Category Archives: RADIO SHOW POSTS

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:

  1. Fresh Tomatoes, crushed in Blender or 1 Litre spicy (or plain) Tomato juice.
  2. Bunch of celery leaves (washed and picked from half bunch of celery).
  3. Dash “Creamed” horseradish (good brand).
  4. Dash Tabasco Sauce (to taste).
  5. Dash HP or Worcestershire sauce (to taste).
  6. Pinch Paprika.
  7. 2 Limes (Juice only).
  8. Freshly ground black pepper.
  9. 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

 

  1. Line 2 Litre Stainless Steel mixing bowl with plastic wrap.
  2. Melt White cooking chocolate and pour into base – swirl around evenly.
  3. Place in Freezer to set.
  4. 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.
  5. Freeze over-night or a few nights beforehand.
  6. 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.
  7. 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

Belly Culture

imagesKVHR3JA8

Talofa lava … Sister Rasela of the nutritious delicious belly-licious kitchen here, returning to the airwaves this season along with the rest of the yummy belly sisters in our tasty radio family. If you're looking, you'll find me presenting the last show of each month which i endeavour to stuff full with immensely, intensely interesting food information and fabulous guests that share their wealth of knowledge and genuine passion for all things goooood.

Although some of you lovely locals may have missed us on the airwaves for the best part of the show this week, due to technical telstra glitches at the broadcasting tower, many of you would still have been streaming live on  www.bayfm.org Remember this facility if you ever happen to switch on and hear nothing … for longer than usual.

It was not the most ideal return to the belly kitchen this season but that didn't stop me from powering on with the show albeit in a readjusted form. I was intending to bring you a show full of culture … and this i did … but the types of cultures i included came from the Pacific Islands and not from the fermented and cultured foods that are increasingly available to us in the Shire these days.

I had lined up guests to chat about the following –

  • Cultured Butter from the Bangalow Cheese Co.
  • Coconut Activated Charcoal from Pure Eden
  • Architectural Italian Restaurateur and her chef from the newest Bangalow eatery
  • Coconut Kefir drink from Peace, Love and Vegetables

… and then … and then … the only guest who remained locked in for the ride was our famous astrological interpreter and fabulous food writer and lover Lilith Rochas. As we were half way through the presentation we were alerted to the fact that we were once again LIVE TO AIR. A small cheer went up all round and we thanked our lucky stars for their intervention and the return of our beloved community radio station to the Byronshire's airwaves. 

Thank you Lilith for weaving your magic .. here's what she had to say –

 

~~~~BELLY ASTROTIPPLES & NIBBLES – SAG NOV 25/13


  *With the Sun sizzling away in the energetic sign of the ardent Archer, its time to wish our earnest, passionate, generous Sagittarians happy birthday and suggest a selection of astrologically suitable birthday tipples and nibbles that might delight their adventurous palates.
 
 *BEING the zodiac sign of the traveller, the philosophical seeker, the adventurer, Saggies are the biggest collectors of exotic recipes – they like a meal that takes them travelling.  So make something that creates a foreign ambience – give them the taste they love of faraway places with strange sounding names that remind them of where they’ve been and give them an excuse to launch into extravagant travel tales.  Not that they need much encouragement because anyone who’s ever met a Sagittarian knows they love to talk…
 
So if you’re making a plate for a Sagittarian birthday, think multicultural world food – and if my memory serves me, which it increasingly doesn’t these days, beloved Bay FM elder Nancy Jo Falcone is a Sag (happy birthday Nancy Jo, hope Ive got that right) who introduced me to Pollo con mole, chicken in Mexican chocolate sauce which has become one of my all time favorite signature dishes. An example of extreme Sagittarianism is British superchef John Burton Race who spent his early years experiencing food from all round the world, and usually exploded in fury on TV foodie shows when unadventurous fellow contestants balked at eating kangaroo, crocodile or possum. Burton Race claims his next TV project will be Round the World in 80 Recipes attempting in situ ethnic extremes like cooking a whole camel in the Sahara.  
 
 Saggies like spicy, gamey tastes and there’s a United Nations of flavours to choose from, but preferably pick a dish from somewhere they’ve been: the Tunisian egg dish chakchouka cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes, Meditteranean sardines marinated in grated orange rind, Vietnamese prawns and pork barbecued on sugar cane skewers, Sri Lankan goat kebabs…
 
MUSIC….  MANTRA MIX by Sacred Sound System 3.30
 
 Peripatetic Sagittarians love nothing better than getting the hell outta the kitchen into their real love, the great outdoors and being a fire sign they adore food cooked over flames in front of them.  While their ideal meal might be something you’ve just hunted, caught and flung onto a naked flame, even modern urban Archers love a barbie in the backyard, a picnic, any kind of al fresco dining in the garden or on the deck – that whiff of ozone and wild barbie smoke in their hair seems to do it for Sagittarians, so be aware you may have to prepare food to be carried, eaten or cooked outside. And that firm ingredients make the best travelling food: solid bread and cheeses, sausage, quiche, cold roast meats.
 
 Loving to picnic anywhere from backyard to beach to their favourite nature place, they’d definitely appreciate a wild things menu of gourmet bush tucker: emu pate with bunya nut pesto, or if you want to be fancy barramundi cooked in paperbark with Warrigal greens, or lillipilli sorbet with Davidson plum coulis and lots of Aussie organic wine.
 
 And for this month’s tidbit of astro trivia, it was a Sagittarian who invented the sandwich.   Saggies are known to love a flutter, and when the English Earl of Sandwich was on a roll at the gaming table and way too excited to take time off, he ordered his servants to slap two loaves round a slab of venison and lo! the birth of the sandwich.  So you might want to play a variation on any of the many ethnic sandwiches available: pita pockets, mexican rollups, lavash wraps, ricepaper rolls or leaves of mountain oat bread all wrapped round delicious fillings…
 
SAGITTARIAN VEGETARIANS will be happy throwing a prawn kebab or a tempe/vege brochette on the barbie, so long as there’s plenty of adventurous mustards, sambals and chutney accompaniments. They might also like a Moroccan orange and olive salad, some bean curd-stuffed eggplant in black bean gravy, or a mix of green leaves and fresh herbs that give the impression they’ve just been plucked from the wild,
 
 DESSERT: If you prefer doing sweets, there’s a whole world of desserts to choose from: Lebanese pastries, Turkish delight, Italian nougat, Greek baklava,
 
 For DRINKS: Of course they enjoy travellers' tipples:
 jugs of margharitas, little cups of sake, ouzo, sambucca or absinthe.  Or non-alcoholic fresh coconut water – every thirsty travellers' fantasy.

If you wish to find out more on the topics that are listed above then be sure to lend me your ears again on Dec 23rd when i shall once again return to the kitchen and stir up a few pots of love.

Alofa atu .. Sister Rasela

 

 

 

 

 

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
 
 
9781743316962[1]
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

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
 
 

bush chook and kangaroo

Sometimes on belly we have guests and interviews plannned that we think are completely unrelated, and as we follow the food stories and take our usual tasty tangents, all sorts of interesting links appear and reappear.  This was one such show.  Ilias invited his friend Dino’s mum, Paraskevi a.k.a Beryl, and I (along with sister Deanna), recorded some stories from the 2013 Sample Food Festival, including a lovely interview with Australia’s only ‘hatted’ indigenous chef, Clayton Donovan.  And somehow we ended up spending a lot of time discussing how to cook the Australian national crest, the kangaroo and the emu, a.k.a. in Paraskevi’s wonderful euphemism, ‘bush chook’.

Here is  an old family recipe.
YIAYIA KONSTANDINIA’S YIOUVETSI
Ingredients for four hearty diners!
MEAT
3 halved lamb shanks, skin cleaned off.
2 lamb necks cut in 2 or 3, trimmed of fat. 1 heaped tbsn thick tomato paste diluted in water and 2 large chopped tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, 1 large bayleaf, cracked pepper, salt, knob of butter, olive oil
SAUCE
5 ripe large Roma tomatoes, diced
4 tbspns flat parsley, roughly chopped
2 large brown onions, roughly chopped
2 Heaped tbspns of thick tomato paste diluted in water
Butter and olive oil
Salt, cracked pepper
PASTA-500gms risone pasta -Divella, San Remo, Misko etc.
METHOD
Heat oven to 220C
Mix all MEAT ingredients together in a very well greased ovenproof (preferably earthenware) deep ‘pudding’ or mixing bowl, large enough to fit the meat and with a little space to spare.
Place UPSIDE DOWN in the centre of a 30-35cm x 10cm deep, well greased baking dish (ie Bessemer or Le Creuset or earthenware are good).
SAUCE
Gently sauté onions in the oil and butter and pepper, add diced tomatoes and parsley. Sauté gently fir a few minutes then stir in remaining ingredients.
Place this sauce in the large baking dish, distributed evenly around the bowl. Place a heavy rock or other object on top of the bowl to keep it secure and tight. Pour about 5 cups of boiling water over the sauce (the water should come up about 3-4cm around the bowl.
Place in oven and reduce temperature to 190C. Roast for about 1-3/4 to 2 hours always topping up boiling water to 3-4 cm, as above.
Remove from oven and check for taste – esp for salt and gently distribute the pasta around the baking dish, add about 3cm of water above the pasta.
Return to oven until pasta is cooked and water is absorbed but not dried out. It has to be juicy.
Fry a large knob of butter until it is brown and pour this over the pasta.
NOW FOR THE DRAMA AND DELICIOUS AROMAS
Serve at the table by slowly prizing the bowl off the meat and allowing the meat to fall out of the  bowl into the dish.
Each guest may serve themselves or the host may do so.
Best served with Strained sheep or goat yoghurt, cucumber/tomato salad.
Do provide thin skewers so guests can prize the bone marrow out of the shank bones. Have some moist hand towels handy for those who handle, and like to clean every tasty morsel off, the bones. Do, also, provide a large bowl for the ‘denuded’ bones!
YIAYIA KONSTANTINIA (1875-1956) via granddaughter BERYL GEORGAKOPOULOS.