Slow Cooked Kangaroo Tail Soup
Ingredients:
Braised Kangaroo tail
3kgs kangaroo tail chopped into 2inch lengths
(include kangaroo tail butt if available) Refer note
2 onion roughly chopped
3 carrot roughly chopped
3 stalks celery roughly chopped
100gms tomato paste
425gms tomato puree
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 lemon myrtle leaves
5 native pepper leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic
3 litre vegetable stock
150mls Cabernet Sauvignon or similar
Soup:
2 litre stock
2 tsp palm sugar
3 tbsp tamarind water
1 clove garlic bruised
6 lemon myrtle leaves
6 shallots peeled whole
3 stalks lemon grass
1 small piece fresh galangal bruised
To garnish:
4 Thai red chillies sliced
½ tsp dry chilli with seeds
1 tsp garlic chips
2 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
coriander leaves
1 lime cut into wedges
salt to taste
Method:
Braised roo tail: To braise the kangaroo tails, in a large Dutch oven, saute the mirepiox of onions, carrot & celery, tomato paste & the herbs & sweat until frangant & golden. Remove & reserve.
Add the kangaroo tails in small batches & saute evenly over medium heat. Repeat the process until all the tails have been is complete. Remove from heat & reserve.
Note: If available, include the tail butt if possible; however, it will be necessary to cook a further 3 hours in the slow cooker due to its size. Proceed as per below but remove the smaller tails & refrigerate until the tail butt is cooked & fork tender Reseve for the Kangaroo Tail Ravioli below.
Add the vegetable stock,tomato puree & Cabernet Sauvignon & deglaze, pass through a fine mess chinois & add 50mls of butter to layer a fat component & enhance the flavour.
“Kangaoo tail contains more connective tissue & collegan than any othe part of the kangaroo; it will take several hours to break down in a slow cooker but the rewards are numerous as the flavor profile will be unique due due to the gaminess of the animal”.
Place the mirepiox, sauteed kangaroo tails & stock into a slow cooker & bring to a slow simmer. Allocate 6 hours initially but additional time may be required for the meat to fall from the bone.
“Monitor stock level throughout the cooking process; there will be natural evaporation & it will be necessary to maintain adequate stock to cover the tails at all times”; however, Conintue to cook with the lid off after 6 hours to promote stock reduction
Soup: To make the soup, combine all ingredients into a Dutch oven, bring to a simmer & cook for 10 minutes to infuse. Pass the soup stock through a chinois & discard solids & add to the slow cooker & cook for a further 30 minutes
To serve, place 3 or 4 kangaroo tails in a large soup bowl & ladle sufficient stock over the top.
Garnish with lime wedges & provide copious slices of baugette & caibatta bread or similar to mop up all the soup.
Male kangaroos can leap lengths of close to 30 feet & at a height of up to 10 feet & reach speeds of 60km
Female kangaroo’s produce two types of milk; one for newborns & another for more mature joeys.
A male kangaroo is called a boomer, a female a jill, & a baby a joey
Some kangaroos can delay pregnancy when environmental conditions are not favourable & will reduce the chances of the joey’s surviving
Chocolate Kangaroo Tail Stew
Ingredients:
1 kg kangaroo tail
75 gms (½ cup) plain flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt & black pepper, to season
80 mls (⅓ cup) olive oil
2 onions, peeled & roughly chopped
4 carrots, peeled (1 roughly chopped, 3 cut into 5-cm lengths)
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves
50 g butter
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground wattle seed
500 mls red wine
1 litre vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
30 g dark chocolate
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp finely shredded parsley, to serve
Method:
Combine flour, paprika & salt & pepper & mix thoroughly. Add the kangaroo tail & toss to coat Shake to discard excess flour from the tails
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat & cook the kangaroo until well browned all over. Remove from the pan & set aside.
Place the onions, roughly chopped carrot, celery & garlic in a blender & process into a smooth puree.
Heat a large, lidded, heavy–based baking dish over medium heat. Add the half butter & fry the vegetable puree for about 10 minutes or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste & stir for 1–2 minutes.
Add the kangaroo, cocoa powder, wattleseed, red wine, stock & bay leaves.
Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover & simmer for 2 hours. Add the chocolate & the remaining carrots & butter. Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat is very tender & the sauce is glossy & thick.
Stir in the red wine vinegar & scatter with parsley to serve.
Kangaroo Tail Ravioli w/ Lemon Myrtle Consommé & Bush Tomato Chutney
Ingredients:
ravioli dough:
2 large egg + 3 large yolk + enough cold water to get 185g of wet ingredients
300gms Bakers flour
5.7g salt (1 tsp table salt or 2 tsp sea salt
Tomato Chutney:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 only sliced red onions
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
4 large tomatoes, diced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup brown sugar
Slow cooked kangaroo tail:
Kangaroo tail butt reserved from the “Slow Cooked Kangaroo Tail Soup above
feta cheese, room temperature
6-8 capers, finely minced
Lemon Myrtle Consommé:
2 litres unsalted, home-made chicken stock, cold
2 small leek, trimmed & minced
2 small carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, minced
3 parsley stems, minced
225gms ground chicken breast
2 egg whites & shells
pinch of salt
Method:
There are a lot of components happening with this dish; importantly, preparation can start a few days before with only assembly necessary. The ravioli filling is a prime example where kangaroo tails & butt are prepared for the Slow Cooked Kangaroo Tail Soup with the latter reserved for this dish.
For the ravioli dough – STAND MIXER: Set a mixing bowl on the scales & zero it out. Add 2 large eggs & 3 egg yolk + water so the total weight = 185gms precisely & 5.7gms kosher salt
Put the wet ingredients into a bowl of a mixer. Add the salt & flour & mix with a dough hook on medium-low until homogeneous. Knead for a further 5 more minutes in a mixer or 8 minutes by hand. Flour, wrap in plastic, & let rest 30 min & up to 5 hours at room temperature.
HAND MIXING: Place the flour on a clean work surface, make a well in the middle & add the eggs. Using a fork whisk the eggs whilst slowly incorporating the flour until combined & looks like a very rough dough. You may need to use your hands once most of the egg is incorporated to help it along.
Bring the dough together with your hands to form a ball. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth & pliable. Wrap the dough in cling film & leave to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
For the tomato chutney: In a large skillet, add the olive oil, sliced red onions, shallot, & garlic & heat over medium heat. Gently sauté until they begin to soften & become fragrant.
Include the bush tomatoes, sugar, ginger, cumin, chili powder, & salt & on a slow simmer, cook for 1 hour or until the chutney reduces to a jam consistency. Remove from heat, cool & pulse in a food processor or blender.
Allow to cool & serve & refrigerator until ready to use.
Lemon Myrtle Consommé: Trim the breast fillets of all skin & any fat & finely mince. Alternatively, ask you butcher to trim & mince.
Pulse the leeks, carrots & celery stalk with the parsley in an immersion blender until finely minced. Combine with the ground chicken breast fillets & add to the chicken stock with the egg whites to a lage saucepan.
Bring the stock very slowly to a simmer with very little surface movement visable. Monitor constantly as heat control is imperative.
Bruise 4-5 lemon myrtle leaves & add to the stock with the egg shells.
The process of clarifying a consommé involves using egg whites & shells, which act as a natural clarifying agent:
• Coagulation: When egg whites are added to a stock or soup, the proteins in the egg whites coagulate, or solidify, when heated.
• Formation of a Raft: As the proteins coagulate, they form a layer or a “raft” on the surface of the liquid. This raft attractss & traps impurities that can cloud the liquid. In summary the purpose of the egg whites is to help attract all the suspended solids to the surface, which results in a clearer consommé.
• Neutralization of Flavours: Egg whites have the ability to neutralize flavors, so it’s important to follow the amounts stated in a particular recipe. Otherwise, the consommé will turn out bland & tasteless.
• Straining: Once the consommé has clarified & the flavours have developed, it is strained. The strainer catches any remaining solids, resulting in a perfectly clear liquid.
A vent or opening in the “raft” will form naturally, maintain a slow simmer & continue to cook for 45 minutes. Turn off heat heat & let stand 5 minutes.
Line a sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth. Using a skimmer, lift off as much egg white from the top of the consommé as you can, discarding all scum. Ladle the consommé into the lined strainer & let it drip through in its own time. When it has all passed through, adjust seasoning & return to heat on a low simmer.
Slow cooked kangaroo tail: Strip the kangaroo meat from the tail & finely shred with a knife. Whip the feta cheese with a hand blender & fold & mince capers. Add to the shredded kangaroo meat & combine. Reserve, refrigerate to chill & firm.
Flour your work bench & cut the dough in half so it’s easier to roll. Flatten with the palm of your hands so it will fit through the first setting on the pasta machine. Pass the dough through the widest setting once then fold one side over the other. Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand again so it will fit through the widest setting & roll it through again.
Repeat this process folding the sides in & passing it through the widest setting four more times. Then proceed to pass the dough through each setting once from the widest to the second last setting.
Place required amount of kangaroo tail mixture on half the pasta dough only leaving ample space in between to cut & crimp.
Appply egg wash & around the mixture & fold the other half over the top. Cut out each ravioli using a pasta cutter, press down on each to expel all air & crimp with a fork or your fingers.
In a large saucepan of simmering salted water, cook ravioli in batches without overcrowding. Remove immediately after 3-4 minutes or as each ravioli floats to the top. Repeat process until all is cooked.
To plate, place a large tablespoon of tomato chutney in your serving vessel, place cooked ravioli on top & gently ladle Lemon Myrtle Consommé into your bowl. Serve immediately.