MAKE FRIENDS WITH SALAD

Q: What makes a salad, a salad? 

Simon George & Sons knows how to make friends with salad. Our new range of ‘fine’ salad mixes from Victorian supplier, Hussey & Co offer chefs a convenient salad base that is tender, colourful and packed full of flavour. The finer leaves make it possible to deliver a salad with the full complement of flavours and a gourmet look, no matter how small the serving.

FINE ASIAN MIX: (Mizuna, Mibuna, Tatsoi)

Tulira Jett Photography

The Asian Mix is a fantastic staple for the kitchen. The Japanese leaves deliver mild mustard, peppery flavours while the Tatsoi adds a creamy texture. Many chefs customize this mix by tossing through various hydroponics.

FINE MESCLUN MIX: (Red and Green lettuce lines, little mustard and curly leaves)

Tulira Jet Photography

At only 5 or 6 cm, the leaves in this mix enable you to offer a full salad experience in one handful. With up to 16 varieties this mix is a flavour hit.

FINE SWISS CHARD:

Tulira Jett Photography

At it’s peak over the next two months, the fine chard mix is delicious, colourful and fresh.

SNOW PEA TENDRILS:

Tulira Jett Photography

These tendrils have a stunningly delicate appearance and a lovely crunchy texture. Boasting a subtle pea flavour, they can be used in either a salad mix or to dress a dish

ARUGULA ROCKET:

Tulira Jett Photography

While many chefs opt for the stronger heat of Wild Rocket, Arugula is fast gaining popularity with those seeking a milder pepper hit, tender leaves and a softer look on the plate

According to history, it’s the dressing. The word ‘salad’ originally derived from the Latin ‘salata’ or salted things, which refers to the practice of eating raw vegetables dressed with salt, oil and/or vinegar.


EASY AS PIE

Q:  Just how packed does Sydney get in Summer?

The weather is warming up, the stone fruits are coming and it’s all hands are on deck for the summer rush. Simon George & Sons is doing our bit to help you come out the other side relatively unscathed, by offering an innovative online ordering service that will save you time, energy and money.

The Simon George & Sons e-Ordering system has been specially designed to make restocking the pantry quick and painless. We know that less time spent doing admin means more time taking care of business, so instead of phoning through an order line by line or firing up the old fax machine, you can now electronically submit your order via a secure section of the Simon George & Sons website.

Here are the advantages of e-Ordering at a glance:

SECURE:

Access your private online account using a unique username and password

FAST: 

Save a standard order of your basic items and your next order will be half finished before you’ve even started. Why start from scratch every time?!

PRECISE:

Include specific delivery instructions and individual product requirements i.e. ripe only  on your order. These can be saved as default requirements for future orders

SIMPLE:

Customise your shopping list by hiding products you don’t want or need

FLEXIBLE:

Send a new order or update an existing order in minutes. e-Orders received before 1am will be processed for delivery that day.

CONVENIENT:  

Access your order history at any time of the day or night

To find out how to make the most of the Simon George & Sons e-ordering facility this summer, speak to your Account Manager or call us on 9514 1411.

A: On top of the 4.5 million + people who are lucky enough to live here, Sydney accommodates 7 million domestic tourists and 2.7 million international visitors every year. On a typical Sydney summer’s day, 26,000 hotel rooms are occupied, 90,000 people catch a ferry, 40,000 people bake on Bondi... and guess what... they’ve all got to eat. BANG!



FREE RANGE THINKING

Q: What does a chef’s hat have to do with cooking an egg?

An increased awareness of social and environmental responsibility is influencing consumer choices and nowhere is this more apparent than with the humble egg. Patrons look for organic or free-range eggs on the menu, but with only voluntary standards for eggs production in Australia, how do we really know what we are serving up?

This question made the headlines again last week when the Australian Egg Corporation released their first ever definition of what it means to be classified as ‘free range’. Under this definition producers are still allowed to trim beaks and keep up to 20,000 birds a hectare, an intense farming situation which the Humane Society predicts will not meet “consumer expectations for how free range eggs are produced.” The current (voluntary) standards advise no more than 1500 per hectare.

Many Australians willingly pay a premium for free range eggs believing that ‘free range’ describes vast open farm yards dotted with ‘au naturel’ happy hens. The reality is entirely different, with any number of ‘free range’ egg producers practicing high density farming and beak trimming. If you really want to know about the life of the chicken before the egg, check the accreditation. The major associations have their criteria are on their website.

So what do all the catchphrases really mean?

  • Organic- certified organic farms where hens eat only certified organic feed, roam free, have outdoor access and are treated humanely (i.e. no beak trimming, wing clipping etc)
  • Organic Grain Fed- hens fed organic grain but are not necessarily free range or humanely treated
  • Barn Laid- alternative free range system where chooks roam free around a large barn. No outdoor access  but have nesting boxes, perches and access to food and drink. Density of numbers depend on the farmer and type of accreditation
  • Free-Range- hens roam free and have some form of access to a sheltered outdoor area during daylight hours. Amount of outdoor access and density of population varies (the Egg Corporation has admitted some accredited farms can have up to 40,000 birds per hectare- 4 a square metre).
  • Cage/Battery- accounts for approx 75-80% of egg sales in Australia. Hens are kept in cages continuously under conditions that increase production

Simon George & Sons sources two of the best ‘feel good, taste good eggs’, with Barn laid eggs from Llandilo Farm Fresh and Delucas Certified Organic eggs.

 A: The chef’s toque is said to have a pleat for each of the ways you can cook an egg.  With 100 pleats, you’d better get cracking.


HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?

Q: How is it possible to have apples readily available for most of the year?

Far from being a ‘forbidden fruit’ there are 2.6 billion apples grown in Australia each year, with the majority being consumed domestically. In recent years the most dominant varieties have been Granny Smith and Pink Lady™, which between them accounted for approximately 55% of total production. However like any food, trends come and go, so here is an overview of the top varieties and what they’re good for.

 Pink Lady™ (Cripps Pink): Crisp, fine sweet flesh.

Best for: Cooking(salads, sauces and pies) due to the high sugar content

Background: Cross between Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. To be sold as Pink Lady it must meet quality standards set out by the Dept of Agriculture and Food, WA.

 

Granny Smith: Crisp tart, tangy flavour that gets sweeter as it matures

Best for: Baking, freezing, salads, sauces and pies.

Background: An Australian native discovered in 1868 by “Granny” Anne Smith of Ryde, NSW. One parent is believed to be the French crab apple. 

 

 Royal Gala: Juicy and aromatic- slightly sweeter than Delicious apples

Best for: Sauces but is also tasty fresh and in salads

Background: Royal Gala and Gala originated in NZ in the 1930s as a cross between Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious.

 

 Jonathan: Tangy (mixture of sweet and acid)

Best for: Snacking (early season only) and all purpose cooking

Background: Old fashioned eating variety from the US

 

 Golden Delicious: Sweet and rich

Best for: Eating fresh and baking

Background: Originated in 1912 in West Virginia, USA.

 

 Red Delicious: Refreshing mild sweetness

Best for: Salads and desserts

Background: Originated in Iowa, USA in the early 1870’s

 

 Jonagold: Sweet and juicy

Best for: Cooking-  hot or cold dishes.

Background: Originated in New York State in 1968 as a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious.

 

Fuji: Crisp and juicy with sweet honey tones

Best for: Eating fresh,  baking and stewing

Background: Fuji originated in Japan where it is a major variety.

 

 Braeburn: Sharp, sweet and juicy

Best for: Desserts and cooking (baking, sauces and salads)

Background: Originated in NZ in the 1950s and is now hugely popular worldwide, thought to be a cross between a Lady Hamilton and Granny Smith.

 

 Sundowner ™ (Cripps Red): Sweet and distinctive

Best for: Eating fresh, also good for baking as it keeps its shape

Background: Cripps Red (sold as Sundowner™) is related to Pink Lady™ and is a cross between Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. Originated in WA.

 

Seasonal Calendar:

 Picking Time      Available in Store

 Source: Aussie Apples

 

A: Controlled atmosphere storage enables apple growers to store their fruit for long periods without deterioration in freshness and flavour. Much the same as cold storage (i.e. regulated temperature and humidity) controlled atmosphere storage slows the ripening process even further by reducing oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide levels in the air. Early forms of this were used by the Romans who used limestone caves (with high Carbon Dioxide levels) in France to the same effect.


WASABI

Q: What is the best way to store fresh wasabi?

A popular accompaniment to Japanese cuisine, Wasabi (Japanese horseradish) packs a punch similar to a very hot mustard. While hot enough to separate the boys from the men, wasabi doesn’t coat the tongue, so even after a good dose you won’t lose the more subtle flavours of the dish.

Notoriously difficult to grow, Wasabi hasn’t always been well represented in Australia. So it is no surprise that when Tasmanian producer Shima Wasabi won the ‘From the Earth’ category at the 2011 delicious Produce Awards, iconic chef Cheong Liew was quoted as saying “at last we have the real thing for our sashimi”.

Based in Northern Tasmania, Shima Wasabi uses a hydroponic system that mimics the Japanese water farming process, giving chefs year round access to authentic, top quality wasabi stems, leaves and stalks.

Stephen Welsh from Shima Wasabi says that preparation is key to getting an intense paste from the stems, “when you grate wasabi a complex chemical reaction takes place. If you don’t get the texture right, you don’t get that wonderful wasabi flavour”. His tips:

  •  grate fresh to serve
  •  use a traditional sharkskin or wooden board that allows you to grate very finely
  •  mix the paste on the board as you grate
  •  when you have the desired amount let it sit for 2-3 minutes prior to serving- this is crucial as it allows the full chemical reaction to take place

Not to be left out, the glossy green leaves and leaf stalks of fresh wasabi can be used to bring a milder, crunchy wasabi hit to seafood dishes and salads.

A: While grated wasabi is past its best in less than an hour, unused wasabi stems can be kept for up to three weeks if stored properly. Wrap the stem in paper towel and put in an airtight bag or container. Replace the paper towel every few days. The leaves and leaf stalks can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.