Newsletter Archive

Voodoo Moon, in association with Barbitec, commences regular Barbecue Cooking Classes from Tuesday May 20^th. These classes will be held monthly – or more frequently upon demand – at Barbecues Galore stores, starting with Cannington on the 20^th. To book, call into any Barbecues Galore store and remember – just because it’s winter doesn’t mean we have to stop barbecuing!

WWW.EATINPERTH.COM

Voodoo Moon’s Red Onion, Port & Pink Peppercorn Jam was served with a Rustic Eggplant, Zucchini, Capsicum and Goats Cheese Tart by Ben Lee Kong of Eat In Perth online magazine. He wrote “This combination is definitely exciting, matching the sweet and savoury elements in the tart wonderfully. The onion jam would also be great with the earthiness of pate”.

To read Ben’s review of this dish and his matching of our Seven Gates of Hell chilli sauce and an equal measure of lime as a sauce for the crisp flavours of Prawn Tempura and jasmine rice, go to www.eatinperth.com/reviews/showreview?refid=2020.

To sign up for Eat In Perth magazine, delivered by email every Wednesday, go to www.eatinperth.com/newsletter/signup.

HOT AND SPICY ON THE OZ CHILLI NET

Check out www.geocities.com\ozchillinet for reviews of Voodoo Moon’s Seven Gates of Hell, Eternal Damnation and Ruby Dragon sauces. Big Jim’s done a great job with the site, and there’s a feast of spicy chilli related information for you to enjoy.

GIFT PACKS

Looking for a special gift for someone in the country or interstate? We can gift wrap and send up to five jars anywhere in Australia for only $7.50 postage. Stay tuned for some exciting gift packs and hampers, which I hope to have ready in the next couple of months.

ONLINE VOODOO

www.voodoomoon.com.au features more than just information about our Fabulous Condiments and Funky Catering – there’s recipes, stockists, and very soon photos and articles. If you have ANY cooking or food questions, please email me at askchef@voodoomoon.com.au and I’ll do my best to answer as soon as possible. If there’s anything else you’d like to see online please don’t hesitate to make a suggestion!

FUNKY CATERING

Voodoo Moon are always available to cater your next cocktail function or dinner party. We specialise in creating specific catering menus to suit your taste, budget and situation, so please call us for an obligation free quote any time you’re planning a function – you’ll be surprised how affordable we are.

BUSH TOMATO KASAUNDI

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

Now thicker and lighter, Voodoo Moon’s Bush Tomato Kasuandi features the distinctively tangy and almost sour bite of Aussie Akudjura bush tomatoes.

With such a flavoursome and crisp taste, this chutney should not be limited to use with a curry, and here are some suggestions!

Great spread on a sandwich – especially cold meats or vintage cheddar cheese.

Adds a superb rustic outback touch to a Ploughman’s lunch.

Drizzle over grilled Barramundi served with a crisp salad and new potatoes.

Use as a dip for satay sticks.

The perfect relish to serve with prosciutto wrapped asparagus.

As a dip for poppadoms with minted yoghurt raita and chillies.

Marinate Kangaroo fillets in Bush Tomato Kasaundi or serve as an accompaniment to any game meat, such as venison or duck.

Lamb Fillets on Citrus Chats with Bush Tomato Kasaundi

Serves 2

Trim 2 large or 4 small lamb fillets of any sinew and fat. Marinade for at least 2 hours in a drizzle of olive oil combined with a pinch of sea salt, and one half tablespoon of mild curry powder.

To prepare the chats (short for Chatueax potatoes), boil 6 medium sized new potatoes until almost done, and drain well before slicing each potato in half or to bite sized chunks.

Lightly fry one finely chopped onion, 2 rashers of bacon chopped finely, one tablespoon of freshly chopped garlic, and one teaspoon of freshly grated ginger in a little butter. Add the potatoes and cook over a low heat until warmed through, slightly coloured and fully cooked. Add 2 tablespoons grated rind of orange, lemon and/or lime, a pinch each of sea salt and cracked black pepper, mix well and keep warm.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan, and add the lamb fillets, cooking quickly for about 2 minutes on each side for large, or a minute and a half for small, before turning. Lamb fillets are so tender they are perfect served medium rare, but of course this is down to your personal taste.

Arrange the chats in the centre of two plates, slice each lamb fillet on the diagonal lengthwise and prop up on the potatoes, then drizzle generously with Voodoo Moon’s Bush Tomato Kasaundi. Garnish with some roquette leaves or serve with a spinach salad on the side.

Asparagus & Goats Cheese Pie

Butter a 26cm springform cake tin and lightly dust with flour. Combine 2 cups plain flour with 100g softened butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add one egg, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar, and combine well before kneading for about five minutes on a floured surface until you have a pastry of a nice smooth consistency. Wrap the dough in glad wrap and rest in the fridge for at least thirty minutes.

Roll the pastry out evenly on a lightly floured surface, and line the cake tin carefully, allowing the pastry to overlap the rim of the tin. Once again rest the pastry at least a half hour or the glutens in the flour, being stressed from the kneading and rolling, will contract when heated and the pastry will shrink down the sides of your tin, causing all sorts of hassle to your pie!

Prick the base of the pastry with a fork once rested, and blind bake in a 160 degree Celsius oven for about ten minutes – until the pastry just starts to cook.

Meanwhile, combine 4 eggs and 1 cup (250ml) cream with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or tarragon, a large pinch of sea salt and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper.

Into the pastry case, crumble 200g goat’s cheese (a mature cheese from the exquisite Kervella range is ideal) evenly and 2 cups of sliced fresh or tinned asparagus. Pour the egg mixture over the top, and bake the pie at 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes or until firmly set.

Serve with a salad of baby spinach, grape tomatoes, avocado and pinenuts, and an accompanying ramekin of Voodoo Moon’s Bush Tomato Kasaundi.

Last month’s competition must have been too difficult for many – despite a good response from the newsletter there were surprisingly few entries! Congratulations to Jo-anne Duxbury of Emu Park, Queensland who will be receiving a complimentary jar of Voodoo Moon’s Seven Gates of Hell sauce very soon.

This month, to win a jar of our featured Bush Tomato Kasuandi, don’t be shy, just send an email with “Competition” written in the subject line to shane@voodoomoon.com.au, with the answer to this easy question:

From which country do we get the Aussie Akudjura Bush Tomatoes to make Voodoo Moon’s Bush Tomato Kasaundi?

CANCER FOUNDATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Since it’s inception, Voodoo Moon has proudly donated one percent of our monthly turnover to a worthy charity. With my Mum Sandra being diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the same time as the business was established, the choice of charity was not a hard a decision to make. Now, almost six months later, with Mum just finishing an intensive course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I would like to not only thank the Cancer Foundation and the doctors involved for all their help, but also urge you to remember this very worthy cause and make a donation yourself. You can contact the Cancer Foundation on 9212-4333 or get plenty more information at www.cancerwa.asn.au.

STOP AND LISTEN…

Eating a sublime meal is as sensuous an experience as any the bedroom has to offer. It doesn’t take a lot of thinking to realise that cooking is one of the few activities or professions in which we use all five of our faculties.

Taste goes without saying – I would never serve anything I hadn’t first tasted to ensure its quality. Sight is similarly essential in checking quality, consistency and readiness of our fare. We would be lost without the ability to smell our food to determine both good and bad odours. And touch is extremely important in judging the quality, ripeness or readiness of our produce.

Which leaves us with sound…the most under-rated of our senses in the kitchen.

Some of my fondest memories of professional kitchens around the world in the past ten years, and of twenty years entertaining friends are the sounds.

The hiss of steam as a juicy steak hits the grill; the crackle as wine meets oil in a hot pan; the bubbling of a rich, thick sauce; the cicada-like snap of metal tongs; the bustle of fresh hot food being rushed out to eagerly anticipating diners; and the clink of crockery on smooth metal benches. All sounds that are uniform the world over – sounds that unite chefs and home cooks everywhere.

Don’t be fooled though - sound is not only about evoking past memories, it’s also an integral, and often overlooked, part of a cook’s repertoire.

The next time you prepare a meal at home, take the time out to notice the sounds of the food as you work with it. Instead of taking the sounds of the kitchen for granted, listen to your food changing form from raw to cooked. Notice how important the sounds are as the food nears readiness, and allow yourself the luxury of letting those sounds carry you away through your own past – to meals and occasions that deserve to be remembered more often. It’s true that sometimes the simple things in life really ARE the most satisfying, and that sounds good to me.

Have a great month and be excellent to each other!

Shane Pinnegar

Nb: to be removed from this mailing list, or to add a friend, simply send an email to shane@voodoomoon.com.au