ON THE PASS24 GOURMET TRAVELLERNews
PHOTOGRAPHY BROOK JAMES (SHANE DELIA), CHRIS JANSEN (HERMÈS), NIKKI TO (A1 CANTEEN) & SIMON SHIFF (CADDIE)What’s a Middle Eastern ingredient
you’d like to see used more in
Australia, Shane?
Aleppo pepper. It’s like a capsicum
that has been dried and ground;
it’s subtle but has a great depth of
flavour. It’s from the border of Turkey
and Syria and is a spice that I fell in
love with a long time ago. You can
add it to fish, meat, vegetables,
chocolate. I have to stop myself
from using it on everything.
What’s your most memorable food
experience from the Middle East?
In Oman, I sat in the desert with a
Bedouin family eating camel that was
cooked in its own fat – it was sickly
fatty, but beautifully tender. It was
cooked on rocks which had been
heated up in the sand. So stunning,
humble and simple.
How has the Middle East influenced
the Australian palate?
Food preservation has always been
a huge part of Middle Eastern
cooking, from preserved lemons and
fruit, to slow-cooked meats and
fermentation. It’s exciting to see
Australian chefs embracing these
techniques that have been used
since Biblical times.
You’re a big fan of toum. What’s the
appeal for you?
Garlic is the base of Middle Eastern
fare: it should be sticky inside, it
should be so pungent. Pound it up
with olive oil, salt, a touch of lemon
juice and just keep pounding it until
it resembles cream. That, as a base,
is unbelievable.
As a friend of the Mercedes-Benz
brand, you’ve cooked at Grand Prix
events, including the Ladies Day
Luncheon. Any memorable stories?
Putting a vegan meal together for
Lewis Hamilton mid-lunch was a
surprise. The racing legend put a call
out on social media asking where in
town he could get some great vegan
food. We put together a few dishes
using elements from the Ladies Day
Lunch and sent them over, including
an aged Persian rice dish. Maha,
21 Bond St, Melbourne, Vic, (03) 9629
5900, maharestaurant.com.au; Biggie
Smalls, 86 Smith St, Collingwood, Vic,
(03) 9417 3531, biggiesmalls.com.au.
HARRIET DAVIDSONShane Delia
MAHA AND BIGGIE SMALLS, MELBOURNETravellers can choose
from 16 fragrances
in Hermès’ new
Hermessence collection
to create a set of four
travel-sized scents to
match any destination.
Four 15ml bottles, $220.
hermes.com