Farmers Market Fantasy - Smokin' Salmon Sexiness

Almost every Wednesday I make a mission to my local farmers market to peruse, smell, talk, touch and buy.

It is very satisfying to my inner foodie voyeur.
Tables heaped high with heirloom tomatoes.

Trays of homemade marinated olives, fresh herbs and sexy little tubs of artichokes calling seductively to me.
I brace myself apon arriving to not spend all my money on the outrageously rich brownie stall handing out free samples. Damn them and their chocolatey goodness.
There is a man who sells fresh produce and goats cheese who always looks you straight in the eye and says, "These passion fruit are like sex. Try one. I never lie about food. Do you see this goats cheese? Award winning. You won't be disappointed.' And he somehow manages not to sound sleazy at all.
There is a spice stall where I buy my vanilla beans and dukka. Three sexy Tahitian vanilla beans for only $10. Its amazing.
If you walk past the mushroom stall and your nose doesn't become mesmerized by the smell of their simmering mushroom-soup-in-a-cup you clearly don't love mushrooms at all...
And bread!
I grew up eating locally-made wood-fired sourdough bread and for a long while it ruined me for other bread. But now! Now their is a plethora of amazing bread for me to peruse and buy.
I may look slightly strange walking down the street hugging a paper bag smelling my olive and rosemary sourdough, but do I care? I do not.
Unfortunately I have so far been too mesmerized by the food to take any photo's but I will get around to it soon, I swear!
So I woke up this morning and threw together myself a lunch using almost only ingredients I bought at the market yesterday.
Easier to prepare than buying Tim tams on special (well, almost) this tasted like it took a mob of chefs to prepare... I mean, just look at it.

1 bundle of organic dried udon noodles
salt, pepper and olive oil

50 gm of Camembert or Brie of your choice
Rocket, or some other peppery lettuce




Handful of heirloom cherry tomatoes
squeeze of lemon
50 gm of hot-smoked salmon (not to be confused with the cold-smoked salmon you normally buy)


Boil some water. Cook your udon. Flake the salmon apart with your fingers like so...

Roughly cut the tomatoes, tear the brie into little chunks and toss with the olive oil and rocket and salmon. Season well.
Strain the udon. Mix through.
Devour with gusto.

Notes;
- I do specify dried udon noodles here as the fresh ones work better in stir-fries. The dried ones have a lovely bite to it, a little like linguine or spaghetti. Both of these pasta types would go spiffingly here if you have some in your cupboard.
-The cheese I have used in these pictures is Tasmanian Heritage signature Camembert and it will make your insides go as gooey as its oozing loveliness.
The picture above is how soft it is straight out of the fridge. You should see it when you let it come to room temperature...
- If you have never tried hot-smoked salmon you are missing out. I love the cold smoked salmon you buy in the supermarket but this is a totally different beast. Same fish, different taste entirely.
Hot smoked salmon is smoked with heat and takes on a lovely campfire flavor and flaky texture. No words can fully evoke the sumptously complex rich smoky flavors of this wonderful ingredient.
Do yourself a favor. Go online, find someone near you who is making it and buy some. Here is the guys who made mine... They smoke it onsite, at the market. Yowza!
I do know how to make it myself. Ill blog about it someday.

Sumptuous Paprika-Spiced Warm Cannelini bean Salad

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Damn Fine Speck, Smoked Paprika and Potato Soup

It was cold last night. The first night of the year where I wished I had of taken a jacket out with me. And when I woke up this morning it was raining.
Yay! Soup time!
I had a slab of speck on a shelf in the fridge and it called to me.
It knows how to seduce me.
And i fall, oh-so-easily.
Speck. Not much of a name. When you think of cured meats of a similar caliber (I'm thinking prosciutto, Jamon, etc) the names are so exciting you don't need to sell the product.
But what speck lacks in exotic sounding names it makes up for in taste. A brick of peppery smoked sexiness topped with a luscious layer of meltingly tender fat.
Mmmmm.
Next to go into my ingredient inventory was the wondrous smoked paprika i have just bought.
And potato.
A base of slow sauteed onions and garlic and I can taste it already. Can you? Or are you too busy salivating?
Enough chit chat. Let's cook.

1 large brown onion - roughly chopped in a fine dice
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2-3 tbls vegetable oil
20gm butter
1 tsp sexy smoked Paprika
3-4 large yellow fleshed potatoes, diced into approx 1-2cm cubes
4 cups vegetable or light chicken stock
150 gm speck, cubed, skin removed and kept


Place your butter, oil, onion and garlic in a pot and saute over a medium to low heat for a good 5-6 minutes, not allowing your onion or garlic to color, but rather become transparent and caramelized.
Add the paprika and speck and the speck rind in one large piece. The rind will infuse the soup with flavor but be easily removable at the end.
Fry a further 2-3 minutes until the whole kitchen smells like heaven then add your diced potatoes and cover with the cold stock.
Don't be tempted to add the stock warm. When you are cooking potatoes it is always better to start with cold water as it provides a more even cooking.
Bring to a gently simmer and cook till the potato is cooked and your salivating everywhere.
Simply serve with some crusty bread or, if you would like the liquid a little thicker, with a tad more viscosity, (great word!) just dissolve 2 tsp of corn flour in a couple of tbls of water and add in a thin stream to the soup, stirring constantly. Cook out a few more minutes.
Devour.

A Couple of ways with Smoked Paprika

My love of smoked paprika started a couple of years ago when I was working in a restaurant on the coast and I had the pleasure to work with a Spanish chef.
He loved smoked paprika and showed me many delicious ways to use it.
Unfortunately I have not been able to get any of good quality for some time - until now.
Smoked paprika from the supermarket is passable, but it tastes more like the ghost of smoked paprika; like it remembers how it should taste but fails achieving its soaring beauty.

So a couple of days ago I went into Black Pearl Epicure, a fine food specialist and they had the very smoked paprika I was looking for.
La Chinata.
It comes in a range of heats but i went with the sweet paprika, it is a little more... versatile.
So here it is. A couple of smoky, paprikery dishes to tantalize your taste buds and begin your affair with this wondrous spice.
The soup is bubbling away on my stove right now, filling the house with its infinitely enticing scents...
My tongue is tingling in anticipation.