What’s the Daniel O’Connell all about, Phil?
We use the nose-to-tail philosophy as an umbrella for everything, not just meat. When we serve radishes as part of our snacks, if the leaves are looking a little gnarled to serve as they are, we blanch them, chop them up and mix them through butter. We try for zero-food waste.
And who is or was Daniel O’Connell?
He was a revolutionary Irish MP, but also the kid who planted the pepper tree out the back of the pub. We pay tribute to both.
What’s cooking this month?
Summer is really hot in South Australia so we like to keep things light, cutting down on the braised meats and char-grilling and barbecuing instead. We do barbecued ox heart or char-grilled kidneys, with lots of leafy vegetables or baby turnips and baby radishes to add that element of refreshment.
Some people are scared of offal – where do you suggest they start?
Chicken liver parfait is quick, delicate and quite a good-looking thing to have on a plate (a piece of tripe looks like a piece of tripe – there’s no hiding it). I serve mine with crusty bread and maybe some pickled sour cherries. Otherwise, sweetbreads, because they sound sweet and cute, even though it’s a pancreas or thyroid gland.
This is our fast issue here at GT – what’s your fast favourite?
I like a whole lamb, boned out and stuffed with its shoulders and legs and chucked on a spit. It’s not exactly fast, granted, but while it’s on the spit, it does all the hard work for you. We do it low and slow for anywhere between four and five hours. A little baste with some bay leaves, kitchen olive oil and honey, then let it cook while you sink a few cold ones. That’s my kind of fast food.
The Daniel O’Connell, 165 Tynte St, North Adelaide, SA, (08) 8267 4032