Original subtitles

Alright, Mike. The gloves are off, mate.

It's time for a toastie challenge.

OK, so in the blue corner, we have the magician,

the lad from London.

Yeah! Mike Reid.

Come on! And in the red corner,

we've got Tim "bad to the" Bone, the boy from Ballarat.

It is going to be on.

What are you making?

Mate, I'm going left-field because I think

I can take you on in a fair fight.

Like toasties is your thing.

So I'm going to do

a Japanese-inspired pork katsu sando.

Oh, I love a katsu sando.

I'm excited for that. Mate, it's good.

I'm going to be doing

a Philadelphia cheese steak toastie.

Yum. A Philly cheese - classic.

Lots of steak, lots of cheese, lots of butter, lots of goodness.

See, I'm doing a toastie for the toastie man,

and you're doing a steak for the steak man.

Oh, there we go. Pressure's on.

It is on. Let's do this.

I feel like I've been training for this moment. Ooh!

It's on. It's on, brother, it's on.

Cue the Rocky music. Toastie challenge!

It's already playing in my head. Let's do it.

So I'm going to do basically a Japanese-inspired sando.

So I've got some beautiful pork cutlets...

They look great. ..which I'm going to pane in just some flour, egg, breadcrumb.

Beautiful.

Can you make a sauce for me? Ooh.

Tonkatsu ketchup. Yeah, I love it. Yeah.

So this is very much a cheat's version, OK?

We're just using some normal ketchup,

some Worcestershire sauce,

some soy sauce, some garlic powder and mustard powder.

And it makes a really ripper of a tasty sauce, too.

It really does. For anything. I love it.

Katsu sandwiches have really sort of boomed

in the last few years, haven't they? Yeah.

You see them on every... Everywhere!

They're popular for a reason.

It's one of those things where we all try it,

a little bit late to the party.

Sometimes we're like, "How have I not been eating sandos my entire life?"

Have you ever been to Japan before and had a traditional one?

Yeah, I'm very lucky. I spent quite a bit of time there.

Yeah. I need to get over there.

Oh, it's incredible. Some of the best food in the world.

Right, so these beautiful pork, I've slightly trimmed back

the fat slightly.

Bad chef, bad chef here. Yeah!

You've got to leave a bit of the fat.

You've got to leave a nice healthy chunk on there.

Gorgeous.

So talk me through toasties at home.

Do you know what? I don't really make it for the family.

Yeah. But I make it for myself.

Yeah. Like, almost every few days. Yeah.

I always get creative.

I think my favourite time of the year is Christmas

for my Christmas toasties.

Ooh, a festive toastie. Oh, mate. Leftover ham and turkey.

I prefer it than the Christmas meal.

Yeah, I know! (LAUGHS) It's absolutely my favourite.

But, yeah, so I absolutely adore making a toastie.

And, yeah, I just think there's an art to it.

Well, I just think there's something about toasties

where you can get creative, and I think I've done

nearly 200 different flavour combinations of toasties. Wow.

So I'm going to let these cook in here

for about five to six minutes,

until they're nice and golden,

but they still won't be cooked in the middle.

So we'll then pop them into the oven at 200 degrees and we'll get

the rest of the stuff ready.

These look great, Mike.

I mean... You beauty.

Nice and simple.

And you can just... So crisp. Crispy, crunchy.

Going to be delicious. If you can mix up the last sauce.

Oh, yeah. Just Dijon, wasabi, mayonnaise.

Good little combo. I love it. Yeah.

There's this, um, there's like a wasabi mustard that I get

in the UK from an English wasabi farm.

And it's so beautiful.

And it's, essentially, I'm trying to recreate it.

Yeah. Nice one.

So to build these, it's super simple.

One side, we're going to do the ketchup.

And then on the other side

we're going to do that beautiful mustard-wasabi mayo.

And we're going to get the cabbage in.

And remember, there's nothing in this cabbage.

Just refreshed in iced water,

so it goes super crispy and crunchy.

It's amazing how that iced water can just lift it

and just make it sing. Yeah.

It changes. Changes the cabbage completely.

Like, even when you're making slaw, do this first

and you'll have the most delicious crispy, crunchy slaw

for longer as well.

I feel like we should be having more banter.

This is supposed to be the toastie challenge to end all.

No, I can't say it. I can't. You can't.

What could you say against this, though? No.

I mean, it's why he's gone quiet. He's worried.

No, 'cause... He's worried.

I'm just happy you're feeding me.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Look at that. Oh, wow.

I wasn't sure if you were going to slice the pork or...

No. Not yet. What?!

That is my kind of sandwich.

That is unbelievable.

Bread knife, please. OK.

Your sword, sir.

Thank you.

And then we're just going to cut it

straight down the middle.

Wow. (LAUGHS)

And then the reveal.

The big reveal.

Ready? Look at that.

Oh.

Look at that moist pork.

Juicy. Oh! Moist.

It's always scary when you cut through.

You never know!

I've been doing it a while,

but you're still a little bit unsure.

That's perfect. Look at that.

I mean, I just...

I've got so much time for a sando

when it's built...

..like this.

Mate.

Oh, mate, I'm in trouble. Am I still in the game?

I'm in trouble here. Am I still in the game?

That is an absolute thing of beauty, mate.

I cannot wait to wrap

my laughing gear around that.

Alright, let's do it.

One each, mate.

I don't even know if this will fit in my gob.

I know!

I'll give it a try.

Mm.

Mm, mm, mm!

The pork is just juicy and delicious.

And crispy.

Crispy crunch. Perfectly cooked.

But that little wasabi-Dijon mayo, that's what really makes it for me.

Just elevates it, right? Yeah.

You get that punch, that tang.

You get the sweetness from the tonkatsu ketchup

and then the richness from the fat from the pork as well comes through.

Cheers, mate. Oh, cheers, Muscles.

Thank you.

Alright, Mike, round two in the Toastie Challenge.

It's my turn. Yeah, mate.

Alright, I'm going to show you a Philly cheesesteak toastie.

So, obviously, Philly cheesesteak - pretty classic. Yeah.

But I'm going to put it between two bits of bread and toast it.

We've got some beautiful rump steak here.

I need some really nice, thin slices. Is that alright? OK.

I reckon, as a man with a cow tattoo on his arm,

I think you can handle this.

I'll find my way. Thank you, my friend.

That would be fantastic.

Now, I love rump. I think it's a bit underutilised.

You don't need eye fillet, you don't need anything fancy for this.

Rump has got a fantastic flavour

that is going to work well with this dish.

For me, it's better flavour than fillet.

Absolutely.

Now, when I do this toastie at the farmer's market,

I call it the "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Cheesesteak,"

after the TV show. Nice.

But I've never been to Philadelphia

and tried a real authentic cheesesteak.

It's beautiful. You've got to go. Yeah.

And I love this because it's so simple.

It's really just a few ingredients,

but it just packs such a punch of flavour.

I love the fact that, you know, if you're going to do a toastie

or a steak sandwich or whatever, like, do it like this,

do it properly. Yeah!

You know, so many people, it is leftovers and whatever. That's right.

Sometimes it's nice just to buy a cheaper cut to put in a sandwich.

Yeah. And do it well and give it, you know, the justice it deserves.

Alright, capsicum, you go in, and you're going to add

all of that into there. Yeah.

And then we're going to add some spices here.

So we've got garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika

with a good glug of olive oil.

There we go.

And a good pinch of salt in there as well.

Nice.

And a good whack of pepper.

So we're really just amplifying the flavours in our steak.

Just ramping it up a bit with those few spices.

It's going to make such a difference.

OK.

So, a glug, or a Tim glug?

Uh, a Tim glug, my friend, a Tim glug.

OK. Get it in there!

Capsicums frying away, fast and hot.

We get our onion.

Just thinly slice that up.

So what made you, you know, decide to build a business around toasties?

I was inspired by a trip to New York,

where there was a little hole-in-the-wall place, and all they did was grilled cheese.

That's what they call them over there.

Some people feel like sometimes you can't just specialise

in one thing. Yeah.

But if you do that thing, well, why not?

Alright.

Onions, capsicum frying together.

It's an amazing smell.

This doesn't take too long.

All you really want to do is just to take that rawness off.

I'm happy with that. It's got some good colour on it.

That can come out.

Bang that straight onto the plate.

Pan straight back on.

Yeah. Another good glug of olive oil.

We'll get that pan roaring hot again.

In goes our rump.

Now, this is a nice big frying pan, so I'll fit all of this in.

But you can do it in smaller batches if you need to at home.

Don't overfill your pan, right?

No. You want that caramelisation.

Spread it out.

Ooh! Smoked paprika, straight up your nose.

Ha-ha!

OK, while our steak's cooking, Mike, I might get you

to cut some provolone cheese, if that's alright.

Yeah, of course. Like this? Just some nice, generous slices.

So we're using two different types of cheese - a provolone

and then an American-style cheddar -

hence the orange colour

which is really going to pair well with our cheesesteak.

So all I'm going to do now is give it a toss.

There you go. That's the colour you want.

I love that. Literally, another 30 seconds...

Yeah. ..and we're good.

Ooh. OK.

Steak can come out.

Alright, let's build some Philly cheesesteak toasties.

So we've got some lovely sourdough bread here

that we just want some nice, thick slices.

One for me...

..one for you.

I like that we're not sharing, Tim.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Use those as the base.

Now we just start layering up the ingredients.

So, American cheddar first, three slices.

OK.

Then some of our beautiful capsicum and onion mix.

A nice pile of that.

Don't be shy. I love the colours already.

Yeah, it's gorgeous.

It's bright, it's vibrant, it's inviting. Mm!

While I finish that off, we're going to cook the toasties

in butter because you want...

That's what's going to give it that nice colour. Yeah.

But I'm just going to throw that straight into the pan

and let that melt.

Then we can go on with some of this beautiful steak.

Thank you, my friend.

A nice pile of our steak on top.

Alright. If it drops out, I'll help you out.

Yeah!

It won't go to waste around here.

Alright. Another pile on here.

That's a little chef snack.

yeah, we'll just put this over here.

Over next to, uh, cheffy here.

And then some of our provolone on top,

which will melt and become all oozy and gooey.

It's going to not only taste good, but it's acting as a glue

as well, which is what we want.

Now we pop on the lids, try and match up the right way.

I mean, we could just slice that in half and eat it like that, but... I know, right?

Looks so inviting already.

..but now we're going to toast it.

Alright, Mike.

You're looking pretty chuffed, mate.

Let's get these out.

I mean, it looks like a pretty good toastie.

I mean, after all the thousands of toasties I've made,

it still gets me excited. Yeah.

It still gets me excited. Good food.

Good food always puts a smile on your face. Yeah.

Alright.

Lovely. Let's slice through.

(TOASTIE CRUNCHES)

Nice crispy sound. That's what you want to hear.

Alright, let's have a look what we're dealing with here.

Ah!

I mean, pretty enticing.

I think you've done good.

Make a nice little pile.

That's the display one.

Let's tuck into this one.

Alright.

There you go, mate. Be careful.

I love the good amount of cheese.

I'm just going for it, right? Alright, let's go.

Mate, that is delicious.

I don't care who wins today. I'm just glad to cook with you.

You know what? Do you know who wins? You guys at home. You win.

'Cause that is a cracker recipe that he's just given you.

The steak is juicy and succulent.

The cheese is really powerful, but the onions... Oh, mate!

Thank you, mate. I feel like I'm back in Philly!

Oh, I appreciate that, mate. That means a lot.

Um, all I can say to everyone out there - get your toastie on.

So I've just been cooking off some onions

in some extra-virgin olive oil.

I've used a red onion here because I'm going to make

a Moroccan chicken meatballs

with a delicious, rich tomato sauce and some quinoa.

This is a really yummy recipe and it's been inspired

by a Moroccan chicken tajine,

but for the times when you don't have enough time

to get a tajine together.

So we're going to make the sauce first,

so that it has lots of time to simmer

and all the spices and flavours can come together.

I've got the onion, the extra-virgin olive oil,

the rich tomato sauce,

beautiful Australian-grown tomatoes into the pan.

And to that we'll add our spices.

I've got a ground cumin and ground cinnamon in there,

as well as a little bit of chilli flakes.

And we'll just go a little pinch of chilli for today.

I like this one because you've got options, right?

If you wanted to serve it up to the kids, just remove

the chilli and it's an easy one.

Then the nature of that beautiful sweetness

in a traditional tajine comes from things

like the fruits going in.

I've got some raisins and also some dried apricots.

I'm a mum, so there's always dried fruit in our house.

And to add a little bit of extra sweetness,

I'm going to add some honey.

And that really does balance all the spices

and that beautiful tomato flavour as well.

And I love these tomatoes because the sauce is actually

already really thick because it's a diced tomato with a tomato paste.

So that makes it really easy to cook with

and produce these beautiful, rich, thick sauces.

So we'll mix our ingredients together,

add a little bit of salt and pepper to season.

So let the tomato sauce simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.

And while that's happening, we're going to make our chicken meatballs.

In the bowl, I've got some chicken mince, about 500g.

And I'm going to add my favourite garlic

and crack an egg in to help it bind.

We also have a range of spices which make it

quintessentially Moroccan-tasting.

So there's paprika.

We have cumin, coriander and cinnamon.

And I'll give that a little whisk at this stage,

just so the egg can break apart.

And we'll chop our herbs into the dish as well.

So I've got some fresh coriander and some fresh parsley.

So you need about a few tablespoons in each part of the dish

for the sauce, as well as for the chicken mince.

I really love using the stalks and the leaf when it comes

to parsley and coriander.

The stalks have so much flavour and I just don't think it's worth

throwing them out, and make the most of the plant itself.

So a couple of tablespoons in with the chicken mix.

And let's get some into our sauce as well.

A little bit of green in there.

And our parsley as well.

So, again, stalks and leaf for the parsley.

Parsley is really cool, actually.

If you ever have way too much garlic in a meal,

then parsley can help neutralise the taste

and also the smell of garlic on your breath.

So that's my little hot tip.

Just grab some, chew on it, and it actually helps to neutralise

those sorts of strong flavours from a delicious meal in your mouth.

There we go.

So, again, pop some parsley in our sauce.

I'll give that a stir again in a minute,

and then some parsley in with our chicken mix, too.

And then we'll add our almond meal to the chicken mix.

And the almond meal is a really good one

because it helps to bind the chicken meatballs,

but it doesn't contain the gluten as a traditional breadcrumb does.

So it's a good one if you have celiacs or people

that are gluten-intolerant.

So now that we've got all the ingredients for the chicken balls

in there, we get to do the messy, fun part - rolling.

But I'll just give the sauce a little bit of a stir

because we added in those extra fresh herbs.

They really do so much for dishes.

Alright, let's get rolling.

We're going to get about 12 balls out of this recipe.

So good for a family of four or to serve four people.

And I've got the oven cranking at 180 degrees,

ready to pop the balls straight in.

And have a little bowl of water on the side

so you can wet your hands before rolling the balls.

It just makes it just that little bit easier

because it's less sticky.

You take a good scoop and roll away.

They don't need too much.

They'll bind whilst they cook, and you can keep these as neat

or as rough as you please.

So I'll make the rest of these, get them onto the tray,

pop a little bit of spray oil over the top

so they get that lovely golden whilst they're baking,

and then pop them in the 180 degree oven

for about 20 minutes.

So the chicken meatballs have cooked.

They smell amazing.

And in that time, the sauce has had time to simmer

and I've made some quinoa.

I cooked it with a vegetable stock because I just love

how the vegetable stock flavours the quinoa as well.

And then our meatballs over the top.

Now, it depends on how hungry you are.

Let's go four today.

And then our delicious, rich tomato sauce to finish.

You can see all of those scrumptious fruits.

They've soaked up all the spice, the sweet, the tomato.

We'll get some of that over the top, and it's a great way

to get lots of nutrition into your meals.

Let's garnish it with some coriander.

My favourite.

A little bit of extra pepper.

You could also add some extra chilli flakes, if you like.

So there we go - Moroccan chicken meatballs,

a rich tomato sauce, served with quinoa.

It smells amazing.

It looks beautiful and it's going to taste great.

Captions by Red Bee Media