Simple, speedy, nutritious dinner

Only a light dinner was needed after a day of feasting which started off with a brilliant Sunday breakfast cooked up by my husband in record time on the barbecue. The aroma of sizzling bacon, golden “sunshine eggs” – as the little ones call eggs over easy – and home whisked vanilla buttermilk pancakes with pure maple syrup even had the sleepiest of children tumbling out of their beds. 

My ever efficient mother took over for lunch and fired up the barbecue once again. Mum served up scrumptious sirloin steak with caramelised onions and salad, all stuffed into grainy rolls which the children munched on happily seated with her outside in the winter sunshine. Of course they all had several scoops of ice-cream for dessert which is seems to be standard practice when their grandmother takes charge.

While all this was going on my husband and I caught a ferry into Circular Quay and wandered up the road  to a restaurant called Mr Wong, another gastronomic brainchild courtesy of the Merivale group. Gosh I’m glad that we had a table booked. This impressively fitted out restaurant, which is tucked down a city lane, was bustling with diners clearly enjoying their selection of Cantonese-style dishes.  

 I am always keen to try out new recipes or combinations of ingredients, but there are also some dishes and cuisines that are best left to the experts and for me this includes dishes like Peking Duck. We polished this off at Mr Wong along with an assortment of hand made dumplings, rice noodles with wagyu beef, crisp, green vegetables in Chinese rice wine, plump chilli king prawns, and clear wonton soup. Not only was the service attentive, the atmosphere alluring and the food delicious, but there was no issue when it came to avoiding nuts. Having an allergy can at times make dining out difficult particularly when it comes to Asian cuisine. However the Merivale group manages to handle requests relating to allergies with confidence.  I can’t wait to go back and sample more of their dishes! 

Although most of the food that my family and I eat is home cooked, I do appreciate great tasting cafe and restaurant food. A dish does not have to be pricey to be delicious, but it does need to be thoughtfully prepared using fresh, quality produce and ingredients. I find it difficult to go past Locantro Fine Foods Turkish Fruit Bread, studded with cranberries. An affordable and consistently tasty bakery item that sells out in record time!

Back to dinner… In the early evening, while the children bathed and pulled on pyjamas, I quickly tossed fresh chicken tenderloins in a combination of ground cumin (2 teaspoons) and sweet paprika (1 teaspoon), olive oil and sea salt. I set them aside on the bench to marinate as I prepared the side dishes. 

The first was Cauliflower Gratin, based on a Neil Perry recipe from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine on the 27th July this year. This recipe is excellent. The cauliflower holds its form and flavour which is enhanced by the nutmeg scented cream that turns golden and slightly crispy in the oven. A must make again side dish. 

Once this went into the oven, I made a Mixed Leaf Salad with burgundy toned radicchio, crisp cos, iceberg and green oak lettuce with olive oil, vino cotto and verjuice. With the barbecue plate heated – for the third time today – I laid out the marinated tenderloins which cooked in a matter of minutes. As I whipped them off the plate and into a wide serving bowl, I squeezed over a sweet Lemonade Lemon from my Aunty Branka’s tree. This mingled with the juices from the chicken adding even more flavour and moisture to the dish. 

Despite a day of feasting my children managed to finish off their dinner and still have room for fresh fruit. It must have been the result of an afternoon of racing about on scooters, bikes and swinging off play equipment in the park that stimulated their appetites once again. 

Cauliflower Gratin 

Ingredients
600 ml double cream
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 head of cauliflower (I used a large size) – wash in cold water, then carefully cut into florets
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
finely chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan bake. 

Bring the cream and nutmeg to the boil in a saucepan on the stove. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half and thickened. 

Add salt and pepper and pour over the cauliflower florets which should be evenly arranged in an oven proof dish. 

Sprinkle over the cheeses and then pop into the oven for about 25 minutes until golden. 

There was plenty of cauliflower here for three adults and five children as I served it as one of two side dishes. This is an easy dish to double if catering for a family function. It would also make a comforting main meal with a garden salad for four adults.