Author Archives: sister T

Hommous love affair & March flavours

Today on belly Amir Zikhron from Baraka Foods took us on a journey around the hommous restaurants of Israel, and encouraged us to be a lot more adventurous with how we eat hommous. Sister T and Sister D explored some great fruit and veg in season in March, as we enjoy a beautiful start to autumn with plenty of ripe tomatoes, eggplant, and other fruit and fruity vegetables. Sister T and bayfm listener Melissa make the best ever dragonfruit granita. Kale is everywhere, from Hollywood to Paris to New Brighton. And Karin Ochsner shares her enthusiasm for Co-op Kulcha, the food coop on the Byron Arts and Industry Estate that is already 11 months old.

CO-OP KULCHA

To find out a whole lot about Kulcha Jam and Co-op Kulcha, check out http://www.kulchajam.org/

Or listen to this interview, recorded last week at the end of another day at co-op Kulcha, with Sister T and Karin

The coop is going well, but they need more volunteers, especially if you are available on a Thursday. And it sounds like a great place to pick up new skills and meet interesting people, not just a way to lower your food bills.

coop kulcha part 1

coop kulcha part 2

FROM THE BELLY LAB – MELISSA'S GRANITA : PEPPER, LIME & DRAGONFRUIT RECIPE
[recipe by Tess Corino aka Sister Tess]

We invented this granita walking around the New Brighton Farmers Market on a hot morning in late February. It turned out even better than we hoped. Make sure you taste it before you freeze it, and maybe as it starts to freeze, to make sure you have a good balance of sweet/sour/spicy. White dragonfruit can be a bit bland but this combination brings it to life, or at least it provides a very decorative background to the other flavours.

1/2 cup sugar
2 large white dragonfruit
fresh (as in just off the vine) peppercorns to taste
juice of 2-4 limes to taste

Make a sugar syrup by melting the sugar (or less if your fruit is sweet or you just want a less sweet granita) in one cup of water over medium heat. Cool.

Peel and mash the dragonfruit by hand, with a fork or maybe a potato masher, so as to retain the black seeds. This will give you a beautiful white granita speckled with white just like the original fruit.

Grind the peppercorns well with a mortar and pestle. In season (just finishing) you can find fresh pepper at some of our farmers markets, or try frozen or fresh in Asian food stores. They keep well frozen at home too.

Mix together, don't add all of the syrup and of the lime juice at once in case you need to adjust for taste. If you aren't sure of the amount of pepper, you can always add a little on top of each serving, or serve it separately.

Pour into a wide, metal or ceramic container that fits flat in your freezer. Mix and later scrape with a fork as it freezes until it is a uniform grainy (granita) consistency.
Cover, keep frozen. Use within a day or two as a light dessert or refreshing snack on a hot day.

BELLY BULLETIN

The Conversation is a website that promises "academic rigour, journalistic flair". Check out an article by Professor John Mathews of Macquarie Uni, called "Tomatoes watered by the sea". As any gardener would know, salt water isn't very good for most plants. But in South Australia a company is experimenting an integrated system for growing vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses, powered by the sun and sea water. A solar plant desalinates the water and provides electricity for heating and cooling. Integrating all the elements means that the whole system is much more efficient. It is a possible solution for providing fresh vegetables in remote, coastal but arid areas of the world. Both the use of greenhouses and the dry and distant locations mean that minimal pesticides can be used. See theconversation.com

And on modern trends…This has probably been happening here for a long time, but I've never seen it. My friend Paul's niece Casey works in a Sydney cafe, and is seeing many young Asian clients who order by calling up images their friends have
taken on Instagram and such social media sites of go-to dishes and pointing to them without looking at the menu.

Northern Rivers Food is looking for a volunteer Marketing, Communications and Events Intern at Northern Rivers Food 1-2 days per week for three months.
The successful applicant will gain valuable exposure to many of the Northern Rivers Food networks. Email info@northernriversfood.org.au
Northern Rivers Foods, in its regular newsletter, also notes that the Telstra Business awards are now open for nomination, so if you have a favourite food business in the area, why not nominate them and give them a chance at lots of publicity and prizes. And bring attention to our whole area. Meantime congratulations to macadamia producer Brookfarm for winning Silver at Royal Melbourne Fine Foods Awards for their Toasted Muesli. And to our own bellysister Ilias the Greek who, quote "set the Canberra foodies on fire with a series of cooking demonstrations as part of the recent Canberra Food and Wine Expo".

The Harvest Festival, planned for this autumn to showcase and celebrate some of our wonderful food producers, has been cancelled for this year as the organisers, being food producers themselves, just have too much on to co-ordinate all the satellite events. So the inaugural Harvest Festival, a week of farm tours, lunches, dinners and more, will happen in Autumn next year. If you are interested in participating, check out the article by Michael Dlask of Salumi Australia on the December 2 belly post.

MORE COMING

tasting the world & kitchen minding

Today on belly with Sister T and sister D we are going from bagel hunting in New York to fermentation in Nimbin to the Super Bowl, from Chinese New Year to looking after someone else's china – actually we have a special guest sharing years of experience on being a house minder and preparing your house for a houseminder or holiday renter, focusing on the most important room of course, the kitchen. The joy of Alsatian Christmas & many many in season mangoes

SISTER D’S NEW YORK DETOUR

Sister D was on the way to Canada earlier this summer. When the best flight option took her and the family to New York, she refused to go any further until they had all enjoyed a few of the big apple’s deli and pizza delights. These are a few recommendations, especially Russ and Daughters. So wise of the Smithsonian to honour a deli.

Russ and Daughters: Jewish Deli on the lower east side. Specializing in smoked fish, herring, caviar, bagels and more.

“Russ and Daughters occupies that rare and tiny place on the mountaintop reserved for those who are not just the oldest and the last-but also the best” Anthony Bourdain.

John’s on Bleeker Street: Authentic New York pizza in a little hole in the wall. A long standing favourite with locals and well worth the wait.

Katz Deli: Famous for the “orgasm scene in when Harry met Sally, this well-known deli is worth a visit. Yes, you will encounter tourists, but you will also find a large amount of devoted locals that can attest to amazingness of this deli…and pastrami to die for. Others of note: Carmines

Where not to eat? Anywhere in Times Square – unless you have very hungry tired children with you.

SISTER T'S CHRISTMAS IN ALSACE

Meantime Sister T was in Alsace, a part of France just over the Rhine from Germany, for Christmas. This would have to be one of the very best places in the world to really experience Christmas. In food, culture, language, architecture, they combine some of the best of France and Germany. I especially liked the way all the shops and streets, which already look like they belong in a Hans Christian Andersen fantasy, are decorated. Each is over the top and each in its own very individual way, not out of a big Christmas ornament factory in China. Owls and teddy bears, disco bowls and ribbons, Baccarat chandeliers, not sure what some of it has to do with Christmas but it works. As for the food, spice biscuits in shops and at home, Christmas markets on every square with local specialties and vin chaud – hot spiced sweet wine, Alsatian pizza (very thin, topped with bacon bits, onion and creme fraiche). And on the celebration tables at home, the best one can afford, but not necessarily things that keep you in the kitchen for hours. Foie gras, made by an artisan who looks after the ducks and the product, cooked by grandma (“what do you mean, you’ve never made foie gras yourself?” I was asked). Oysters, smoked salmon, salads, marvellous intricate STORE BOUGHT pate en croute. To finish Christmas dinner, a frozen fruit ice cream version of the buche de Noel, again bought from a good glacier. The only tradition I will be steering clear of, for self preservation, is the galette des rois. A cake with a trinket hidden inside, if you find it you are king or queen for the day. But you have to keep eating cake until someone finds it. And not once, but over and over with various friends and mainly from January 6 (Epiphany) onwards. If someone ever writes a book called “How French Women do get Fat”, the galette des rois will feature. Though once a year it is delicious, usually a crisp sweet puff pastry creation. Again, from a good patisserie, not home made usually. So sensible.

BELLY BULLETIN

China has overtaken both France and Italy and is now the biggest consumer of red wine in the world. Vinexpo and the International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR) released a joint report indicating that Chinese wine drinkers consumed the equivalent of 1.865 billion bottles last year (or 155 million cases). France in comparison consumed 150 million cases, and Italy 141 million cases.
These results for China indicate a whopping 136% growth since 2008. Experts believe the huge increase in red wing consumption in China can be attributed not only to the proposed health benefits of red wine, but also the cultural significance of the colour red in China. Red represents good fortune, strength, and luck. In addition, it was found that 80% of wine is produced domestically, placing China as the fifth largest wine producer globally.

In news out of the UK, produce is now being grown in an abandoned WW2 era bomb shelter under the streets of London. The creation of Richard Ballarf and Steven Dring, As stated on the crowd funding site “crowdcube” the company reports “Zero Carbon Food utilizes redundant underground spaces in London, producing leafy greens, herbs and micro greens using LED lights and hydroponics, producing fresh ingredients with a minimal carbon footprint”. After many years in development, the 2.5 acre underground farm will be run full time in March, and it is expected that the produce should first hit markets and restaurants by the Northern Hemisphere summer of this year. In an effort to increase the credibility of a venture one could be quite sceptical about, the company has partnered with two-star Michelin Chef Michel Roux Jr. from Le Gavroche in London. In a press release Roux Jr said “When I first met these guys I thought they were absolutely crazy. But then when I visited the tunnels and sampled the delicious produce they are already growing down there I was blown away. The market for this produce is huge”

As we speak, millions of North Americans are glued to their TV sets for the Super Bowl. North America’s biggest football game of the year is now being aired Sunday Night in the US and Canada. Traditionally, football fans unite for annual “Super Bowl parties” often held in people’s living rooms, where there is a focus not only on the game, but on the food and drinks (beer) that go with it. Not for the faint of heart, super bowl favourites include: Buffalo Chicken wings, Nacho’s, chips and many assorted dips, jalapeno poppers, chilli, pizza and more. And speaking of “bowls” There has been a new winner of the Philadelphia “Wing Bowl” a US contest that pits eaters against each other (Americans love their food eating contests) to see who can eat the most amount of chicken wings in a 30 minute period. The winner this year? None other than Molly Schuyler, 56kg mother of four who ate a record setting 363 chicken wings in 30 minutes, winning $22 000 for her ordeal. Her strategy: “just don’t stop and don’t throw up”. Schuyler is no stranger to competitive eating, and previous feats include setting a national fried mushroom record for eating 4 kilos in 8 minutes, and earlier this month eating a 2kg steak in less than 3 minutes…a possible new world record.

For all your meat news, check out the website www.globalmeatnews.com. Crooks in Europe are celebrating the year of the horse by yet again substituting horse meat for beef. Dutch food bosses have put out an alert after the discovery of horsemeat in a slaughterhouse prompted a block on shipments from the business. And the US Congress has enacted a measure which effectively bans horse meat processing, ending hopes by some of a legitimate revival of the industry in that country. Meantime in Australian pig news, globalmeatnews.com correspondent Lee Adendorff, from Byron Bay reports that farmers are slowly adopting a voluntary code of banning gestation stalls. Lee says: “[according to] Meat industry association Australian Pork Limited (APL) […]Australian piggeries are well on the way to an almost total elimination of sow gestation stalls by 2017. It said an estimated 65% of pigmeat enterprises in 2014 were already phasing out using cages to restrict a sow’s movements during pregnancy.” The industry body also warns that items such as hams and salamis made in Australia from imported meat often come from pigs kept in cages for up to 4 weeks. However some farmers are leaving the industry association altogether as they believe they can’t afford to change their production methods. Meantime free range pig farmers can command 80 to 100% more for their pigs as consumers turn to their product.

The Blue Knob farmers market near Nimbin held its first ever fermentation festival on Saturday and it was a huge success. Sandor Katz, author of "The Art of Fermentation" – considered the bible of fermentation, was the guest speaker at the event and offered lots of great information on many aspects of fermentation. There were over 14 local fermenters sharing their fermented creations including pandamas vinegar, kvass and Australian style kim chi. The event attracted around 250 people, attracting fermenters from as far as Coffs Harbour and Brisbane. With so much interest in fermentation The Blue Knob Farmers market are planning on holding a second fermentation festival with more demonstrations and hands on experience. For more info contact jamescreagh@hotmail.com

If you are a fan of Sandor Katz, who has been experimenting with fermentation for over 20 years, and would like to spend a day with him, his upcoming local workshop is on February 12 from 10 am to 5pm at the Harvest Cafe Newrybar, at a cost of $490. However Sandor has a lot of information available for free on his website, www.wildfermentation.com, including many recipes and methods, with photos, and a lot of very interesting interviews in which he talks about the benefits of fermentation.

HOUSEMINDING, KITCHEN MINDING – HOW TO MAKE IT A PLEASURE FOR BOTH OWNER AND MINDER

Houseminding and holiday renting is becoming an ever more popular way to travel, and for some of us even to live most of the time. It is particularly common here in the Northern Rivers, which is both a popular holiday spot and inhabited by hordes of travel-itchy folk. Most of the time the experience is a great win-win, whether money or an exchange of favours (or energy as Diana says) is the currency. Our beloved pets, gardens, homes are looked after, and we get a great free holiday, or a stay somewhere much better than the average hotel room. And yes, many of us are both guests and hosts from time to time. But sometimes it can go horribly wrong. Most times one or two little things are damaged and it's not a big deal, but if the host doesn't prepare properly, and/or the guest doesn't know what to do, it can really sour both the holiday and the relationship. An online search revealed that there are plenty of places to check out generic dos and don'ts, even lists of information that you should make sure is covered. But there is very little focusing on the most important room of the house, the kitchen. Obviously a belly mission! Please listen to the audio links below, where Diana, a North Coast local who has both minded homes many times, and holiday let and had house minders over many years, shares all the tips and tricks that she has picked up. Below the audio, a few of the things that might go wrong if you don't follow her advice – and you are unlucky!

Diana on how to prepare your home and kitchen for houseminders or holiday renters – Part 1

Diana on how to prepare your home and kitchen for house minders or holiday renters – Part 2

Diana on how to be a wonderful and well prepared house, & especially kitchen, minder

SISTER T'S TEN BEST WAYS TO BE UNPOPULAR WHEN MINDING A KITCHEN

No 10 – Using the salad servers to pick up cat poo from the litter box. But if you do, make sure you cover your tracks by washing them well and putting them back in the drawer.

No 9 – Moving a whole harvest of chillies from the freezer to the fridge. They will rot. Usually stuff that is in the freezer, or the fridge, or in the pantry, is there for a reason. These storage areas are not interchangeable. Some things we all store differently. Some of us put coffee in the freezer, some in the fridge, some keep it on a shelf. But frozen fruit & veg need to be used straight away if you take them out of the freezer.

No 8 – Scrubbing the cast iron pans until they shine. A good way to add iron to your diet, as they will immediately rust. Or scrubbing the no stick coating off pans. If some pots are shiny and spotless, and some are all black on the inside, they are meant to stay that way. As a general rule, stainless steel and aluminium are safe to scrub, everything else you have to be gentle, especially anything black on the inside. Check out what to do on youtube, a lot of cast iron obsessives have posted videos there.

No 7 – Having a feast of deep frying, or other fatty sizzly splattery forms of cooking. Many cooks avoid deep frying more to avoid cleaning than to avoid artery damage, so if you like a daily fry-up, be prepared for a lot of cleaning. If the rangehood and oven are dripping with fat, and there is a film of grease on the inside of cupboards, the glasses, saucepans, toaster, kettle, the budgie and the cat , you may need to see your doctor about your diet. Cleaning this mess up in a frenzy of scrubbing and heavy duty chemicals isn't a good idea either. If in doubt, dirt is better than damage. Or dirt plus a wad of cash for a cleaner. And a bottle of wine. Maybe two.

No 6 – Tossing out mysterious things in jars or bottles. Even if the use by date was before you were born.

No 5 – Using up all the good stuff. Maybe in a big fry-up. If you don't know what it is, it's probably the good stuff. The good stuff doesn't have to be expensive, it could be something only available in one little shop in Western Uzbekistan – unless you live in Western Uzbekistan, in which case it could be a pack of bagels from Russ and Daughters.

No 4 – Washing the good knives in the dishwasher. This can damage both the handle and the blade. There are a lot of other things that don't do real well in a dishwasher, like crystal, some plastics, delicate china, crusty saucepans. Hand washing while listening to bayfm, preferably with a friend, is a lovely way to ease into the evening.

No 3 – Breaking things and not leaving a note. Or leaving the fragments carefully placed together so they fall apart as soon as you touch the broken item. This only works if you can leave it where a pet or gust of wind may have broken it, and you artfully arrange the bits in a "accidentally knocked over by the dog as you drove in from the airport" type pattern.

No 2 – Bending implements so they work better for you.

No 1 – Completely re-organising the pantry. Many cooks buy far too many ingredients and store them so they have some small hope of finding them. This takes years of trial and error and much growling at family members who dare to put the sugar with the flour instead of near the honey. Or vice versa. If your method is, say, alphabetical, putting the tamarind paste with the tea may make sense to you, but you will not be thanked if you do it in someone else's kitchen. Your host will be calling on all the kitchen gods for revenge as she tries to remember where everything goes.

Yes they all really happened, and more – except for the grease on the cat. Or maybe he got washed before I got home. And most happened this summer, though the good knives in the dishwasher and the scrubbing of the cast iron happened with other, more sensible minders, so they are good things to add to your list of things to hide or leave instructions for/learn about.

OTHER POPULAR THINGS TO DO – SUBMITTED BY LOCALS

– As a minder – lending kitchen gear to a friend – AND not getting it back before the host's return/not leaving a note

– As a host – leaving dirty sheets on the bed, and no clean sheets in the house to change the bed, so the poor minder has to wash the one set and dry it before she can sleep.

MARVELLOUS MANGOES

We are awash with mangoes of all kinds, thanks to an early local harvest coming on top of supplies from the North. Lucky there are so many great things you can do with mangoes – sitting in a bathtub, preferably open air, eating them naked comes to mind. Yes, both you and the mangoes have to be naked.

When you have your clothes back on, try sister D's favourite mango time salad. Or check out Belinda Jeffery's gorgeous uncooked mango cake in her Collected Recipes cookbook (thank you Diana for registing this to bayfm). Or let your own creativity run riot with a mango tiramisu, which is pretty much what Belinda did. But she has great tricks for making it look pretty, like shaping the cake by using the side (as opposed to the base) of a spring form tin, and a large plate.

ASIAN CHICKEN AND MANGO SALAD – by sister Deanna

For the salad:

2 cold chicken breasts shredded (see note)

2 ripe mangos freshly sliced

3 green onions sliced (or ½ sliced red onion)

Bunch of mixed greens of your choice

¼ – 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds or peanuts

I bunch of coriander, chopped

½ sliced cucumber

Note: can also add: sliced red capsicum, sprouts of your choice, toasted shredded coconut, also can throw in some cooked rice noodles!

For the dressing:

2 tbsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tbsp. lime juice

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp. freshly grated ginger

1-2 tbsp. fish sauce

1-2 sliced red chillies

2 thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves (optional)

Note: sometimes I poach the chicken, sometimes I bake it in the oven, sometimes I steam it, and sometimes I just shred some left over roast chicken…it really is a matter of preference and time….

Method

Mix together the dressing ingredients and stir to dissolve sugar. The dressing should be a mixture of salty, sweet, and spicy, so feel free to adjust to taste. Remember: the dressing will be stronger on its own, and will tone down when placed on the salad. Set aside while you prepare the salad.

Assemble the salad ingredients: greens, cucumber, mango, onion, capsicum and sprouts if using, Top with coriander and toasted almonds or peanuts. Drizzle over the dressing and serve immediately.

Love and chocolate covered house minders (only if they are as lovely as Diana),

Sister T

ps – I would love to hear your comments/suggestions/horror stories/happy stories on the whole house minding/kichen minding thing – just leave a comment in the box below, all comments need to be screened in case they are spam, but please do get in touch with the bellysisters on this or any other topic

Belly January 6

Today on belly with sister Michael

1. Cath Ford- "The Ghost of Belly"

2. Emma Scott-Author of 'An Affair with Itay" blog and designer and director of The Elk Group.

3. Amanda Gorr – Community Table and new plan for sustainable food supply for local restaurants

http://www.anaffairwithitaly.com/blog/view/224/Marco-Scarpella-General-Manager-of-luxury-travel-and-luggage-brand-Valextra

Sister Michael’s easy Christmas

Belly Sister Michael was making waves today on Bay Fm with his 'Make Christmas Day easy on yourself 'recipes. The recipes are designed to lighten the work load for the cooks on Christmas Day and provide an easy and tasty starter of Poisson Cru and a yummy ice- cream Christmas Pudding – both of which can be prepared on the day(s) beforehand. Plus there's a delish Bloody Mary recipe to start the day off with – for Virgins and others perhaps not so virginal! Santa will know who is who!
Happy Holidays! Sister Michael

BELLY VIRGIN BLOODY MARY

(Just add vodka for alcoholic version)

Ingredients:

Fresh Tomatoes or Spicy/normal Tomato juice. V8 if you can get it!
Creamed Horseradish.
Tabasco Sauce.
Celery stalk with leaves.
HP or Worcestershire Sauce.
Limes
Smoked Paprika (optional)
1 Green Olive per person (optional)

Method:

Fresh Tomatoes, crushed in Blender or 1 Litre spicy (or plain) Tomato juice.
Bunch of celery leaves (washed and picked from half bunch of celery).
Dash “Creamed” horseradish (good brand).
Dash Tabasco Sauce (to taste).
Dash HP or Worcestershire sauce (to taste).
Pinch Paprika.
2 Limes (Juice only).
Freshly ground black pepper.
Place everything in a big jug and mix! Pour into highball glass, sprinkle with ground pepper and garnish with a stick of celery and a green olive.

(For an Oriental twist add 1/4 cup Marukome Miso !)

BELLY POISSON CRU (Marinated raw fish)

serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main

½ Kilo Very fresh high-grade Ahi tuna, or similar ‘hard’ fish -diced in neat 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 -1 cup fresh lime juice ( just enough to marinate and coat all the fish)

1/2 cup coconut cream (or coconut milk if you prefer)

1/2 cup diced peeled and seeded cucumber

4 to 5 spring onions, green and white portions, split lengthwise and minced

1 fresh hot small green or red chile, seeded and minced, optional

Several tablespoons shredded coconut, optional

3/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1 medium tomato, seeded and squeezed to eliminate liquid, diced

1 King Prawn (pealed with tail on) per person for garnish

Combine in a medium bowl the tuna, lime juice, coconut milk, cucumber, scallions, optional chile and coconut, salt, and pepper.

Some recipes leave the coconut milk out until the you are ready to refrigerate as the milk will stop the lime from “cooking” the fish.

Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

I often make this the day before – especially if people don’t like their fish too raw.

Lovely when served in clam shells if you have them. Otherwise over large Cos Lettuce leaves or banana leaves.

Mix in the tomato (but only at the last minute or it will all turn red!) and serve right away.

Serve with a slice of Lime, though it probably won’t need any more lime juice.

Garnish with a King Prawn per serve. (for a twist serve with diced mango or red papaya).

Belly Ice Cream Plum Pudding

Ingredients:

1.5 litre good-quality vanilla ice cream 

  1 – 500g good-quality plum pudding   (optional)

(or 1 Packet of fruit mince)

  ¼ cup glace cherries, roughly chopped 

  ¼ cup sultanas 

  ¼ cup de-hydrated raspberries 

  ¼ cup chopped dates  

  ¼ cup slithered roasted almonds 

  30mls (2 Tbsp) Baileys Irish cream liqueur  (optional)

  30mls (2 Tbsp) Cointreau  (Optional)

  150gr (2/3 cup) dark chocolate pieces 

  45mls water 

  Thickened or whipped cream 

Plastic wrap

Mixed fresh berries for garnish

Line 2 Litre Stainless Steel mixing bowl with plastic wrap.
Melt White cooking chocolate and pour into base – swirl around evenly.
Place in Freezer to set.
Slightly soften ice-cream – Chop bought plumb pudding into very small pieces -Mix all above dry ingredients in separate bowl, stir gently but not too much! Add Liquor if desired and just stir in once in a swirl movement. Pour mix into original bowl over set chocolate. Cover top with plastic wrap.
Freeze over-night or a few nights beforehand.
To remove from bowl either let sit a few minutes prior to serving and up-end bowl onto serving plate. Gently remove plastic wrap. Or invert bowl into larger bowl with tap water (tepid) until it looks like it will be ok to drop out.
Decorate top anyway you like!

sprouty herby things

The belly herbologist, Deb Shortis, visited us today with Himalayan travel tales and many great ideas as usual, including many sprouty healthy things.

Lentil Sprouts:

5 tablesps seed, Jar, sieve or sprouter: soak 6-12
hours (12 hrs removes haemaglutinin)
Lentils take only 2 to 4 days to grow. Rinse 3-4 times a day.

Lentil Patties:

1 cup lentil sprouts chopped in a food processor, 1 cup grated tasty
cheese,herbs for taste, soy sauce,finely chopped spring
onions,wholegrain breadcrumbs,1 egg yolk, some stock to moisten if
required…..
drop large spoonfuls into a pan and brown on both sides.

Also
Adzuki beans and Mung beans sprouted with lentils are a lovely mix for
soups and casseroles…
add to dish 10 mis before removing from heat.

Sunflower Sprouts:

2/3s cup of UNHULLED sunflower seeds,
a seedling tray or a cut down poly fruit box with holes poked into bottom.
Add a seed raising mix or soil with cocoa-peat or vermiculite
put in tray to a depth of 3 cms.
Soak seeds for 2 hours,drain, then spread across the tray of growing
media. Cover with 2 cms of seed raising mix.
Place in a sunny position, water softly as required probably daily,
don't saturate tho as they could mould.
In about 10 days you will have two leaved open seedlings
that you harvest with scissors close to
the soil, wash the sprouts and use in salads.

Chickpea Sprouts:

1/3 cup seeds, Jar or sprouter. soak 8-12 hrs, 2 to 4
days to grow, rinse 3 times per day.

Sprouted Chickpea Homus:

2 cups of sprouted Chickpeas ( from above quantity),tamari, lemon juice,
a dash of apple cider vinegar
and crushed garlic blend in a food processor.
If you'd like add some tahini.

Psyllium Seed Sprouts:

Do not soak the seed, place on a terracotta
saucer and mist spray 3-4 times a day.
Ready in 3-5 days. Its normal for them to be gelatinous. Add to salads.

Psyllium smoothie:

No need to sprout the seed. Just soak seed for 4 hrs
then blend in a blender with
any kind of fruit juice. Pineapple, apple and orange is delish.

These ideas were sourced from
"How I can grow and use sprouts as a living food" by Isabell Shipard.
www.herbsarespecial.com.au
I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

ENJOY SPROUTING GUYS….I DO:)

KHICHARI – Basmati rice and mung dahl simmer

1/3 cup split lentils (yellow is good)
3 tblesps Ghee (a must)
2 tsps cumin seeds
2 tsps fresh coriander seeds from your garden
1 tblsp fresh mashed chilli
2 tblsps fresh minced ginger
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp asafoetida powder (yellow)
1 small cauliflower
1.5 litres water
1 tblsp butter
2/3 cup of lightly cooked peas
1 cup of peeled chopped tomatoes and
a handful of fresh coriander leaves (from your garden)
1 finger-lime, halved longways for each plate.

(Asafoetida is the resin from a giant fennel plant, that has the taste
of spring onions
and garlic,It is powdered and blended sometimes with cumin and tumeric)

Heat the ghee in a large heavy based non- stick saucepan
Fry the cumin and bruised fresh coriander seeds until golden
add chopped minced chilli and minced fresh ginger
saute' for a few seconds.
Add turmeric and Asafoetida powder…stir it all in
Add cauliflower pieces and stir for 1 min.
Add the rinsed rice and lentils, stir a minute more.
When all coated with spices add the water and bring to boil.
Simmer for 30 minutes until rice and dahl (lentils) are soft.
Before removing Khichari from the heat add….salt, butter,tomatoes,cooked green peas and fresh coriander leaves.
Heat through for a few moments, then serve, with a slice of lime or a finger lime'
Can be served with fresh yogurt and a chapati

Spring is the perfect time for harvesting the ingredients mentioned in this recipe on the far Nth Coast. REMEMBER our garden tells us what to put on themenu:) Happy harvesting

Debbie Shortis
Byron Bay Herb Nursery.
02 66855109

Bangalow Banquets & glamorous mullet

Today is the last belly of 2013 for sister D and me, so we've packed it full of goodness for you.  In the first hour, Jody Vassallo will tell us about the wonderful new Bangalow Banquet community cookbook project, then we'll talk  hanukka & stonefruit, in our second hour we have one of Australia's best fish cooks, Paul Wrightson - Byron Beach Cafe executive head chef, here to talk about sustainable and fabulous fishy choices for the party and Christmas season, a new cookbook to give away, news, markets & more, so tune in to the belly kitchen.

BANGALOW BANQUET COOKBOOK

Here are a couple of recipes for you from this wonderful community project. Something old and something new, both highly recommended by our guest Jody.

CHIA CRACKERS WITH AVOCADO, LIME AND CORIANDER DIP

Chia Crackers recipe submitted by Jody Vassallo

These crackers are the perfect wheat free snack,
top them with a few slices of avocado and a
drizzle of lemon juice or use them as a dipper for
guacamole, salsa or any type of hummus that
takes your fancy.
½ cup chia seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds or flax seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup almond meal
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon sea salt
225ml water
1 tablespoon tamari

Preheat oven to 160°C (320ºF). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put the seeds, almond meal, salt and herbs into a bowl and mix to combine.
Whisk together the garlic, water and soy and pour over the seed mix. Stir until combined. Spread onto a
baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, then slice in half and carefully turn over, don’t worry if it breaks you are
going to make smaller crackers in the end. Continue cooking for 25 minutes or until the crackers are crisp.
Allow to cool on the tray before breaking into cracker size pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Avocado Lime & Coriander Dip recipe submitted by Sally Johnston

2 avocados, mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large red chilli, seeded and chopped
1⁄2 small red onion, finely diced
1⁄3 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
3 drops Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place avocado in a bowl. Spoon over 2 tablespoons lime juice and toss gently to coat. Add oil, chilli, onion and
coriander to avocado. Add Tabasco sauce to taste. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.
Stand for 5 minutes. Serve with crackers

FIVE CUP CAKE

from the section of the cookbook called : The Middle Years 1970s ~ 1990s

5 Cup Cake Recipe submitted by Felicity Scott

Easy, delicious, never fails.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup soy milk
1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
Pour mixture into tin and bake in oven for 40 minutes. Serve warm with lashings of butter.
Serves 6-8

SUSTAINABLE FISH A.K.A. GLAMOROUS MULLET

WHOLE SUSTAINABLE FISH BAKED IN SALT – by Paul Wrightson

fiery saffron aioli and a simple salad

For the fish

1 kg coarse rock salt

2 large free-range eggs

1½ tablespoons fennel seeds

1 lemon

2 portion –sized whole sea mullet or sea bream, from sustainable sources, gutted, scales left on, gills out

1 small bunch fresh basil

1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

For the aioli

3 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 pinch saffron

sea salt

50 ml olive oil

50 ml good-quality Spanish extra virgin olive oil

For the side salad

½ cucumber, peeled

1 large handful green olives, stoned

2 bbq peeled red capsicums

a few sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

freshly ground black pepper

Method

This Spanish technique of baking fish in a thick layer of salt is not only quite theatrical, it will also give you the most perfectly cooked fish.

The salt is there to create a little kiln or oven around the fish so don’t; you won't be eating any of it. Make sure the fish isn't scaled because the scales help keep the moisture inside the fish as it cooks.

· Preheat BBQ or oven on high.

· Put the rock salt into a large, wide bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, your eggs, fennel seeds and the peeled rind of the lemon.

· Mix everything together until sticky and claggy

· spread two-thirds of the mixture around the base of a roasting tray in a thick layer.

· Stuff the cavity of your fish with the basil and parsley (or any fragrant herbs),

· lay the fish on the salt bed, and completely cover it with the rest of the salt so you get a layer just over 1.5cm thick.

· Pat it down firmly, then put into the oven for 15 minutes to 20 minutes

Once cooked, remove from the oven, take a sharp knife and stick it through the salt into the middle of your fish. Carefully touch the knife to your lip and if it's hot, the fish is ready. Leave to one side for 10 minutes and make aioli and salad.

aioli

· pound and mush up the garlic, saffron and a good pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle until you've got a smooth vibrant orange paste.

· Use the pestle to mix in the olive oil, a drizzle at a time. Be patient and wait until you've got a smooth emulsion before adding the next drizzle.

· Do the same with the extra virgin olive oil.

· Add a squeeze or two of juice from your peeled lemon and taste again.

salad

· slice cucumber and put it into a bowl.

· Tear the olives and add to the bowl along with the torn-up cleaned capsicums, the parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

· Season with a little salt and pepper, then toss together.

by now the salt on your fish should be hard as a brick

· give it a whack around the edges with the back of a spoon

· peel off the whole salt top

· Carefully brush the excess salt off your fish

· then gently move it to a platter using a fish slice.

BELLY BULLETIN

First up, some fabulous events that are coming up soon.

Kulcha Jam is having a South Indian themed fundraiser this Thursday December 5th. from 6pm. Russell, the 'dosa' man will be cooking up a
delicious dinner followed by sweet delicacies made by other CO*OP members
who are caterers, chefs, cooks and food lovers. There is lots of wonderful music, including Ben Walsh, Si Mullum from Wild Marmalade, and a Bollywood Sisters dance, and lots of Bhangra and Bollywoood music to get down to. It's cheap and for a good cause, all proceeds to the food and music co-op. At the Byron Arts and Industry Estate, 1 Acacia St, more info on www.kulchajam.org/coop or facebook. And listen up to belly next week for co-op updates, as Alice will be visiting Sister Michael.

All that dancing on Thursday will get you limbered up for an evening of aphrodisiac delights at the Bangalow A&I Hall, on this Saturday December 7 at 7pm. Check your local papers or listen to Arts Canvass this Thursday on bayfm for more. Or check out the excellent blog by Megan one of the organisers – aphrocuisine.wordpress.com
It has lots of lovely recipes, worth checking out even if the only one you're loving at the moment is yourself. Creative pairings like Scallops with Custard Apple, Tarragon & Almonds, which the bellysisters have been given permission to share with you. The menu for the Byron event includes in season watermelon and cucumber salad with rose geranium and toasted coconut, and mango curd tartlets. mmm. But maybe you shouldn't look at the menu, because you may be playing games like blindfolding your dining partner (or maybe someone else's, we don't know) and feeding them. email : aphrocuisine@gmail.com or call 0431 911 403

And then feed your brain and your soul at the 2013 UPLIFT Festival – it brings together some of the world's most innovative advocates for global sustainability and oneness. Byron Bay, 12-15 December. Speakers who focus on food issues include locals happiness economist Helena Norberg-Hodge, who is a world renowned activist, writer and filmaker, ex-bayfm presenter of the Healing Wave, Janella Purcell, Jeffrey Smith, from the US, director of The Institute for Responsible Technology, on GMOs, and the delightful and insightful Vandana Shiva from India, biodiversity and seed freedom campaigner. She calls patent and intellectual property laws of the World Trade Organisation "a tool for creating underdevelopment" with "only a negative function: to prevent others from doing their own thing; to prevent people from having food; to prevent people from having medicine". If you can't get to Byron Bay or are looking for a cheaper option, you can subscribe to a live high quality web stream of the event. See upliftfestival.com

HARVEST FESTIVAL – BY MICHAEL DLASK

The Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is blessed with a basket of
riches that is vitally connected to both land and sea. Whilst the coastal
plains and valleys are home to an abundant variety of crops and livestock,
the Tweed, Richmond and Clarence rivers provide a connection to the sea and
the sumptuous seafood that inhabits the coastal waters. In hand with a
number of producers, distributors, retailers, restaurants and cafes, the
farmers, growers and fisherman are all pulling together to celebrate the
quality and diversity that contributes to the provenance of the region.

In the Autumn of 2014, Northern Rivers Food are presenting the region's
inaugural Harvest Festival and are calling on all participants in the food
industry to take part on in what will be a week of events to celebrate and
showcase our finest offerings.
Running from the 26th April to the 4th of May 2014, the Harvest Festival
will host two signature activities that will be co-ordinated by Northern
Rivers Food. The first being the 3Rivers Farm Gate Tours which involve bus
tours visiting source of our amazing produce, and the other being the Long
Table Lunch. Surrounding these two events, growers, producers and
restaurants have the opportunity to create complimentary events (either
individually or in collaboration) across the week.
Want to get involved? Submit your event idea now!
info@northernriversfood.org.au

Tweed food, herbs on the road & GM bongos

Make sure you tune into a great belly today – you will hear:

Kerry from Tweed Foodie Fest, Deb Shortis from Byron Herb Nursery and Amica Sanday on genetically modified food. She's written a 'Monsanto' song especially for Belly and will be singing it live with me on the bongos!

Sister Michael

LOTSA LINKS

Tweed Foodie Festival:

http://www.tweedfoodiefest.com.au/

Monsanto segment:

http://www.realnatural.org/many-countries-ban-gmo-crops-require-ge-food-labels/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-moore-lappe/my-5-minutes-at-the-world_b_4138370.html

http://smallplanet.org/resources/gmo-fact-sheet

http://smallplanet.org/videos/lappe-speeches

http://www.madge.org.au/are-gm-foods-labelled-australia

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2012/11/15/factbox-gm-foods-australia

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/gmfood/labelling/Pages/default.aspx

BELLY BULLETIN

Just in time for Christmas – a big team of volunteers has put together the Bangalow Banquet Cookbook. All proceeds go directly to the Bangalow Public School and The Bangalow Community Children's Centre. The authors promise not just lots of great recipes, but a culinary journey of the past, present and future of Bangalow and the hinterland. A simple way to step into a culinary Tardis! With 260 pages and lots of pictures, this project involved a lot of community support. The funds for printing are still being gathered right this minute. You can pre-order from Bangalow Public School Front Office. Byron Street, Bangalow. 0266871434 , or check them out on facebook, or listen to belly on December 2 when some of the team chat with sister Tess. Bangalow Banquet was crowd funded through pozible. The fundraising campaign deadline is 12 midday today, just as belly goes to air. www.pozible.com/bangalowbanquet

happy (& tasty) animals, carrots & pecans

Well I'm not sure how happy the pecans are, but they have a fascinating history, especially if you are interested in the food industry. But I know the animals on Matthew Evan's farm, and on Sharon Gibson's Mullumbimby block, are very happy. And they finish their life in the gentlest possible way.

For the first recipe though, here is a carrot pudding chosen from Matthew's new book, The Dirty Chef. Originally his partner Sadie's recipe. Make it the main event for a vegetarian meal, or serve it as a side dish. But make sure you get very good carrots! As I heard a farmer say once, if there is ever a time to go organic, it's with carrots. Or grow your own on a kitchen bench, as one of Matthew's fans did.

CARROT PUDDING

Serves 4 as a meal, 8 as a side dish

This naturally sweet, rich carrot dish is perfect for vegetarians

and meat eaters alike. You could flavour the béchamel sauce

with cardamom or other spices as you see fit, but I like the true

taste of the carrot coming through unadorned.

800 g (1 lb 12 oz) carrots, roughly chopped

400 ml (14 fl oz/12 3 cups) milk

1 fresh bay leaf

50 g (1¾ oz) butter

1 large brown onion, finely diced

4 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

1 egg

salt and freshly milled black pepper

100 g (3½ oz/about 1¼ cups) coarse fresh breadcrumbs

Steam the carrot until quite soft and mash to a rough paste

using a potato masher.

While the carrot cooks, make a white sauce by heating

the milk with the bay leaf in a saucepan until nearly boiling.

Turn off the heat and let it steep while you make the roux

(a butter and flour mixture used for thickening). Melt the

butter in a 1-litre (35-fl oz/4-cup) saucepan over a low heat and

fry the onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the flour

and stir quickly with a wooden spoon so it combines well with

no lumps. Keep stirring for a minute while this flour mixture

fries a bit. Reheat the milk and add it a ladleful at a time to the

flour mixture, stirring the whole time and reboiling between

additions (discard the bay leaf rather than add it to the sauce).

When this white sauce has had all the milk added, make sure it

simmers one last time, then remove from the heat. It should be

the consistency of reasonably thick custard.

Cool the white sauce slightly, then stir into the carrot

mixture with the egg and salt and pepper. Spoon into a 2-litre

(70-fl oz/8-cup) baking dish or casserole dish and sprinkle

with the breadcrumbs (you can toss the crumbs in oil or butter

if you like, but the pudding is already rich). Bake at 170°C

(325°F/Gas 3) for about 30–40 minutes, or until the crumbs

are browned and the pudding is hot right through.

Serve with roasted meats, or as the meal with a light salad

on the side.

[This is an edited extract from THE DIRTY CHEF by Matthew Evans, published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $29.99, out now.]

Nadine and Katrina

Today we have 2 of this area's best chefs on belly, first up, Nadine Abensur, who was a legend of vegetarian cooking in the UK, but now spends much more time surrounded by art in her Mullum gallery. In the next hour, the wonderful Katrina Kanetani from Town restaurant in Bangalow, who is renowned for making art on the plate, especially with desserts that use lots of local ingredients.

NADINE'S ARIOSA UPSIDE DOWN MANGO CAKE

I made this cake on Saturday for the rehearsal and private concert by Ensemble Ariosa who played to a packed house at The Byron Community Centre yesterday to a packed house.

Upside Down Mango Cake

Topping

3 mangos, peeled and sliced

60 grams butter

2 tbsp maple syrup

220 grams soft brown sugar

Cake:

170 grams plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

PInch salt

125 grams butter, unsalted at room temperature

250 grams caster sugar

2 large, organic eggs

1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature

Method

Preheat oven to 180C, butter a 23cm round cake pan. Line with baking paper

To make Topping:

In a saucepan over a medium heat, combine butter, maple syrup and brown sugar Heat, stirring till all have melted and the mix is smooth – about 5 -6 minutes. Pour mixture in the prepared tin. Tilt the pan so that caramel covers the entire surface. Arrange Mango slices over the edge and closely placed all over the bottom of the tin, like the petals of a flower. Set aside.

To make the cake:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Each should be beaten for 1minute so that each is well incorporated.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add one third to butter mixture and beat. Add one third of the milk and beat on low speed. Continue alternately adding the ingredients in the same manner ending with the last third of the flour mixture. Pour the batter over the mango slices and spread it evenly leveling the top.

Bake for about 50 minutes or till springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Flip it on a serving dish. Served warm or cold, ice cream on the side, a summer must.

Arioso (feminine ariosa) is a type of solo vocal piece, usually occurring in an opera or oratorio, falling somewhere between recitative and aria in style. Literally, arioso means airy.

onions, Canadian indigenous farming & cooking, & more onions

Today, Ben Kirkwood turned to explain why the Byron Beach Cafe gives a fork and you should too, especially if you love fish, lots of music from the artists at Boomerang, and lots of onion songs, and onion recipes from my mother's network of friends in Italy – I asked for a couple of tips and started a recipe war! Lots of stories about what is going on in the world of food, & a beautiful story from Canada about something even better than organic gardening – organic gardening based on indigenous knowledge, markets, in season this month, more music, a belly smogasbord on this holiday Monday.

I've got lots more for you to pop online about today, but I've just finished translating all those onion recipes, so here they are.

My mother has friends all over Italy, so you are getting a great spread of regional recommendations.

I left the original Italian, in case you are learning or we have Italian speaking visitors to the site.

Queste ricette erano in Italiano nell'originale, se sei in visita al sito dall'Italia, per favore fammelo sapere usando i commenti qua sotto, grazie.

ONIONS AND ANCHOVIES – BY GIOVANNA IN TUSCANY

1 kg cipolle rosse – affettate—sottili

mezzo kg di alici – aperte pulite bene

aceto – mezzo bicchiere

prezzemolo tritato

mettere tutto a crudo—cipolle al doppio delle alici – coprire con olio –mettere in frigo e cominciare a mangiare dopo due o tre giorni

1 Kg red onions, thinly sliced

500 g anchovies (in Italy these would be bought by weight, kept in salt as whole fish in a big tin) – butterflied and well cleaned – or try good quality fillets, drained

1/2 glass of wine vinegar

finely chopped parsley

olive oil

Layer onions and anchovies, cover in oil, top with parsley

Refrigerate and start to eat after 2-3 days

(you may want to try a much smaller quantity of this one first!)

MARIA LUISA'S SUN DRIED ONIONS – Sicily

Affettare le cipolle ,preferibilmente quelle rosse, a fette non troppo

sottili cospargerle di sale e metterle a sgocciolare, se il tempo lo

consente, esporle al sole per circa 30 minuti affinchè perdano il loro

liquido pungente, a questo punto sciacquare abbondantemente con aceto

per eliminare il sale. Lasciare ancora una volta le cipolle a

sgocciolare e conservare in un contenitore di vetro con abbondante

olio di oliva. Questa semplice ricetta è un ottimo contorno al pesce

ed inoltre è ingrediente di insalate alla Siciliana.

Slice the onions, preferably red ones, into not too thin slices.

Cover them in salt and let them drain.

If you have enough time, put them in the sun for about 30 minutes so they lose their pungent juices, then rinse with lots of vinegar to get rid of the salt.

Allow to drain a second time.

Keep in a glass container with plenty of olive oil.

This simple recipe is delicious with fish or can be used in Sicilian style salads.

I just tried this last night, interesting even just to see how much liquid comes out of the onions.

They were good and sweet, a bit salty, even though I only had the supercheap 2L container of white vinegar available for the washing step. I used a whole lot of them in a seared fish and potato salad, with lots of fresh herbs, they provided a lovely high (sweet/sharp/salty/crunchy) flavour note and bright colour to the dish.

ZUPPA DI CIPOLLE DI INES – INES'S ONION SOUP – Piedmont

cipolle di tropea o bianche 1 kg – red or white onions

pane casareccio tostato – toasted 'home style', good white bread

brodo vegetale – vegetable stock

bicchierino di rhum o cognac – a small glass of rum or cognac

gruviera – gruviere/Swiss style mild melty cheese

a piacere una macinata di pepe misto – ground mixed pepper

a little white wine

affettare le cipolle —non sottilissime—lavare veloce con vino bianco e acqua–colare e asciugare–cuocere con olio oliva—molto lentamente—a quasi cottura ultimata aggiungere 2 noci burro-.il liquore

prendere le ciotolt individuali di coccio—mettere sul fondo il pane tostato–aggiungere un pò di cipolle– mettere il gruviere grattuggiati grossolanamente

continuare gli strati sino a fine ingredienti—-normalmente sono due——-

prima dell'ultimo strato di gruviera mettere il brodo

le fette di pane non devono galleggiare–ossia il brodo deve inzuppare le fette solo a sufficienza—ines dice che si può anche fare una teglia grande ed in

seguito essere in grado di tagliare a fette

possibilmente gratinare al forno velocemente

Slice the onions, not too thinly, and wash quickly with wine mixed with water. Drain and dry the onions.

Cook onions very slowly in olive oil, when almost done add about a scant 1/4 cup butter ("2 walnuts of butter") & the rum or cognac.

Use individual earthenware oven safe bowls or one large one.

Layer bread and onions, bread first, then onions, then cheese. Add stock before the last layer of cheese, just enough so the bread is soaked but not floating.

Finish briefly in a hot oven.

ONIONS COOKED IN SALT (BY ANDREA RIBALDONE, TRIED AND RECOMMENDED BY LIDIA) – Lombardy

CIPOLLE DI ANDREA RIBALDONE CHEF A SPINETTA MARENGO – SPERIMENTATA DA LIDIA : CIPOLLA COTTA AL SALE

tempo due ore –per quattro persone – 2 hours to make, recipe for 4 people

4 cipolle gialle – yellow onions (try brown), unpeeled

50gr.parmigiano grattuggiato – grated Parmesan

50 gr. pane raffermo grat. – breadcrumbs made from day old bread

3 kg di sale grosso – rock salt

4 cucchiai olio – 4 Tbs olive oil

un pizzico di sale—pepe nero – a pinch of salt and black pepper

ricopri cipolle col sale grosso, tienile per 85 minuti nel forno a 170 gradi

quindi tagliane la parte superiore e con un cucchiaio svuotale della polpa, preservandone intera la buccia. cuoci la polpa in padella con due cucchiai di olio per 20 minuti

poi frullala unendo 30 gr. di parmig. il pane gratt.sale e pepe fino ad ottenerre un composto denso ed omogeneo.

riempi la buccia con la farcia, coprile col restante parmigiano e due cucchiai di olio e passale in forno a 200 gradi fino a che non saranno dorate—circa 5 minuti

Cover onions in rock salt and bake at 170C for 85 minutes

Cut the top off onions and take out the pulp with a spoon, keeping the skin whole.

Cook the pulp in a pan with 2 Tbs oil for 20 minutes

Mince in a food processor with 30 grams of the Parmesan, the breadcrumbs and the salt and pepper until it is thick and smooth.

Fill the onion skins with the pulp, top with remaining Parmesan & 2 Tbs oil

Bake in a 200C oven until golden, about 5 minutes

LITTLE SWEET AND SOUR ONIONS – MY MUM FRANCA'S RECIPE – Piedmont

This started the whole Italian onion craze when I made it recently, for the first time in many years, to great acclaim. A very forgiving recipe, cooking times and temperatures and quantities aren't really too important, but it's good to cook the onions until they are quite soft and the sauce is thick. Good with beef or pork, or as a vegetarian meal pair with blanched/pan tossed bitter leaves like radicchio and couscous or rice. Or chickpeas or polenta.

The recipe is in print in a book mum and I did many years ago, 'Italy a Culinary Journey'. A regional cookbook with contributions from many authors from the various regions, you can still find copies online.

Small mild onions, I used red ones, roughly 1 kg, peeled

3 Tbs sugar

60 g. butter

1 Tbs flour

1 Tbs red wine vinegar

Choose a pan that is just big enough to fit your little peeled onions in one layer

Make a light brown caramel with the sugar

Add butter, flour, stir until goes creamy, add 1/2 to 1 cup warm water

Bring to the boil, add onions, you need enough water to cover the onions, add more warm water if necessary

Bring back to boil, simmer about 30 minutes covered, stir occasionally

Add 1 tbs vinegar, simmer uncovered 30 minutes or more, check for salt

One of those dishes that is even better the next day, and the day after, so you can make extra.

Love and chocolate covered onions, sister T