On air on bayfm 99.9 community radio, Byron Bay, on 23 April 2012
Today on belly we talked about designing the most important room in your house, the kitchen, with Don Hansen. We spoke about materials and budgets and environmentally friendly options, but also a lot about one of Don’s big passions, good communication.
FRESH REPORT
A couple of ideas about this week’s best in season fruit and veg.
A budget choice, CHOKOS are everywhere. One stallholder had a sign at the markets, “choko apppreciation society meeting in the Bangalow phone box” . I will be there, yes they can be a bit tasteless if just boiled into submission but chokos can be a really good ingredient. . Try online searches for chayote recipes, their Central American name. Just like the avocado, which is also beginning its season, it was a favourite of the aztecs. Or look for mirliton recipes from Luisiana, or christophine from Trinidad. I tried choko Italiano this week, testing the idea that it takes on other flavours. It was really good in an onion,capsicum and tomato pasta sauce. The taste team approved, saying choko chunks did take on the flavours, but made the sauce lighter and juicier.
For an exotic choice try JIKAMA (Don says this should be pronounced ‘hikama’), it looks like a giant white water chestnut or a fat beige turnip. Just peel it and eat raw, or quickly cooked. It has crunchy juicy and sweet white flesh. Great raw in salads and keeps its crunch in stir fries, so can substitute for water chestnuts. Could be interesting in a sushi roll. Also from Central America, in Mexico it is used to dip in salsas, much healthier than corn chips.
Plentiful choice – lemons, limes, mandarins – citrus time, yum
CHOKO ITALIANO – Belly Lab recipe by sister Tess
For 4 people
1 pack penne or spaghetti
1 can tomatoes and/or very ripe tasty tomatoes (I prefer a mix of both)
1 red onion, chopped or sliced
1 large red capsicum, sliced
garlic, good olive oil, salt, pepper
capers, anchovies, chilli, freshly grated Parmesan to taste
fresh or dry oregano
1 beautiful large choko, peeled seeded and cut into smallish chunks
Fry onions in oil until soft, add capers, chilli and chopped garlic, fry a couple more minutes. Add capsicum and choko, salt, pepper, cook on fairly high heat. Add tomatoes, oregano, anchovies, cook gently until the sauce is quite dense and tomatoes are cooked. Skip or change any of these ingredients that you aren’t really into.
Serve on al dente pasta with grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
BELLY BULLETIN
There is an egg fight going on in Australia. Consumers love free range eggs, they are nearly 40% of eggs sold in Australia and were the biggest growth category in eggs last year. The Egg Corporation, the main egg producers association, announced its plans to change the allowable outdoor stocking density for free range chickens from 1500 to 20,000 per hectare. The consumers association Choice says that the RSPCA and Humane Choice set a limit of 1500, while the Free Range Farmers association sets 750 chooks per hectare as a limit. Choice says consumers will stop buying free range if they are not confident they are getting what they pay for. the egg corp is concerned about overseas competition, and says stocking density is not as important as appropriate farm management, and that this density allows chickens to display all their natural behaviours, like scratching in the dirt. Check the links below to make up your own mind.
You may remember a lot of discussion about the proposed new markets policy in byron shire, including a big meeting here in the community centre. The council has now revised the policy, it is open for viewing and comment until May 18, 2012 in various public places and online. Council would like anyone who has already commented to submit any comments on the new policy, as well as the rest of us of course. For a direct link to the policy on the council’s website click here.