2018 Australian Grand Prix Preview
It's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2018 Formula 1 Championship begins in Australia next Sunday March 25th!
We're planning a little F1 Kickoff Party with a few friends to celebrate the return of Formula 1 for the 2018 Season and of course to have some humungous burgers.
As well as Aussie Burgers with the lot, we'll be making the ever-popular Australian perfect-for-parties dessert, Lamington cakes.
Since a lot of our friends don't actually watch F1 we thought about ways to introduce them to the sport. We contemplated movies like Senna, Rush, or 1 (I highly recommend ALL of those movies). Reddit also provided some handy suggestions such as: The Brazil 2008 Interlagos Battle, That's Why I love Formula 1, The Silver War, and the short and sweet Speed Comparison GP vs F1 .
I put together a YouTube playlist to show while we are all hanging out, but I will call a time-out and gather everyone around for a perennial favorite of ours: the inimitable George the Poet and his beautiful ode to Monaco.
As for what to make for the upcoming race... I still stand by my "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" motto when it comes to the 'Aussie Burger with the lot' being the best thing to eat for the Australian Grand Prix.
However, with that said, I found a cookbook on Australian Cuisine at a cute little bookshop in my hometown over the holidays. So, to add to the breadth of options for you as well as something a little new for us, I will make a brand new meal.
Seafood seems like a no-brainer for a meal for the King of the Islands (not sure what I'm referencing? Check out the video at the bottom of the post).
So, let's try a few from 'A Taste of Australia'. Pictures and recipe notes will be up after the race.
Chilli Salt Squid salad & Tandoori Marinated Snapper with rice
“Food-lovers know that Australia is the next outpost of the culinary frontier — and that the charming Bathers Pavilion Restaurant, on the beach of Balmoral, is at the forefront of New Australian cuisine. ”
Chilli Salt Squid
Serves 4-6
Dressing
2 fresh Serrano chili peppers
3 cups rice vinegar
1 cup white granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Seasoned Flour
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon fine sea salt
Salad
1 lb squid, cleaned
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 large carrot
1 large red chili pepper
1 small red onion
vegetable oil
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
To make dressing, cut the chili peppers in half lengthwise. Place the rice vinegar, sugar, and chili peppers in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and simmer for 20 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to a thin syrup. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice Strain and let cool.
To make seasoned flour, mix the flour and spices together and set aside.
To make salad, score the squid lightly with a knife to make a crisscross pattern. Finely julienne the peppers, carrot and chili pepper. Finely slice the onion and mix it with other vegetables.
Heat vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches in a deep saucepan over a medium heat. Dip the squid in the flour mixture until each piece is well coated and then fry until the flour is crisp, about 1 minute. Drain and then slice the squid into 1/3 inch thick rings.
To serve, add the squid to the prepared vegetable and pour over the dressing. Toss and add the chopped cilantro.
Tandoori Marinated Snapper - with mint and yoghurt sauce
Serves 4
Tandoori Paste
4 garlic cloves
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1 medium tomato
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon fennel powder
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 snapper filets (6 oz per person), or other firm fleshed fish
5 red shallots
1 large green (Anaheim) chili pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/8 cup fish sauce
1 1/2 cups plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Steamed basmati rice to serve
To make paste, peel the garlic and ginger and chop roughly. Quarter the tomato and remove the seeds. Chop roughly. Place all the paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and process to a fine paste. Lightly smear both sides of the fish fillets with the paste and set aside.
To make sauce, peel the shallots and chop roughly. Roughly chop the chilli pepper. Place all the ingredients, except the yogurt in a food processor or blender and process to a smooth paste. Place the mixture in a bowl and stir in the yogurt.
To cook the fish, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or skiller over medium heat. Pan-fry the snapper fillets.
To serve, place the snapper fillets on plates and spoon mint and yogurt sauce over. Serve with steamed basmati rice.
As to my earlier reference to King of the Islands... if you don't know CGP Grey, welcome to a world of educational videos you never knew you wanted:
