Recipes

Recipes blog posts

Fast chuck steak

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

I started work again this week. I worked from home most days. My employer’s office is in the central business district. I went into the office during the week and was impressed by the accommodations.

Kathleen likes the Adelaide CBD, so working in the city will give me the occasional opportunity to explore a little when there is time.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space 9

I’m now in the seventh and final season of both shows. It is about an order of magnitude better watching these shows in high definition on a larger and newer TV monitor.

National Rugby League

Having a new TV monitor with an antenna that works also means I can watch the games featuring the Dolphins and Brisbane Broncos while sitting back in a comfortable lounge.

On Friday evening, I watched the Brisbane Broncos defeat the North Queensland Cowboys in a thrilling game. On Saturday evening, I watched the Dolphins defeat the Gold Coast Titans. It has been a good weekend for footy. My four favourite teams are the Dolphins, Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland Cowboys, and the Gold Coast Titans (in that order).

The game on Friday evening was broadcast on free-to-air TV. I like that in Adelaide, in peak viewing time for children, gambling advertising is restricted. I didn’t mind my screen being static with a notification, and the program was being censored while the offending material was being broadcast. On Saturday night, the game was broadcast via Kayo, which had no restrictions.

On Friday night, the NRL telecast a fitting tribute to Carl Webb, who died last year after a recent diagnosis of motor neurone disease. Webb played for both the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys. He was also a Former Origin Great (FOG) for the Mighty XXXX Maroons. He was also selected for the Australian Kangaroos team in 2008 but did not play in the Indigenous All Stars. From 2024 on, the Carl Webb Medal will be awarded to the best player in the first game of every season that the Broncos and Cowboys play. The Broncos’ Pat Carrigan won this year’s medal.

The Weber Q+

I cooked chicken maryland pieces on Sunday night in the Weber Q+. The chicken turned out well. The skin was crispy, and the flesh was moist and tender. Usually about $AUD8/kg.

Recipe

I’ve seen a resurgence in people eating chuck steak in my Facebook groups. Many people cook the steak for between 48 and 72 hours in a water bath, while others cook the meat in a slow cooker for between 6 and 8 hours.

Chuck beef at about $AUD17/kg is cheaper than scotch fillet steak, which ranges from $AUD40 to $AUD60/kg. For comparison, regular minced beef is usually sold for about $AUD11/kg. When stocked in my local supermarket, beef short rib sells for about $AUD24/kg.

I think an animal-based diet would be too expensive for anyone without an income.

I thought I’d try my trusty pressure cooker tonight. I may experiment over the next few weeks and try a slowly cooked chuck and a long water bath version.

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker.
  • Gas torch.

Ingredients

  • Chuck steaks.
  • Meat broth (leftover from earlier meals).
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Season the meat with salt and put it into the pressure cooker.
  2. Add about a cup of meat stock.
  3. Seal the pressure cooker and cook the meat for 45 minutes.
  4. Remove the meat and pat the surface dry.
  5. Sear the surface with a gas torch.
  6. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  7. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, the steak and plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  8. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  9. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  10. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  11. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. I used a fork.

Thoughts on the meal

As a relatively cheap cut of meat, this was fine. The meat is reduced in size because most of the fat is rendered into the broth. The small portion was sufficient to satisfy me.

I enjoyed my steak with a small piece of King Island blue cheese and butter. Kathleen also had some tabouli with her steak.

Final thoughts

  • How do you feel about gambling advertising during televised sports?
  • Are you eating cheaper cuts of meat as the cost of living increases?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Baa Moo Oink again

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

I’ve spent more than a week in my new home. Almost all of the boxes have been unpacked. It will take me weeks or possibly months to go through all of the cupboards and drawers to arrange things the way I want.

I want to start this new life in Adelaide with a different outlook. I want to be more decisive about what I keep and discard. I have a “what if” and a “just in case” mindset. I must think through everything and carefully ask, “Do I really need that?”

I have finished my leave from work. I’ve had a total of four weeks of leave this calendar year. That is a record for me. I don’t like taking leave. I like to be busy at work. I confess the time off has been good.  

On Thursday, I had a National Broadband Network (NBN) technician arrive to install a NBN Network Termination Device. I now have high-speed broadband internet. This will make working from home possible.

On Friday, a plumber installed some pipes to a new laundry tub so that my washing machine hoses can be hidden from view. As a housewarming gift, Kathleen organised refitting the laundry with a new tub and tiles. It’s a magnificent looking laundry.

The plumber also reseated the taps in the bathroom to keep the taps from dripping.

The last job the plumber had was installing a new gas cooker in the kitchen. Last night, Kathleen came over and we enjoyed lamb chops which was the first thing I cooked on the gas cooker.

I’ve been eating well during the week.

What have I been watching?

The Bloody Hundredth

After watching Masters of the Air on Apple TV, I watched a documentary The Bloody Hundredth which featured some of the people featured in the Apple Original Miniseries.

If you watch Masters of the Air I strongly recommend The Bloody Hundredth.

Free-to-air TV

Believe it or not, I’ve not had access to FTA TV for at least five years. I now have a new TV and an antenna which works.

I’m grateful that I can watch the rugby league coverage in Adelaide in high definition. It will be great to see the Dolphins NRL team play the next time.

Mad Max

Last night, Kathleen came over for dinner, and after eating our lamb chops, we sat on the new coach, reclined, and watched one of my favourite movies. Kathleen had never seen Mad Max before.

The movie was released while I was in high school, and because of the Restricted rating, I wasn’t allowed to see it. I’ve since watched it many times on VHS, DVD, and streaming platforms. Last night was the first time I’d seen it on a reasonable-sized TV in the comfort of my lounge room whilst reclining on a comfortable couch and sharing a favourite movie with Kathleen.

What have I been listening to?

Change your diet, change your mind.

I’ve completed Georgia Ede’s book. I enjoyed how she explained psychiatry in the context of neurology. (Ede, 2024)

The book emphasises how what we eat affects our mental health and wellbeing. This book connects naturally with other books I’ve been reading about human nutrition and metabolic health.

I found the author’s concept of “quiet” eating fascinating. The idea is to avoid foods known to cause problems while remaining in a particular eating paradigm, such as “paleo,” “keto,” or “carnivore.”

I recommend this book to anyone interested in low carbohydrate eating and how protein and fat can improve mental health.

Recipe

Baa Moo Oink bone-in scotch fillet steak.

Equipment

  • Precision cooker
  • Water bath
  • Barbecue

Ingredients

  • Bone-in scotch fillet steak
  • Prawns (raw with shell and alimentary canal intact)

Instructions

  1. Season the steak with cooking salt.
  2. Vacuum seal the steak with some thyme and rosemary. I have a rosemary bush in my front yard.
  3. Cook the steak at 57 °C for 3 hours in a water bath.
  4. Remove the steak from the bag and dry the surface of the meat with absorbent paper.
  5. Sear the steak on a barbecue grill.
  6. Cook the prawns on the barbecue.
  7. Carve the steak and plate up.
  8. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  9. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, the steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  10. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  11. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  12. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  13. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. I used a fork.

Thoughts on the meal

Kathleen came over for dinner, so the meal was fabulous.

Final thoughts

  • Do you enjoy watching free-to-air TV? What are your favourite programs/shows?
  • Have you watched Mad Max? Did you enjoy it?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

References

Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Food-First Plan to Optimize Your Mental Health. Hodder & Stoughton.

Goodbye, Number 69

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

Guess what? I’ve moved to Adelaide. I wanted to live closer to Kathleen. I now live a few minutes from her place.

I’m still working the same (main) job and will be doing the same work. I’m also likely to work as an Honorary Visiting Medical Officer like I did in Canberra.

I’ll soon have a gas cooker installed, so I can cook with gas. I also have a Weber Q+ barbecue that uses gas for fuel.

Weber Q+

Once I connect to the NBN, I can watch the new TV, too. This will occur later this week. The previous tenants didn’t connect to the NBN, so I require a formal installation service. That said, my new place has an aerial for TV reception, so my new TV is delivering some entertainment. Unfortunately, I can’t watch the footy live in Adelaide on free-to-air TV. Once the NBN is connected, my streaming services will see me as a happy dolphin.

Adelaide is the fourth city I’ve lived in, and it’s the first time I’ve lived in a bicameral jurisdiction.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

The foot and knee are continuing to heal. While I can walk without a cane, some stiffness and pain remain in the knee, ankle, and toes.

The move

The removalists arrived, lifted my things from the flat (number 69), and then packed the things I had in long-term storage. They arrived in Adelaide about 48 hours later.

Kathleen did the amazing thing of driving from Canberra to Adelaide with me. We shared the driving. Kathleen has a lot of experience driving between both cities.

The drive from Canberra to Adelaide was great. Kathleen is a terrific driving partner. To break up the drive, we stayed overnight in Narrandera.

The roads were pretty good. On the first day, the ambient temperature got as high as 38 °C, while the second day was much cooler at 25 °C. My car is over 15 years old and seems to manage the drive well.

What have I been eating?

Equipment

  • Weber Q+

Ingredients

  • Scotch fillet steak.

Instructions

  1. Dry brine the steaks overnight.
  2. Heat the barbecue and then clean the grates with a wire brush.
  3. Cook the steaks on the barbecue and flip the steaks every 30 seconds until the meat is nicely caramelised.
  4. Rest the meat for 5 to 7 minutes (minimum).
  5. Slice the meat.
  6. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  7. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  8. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  9. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  10. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  11. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Thoughts on the meal

This was my first time using the Weber Q+ (which I’d bought second-hand). I was happy with the outcome. I will need to use it more often to get a good feel for it.

It was great cooking a meal and sharing it with Kathleen in my own place.

Final thoughts

  • Do you like moving?
  • Do you like having a driving partner to share the load?
  • Do you like cooking on a barbecue?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Baa Moo Oink Ribeye bone in

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Me, tucking into a steak. Check out the knife.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. I’m currently in Adelaide, visiting Kathleen. It was her birthday this week, and we went out for dinner. We enjoyed an evening at the Red Ochre Barrell and Grill restaurant, which is situated on the Torrens River. The restaurant is one of Kathleen’s favourite places. We dined in its sibling restaurant, the River Café, on one of my previous visits to Adelaide.

The restaurant forms a floating pavilion on the water, with a view of River Torrens looking back towards the city of Adelaide and the main arts precinct.

It was a great view of the river with people running and jogging along the banks, plus people on the water rowing eights and fours.

We enjoyed an evening of lovely views, the best company (each other) and nice food.

Kathleen enjoyed house-made focaccia bread with smoked eucalyptus butter, followed by kangaroo fillet served with lentils and vegetables.

I had an octopus carpaccio with fried capers and finger lime, followed by a scotch fillet steak.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

My foot, ankle, and knee are slowly improving. The EHL repair remains intact. The stiffness in my foot and ankle is lessening. My knee remains stiff, and I hope to regain the range of movement I’d achieved after the intensive physiotherapy I needed for my patella fracture and ruptured retinaculum.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time.

One of my favourite episodes in all of Star Trek came up this week. Trials and Tribble-ations is the 104th episode of Star Trek Deep Space 9 (season 5, episode 6).

Recipe — Baa Moo Oink scotch fillet steak

On the theme of steak, we visited a local butcher on Friday morning, viz., Baa Moo Oink in Findon.

Kathleen commented that I looked like a kid in a lolly shop and became very focused.

When I saw the ribeye bone-in steak, I knew I wanted to cook it and eat it.

I should have asked for the rib bone to be cut flush with the meat to fit in the frypan. In the end, it didn’t really matter. It turned out well.

Equipment

  • Frypan
  • Oven
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • Ribeye bone in steak — thick cut (about 3 cm thick).
  • Beef fat.
  • Flaky iodised salt.

Instructions — The Menu and thoughts on the meal

  1. Dry brine the steak with iodised table salt.
  2. Refrigerate for as long as possible if you can’t do it overnight.
  3. I love that Kathleen has a gas stovetop and a stainless-steel frypan.
  4. Preheat a fan-forced oven to about 160 °C.
  5. I heated the frypan on a large gas burner and added some beef fat.
  6. I seared the steak, flipping it over every thirty seconds and searing the edges.
  7. Once the steak was seared, I let it rest for a minute and then inserted a meat thermometer.
  8. Place the steak on a roast tray and into the oven and cook until the middle of the steak reaches about 57 °C. This will ensure a medium-rare steak.
  9. Allow the meat to rest for about half as long as it took to cook in the oven.
  10. After allowing the steak to rest, dissect along the muscle planes and along the rib bone.
  11. This steak has four distinct elements. The rib bone, a fat cap, the deckle meat or spinalis dorsi, and the fillet or the longissimus dorsi.
  12. Slice the fillet and deckle and arrange on a cutting board.
  13. Season with flaky salt and serve.
  14. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing up. Don’t forget to gnaw the bone.  
  15. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  16. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  17. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  18. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  19. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Thoughts on the meal

This steak was magnificent. We didn’t eat the whole piece of meat. We’ve kept some in a container. We enjoyed a couple of slices for morning tea today and some blue cheese.

Final thoughts

  • If you’ve been to Adelaide, have you eaten at the Red Ochre Barrell and Grill restaurant?
  • Do you like a thick-cut steak?
  • Do you like restaurants with river or water views?
  • If you’ve watched “Trials and Tribble-ations”, tell me your favourite scene.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Salmon on a Saturday

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

Happy Chinese New Year.

I hope you’ve had a good week. My work week has been busy and edifying. I love the diversity of work and the engagement with people from different areas and agencies.

During the week, Kathleen commented to me that when she was based in remote Aboriginal communities for work, client dietary requests tended towards an LCHF eating style. Kathleen’s current eating style has CSIRO TWD leanings.

I’m excited because I will see Kathleen next week. ❤️

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

Wearing the controlled ankle movement (CAM) boot has improved my quality of life. I can move about the flat better, and my lower leg and foot feel more comfortable. The only niggle I have is some Achilles tendon insertion site pain and inflammation.

I think this is because when I sleep with the boot on, the back of my heel presses against the back of the boot.

Standing behind my stove top and kitchen bench to eat my meals has made a difference. I still use the air fryer for most meals, but cooking eggs in the morning is more manageable when standing behind the stove.

The foot exercises have also become a bit easier. I do them thrice daily, being careful not to overstretch the repaired tendon while stretching the other muscles and tendons and extending the range of movement of my ankle. My ankle is less stiff.

The wound is also looking pretty good. The injury laceration is obvious, while the surgical incision is less obvious. The suturing had been well executed.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time.

The story arcs in both series are now revealing the possible endings.

In VOY, Seven of Nine is developing into an integral crew member. Her Borg characteristics are still evident, while her humanity is developing strongly.

In DS9, Odo is now a solid after being judged in the Great Link. I just watched one of my favourite episodes, viz., Apocalypse Rising. Sisko, surgically altered to appear as a Klingon, screams during the Order of the Bat’leth pre-ceremony celebrations, “Brag all you want, but don’t get between me and the bloodwine!” It’s a classic quote.

What have I been listening to?

Change your diet, change your mind.

I’m yet to get into this book by Georgia Ede. Other things have taken priority, and I’ve only listened to the first chapter. (Ede, 2024)

Recipe — Baked Salmon

King salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha), also known as Chinook salmon, is the largest among the Pacific salmon species. Originating from the northwest coast of North America and north-eastern Asia, king salmon found their way to New Zealand in the late 1800s. Fishers introduced the salmon from northern California for recreational fishing purposes. The scenic Marlborough Sounds region became the focal point for entrepreneurs in the 1980s, who recognised its potential for cultivating salmon due to its cool, deep waters.

In New Zealand, salmon farming predominantly revolves around the King salmon species, in contrast to the global trend of farming Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Equipment

  • Air fryer

Ingredients

  • New Zealand Pacific Salmon

Instructions

  1. To avoid the salmon drying in the air fryer, I retained some of the cooking liquor from my lunch: beef mince and cheese I’d cooked in the air fryer.
  2. I also dry-brined the salmon.
  3. When the time arrived to cook tea, I placed the salmon into a baking tray with pools of beef fat and broth in the bottom.
  4. I cooked the salmon, skin side up, in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 180 °C.
  5. Serve the salmon on a plate.
  6. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the salmon will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  7. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, meat and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  8. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  9. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  10. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  11. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Photographs

Thoughts on the meal

Pacific or Chinook salmon tastes better than Atlantic salmon, in my opinion. The flesh flakes more easily, and it seems more forgiving when exposed to harsh drying conditions like an oven.

Final thoughts

  • How has your week been?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

References

Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Food-First Plan to Optimise Your Mental Health. Hodder & Stoughton.