Home cooks test prowess

HOME cooks from all over Australia will take to the kitchen to prove they’re the best home cook as part of the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival.
Queensland’s finalist for Australia’s best home cooked dish competition is Jacqui Smythe of Palmwoods. The mother of two said she had always had an immense passion for food.
“My first memories of cooking was with my grandmother,” She said.
“When I was six years old she said to me, ‘let me show you how to make the best scrambled eggs you have ever tasted.
“It was that quote that I remember when I am striving to make the yummiest food I can for my family and friends.”
Jacqui will battle it out with 17 other home cooks in the ILVE Australia’s best home cooked dish competition, with the grand final to take place at the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival on Sunday 17 May.
Competitors from around the state will cook alongside top chefs and festival attendees and will be judged by a panel of leading chefs and representatives from competition sponsors taste.com.au and ILVE.
Jacqui said she loved to inspire others to enjoy and love food as much as she did and had kindly shared her winning home cooked recipe for fish and chips.
Ingredients:
Serves 4
4 pieces salmon, skin on
Dried chilli flakes
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon green onion, chopped
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups mashed potato
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Dried breadcrumbs
Peanut oil, enough to fill a pan 1/2 an inch
30g butter
4 handfuls podded peas
1 small handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Squeeze lemon juice
Method:
1. Start by making the potato and parmesan croquettes. Add milk, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks, flour and salt and pepper to the mashed potatoes.
2. Mix together until well combined and then chill. Once cool, shape into discs.
3. Mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese together. Roll the potato discs in flour, dip in the beaten egg and then roll through the bread crumb mix.
4. Shallow fry each croquette in the peanut oil until brown on all sides. Keep warm in the oven.
5. For the mushy peas, melt the butter in a small pan and add the peas and chopped mint.
6. Put on a lid and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper before mashing the peas. Pop into a food blender for a smooth consistency.
7. For the salmon, sprinkle with the chilli and salt then pan sear until cooked through. The salt will help crisp the skin.