1

InFinding Fire, flame wrangler Lennox Hastie of Sydney’s Firedoor

shines a light on cooking with wood. Here he puts the heat on pipis.

Man on fire

1.6 kg live pipis or small

clams, purged and rinsed

(see note)

Finely grated rind and juice

of 1 lemon

1 bunch garlic scapes

(see note)

100 gm karkalla (see note),

washed

100 ml extra-virgin olive oil

(a mild, fruity style such as

arbequina or koroneiki)

1 long red chilli, seeds

removed and very thinly

sliced lengthways

1 cup (firmly packed) flat-leaf

parsley, finely chopped

1 Prepare the embers (see left).

Spread embers evenly and set

a wire rack about 2.5cm above

the embers.

2 Place pipis directly on the

rack, immediately cover with

a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes,

or until they begin to open.

Uncover the pipis and, using a

pair of tongs, carefully remove

the pipis as they pop open, and

place them in a bowl, retaining

as much of their liquor as

possible. Add lemon rind and

juice and toss to coat.

3 Meanwhile, grill the garlic

scapes and karkalla over the

embers to your liking.

4 Heat the olive oil in a small

cast-iron pan set over the

embers. Add the chilli and

gently fry until lightly golden.

Pour the chilli oil over the pipis,

then strain the mix of oil, lemon

and pipi liquor into a warm

Pipis with garlic and karkalla

SERVES 4

“Found all around the coast of Australia, pipis have long been an important food source for

Indigenous Australians,” says Lennox Hastie. “As a youngster, I would take great delight in

pipi-ing for fishing bait by shuffling in the sand between tides until I felt a shell pop between

my toes. While you couldn’t get fresher pipis, they were as gritty as hell. You have to ensure

that pipis are well purged of sand before cooking. There’s nothing worse than grit in your

pipi.” The pipis should be cooked over intense heat, says Hastie. He uses applewood.

“As the flames die down, the heat rises, and embers

emerge. Embers provide intense, consistent and

clean heat, so this is the ideal time to cook.”

THE LOWDOWN

ON EMBERS

When cooking directly

over fire, there shouldn’t

be any flame. It’s the

embers that provide the

most intense, consistent

and clean heat. Flames

are still burning volatile

gases, which can taint the

food. The natural fats,

oils and juices from

ingredients dripping

onto the embers can

create a flame, but this

shouldn’t be confused

with fire from burning

wood. This is the ideal

time to cook.

It’s fine to add more

wood while you’re

cooking, but you’ll need

to let the flames subside,

and allow the heat to rise

again. Once the embers

have plateaued, their

temperature begins to

decline. This is an ideal

point for cooking sides

of fish, for instance,

where the majority of the

cooking can be done over

intense embers on the

skin side and then

the fish is turned over

to complete cooking

the flesh side over

a gentler heat.

saucepan and whisk to emulsify.

Stir in the parsley.

5 Arrange pipis in a serving

bowl and pour the emulsified

juices over them, garnish with

garlic scapes and karkalla and

serve immediately.

NoteTo prepare pipis,

discard any that are chipped

or damaged. Tap to check

the shells are tightly closed,

discarding any that remain

open. Soak in salted water for

30 minutes to purge impurities,

then rinse the pipis in fresh

water. Garlic scapes are

available from farmers’ markets

and select greengrocers.

Karkalla, a beach succulent

also known as beach banana

and pigface, can be found at

growers’ markets and select

greengrocers; for stockists

see Outback Pride Fresh

(outbackpridefresh.com.au).●

How to

38 GOURMET TRAVELLER