Recipe: Estelle’s Kimchi and Wagyu Bolognaise Toastie

Although the view from Ruckers Hill in Melbourne comes up short compared to Mount Olympus, even the mighty Zeus would get around this indulgent snack from Scott Pickett’s (Matilda, Saint Crispin) Estelle. Two golden triangles filled with spicy, fermented Korean cabbage, a rich Wagyu ragu and gooey melted cheese. Let’s put this one down to divine intervention.

“Before Estelle opened, I was trying all sorts of fermentation: kombucha, vinegar, and kimchi. One day, proud of the result of my kimchi, I came to Scott to make him try it and he loved it,” says head chef Valentin Barrere.

“A few days after, I received a text from Scott saying that he had a ‘revelation’ in the shower and we must make a kimchi and Wagyu bolognaise toastie.”

Kimchi and Wagyu bolognaise toastie

Serves: 5

Cooking time: 1 hr

Prep time: 10 min

Ingredients

10 slices white bread
150g shredded cheese
200g sliced kimchi
500g Wagyu beef mince
1 tin peeled tomatoes
2 brown onions, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
200ml red wine

Method

For the bolognaise. In a large pan, heat up some vegetable oil. Cook the beef mince until brown, then remove from the pan. Add the diced onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the red wine and reduce down. Add the beef mince and the tinned tomatoes.
Cook gently for 40 minutes with the thyme and bay leaf.

Next, assemble the toasties. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

Between two slices of white bread spread about 60g of bolognaise, a layer of kimchi and some shredded cheese. Repeat until you have 5 toasties.

Heat up a pan with oil. Cook each toastie in the pan until golden brown on both sides. Then place the toasties in the pre-heated oven for 6 minutes.

To serve, generously grate some parmesan cheese on top.

theestelle.com.au