All three of these spices came from the Oz Tukka “A Taste of Australia” gift pack, part of our wonderful gift from Noodle Cook and his fellow Paper Chef 13 judges.
The gift pack includes five spices (ours has Mountain Pepper Berries and Bush Tomatoes in addition to the three we used for this adventure), and a helpful flyer with spice information on one side and recipes on the other. Not that Chopper used any of those recipes. For him it’s all about sample and invent first, read what others do later.
About the spices:
Mountain Pepper Leaves: This one is the most difficult to describe. It’s a dried leaf, and looks like just about every other ground leaf herb, but the smell and flavor is quite unique. The closest comparison I can make is that it reminds me of a more subtle and slightly lemony version of Israeli Zahtar (a blend of thyme, sumac, and toasted sesame seeds). It’s got a small but noticeable peppery kick to it, which, according to the Oz Tukka write-up reduces with cooking time, so don’t add it too soon. Mountain Pepper Leaf, Oz Tukka says, comes from a small tree that grows in the alpine rainforests of Tasmania.
Lemon Myrtle: The lemon scent of this east coast Australian spice is simply astounding. It’s super-lemony, and not in a cloying way, but in a crisp, fresh way that was absolutely perfect for our cherry and peach salsa. Like the previous spice, our Lemon Myrtle came in the form of dried, ground leaves, and is best added toward the end of a recipe. Uncooked, Oz Tukka says Lemon Myrtle should be left to infuse for a day or two. Unfortunately, we ate all the salsa far too quickly to find out how intense that result would be!
Wattle Seed: The last time Chopper and I were able to spend any time at Pike Place Market, we wandered through World Spice Merchants, inhaling deeply in the direction of every untried spice and blend we could find. And though we found many glorious new things — including the aforementioned Zahtar and a most excellent Kashmiri Curry — nothing came even remotely close to Wattle Seed. Now, if we’d gone to an exotic coffee merchant, on the other hand… Wattle Seed, from the Outback, dried, roasted, and ground, conjures up eccentric nutty coffees, mixed with unsweetened chocolate. It’s a spice that can go sweet or savory, and for our dish, we went both. Savory on the short ribs, and sweet — oh my — the moment of spicy perfection: the chocolate/coffee of Wattle Seed with the sweet cherry gastrique. I don’t think I’ve ever had a cherry cordial near that good.
Spicy Braised Short Ribs with Dueling Gastriques
serves 3
For Ribs
- 10 2″ cut Beef short ribs
- 3 cups Chicken stock or broth
- 2 Habenero chiles, split and de-seeded
- 2 teaspoons ground Wattle Seed
Method
- Brown ribs on all sides in a medium-sized pot.
- Add broth and chiles and bring to a low simmer.
- Simmer for 40-45 minutes, adding the Wattle Seed in the final two minutes.
For Gastriques: Cherry
- 10 bing cherries, pitted and stemmed
- 1/4 cup Red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup Turbanado sugar
Method
- Dissolve sugar and vinegar together over medium heat. Add cherries.
- Simmer until syrup is reduced to desired thickness.
- Separate out three cherries for garnish, then puree the rest with the syrup in a blender or food processor and strain through a fine sieve.
For Gastriques: Peach
- Use same method as above, but substitute rice vinegar for red wine vinegar, and use one white peach that has been pitted, peeled, and diced.
Serve short ribs with a small ladle of both gastriques and a light sprinkle of Wattle Seed.
Chile Rellenos with Stone Fruit Salsa
serves 2
For Rellenos
- 2 Poblano chiles
- 1 Small wheel, queso fresco
- 1 cup Tempura batter
- 1/2 cup Beer
For Salsa
- 1 Peach, pitted and diced small
- 10 Bing cherries, pitted and diced small
- 10 Rainier cherries, pitted and diced small
- 1/2 Sweet onion, diced small
- 3 Red jalapenos, split, seeded, and diced small
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Lemon Myrtle
Method
- Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a wok, or deep saucepan filled with oil to 350-375 F.
- Cut a slit in the side of both poblanos and remove the seed pods.
- Fill both with queso fresco. (Other recipes ask that you roast and peel the chiles first; personally, I like them crunchy.)
- Combine tempura and beer to make a thick batter.
- Dip the rellenos in the batter, making sure they are thoroughly coated, and place them in the oil. Fry until the batter turns golden brown.
- Serve with generous amounts of stonefruit salsa.
Tandoori Style Chicken Wings with Stone Fruit Chutney
serves 5
For Chutney
- 1/2 cup Rice vinegar
- 1 Peach, pitted and diced small
- 10 Bing cherries, pitted and diced small
- 10 Rainier cherries, pitted and diced small
- 1/2 Sweet onion, diced small
- 3 Red jalapenos, split, seeded, and diced small
- 1 teaspoon Ground Mountain Pepper Leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Method
- Combine all ingredients but the pepper leaves in a non-reactive saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the mixture is reduced to a thick, chunky paste.
- Remove from heat, stir in the pepper leaves, and serve.
For Wings
- 25 Chicken wing drumettes
- 1 quart Plain yogurt
For Masala blend
- 2 teaspoons Smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons Ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla sugar
- 2 teaspoons Chile powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground clove
- 1 teaspoon Dried Lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper, ground fine
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Method
- Combine spices and seasonings with yogurt in a large mixing bowl and stir thoroughly.
- Add chicken wings, making sure all are totally covered with the yogurt, then cover and place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
To Finish
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Take the marinated chicken wings and lightly shake excess yogurt away, then skewer the wings, leaving enough space for them to fit easily between the bars of your oven racks.
- Place the skewers in the oven with a pan underneath to catch any drippings, and roast for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice, and a dollop of chutney.
Chopper Sez: The best part about this entry for me, was that I was able to get all the ingredients I needed for all three recipes (and a soup made from the leftovers, not pictured) for less than $30! I’d also like to give a special shout out to Noodle, for introducing us to the amazing herbs and spices from his corner of the blue marble.
Marbles have corners?
Hah. Awesome, as usual. Chopper, you really thrive under a challenge. You’ve got to find a way to make that pay off. Here in Blogland, ain’t much reward money. Always nice to see your entries.
Mrs D, I am so happy you’re going home to Portland. (Are you leaving momma on the island?)
Silly, it’s the marble squared. Chopper’s very Pythagorean when he’s not in the kitchen. :-)
About that paying off bit. That’s the plan when we get to Portland. Personal Chef biz, in da works. More on that soon, I hope. Lots to do in the meantime. Like PACK. Aieeee.
Nah, we’re throwing momma from the train. Kidding. Kidding. We’ve got other family members helping out now, so she won’t be alone, which is most important.
This is the Paper Chef ingredient list of my dreams. And it happens while I have no kitchen! No sink, no stove, all of the kitchen gear packed away in the basement. *sigh*
Good thing I could come over here and enjoy vicariously the gorgeous Belly Timber multiplicity of recipes. If I lived in Portland and could afford a personal chef, I’d be jumping up and down with glee.
I hope your move goes smoothly. Hey, I can hope, can’t I?
What amazing dishes! I had a lot of fun trying bush spices too.
*drool*
(that’s all, just drooling)
It is all so beautiful, just the list of ingredients is an invitation to travel.
Well, good luck for the packing and the move. I’ll miss the pictures of your island.
Ack, Kimberly! I hope the remodel doesn’t last too much longer. I’m so sorry you missed this one – your Paper Chef creations are always so elegant! As for the move… oh, we hope so too, do we ever.
Hey Noodle! I love that we mentioned the berries from our spice pack that you used in your entry! How cool is that? (Everyone, hop over to Noodle Cook’s pad and check out that gorgeously rare bit of beef. Yum!)
Kitchenmage, dammit, I just cleaned my screen. :-)
Thank you, Gracianne! And don’t worry — I have a HUGE backlog of island photos to post, so they won’t go away completely!
so – if I show up there in two weeks that would be about right to start getting fed?
;-)
seriously – I know you have been itching to get back to the mainland – glad it is happening.
Hey Owen, we will be 251 miles closer to the bay area, you know. ;-)
Hey Chopper and Mrs…good luck with the move…not sure if you were up on things this far away but E and I bailed on the quaint little tourist outpost village (Ogunquit) which, even though on the mainland was an isolated island, for the other Portland a few months ago…nice to be back in civilization…
Off the record, I loved this post (officially I’m neutral, since I’m wearing judge’s robes today) because it gave me just the impetus I’ve needed to see what I can do with my packet of strange spices from the Noodle Cook….thanks!
best, Stephen
Oh Wow! Such a spread! Good luck with the move, and I will eagerly await your return!
Stephen, Twilight Zone synchronicity strikes again, eh?
Thanks, Emma! We’ll do our best to not be offline for too long during the move!
yay a portland food blog! i only know of one other, and my own attempt at it hasn’t been successful because i’m too lazy for it haha. this city is in dire need of food blogs because the food is so darn good. i look forward to reading more when you’re all settled in!
Brit Food Blogs…
Been a while since I updated the Britblog foodie list; so here we are chums… I have removed those that haven’t been updated for over 40 days and added a couple of new ones for you to explore. Not all……