David Herbert departs: My farewell feast

Australia’s favourite home cook is hanging up the apron. In his final column, David Herbert shares his readers’ favourite recipes.

Crunchy: Vietnamese chicken salad. Picture: Guy Bailey

Twenty one years ago, an out-of-the-blue phone call from a newspaper editor asking me to write a simple recipe column for The Weekend Australian changed my life dramatically. Writing these recipes, which eventually moved to The Weekend Australian Magazine, has become one of my great joys, allowing me to meet and correspond with so many regular readers and cooks. But finally, after two decades, I have decided to call it a day. I am a home cook, not a chef. My recipes have always been based on the food that I cook for my family and friends; a celebration of home cooking written by a home cook. And the wonderful thing about cooking in Australia is that we enjoy a wealth of cuisines and a wide variety of fresh, seasonal ingredients. Our ability to break a few rules and develop our own style is our great strength; we’re not afraid to take a few risks. It’s true that writing recipes every week involves many hours in the kitchen, testing and preparing recipes – but that is only part of the story. The fact is that without a team of brilliant and talented editors, photographers, designers, cooks and food stylists, nothing would appear in print. I want to dedicate my final pages to you, the readers, with some of your favourite recipes. I am truly grateful for all your feedback, which has helped to inspire, encourage and improve my own cooking.

Vietnamese chicken salad

In 2014, Pat W wrote: “I keep four folders filled with David’s recipes, including his delightful Vietnamese Chicken Salad. He has played a big part in turning a very cautious and ordinary cook into a bloody good one, and I thank him for that.”

3 chicken breast fillets

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 tablespoons peanuts, chopped

2 eschalots, thinly sliced

½ wombok (Chinese cabbage)

225g carrots, grated or thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler

6 spring onions, trimmed, shredded

4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 small bunch fresh coriander

For the dressing

2 red chillies, deseeded, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Juice 1 large or 2 small limes

1 tablespoon fish sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Put chicken in large pan, cover with salted water, bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes; leave to cool in water. Finely shred chicken. Put dressing ingredients in bowl, whisk well. Heat oil in small pan, fry peanuts for 1-2 minutes until golden and drain on kitchen paper. Fry eschalots for 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp; drain on kitchen paper. Slice wombok; put in large bowl. Add carrot, spring onions and mint. Toss well. Spoon onto a large platter, drizzle with dressing, toss. Scatter with chicken, coriander, peanuts and eschalots. Serves 4

Tomato soup

One of the most memorable emails I’ve received came from a reader who in 2012 wrote to say that she carried this recipe in her purse. In an uncertain world, she said, if all else failed, she knew she could rely on it.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

750g ripe tomatoes, quartered

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon chopped basil, to garnish

Extra-virgin olive oil, to garnish

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 7 minutes; add fresh tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, stock and 1 cup water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; allow to cool a little. Puree soup in batches in a blender or with a hand-held blender. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot, garnished with basil and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serves 4

Pasta with bolognese sauce. Picture: Craig Wall

Classic bolognese sauce

I learnt to make this sauce from my friend Anna Del Conte. I have chosen it as it’s a favourite of my first editor from the days of The Perfect column, Cathy Osmond, who says she raised her two boys on it. As Nikola W from Cairns wrote: “The Bolognese Sauce is a winner – I know I’ve nailed it when I get that classic Australian understatement, ‘Not bad Mum, is there any more?’”

1 large carrot

1 celery stalk

1 large brown onion

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

150g pancetta, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500g minced beef

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup red wine

¾ cup milk

Sprig of rosemary, sage, and some fresh oregano, tied together

Trim and finely chop carrot, celery and onion. Fry pancetta in a little olive oil over low heat until it starts to release its fat. Add vegetables and garlic; sauté over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Add beef and cook until lightly browned, breaking up any lumps. Add tomato paste and wine; mix well. Add milk little by little until completely absorbed, then herbs; cover and cook very slowly for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more milk if it starts to dry out too much. Remove herbs before serving with tagliatelle. Serves 6

Ginger syrup cake. Picture: Guy Bailey

Ginger syrup cake

This is probably my favourite cake: I love the sweet, spicy warmth of ginger. You can make it without the syrup, if you prefer. David W of Spring Hill, Qld wrote in 2014: “My wife was hosting a group of ladies for afternoon tea and as I was not welcome I decided to contribute by making Ginger Syrup Cake. The kitchen is not my usual domain but the cake was a great success. So I now have the honour of being the regular chef.”

60g unsalted butter

125ml golden syrup

1¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted

1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon mixed spice

110g caster sugar

Pinch of salt

125ml milk

1 free-range egg, beaten

Icing sugar, for dusting

Ginger syrup

½ cup caster sugar

125ml water

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line a medium loaf tin. Melt butter and golden syrup over low heat; remove. Sift flour, ginger, mixed spice, sugar and salt into large bowl. Add milk and egg; mix until smooth. Gradually add butter mixture; stir. Pour batter into tin; bake for 50-55 minutes or until risen and firm to touch. Combine syrup ingredients in small saucepan, boil, stir, reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes. Remove cake, pierce with a skewer; spoon over hot syrup. Cool; dust with icing sugar.

Glazed ham. Picture: Guy Bailey

Glazed Christmas ham

Requests for a glazed ham recipe start arriving every November. This is a real festive show-stopper and something I remember from many a childhood Christmas. It’s perfect with a simple fresh pineapple relish.

5kg cooked ham on the bone

½ cup orange marmalade

½ cup brown sugar

¹/³ cup Dijon style mustard

2 tablespoons orange juice

Take the ham out of the fridge about 60 minutes before you start. To remove the skin, use a small, sharp knife to cut through the skin 10cm from the top of the hock (or knuckle end of the leg). Gently slide the knife under the skin to separate it from the fat, then gently peel back the skin until you are left with a layer of white fat. Use a knife to score the fat diagonally, using a criss-cross pattern at about 2cm intervals, avoiding cutting through to the meat underneath. When ready to glaze, preheat oven to 180C (fan). Line a large baking dish with 2 layers of non-stick baking paper. Mix all the glaze ingredients together until sugar has dissolved. Brush half the glaze mixture onto the fat of the ham, making sure to get into the crevices. Place ham in the baking dish, transfer to the lowest shelf of the oven and cook for 30 minutes, removing from the oven every 10 minutes to baste the ham with the remaining glaze. Serve warm or cold with pineapple relish and your favourite vegetables or salad.

Fresh pineapple relish

150ml cider vinegar

150g caster sugar

1 small pineapple, trimmed,

peeled, cored and diced

2 small red onions, very finely chopped

1 small red chilli, finely chopped (seeds in if you like it hot)

Bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add pineapple and simmer for 1-2 minutes; remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl. When almost cool, stir in onions and chilli. Cool completely, then chill for up to 24 hours until ready to serve.

Christmas trifle. Picture: Guy Bailey

Christmas trifle

My one constant at Christmas is a trifle. I usually start the day before, soaking the cake and making the zabaglione. If the thought of making zabaglione makes you nervous, replace it with ready-made custard. Nicole K of Greenslopes, Qld wrote: “I have made your Christmas Trifle recipe every Christmas for years – and I use the leftover egg whites to make your pavlova for our New Year dinner.”

250g ready-made plain cake

¹/³ cup raspberry jam

2 tablespoons sweet sherry

300g fresh raspberries

Toasted flaked almonds, to serve

For the zabaglione

12 large egg yolks

½ cup caster sugar

Grated rind and juice of 1 orange

¾ cup double cream

For the syllabub

Grated zest of ½ lemon

2-3 tablespoons caster sugar

100ml sweet white wine

300ml cream

Cut cake into 2cm cubes; arrange over the base of a large glass trifle bowl. Spread cake with jam, sprinkle with sherry and top with raspberries. Cover with plastic wrap and chill well.

For zabaglione, place egg yolks, sugar, grated rind and juice in a large bowl over a pan of just-simmering water – make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Using an electric hand beater, whisk mixture together for 8-10 minutes until it triples in volume and loosely holds its shape. Place bowl in a sink filled with about 7cm cold water. Continue to whisk for 3-4 minutes. Whisk the cream to floppy peaks and fold into the cooled zabaglione. Spoon the zabaglione over the fruit and chill.

Make syllabub cream by mixing together the lemon zest, sugar and wine; leave for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl, then add cream and whisk until the mixture just holds its shape. Carefully spread cream over the surface of the trifle. Chill for 1-2 hours. Just before serving, decorate with toasted flaked almonds. Serves 8

Digital subscribers can see more recipes at theaustralian.com.au/herbert-recipes

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