There is a moment in last season’s MasterChef when Chris Badenoch, the dour beer-loving nose-to-tail aficionado presents a roasted pigs head to the judges. The knife skewers through the cheek and the perfectly roasted skin with a satisfying crackle and the eyes on every face in the room lights up at the sound. Briefly, a look passes between the judges. Without words and without acknowledgment, the message is simply conveyed - "This is going to be delicious."
It is one of the most drool-worthy moments of the series.
Let’s be perfectly frank – nose to tail eating is not for wusses. In the past it hasn’t always been promoted as sexy, high-end dining. The ‘ewww’ factor is high when presented with brawn, tripe, scrag end or ox-tail cooked in unappetising ways. Its long been the province of the poor to eat the cheaper, more slowly cooked, unfashionable cuts of meat. In his biography 'Angela's Ashes', Frank McCourt conveys all the misery and none of the joy of being forced by poverty to eat a boiled pig's head for Christmas Dinner, a charitable gift of St Vincent de Paul.
"No goose, says the butcher, no ham. No fancy items when you bring the docket from St Vincent de Paul. What you can have now, missus, is the black pudding and tripe or a sheep's head or a nice pig's head. No harm in pigs head, missus, plenty of meat and children love it, slice that cheek, slather it in mustard and you're in heaven, though I suppose they wouldn't have the likes of that in America where they're mad for steak and all classes of poultry ..."
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Scott Pickett from The Point Restaurant in Melbourne knows differently. He is a passionate advocate for encouraging shoppers and chefs to think again when choosing and preparing a cut of meat. Scott is running a tutorial in Melbourne on 17th March about just such a principle. Called Beast on a Block, the five hour workshop, which runs as part of the 2010 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, aims to familiarise us with different cuts of lamb together with ideas and recipes for using less-fashionable cuts, all presented as part of a three course meal with matching wines.
With the continuing drought forcing the price of lamb ever higher, it's worthwhile to re-visit our reasons for considering cheaper cuts of meats. Lamb neck and lamb shoulder are perhaps the sweetest cuts of all, and yet for years has been consigned to stews, winter casseroles and slow braises. It's time to re-think the flavours we use with lamb. Away from red wine, garlic and rosemary, lamb lends itself well to cinnamon and apricots in a tagine, to lemon, oregano and juniper in Greek food, to olives and tomatoes of a Provencal daube and to pistachios, mint, parsley and ras el hanout rubbed into a boned and rolled fore-quarter.
It's well worth it to consider a cheaper cut of meat and to extend your repertoire. I've added two recipes - one for lamb with classic Greek flavours, and one for an ox-tail soup that would have been considered sinful in Frank McCourt's Dickensian youth. With whisky, peanuts and watercress, it adds a little of what you love together with a lot of what is good for you. Serve it on an autumnal Sunday night to those you love. After all, charity begins at home.
WHAT: Beast on a Block at The Point, Albert Park
WHEN: Wednesday 17 March 2010; 5.30pm to 10.30pm
PRICE: $120 – including a detailed presentation and three-course meal matched to wines
WHAT: Break down a whole beast with chef Scott Pickett then enjoy a three-course dinner in The Point Restaurant
BUY: Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased directly from The Point (03 9682 5566 / reception@thepointalbertpark.com.au) or on
http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
Lemon Lamb Casserole
Serves 6
1kg lamb shoulder, diced into 2.5cm cubes; juice of 2 lemons; 4 tblspn oil; 2 large onions, peeled and diced; 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed; 2 tblspn plain flour; 3 sprigs lemon thyme; 2 tsps fresh oregano; 1/2 cup pomorodoro or sugo; 1 cup dry white wine; 1 cup chicken stock; 2 tblspns juniper berries
Marinate lamb in lemon juice for one hour. Drain meat and pat dry. Heat oil in a heavy casserole dish and brown meat in batches until golden. Remove each batch and set aside. Soften onions and garlic in oil. Stir in flour for 2 mins to make a roux. Add wine, stock, sugo and remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on the hob for 90 mins at a slow simmer, until tender.
Oxtail Soup
Serves 6
2 oxtails, chopped into bony sections; 2 1/2 litres good clarified beef stock (use the low salted version if buying the tetra paks); 1 celery heart, roughly chopped, 1 large onion, chopped; 70g raw peanuts, shelled, and skins removed; the peel of 1/2 an orange, pith removed and kept in 2-3 large strips; 1 clove garlic, sliced; 2cm knob ginger, sliced; 1 small piece of star anise; 1/4cup whisky; good pinch sea salt; 1 bunch watercress, washed and patted dry; a few batons fresh peeled ginger, to serve.
Wipe the oxtail pieces, trim off any excess fat and place them in a large stockpot, and add enough water to just cover them. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes to blanch them. Remove the oxtails and discard the water, then clean the stockpot and return to the stove.
Add stock, oxtails and all other ingredients except the watercress and ginger batons. Bring to boiling point, then reduce heat and simmer very gently for the next three hours or until the meat is meltingly tender.
Remove the oxtails from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and reserve. Strain the soup through a muslin-lined fine sieve, removing all the ingredients. Refrigerate overnight. Remove the solidified fat from the surface and then reheat the soup. Shred the meat off the oxtails and add together with watercress and ginger batons. Alternatively, you can keep the broth clear and meat free and add the meat to a risotto instead.