Author Archives: sister T

hot hot hot in the kitchen

Today on belly you are with me Sister T and with  sister D as we burn down the belly kitchen on the last Monday of the bayfm winter season.  That’s ok cos after 1 we will have firemen in the studio, yes really, also getting on top of hot flushes & hot weather with ayurvedic food, a bbq recipe book review, your favourite hot weather foods, & the hottest seedsaver I know, Jude Fanton, with be with us very soon to talk about what is happening in the world of seedsaving & in her veggie patch. mmm, mulberries…  so much fun getting all purple & sticky.  But first, hot off the presses,  the new belly summer lineup – continuing the tasty & ever changing rotation of sisters Rasela, Michael & Ilias, with occasional kitchen assistance by sister Deanna.  Introducing the very fabulous sister Kris, who you might know from bayfm’s Sunday Morning Coffee program.  And off to work out just what hobbits have for breakfast, and so leaving belly after ten years in the kitchen, sister Tess.  Yes today  is my last show, so as a special present to myself and to you, I am very happy to finally welcome to belly one of this area’s most talented musicians, the wonderful singer,songwriter, pianist & poet, Vasudha Harte from the Dinkum Bohos.  We have been talking about doing this for a very long time, every time I see her perform i want to run away and do something wild and bohemian and romantic and free, or at least drop whatever I’m doing and just listen.

 

THE SHOW, THE WHOLE SHOW (ALMOST)

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARIA WILSON’S AYURVEDIC RECIPES FOR HOT AND COLD TIMES

 

Maria is a long time belly listener, who remembers our very first show and our very first guest, the very wonderful Delta Kay.  Hopefully Maria will come on belly soon, but she has given belly a whole lot of recipes that follow the ayurvedic principle she has lived by for many years.  One interesting point that she makes, very relevant in a place that does get very hot and humid at times (and also for the very large number of women around here enjoying the weird and wonderful menopausal hot flushes), is how you can simply alter the heating and cooling effect of dishes.  And drinks, like the rainbow region’s national hot beverage, chai.

 

 MY FAVE BASIC KICHADI

I use all organic ingredients..so fortunate to be able to do so…

Quarter tspoon –
Fennel seeds…cumin seed…black mustard seeds (yellow in summer)…

Small onion finely chopped
Fresh ginger finely sliced or grated…i use differing amounts depending on
my warmth
Fresh grated turmeric…(a small finger…ps..turmeric should ALWAYS be
cooked)
Quarter tspoon …cumin…coriander seed
Half tspoon salt
One tablespoon ghee ( i make my own but the health food stores in this area
now sell organic ghee)
An eighth cup of mung dhal(soaked overnight then rinsed well)
One quarter cup of basmati rice (soaked overnight then rinsed well)
3 cups water

With ayurveda…there is an order to cooking all of these
ingredients…seeds are always first to be cooked in the ghee…then onion
then ginger/turmeric then powders..then rice/mung…and the easiest way to
know when to add onion is once the mustard seeds pop
Ayurved always cook on low heat….nothing is wildly boiled.

So…on low to medium heat put ghee…add seeds…once popping add onion
til translucent..then ginger ,turmeric…then powders (i make my powders
fresh in a coffee grinder..though i use a mortar and pestle for cardamom
seeds)
Then add rice/mung stir till slightly translucent also then add water…cook for around 30 mins
Depending on whatever…I will add a handful of chopped veg and a half cup
of boiled water for another 20 minutes

GINGER MARMALADE

I just made this last week.  Not a set one..more of a thick liquid…its a fab aid to
digestion..

One large fresh ginger root (i cup grated)
One and half cups water (to be honest i usually only use one cup as it
doesn’t always thicken well)
Half cup apple concentrate
I tablespoon fresh organic lime of lemon peel grated
Half teaspoon dry ginger powder

Peel and grate ginger. Combine with water, apple concentrate, lime peel,
and ginger and cook over medium-low heat until thick 10-12 mins.
Keeps in fridge for 3 to 4 days.
After cooking add 5 thread saffron and quarter tspoon each of ground
cloves, nutmeg and cardamom

CHAI

I  make a chai masala (powdered blend of spices) which I add to
water…slowly bring to boil then add tea leaves sugar and milk…so for my
chai I roughly use one 3rd milk 2 thirds water…

And the spice mix is:

1 tspoon fennel seed
4 cardamom pods
5 to 6 cloves
1 star anise
Half stick cinnamon
Quarter tspooon ginger powder

Actually..thats the ingredients for a pot for two as is,  but when i make the
masala I multiply all that by 4 and grind then one tspoon per person
If I’m making it for a friend who suffers hot flushes then I will omit
cinnamon and half  the ginger powder..and add a few more fennel seeds
which are cooling

…oh how i love ayurveda

by Maria Wilson, thank you so much Maria

 

 

from the camino to Mullum, music poetry & chicken soup

Today on belly  , Jessie from Love & Spoon is here to take us on food and music journeys from the camino of Santiago de Compostela to the Mullum Golf Club, then Geoff will be here to share his mum Rivka’s chicken soup, our first ever song about rogan josh, lots more poetry & music, food news & great flavours today, it’s going to be a beautiful sensual spring equinox belly ,  so do visit the belly kitchen.

 

Spiced spinach, almond and besan fritters with grilled haloumi and preserved lemon yoghurt recipe by Love and Spoon

 

spinach besan fritter

makes 30 fritters

Ingredients
1 tbl salt

2 tsp cumin ground

2 tsp coriander ground

2 tbl ground fennel

½ tsp chilli powder

170g besan flour

1 tsp baking powder

80g potato flour

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 tbl olive oil

280ml water

300g baby spinach roughly chopped

handful of chopped basil leaves

2 grated zucchinis- squeezed to remove liquid

4 sliced spring onions

1 tin chickpeas lightly crushed

100g peas

1 C slivered almonds

non GM vegetable oil for frying

300g haloumi

¾ C thick greek yoghurt

1/2 a preserved lemon

to garnish:          nigella seeds

chilli seeds

fennel fronds

coriander leaves

Method
·      Mix, salt, cumin, ground coriander, ground fennel, ground chilli, besan flour, baking powder, potato flour and water together

·      Whisk in oil and garlic then add chopped spinach, basil, zucchini, onion, peas, slivered almonds and chickpeas. Mixture will be very thick and may look like there’s not enough batter but there is!

·      Heat oil and fry fritters till golden, drain on paper towel.

·      Very finely chop preserved lemon, mash with a fork and then combine with yoghurt

·      Grill haloumi

·      top fritters with a slice of grilled haloumi topped with a dollop of yoghurt and sprinkle with nigella seeds, chilli seeds, fennel fronds and fresh coriander leaves.

 

To find out more about Love and Spoon go here

sampling spring with Remy, Anthea & Cecile

yes, it’s the first day of spring, so get ready for lots of sunny music and recipes, and crepes!

 

SAMPLE TIME – AND TIME TO LAUNCH ANTHEA’S FIRST OF MANY BEAUTIFUL COOKBOOKS

Yes that great showcase for the food of our region, and simply great day out under the trees of the Bangalow Showgrounds, is on again this weekend – if you are anywhere near the Northern Rivers on Saturday 13 September, make sure you head to Sample with many hungry friends.

All the information you need is here, including a downloadable programme.

 

But the most important event at Sample this year is the launch of Anthea’s cookbook, a collection of favourites called : Passion – organic vegan recipes to live for.  And if you think all that sounds too healthy to be fun, you haven’t tried her food, so check out the sample recipes below, or taste what she is making on stage on Saturday – the Northern Rivers Food Cooking Stage, 2 pm.

You can also contact Anthea and see where to get the cookbooks at www.organicpassioncatering.com

 

WILD RICE, BROAD BEAN AND ARTICHOKE HEART SALAD – by Anthea Amore

Wild Rice, Broad Bean and Artichoke salad
This healthy and nutritious salad is a meal in itself. It’s got the wonderful earthy flavour of the wild rice, the waxy broad beans, the soft artichokes, and the crunch of the snow peas. My classic favourite flavor combination sings a sweet melody in this dish: lemon and lime with salt and olive oil Don’t be fooled by the simplicity as it works with everything else going on in this dish. I just love the fluoro green colour of the
broad beans contrasting with the black of the wild rice. Visually this salad is gorgeous.
Brown rice is underestimated as a wonderful health food. Brown and white rice have similar number of calories, carbohydrates and protein. The differences lie in processing and nutritional content. When only the outermost layer of a grain of rice (the husk) is removed, brown rice is produced. For white rice, the next layers underneath the husk (the bran layer and the germ) are removed also, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm. Several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process. One cup (195g) of cooked long-grain brown rice contains 84mg of magnesium while one cup of white rice contains 19mg.

Ingredients
Serves 4 people as main
1 cup long-grain brown rice
1/4 cup wild rice
2 cups filtered water
2 cups broad beans (40 pods) you can use
edamame beans (fresh soya beans)
2 cups snow peas, sliced
1/2 cup pinenuts, toasted or raw
10 artichoke hearts, sliced into quarters or
sixths
Dressing
2 lemons, juiced (approx 1/2 cup)
2 limes, juiced (approx 1/4 cup)
1–2 tsp good salt, to taste
1/2 olive oil

Directions
Combine brown and wild rice with the water and boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat
and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off and allow to ‘steep’ for a further 5 minutes. When
cooked, cool with cold water, strain and place aside. Meanwhile, shell the broad beans
and steam for 1–2 minutes (no longer) until they are fluoro green! Cool in water. Once
cool, peel the outer (tough) skin off. Split at one end and ‘pop’ the bright green bean
out.
Steam the snowpeas for 1–2 minutes or until bright green and crunchy.
Cool in water, drain, then slice on an angle into thin strips.
Combine ingredients for the dressing in a jar and mix thoroughly.
Toss all ingredients in a bowl with the dressing and serve.

 

Pea & mint risotto with toasted pinenuts – by Anthea Amore

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For a vegan or vegetarian, eating out can be an uninspiring event with little choice on a menu. Risotto is often one of those choices. A vegetarian or vegan risotto done well is lovely, creamy and full of flavour, but that’s not always the case! Creating flavour is actually easy. Vegetable stocks and fresh herbs can make up the basis of the flavour. I always use olive oil to add richness to a risotto. Garlic, onion or leek, slowly caramelised, also add to the flavour and body of a good risotto. Spices like nutmeg go beautifully with pumpkin or broccoli. Fresh thyme or sage or any of the Italian herbs pair well with red wine and mushroom.

Artichoke heart and roasted fennel partner well with most Italian herbs and/or lemon zest. Using citrus zest, green or black olives, chilli, sun-dried tomatoes or capers can take a simple risotto to a whole other level.

I also use brown rice instead of traditional arborio purely for nutritional reasons. It may take a bit longer to cook than arborio but the health benefits far outweigh the extra time and the end result is nutritious, creamy and delicious!

Note If you have leftover brown rice, then you can make this meal in 20 minutes.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6 as main
1 cup brown rice (short grain rice is more
glutinous than long grain rice but you can use
either)
Filtered water or stock
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup shelled peas, keep shells for making pea
stock
Freshly cracked pepper
1–2 tsp good salt, to taste
1/4 cup finely shredded mint (roughly 1/2 a
bunch)
200g spinach, washed
3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp vegan stock powder (optional)
2 dsp lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)
Garnish
1/4 cup peas
1 small garlic clove, sliced
olive oil, drizzle
2 tbs pine nuts, toasted
A little shredded mint
Lemon or lime zest

Directions
Cooking the risotto
Place the rice in a medium to large saucepan with 2 cups of filtered water and bring
to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to a medium heat and simmer until all the water has
evaporated. Add more water or vegetable stock if you have some (see recipe below
for a basic vegetable stock). Start by adding half a cup and once again evaporate and
cook the rice further. You’ll notice the rice grain swelling and softening as it continues
to drink up the water or stock. The trick to risotto is to allow the rice grain to slowly
absorb the liquid. Too much water and it may become too runny; not enough water
and it may become dry and stiff. So it is best to add a little, stir, and allow it to fully
absorb the liquid. Keep doing this until the rice is creamy and soft.
Meanwhile, prepare the pea and onion mixture. Sauté the onion on a medium heat
with a little olive oil, bringing out its sweet caramelised flavour. Add the garlic and
gently brown but do not burn it. Add the peas and some freshly cracked pepper and
a pinch of salt. Roughly mash half the mixture with a potato masher, to bring out some
flavours. Set aside.
Once the rice is all creamy and soft, spoon the pea and onion mixture into the rice
and stir. Add the remaining ingredients, including the spinach, and allow all the
flavours to mingle on a low to medium heat. Once the spinach has wilted, taste for
seasoning and re-season if need be.
Pea and/or basic vegetable stock
Using the pea shells to make some vegetable stock is a great way to intensify the pea
flavour. You can add any vegetable scraps you may have. The leaves and inner heart
of celery is great as well as carrot peelings or tops, parsley or other fresh herb stalks,
and pretty much anything else except beetroot for obvious reasons! While you are
cooking the rice or before, if you have the time, place the water, vegetable scraps and
pea shells into a pot and bring to the boil. Then reduce heat to a medium simmer. Use
warm stock water when the recipe requires, see above.
Note The longer you cook the vegetables in the water the richer and more
full-flavoured it will be.
Garnish
Lightly stir-fry the peas in a frying pan with a splash of water to slightly steam them.
As the water evaporates, add the garlic and a drizzle of olive oil and sauté gently for
a further minute. Add salt and pepper to season and set aside. When ready to serve,
scatter a spoonful or two of garnish on top of the risotto, sprinkle on some shredded
mint, freshly zested lemon or lime, and pine nuts. Delicious!

 

 CREPES WITH CECILE CHARRUE

Never again will I be able to make crepes without the image of Cecile’s mother’s bum going round and round as she beat the crepe batter for the kids every weekend – and I’ve never even met her!

… aaah, the evocative power of a good food story.  Thank you Cecile, and for the music too (find more about that on www.bayfm.org.au, go to programs and then the belly page.)

CREPE WITH SALTED BUTTER CARAMEL RECIPE – by Cecile Charrue

For the batter you need:
3 free range eggs
50g rapadura sugar (optional)
150g of organic wheat flour
1/2l of organic milk
Make about 10-15 crepes

Beat eggs up till it looks foamy, then add flour till it makes like ribbons
and you can write your name with it
Add milk, and keep adding the rest of flour and milk in the same way as
previous.
Leave it to rest for at least an hour, in the fridge.

To cook crepes, you need preferably a crepe pan but any flat pan would do,
as long as it’s not scratched.
Lightly oil pan and pour a ladle full of batter, move pan forward and back
and on sides in order to get a flat thin crepe.
Wait till the sides of crepe lift up a bit, this means that it’s cooked
enough to be flipped over.
Using a wooden flapper, toss crepe over. Cook another minute, then reserve
on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel.
Repeat process for all batter.

For salted butter caramel:

300g raw organic sugar
20g organic salted butter
25cl organic liquid cream

Melt sugar in a pan on a very low stove. DON’T BURN IT !!!
Take it out of stove if it gets too unmanageable.
Taking caramel on the side, add bits by bits butter, stir continuously, BE
CAREFUL WITH splashes of very hot caramel.
Finally slowly add cream to caramel, being very CAREFUL with splashes again.

When caramel looks smooth, pour into jar. It will thicken. You can keep it
up to 3 days in the fridge.

Spread caramel on crepe and roll it or fold it in triangle.

Bon Appetit !!!

 

To find out which event Cecile will attend with her Peace Love and Crepes stall, lots more info and recipes, check out this link

http://peaceloveandcrepes.com/

Other links suggested by Cecile, cos for some things you really need to look – or even better, do  :
Video showing how to make traditional salted butter caramel:

Folding crepes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTie6KyA3M /

 

BELLY BULLETIN

 

Garlic news – we import 3500 tons of garlic each year, Australia just can’t produce enough at the moment. A study by Steve Wylie at Murdoch Uni has found that this garlic carries many viruses that can be easily spread if you plant the cloves in your veggie patch.
Wylie and colleagues went to supermarkets and collected 11 bulbs of garlic from Australia, China, the USA, Mexico, Argentina, & Spain. They found 41 plant viruses by extracting the genetic sequences in the bulbs.In addition, he says, native orchids can be infected by some of the viruses that infect garlic. As garlic is propagated by planting the individual cloves, viruses carried can be spread to other plants by insects when propagated by home gardener or thrown out in wild. And presumably from home composting too. Wylie says the study has broader implications because exotic viruses could be brought in with imported potatoes and sweet potatoes and anything else that propagates vegetatively, that is by planting the root or bulb or rhyzome.
So the quick solution is, make sure you buy local garlic only if you want to plant it in your own garden, and toss imported garlic scraps in the bin.

ABC online reports that Bees in Canada have been given a new job. As well as pollinating plants and crops, they’re now dusting them with organic pest control and saving farmers a lot of money in the process. Known as bee vectoring the bees pass through a tray filled with the organic pest control powder as they exit their hives. The powder attaches itself to the fine hairs on a bees body, and when the bees visit flowers to pollinate them, they do pest control at the same time. One of the developers, Professor Peter Kevan , says :
‘Getting the dose right is absolutely imperative so that it doesn’t kill the bees,’
The bees are helping to suppress the presence of aphids, whiteflies and thrips among other insects. So far the mothod has been used on strawberryies, raspberries and sunflowers, the scientists are moving on to coffee plantations. Some trials of this technique were done in 2002 in Australia. The Australian bee industry this year is focused on dealing with drought and delayed crop flowering which have seen Australian honey production fall to its lowest level in 20 years.

There are a few upcoming events you may be interested in attending. The fabulous Living Communities Festival is on again this Sunday September 7 at the Mullumbimby Community Garden, starting with a street parade at 10 am and goes until 6pm. There are talks, food, music, all sorts of entertainment and information, but it is worth checking out just to see what the people of Mullumbimby have acheived in a few short years on this site. Ten dollars for adults, free for kids, lots more info on the community garden website.
Also this Sunday, chef Francisco is back from holidays with a seasonal pop up dinner at the Federal Hall, find Francisco’s Table on facebook for more info.

Jim from the Blue Knob Community Market recommends you check out Nicole Foss, who will be speaking in Mullumbimby, Lismore and Nimbin in September. She will be presenting on how we build resilience and self-reliance in local communities to prepare for the possible challenges of climates changes, economic collapse and fossil fuel shortages. icole speaks from a solution oriented perspective rather than a fear based outlook. Her blog is www.theautomaticearth.com

Finally, Sydney chefs are into extreme burger wars. The burger craze has even swept up our fine dining chefs, inspiring them to open burger joints, and has seen an explosion in less common combinations, from the roo burger to pulled meat and bolognese versions. But the Sydney Morning herald has unofficially declared the extreme burger winner to be chef Danny Russo’s creation for Bertoni Casalinga in Balmain is extreme. Two pieces of lasagne, battered and fried, make up the “bun”, which encases a wagyu beef pattie, mozzarella and special Italian sauce. mm, just what you need to inspire a spring cleansing.

 

EDIBLE QUOTE

 

This week comes from the winner of the major prize in the bayfm radiothon, Alice Amore (no relation to Anthea I’m told) – her first reaction on being told that she had won a year’s supply of food from Santos, a store that is stuffed full of delicious healthy fresh veg and whole grains, and the odd bit of chocolate and other treats, was :

” I’ve won $5200 of chocolate!!!!!”

Alice knows what keeping happy and healthy really requires.

 

Love and chocolate covered subscribers, Sister T

Red Cross & kitchen secrets

It’s a special belly today, celebrating 100 years of the Red Cross with a bit of history and a call to arms – get thee to a kitchen, and bake a cake.  And then I will bring you a wonderful session from the recent Byron Bay Writers Festival, ‘Kitchen Confidential’, with Simon Marnie, Christine Manfield, Steve Snow and Jim Hearne.  Find out what chefs really think of customers and critics, dusts and foams, why you should really invite a chef to dinner, and much much more.

 

The Red Cross in Bangalow is looking for local cooks who can contribute a cake by this Friday, August 15.  They are looking for 100 cakes, and hopefully will get even more.  So get along and support them by buying a cake too.

The BIG CAKE BAKE is a Red Cross fundraiser.  Take your cake, or cupcakes, to the Bangalow RSL Hall, Station Street by 8.30am for judging (or just donate a cake, you don’t need to compete).  Or go along and eat cake!  $5 for a slice of cake and a coffee or tea, from 10 am.  Call Trisha for more info on 0429 882525.

Today’s guest, Trisha Bleakley, has kindly contributed her own seasonal cake recipe to get you inspired.

 

MANDARIN AND ALMOND CAKE RECIPE – GLUTEN FREE

 

3 mandarins (large) or 4 medium washed
250 g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
6 eggs
250 g almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
icing sugar, to serve
Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection),
reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1
teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All
herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All
vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are
55-60 g, unless specified.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Wash the mandarins and cook in the
boiling water for 2 hours. Drain, allow to cool to room temperature, then
puree. This step can be done ahead of time.

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 22 cm spring form cake tin
with baking paper. Beat the eggs and caster until well combined. Stir in
the mandarin puree followed by the almond meal and baking powder. Pour the
batter into the prepared tin and dust the top with extra caster sugar. Bake
for 1–1¼ hours, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the
centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar, cut into slices and serve.

Tips

You can replace the mandarins with 2 oranges (Large)
If citrus is not in season you can use tinned mandarins, puree
Substitute almond meal for hazelnut meal (but it does give it a stronger
flavour)

poetry, cabbages & cream

A big thank you to local poet Kathryn Boorman for coming into the belly kitchen today and sharing stories of living and travelling in Vietnam and Cambodia, and especially for reading her beautiful poetry.

The local poets’ group aint called Dangerously Poetic in jest – have a look at the powerful piece below – it starts with fried chicken, and ends with painful words and memories that (yet again) had Kathryn in tears when she read them.

 

Chuc Mung Nam Moi  – Happy New Year 2008

by Kathryn Boorman ©

 

Phung takes me to her family restaurant.
In the kitchen there’s a cage
crammed with scrawny chickens –
beside a bucket of feathery hot water.
For Tet, the main course is grilled chicken
squashed flat on the plate, wings in full flap
head back, beak open in a silent scream.

Across my mind, Kim Phuc runs screaming,
her arms like wings
Trang Bang in 1972
napalm has burnt off her clothes.

In Ho Chi Minh City
at the American war crimes museum,
her photo screamed from the wall.
A man with no hands offered me her book
there on the cover she ran to the camera
he took my two hundred thousand Dong
with his wrist stumps.

In 1972, we marched in protest
then in our lounge rooms, watched
stricken Vietnamese faces
in black and white-
lit up a joint-
while Kim Phuc’s skin
fell from her flesh.

Phung smiles, serves me chicken and rice.
I stare at the blind eyes above the mute beak
and bite into a wing.
It is too tough
it is
too tough.

© Kathryn Boorman 2009

[please do not use without Kathryn’s permission]

 

Kathryn will soon lead a tour group to meet the friends she has made in Vietnam and Cambodia.

For more information:

www.womens-holidays.com bushwisewomen@gmail.com

Kathryn will also be teaching creative writing classes through Dangerously Poetic kathrynboorman@gmail.com

www.dangerouslypoetic.com is the poetry group website, and the next event is the launch of Bev Sweeney’s poetry book, Pirouettes and Prayer. Friday 19th Sept 7pm St Martins hall, Stuart St, Mullumbimby You do not need to be a poetry writer to attend, just a poetry lover.

 

 

IN SEASON AUGUST

 

Lots of citrus and cabbage family members of all kinds at this time of year, and also maybe a time when we can indulge in a little cream, or the richness of macadamias.  After all,  in the depth of winter the temperature even drops below 15C!  (Just put that in to torture people who have to deal with seriously cold weather for months on end – but when you are used to the heat, even our mild winters can make us run to a hot filling dish).

 

This is an experiment and a compromise, trying to get the freshness of salad but not the full raw hit that can be a bit much in winter.  I love coleslaw, but seldom make it.  It is of course  great as a side dish, in sandwiches, keeps well, just as good the next day.  I’ve since made a version first cured and then dressed in a mustard/lemon vinaigrette, that one is best cured longer with less salt and sugar, as it doesn’t have the lovely richness of macadamias to balance the salt.

I had macadamias & lemons, so this is a

 

VEGAN MACADAMIA COLESLAW-ISH SALAD – A BELLY LAB RECIPE BY SISTER TESS

serves 4-6

shred half a white or savoy cabbage (probably red is fine too)
cure in a mix of sugar, salt and lemon juice (equal quantities, about 1 tbs each for half a cabbage, or a bit more),

leave for at least 30 minutes, massaging/mixing occasionally
squeeze, drain, keep a bit of liquid in case you want to add to salad

(opt) do the same  cure in a separate bowl with some thinly sliced onion

meantime make a food processor dressing of macadamias, olive or macadamia oil, mustard, lemon juice

roughly tear a few herbs, dill is great

mix, check for taste, maybe add lemon or curing liquid

 

 TEETOTAL MOULES A LA CREME – LEMONY CREAMY MUSSELS – A belly lab recipe by Sister Tess

 

This one was born from a hankering for moules a la creme, a French classic, simple mussels in a cream and herb sauce.  All the recipes call for white wine, which I just don’t drink much in winter.  And I had some lovely local creme fraiche, so I used that instead of cream.  Mussels are one of the healthiest, most sustainable types of seafood you can eat.

1 Kg mussels

2-3 tbs creme fraiche or to taste

untreated lemons – 1 or 2 depending on size – juice and zest

butter

1/2 roughly chopped onion or 2 shallots

roughly chopped herbs eg parsley or chervil

 

open mussels in own juice, remove and filter liquid.

In the same pot, soften onion in butter, add lemon juice

Add mussels, some cooking water if you want more liquid, lemon zest, mix just long enough to reheat

add herbs, creme fraiche and pepper

eat with lots of good bread

 

love and chocolate covered cabbages,

Sister T

 

tastes of the 2014 Byron Bay writers festival & a little poetry

If you caught the show, I hope you had as much fun listening as Sister D and I had bringing it to you.  I love it when the guests are misbehaving so much that I have to turn off someone’s mike, yes that means you Snowy.

For lots of information about tickets, session times and all sorts of important stuff of the 2014 Byron Bay Writers Festival go to www.byronbaywritersfestival.com.au

 

To listen to most of today’s belly check out these audio links.

Music will be on the bayfm website by the end of the week.

 

AUDIO LINKS

 

Chef, writer, festival guest Christine Manfield, phone interview with Sister Tess, Part 1

 

Chef, writer, festival guest Christine Manfield, phone interview with Sister Tess, Part 2

 

Northern Rivers Writers Centre committee member Cathy Tobin and chef and surfie and festival panellist Steve Snow, on belly today with Sister T & Sister D

 

 

 

Dangerously Poetic ‘tasting it twice’ event at the Bangalow Heritage museum and tea rooms

I will be playing more of these love recordings in future bellys

 

Introduction and a little blue jug

 

The difficult relationship between crackers and soup

 

Two siszzlingly sssexxy poems.  Funny that all we could do is laugh.  But aint that the best kind of lovin’ anyway, seasoned with lots of laughter?  And chocolate.

 

 

 

I know I have to post more details but it’s one am and I need to go to bed. To sleep.

 

ZUCCHINI FLOWERS WITH LABNA AND POMEGRANATE RECIPE – BY STEVE SNOW OF FINS RESTAURANT

 

Locally Grown Zucchini Flowers

Serves 4-6

 

LABNA CORN FILLING

 

1 cob of corn, kernels only

3 sprigs thyme

500ml yoghurt

 

Hang yoghurt in a chux cloth, leave for 4-5 days

Remove stalks from thyme, chop into a fine powder

Mix corn kernels and thyme through Labna, season to taste

 

SWEET SHERRY DRESSING

 

25ml sweet sherry Vinegar

75ml Brookfarm macadamia nut oil

10 ml Lemon Juice

Salt to taste

 

WHITE BEAN AND TRUFFLE PUREE

 

100gWhite beans

20g Butter

10ml Lemon juice

20ml Brookfarm macadamia nut oil

Salt to taste

Truffle oil to taste minimal

 

Soak white beans in water over night

Strain and transfer to a pot, cover in water

Bring to the boil and simmer until cooked through

Strain and blend with butter, lemon juice, olive oil and salt until smooth

Heat to serve

 

RADISH AND FENNEL SALAD

 

1 baby fennel, finely shaved

2 radishes, finely sliced

1 pomegranate, seeds only

 

TEMPURA BATTER

 

2 egg whites

150g rice flour

200ml cold soda water

Quinoa to coat

 

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks

Combine 100ml soda water to rice flour, gently fold through with chopsticks. Add the rest of the soda water to required consistency.

Fold through egg whites

 

ZUCCHINI FLOWERS

 

6 zucchini flowers

 

To serve

Fill flowers with corn mix

Heat the white bean puree

Combine the fennel, radish and pomegranate in a bowl, dress with Sweet Sherry Dressing and season to taste

Coat the zucchini flowers with rice flour and dip in tempura batter

Dip the tip of the flower into quinoa and deep fry until crispy and golden

Season immediately

 

To assemble

 

Spoon puree onto plate, top with salad and zucchini flowers

 

 THE BELLY BULLETIN – BY SISTER D

 

 

In local news, the Bangalow Farmers Market turns 10 this year. The market was set up by a small group of local farmers and the process began in 2002, and finally set up in 2004. The goal of the farmers market was always to provide local, fresh, seasonal food to the local community in addition to their philosophy of food security, food miles, and regional sustainability. Thanks to the support of Kath and Tom Mooney, the market began in July 2004 at its present location behind the Bangalow Hotel. What began as a small number of stalls in 2004, the Bangalow Farmers market has now expanded to approximately 20 stalls. President Kaye Shadbolt states “we are a family friendly environment and all are welcome to join us in celebrating 10 healthy years in the Bangalow community”. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary a community party will be thrown by farmers and producers on Saturday July 26th. The event includes free breakfast, entertainment, and hamper prizes from 8:00 to 11:00 am.

 

Also celebrating a birthday is the Blue Knob Farmers Market which turns 4 this year. On Saturday the 26th of July the market will be holding a pumpkin festival and bush dance. Beginning at 9:00 am, events include pumpkin carving lanterns, a pumpkin carriage race, and a market birthday cake. Then, from 5 pm, the festivities continue with the bush dance. The bush dance begins at 6:30 pm with a live band “Bandicoot”. Prior to the dance there is a light dinner at 5:30 and followed by a delicious supper. Tickets for the bush dance are on sale at the market every Saturday ($20 individual, $30 couple, and $40 per family (negotiable). Proceeds from the dance go towards the upkeep and upgrade of Blue Knob Hall. Organizers would welcome some pumpkin, choko and food donations. If you can help out with pumpkins or chokos please see Michelle at her chutney and relish stall. If able to bring a dish along for the meal or supper please see Eric at the BackYarders table.

 

Saturday July 26 is proving to be a busy day for residents of the Byron Shire. The Drill Hall Theatre Company is presenting “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” by Alan Ball, writer of “Six Feet Under”, “True Blood” and American Beauty”. This fundraising event will be held at 8pm on July 26th. Tickets can be purchased from Bay FM for $20 and you will be supporting the theatre in addition to fundraising for Bay FM.   To book or purchase tickets please contact Bay FM Monday to Friday 9-5 pm on 6680 7999 or Saturday 10 am till noon. The belly sisters will be providing some tasty treats on the night, so come on out and have a taste of what the sisters can do! Come and enjoy (subject to change) coconut cake made by Michael, Tess will contribute a lemon tart, Illias Halva, and Deanna will be making gluten free chocolate cake. Maybe some other Bay FMers will be baking too!

 

In news out of Adelaide, a knife wielding man has robbed two teenagers of their Crispy Cream donuts. Since the city’s premiere Crispy Cream store opened up on July 4th, the store has experienced a daily queue out the door of Adelaide folk keen to taste the donuts. Things took an ugly turn on July 16th however when two teens were loading six boxes of just purchased donuts into their car when a man threatened them with a knife and robbed them of all their donuts. Interestingly, the man had no interest in robbing the teens of money or other valuables…just the donuts. Store manager Mark Higgenbottom is stepping up security as a result, but believes the robbery was an isolated incident. He has offered to replace the teen’s stolen donuts, but the pair state they are too scared to return to the store.

 

Social Media strikes again, with Cadbury Australia launching a new technology that gives Aussie consumers the ability to find out what chocolate flavour they are best matched to based on their Facebook profile. Cadbury has created the world’s first flavour matching Facebook powered vending machine. The “Joy Generator” allows users to log into their Facebook profile, and receive their personalized flavour match for free before taking a photo with their flavour in a social media photo booth. The app in the machine examines Facebook likes and interests across a variety of categories including charities, consumer brands, sporting clubs, music artists, TV programs, movies etc. In order to develop a match based against Cadbury Dairy Milk Flavour profiles. Advertising agency Red Agency principal Rachel White states “The Joy Generator vending machine and Flavour Matcher app are exciting world-first technology that links flavour to common likes and interests that people have on their Facebook profiles. This is a unique social experiment designed to spread more joy across the nation and provides a new take on the Cadbury conversation around flavour”. One wonders what happens if you already know what chocolate you prefer……

 

And lastly, speaking of social media, the Belly Bulletin would not be complete without some crazy food news out of North America. One doesn’t have to look far to see the plethora of “selfies” all over social media. Well, now, you can incorporate the selfie into your kitchen! The US has just released the Selfie Toaster. Burnt impressions, the creators of other products such as the “Jesus Toaster” have created a toaster that converts your high-resolution picture and make a toaster plate that burns your image onto a piece of bread. For $75 US you can start uploading your selfie onto a piece of toast instead of clogging your friend’s news feeds with your silly selfies.

 

 

 

Russell’s dosas & Bruce’s tart

Today on belly, a man who is regularly spoken of as a local legend, not because he is not actually part of our everyday reality (we do operate on several plains here  in the Rainbow Region), but because once you meet the man, his food, and his handmade dosa stand, you will never forget him.  And you will search him out and his delicious life enhancing food.

Russell the dosa man will share some stories and a recipe or two, then we talk about some other legends – those tough and exacting country show judges, and the people who regularly come away with the winners’ ribbons.

Slices and chutneys and iced Vo-Vos and all those old fashioned things, also many new and surprising bits of show cookery and many stories of fascinating country shows and cooks  in Liz Harfull’s  “THE AUSTRALIAN BLUE RIBBON COOKBOOK”.  Sister D. talks with Liz on belly today.

 

PONGAL RECIPE – BY RUSSELL SCOTT

Pongal is an every day delight in South Indian eating houses . It is served at the same time of day as Dosa , Iddly and many other small treats . I find it very nourishing and take great delight in its curry leaf / peppercorn / cumin combination together with fresh roasted cashews ……not forgetting lashings of ghee . I have experimented with a vegan alternative and have found that an abundance of organic macadamia oil and nuts is equally enjoyable .

for 4 to 5 people

1 cup mung dal
2 cups med grain rice
1/2 cup chopped raw cashew nuts (or macadamias)
1/2 cup or more ghee (or macadamia oil )
3 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp cumin seed
1 to 2 tsp peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh curry leaf
1 tsp salt

Rinse the dal and rice well and cook together with about 8 cups of water in a heavy bottomed pot with a lid . Give it a good stir as it comes to the boil then cover and simmer for about 45 minutes keeping an eye on the water level and stirring again only towards the end . It is best to avoid burning on the bottom . Add boiling water if necessary.

whilst the rice and dal cooks , gently fry the cashew nuts in some ghee or oil till they start to take colour and put them to one side ….
into the same ghee or oil fry the cumin till it changes colour , add peppercorns , stir a few times then add the curry leaves ( which will splutter ) and ginger, stir again for a minute or two then add 1/2 a cup of water with salt .
Simmer for a couple of minutes then when rice and dal are cooked fold everything together including cashews and the rest of the ghee or oil .

 

 

PASSIONFRUIT BUTTER RECIPE

by Cassandra, from Liz Harfull’s  “THE AUSTRALIAN BLUE RIBBON COOKBOOK”, published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99 out now

Ingredients

125 g (1/2 cup) passionfruit pulp
60 g unsalted butter
2 large eggs, beaten well
165 g (3/4 cup) white sugar

Method

1. Place the butter and sugar in the top of a double boiler and heat slowly over simmering water, stirring continuously until the butter melts.

2 . Combine the passionfruit pulp with the beaten eggs. Pour them into the butter mixture, whisking constantly until it is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

3. Pour the passionfruit butter into small, hot sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Makes about 1 cup.

TIPS FROM THE  COOK

You must not cook the mixture over a direct heat and do not allow it to boil or it will curdle.

The butter will only become really thick when it has cooled.

Make the passionfruit butter in small quantities as it will only keep for a few weeks. Always store it in the fridge.

TIPS FROM THE JUDGES

The butter should be smooth, with a creamy texture and the distinctive tang of passionfruit.
It must be of spreadable consistency and not too runny.

Consider straining the beaten eggs before adding them to the mixture to make sure they are well beaten and to avoid flecks of egg white in the butter.

Passionfruit butter

 

pumpkins,passionfruit & perfect cakes

And slices and chutneys and iced Vo-Vos and all those old fashioned things, also many new and surprising bits of show cookery and many stories of fascinating country shows and cooks and – that's how you get perfection – tips from the judges, in Liz Harfull's  "THE AUSTRALIAN BLUE RIBBON COOKBOOK".  Sister D. talks with Liz on belly today.

Yes well that was the plan, until the technology gremlins got involved, and none of my prepared recorded material agreed to play.  So the interview with Liz Harfull will be on belly on June 23, but you can find the book details and a recipe from the book, using abundant in season passionfruit, at the bottom of this post.

Please tune in next week June 9 with Sister Michael, who will play an interview with Kerrie Turner, director of the Tweed Foodie Fest, about some interesting farm tours and other food lovers' events coming up on June 13 to 15, and again later in the year.

Or check out http://www.tweedfoodiefest.com.au/

 

I have a whole lot of pumpkin songs that I could not play either, waiting for you to come on belly with your pumpkin ideas.  It is such a good value, versatile and great tasting veg, great in both sweet and savoury dishes.  So if you are pumpkin mad leave a comment below and come on the show.

 

Ronit Robaz, of Open Table Catering, who has been a very busy woman, helping feed the protesters at Bentley, and participating in the fabulous one year celebration dinner at the Kulcha Jam Food Coop, did manage to battle the Byron Bay traffic and turn up, for a very informative chat on pumpkins.  She has been cooking mountains of pumpkins at Bentley, they are also taking over her garden, so possibly in self defence she has come up with some very innovative uses. 

 

The recipe below is the one Ronit prepared for the Coop degustation dinner, where a bunch of chefs gave their time and talents to produce an absolutely delicious celebration of local whole foods.  There were many really creative ideas, here are a few for you to try.  And obviously everything is in season right now.

 

– a mildly spicy green raw soup as a starter

– green jackfruit used as a salad vegetable

– sprouting brown rice – AND using it to make a focaccia, with black olives: it was very moist in the middle and seared crisp on the outside

– serving risotto on cooked field mushrooms – Anthea used sweet potato and garlic, you could try blue cheese, or lots of fresh herbs, tomato, or anything that goes with mushrooms – even more mushrooms.

– making a macadamia (or other nut) cream, flavoured with honey and citrus, to serve on the side of a cake instead of cream – or with a crispy biscuit

 

BUTTERNUT PUMPKIN PASTA WITH MACADAMIA SAUCE RECIPE – by RONIT, Open Table Catering

1 spiralised butternut squash/pumpkin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cold pressed sesame oil
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
pinch salt/tamari

Combine all ingredients.
Massage all ingredients in a bowl and leave to soften.

Orange segments, cut supreme and diced in a small bowl and set aside.

MACADAMIA MIXTURE

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked 20 minutes
1 & 1/2 tsp tamari
1 tbsp tahini (optional)
2 cups fermented veggies/cabbage
4 good sized shiitake mushrooms, stalks removed and sliced

1. In a food processor, grind the macadamia, tamari and tahini
2. Remove from the food processor and add fermented veggies, stirring in by hand, along with the shiitake strips

To Serve

1. Mix the macadamia mixture with the butternut squash noodles
2. Top with the orange pieces and garnish with micro greens.

BELLYSISTER NOTES – SUBSTITUTIONS AND OPTIONS GALORE

During the show, we talked about a spiraliser, which is the tool you need to spiralise veggies (surprise!).  Which means to turn them into tubular strips.  Ronit said you can also use a mandolin, or julienne them by hand.
If you have to use your hands and get a lot of sap on yourself, wash your hands not the pumpkin, you will wash flavour away.
The tahini isn't in the original recipe, as it did not fit the 100 mile brief, but Ronit recommends it.
You can use other types of pumpkin.
If you don't make your own fermented veggies, buy traditionally fermented ones from a market or health food shop.  They add the acid note to the dish, and balance the richness of macadamias.
You can use almonds to replace the macadamias.
Ronit had mandarins, so she used them instead of oranges.
We are lucky enough to have fresh shiitakes here, but you might be able to substitute with dried ones, soaked.  Not sure on that one, experiment!
 

MEANTIME IN THE BELLY LAB….

I've been having a mullet feast with my friend Robert, and managed to convert him to the joy of the mullet.  Still dirt cheap and far from dirty tasting, and very good for you.  And hard to overcook.  Try a simple seared fillet topped with a raw veggie salsa.

We also had a smoke fest on the bbq.  Our smoked mullet is still a work in progress, but smoked octopus is fab – best straight on the smoker so the skin gets a good hit of smoke and doesn't go mushy, as it did when we tried to marinate it.

And the smoked prawns were pretty good, both plain and after a simple oil/lemon marinade, they take a surprising amount of time to be just cooked in a hot smoking d.y.i arrangement, 15 minutes.  (a rack over equal parts rice/tea/brown sugar, wait for it to smoke before adding fish etc, in a covered barbie).  Happy experimenting.

 

BELLY BULLETIN

A judge in the WA Supreme Court has ruled against a West Australian organic farmer who claimed his neighbour contaminated his farm with genetically modified canola.  Steve Marsh  alleged he lost organic certification for more than half his farm after GM canola drifted onto his land from his neighbour's property.  Mr Baxter, the neighbour, claimed he followed all regulations on buffer zones and notified his neighbours when he planted the GM canola.
The trial is believed to be the first of its kind in the world. Justice Kenneth Martin dismissed both common law causes of action against Mr Baxter –  negligence involving the breach of a duty to ensure there was no escape of GM material, and  private nuisance.  Evidence at trial was that Roundup Ready  canola swathes were harmless to animals, people and land unless the canola seed germinated in the soil and cross-fertilised.  ‘There was no evidence at the trial of any genetic transference ,’ Justice Martin said.   In 2011, eight GM canola plants were found and removed on the property and there were no others in subsequent years.
Justice Martin said there was no evidence of ‘any reasonable interference’ by Mr Baxter, who had used well-accepted harvest methodology, and he ruled Mr Baxter was  not responsible for t removal of organic certification.
Slater & Gordon lawyer Mark Walter, who represented Mr Marsh for free, said  it was a disappointing result and left non-genetically modified food farmers with no legal protection against contamination from neighbours.
Network of Concerned Farmers spokeswoman Julie Newman said farmers should never have been pitted against each other and urged the government to consider making legal changes to protect all farmers.  State and federal governments have continuously stated that the solution to any GM contamination events is common law.

Check out ABC TV's Australian Story tonight (Monday 2 June, or online) for an insight on the world of reality TV cooking shows.  Jules Allen, from Lennox Head, was a Masterchef contestant in 2013. She  is a social worker and single mother who has fostered 29 children.
ABC online reports "She is clearly a very capable woman but she says her experience as a contestant [..] left her feeling like "a basket case"."
Ms Allen says : ""I think it's fair to say most of the contestants I kept in contact with found the hardest thing was the transition back into so-called normal life. "
Despite feeling bruised by her MasterChef experience, she acknowledges the doors that it opened.  Her profile allowed her to pursue charity work, travelling to Cambodia to help abused women and children and working with Deborra-lee Furness as an ambassador for National Adoption Awareness Week.

Have a look at the Future Feeders– Growing young farmers from the ground up
The Future Feeders project is all about working to address the challenge around ageing farmers and lack of succession planning. It provides young people with opportunities in small scale farm management and ecological agricultural skills development. It helps them access land and  move into careers in sustainable food production with an emphasis on  our local food security.  It aims to gather young people committed to feeding our community to be participating owner/members of a food production co-operative.  The Future Feeders have launched a crowd funding campaign to get their project to the next level, including an educational facility to use as a base for an intern-ship program.  To find out more  go to the Future Feeders website: http://futurefeeders.weebly.com/

Finally, if you are thinking of heading away for the June long weekend, both the Mornington Peninsula and the McLaren Vale have food and wine weekends on, from the 7th to the 9th of June. Look for the McLaren Vale sea and Vines festival and the Mornington Peninsula winter wine weekend.  Then call me if you need a food or wine taster.  If you are heading to Sydney at the end of June – from  Friday, 27th – to Sunday 29th Good Food and Wine Show is on at Sydney  Olympic Park.

 

PASSIONFRUIT BUTTER RECIPE

by Cassandra, from Liz Harfull's  "THE AUSTRALIAN BLUE RIBBON COOKBOOK", published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99 out now


Ingredients

125 g (1/2 cup) passionfruit pulp
60 g unsalted butter
2 large eggs, beaten well
165 g (3/4 cup) white sugar

Method

1. Place the butter and sugar in the top of a double boiler and heat slowly over simmering water, stirring continuously until the butter melts.

2 . Combine the passionfruit pulp with the beaten eggs. Pour them into the butter mixture, whisking constantly until it is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

3. Pour the passionfruit butter into small, hot sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Makes about 1 cup.


TIPS FROM THE  COOK

You must not cook the mixture over a direct heat and do not allow it to boil or it will curdle.

The butter will only become really thick when it has cooled.

Make the passionfruit butter in small quantities as it will only keep for a few weeks. Always store it in the fridge.

TIPS FROM THE JUDGES

The butter should be smooth, with a creamy texture and the distinctive tang of passionfruit.
It must be of spreadable consistency and not too runny.

Consider straining the beaten eggs before adding them to the mixture to make sure they are well beaten and to avoid flecks of egg white in the butter.

 

Passionfruit butter

 

Love and dark chocolate pumpkin muffins (I'm sure that would work),

Sister Tess

 

ten years of belly

Yes dearest listener, belly was born ten years ago to mama bayfm, at 10pm on No Diet Day 2004, May 6.

So to celebrate, Judy MacDonald, food gardening teacher and ex-manager of the Mullumbimby and New Brighton Farmers Markets, our second ever guest and frequent visitor over the years, came back  to talk about some of the changes in the food scene that have happened over the last ten years.  And her current favourite thing to cook, very easy soda bread from an old Irish cookbook.  It is also the first belly in May so we have some of the delicious in season foods you may want to pop in your pot, with a bit of a Mexican flavour this month, and a special ten year anniversary recipe developed for belly by chef and cooking teacher Terase Davidson.  We also heard the sounds of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, thank you for that roaming bellysister report sister D.  If you know how to record and edit sound to broadcast quality, and are going somewhere delicious soon, the bellysisters would be very happy to  include your piece on belly.

 

habanero

CORIANDER AND CHILLI PESTO – by Terase Davidson

 

Chef and cooking teacher Terase Davidson is coming to the North Coast soon with a very interesting series of classes combined with visists to local markets and producers, see below for more info and links to more recipes.  But this one was specially chosen to celebrate all the coriander that is finally doing well as the weather cools, and the chillies that are absolutely everywhere right now.


4 bunches coriander – picked leaves – retain roots to chop and wash
150ml Brookfarm Chilli and Lime Macadamia Oil
2 tbs coconut oil (needs to be liquid)
2 limes – juice only
3 long red chilli – deseeded – roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves – crushed – must be fresh garlic
200g salted macadamia nuts – raw skin on
salt and pepper

  1.  lightly toast the macadamia nuts in a dry fry pan – set aside and allow to cool completely (do this whilst you are picking the coriander)
  2.  chop the coriander roots – place in a fine sieve and rinse under cold running water – to ensure you have removed any dirt from the roots – set aside and allow to drain
  3.  place all the coriander leaves in a blender – blend on high for 3-5 seconds then add 75ml of Brookfarm Lime and Chilli Macadamia oil – stop the machine and scrap the sides – blend again for a further 3 to 5 seconds on high until completely smooth – no longer though as the coriander will go brown if you over process it
  4.  transfer the coriander mix to a medium mixing bowl
  5.  add the coriander roots, roughly chopped chilli to the blender along with the garlic – blend on high for  4-5 seconds – whilst you drizzle in the coconut oil – once fully blended – add this to the mixing bowl
  6.  rinse out and dry the blender bowl – and return it to the machine
  7.  add the macadamia and blend high for 10 seconds until you reach a fine crumble mixture – stop the machine and scrap the sides – blend on high and drizzle in 75ml macadamia oil until fully incorporated (should take 5-8 seconds)
  8.  transfer the nuts to the coriander leaf mixture – add the lime juice, garlic and season – mix well with a spatula to combine
  9.  check the seasoning and adjust as required – add more macadamia oil if you think the pesto needs to be looser


Serving suggestions:
Your options to make use of this beautiful gift from the garden are endless really.  Here are just a few suggestion to tempt you!

  1.  Salmon: grilled or BBQ salmon dolloped with some fresh pesto before serving really is a beautiful thing.  Serve with sautéed vegetables
  2.  Lamb: pesto and lamb are best mates from way back!  Simply serve your pesto on the side of pretty much any lamb dish eg. BBQ, slow cooked shoulder, hamburger
  3.  Potatoes: stir the pesto through either boiled or baked new potatoes just before serving
  4.  Prawns: stir through a prawn and pasta dish at the last minute to lift any simple pasta dish to rock star status!
  5.  Goats Cheese: sounds odd I know BUT trust me it works!!
  6.  Baked eggs with chorizo: add some pesto to your baked eggs straight from the oven for a weekend breakfast treat
  7.  Margarine or butter: use the pesto as a substitute for butter or margarine

and 8. (for the Salumi lovers) – the Pesto would be great served on a Charcuterie board with Salumi Australia products. The lime in the coriander would work great with the flavours in any of the cured meats – is also great with their chorizo as part of a Huevos Rancheros – dolloped on top fresh out of the oven and I also usually sneak in some goats cheese too!

Tips:

  1.  choose your coriander carefully – the leaves need to be vibrant in colour, soft and delicate
  2.  transfer the pesto into jars and cover with macadamia or coconut oil – this will keep the pesto fresh, vibrant in colour and flavour
  3.  keep the pesto in the fridge between use
  4.  great way to liven up any meal or sandwich
 

For more of Terase's recipes, see www.byochair.com

Terase also has some very interesting cooking classes and tours coming up.

BYRON BAY FOOD TOUR and COOKING CLASSES

DATES:                   Saturday 7th to Friday 13th June 2014

VENUE:                  ”Sunrise House”, Fig Tree Restaurant and Rooms

PRICE:                     $230-$250 pp/per class

Visiting local producers, farmers markets, using produce from their own patch, lessons range from Middle Eastern Flavours, Italy, French techniques, a seafood class and a mastering meat class – you can choose one or whole week, stay onsite if you wish to – interesting model for getting to know local food and cooking techniques at the same time

check out all the details here

 

MORE COMING!

 

less food waste & more delicious salami

   salumi_4 Today on belly, sister T & sister D spend the first hour with the aptly named Aime Green, who travels the country helping
festivals to manage their waste and focus on sustainability.  And we'll be talking compost, yei! 

Then we are off on a belly safari to Billinudgel, to the Salumi Australia factory, to learn how artisan smallgoods (salumi in Italian) are made, and how they differ from the home made and the big fast factory methods.

 

salumi_10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To contact Aime Green:

http://greenchief@sustainability.com<mailto:greenchief@sustainability.com>

 

To find out more about Salumi Australia, especially where they will be next

https://www.facebook.com/SalumiAustralia

And the website, which should have lots of recipes after Easter, they promised

http://www.salumi.com.au/

 

Meantime, here are a couple from the bellysisters

 

FROM THE BELLY LAB – PIGGY ROOTS RECIPE – by sister T

 

piggy roots

 

small onions, whole, peeled
medium or small potatoes, whole, peeled or unpeeled
mixed roots such as parsnips, carrots, beetroot, cleaned, left whole or halved or quartered lengthways
(opt) whole chillies and halved and seeded capsicum
fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs
smoky pancetta
good olive oil

This is a way to simply dress up veg to accompany roast meats, or makes a very good meal on its own.  And if you eat the potatoes on the first night you can mix the rest through cooked rice and reheat in the oven the following night.  So you can feel at one with our peasant ancestors, who could make a little bit of 'his majesty the pig' go a very long way.

pre-heat oven to 180-200 degrees C
oil base of a wide oven dish, add veg and herbs, salt, pepper, light drizzle of olive oil
cut pancetta into 1 cm thick slices, then 1cm wide strips (similar to French lardons)
add to veg – the only slight trick to this dish is to have the pancetta on top and not stir the veg until the strips have rendered their fat into the veg and gone crispy, so the roots absorb (and cook in) the fat and smokyness.  You don't need a lot of pancetta to make a big difference to the flavour.  I used about 3kg of veg to 2 thick slices of pancetta.
The capsicum adds a moist element, but it's not essential, and the chillies are good left whole so they don't burn and can be left to the chilli lovers only.

 

ITALIAN CLASSIC – BUCATINI ALL'AMATRICIANA RECIPE

translated by sister T from Slow Food Ed 2001 – "Ricette di Osterie d'Italia" – Italian tavern/bistro dishes
recipe from ristorante La Conca, right in the town of Amatrice

 

salumi_3

This recipe from the  mountains of central Italy  is as famous within Italy as Ligurian pesto is around the world.  Even by Italian standards it gives rise to more growling about "the one and only proper recipe" than most – often because guanciale, cured pig jowl, is supposed to be the one and only piggy bit to use.  But if you can't find guanciale, use a good pancetta.

For 4 people

500 g bucatini pasta
1 kg peeled tomatoes
400 g guanciale
1/2 glass (say 100/150 mL) dry white wine
aged pecorino cheese (not Parmesan)
extra virgin olive oil
chilli powder, salt

Cut any hard bits off the guanciale and cut into small dice.  Brown in a cast iron pan with a little olive oil and chilli powder.  Add the wine, then squashed peeled tomatoes, salt, cook 15 minutes.
Meantime cook bucatini in plenty of salted water.  Drain well.
Add to tomato sauce pan and stir with pecorino until well combined.
Serve on hot plates.

Obviously a pretty simple recipe that relies on good ingredients – but you are allowed to use tinned tomatoes I think.  Absolutely no garlic or onions according to Mrs Perilli from La Conca.

 

SALUMI SAFARI

 

If you would like to listen to the audio of Sister T's belly safari at the Salumi Australia HQ in Billinudgel, please just click on the audio files below, or check out the great pics by the belly photographer, Madam Zaza.  You can almost smell the salami!  Actually one of the most interesting things is that the aging room, which was simply loaded with all sorts of good things (roughly 10 tons of cured meat), smelled more of pleasant moulds, like a cheese room.  I was constantly reminded of the similarity of techniques and natural processes between cured meats and cheeses and winemaking – the magic of fermentation, and the temperature and hygiene control that skilled producers can use to work with nature, rather than bombing our food with chemicals designed to counteract hurried and potentially harmful industrial processes.  Though I still have strong doubts about pig fat actually being mostly unsaturated (as Michael says in our interview), I love his idea that animals don't make bad fats, factories make bad fats.  If you know who first came up with that one, please let the bellysisters know.

 

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Salumi safari Part 2 – drying room

 

Salumi safari – Part 3 – aging room

 

Salumi safari Part 4

 

 

 

BELLY BULLETIN

Research out of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical school in Singapore published in the Journal of Hepatology has discovered a link between consumption of coffee and prolonging the lives of those with cirrhosis of the liver.‭   ‬The study found that people living with cirrhosis of the liver caused by non-viral hepatitis were less likely to die if they consumed at least one cup of coffee daily.‭  ‬The research also indicated that the more coffee the patients drank,‭ ‬the better their chances for survival were.‭  ‬The results are not connected solely to caffeine,‭ ‬and tea and caffeinated soft drinks did not have the same benefit.‭  ‬The researchers believe the results are due to coffee lowering the level of enzymes in the blood that cause cell breakdown and inflammation of the liver.‭  ‬It is believed that coffee reduces oxidative stress‭ (‬stress on the body caused by cumulative damage of free radicals over time‭)‬.


Local company  Madura Tea Estates is the official sponsor of Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea .  Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is a national fundraising event, mostly help in the month of May, that invites Australians to host or attend a morning tea and raise funds for cancer research, prevention, early detection and patient support programs. Over the last two decades, $110 million has been raised for the Cancer Council.   Stephen Bright of Madura Tea Estates says : ‘We have made it simple for the host by creating special host kits on our website.’  The company is also going for the Worlds Biggest Tea Bag title.  The record currently is 150kg. As host kits and specialty marked packs in store are purchased more tea is added to the tea bag. The Worlds Biggest Tea Bag will be on show at the next public event  at the Byron Lighthouse on May 20th.  ‘We currently have 79kg in the tea bag’ We hope to have well over 100kg at our Byron Bay event’ said Mr Bright.  Host packs are available online at www.maduratea.com.au

 

The international Union for Conservation of Nature‭ (‬IUCN‭) ‬reported in‭ ‬2010‭ ‬that sturgeon had become the most critically endangered group of animals in the world due to humans desire for caviar.‭  ‬When this report was released,‭ ‬85%‭ ‬of the species was at risk of extinction.‭  ‬It is the usual practice that pregnant sturgeon are killed before their eggs are harvested.‭  ‬As the fish do not reproduce annually,‭ ‬it can take many years for the population to recover from a decline.‭  ‬To continue to fulfil the worlds demand and yet preserve the life of sturgeon,‭ ‬some sturgeon farmers have been using alternative‭ “‬no kill‭” ‬methods of roe collection.‭  ‬Vivace a small farm in Loxstedt Germany has perfected the technique of‭ “‬massage‭” ‬to extract the eggs.‭ ‬The massage method involves first observing a sturgeons eggs by ultrasound,‭ ‬and if ready a signalling protein Is given to the fish several days before the egg harvest,‭ ‬to induce labour,‭ ‬and the roe can then be pumped out of the fish with a gentle massage.‭ ‬There are many benefits to this process,‭ ‬including sustainability and financial viability as the same sturgeon can be‭ “‬massaged‭” ‬several times throughout their lifetime,‭ ‬not just live for‭ ‬7‭ ‬or‭ ‬8‭ ‬years to mature and be killed.


Cheeses Loves You Cheesemaking Classes
Debra Allard from Cheeses Loves You has announced her latest cheese making classes at Burringbar Hall.
Friday, 2^nd May – Drunken Goat, Washed Rind Reblochon, Persian Feta.
Saturday, 3^rd May – Colby, Camembert, Goat Chevre, Cow Cream Cheese/Quark.
email Debra for more information – cheeseslovesyou@bigpond.com


Popular local caterers Open Table are running cooking workshops through May

Middle Eastern Workshop  Sunday May 25th.   Raw Food- Sunday 4th May
Moroccan Cooking- Sunday 11th May
 Gourmet Wholefood- Saturday 17th May: look for Open Table on facebook for more details


And finally, an interesting new publication to check out if you like to think about food issues.
The Graduate Journal of Food Studies is a US based online publication, that publishes food research stories from graduate students of food issues around the world.  The first issue includes the social history of the "trophy kitchen", food and agriculture propaganda in North Korea, a Detroit food justice group, and lots of great photos and drawings for those of us who like to look at the pictures – www.graduatefoodjournal.com

 

MUSIC – For info and videos of tracks we played today go to – http://bayfm.org/programs/belly-/

or at least check out the gorgeous Fabio KoRyu Calabro' on Youtube, singing about everything from veg to salami to managing to fool his cat – all in Italian, just helped out by his uke

 

SALUMI AUSTRALIA VISUAL TOUR – All images on this post copyright Isabelle Delmotte – id(at)idbytes(dot)net

Thank you very much Michael for a very interesting experience, I only wish internet scratch and sniff technology was available.

 

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