some say no news is goods news
i say good news is news you get!
Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Some say
Monday, February 4th, 2013Damn it it’s here!
Tuesday, January 1st, 2013Yep well we’ve gone and done it haven’t we…I say ‘we’ because ‘we’ all welcomed in the new year in some form or another. Now I am already three quarters through the first day of next year. (Question when does it stop being next year and become this year?) Just to be up front I am not all that impressed that next year is here and I am already living it. I was quite happy to wait a little longer for it to arrive – yes I begrudgingly welcomed it in (ask my wife I was a little grumpy about the whole thing) it’s not like I really had a choice right? And quite frankly I am not ready for it!! It’s not that there are things I’ve left undone in 2012 (although I still haven’t unpacked the garage) it’s just that I am not ready for it, I don’t feel optimistic about it, I haven’t got myself into that positive space where I can welcome in the new knowing full well that there is nothing new about welcoming the New Year. Next year is full of the same old same old of last year and that was hard enough to deal with so how am I supposed to get over that while being faced with a whole new year of it ahead of me?????
Yes embrace change, embrace the unknown, create your future, one door closes and another one opens, something will come up it always does (especially if you wait %*#*ing long enough) see the possible in every moment etcetera etcetera. Well yes the door of 2012 certainly closed and the door of 2013 certainly opened (so I guess that bit is true) only I can see no discernible difference in the two and now I am not sure if I am going forward or backward but feel as if I am doing both i.e. I am going backwards into the future.
Oh well I guess I just have to suck it up – I have stepped off the precipice of 2012 and am now free falling into 2013 – I would be lying if I told you I am not worried about the landing, I am. I don’t want more of the same – I want new, exciting, more fulfilling, more prosperity - I WANT IT TO BE A BETTER YEAR THAN THE ONE JUST GONE.
There were significant and wonderful changes in my family’s life last year starting around June and which are still in play. Maybe that has rocked my boat more than I realise - although I do realise the import of the changes and the deep affect they have had on all of us – things are no longer the same and thus, perhaps the crux of the matter, I do not want 2013 to be the same like 2012 was and indeed 2011.
Time for more change then?! Bring it on….I may not be ready (just yet) 2013 but I am willing and I am able!
I may go finish unpacking the garage – better sort the past out so I can step into the future without baggage!
This years salami, hung last night!
Sunday, July 29th, 2012
now I just have to wait for the next month or so!!!
Crazy business….
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012I am very please to note that channel seven are replaying series four episodes of Mercurio’s Menu. These eps went to air late last year so it is great to see them back on the free to air TV. Obviously channel seven like the show and enjoy the ratings that they bring otherwise they wouldnt screen them at all let alone be rescreening them – so I am happy and excited and it is good that my face is out their on the box.
How ever……
channel seven no longer want to be involved with any further series.
Kind of doesnt make sense?
We are still looking for a major sponsor for our next series (5) and I am pleased to say we have a commercial free to air network that will take the new series! So come on sponsor and lets make some good TV.
Can’t stand em….
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012hypocrite
noun
1.
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2.
a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.
Especially when they judge and criticise others for doing that which they themselves have done/are doing and all behind the veil of freindship
Here are the recipes
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012I have just finished doing some cooking demos at Tatsing Australia and people asked me if they could get the recipes for the dish I demo’d. So here they are:
Lentil, Parsley and Tomato Salad
1 ½ cups of brown lentils
1 clove of garlic smashed
2 bay leaves
2 large ripe tomatoes – sliced across into fours then roughly chopped into large cubes
½ – ¾ Spanish red onion – finely sliced
2 Lebanese cucumbers – peeled and cut into dice
1 tablespoon of small salted capers
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
12 caper berries
Put lentils, smashed garlic and bay leaves into saucepan with 6 cups of cold water. Place pan on high heat and bring to the boil then turn down and simmer for 12 – 15 mins or until the lentils are al dente. Strain and remove the garlic and bay leaf then allow lentils to cool.
Combine all other ingredients in a large salad bowl making sure you capture all the juice from the tomatoes and mix well. Add the warm lentils in to the bowl and mix well again.
Dress with a generous splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar – season with a pinch of salt.
Tea smoked brined Eye fillet
1 eye fillet – 700g – one kilo
200g salt
200g of brown sugar
20 black pepper corns
3 bay leaves
3 pieces of lemon rind – no pith
1 litres of boiling water
3 litres of water
Put the salt, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves and lemon rind in a large pot and pour over the boiling water. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt and then add in the cold water and stir again. Put pot in the fridge to bring down the temperature. Once the brine is cool place the eye fillet in – it should be covered by the brine, cover the pot with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for two to three days turning the fillet each day.
After two – three days remove the fillet and pat dry with paper towels and place on a plate. Put plate in the fridge uncovered for 1 – 2 days so as to dry out.
Smoke mix:
½ cup of black tea
½ cup of brown sugar
½ cup of raw white rice
Mix all ingredients together well. Line a wok with three layers of Al Foil and pour the smoking mix in to the wok. Turn the heat to high and wait for the mix to begin to smoke, when it does place a wire rack in the wok and then place the eye fillet on to the rack over the smoking mix. Cover tightly and once the smoke is really going turn the heat down a little to a medium high. Smoke for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove the meat from the wok and if you have a meat thermometer check the internal temp. Ideally you want to get a reading of between 63°C to 67°C. Allow the meat to rest then slice thinly and enjoy.
Mix sliced meat through the lentil salad and serve.
Mercurio fronts hi-tech tourism marketing
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
Campaign face: Paul Mercurio is the face of the New England North West Tourism campaign, launched last week at Tamworth’s Big Golden Guitar tourist centre.
A SMARTPHONE app featuring television personality Paul Mercurio as the face of New England North West Tourism’s autumn marketing campaign was launched last week at Tam-worth’s Big Golden Guitar tourist centre.
With marketing buzzwords such as “staycation”, “storylines” and “footprint” featuring in their speeches, MPs and marketing gurus took the floor at the launch to announce the second phase of the campaign.
NENW Tourism chairman Les Parsons said the $220,000 campaign was aimed at the selfdrive market. Despite describing himself as “app ignorant”, he hoped everyone including grey nomads would embrace the new technology.
Great News!!!
Sunday, March 11th, 2012My cook book Cooking with Beer has been recognised as the fourth best beer book in the world!!!!! It came fourth in the Gourmand Cookbook awards in the beer section. To be able to say it is in the top four in the world, it is the fourth best beer book in the worlds is great. Yes I would like to have said it won and I dont go out of my way to say it only came fourth but what ever way you want to look at it fourth best in the WORLD is good for me!
So what were the top three….third was one was called – biers et brasseries des 2 Luxembourg – so is a book about the beer and beer cafes of Luxembourg, 2nd was the UK Good Beer Guide basically a guide togood beer and pubs in England and the winner was the OxfordCompanion to beer – which I thought would most likely win as it is a very in deepth history of beer type book with many contributors.
See my page here – http://www.cookbookfair.com/index.php/gourmand-awards/winners/gourmand-awards-2012-winners/book/3?page=1
And I would suggest looking through the whole booklet to see the worlds best cookbooks for 2012 – http://www.cookbookfair.com/index.php/gourmand-awards/winners/gourmand-awards-2012-winners/book/3?page=1
Not bad for a boy who started out as a dancer with a bit of a passion for food and yes beer! Who ever would have seen that coming?
Cheers
My Dad a Member of the Order of Australia
Saturday, January 28th, 2012Ciao 2011 Hello 2012
Saturday, December 31st, 2011Thought I best post something early before I open the champagne and get things going.
Wishing everyone who drops by here a very happy, prosperous, healthy, harmonious, joyful and positive year ahead.
I have decided this year end beginning that I will for the first time ever make a new year resolution, however as I will not commence that resolution until after my Mum goes home (yes she has been here visiting since before Xmas) and it does include drinking less I will not be drinking less while Mum is here as a nice glass of wine or two with Mum is a pleasure not to be messed with.
So my New Year resolution will be posted on the 6th of Jan.
I hope all your wishes come true in 2012!
