We had lots of fun on belly today, in theory getting to know about the traditions of Greek Easter (Orthodox Easter was celebrated yesterday), but really being entertained and charmed by Sister Ilias’s delightful grandmother, who is possibly the oldest belly guest we’ve had so far. I was smiling all day after that, thank you to those of you who let me know you really enjoyed listening to her taking over the show! If you have any grandpersons, uncles aunts etc, who have food stories to tell, please do bring them to belly, accents and so on are really not a problem, just add flavour to the airwaves. What you missed though was Ilias’s mum doing entertaining sign language at the back of the studio, especially at the memories of cleaning lots of smelly offal to make traditional Easter soup and guts-on-a-spit.
The family cooked the world’s best lamb, called Baaarbara.
We finished the show with a visit from Anthea Amore of Organic Passion Catering in Mullumbimby, who was our guest fresh reporter, picking a couple of favourite flavours for the month of May. Thank you so much Anthea for sharing so many delicious recipes using lemons and tamarillos. I encourage you to go to her blog, there are lots of great recipes there using locally sourced ingredients.
ANTHEA’S IN SEASON MAY – LEMONS AND TAMARILLOS – all recipes and photos by Anthea Amore
JUNGLE JUICE – GINGER, LEMON, TURMERIC & CHILLI TEA
Warn off the winter bugs with this deliciously tasting infusion. It spicy and sweet and sour with the fragrant flavours of ginger and tumeric. Thanks to Sal, a Naturopath and dear friend, for introducing me to this potent concoction. I fill a large plunger (4 cup) of it and keep topping it up with hot water and more lemon juice and maple, as needed. It taste delicious and keeps the colds & flu’s at bay!
Four cup plunger:
1 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
1 inch fresh tumeric, finely grated
1 small clove garlic, finely grated
1-2 lemon, juiced
1 chilli’s, de-seeded (vary the amount of chilli depending on the heat of the chilli)
1 tbs maple syrup or honey (for those who use it) per mug full
Add all the ingredients to your plunger, except the lemon juice and maple syrup. Then allow it to infused and ‘brew’ for approximately 3-5 minutes. Then plunge! Add the lemon juice freshly squeezed and maple syrup (to your taste) to your mug or thick glass and sip.
The nicer tasting you make it, the more you’ll want to drink it. You can omit the garlic if your not sick and if you simply want to boost your immune system through the winter but the garlic is the queen of immune boosting so leave it in if you can bare it (and your friends and hubby can bear it too!).
LEMON & MACADAMIA COOKIES
Makes:8 cookies (approximately 90gm each)
1 cup white spelt flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
zest of 2x large lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup almond or macadamia oil
1-2 tbs soya milk (or rice milk)
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
pinch good salt
Combine the oil & sugar together then add the remaining ingredients except for the flours.
Once thoroughly combined, sifted in the flours and fold into batter until it forms a stiff cookie dough.
Weigh into 8 balls of dough about 90 gums each. Shape into biscuits about 1.5-2cm thick.
Place on a lined babying tray and bake for 12-15 minutes on 180C or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool slightly, before carefully removing them onto a cooling rack.
Once cool, eat with a cup of tea or chai.
LEMON, COCONUT & GOJI BERRY SLICE
Makes = 12-15 squares (depends on size you cut them)
Topping
2 cups cashews or cashew butter
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup lemon juice & zest of 3 lemons
(approximately 4-5 lemons)
1/2 cup light agave syrup
1/2 cup cacao butter, shaved
1 tsp salt
Base
2 cups cashew or macadamia’s
1/2 cup goji berries
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 cups shredded coconut
4 tbs coconut oil
4 tbs cacao butter, shaved
4 tbs light agave syrup
Process the cashews in a food processor until it begins to look like a crumbly but slightly chunky texture.
Then add the goji berries and process for a further 20-30 seconds or until goji’s begin to break down.
Add the desiccated coconut, coconut oil, cacao butter & agave syrup and process until the mix is just combined. You want it to be crumbly & have texture.
Pour into a bowl and hand mix in the shredded coconut.
Press into a tin lined with baking paper.
Chill in the fridge while you make the topping.
Making the topping
Place a stainless steel bowl over water boiling in a saucepan. Be sure to make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add shaved cacao butter and turn the heat off. Continue with the rest of the recipe…
Blend the cashews into a butter or close enough to nut butter texture.
Add the rest of the ingredients accept the cacao butter and blend until smooth.
Then add the cacao butter and blend until just combined. Be careful not to over process as it can separate!
Pour the smooth creamy mixture onto of the base and smooth out with a palate knife.
Refrigerate overnight, then cut into squares and eat!
[Anthea gave me a taste of this slice after the show, it is absolutely delicious – zesty and refreshing and just rich enough, so you aren’t sure if you are having a sweet indulgence or eating something that is good for you – quite possibly both!]
BELLY BULLETIN
There are so many workshops and events in may that we devoted the whole bulletin to them this week.
Every year throughout the month of May, the Cancer Council encourages people all over Australia to get together in their community and host a morning tea. This year is the 20th anniversary of this very successful idea, and the Council has tried to make connecting and donating easier by proposing virtual morning teas, for those of us too time poor to go and sit down over a cuppa with our neighbours. A bit sad really, but often those dealing with disease in the family are the most time poor of all, so check out local papers & the web. You can host or attend a morning tea anytime through May or June. The website is www.biggestmorningtea.com.au, there is a facebook page with plenty of info and recipes, and please let the bellysisters know if you have an event coming up in the area, as to find an event through the cancer council page you pretty much need to know the name of the host.
Or call bayfm & request a community service announcement, during office hours on 6680 7999.
Sustain Northern Rivers is hosting Think Global, Eat Local in May. The campaign is all about eating local food. They would like you to contribute reviews and stories about local food places, there are prizes to be won every week including dinners at local restaurants and hampers of local goodies. Alison Drover is coming on belly next week to suggest ways we can eat more local food.
the sustainfood.com.au website has a really good list of upcoming food events in the Northern Rivers, including:
Tuesday 7 May – ‘Bringing your little piece of Australia back to how it was’ workshop, Mullumbimby Community Garden
– ‘Post Harvest and storage’ Djambung Gardens
Wed 8 May ‘Composting workshop’ Caldera Farmers Market, Murwillumbah
Sat 11 May ‘Caring for native bees’, at ACE Lismore
And there’s never been a better time to learn to make cheese at home, another cheesemaking teacher is coming to visit. Lyndall Dykes, an artisan cheese maker from the Coffs Harbour area will be in Ballina on the 18, 19th & 20th of May. She’s on a mission to spread the word that really tasty gourmet cheeses don’t have to be an expensive, luxury item. Lyndall now trains hundreds of people each year, so the bellysisters look forwards to the end of plastic cheese, & some wonderful cheesy experiments once we have all mastered the basics.
Lyndall will have 3 one day workshops, on:
Saturday 18th May – Soft Cheese making
Sunday 19th May – Advanced Cheese making
Monday 20th May – Homemade Mozzarella, Pasta and Gnocchi
• For more information about cheese making workshops throughout the year or to order your copy of ‘The Cheesemaking Workshop’ book contact Lyndall on 02 6656 2335 / 0458 562 135 or visit www.thecheesemakingworkshop.com.au
BUILD A CHOOK TRACTOR – with Sharon Gibson – sustainability series at Byron College
Chickens love to scratch, dig and will gobble up every weed, seed and bug and their poo makes a wonderful fertiliser. We can use Chicken tractors in our vegetable gardens to cultivate the soil and under fruit trees to weed and for pest control. Come and learn to build chook tractors at the Mullumbimby Community Garden.
Price $60.00 (Concession $48.00); Fri, 17/05/2013 – 17/05/2013
BYS BARISTA COURSE
Tuesday 21st May – 4 to 7pm, $50, Ages 15 to 24
Byron Youth Activity Centre, 1 Gilmore Crescent Byron Bay
To book a place call Steffie on 6685 7777
And if you’d rather just go and have a delicious meal, check out the pop up dinner at Burringbar, Kris & Matt’s feast
raw food & Indian inspired dishes feature
At Burringbar Hall on 19 may & 16 June, 6pm
$55 p/p byo, contact Matt 0402 235 465 or Kris 0409 456 299
Love and chocolate halva, sister T