2010 Tasting Australia; Feast For The Senses in Adelaide, Sunday 2 May (Part Two)

The coveted Pasta Challenge Trophy. Image:Linh.

One of the events I attended at the 2010 Tasting Australia: Feast For The Senses, was the San Remo Pasta Challenge Celebrity Cook-Off hosted by the two Michaels – television personalities, Michael Angelakis and Michael Keelan from Channel Nine’s Out of the Blue programme.

The judges were Adelaide’s own chef extraordinaire Dorinda Hafner, Adam Swanson, who is the Executive Chef of Zucca Greek Mezze in Holdfast Shores and first-time international visitor, Rosemary Shrager, presenter of the hit UK television series Ladette to Lady and Rosemary Shrager's School for Cooks.
The brave contenders for the San Remo Pasta Celebrity Cook-off were 891 ABC Adelaide radio personality Carole Whitelock, Netball star of the Adelaide Thunderbirds Natalie von Bertouch, The Advertiser Newspaper’s Antimo Ianella and Melissa Rowland, also from the Thunderbirds.



Team One are Antimo Ianella and Melissa Rowland. Image:Linh.





Team Two are Natalie von Bertouch and Carole Whitelock. Image:Linh.


A large screen erected along the riverbank, displayed all the action and close-ups of the food, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the celebrity cooks as they battled it out for culinary supremacy.
The hosts, Michael Angelakis and Michael Keelan, exchanged playful banter as they weaved in, out and around the challengers who concentrated hard and worked fast to finish their pasta dishes. The crowds watched, chatted and cheered on the cooks as the judges offered them some handy advice.

As Rosemary Shrager counted down the final seconds, the cooks scrambled to plate-up their pasta dishes for the judges to taste. I was barracking for Ant and Mel, but I noticed their dish didn’t look as delectable as Carole and Natalie’s pasta dish. Being the fickle type, I quickly changed my preferences to Carole and Natalie.
The judges, Dorinda, Adam and Rosemary, were in consensus that both teams failed to add enough seasoning to their pasta dishes to enhance flavour. Dorinda gave a valuable tip on seasoning the meat in advance before cooking. After much deliberation, the judges came to their decision.


The judges Dorinda Hafner, Adam Swanson and Rosemary Shrager dish up the pasta for the taste test. Image:Linh.



Rosemary Shrager gives Natalie von Bertouch and Carole Whitelock her assessment on their pasta dish. Image:Linh.




Dorinda Hafner gives Antimo Ianella and Melissa a few comments on their pasta dish. Image:Linh.


The winners were…..
Carole Whitelock and Natalie von Bertouch.
Carole and Natalie each received a fabulous Pasta Challenge trophy, before Antimo and Melissa were presented with cool Pasta Makers.

Winners Announcement. Video:chameleonfun.



The San Remo Pasta Challenge Celebrity Cook-Off was an exciting and fun event for all the family. I will definitely return next time to see who is daring enough to take on the next Pasta Challenge and who the judges will be to crown the next pasta dish victors.

2010 Tasting Australia runs from 29 April to 6 May at various venues across Australia.

2010 Tasting Australia; Feast For The Senses in Adelaide, Sunday 2 May (Part One)

For a weekend, Adelaide turned from the City of Churches into the hub of fantastic Australian food and wines. Adelaideans, interstate visitors and tourists flocked to the banks of the River Torrens in Elder Park to indulge in the best food, wines, family entertainment, cooking demonstrations and a celebrity Pasta Cook-Off presented by San Remo.

Celebrity guest chefs, television and radio personalities participated in various culinary challenges as audiences cheered them encouragingly. All of the other events were free, with some sessions requiring registration to attend, as seats are limited.
I was avoiding most of the wine stalls (as I don’t drink alcohol), but hovered like a moth to a candle around the food outlets where delicious aromas wafted in the air while mouth-watering plates of food were served.

My first dish was double Samosas with a garlic naan and mint sauce, an entrée from Harvest of India. The naan bread was light and not too fluffy, with a smooth texture on the palate. The naan did not go soggy when dipped into the mint sauce, and the sauce was not too runny, and it had a delicate minty sweetness.




The Samosas were larger than most served in restaurants, and had more filling. The outer crust was a golden brown colour, crispy and not too dry. The filling (vegetarian) was still hot, tasted and smelt divine.





Forty minutes later, I was lining up for my mains, a Prawn Plate, at the very popular Oysters and Seafood stall. The Prawn Plate consisted of five shelled prawns, potato wedges with Mango Honey and Sweet Chilli sauce. Other choices of sauces included garlic butter or sweet chilli sauce. The prawns were small, but succulently splendid. The wedges were lightly fried and tasted fine, but were superb if dipped into the Mango Honey and Sweet Chilli sauce.







As I ate, I watched the elegant black swans glide gracefully along on the River Torrens, passing onlookers and paddle-boats. Their black feathers gleamed in the sunshine as they dipped their red beaks in and out of the water.













Over an hour later, I made a beeline to Cocolat for my dessert – the most expensive on the menu. The Choc Waffles with Gelati and marshmallows was the most appetising item compared to the myriad of gelati, waffles and hot chocolate drinks. I chose the Ferrero Rocher Gelati to accompany my chocolate waffle and a few large fluffy marshmallows on the side. Final verdict: heavenly and all kinds of awesome.




2010 Tasting Australia runs from 29 April to 6 May at various venues across Australia.