Tag Archives: asparagus

eating bugs & salad

 
 
 
 
 
SALAD ALTERNATIVES – by Alison Drover
 
Asparagus (in season October/November) with coddled eggs and chopped pecans or macadamias
 
 
 
What you will need:
 
2 pots of boiling water one for eggs and one for asparagus. The eggs form the basis of your warm dressing so you need to be organized.
 
·       60ml vinegar ­
·       8 large organic or free range eggs
·       80ml extra virgin olive oil ­ local is best
·       16 pieces of asparagus
·       salt pepper
·       lemon thyme
 
Pop eggs into the water for 4 minutes only. You want the eggs to be runny inside but white on the outside. Take a clean tea towel and scoop out the content of the egg into a bowl. This is going to be your dressing. Add the anchovy dressing and then drizzle in the oil and salt and pepper.
Cook your asparagus in the boiling water for about 5 minutes and then check it. It
should be firm but not crunchy otherwise too acidic. Remove asparagus from the
boiling water and place separately to avoid further cooking.
 
Arrange your sparagus on a platter, drizzle with your egg dressing and then grate your lemon zest over it.
 
 www.forkinthefield.com Fork in the Field
E:    contact@alisondrover.com
 
The Alison Principle sustainability food consulting, projects and events
www.thealisonprinciple.com
 
Follow me @ http://twitter.com/ alisonprinciple
 
 

disaster special

This was possibly just an excuse for sister Michael to play lots and lots of clips and songs from his favourite old disaster movies, but we did try to get serious from time to time.

Sister Michael is going to fill you in on what the lovely SES recommends you stash away to be ready for emergencies, and how to plan a dinner worthy of the Titanic.  I’ve got a simple little recipe below based on ‘eggs argenteuil’.  And a bit of advice and war stories from Barry and Luke of the veg/grocery store Baz n Shaz in Suffolk Park, which has coped with quite a few major floods, even though Suffolk Park is far from the most duck friendly environment in the Northern Rivers (that may have to be Billinudgel, we’d love to hear some of your stories).

 

AUDIO _ Barry McQueen and Luke Joyce from Baz n Shaz

barry n luke

 

BELLY LAB RECIPE (with help from Larousse Gastronomique) – SPUD SALAD ARGENTEUIL

by sister T

 

PREPARING FOR EMERGENCIES

by Sister Michael

A Big thank you to the State Emergency Service and especially to the Byron Shire Local Controller, John Farley who was a special guest on our recent “Belly Disaster” show. Noel gave us some wonderful tips on handling emergencies, including these:

  • A full freezer should keep the temperature for 48 hrs (half full -24 hrs.)
  • Keep the doors closed as much as possible.
  • If, at any point, the food was above 40 degrees F. for more than 2 hrs. discard it.
  • If frozen food has partially thawed it should be eaten as soon as possible.
  • Have handy a stock of canned foods, a small fuel stove (available at camping stores) or BBQ, and a productive herb and vege garden!
  • For emergency planning visit their website at www.ses.nsw.gov.au
  • The emergency number for SES is 132 500
  • To request a ‘survival pack’ call your local SES on 6684344
  • To volunteer for SES or for FloodSafe and StormSafe information call 1800201000.

 

CAPTAIN MICHAEL  BRINGS YOU TASTES OF THE TITANIC

We brought you some recipes and music from the last day on the Titanic and here are the luncheon menu and dinner menus‭ (‬first class‭) ‬served on‭ ‬14th April‭ ‬1912.‭ ‬On the evening of April‭ ‬14,‭ ‬1912‭ ‬.A‭ ‬number of first-class passengers on the Titanic revelled in a privately hosted feast in the first-class‭ ‬á la carte restaurant.‭ ‬At the same time in the‭ ‬first-class dining saloon other first-class passengers‭ ‬-‭ ‬some who had paid the equivalent of‭ ‬$124,000‭ ‬in today’s dollars for the ocean voyage‭ ‬-‭ ‬settled in for a sumptuous,‭ ‬if over-filling,‭ ‬ten-course extravaganza.‭ ‬Food was rich and fatty,‭ ‬and courses were accompanied with wine and liquor.‭ ‬Meanwhile,‭ ‬in the‭ ‬second-class dining saloon,‭ ‬second-class passengers ate a less elaborate but beautifully served dinner.‭ ‬And on F deck in what would be called‭ “‬steerage‭” ‬in lesser vessels,‭ ‬third-class passengers ate simply prepared,‭ ‬hearty meals served in their own spartan dining saloon.

http://www.the-titanic.com/Gallery/Videos/Titanic-s-First-Class-Dinner.aspx

titanic1

 

 

 

A wonderful collection of Titanic menus can be found here

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=titanic+menus&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-7mNUdCkHsXxiAffoYAY&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1931&bih=1015

 

Want to plan your First Class Titanic Menu? Check it out here:

http://downtonabbeycooks.com/2012/01/18/planning-your-titantic-tribute-first-class-menu/

 

Prefer to downgrade?!!!   Go for the Second Class menu here:

http://downtonabbeycooks.com/2012/01/20/planning-your-titanic-tribute-2nd-class-menu/

 

These fascinating blogs tells us more about this fateful voyage:

http://www.the-titanic.com/Home.aspx

and: http://www.rmstitanicremembered.com/?page_id=284

and also here:

http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/titanic-love-courage-and-apple-meringue.html

 

A video tribute to Titanic can be viewed here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmbwsIbNcGo

 

MUSIC

 

The bellysisters played you some music from the Orchestral repertoire of The Titanic Orchestrs which included

The wedding waltz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulg7wPVOVcg

Valse Septembre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGuII1Hkpc8

Alexander’s Ragtime Band:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvbhvX6VJgI

And to finish off our Disaster special ended on a high note as we reminded our Belly listeners that there’s got to be a morning after!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msgxhVgUc6I

 

 

 

on the farm

On air on bayfm 99.9 community radio Byron Bay on 12 November 2012

 

Today Sister Cath and Sister Di talked with two local farmers, Ian Mulligan and Pam Brook.

And they shared a couple of their favourite seasonal recipes.

 

WHATS IN SEASON AND DELISH TO COOK:

 

Nectarines, peaches, mangoes, solana tomatoes, asparagus, sweet corn, beans

 

VEGETARIAN SELECTION: ASPARAGUS & HALOUMI SALAD

 

Heat a barbecue plate on medium high. Spray capsicum with oil. Cook for 10 minutes or until chard on all sides. Transfer to a cold bowl, place plastic wrap over dish and let cool for 5 mins.

Peel and remove seeds roughly chop and place into a bowl with

Olives. Whisk oil, vinegar and salt and pepper in a jug and add to salad. Sprinkle with basil.

Cook asparagus on barbecue plate for 5 minute until just tender. Cook haloumi on barbecue plate for 1-2 minutes until golden.

Transfer to serving plate, serve asparagus and haloumi with salad and a crusty baguette.

Ingredients: 3 red capsicum, olive oil cooking spray, 1 cup green olives,2 tbs virgin olive oil,1 tbs white wine vinegar, ½ cup basil leaves,3 bunches of asparagus;2x250g packets haloumi cut into 1.5 slices, crusty baguette.

 

 

FISH SELECTION : COCONUT & LIME SALMON

 

Shred lime leaves finely, wash and finely chop coriander roots. Reserve coriander sprigs. Combine lime leaves coriander roots chilli and coconut milk and a ceramic dish. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Halve cucumbers and dice; remove cheeks of mango, scoop out flesh and dice. Add mango to bowl with cucumber. Chop half the reserved coriander sprigs and add to the mango and cucumber mix.

Preheat the barbecue to high, oil the plate. Remove salmon from the marinade and cook skin side up for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Turn and cook to your liking. Serve salmon with steamed rice or quinoa, cucumber salad and a lime wedge.

Ingredients: 4 kaffir lime leaves, 1 bunch of coriander,2 long red chillies,165 ml can coconut milk,4 salmon fillets 2 Lebanese cucumbers, 1 large mango, 1 tbs vegetable oil, lime wedges and steamed rice.

 

Green September Alchemy

more coming, but recipes & links from today below:

 

GREEN IS GOOD – by Miss September

The month of green and what better recipe to have is Salsa Verde.  Add lemons as much as possible to reduce those gluts.

Indulge in blood oranges they are so good.

Salsa Verde means in Italian “green sauce”. Drizzle it over meat, fish or just a platter of seasonal vegetables it is great. It also has flexibility in the ingredients so you can use up left overs in the fridge to create it.

Basically the best combination is parsley, mint and basil but I often add fennel leaves and spinach and celery. If you have some anchovies in the fridge add a few of these. You can add as much garlic as you like but be careful to balance this so you can taste the freshness of your herbs and their own distinct flavor.

 

Recipes Alison Drover , Fork in the Field

 

SALSA VERDE

 

• 2 shallots, finely diced and soaked in a tablespoon of red wine vinegar for 30 minutes

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp small capers

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

• 1/3 cup chopped chives

• 1/3 cup mint leaves

• extra virgin olive oil

• 1 lemon zested.

 

Put all green items in the blender add lemon juice and olive oil and blend together. If you sauce is a little thick add a few tables spoons of warm water and test as you go. A salsa verde should be smooth and tangy but not too much garlic.

 

KALE & BANANA SMOOTHIE

 

Serves 2

• 2 cups milk

• 6 kale leaves, removed from the center stalk

• 2 frozen bananas or whatever you have available

• 2 tablespoons honey

• Cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon tahini or peanut butter if you have this left over

• parsley – about 3 tablespoons

 

Add kale and milk to the blender, and blend until there are no large bits of kale. Add banana and honey, and all other ingredients blend until smooth.

 

PRIMAVERA SALAD WITH SALSA VERDE

 

• 4 blood oranges – cut of the top and bottom take off the peel by slicing from the top down and going around the orange so that you keep the round shape but remove the white pith. Cut the orange across ways so you have even slices

• 10 kiplfler potatoes – cooked so they can be leftovers from a meal

• Bunch of rocket

• Fennel bulb washed and then remove the green stalk and fronds and slice finely so they are like shavings

• 1 lemon zested finely over the salad

• 1 /2 cup pecans or macadamias

Additions: add other green that you may have left over or growing watercress, radicchio

Take a large platter slice potatoes across ways but randomly so you have different textures in the salad. Add your greens ie rocket, top with fennel and the zest lemon over the salad. Arrange your slices of orange over the salad.

Scatter pecans or your choice of nuts over the salad.

Drizzle salad with salsa verde or serve on the side

 

ASPARAGUS WITH CODDLED EGGS

If asparagus is not ready wait for this one until late September

Tip – excuse the pun have everything ready as to go as fresh is best

 

2 pots of boiling water one for eggs and one for asparagus. The eggs form the basis of your warm dressing so you need to be organized.

 

• 60ml vinegar –

• 8 large organic or free range eggs

• 80ml extra virgin olive oil – local is best

• 16 pieces of asparagus

• salt pepper

• lemon thyme

 

Pop eggs into the water for 4 minutes only. You want the eggs to be runny inside but white on the outside. Take a clean tea towel and scoop out the content of the egg into a bowl. This is going to be your dressing. Add the anchovy dressing and then drizzle in the oil and salt and pepper.

Cook your asparagus in the boiling water for about 5 minutes and then check it. It should be firm but not crunchy otherwise too acidic.

Remove asparagus from the water and place in bowl otherwise they keep on cooking in the hot water.

Take asparagus arrange on a platter drizzle with your egg dressing and then grate your lemon zest over it.

Yum!

 

BELLY BULLETIN

The month of October will be filled with a mass of food events all over NSW, part of the Crave food festival. Many are in Sydney, but quite a few will be held in regional NSW. Go to www.cravesydney.com for full details but here are a few that caught my eyes.

October 14; 5.30-9am – Breakfast on Bondi beach as the sun comes up with thousands of other toast lovers. The music is free – A dawn welcome followed by a full orchestra and soprano Lorina Gore – principal artist for Opera Australia. BYO breakfast, pre-purchase or buy it from surf-side food stalls.

Locally, Byron at Byron chef Gavin Hughes is leading free tours of the Byron Farmers Market. Learn how to select and cook your produce. Since arriving in Byron in 2003 Gavin has been a passionate advocate for the region’s produce and its creators. The tour meeting point is at the Northern entrance to the market, closest to the Police station at 8am. No bookings required. Every Thursday in October, 8 to 9 am.

Sample – A Taste Of Northern NSW  – Local growers, producers and chefs from the whole region will gather at the Bangalow showground for 12 hours of local flavours. There will be tasting plates from more than 30 restaurants, more than 100 local exhibitors, live music, celebrity cooking demonstrations and more – Saturday October 6; 8am-8pm

If you haven’t had enough of tasty food writers at the Byron Writers Festival & belly lately, check out Food & Words, a one day food writers’ festival at  The Mint, Macquarie Street, Sydney October 13, 10am-4.30pm

Advertised as ‘the crema of the Australian food writing community getting together for a lively day of discussion and debate on all things to do with food and words (and quality writing, domesticity, sustainability, history, cooking and more).’  Half of the writers seem to be from this area, and the festival is put together by writer, journalist, & member of the extreme cheesemakers’ club Barbara Sweeney, so it should be good.

The program includes :

Charlotte Wood on oysters,

Belinda Jeffery on the zen of baking,

Gay Bilson on the question of How Much Food Does a Man Need?

Mungo MacCallum on how, where and why to picnic

Chef Alex Herbert and Publisher Catherine Milne on what goes into creating a cookbook ;

Librarian Simon Cootes on quirky cooking and food ephemera from State Library of NSW.

Dee Nolan on food on the road, Laila Ellmoos on fruit and nut stalls

Ewan McEoin on big ideas/small producers

For lunch, you have the choice of bringing your own picnic or ordering a packed picnic ($40) when you purchase your ticket. Full day ticket $155 (includes morning/afternoon tea)

 

If you have been disappointed at the recent local elections, maybe you need to learn from Barack Obama & just seduce the voters with your home brewed beer. More than 12,000 people signed a petition asking for the White House’s special brew on the “We the People” page of the White House web site, which is dedicated to grassroots petitions. Mr Obama has been taking the beer with him on the campaign trail. According to ABC online, people will vote for the person they would most like to have a beer with. Or maybe that’s just journalists.  The beer is made with honey “tapped from the first ever bee-hive” in the White House garden.  Go to the  the White House blog for the complete recipes & brewing video .

Have you ever eaten pigeon? Young ones turn up as ‘squab’ on restaurant menus.  They have been part of the diet in Southern Europe & North Africa for many centuries.  Disappearing now as a food, possibly because of health concerns, or just squeamishness.   A provincial official in Argentina has been suspended over his proposal to feed children pigeon meat to counteract a surge in the bird population.Oscar De Allende, an official at the local environment ministry responsible for wildlife, was suspended over his “controversial statements on pigeon consumption,” Cordoba governor Jose Manuel de la Sota said in a statement. Earlier this week Mr De Allende proposed that Paicor, a government program for distributing food and clothing to poor students, serve pigeon meat at public schools. “We estimate we have 600 million (pigeons) in Cordoba,” Mr De Allende told a local radio station. “Let’s consider that pigeons are an abundant resource, not a pest.  The woodpigeon “columba palumbus’ is the largest & best to eat according to the Oxford Companion to Food.  A bit fatter than the regular pigeons.

 

 

 

 

October’s best, from quick asparagus to an ox bone on the barbie

On air on Byron Bay’s bayfm 99.9 community radio station on October 3, 2011

October is a great month to be cooking, including fabulous asparagus.  Miss October came to belly, as she does on the first Monday of every month, to tell us what is most abundant and delicious. This month we are inspired by asparagus and eggs.  No waste with Miss October, she has recipes for the white and the yolk of those fresh spring eggs.

And October is a great month to be eating, if you are travelling around these school holidays you should check out some of the food events in Sydney.  There has been a food festival in Sydney in October for a few years now, the city comes alive with events like the night noodle markets, which should happen all year really.  And the festival director, Joanna Savill, has brought a whole heap of great international chefs to Australia for a visit.  I played a bit of a talk she gave in Byron Bay recently, about what these chefs at the top of the international best restaurant lists are cooking these days.  Scroll down to hear it.

I also played a couple of extracts of a great panel at the 2011 Byron Bay Writers Festival, called “Eat my Words: why we love food books”.  I will play more of this on belly later this month.  Today the panel, all cookbook writers among many other talents, is talking about being inspired by local in season ingredients in their cooking and writing, it all seemed to fit in… Audio below.

FRESH REPORT

The in season delicious ideas were mainly by miss October of course, but I am still getting inspired by the piles of kale at the markets.  I tried a salsa verde with raw kale and converted a friend who had been trying to eat kale for the health benefits but just couldn’t find a palatable way to cook it.  I haven’t yet found a way with kale that I think is any less than delicious, but raw is probably even better for you.  Just substitute kale for the herbs in a standard salsa verde recipe.

 

MISS OCTOBER  – Spring, eggs and asparagus

Warmer weather well we thought so… use your eggs make aioli to enjoy with all the abundant variety of green vegetables kale, watercress, bok choy and fresh herbs however especially good with asparagus.

Save your whites for meringues and of course the egg shells for around seedlings for the caterpillars. Remember what the Romans used to say “as quick as cooking asparagus” make sure you don’t dilly dally and get it out after a few minutes.

 

What’s in season in NSW

Peak season asparagus

Iceberg – prime growing time

Celery – look for bunches with firm stems

 

Vegetables

globe artichokes,

beetroot, bitter melon, broad beans, sugar snaps, peas

broccolini, broccoli

cauliflower, kohlrabi,

lettuce, Asian greens, rocket

cultivated and shiitake mushrooms

new potatoes, swedes, sweet potatoes, potatoes

silverbeet, spinach, watercress, wombok (aka Chinese cabbage, aka celery cabbage)

Herbs, spices and aromatics

chillies

coriander, curly parsley, flat leaf parsley, mint

ginger, horseradish, turmeric

oregano, thyme

spring onions (aka green onions, aka shallots – not eschallots)

 

Fruits, berries and nuts

apples (Lady Williams), nashis, pears

bananas, strawberries

cumquats, grapefruit, lemons,mandarins (Honey Murcott), pomelo

oranges, Seville and Blood oranges

papaya, pineapple

rockmelons, watermelons in Queensland being harvested already

 

Locally at the market in the Northern Rivers

rocket, kale, lettuce, cabbage, beans, peas, fennel, beetroot, potatoes, ginger, passionfruit, bananas, herbs , watercress

 

Fork in the Field Recipes

Recipes and words Alison Drover

 

ASPARAGUS WITH CODDLED EGGS AND TOASTED PECANS

Note – this version was done to promote the Orange region of NSW highly regarded for its hazelnuts so there are hazelnuts but yours will have pecans.

 

Ingredients – Serves 4

 

For the dressing

2 free-range egg yolks

2 lemons, juice only – you can use the zest for a garnish on top of the asparagus

215ml/7½fl oz extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ tbsp chopped chervil

1 tablespoon local pecans roughly chopped

 

For the asparagus and coddled eggs

12 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed, bottom ends peeled if necessary (about 3 per person)

50ml/1¾oz unsalted butter

4 free-range eggs

 

For the dressing, place the egg yolks into a food processor and blend until smooth.

 

With the motor running, gradually add the lemon juice in a thin stream until it has been fully incorporated into the egg yolks. Do the same with the olive oil. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the chervil.

Boil your eggs so they are very soft and peel about 2 minutes. Here are some tips http://www.ninemsn.com.au/food/freshtv/790999/how-to-cook-a-soft-boiled-egg

For the asparagus and coddled eggs, blanch the asparagus spears in boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.

Drizzle with dressing and top with pecans and lemon zest.

 

AIOLI

Crush 2 or more depending on how strong you like cloves of garlic and salt in mortar using a pestle. It will form a paste. Transfer to bowl; add 3 egg yolks and mix. Slowly add 300 ml of extra virgin olive oil. Keep whisking so that a mayonnaise forms. It should be thick. Add salt and pepper.

Keeps in an airtight container for three days.

Add chervil or finely chopped rosemary or tarragon to your aioli and serve with cold or warm vegetables or as a accompaniment to potatoes

 

ITALIAN STYLE MERINGUES WITH CINNAMON BLUEBERRIES AND PECANS

Makes 10 large meringues

• 7 egg whites – free range organic or backyard (200g)

• 260g caster sugar

• 140g dark brown muscovado sugar

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• crushed pecans or macadamias

Heat oven 110 degrees C

The secret to meringues is your bowl. There must be no grease whatsoever in it so ensure it is dry. Take your eggs out of the fridge so they are at room temperature and of course free range or organic and fresh.

Place egg whites & sugar in bowl & sit over simmering water til mixture is quite hot (40deg) & sugars have dissolved.

Pour into electric mixer & whip on high speed with whisk attachment for about 8 minutes until mixture has cooled.

Sprinkle cinnamon over mix & fold in with rubber spatula.

Line baking tray with parchment paper & spoon mixture onto it and cook for 1 and 1/4 to 2 hours.

Take a punnet of blueberries and blend. Serve with your meringues and add a cumquat for decoration.

 

Tip for the garden fork….

Mulch to ensure you get onto those weeds and also make sure you are getting trellis ready for tomatoes ..

Visit www.sustainfood.com.au for planting and harvest tips.

Egg shells are good for the garden around seedlings to keep away the caterpillars

Miss October Alison Drover

 

COMING UP AT THE MULLUMBIMBY COMMUNITY GARDEN

The Mullum Local food Festival – Saturday 29 October, 10 am to 4 pm

link

 

 

Joanna Savill speaking about food trends in Byron Bay, apparently wearing 'the Masterchef dress'

 

 

INTERNATIONAL FOOD TRENDS

The Crave Sydney Festival is on all this month,  see cravesydney.com.  Festival director Joanna Savill was speaking at the Byron at Byron resort a few weeks ago about all the great chefs who are in Sydney in October,so if you are heading there this month look out for lots of interesting food events.   Joanna was talking about the top international trends that are coming to our kitchens and supermarkets soon.  If you’d like a look into the kitchen crystal bowl, click on the sound clips below.

One chef is roasting a whole ox bone on an open fire, then opening it up to get at the marrow, so look forwards to wild paleolythic barbies coming to a backyard near you soon.  A focus on nose to tail meat eating, great local vegetables, local ingredients and cooking traditions rather than foie gras and French or Italian cuisine in top restaurants from Lima to  Helsinki, and activist chefs are more strong international trends.

These are audio extracts of Joanna’s talk, with a background of happy eating of a very on-trend meal by chef Gavin Hughes.  Thanks to the Byron at Byron and Joanna for allowing me to record this, and Caroline Desmond for the photo.

Joanna Savill – International Food Trends (part 1)

Joanna Savill – International Food Trends (part 2)

 

 

2011 BYRON BAY WRITERS FESTIVAL PANEL – EAT MY WORDS : WHY WE LOVE FOOD BOOKS

 

L to R, Victoria Alexander, Belinda Jeffery, Adam Liaw, Janella Purcell

 

Eat my Words audio 1

Eat my Words audio 2

 

BELLY BULLETIN

Have you ever survived on instant  noodles?  There is a new museum in Yokohama, Japan,devoted to cup noodles and their inventor, Momofuku Ando.  In 2010 the world ate 95 billion portions of cup noodles.  It all started when Mr Ando saw a long line of people waiting to buy food at a black market stall in post-war Japan.  He invented cup noodles alone in a small shack and went on to create an empire.  At the 10 thousand square metre noodle museum kids can to create their own noodles, design their own cups and assemble their own toppings – up to 5,000 combinations.  You can also see noodle sculptures, see how cup designs have evolved over the decades and pay tribute to Mr Ando.  His motto was “never give up”

Queensland scientists, at a research station of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation  on the Sunshine Coast, are trying to grow a variety of strawberry that tastes like bubblegum.  Principal horticulturalist Mark Herrington says the bubblegum-flavoured strawberry will not be in the shops for several years, but predicts it will be a big hit with the kids.  He says : “just like cars, we want to design strawberries for what the consumer wants.”

The bureau of statistics surveys about 10,000 Australian households every 6 years to find out what we spend our money on. There are some interesting facts about our food spending in the newly released figures : we spend about the same on fish and on beef per week, about $5.  Twice as much per week on coffee than tea.  We spend more on confectionery, including chips chocolate and ice-cream (almost $12 per week), than on fresh fruit – less than 10 dollars.  And that is out of an average spend (on everything including housing costs) of over 12 hundred dollars a week.  Food and non-alcoholic drinks come to $240 a week, the second biggest cost after housing, but food has come down  as a percentage of our budgets since 1984 by a fifth.  And we spend $63 on eating out including fast food.

If you live on cup noodles, stand up and be proud, because fast food may be the ultimate step in human evolution.  A new study at Harvard in the USA shows that we may have been cooking for about 2 million years.
The ability to cook and process food allowed Homo erectus,  Neanderthal man and us, Homo sapiens to make huge evolutionary leaps from other primates.  Researchers analysed  DNA, molar size and body mass among non-human primates, modern humans, and 14 extinct types of humans.  When we learned to prepare food with tools and fire, more calories could be consumed and we needed to spend less time foraging and eating. Molar sizes shrunk while body mass increased.  Apes of similar size to humans spend about half the day consuming calories.  “Homo erectus  spent 6 per cent  of their active day feeding,” said the Harvard study, and modern humans spend 4.7 per cent of their days eating.
“Human feeding time and molar size are truly exceptional compared with other primates, and their oddity began around the start of the Pleistocene,” that is, from about 2.5 million years ago .  Cooking may be even older, it may have started with other species that also lived in Africa and came just before homo erectus.  In any case, the tools and behaviours necessary to support a cooking culture “related to feeding and now necessary for long-term survival of modern humans evolved  before our lineage left Africa.” say researchers.  So probably, the most ancient cuisine of the world is African, and if you think cooking is a waste of time, be thankful you don’t have to spend all day looking for grubs and leaves, and have a face full of giant teeth.  And fast food may well be the apex of our food evolution.

 

MUSIC

Hot Ready Or Not,    Gleny Rae Virus & Her Tamworth Playboys, for Dwone and Jay

Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell – which I always thought was called ‘they paved paradise’, and includes the line ‘give me spots on the apples” – yei

Les Joieux Bouchers, the happy butchers, Catherine Ringer

Chatma (my sisters), Tinariwen

And a couple of tracks from the classic St Germain album ‘Tourist”

 

Love and chocolate covered ox bones, Sister T

belly 6 September 2010 – springing into asparagus, TV chefs and happy pets

From today I will try taking the radio show posts straight from the show running sheet, so you can see something closer to what went to air.

It’s the  first belly of spring, also the first belly of the month when we usually have a look at what’s in season around Oz,then today’s guest  tells us all about allergies and elimination diets you can try in order to diagnose allergy – no not for you, for your cat,dog,cow,canary,chook,ferret – Matt the Vet will discuss the food allergies that your beloved companion animals may have,  + food news, and a great recipe from Luke Nguyen’s new cookbook

[the belly cat has decided to sit on the laptop to supervise this one, and the belly dog on my feet-screen getting very hairy]

Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett

DRAW for our lovely subscribers – Lentilicious 2 packs of lentil mixes(thanks Sharna and Anthea)

Right now there are so many TV food shows, so many, old ones dug up, and from all over the world – well mostly the UK but I saw one from New Zealand last week,had a very pretty lake view in it. And Kids Masterchef is starting next Sunday – Anyone with kids knows it should be really fun to watch, they are so passionate about food. One of the best is ‘cheese slices’ which reflects the cheesy obsession of Will Studd, cheese providore to many of Australia’s best restaurants and Qantas business and first class. One of my cheese spies – we’ll call him “deep cheddar” – tells me Will gave the program to the ABC very very cheap, just to improve our cheese knowledge presumably. A true cheese evangelist. And more importantly, Will has bought into our North Coast paradise, so hopefully there will soon be even more wonderful cheese all around us. Cheese slices is on ABC1 on Wednesdays. And Luke Nguyen’s Vietnamese food show has come back very quickly to SBS, so have a look if you missed it first time round. I’ve got  Luke’s recipe – caramelised mackerel with pineapple to share with you.

CARAMELISED MACKEREL WITH PINEAPPLE – KA THU KO KHOM

This recipe is a marriage of many different elements, balanced together
perfectly. It is a lighter version of the popular traditional dish of caramelised fish,
ca kho. I have balanced the salt with the pineapple, the fish sauce with sugar and added
dark soy sauce for colour. If you don’t often use pineapple in cooking, give this a try; you’ll
be pleasantly surprised.
When using a clay pot for the first time, make sure you immerse it in cold water for a few
hours. This will ensure that it does not crack over intense heat. Clay pots release earthy,
smoky flavours into your food and they maintain their heat well.

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 spring onions (scallions), white
part only, bruised
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
3 mackerel cutlets (600 g/1 lb
5 oz in total)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
300 g (101/2 oz) pineapple, cut into
bite-sized pieces
200 ml (7 fl oz) chicken stock
(page 328)
1 tablespoon fried garlic
(page 329)
1 tablespoon garlic oil (page 329)
2 spring onions (scallions), green
part only, sliced
1 small handful coriander (cilantro)
leaves
1 bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped
1 Lebanese (short) cucumber,
sliced

In a bowl, combine half the garlic, the white spring onion, the fish sauce,
dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Coat the fish with
the mixture, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes,
reserving any leftover marinade.
Place a frying pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable
oil. Add the pineapple and stir-fry for 1 minute, then remove from the pan
and set aside. Add the remaining oil and heat over medium heat, then
brown the fish cutlets on both sides.
Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the fish to a chopping board.
Chop each fish cutlet into four pieces with a heavy cleaver. Transfer the fish
and pineapple to a clay pot and pour in the reserved marinade. Place the
clay pot on the stovetop, turn the heat to high and bring to the boil. Add
the chicken stock and bring back to the boil, skimming any impurities off
the surface. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the
liquid has reduced by half.
Add the remaining chopped garlic to the pot along with the fried garlic,
garlic oil and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and stir to combine.
Spoon the sauce over the fish. Remove the clay pot from the heat, garnish
with the spring onion, coriander and chilli, and serve with a side bowl of
cucumber and jasmine rice.

serves 4–6 as part of a shared meal

Caramelised Mackerel with Pineapple

Recipe and image from The Songs of Sapa by Luke Nguyen, published by
Murdoch Books, photography by Alan Benson.

I played the belly interview with Luke  last week, and the last few minutes this week, where he suggests using any firm fish as substitute for the mackerel.  If you don’t have a clay pot, I think you can try using any deep heavy bottomed pot.  Also maybe just add more fresh garlic to the recipe if you don’t have a big bottle of garlic oil handy. The crispy (but not burned) fried garlic would definitely add lovely texture to the dish.  And make sure you use beautiful ripe fresh local pineapple.
Luke and his partner/photographer Susanna Boyd also mentioned the Little Lantern foundation they are setting up to help kids in Vietnam.

And straight on to the watermelon man and what’s in season in Oz in September.

Asparagus – in season from now to December, some Australian growers go til march.  The season a bit slow this year. It has been cold,wet where most asparagus is grown, a lot comes all the way from Peru right now. According to the Australian Asparagus Council, 93% comes from around a small town called Koo Wee Rup, S-E of Melbourne. Yes there is an Australian  Asparagus Council, the website is asparagus.com.au, lots of facts and recipes, though a lot of their recipes look a bit dodgy. Asparagus is very easy and quick to prepare, it is the shoot of a feathery plant in the lily family. The Roman Emperor Augustus had a saying “faster than cooking asparagus ” for doing something very very fast. The worst thing you can do is boil the hell out of it, but you can bbq it or put it with rich flavours like eggs and cheese, baked in the oven, or use in cold or hot soups, usually reserving the tips to add whole at the end. Or stir fry or very quickly steam. The ancients thought it is so good for you that it deserves ‘officinalis’ in its name, meaning medicinal. It does have a lot of folate, vitamins b and c and anti-oxidants. Unfortunately it doesn’t grow easily around here. I’ve tried in the veggie patch and mine gave a few spears then went to asparagus heaven. I’ve now found out that you shouldn’t pick every spear that pokes up, just the first few from now to November, maybe December, then let the plant form leaves and grow strong, especially the first couple of years.
– some other veg and fruit : artichokes, choose heavy and not wilted looking, they are the flower bud of a big thistle, you don’t want to eat wilted buds.
avocados – one more recipe, from farmer Chris Casagrande in the Byron Shire Echo : a chocolate dip for bananas, to freeze or use as cake icing. Mash avocados with cocoa and a little lemon – he swears it’s great.  Also broad beans, young garlic, spring cabbages,lots of greens, pinapple,lots of citruses including blood oranges and cumquats. locally I’ve seen good rhubarb, papayas,lots of strawberries, new season pecans and rice.

Grapefruit,juicy fruit by Jimmy Buffett

The Meat Lovers song from Dr Siggy, aka Greetings from Switzerland

– Matt Allworth aka Matt the Vet gave us some great information about food allergies in pets and elimination diets we can try at home if our favourite animals start to have symptoms like itchy feet, intestinal disturbances or rashes.  Some of the most common allergens are beef for dogs and fish for cats. Vegetarian animals can also develop allergies.  Oh and we discovered that it’s a bad idea to try to turn your ferret into a vegetarian.  For lots more info see http://communityvet.net/2010/03/diy-elimination-diet-for-the-dog-an-cat/

And Matt was a great barrel girl

Lena Horne – I want a little doggie

The BELLY BULLETIN

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – enterprising Chinese have been making fake Australian wine, from small Boutique labels to Penfolds. Investigators have found wine labelled Benfolds, or Penfolds bin 888, which is a lucky number in China. The copies have very similar bottles and labels to the originals. China is Australia’s fastest growing export wine market.
And global champagne sales have risen by about 40% in the first half of this year, so you can stop worrying about those poor champagne makers who were doing it tough in the GFC. And the bonuses that are again flowing into the pockets of investment bankers are obviously being put to good use.
In local news, Tweed tourism have just launched a seafood discovery tour, that you can download or pick up at a tourism office, and follow your fishy way from Cabarita to Corrumbin. Restaurants, fish shops, picnic spots,oyster farms and even crab catching tours.
seafooddiscoverytrail.com
Or go to sustainfood.com.au for lots of local food stories and links, including right now an initiative you can join called the Grow your own food challenge, which over 12 weeks encourages as many people as possible to register the amount of garden space they are devoting to food production. At the same time gardening expert Phil Dudman will give a week by week guide to establishing your own food garden. The challenge has already started, but you can join at any time, and there are already gardening videos online.
And congratulations to The Byron Beach Cafe which has won “Best Tourism Restaurant & Catering Service” at the inaugural North
Coast Tourism Awards

EDIBLE QUOTE – As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists.  Joan Gussow

Seaman Dan – Follow the sun

Love and chocolate cake, sister T