My two favourite teams in the National Rugby League are playing in the 2015 NRL grand final. I’ve been a Brisbane Broncos supporter since their establishment. The North Queensland Cowboys have been my number two team since their entry into the NRL. Two strong Queensland teams. Tonight’s NRLGF footy food had to match the intensity of the game.
What a year it’s been in Rugby League. Queensland wins the State of Origin and my top three teams make the top four at the end of the year. My third team, the Melbourne Storm got knocked out by the Cowboys late in the finals series. I think this has been the best year in Rugby League ever. For the Broncos they’re playing for their captain Justin Hodges in his last game and for Mr Bennett who returned this year to coach the Broncos again. For the Cowboys they’re playing for their captain, Johnathan Thurston. For whoever wins it’s a fairy tale finish and there are no real losers. I can’t remember a happier week leading up to a grand final game.
So I started with a light breakfast of vegemite and marmalade on an English muffin with a coffee in my Brisbane Broncos mug.
I went for a walk around Lake Ginninderra.
When I got home I needed to do my ironing. Followers on twitter and facebook know this as a #SundayRitual
For dinner, I wanted to relive previous footy food joy and I also wanted to enjoy a variation of the Canadian treat, viz., poutine.
The basic elements were going to be some pulled chicken thigh, potato gems, brown onion gravy and shredded cheddar cheese. What more could you want for NRLGF footy food.
- Chicken thigh meat
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Lemon zest
- Lemon slices
- Potato gems (Tater tots)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Gravox brown onion gravy
- Spring onions
- In foil add the chicken with a good glug of olive oil plus the lemon zest, lemon slices, balsamic vinegar and the wrap.
- Put into the oven at 100 °C for 150 minutes.
- As the chicken comes out turn up the oven to 220 °C and add the potato gems (tater tots) and cook for 25 minutes.
- Pull the chicken apart and reheat in a frying pan with some oil to keep it moist.
- Make the gravy as per instructions on the tin
- Lay the chicken on the bottom of a small bowl
- Add a layer of potato gems
- Pour over some gravy
- Add another layer of potato gems
- Add some shredded cheddar cheese
- Blast in the microwave oven for 30 seconds to melt the cheese
- Garnish with spring onions
- Serve with wasabi aioli and sweet chilli sauce along with the rest of the gravy
- Shoot a photograph
- Eat the meal while watching the footy
- Wash the dishes
- Write the recipe
- Blog (verb)
If you want to see the photographs as a gallery click here. Click on one image to see it full size. To see the EXIF data (including a map if the photograph was geotagged) click on the information (i) icon in the top right corner. You can navigate through the gallery using the arrow keys or by swiping if you’re using a tablet or smartphone.
It was an amazing game. It was tight and the lead changed regularly through the match. It was tough with no quarter lost nor given. It was also a clean game with very little niggle. The refereeing was even good. Each captain played well and the superstars in each team did their thing. Towards the end tempers frayed but each team was exhausted. The Cowboys kept attacking and the Broncos kept defending. It was the most exciting ending of a grand final I’ve seen in a few decades. It went to extra time golden point and the North Queensland Cowboys got the victory off the boot of Johnathan Thurston. The night’s best attacking team won which is the way I think it should be. A fairy tale finish for JT and the Cowboys. The final score was 17 to 16. It’s simply been the best year in rugby league full stop. You could not want for a better finish to a great season. I feel for Justin Hodges and Wayne Bennett but they’ve enjoyed success before and tonight it was JT’s time.