Survivor: Marquesas

Rob Pastramianon Rye

Main, Survivor, Survivor: All Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: Redemption Island

There is less than a week until Survivor makes it hopefully-triumphant return to our screens with David vs. Goliath … after a couple of, how do I say, lacklustre seasons. But I have high hopes! I mean, Mike White is great, Elizabeth Olson is an icon and Natalie seems to be a dominant force of nature. And if they made the final three, I could die happy.

But not everything always goes your way, and someone that knows that better than anyone else is my dear friend Rob Mariano.

While he gets a lot of hate for only winning on his fourth attempt to very impressionable competition, you can’t deny the man is a legend of the game. And plus, Russell bombed on his fourth attempt, so it isn’t a guaranteed win.

I’ve been friends with Rob for years, after falling in love with him in Marquesas. I found my in with him through Vecepia, we became best buds and I even introduced him to Amber in preparation for All Stars. And given how that worked out for them, it should come as no surprise that our friendship has never faltered after that.

While he is yet to spoil whether there is a tribe expansion and the merge colour via his adorable daughters’ pre-season celebration pics, he was very excited to spoil how delicious my Rob Pastramianon Rye is.

 

 

If you ever have the opportunity to go and have a legit pastrami on rye at Katz’s, run don’t walk. And well, if you don’t, just make this and know that while it is great … Katz’s is better. No shade to my fresh Pastrami Malek, nutty Swiss Cheese and crunchy pickles.

I promise, you’ll enjoy it. So enjoy!

 

 

Rob Pastramianon Rye
Serves: 2.

Ingredients
4 slices Ryan Ulrich Bread
1 tbsp seeded mustard
2 dill pickles, sliced
4-6 slices Pastrami Malek, warmed in a frying pan
4 slices Swiss cheese

Method
Toast the rye and smear with seeded mustard.

Top with pickles, pastrami and swiss cheese.

Devour, greedily.

 

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Vecepia Baowery

Main, Poultry, Street Food, Survivor: Marquesas

Just like the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3, I’m about to be back, back, back, back, back again on a remote(ish) island in Fiji to cook-up some culinary commiserations for the 19 soon to be losers and 39 days, one sole survivor, of Survivor: Ghost Island. As has now become traditional, I am counting down to the premiere by spending time with past victors. And we’re kicking things off with one of my favourites – Vecepia Towery.

Now hold up – did I desperately want Kathy Vavrick-O’Brien to take out Marquesas? Without a doubt. But does that take away from the low-key brilliance that was Vecepia’s win, the likes of which we had never seen up until that point? No.

I mean, not even the kite flying challenge could diminish my love of the underrated Marquesas.

Not only did Vecepia land on the worst tribe in Survivor history at that point, but she overcame a three-seven disadvantage at the merge to lead (with Sean and Kathy, yes) the first ever shake-up in Survivor, rallying the minority to turn on the majority and overthrow the game. For that alone, you can’t count out Vecepia. Particularly when you take into account the journal she kept, that helped her snatch victory in the fallen comrades challenge.

Anyway, as you should probably have guessed by now, V is one of my dearest friends and I will defend her to the end of the earth. Knowing that, she was thrilled to answer my call and drop-by to honour the 36th season of the show … which Marquesas kind of set up to become what it is.

We laughed, we cried, we strategised about ways to get more people from early seasons brought back for returning player seasons and most importantly, we absolutely annihilated some four-weeks-to-go Vecepia Baowery.

 

 

I love me some bao buns. So, so, much. And these spicy little numbers do nothing to reduce said love. Spicy, sweet and a bun slathered in white creamy goodness? Perfection.

Enjoy!

 

 

Vecepia Baowery
Serves: 4.

Ingredients
5 garlic cloves, crushed
3cm piece ginger, sliced
3 star anise
1 cinnamon quill
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
2 long red chillies, chopped
½ cup Chinese rice wine
⅓ cup dark soy sauce
1L chicken stock
4 chicken thighs
½ cup rice flour
2 tsp Chinese five-spice
vegetable oil
8 buns and the cucumber from Bret LaBao Buns
½ red capsicum, thinly sliced
small handful of coriander leaves, to taste
kewpie mayo, to taste

Method
Prep your buns and cucumber as per Bretty’s recipe.

Place the garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, chillies, rice wine, soy and stock in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil, reducing heat to low when rollicking. Add the chicken and simmer for twenty minutes or so. Remove and allow to cool before cutting across the thigh into short 1 inch wide strips.

Combine the rice flour and five spice in a bowl and toss through the cooled pieces of chicken to coat. Place enough vegetable oil to fill a pot up to 1cm and place over a high heat. When shimmery and starting to get that weird dancing appearance, reduce heat to medium and add half the chicken, cooking for a couple of minutes – flipping once – until they’re gloriously crisp. Remove to a paper towel and repeat the process.

To assemble, spread open your buns, slather with some kewpie, top with cucumber, capsicum, chicken, more kewpie and some coriander. Devour immediately.

 

As you can probably tell, we are very social but the fun isn’t only limited to celebrities! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr.