Top Chefs Share Their Australia Day Recipes

With Australia Day fast approaching, our participating restaurants' renowned chefs are sharing their hot tips and recipes for dishing up an epic BBQ meal for family and friends. Ready, set, grill!

Jerk chicken & salad

Jerk chicken is the kind of family favourite that always has someone asking for more. Adam D'Sylva, Head Chef and Owner of Coda, shared his recipe for delicious jerk chicken.

Serves 4

Chicken:

• 4 spatchcock, halved
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped spring onions
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, fresh
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 birds eye chillies or fresh jalepeno chillies
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
• 1 tspn chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Blend all marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Divide chicken pieces and marinade between 2 sealable plastic bags. Seal bags, pressing out excess air, then turn bags over several times to distribute marinade. Put bags of chicken in the fridge, turning once or twice and leave overnight. Cook chicken over charcoal or on a grill for 20 minutes. Baste chicken with remaining marinade, whilst cooking. Serve with condiments.

Salad:

• 1 head of raddichio, roughly chopped
• 1 head of cos lettuce, roughly chopped
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, picked
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sherry vinegar
• Sea salt/ pepper

In a bowl mix lettuces, onion, parsley. Dress liberally with oil, vinegar and salt.

Yoghurt:

• 300ml yoghurt
• 1/2 pomegranate, deseeded
• Few sprigs coriander, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon

Mix all ingredients together, serve with chicken.

Marbled calotte over coal with shiso dressing and wasabi + Tomato Sauce

Ryan Squires, Executive Chef and Owner of Esquire, gives a modern twist to two Aussie classics with his recipes for barbecued beef and for tomato sauce.

Marbled Calotte & Shiso Dressing

• Shiso
• Bonito flakes
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Star anise
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce
• Xanthan gum
• Grated fresh wasabi
• Spicy leaves
• Rib eye

Method

Prepare the shiso dressing by combining shiso, bonito flakes, garlic, ginger, star anise, sesame oil and soy sauce in a large saucepan. Set aside to steep for 4 hours in a warm environment. Strain into a bowl. Add the xanthan gum to thicken and stir until incorporated. Set aside.

To cook the rib eye over coal, place coal pieces on gas stove and ignite for at least 20 minutes or until coal pieces turn white with a red-hot glow in the centre. Working quickly and carefully, place the coal in a barbecue set up with a fine mesh rack roughly 5–8 cm (2–2 3/4 inches) above the coal. Allow the rack to heat through thoroughly, at least 10 minutes.

Place the beef on the hottest part of the grill and cook for 3–5 minutes on one side, until it is a rich golden brown and almost burnt and charred in appearance. Flip the beef over and repeat on the other side. When cooked, set aside to rest in a warm place, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Just before serving, place beef back on to the hot spot of the coal and season generously with salt. Slice the beef in serving slices, place on desired plate then douse liberally with shiso dressing, freshly grated wasabi and scatter with spicy leaves to serve.

Tomato Sauce

• 2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) tomatoes on the vine, very ripe
• 3 star anise, toasted
• 20 juniper berries, toasted
• 1 garlic bulb
• 5 cloves
• small handful of dried bonito flakes
• 2 sheets of kombu, roughly 15 cm (6 inch) square
• 50 ml (1 1/2 fl oz) fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons aged chardonnay vinegar
• 4 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

Score a shallow cross in the base of the tomatoes, then blanch in boiling water and refresh in an ice bath. Drain and peel the tomatoes, reserving the skins in the same bowl. Quarter the tomatoes, scooping out the seeds and inner pulp into the bowl. Place the remaining tomato flesh in a large deep frying pan. Put the pulp, skin and seeds in a blender and purée until liquid. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into the frying pan with the tomato flesh.

Cut 2 large 30 cm (12 inch) squares of muslin cloth and lay flat. Divide the toasted spices, garlic, cloves and bonito flakes between the two pieces and tie using butchers string to make 2 flavour sachets. Smash the sachets gently with a rolling pin to bruise the berries and garlic then add to the tomato mix. Place the frying pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the squares of kombu. After 20 minutes of light simmering, remove the kombu and discard. Continue to cook the tomato mix over low heat until reduced by half, stirring continuously. Remove the flavor sachets and pass the tomato mixture through a strainer into a clean frying pan or large heavy-based saucepan and continue to reduce until any liquid has evaporated and the tomato mixture is thick. Season with fish sauce, vinegar and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking: you want to achieve a balance of sweetness, saltiness and tartness.

Store ketchup in screw top jars in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

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Mireille Kilgour

Mireille Kilgour has been an entrepreneur for 35 years in the hospitality sector. French born, she has been an accomplished business owner and operator for a number of Sydney venues. Leading the industry with high profile institutions such as Lamrock Café Bondi, she has endless passion for the industry, and now has the pleasure of supporting restaurants to fill their tables with the new Good Food Gift Card program.

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