Canberra

Birthday weekend

Dear Reader,

Hi there. How are you? Welcome to another midweek post. I just had a wonderful weekend in Canberra with my girlfriend. It was great to have someone with me to celebrate my birthday.

We spent a lot of time eating. We also spent time walking and enjoying the glorious weather. I recommend it if you’ve never visited the National Arboretum on a fine sunny day.

Two before ten, Aranda 10 Yards (the evening restaurant)

Entrée

Antipasto Plate for 2

This is a share plate of locally sourced cured meats and cheeses, garden salad, Urban Farm lavosh crackers and pickled vegetables. It was more than enough for two people and would probably be enough for the main meal.

Main meals

We shared the mushroom ragu and a special on the menu, viz., confit chicken Maryland.

The ragu included:

  • Aranda grown mushrooms.
  • Roasted tomato and garlic.
  • Garden herbs.
  • Shallots with Urban Farm pappardelle and pecorino cheese.

The confit chicken Maryland included chorizo sausage with cannellini beans. The borborygmi and the aftereffects that evening were delightful!

These dishes were large and probably too much after the antipasto. I’d probably think about sharing a single main course dish for future reference. Both dishes were delicious; however, I liked the ragu more than the chicken.

Dessert

We shared a single serve of bread-and-butter pudding, ice cream, and butterscotch sauce. More than enough, this was a nice, sweet end to a good meal.

Food 4/5

Service 3/5

Stella’s by the lake

One morning we both enjoyed Eggs Benedict with bacon at Stella’s. Stella’s is an excellent go-to local café for coffee and a solid breakfast or brunch, given the proximity to where I live.

Food 4/5

Coffee 4/5

Cheese

Rather than lunch each day, we indulged in cheeses. A blue, a brie, a cheddar, a Pink Lady apple, Bartlett pear, and crackers. We went with Olina’s Bakehouse cranberry and sunflower seeds.

Cheeses, crackers, apple, and Haigh’s freckles with a glass of Blackwell Shiraz

Aubergine

One evening, we dined at Aubergine. It was nice to dress up a little and enjoy the quiet ambience of this well-known Canberra restaurant.

The five-course meal begins with snacks and ends with petit fours. There was seafood in the form of Murray River Cod and yabby. There was poultry in the form of quail and mammal meat in the form of lamb, including excellent lamb shoulder beignet balls.

The food was delicate and artistic in terms of plating and arrangement. Each dish combined flavours so that each could be distinguished along with the textures of each element. Some were surprising, and all were delicious.

The service was outstanding. It was friendly, informative, and attentive.

Food 5/5

Service 5/5

Birrigai café

This café is located within the IRT Kangara Waters Retirement Village. Given my age, it felt comforting to be here enjoying a breakfast of light, fluffy pancakes, a jug of maple syrup, and a ramekin filled with a red berry compote. 🤣

Food 5/5

Turkish Pide House

Rather than go out, we got a takeaway from this long term established purveyor of Turkish delights. The starting combo box had zucchini balls, potato balls, and börek along with garlic yoghurt. The pizza had pumpkin, rosemary, garlic and feta and mozzarella cheese.

The serving size is always huge here, and I had leftover pizza for another night.

Food 5/5

Ricardo’s café and patisserie

Ricardo’s cafe and patisserie is in Jamison Plaza.

We had granola with banana brûlée for breakfast and an excellent coffee one morning.

One evening we bought pastries for the birthday cake. We enjoyed two creative desserts, which were out of this world good.

Food 5/5

Service 4/5

Final thoughts

It has been a fantastic weekend. Again, I took no photographs because I was focused on enjoying the whole experience.

The food and service ratings I’ve given should be considered in terms of:

1/5 Poor

2/5 Not satisfactory

3/5 Satisfactory

4/5 Good

5/5 Outstanding

Where it’s warm and moist

Where it’s warm and moist

I spent the weekend in Brisbane to visit my family. It was lovely to be somewhere where the weather was warm and moist. This week, on Thursday, Canberra experienced a maximum daytime temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F). I don’t like hot weather. I like warm weather. It was also dry. I don’t like dry weather, I like moist, humid, sultry, muggy weather. I like to sweat while not doing anything. I like sitting down and have beads of sweat form on my forehead and other parts of my body and move with gravity to a pool of sweat somewhere on the floor. When I got home after work, I closed all the windows and doors and turned on a humidifier.

Flying from Canberra to Brisbane

My flight from Canberra (CBR) to Brisbane (BNE) was delayed at both ends. With all the bush fires, the east coast had been affected by thick smoke haze and Sydney was also being affected by storms. That meant Sydney airport (SYD) was closed for parts of Friday so flights had been diverted to CBR and BNE. The departure from CBR was only slightly delayed; about 20 minutes. The arrival into BNE was okay but because of all the diversions, no aerobridges were available for docking so the aircraft I was in sat on the tarmac in BNE for close to half an hour.

Cafe 63 Westfield Chermside

After arriving in Brisbane on Friday evening, I went out and enjoyed a light meal at Cafe 63 at Westfield Chermside. I had a plate of pulled lamb shank meat with some sweet potato chips, mushrooms, and gravy. It was a pretty good meal.

Lamb shank Sweet potato chips Mushrooms Gravy Cafe 63 Westfield Chermside

It was good to catch up with Mum and Dad and my daughters this weekend. It’s always good to see them and hear what is happening in their lives in a bit more depth. I mean, we tend to send each other text messages each day, we chat on the telephone each week, and I can video call my daughters too. It’s not as good as being in person and hearing what has been happening.

Ivy & Lark Westfield Chermside

On Saturday morning I ate breakfast at Ivy & Lark in Westfield Chermside. I had the “Ivy & Lark Breakfast Bowl” which was a whole heap of spinach leaves with lean thick cut bacon, two poached eggs, about a tablespoon of smashed avocado, and lots of halved cherry tomatoes. It also came with a couple of slices of sourdough bread which had been toasted. Everything tasted great but it was awkward cutting bacon in a bowl. The toasted sourdough bread was also tough. I really needed a serrated steak knife for the bread.

Ivy & Lark
Ivy & Lark Breakfast Bowl | Bacon, eggs, avocado, spinach, tomatoes, and sourdough toast

Cricket anyone?

After breakfast, I sat down with Dad and watched some of the test match (cricket for those not familiar with sport of the former British Empire) between Australia and Pakistan which was being played at The Gabba. I’ve lost interest in watching cricket, the players no longer hold any fascination for me. When Michael Clarke became captain and cricket became more about the dramas of his personal life rather than the sport I lost interest. I mean, Ricky Ponting was also a bit dramatic off field too but not as much as Clarke. The players of that era to the present day have been more about drama and less about cricket so my reason for sitting down with Dad was enjoying his enjoyment of watching cricket on TV.

Sandgate Fishmonger

Lunch was at the Sandgate Fishmonger and there were six of us so we got the family pack (four pieces of fish, four potato scallops, a serve of crumbed calamari, and a serve of chips) plus some extra battered fish, more potato scallops, and I got myself a pineapple fritter. The fish wasn’t as good as it usually is, and the chips could have been cooked a bit longer. That said, the potato scallops were nice and the pineapple fritter was delicious.

Check out the comments on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

I posted photographs of what I ate on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and got some great interaction from people mostly on Facebook and Twitter. There was lots of confirmation from Queenslanders on Twitter that the correct term is “potato scallop” and not “potato cake”. There were also questions about the pineapple fritter which is a pineapple ring covered in doughnut batter, deep fried, and covered in sugar. I mean, what could be better. It’s even vegetarian.

I spent Saturday afternoon chatting with Mum, Dad, and one of my daughters while we sat with the cricket on TV.

Dad’s pickled daikon radish

I also got to try some of Dad’s pickled daikon radish. There’s a story to this…

A few months ago, I’d mentioned to Mum and Dad I was enjoying daikon radish (Chinese white radish) in salads. Dad thought I might like pickled daikon so he made some for me. At about 9.30 am on Saturday without any warning he went to the refrigerator, pulled out a jar, went to the top drawer and got a fork and then headed them to me and said, “Here Gary, I made you some pickled daikon radish. Try it.”

I was taken aback. I’d just finished eating the Ivy & Lark Breakfast Bowl and I normally don’t eat pickles in the morning. I think I may have hurt Dad’s feelings. I made sure mid-afternoon I went to the refrigerator and got the jar of pickles and tried the pickled daikon. Dad could see what I was up to and before I opened the jar both he and Mum warned me that it has a pungent odour. Geez, they weren’t wrong. Not only did it smell like someone had farted in my mouth it was also really spicy. Dad had used a few Birdseye chillies to make the pickles. I also learnt on Sunday that Dad hadn’t pasteurised the bottle. If this is my last post, you’ll know why.

The pickled daikon did taste good. The after taste did linger though.

Mum gave me her recipe for pickling so I may give it a go over summer.

Little Singapore Westfield Chermside

On Saturday evening we went to Little Singapore in Westfield Chermside. It’s a relatively new restaurant in the newish food precinct in Westfield Chermside. It’s popular. We had a reservation for 6 pm and there was a queue to get a table when we arrived. I was pretty relieved to have a reservation as we were shown to a nice booth which had one side opened to the outside so we could people-watch the queuing crowd trying to get a table.

For an entrée we had chicken satay sticks, some prawn wontons, and some pot sticker dumplings. For a main meal, I had Marmite Pork Ribs. I think it would have worked with Vegemite too.

After dinner, we had a gelato. I had a chocolate mint brownie gelato in a small cup.

Choc Mint Brownie gelato

Saturday evening was spent watching The Lion King on TV.

Sleeping in Brisbane is always a double edged sword. The weather was really pleasant. I could just sleep uncovered in the ambient temperature. However, the lack of a CPAP mask meant there was snoring. That meant waking up with a sore throat and a feeling that sleep could have been better.

Farm House Kedron

Sunday morning was an early start at the Farm House, Kedron. I had a Farm House Breakfast which was sourdough toasted bread, some fatty bacon, poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce, and tomato relish.

Farm House Kedron Farm House Breakfast with bacon, poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce, relish, and sourdough bread

The rest of the morning, consisted of chatting and watching more cricket and actually enjoying the notion that Pakistan may be defeated by Australia. Australia seems to fair badly to teams from the Indian, Pakistan, and Sri Lankan region. I miss the glory days of Jeff Thompson and Denis Lillie bowling, Marsh keeping wicket, and Doug Walters being the larrikin we could all admire.

The flight back to Canberra was uneventful. The flight was packed. I’m guessing parliament is sitting this week. It’s usually the reason why my BNE to CBR flight on a Sunday is packed like a can of sardines.

What else happened this week?

Mezzalira Ristorante Canberra

I went to Mezzalira Ristorante in Canberra on Wednesday night. A friend from Darwin was in town so we went to dinner. I had the suckling pork.

Suckling Pig Mezzalira Restaurant

Why Darwin is better than Canberra

It was good to catch up with a friend from Darwin and get the latest news of what is happening. I really miss living in Darwin. There are lots of similarities between Darwin and Canberra. Both have really very friendly people. Both exist in territories and not states. Both are unicameral with only a single house of government and no house of review. Both are small with low population density. Both are reasonably cosmopolitan with a significantly diverse population. Both have a focus on Indigenous Australians. Both have no traffic. Both have a public hospital of the same Canadian design because the Whitlam government seemingly had no idea. The difference that makes all the difference to me is that Darwin is subequatorial and is positioned on the beach. The surf is only decent during a tropical cyclone, but at least it does have surf. Darwin’s position means it is humid even in the dry season. Whenever I visit Darwin, my heart is filled with joy. Darwin will always be special to me. Two of my daughters were born there. It really is heaven on earth. If I didn’t love my job, I’d happily move back.

Okay, so not the usual post this week. I’ll probably be back to normal programming next week.

Super simple beef and chicken congee in a slow cooker

It’s getting close to the end of autumn and comfort food on a Sunday is a must. I used some leftover beef to add to chicken congee made in a slow cooker.

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Earlier today I recorded a podcast on sous vide cooking and food safety. I recorded video too and while the podcast drops tomorrow night, the video is available now.

Beef and chicken congee made in a slow cooker Gary Lum
Beef and chicken congee made in a slow cooker

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YouTube video from Medical Fun Facts

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Recipe

Beef and chicken congee in a slow cooker
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
6 hrs
Total Time
6 hrs 10 mins
 

Want to use some leftover beef but don't like the idea of beef congee? Then mix beef and chicken together. It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. 

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 1
Calories: 500 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 1 Chicken
  • 250 g Beef rib fillet Leftover and vacuum sealed
  • 1 L Chicken stock
  • 1 cup Rice
  • Cos lettuce shredded
  • Spring onions sliced
  • Soy sauce
Instructions
  1. Thaw the leftover frozen beef and cut into small slices

  2. Unpack the raw chicken and get to room temperature

    Uncooked chicken and vacuum sealed beef Gary Lum
  3. In your slow cooker add 1 cup of rice and the stock

  4. Add in the beef and the chicken

  5. Set the slow cooker for 6 hours

  6. After the slow cooker has finished, debone the chicken

  7. Mix everything together in the slow cooker vessel

  8. Aliquot two large portions into containers for dinners

  9. Aliquot two smaller portions into containers for lunches

  10. Serve the congee in a small bowl and serve with shredded lettuce, sliced spring onion and soy sauce

  11. Shoot a photograph and then eat the meal

  12. Wash the dishes and write the recipe

  13. Blog and hope your friends share the recipe

Recipe Notes

An all time favourite. Mixing the beef and the chicken is a great move. 

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And now for something cheesy

I was recently approached by Georgia Davies about sharing this cheeseboard infographic. Unfortunately, I haven’t posted about cheese much lately apart from warnings that raw unpasteurised cheese should be avoided because of potentially fatal consequences.  Anyway, this cheese platter infographic looks fantastic. It’s full of visually stunning great ideas for you to try.
 Expert Tips for the Perfect Cheeseboard
Expert Tips for the Perfect Cheeseboard by Daffodil Hotel

 

Frequently asked questions

How did you connect your three blogs today?

Well, I blogged and recorded a podcast about sous vide safety, then I wrote a post in My Thoughts and Stuff and mentioned the sous vide podcast, and now I’ve cooked using meat that had been vacuum sealed.

What do you like about congee?

It’s the perfect comfort food for cold nights in Canberra. It’s peasant food. It’s simple to make and better to eat.

Why the leftover beef?

Why not? I didn’t want to waste it and combining meats is a thing. It’s a good thing.

Who inspires you for sous vide cooking?

Tony from Tony meets meat. Check out today’s blog post at http://yumlum.co/2qKfnj6

Do you have any similar recipes?

You better believe it. Check 1, 2, and 3.

Social media

Please follow me on my food-based social media on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. What I’d love you to do is share this post on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else you’d like, even Google+

Gary Lum QR Code

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Donkey sauce with an 8-hour slow cooked rib eye fillet roast by Yummy Lummy

Donkey sauce I hear you ask? I made it for the first time last night and had it with leftover beef brisket on a brioche bun.

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8-hour slow cooked rib eye beef with salad, caramelised onion, and lashings of donkey sauce Gary Lum
8-hour slow cooked rib eye beef with salad, caramelised onion, and lashings of donkey sauce

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Recipe

Donkey sauce with an 8-hour slow cooked rib eye fillet roast
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
8 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs 20 mins
 
The main part of this recipe is the beef, the donkey sauce just makes it better, similar to the way horseradish can enhance beef.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 1
Calories: 1000 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 2 kg rib eye fillet roast (rolled and tied)
  • 1 turnip (diced)
  • 1 potato (diced)
  • 1 Hawaiian sweet potato (diced)
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 1 carrot (diced)
  • 2 stalks celery (sliced)
  • 1 cup wine
  • 1 cup stock
  • spring onions (sliced)
  • Parsley (chopped)
  • Lime zest
  • Caramelised onion
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
  • Donkey sauce
Instructions
  1. In the slow cooker vessel add the onion, carrot, celery, potato, turnip and sweet potato and then pour in the wine and stock. It doesn’t really matter what wine and stock you use.
  2. Place the rolled rib eye fillet on top of the vegetables and then place the slow cooker vessel into the body of the slow cooker and turn on for eight hours.
  3. After eight hours prepare a salad of tomato, lettuce and spring onion with some parsley too.
  4. Open the slow cooker and lift out the beef. Allow the beef to rest covered with aluminium foil for fifteen minutes.

    Eight-hour slow cooked beef straight out of the slow cooker Gary Lum
  5. After the beef has rested, carve the rolled roast into three even portions. Vacuum pack and seal two portions and place in the freezer for later enjoyment.
  6. Place the remaining portion into a shallow bowl and the plate up with the salad. Add a good portion of donkey sauce to meat and a couple of tablespoons of caramelised onion.
  7. Garnish with chopped parsley and lime zest.
    Limes ready for juicing and zesting Gary Lum loves lime
  8. Shoot a photograph and then enjoy the sumptuousness that is 8-hour slowly cooked rib eye fillet roast.
  9. Wash the dishes.
  10. Write the recipe and blog hoping people who read this will share it on social media, especially on their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.
Recipe Notes

This dish will satisfy you and make you happy enough to smile  just at the thought of it. Meat is good.

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Limes ready for juicing and zesting Gary Lum loves lime
Limes ready for juicing and zesting

Eight-hour slow cooked beef straight out of the slow cooker Gary Lum
Eight-hour slow cooked beef straight out of the slow cooker

8-hour slow cooked rib eye beef with salad, caramelised onion, and lashings of donkey sauce Gary Lum
8-hour slow cooked rib eye beef with salad, caramelised onion, and lashings of donkey sauce

Donkey sauce ready for dripping all over myself Gary Lum
Donkey sauce ready for dripping all over myself

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Frequently asked questions

Why do you like slowly cooking beef so much?

I love the flavour but mostly the texture of the muscle bundles separating with little effort and that cutting across the grain is almost effortless with a good knife which means chewing is a joy.

Who created donkey sauce?

I answered this in my recent post. Check it out.

Why do you eat so much?

It’s a weakness. I must stop eating so much.

Do you have any similar recipes?

You better believe it. Check 1, 2, and 3.

Social media

Please follow me on my food-based social media on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. What I’d love you to do is share this post on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else you’d like, even Google+

Gary Lum QR Code

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Donkey sauce Gary Lum
Donkey sauce

How to make donkey sauce beef brisket brioche bun burger by Yummy Lummy

Donkey sauce I hear you ask? What thoughts are going through your mind? I first heard of donkey sauce from Lauren who is a host on my favourite NSFW podcast, Mouthy Broadcast. At first, I was too scared to look it up in Google. I assumed I might need an incognito window. It turns out, it’s a real thing. I’ve described it more in the FAQ.

I made beef brisket brioche burgers with the donkey sauce. It was pretty amazing. The beef brisket was leftover from last Sunday.

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Donkey sauce hee-haw Gary Lum
Donkey sauce hee-haw


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Recipe

How to make donkey sauce beef brisket brioche bun burger
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
I'm using leftover vacuum packed slow cooked brisket, brioche buns from Coles and donkey sauce that I've made without going to the trouble of roasting garlic. It's cold in Canberra, I have my windows closed, I don't need the apartment to be all stinky.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 1
Calories: 1000 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 1/8 cup minced garlic (store bought)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (store bought)
  • 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon American mustard (do Americans call it American mustard?)
  • 2 pinches sea salt (what is kosher salt anyway)
  • 2 pinches ground black pepper
  • 2 pinches chilli flakes (this is my Yummy Lummy variation)
  • 250 g Beef brisket (frozen vacuum sealed)
  • 2 Brioche buns
  • Lettuce (shredded)
  • Tomato (sliced)
  • Coon Cheese (slices)
Instructions
  1. The day before (or if you’re not a Vulcan, go back in time) remove the brisket from the freezer and slowly thaw in the refrigerator.
  2. Place the brisket (still in the vacuum sealed bag) in a sauce of cold water and bring up to 70°C for 45 minutes.
  3. Make the donkey sauce by mixing the garlic, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and chilli flakes until it is a smooth sauce using a whisk. If you like, you could leave it gloopy and a little sticky by just using your hands.
    Donkey sauce ready for dripping all over myself Gary Lum
  4. Unseal the brisket and cut to the thickness you desire. If you like you could make a meat mountain.
  5. Construct a burger or sandwich as you normally would.
    Slowly cooked beef brisket brioche burger with donkey sauce Gary Lum
  6. Shoot a photograph and eat the burgers. In an ideal world, I would have served these with potato gems (tater tots for my American friends).
  7. Wash the dishes and ponder the meaning of life.
  8. Write the recipe and then write a blog post wondering if search engine optimisation is really all that important, after all “content is king”.
  9. Hope that friends on social media and even perhaps the hosts from Mouthy Broadcast will share this on their social channels to make donkey sauce even bigger than it already is and to add more “in your end o” and double entendre to this post. After all, when I first heard Lauren mention donkey sauce my mind wasn’t on mayonnaise as she described oozing from her mouth onto her chest.
Recipe Notes

These tidy little burgers should keep you happy. Just be careful about spilling sauce over your hands, down your forearms and across your chest as the donkey sauce oozes out of your mouth.

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Donkey sauce ready for dripping all over myself Gary Lum
Donkey sauce ready for dripping all over myself

Slowly cooked beef brisket brioche burger with donkey sauce Gary Lum
Slowly cooked beef brisket brioche burger with the sauce 😋

Slowly cooked beef brisket brioche burger with donkey sauce Gary Lum
Slowly cooked beef brisket brioche burger

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Frequently asked questions

Where did you hear about donkey sauce?

From Mouthy Broadcast.

Who created donkey sauce?

Guy Fieri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fieri

Why is it called donkey sauce?

http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2015/06/19/guy-fieri-reveals-origin-his-donkey-sauce.html

https://www.eater.com/2015/6/19/8812707/guy-fieri-donkey-sauce-origin

Why does Lauren like this sauce?

I don’t know, you’ll have to ask her.

What is Mouthy Broadcast?

An NSFW podcast hosted by three very funny people from the USA. I mentioned them in another blog post which you should definitely look at.

What the crap are you on about Vulcans and going back in time?

We’re aware that up until the mid 2100s, the Vulcan Science Academy had determined time travel is impossible.

You can find the recipe if you enter “donkey sauce” in a search engine.

Donkey Sauce

  • 1/4 cup roasted Garlic (minced)
  • 1 cup Mayonnaise
  • 4 dashes Worcestershire
  • 1 teaspoon Hot Dog Mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 4 pinches ground Black Pepper

In the bowl of a food processor, puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary

Social media

Please follow me on my food-based social media on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. What I’d love you to do is share this post on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else you’d like, even Google+

Gary Lum QR Code

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Donkey sauce Gary Lum
Donkey sauce