Warm Chorizo, Tomato and Ricotta Dip
and a little champagne...
It’s that time of year in Australia again. The time when the tribal battles of parochial football fans supporting the two last teams standing in each of the two football codes comes to its crescendo.
I wrote about the parochialism of the period here and the history of Aussie Rules here highlighting two of the favourite foods accompanying the event over those two posts. Parochialism a characteristic born of competitiveness and origin. In thinking about this year’s football culminations, I’ve been reflecting on the food traditions we look forward to and their place in setting the scene and anchoring us to the festivities. For some families it’s party pies, other sausage rolls or maybe even hot dogs. Perhaps others love a sausage sizzle or a half time barbecue. Whatever the selection its often the same thing served every year, a dish that reliably everyone knows will be served, that they look forward to and indeed would be aghast at missing out on should the host decide to diverge from tradition and try something new. Like I’ve said many times these traditions anchor us in place and offer a sense of security in the same way comfort food does irrespective of what your idea of that is.
For many the geography of their favourite football team provides a sense of place, something this weekend’s AFL grand final will demonstrate as Sydney take on Brisbane. Fans will travel from both states to cheer on their teams in the hope of inspiring their club onto victory filling the stadium with their energy and roars of adulation. Geography is something that can also drive a sense of pride and loyalty to food itself as much as our favourite sporting team. Such is this pride and parochialism it can drive a population to protect its food creations in the way it would protect it’s borders were they also threatened. The globalisation of food and communication has created a universal appreciation of the creations of many countries. This in turn has given food lovers the world over an appreciation of tastes from corners of the world they may never have visited perhaps evoking a desire to travel to that location and indulge that love. I’m looking at you pasta and cheers to you Champagne. And that’s the other element of this, naming the foods evocative of these locations after the place in which they’ve emerged. The fervour in the battle to protect that heritage and uniqueness of these much-loved foods and beverages is akin to ones seen in campaigns to protect borders or indeed our favourite sporting teams.
The most prominent one and perhaps the fight that’s inspired a plethora of other such protectionist crusades is the ongoing one that guards the heritage of the much-loved drink champagne. It all began in 1891 as a result of the Treaty of Madrid, a system established to provide legal protection of such products in the way we now know them as trademarks. The fight to protect the treasured drink that was the root of a culture of it’s own in the Champagne region of France bubbled along (see what I did there? lol) with another layer of protection in the Treaty of Versaille after world war one going on to receive official recognition in the region as one of afforded control of the product of its heritage (known as AOC) in 1936 with 70 countries globally acknowledging and recognising this int their production of sparkling wine. The foundation on which this protection is established has gone on to protect the golden bubbles noted in several prominent cases one that saw 3000 bottles destroyed in California when a sparkling wine was labelled as Champagne as recently as 2008. Likewise fashion house Yves Saint Laurent lost their branding for a perfume called Champagne and a small Swiss town, who’d historically made a still wine named after their town since 1657 conceding that right in 1999. This fierce battle has forced other European wine regions to establish their own titles for sparkling wines created in their cultures spurring similar safeguards over their own creations such as Spain’s Cava and Italy’s Prosecco. More recently items like feta and parmesan cheese have also been the subject of similar movements though so far have failed, their battles continue.
Such fervour continues in perpetuity much like the way our family traditions continue. It’s one I recognise in myself as many of you would. But I’m also a curious cook and one who loves trying something a little different sometimes and I love challenging that flavour comfort zone with something a new.
This year neither of our football teams are in the grand final. Additionally neither of the teams competing are from Victoria (that’s a whole other essay about parochialism but I digress) so we’re taking advantage of the long weekend and kicking off the camping season with a mini break in the country. Being away from the normal football viewing environment of home I’ve rethought the menu. We’ll still be watching the game with our friends but the footy food will be a little different though inspired by a few foods endemic in other food cultures. The two-hour game time requires finger food one can nibble on as the game progresses. This year we’ll enjoy a platter of grilled baguette slices with ricotta cheese, thanks Sicily, bright sweet cherry tomatoes and barbecued chorizo, way to go Iberian Peninsula. A joint project by the wonderful mediterranean region if you will, served in the Australian bush. A union of some of the world’s best food cultures served at the bottom of the world.
This is a super simple recipe/idea. There’s no real science to it, it’s just really delicious and looks lovely. Every time I serve it friends demand the recipe. It’s more of a list of instructions that any lesson in cooking. It is however a lesson in food, in keeping it simple both for the eater and your preparation.
You could absolutely serve this already prepared in the way you would a loaded bruschetta (there’s Italy again) were you wanting to serve as a finger food at a party or just as I do as a platter to keep things easy and social. And obviously if you prefer skip the bread step altogether and serve with crackers.
Ingredients:
1 baguette sliced
Olive oil for brushing bread
200gm or a generous ¾ c of firm ricotta.
2 Tb Greek yogurt, sour cream, crème fraiche or cream
120gm/ ¾ cup chopped cherry tomatoes. I chop them in eighths.
1 chorizo peeled and chopped. The cured variety, not the raw sausage like one that needs cooking
3 tsps olive oil
¼ tsp dried oregano
Red pepper flakes, chilli flakes or even this dried spice mix (my personal fave) or similar to sprinkle.
Method:
In a bowl whip together the ricotta with the oregano, one teaspoon of the olive oil, yogurt or alternative and salt and pepper to taste set aside in the fridge.
Warm a griddle pan or barbecue to medium. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil. Cook them in the pan in batches or on the griddle area of your barbecue to make lovely lines. These are obviously attractive but also add another taste dimension. Set out on your platter. Also on the platter make a puddle with the ricotta mixture making an indentation of sorts in the middle to hold the tomato pieces.
In the same pan or on the BBQ cook chorizo until just starting to sizzle. We don’t want to render all the fat out and make the pieces dry. While the chorizo is cooking spoon the tomato into the ricotta puddle. Returning to your pan remove the cooked meat and immediately tip on top of the tomato and ricotta layers. We want the heat from the sizzly meat to draw juice and flavour out of the tomato without cooking it.
Sprinkle the red pepper/chilli flakes over to taste and drizzle with remaining 2 teaspoons of olive, serve immediately. Prepare for the ooooos and ahhhhhs.
Finds and Forays
Not only is it footy finals season it’s also school holidays. And while this doesn’t affect me it’s often a time when lots of activities are available and I’m all for taking advantage of some of these.
Though not strictly a school holiday program aimed at kids I think this baking challenge by Bake Club would be a ripper ‘school holiday program’ for some me time for the patient parents doing all the things during the day with kids home from school. Or you could do it with the kids or of course like me just take part because it sounds so ace and of course at the end of the week you have a grand cake to gobble up.
I love the look of this dessert. You could things prepared such as the fruit cut up and the batter mixed. A few minutes to prepare the pan and assemble and hey presto 40 mins later pudding!! It would also make an excellent comiseration dish for disappointed footy fans.
Finally I need your help, I’m wracked with curiosity. My most popular recipe on the website is Crustless Potato and Bacon Quiche. A simple and relatively plain dish and favourite from my childhood it strikes me as an unusual dish to be my viral hit. So if you found me through that recipe and that was from someone else sharing it, could you share with me below by commenting or by replying to this by email where that was please?
Happy weekend friends,
S x