Guest Recipes

Guest chefs recipes
Virginia Hellier consulting regularly invite chefs to appear at cooking schools and to demonstrate their food at venues around the country. This is a sample of recipes from recent classes and demonstrations.

Nonna’s Gnocci
Recipe from Adam D’Sylva, Coda Restaurant

1kg desiree potatoes, unpeeled
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 bottle homemade tomato sauce
1 brown onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
3 sprigs basil
e.v.o oil

Cover potatoes with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer until potatoes became tender(test with a skewer). Drain well, set aside to cool. Peel potatoes and place through a ricer.
On the a bench add flour to potatoes and bring mixture together, be careful not to add to much flour as the gnocchi will become too hard.
Lightly flour bench and roll out dough. Cut into strips and roll into logs. Cut into desired size.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, season well with salt, add gnocchi. As they cook, gnocchi will rise to the surface, cook for a further 15 seconds then remove. Add to sauce.
In a pot sweat onion and garlic until translucent. Add tomato sauce and cook for approx an hour, season with salt and pepper add basil at the end.

Serves 6

Quail Escabeche
Recipe from Dan Szwarc

12 boned jumbo quail
4 large onions sliced in thick rounds
4 spring onions sliced
2 large leek cut in julienne
4 garlic cloves
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
1 yellow capsicum
2 large tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp sweet paprika
½ tbsp ground cumin
1 cup of olive oil
1 cup of white wine vinegar
Salt and whole white peppercorns

In a large casserole lay on the bottom onion rounds, tomato slices and place the quails breast up.
Sprinkle with crushed garlic, bay leaves, salt and peppercorns, cover with the rest of the vegetables previously cut in julienne.
Sprinkle paprika and cumin, pour on top oil and vinegar and a little bit of water.
Bring gently to the boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Let cool and stand for at least 24hs.

Steamed Eggplant with chicken and chilli
Recipe from Max Tsang, Mahjong Restaurant

chicken mince 150gm
1 eggplant
black bean
fresh chili

Cut the eggplant into little cubes and stack two layers onto a plate.
Marinade the chicken mince with 2 tea spoons of sugar, 2 table spoons of oyster sauce, 1 tea spoon of sesame oil, 2 table spoon of Chinese wine, 3 table spoons of black bean, 2 tea spoons of chop chili and 2 table spoons of chicken stock.
Place the marinated chicken mince evenly onto the eggplant and steam it for 12 minutes.
When finish heat up 2 tea spoons of oil and pour it onto the dish. Without cleaning the pan, pour in 4 table spoons of soy sauce, stir until heat up ( do not boil), pour onto the dish as well.

Slow Roasted Wagyu Oyster blade
Recipe from Niko Pizzimenti

1 oyster blade per serve, cleaned from the butcher
500g cured lampascioni wild onion)
3 litres vegetable stock (or maybe a little more).
250 to 400 ml of good balsamic vinegar
Butchers string
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Secure the meat with the string season with salt and pepper and olive oil.
Place the blade in a tray then add lampascioni, and the stock mixed with balsamic.
Cover it with lid and marinate between 12 and 15 hours in the fridge.
Preheat the oven 150/160 C.
Cook the blade for 4 hours .
Once cooked let the meat rest, place the liquid in a separate saucepan.
Let it reduce by half until it thickens up.
Slice the meat very gently as it could fall to pieces.
Place the meat in the centre of the plate, then spoon over a ladle of sauce on top and a drizzle of good e. v. olive oil.
Enjoy with a good red and enjoyable company !