World class cuisine in the comforts of home

By Metro Creative

Few chefs have experienced the worldwide notoriety of Tetsuya Wakuda, widely considered Australia’s finest and most original chef. In his long-awaited first book, “Tetsuya” (Ten Speed Press), Wakuda shares his stories and recipes, including the following recipe for “Warm Salad of Veal Sweetbreads with King Prawns.”

Warm Salad of Veal Sweetbreads With King Prawns

Serves 4

8 ounces veal sweetbreads

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

8 king prawns, peeled

1½ tablespoons grapeseed oil

4 asparagus, angle cut into 3 pieces

8 green beans, halved

2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Wakame (see note below)

Salt and pepper

All-purpose flour for dusting

Mixed mesclun leaves

Sauce

5 fluid ounces veal stock

1 tablespoon port

1/2 tablespoon Banyuls vinegar or sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped shallots

Salt and pepper

A dash of walnut oil

Garnish

2 tablespoons peeled, seeded and diced tomato

1 tablespoon julienned parsley

Baby watercress

Chives, cut into 3/4-inch lengths

Wash the sweetbreads to get rid of the blood. Place in a saucepan with cold water, a punch of salt and tablespoon of vinegar, and bring to a boil over medium heat. (Do not put in boiling water.) Cook 15 minutes or until cooked, then refresh under cold water. Drain and set aside.

Butterfly the prawns and remove the digestive tract. Score the prawns on a slight diagonal along the inside length.

Pat dry the sweetbreads and break up into bite-sized pieces. Dust lightly with flour and brown in 1/2 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil. Once cooked, set aside.

Very lightly dust the prawns with flour and cook in the same frying pan in another 1/2 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

To make the sauce, combine the veal stock, port, vinegar, and shallots. Bring to a boil, adjust the seasoning to taste, then add the walnut oil. Take off the heat.

Saute the asparagus, beans and mushrooms in the last of the grapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place the wakame on the base of the plate and some mesclun leaves on top. Add the prawns and sweetbreads, then the vegetables. Top with the tomato, parsley, watercress, and chives, and drizzle over a little sauce.

Note: Use fresh wakame, which comes packed in salt. Put the wakame in a strainer and rinse, then cut into the size required. Run the wakame under hot tap water for a few seconds — the color will brighten. Rinse in cold water and squeeze dry.

Dried wakame is probably more readily available. To prepare, put the seaweed in a bowl of cold water and drain immediately. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Feel the wakame: it should be soft. Do not soak in water or it will melt.