Opening Coconuts:
Open the coconuts by flinging them onto a cement or rock surface (this is how the monkeys do it!) Don’t worry about losing the liquid, as it’s not the coconut milk called for in cooking. Each coconut should break in 3 to 4 pieces. It is also possible to open a coconut by piercing the eyes of the coconut with a screwdriver or ice pick, draining the liquid through the holes and placing the coconut in a 400 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Wrap the coconut in a towel and hit it with a hammer to loosen the shell and split it into pieces. Pry out the white meat and then pare off the dark skin.

Grating Coconut Meat:
To grate the white meat, put the meat through the grating disk of a food processor or use a hand grater. You should get about 7 cups of grated coconut from the two coconuts, which will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Coconut Liquado:
To make the coconut milk, combine the remaining 3 to 4 cups of loosely packed grated coconut with the milk (use 3/4 cup of coconut for each 1 cup of milk) in a heavy saucepan. Heat slowly, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and cool. Strain the milk, pressing down on the coconut meat to extract all the liquid. Squeeze all the coconut through a towel to get any last drops. Discard the coconut.

Paperbark is one of the most versatile natural food wraps available and imparts a delicate smokey flavour to chicken, pork, veal, poultry, kumara, oysters, fish, scallops … the list goes on. Paperbark works best with white meats and starchy vegetables which are slowly cooked in the paperbark so that the smoke created when the natural oils in the bark are combusted and absorbed into the fats in the food.

Ingredients:

1 × 180 grams snapper fillet
5 grams wildfire spice
1 paperbark roll
outback Salt
vegetable Oil

For Daintree pineapple and Riberry salsa:
350 grams pineapple, fine dice
50 grams shallot, finely chopped
50 grams garlic, finely chopped
50 grams riberry confit
10 grams lemon myrtle sprinkle
10 grams red chilli, julienne
50 ml. pineapple juice
20 ml. sesame oil
30 ml. olive oil
trace salt
50 ml. red wine vinegar

Procedure:

Firstly, combine all ingredients for the salsa well and allow marinating for approx 4 hours. The daintree pineapple and riberry salsa is best prepared the day before if possible, if not allow 4 hours at least. Ensure that the snapper fillet is free of bones and that the skin has been removed. Season with wildfire spice and a little outback salt. Unroll the paperbark and cut a small amount to wrap the snapper. On occasions, the paperbark is so think that you can actually separate the paperbark in half. Using the stringless side of the paperbark rub a little oil on the bark, then place the snapper fillet on the bark. Wrap like a present, then tie with string. Then, on a hot grill or frying pan, sear the paperbark tillit starts to smoke. Turn the package over, then again wait till the paperbark is smoking. After that place in a oven till medium. The times required can vary depending on how think the snapper is. You can test the doneness with a skewer or similar. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest. Then cut the paperbark and serve on the plate with daintree pineapple and riberry salsa.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, side muscles removed
fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 large green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon mild Spanish paprika (pimentón dulce) or Hungarian sweet paprika

Procedure:

Rinse and drain scallops; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops; sauté until browned outside and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to plate; cover. Add 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet; add white parts of green onions and sauté until almost tender, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and green parts of onions and sauté until tomatoes begin to burst and release juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons parsley, lemon juice, and paprika. Return scallops and any accumulated juices to skillet and stir just until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer scallop mixture to platter. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Makes 4 servings.

“This is a highly nutritious and wonderful Mexican soup, called a ‘caldo.’ It is too dense to be a soup, and is almost a stew, except the liquid hasn’t been thickened. The flavors are deep and rich. I almost never use ‘cubed beef’ any more, unless it’s truly necessary as I think these thin slices are far better. Try this caldo, and you’ll see why!”

Ingredients:

vegetable oil for browning
1 pound beef round, thinly sliced then cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
4 new potatoes, quartered
2 cups tomato puree
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup red wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth

Procedure:

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir meat until well browned on all sides, then transfer to a large stock pot. Cook and stir onions in the same skillet in the fat remaining from the meat. When lightly browned and tender, stir in tomatoes. Continue cooking until some of the tomato liquid has evaporated, then transfer to the stock pot with the meat. In a separate skillet, brown the potatoes in a small amount of oil over medium-high heat, turning occasionally. Add the potatoes to the meat, along with the tomato puree, spinach, red wine, garlic, and oregano. Add just enough beef broth or water to cover meat and vegetables, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Optional vegetables cut into bite size pieces may include mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, or chayote, and may be added to the soup just before covering and simmering.

Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
6 cups water
1 cup red lentils
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (19 ounce) can cannelloni beans
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried mixture of cloves and cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

Procedure:

In large pot sauté; the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, clove, bits of cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft. Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy! This is a highly balanced food with protein, minerals, and fiber. Makes 6 servings.