Showman set to spice up TV series

SPICY: Carlos Garcia.

Christchurch man Carlos Garcia will bring a unique flavour to a television competition to find New Zealand's best amateur chef.

Garcia, 31, originally from Venezuela, is one of 24 finalists competing to become the country's first Masterchef in the reality television programme which aims to unearth professional chefs.

Garcia was accepted into the final 24 after surprising the judges with an unusual pork fillet and black bean cake dish, prepared with a dash of Coca-Cola.

"I just open the cabinet and use whatever I find. I love cooking, cooking is my passion," Garcia said.

The public servant, who came to Christchurch in 2004, also displayed his Latin flair when judge and award- winning chef Simon Gault asked him why he thought he should be Masterchef. "Look at me, I'm fabulous and gorgeous," he replied.

Garcia said his flamboyant nature was reflected in his food.

"The way I am with people is the way I decorate my plate, with Latino flavour and colours," he said.

Having never worked or trained as a chef, Garcia said he taught himself to cook after watching his family and experimenting with Spanish and Latin American flavours while travelling.

He has a culinary dream: "I want a cosy restaurant, where I can serve tapas. Not just Spanish ones, but samples from every country."

Watch Carlos Garcia on Masterchef (at 05:07):

Carlos Garcia's Volcanic Pork

1 Pork fillet
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup Coca Cola

Black bean cake

100grms dried black beans or turtle beans
2 Ltrs water
1/2 onion
1/2 red capsicum
1 tomato
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbs fresh chopped coriander
1/2 cup polenta
Kapiti Feta cheese

Chunky salsa

1 tomato
1 small red onion
1/2 green capsicum
2 Tbs jalapenos, chopped
1/2 cup coriander, chopped
2 limes, juiced

1. Combine the orange juice, cumin, oregano and garlic in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, place the pork fillet in the bowl and coat. Transfer pork and marinade into a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.

Heat a frying pan over a high heat, sear the pork fillet all over, lower heat and slowly add the cola, cover the pan and cook for 25 minutes, turning the pork every 5 minutes. Remove when cooked and rest for 5-8 minutes, reserve the sauce, slice.

2. For the black bean cake, place the black beans in a bowl and cover with hot water, cover and set aside over night. Drain. Pour 2 litres of water in a saucepan, add the beans and a pinch of salt, bring to a bowl and then reduce to a simmer, simmer for 2 hours or until beans are soft and liquid has reduced to half a litre. Heat an oiled frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion, capsicum, tomato, garlic and coriander, cook for 10 minutes. Add the reduced beans and cook a further few minutes. Cool then mash. Meanwhile, pour aacý litre water into a saucepan, place over high heat and bring to the boil, slowly add the polenta and mix continuously until thick, combine with the beans and mix well. Smooth the mixture across a flat tray, 2cm thick and set aside for 10 minutes to set. Using a biscuit cutter cut into 10cm rounds. Heat an oiled frying pan over a medium heat and lightly fry each side for 5 minutes. Top with Kapiti cheese.

3. For the salsa, combine the tomato, onion, capsicum and jalapenos in a bowl, add the coriander and limejuice mix well and season with salt.

4. Place a black bean cake in the centre of a serving plate, top with slices of pork in a "volcano" shape. Drizzle around the reserved pork sauce and top with the chunky salsa.

- © Fairfax NZ News