Recipes by  Vivienne

OYSTERS  – indulge yourself every now and then

Right now oysters are in fine form as they are best during the colder months.  Oysters are low fat, low cholesterol and full of vitamins and minerals.  Treat yourself to a dozen every week or so but have them at home, not eating out!

SCALLOPS

Also in season now and the Aussie ones are well worth spending $28 for a kilo.  Always trim the little tiny muscle bit off and sit on absorbant paper to soak up moisture.  They can be eaten many ways and require very little cooking time.   One of my favourites is crumbed scallops.

Place two or so tablespoons of plain or wholemeal flour in a plastic bag.  Add a little salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Shake to coat.  Beat an egg or two very well and drench.  Then coat in regular breadcrumbs.  For gluten free you can buy corn crumbs which are just fine.   Heat peanut oil in a deep saucepan (safer if there is any spitting which is usually completely unforeseen).  Pop in about 8 or 10 at a time, turn once – they should look light to medium golden – only takes a minute.   Serve with tartare sauce and your favourite salad.   A kilo will feed four.  (While you are cooking the 2^nd, 3^rd batches etc keep the cooked ones in your warming tray or pre-heated low oven.)

BURMESE STYLE PRAWN CURRY

From Charmaine Solomon’s book 1972  (slightly altered by me though as I think blachan smells bloody awful).

To serve two:

• 16 large raw (Australian) prawns  – sauce will do up to 20 prawns if you want more.
• 1 tbspn  ghee
• 1 medium to large onion – finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic – very finely chopped
• 1 inch piece of fresh giner – very finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
• 1 teaspoon ground chilli
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tomatoes – chopped
• 1 and half teaspoons salt
• Water

Heat ghee in good size saucepan.  Add onion, garlic and ginger and gently cook till just starting to turn pale gold.   Add spices and tomatoes and salt and stir well.  Cook on low heat, add about half a cup of water.  Allow the sauce to bloop bloop for at least half an hour.  When you first taste it will seem rather hot but it mellows as it bloops (put lid on).  You can do this earlier and turn off till you want dinner.  (You might want to add a bit more water later – you should be able to judge this.)

Prepare prawns by peeling and deveining and slit the back so the prawns will curl when cooked.

Gently reheat sauce and add the add the prawns to it.  Cook very very slowly for about half an hour. During this time cook basmati rice.  The prawns will have curled and taken on a lot of the colour and flavour of the sauce.

Serve with rice in a circle on plate and add prawns and sauce to centre.    Eat.

For serving with gluten free pasta instead of rice?  Well I think it will work okay.

PORK & PRAWN WONTONS

Mince up pork and raw prawn meat, mix with finely chopped onion, 4 chopped water chestnuts, 3 chopped spring onions and some cornflour, salt, pepper, tiny dash of sesame oil and a dash of soy.   Quantities depend on how many people you are feeding, but a ratio for 2 people would be about 200 grams of pork and 6 large raw prawns.

Mix till more like a paste.

Place a walnut size amount on each wonton wrapper and fold appropriately (triangle or parcel)..

Cook in boiling water for a few minutes, remove and serve in flavoursome homemade chicken broth or have solo with perhaps a dipping sauce.  Top the broth with shredded skinny egg omelette, chopped garlic chives or blanched snow peas.

ADVICE for seafood lovers

If the above seems a bit too daunting …… just go out and buy some oysters and cooked prawns and get stuck into them.

All dishes should be served with a cold Trotters ale or a chilled bottle of white wine of your choice.