Blackbird Restaurant – Executive Chef, Jake Nicolson
Red Cabbage Marmalade
(Makes 5 cups. Reserve remaining marmalade in fridge in sealed jars for future or reduce quantities to suit.)
10 red onions, peeled and julienne
50ml vegetable oil
Sea salt
Pepper
4 large heads red cabbage, thinly sliced
50ml vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme
375g red currant jelly
Red wine vinegar to season
In a number of hot wide shallow pans, quickly sauté the red onion in a little vegetable oil with salt and pepper.
Cook quickly to ensure the liquid from the onions evaporates and does not settle in the pan which will cause the onions to become acidic.
Cook until very soft and sweet however without too much colour.
In a separate pan, sweat cabbage, treating the same as the onion, to ensure the finish is reduced and glazed.
Once the cabbage starts to cook, add the bay leaf and thyme to the cabbage.
When the cabbage is tender, bring together with the onion then add enough red currant jelly to glaze the mixture and coat. The red marmalade should be able to be quenelled.
Taste and adjust seasoning then add a few drops of red wine vinegar to balance the sweetness.
Remove the bay leaf and any remaining thyme stems.
Sweet Potato
Serves 10 (Reduce quantities as required)
5 small/medium sweet potatoes
50ml vegetable oil
Sea salt
Pepper
20 slices guanciale
Peel and cut the potato into a long wedges or preferred shape.
Caramelise in vegetable oil and season.
Wrap the potatoes in slices of the guanciale.
Place in the oven at 180C for 15min to complete the cooking process.
Madeira Red Wine Sauce
1 tbsp butter
5 shallots, sliced
125g mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 litre madeira
1 litre red wine
1.5 kg chicken wings, roasted
500g beef trimmings, roasted
5 litres veal stock
In a large pot on high heat, add the butter, shallots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, bay leaf.
When the mushrooms have browned, deglaze with the madeira and red wine. Reduce to half volume. Add the wings, beef trimmings and veal stock. Simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency.
Pass through a fine sieve. Reserve sauce. Keep warm.
Australian Grass Fed Sirloin
20 large slices beef bone marrow (request butcher to remove the marrow from the plugs/cut femur bones)
5 x 200g sirloin steaks, quality
Very gently poach the bone marrow pieces in the warm Madeira red wine sauce for approx. three minutes or until warmed and cooked through.
Grill the sirloin steaks to medium rare. Rest.
To serve
Carve into six pieces per sirloin which equates to three slices per portion.
Place three slices per person onto individual serving plates.
To the side, place a quenelle of Red Cabbage Marmalade and the sweet potato.
Top the sirloins with the red wine sauce and slices of bone marrow.