Country Style – September 2019

out of africa

STEVECUMPERSHOWCASESTHE

FLAVOURSOFTHEMAGHREB.

PHOTOGRAPHY BRETT STEVENSSTYLINGDAVID MORGAN

INTHEVERYEARLY’90sitseemedchefs

thecountryoverwereimbuingtheir

disheswiththedistinctf lavoursofthe

Maghreb,theareainNorthernAfrica

thatincludesTunisia,Algeria,Morocco

andLibya.Justwhenwecouldfinally

pronounceallthoseposhFrench

cookingterms,theMarrakeshExpress

appearedlikea mirageand

wealleagerlyclamberedaboardthe

flavourtrain.

Myowninitiationtothiscuisinewas

duringa briefstintinParisin1990.

Welivedina littleapartmentwhere

thetinykitchen(morea hotplatewith

a sink)wasresponsibleforthemany

timeswedinedout.However,we

sometimeshadhomedeliveryand,

ononememorableoccasion,wehad

couscoustogo.

I rememberbeingf looredbythe

conceptofhavingTunisiantakeaway

homedelivered.Whatarrivedwas

a fragrantgoatstew,redolentoffresh

coriander,carawayandthemost

amazingsmokyf lavour.Thecouscous

wasthestillthebestI haveeaten:each

separategrainperfectlyseasoned,

lubricatedwiththefaintestslickofoil

andcarryinga sweetisharoma.Orange

waterandcinnamonperhaps?

Theaccompanyingcondiment,

harissa,wasa pungentconcoctionof

poundedspicesandchilliesthathad

merepeatedlyswiggingfrommybottle

ofKronenbourgtodousetheheat.

Afterthat,I washooked.Backin

Australiaandworkingintheaptly

namedMeccainAdelaide,I peppered

mydisheswithchermoula,rasel

hanoutandpreservedlemons.This

mayhavebeenokayinsavourydishes

but probably wasn’t so suitable in the

CAULIFLOWERSALAD

½cupoliveoil

1 brownonion,peeled,finelydiced

1 tablespooncuminseeds

2 garliccloves,peeled,crushed

1 cauliflower,cutintoflorets

1 tablespoonlemonjuice

1 pomegranate, halved, seeds

removed

¼cuppistachiokernels, toasted,

roughlychopped

1 bunchcoriander,leaves picked

1 tablespoon sumac

Tomakechermoula,combineall

ingredientsina bowl.Coverand

refrigeratefor1 hour.

Placeswordfishina shallowdish

andaddhalfthechermoula.Turn

tocoat.Coverandmarinateatroom

temperaturefor 30 minutes.

Tomakecauliflowersalad,preheat

ovento 200 °C.Linea bakingtraywith

bakingpaper.Heatoliveoilina large

fryingpanovera mediumheat.Cook

onion,stirring,for6 minutesoruntil

golden.Addcuminseedsandcook,

stirring,for2 minutesoruntilaromatic.

Addgarlicandcookfor1 minute.Add

cauliflowerandlemonjuiceandstirto

coat.Seasonwithseasaltandfreshly

crackedblackpepper.Spreadmixture

overpreparedtray.Roastfor20–25

minutesoruntilcaulifloweriscooked

andcharred.Spoonontoa platterand

sprinklewithpomegranate,pistachios,

corianderandsumac.

Heatoliveoilina fryingpanover

mediumheat.Cookswordfishfor

3 minuteseachsideformedium-rare

oruntilcookedtoyourliking.Serve

immediatelywithcauliflowersalad

and remaining chermoula.

CHERMOULASWORDFISH

WITHCAULIFLOWER SALAD

Serves 4

4 x 200gswordfishsteaks

¼cupoliveoil,forfrying

CHERMOULA

1 redonion,peeled,finelydiced

2 garliccloves,peeled,crushed

1 smallredchilli,finelychopped

1 tablespoonpreservedlemon,finely diced

1 tablespoongroundcumin

1 tablespoongroundcarawayseeds

1 tablespoongroundcoriander

1 tablespoonsmokedpaprika

½cupflat-leafparsleyleaves,

roughlychopped

½cupcorianderleaves, roughly chopped

½cupoliveoil

1 tablespoonlemon juice

sea salt flakes

puddingsection!Todaythiswouldbe

classedasculturalmisappropriation

oftheworstkind.

I liketothinkI’mnowbetterversed

inusinga lightertouchwithmyfood,

butthereremainsa dynamictension

betweenmypenchantfordelivering

a massivef lavourkickwiththesubtle

appreciationofwhatmyjazzmusician

soncalls‘thelightandshade’.

Thisrecipestraddlesthegulfby

usingthemuchunderratedcaulif lower,

thecrowd-pleasingqualitiesof

swordfishandthesmack-in-the-face

impactofchermoula.Justpop

MarrakeshExpressbyCrosby,Stills

andNashonyoursoundsystemand

it’shappycookinghabibi!

SteveCumperisa chefan unnyman

wholivesinTasmaniaanddreamsof

onedayowninga f leetofholiday vans

called Wicked Cumpers.

COUNTRY COOKSTEVE CUMPER

PORTRAIT

PHOTOGRAPHY

DAMIAN

BENNETT

STYLING

LIZ

K AVANAGH

FOOD PREPARATION AND RECIPE TESTING

DIXIE ELLIOTT

86 COU NTRY ST Y LESEPTEMBER 2019