By Karen Hardy
It's a long road form Mexico to Mollymook but celebrity chef Rick Stein is making a rare personal appearance at Bannisters in August.
I first interviewed Stein back in 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed the chat where we spoke about food and travel but also about cricket and why he calls Australia his second home. This weekend would undoubtedly be an opportunity to hear plenty of stories as well as sample his delicioius food.
Rick Stein at Bannisters in Mollymook.
On Sunday, August 12, guests will be treated to a four-course dinner at Rick Stein at Bannisters, in the affable company of Stein himself. Lively, Mexican-inspired dishes will be paired with wine from Cape Mentelle. The following day guests will gather around the kitchen at Bannisters Pavilion for a cooking demonstration based on dishes from Road to Mexico. In this book he perfectly captures the essence of regions between California and the southernmost tip of Mexico and brings the best back into the kitchen for you to experience.
There are accommodation packages available, from $1610 per couple at Bannisters by the Sea and $1430 per couple at Bannisters Pavilion. Price includes the exclusive dinner, the demonstration, two nights accommodation and a copy of the book. Bookings are essential at bannisters.com.au
He shares a couple of the recipes here.
Mexican prawn cocktail with tomato, avocado and chipotle
Serves 4
375g medium prawns, cooked, peeled and deveined
2 avocados, stoned, peeled and diced, then tossed in lime juice to prevent browning
2 tomatoes, chopped
Mexican prawn cocktail with tomato, avocado and chipotle.
small handful of coriander, chopped
1 little gem lettuce, shredded
Lime wedges and Totopos (see below), to serve
For the sauce
275ml tomato juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 large lime
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ red onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp chilli sauce (Cholula, Tabasco or Huichol)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 heaped tbsp Chipotles en adobo
¼ tsp salt
8 turns of black peppermill
To make the sauce, put the tomato juice, oil, lime juice, garlic, onion, chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce and chipotles en adobe in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper, then blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the dish.
When you’re ready to eat, mix the prawns with the sauce, diced avocado, tomatoes and three-quarters of the chopped coriander. Divide the shredded lettuce between 4 chilled cocktail or sundae glasses. Top with the prawn mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining coriander. Serve with lime wedges and the totopos on the side.
Totopos
6-8 corn tortillas, cut into 6 wedges like a pizza
1 litre corn or vegetable oil
pinch salt
Heat oil to 190C in a large pan and cook tortilla triangles in small batches until barely golden and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. Sprinkle with a little salt. Serve as soon as possible.
Ensenada fish tacos with chilli and coriander
Serves 6
12 x 15cm corn tortillas
600g cod fillet
100g plain flour, seasoned with pinch of salt and 6 turns black peppermill
1 litre corn or vegetable oil
Ensenada fish tacos with chilli and coriander.
For the batter
200g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
275ml ice-cold beer
For the toppings
¼ small white cabbage, finely shredded
1 avocado, stoned, peeled and diced
Pico de gallo salsa (see below)
hot chilli sauce, such as Cholula or Huichol
For the chipotle crema
2 Chipotles en adobo
3 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp soured cream
juice of ½ lime
Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan, in a microwave or in the oven. Get your toppings – shredded cabbage, diced avocado, pico de gallo salsa, and hot chilli sauce – ready. Mix the ingredients for the crema and set aside.
To make the batter, sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a roomy bowl. Using a balloon whisk, incorporate the beer until you have a smooth batter. Set aside.
Cut the fish into fingers about 1cm thick. Heat the oil in a large pan to 190°C. Dip a few pieces of fish into the seasoned flour, shake off the excess, then dip them into the batter. Fry for 2–2½ minutes until crisp and golden. Repeat until you’ve cooked all the fish, draining each batch briefly on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Serve the fish immediately in warm tortillas, with the toppings on the table for guests to help themselves.
Pico de gallo salsa
2 large ripe tomatoes, deseeded and finely dice
½ onion, finely chopped
a handful of coriander, chopped
1 green serrano or jalapeno chilli, finely chopped
¼ tsp salt
juice of ½-1 lime
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, starting with the juice of ½ lime and adding more to taste, if desired. Serve immediately.
Char-grilled eggplant and feta rolls
Char-grilled eggplant and feta rolls, from Road to Mexico, by Rick Stein.
Serves 4 as a starter or part of a mezze
2 eggplants
4 tbsp olive oil
175g feta cheese
175g ricotta cheese
small handful flatleaf parsley, chopped
5-6 rasps freshly grated nutmeg
10 turns black peppermill
1½ tbsp capers, chopped
To serve
100g mixed rocket, watercress and baby spinach
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Seeds from ½ pomegranate
Salt and pepper
Cut the eggplants lengthwise into slices about 5mm thick. You should get about 6 slices from each aubergine. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with oil and grill them in batches on a barbecue or griddle pan for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned, tender and pliable. Set them aside.
The Road to Mexico: 120 vibrant recipes from California and Mexico, by Rick Stein, Penguin Random House, $49.99.
Mash the feta and ricotta in a bowl with a fork and add the parsley, nutmeg and black pepper. Stir in the capers.
Spoon a generous tablespoon of filling on to the wide end of each aubergine slice and roll it up like a Swiss roll.
To serve, arrange the salad leaves on a platter, dress them with lemon juice and olive oil, then season. Arrange
the aubergine rolls on top, seam-side down, and decorate them with pomegranate seeds. Serve at room temperature.
From The Road to Mexico: 120 vibrant recipes from California and Mexico, by Rick Stein, Penguin Random House, $49.99.