Summer Lovin’ had me a blast! Hello, retro food lovers! Today as you may have guessed from the header and my musical intro we are taking a tour back to August 2003 via Australian Table. The aim is to see if that magazine can provide us with a super summer feast!
Now I know that some of you might be thinking…what’s hard about that? Surely all mags, twenty years ago would be showing seasonal recipes.. Well, don’t forget readers that in Australia is it winter! Now it may surprise some of you but in the south of Australia, where I live it gets cold! Not Canada cold or Northern European cold, but definitely cold enough for this season to be recognisably winter. The magazine cover promises Shepherd’s Pie, Bangers and Mash, Beef Stroganoff and Roast Chicken. Will we be able to find some summery food in the midst of this hearty winter fare?
First, to put us in the mood let’s see what was on the pop culture in August 2003! The Da Vinci Code was still topping the book charts, S.W.A.T was killing it at the box office and Breathe by Sean Paul featuring Blu Cantrell was the number 1 song.
The Menu – August 2003
Chargrilled Prawns with Coriander and Lime
For me, the best summer food is eaten outdoors so these prawns, which would be amazing cooked on the BBQ were my choice of a starter.
The marinated prawns were super delicious! I did not like the dressing and, come summer when I make these on the barbie I will leave the dressing out completely. Whilst I don’t mind sherry as a drink I felt it gave the dressing on what was a very fresh and lively dish a kind of fusty taste which I found unpleasant. If you want to try it with the dressing, I would suggest serving it on the side!
Chargrilled Prawns Recipe
Satay Chicken Skewers
Another dish which would be ideal cooked on the BBQ. I love a chicken satay and this one is super easy because it uses a bought satay sauce!
I served this with a cucumber and red onion salad, which is, my Malaysian friends tell me, a traditional accompaniment to Chicken satay. You could also, of course serve rice or noodles with the chicken satay skewers as well.
Perfectly grilled chicken, dipped in a satay sauce with some salad! Heaven on a stick!
Satay Chicken Recipe
Ice Cream with Rocky Road Sauce
I didn’t have time to make this due to holidays, Pieathalon, work, cooking for our Foodies Cookbook club, a date with my mum to see A Haunting In Venice all of which amounts to life in general. However, it’s a really simple recipe which I am sure tastes absolutely delicious! Please let me know if you give it a try!
Watermelon and Vodka Cocktail
This cocktail was pretty much identical to this one that I made back in February.
My Nigella Moment – Thai Beef Noodles
For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was one of the most appetising things in the mag!
This time round it was some Thai beef noodles. I’m hoping that sherry will redeem itself in this recipe as it sure didn’t work in the prawns! These look delicious and fun!
Australian Table was able to dish up a lovely summery meal despite being an issue from the middle of winter! The prawns and satay were also nice in winter and were lovely reminders that summer is on it’s way!
