FOOD WITH MIGUEL MAESTRE MATT PRESTON S CHICKEN THIGHS IN HOISIN PEANUT PASTE Miguel and Matt Preston meet at Melbourne s Prahran Markets together they seek out the best produce in the market before cooking up a simple and delicious dish. MATT PRESTON After first donning his array of coloured cravats on MasterChef Australia 8 years ago, Matt Preston soon become a TV favourite in Australian households. Matt is a food journalist, restaurant critic, TV host and recipe writer. He is a columnist for NewsCorp s Taste, a senior editor of both delicious and Taste Magazine and an author of four cookbooks. Matt is also a winner of many awards. In 2003, 2004 and 2006, Preston won Food Media Club of Australia awards and in 2008 he won the title of World s Best Food Journalist at the Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards. During this period he also wrote for Vogue Entertaining + Travel, plus US food titles, Saveur and Food and Wine.
For five years he was the National Chief Judge for Restaurant and Catering's National Awards for Excellence. Preston was also the Creative Director of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival from 2005 until 2009 as the Festival grew into the World s biggest & most prestigious. Valued for his quick wit and warm personality, Matt is also a great cook himself. Although he may have dined at the world s top end restaurants he also values simplicity in food and is an author of several cookbooks focusing on food that is simple to prepare but still delicious. PRAHRAN MARKETS Famous for fine fresh produce Prahran Market can t be beaten on quality. The oldest Melbourne Market has stalls selling certified organic produce, sustainable seafood, free range meat and poultry, gourmet deli items as well as eateries and specialty stalls. MATT PRESTON FACTS: Matt Preston has been named A Legend of Food & Wine by Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, joining a group that includes Stephanie Alexander, Michel Roux and Antonio Carluccio. Matt was raised in Great Britain where he graduated form the University of Kent with a BA Hons in Politics and Government. Resident in Melbourne for the past 16 years, Matt is married with three children. He enjoys playing tennis, supporting Chelsea Football Club, watching Australian Rules Football and making pizza.
MATT PRESTON S CHICKEN THIGHS IN HOISIN PEANUT PASTE Prep time 10 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes Serves 4-6 people Ingredients 160g (1 cup) salted peanuts 250mL (1 cup) hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 teaspoons salt flakes 8 chicken thigh fillets, at room temperature 2 baby gem lettuce, leaves picked A selection of Asian herbs such as coriander, Vietnamese mint, mint and Thai basil
Method 1. Preheat oven to 200C and lightly oil a baking tray. 2. Using a food processor, stand mixer or stick blender, blitz the peanuts until they become a fine meal. Add the hoisin sauce, vinegar, salt and a little warm water if needed to loosen. Tip into a large mixing bowl, add the chicken pieces and rub them all over with the paste. 3. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the paste is all dark and bubbling. You can always give them a quick blast under the grill at the end to create those dark bits. 4. To serve, slice the chicken thighs and serve a slice with Asian herbs wrapped in a lettuce leaf. This recipe is adapted from Matt s recipe appearing in The Simple Secrets to Cooking Everything Better. MIGUEL S CRUNCHY ASIAN SLAW Prep time 10 minutes Serves 4-6 people Ingredients ½ wombok cabbage, finely shredded ½ red cabbage, finely shredded 5cm piece of ginger, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 3 teaspoons of sesame oil 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons of kewpie mayonnaise 2 sprigs of Thai basil, leaves picked 2 sprigs of coriander, leaves picked Method Mix all ingredients together in a salad bowl and serve immediately. WEBLINKS For further information on Matt Preston take a look at the following website: http://mattpreston.me For further information on Prahran Markets take a look at the following website: https://www.prahranmarket.com.au/