Tag Archives: pasta

less food waste & more delicious salami

Today on belly, sister T & sister D spend the first hour with the aptly named Aime Green, who travels the country helping
festivals to manage their waste and focus on sustainability. And we'll be talking compost, yei!

Then we are off on a belly safari to Billinudgel, to the Salumi Australia factory, to learn how artisan smallgoods (salumi in Italian) are made, and how they differ from the home made and the big fast factory methods.

To contact Aime Green:

http://greenchief@sustainability.com<mailto:greenchief@sustainability.com>

To find out more about Salumi Australia, especially where they will be next

https://www.facebook.com/SalumiAustralia

And the website, which should have lots of recipes after Easter, they promised

http://www.salumi.com.au/

Meantime, here are a couple from the bellysisters

FROM THE BELLY LAB – PIGGY ROOTS RECIPE – by sister T

small onions, whole, peeled
medium or small potatoes, whole, peeled or unpeeled
mixed roots such as parsnips, carrots, beetroot, cleaned, left whole or halved or quartered lengthways
(opt) whole chillies and halved and seeded capsicum
fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs
smoky pancetta
good olive oil

This is a way to simply dress up veg to accompany roast meats, or makes a very good meal on its own. And if you eat the potatoes on the first night you can mix the rest through cooked rice and reheat in the oven the following night. So you can feel at one with our peasant ancestors, who could make a little bit of 'his majesty the pig' go a very long way.

pre-heat oven to 180-200 degrees C
oil base of a wide oven dish, add veg and herbs, salt, pepper, light drizzle of olive oil
cut pancetta into 1 cm thick slices, then 1cm wide strips (similar to French lardons)
add to veg – the only slight trick to this dish is to have the pancetta on top and not stir the veg until the strips have rendered their fat into the veg and gone crispy, so the roots absorb (and cook in) the fat and smokyness. You don't need a lot of pancetta to make a big difference to the flavour. I used about 3kg of veg to 2 thick slices of pancetta.
The capsicum adds a moist element, but it's not essential, and the chillies are good left whole so they don't burn and can be left to the chilli lovers only.

ITALIAN CLASSIC – BUCATINI ALL'AMATRICIANA RECIPE

translated by sister T from Slow Food Ed 2001 – "Ricette di Osterie d'Italia" – Italian tavern/bistro dishes
recipe from ristorante La Conca, right in the town of Amatrice

This recipe from the mountains of central Italy is as famous within Italy as Ligurian pesto is around the world. Even by Italian standards it gives rise to more growling about "the one and only proper recipe" than most – often because guanciale, cured pig jowl, is supposed to be the one and only piggy bit to use. But if you can't find guanciale, use a good pancetta.

For 4 people

500 g bucatini pasta
1 kg peeled tomatoes
400 g guanciale
1/2 glass (say 100/150 mL) dry white wine
aged pecorino cheese (not Parmesan)
extra virgin olive oil
chilli powder, salt

Cut any hard bits off the guanciale and cut into small dice. Brown in a cast iron pan with a little olive oil and chilli powder. Add the wine, then squashed peeled tomatoes, salt, cook 15 minutes.
Meantime cook bucatini in plenty of salted water. Drain well.
Add to tomato sauce pan and stir with pecorino until well combined.
Serve on hot plates.

Obviously a pretty simple recipe that relies on good ingredients – but you are allowed to use tinned tomatoes I think. Absolutely no garlic or onions according to Mrs Perilli from La Conca.

SALUMI SAFARI

If you would like to listen to the audio of Sister T's belly safari at the Salumi Australia HQ in Billinudgel, please just click on the audio files below, or check out the great pics by the belly photographer, Madam Zaza. You can almost smell the salami! Actually one of the most interesting things is that the aging room, which was simply loaded with all sorts of good things (roughly 10 tons of cured meat), smelled more of pleasant moulds, like a cheese room. I was constantly reminded of the similarity of techniques and natural processes between cured meats and cheeses and winemaking – the magic of fermentation, and the temperature and hygiene control that skilled producers can use to work with nature, rather than bombing our food with chemicals designed to counteract hurried and potentially harmful industrial processes. Though I still have strong doubts about pig fat actually being mostly unsaturated (as Michael says in our interview), I love his idea that animals don't make bad fats, factories make bad fats. If you know who first came up with that one, please let the bellysisters know.

Salumi safari Part 1

Salumi safari Part 2 – drying room

Salumi safari – Part 3 – aging room

Salumi safari Part 4

BELLY BULLETIN

Research out of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical school in Singapore published in the Journal of Hepatology has discovered a link between consumption of coffee and prolonging the lives of those with cirrhosis of the liver.‭ ‬The study found that people living with cirrhosis of the liver caused by non-viral hepatitis were less likely to die if they consumed at least one cup of coffee daily.‭ ‬The research also indicated that the more coffee the patients drank,‭ ‬the better their chances for survival were.‭ ‬The results are not connected solely to caffeine,‭ ‬and tea and caffeinated soft drinks did not have the same benefit.‭ ‬The researchers believe the results are due to coffee lowering the level of enzymes in the blood that cause cell breakdown and inflammation of the liver.‭ ‬It is believed that coffee reduces oxidative stress‭ (‬stress on the body caused by cumulative damage of free radicals over time‭)‬.

Local company Madura Tea Estates is the official sponsor of Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea . Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is a national fundraising event, mostly help in the month of May, that invites Australians to host or attend a morning tea and raise funds for cancer research, prevention, early detection and patient support programs. Over the last two decades, $110 million has been raised for the Cancer Council. Stephen Bright of Madura Tea Estates says : ‘We have made it simple for the host by creating special host kits on our website.’ The company is also going for the Worlds Biggest Tea Bag title. The record currently is 150kg. As host kits and specialty marked packs in store are purchased more tea is added to the tea bag. The Worlds Biggest Tea Bag will be on show at the next public event at the Byron Lighthouse on May 20th. ‘We currently have 79kg in the tea bag’ We hope to have well over 100kg at our Byron Bay event’ said Mr Bright. Host packs are available online at www.maduratea.com.au

The international Union for Conservation of Nature‭ (‬IUCN‭) ‬reported in‭ ‬2010‭ ‬that sturgeon had become the most critically endangered group of animals in the world due to humans desire for caviar.‭ ‬When this report was released,‭ ‬85%‭ ‬of the species was at risk of extinction.‭ ‬It is the usual practice that pregnant sturgeon are killed before their eggs are harvested.‭ ‬As the fish do not reproduce annually,‭ ‬it can take many years for the population to recover from a decline.‭ ‬To continue to fulfil the worlds demand and yet preserve the life of sturgeon,‭ ‬some sturgeon farmers have been using alternative‭ “‬no kill‭” ‬methods of roe collection.‭ ‬Vivace a small farm in Loxstedt Germany has perfected the technique of‭ “‬massage‭” ‬to extract the eggs.‭ ‬The massage method involves first observing a sturgeons eggs by ultrasound,‭ ‬and if ready a signalling protein Is given to the fish several days before the egg harvest,‭ ‬to induce labour,‭ ‬and the roe can then be pumped out of the fish with a gentle massage.‭ ‬There are many benefits to this process,‭ ‬including sustainability and financial viability as the same sturgeon can be‭ “‬massaged‭” ‬several times throughout their lifetime,‭ ‬not just live for‭ ‬7‭ ‬or‭ ‬8‭ ‬years to mature and be killed.

Cheeses Loves You Cheesemaking Classes
Debra Allard from Cheeses Loves You has announced her latest cheese making classes at Burringbar Hall.
Friday, 2^nd May – Drunken Goat, Washed Rind Reblochon, Persian Feta.
Saturday, 3^rd May – Colby, Camembert, Goat Chevre, Cow Cream Cheese/Quark.
email Debra for more information – cheeseslovesyou@bigpond.com

Popular local caterers Open Table are running cooking workshops through May

Middle Eastern Workshop Sunday May 25th. Raw Food- Sunday 4th May
Moroccan Cooking- Sunday 11th May
Gourmet Wholefood- Saturday 17th May: look for Open Table on facebook for more details

And finally, an interesting new publication to check out if you like to think about food issues.
The Graduate Journal of Food Studies is a US based online publication, that publishes food research stories from graduate students of food issues around the world. The first issue includes the social history of the "trophy kitchen", food and agriculture propaganda in North Korea, a Detroit food justice group, and lots of great photos and drawings for those of us who like to look at the pictures – www.graduatefoodjournal.com

MUSIC – For info and videos of tracks we played today go to – http://bayfm.org/programs/belly-/

or at least check out the gorgeous Fabio KoRyu Calabro' on Youtube, singing about everything from veg to salami to managing to fool his cat – all in Italian, just helped out by his uke

SALUMI AUSTRALIA VISUAL TOUR – All images on this post copyright Isabelle Delmotte – id(at)idbytes(dot)net

Thank you very much Michael for a very interesting experience, I only wish internet scratch and sniff technology was available.

Planning a kitchen

On air on bayfm 99.9 community radio, Byron Bay, on 23 April 2012

Today on belly we talked about designing the most important room in your house, the kitchen, with Don Hansen. We spoke about materials and budgets and environmentally friendly options, but also a lot about one of Don’s big passions, good communication.

FRESH REPORT

A couple of ideas about this week’s best in season fruit and veg.

A budget choice, CHOKOS are everywhere. One stallholder had a sign at the markets, “choko apppreciation society meeting in the Bangalow phone box” . I will be there, yes they can be a bit tasteless if just boiled into submission but chokos can be a really good ingredient. . Try online searches for chayote recipes, their Central American name. Just like the avocado, which is also beginning its season, it was a favourite of the aztecs. Or look for mirliton recipes from Luisiana, or christophine from Trinidad. I tried choko Italiano this week, testing the idea that it takes on other flavours. It was really good in an onion,capsicum and tomato pasta sauce. The taste team approved, saying choko chunks did take on the flavours, but made the sauce lighter and juicier.
For an exotic choice try JIKAMA (Don says this should be pronounced ‘hikama’), it looks like a giant white water chestnut or a fat beige turnip. Just peel it and eat raw, or quickly cooked. It has crunchy juicy and sweet white flesh. Great raw in salads and keeps its crunch in stir fries, so can substitute for water chestnuts. Could be interesting in a sushi roll. Also from Central America, in Mexico it is used to dip in salsas, much healthier than corn chips.
Plentiful choice – lemons, limes, mandarins – citrus time, yum

CHOKO ITALIANO – Belly Lab recipe by sister Tess

For 4 people

1 pack penne or spaghetti

1 can tomatoes and/or very ripe tasty tomatoes (I prefer a mix of both)

1 red onion, chopped or sliced

1 large red capsicum, sliced

garlic, good olive oil, salt, pepper

capers, anchovies, chilli, freshly grated Parmesan to taste

fresh or dry oregano

1 beautiful large choko, peeled seeded and cut into smallish chunks

Fry onions in oil until soft, add capers, chilli and chopped garlic, fry a couple more minutes. Add capsicum and choko, salt, pepper, cook on fairly high heat. Add tomatoes, oregano, anchovies, cook gently until the sauce is quite dense and tomatoes are cooked. Skip or change any of these ingredients that you aren’t really into.

Serve on al dente pasta with grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

BELLY BULLETIN

There is an egg fight going on in Australia. Consumers love free range eggs, they are nearly 40% of eggs sold in Australia and were the biggest growth category in eggs last year. The Egg Corporation, the main egg producers association, announced its plans to change the allowable outdoor stocking density for free range chickens from 1500 to 20,000 per hectare. The consumers association Choice says that the RSPCA and Humane Choice set a limit of 1500, while the Free Range Farmers association sets 750 chooks per hectare as a limit. Choice says consumers will stop buying free range if they are not confident they are getting what they pay for. the egg corp is concerned about overseas competition, and says stocking density is not as important as appropriate farm management, and that this density allows chickens to display all their natural behaviours, like scratching in the dirt. Check the links below to make up your own mind.

http://www.choice.com.au/media-and-news/media-releases/2012-media-releases/free-range-eggs-not-all-they-are-cracked-up-to-be.aspx

http://www.aecl.org/

You may remember a lot of discussion about the proposed new markets policy in byron shire, including a big meeting here in the community centre. The council has now revised the policy, it is open for viewing and comment until May 18, 2012 in various public places and online. Council would like anyone who has already commented to submit any comments on the new policy, as well as the rest of us of course. For a direct link to the policy on the council’s website click here.

on air 1 November 2010 – the secret life of spaghetti

Pasta spaghetti cannelloni lasagna macaroni and maccheroni – and so on with the hundreds of names and shapes of Italian pasta – most of us cook it at least once a week, from Africa to Antarctica to the space missions you can find people cooking versions of Italian pasta. It is even popular in Asian countries that have a fine tradition of their own styles of noodles, like Japan. But is it good pasta and do we cook it well, do we understand all the secrets of this simple mix of flour and water? Well, no. Today’s belly guest is the very charming and passionate Luca Ciano, Australia and New Zealand Executive Chef with Barilla, Italy’s biggest pasta company. Barilla are trying to conquer the Australian market by teaching us all about good pasta, in dedicated pasta cooking schools. Right now you can buy some of their products and book in for a free class if you have access to a capital city. Go to the Barilla site for details, and for lots of recipes and pasta cooking tips. It’s well worth a look, as is the Italian version of the site if you happen to speak the language.

Luca Ciano

Luca says in all the classes there are people who thought they knew all about pasta, and come away with lots of new insights. This was certainly my case after our phone interview. We talked pasta for 40 minutes and I could have kept going for hours. A few things I didn’t know:

* all good pasta is made from durum (hard) wheat, but not all durum wheat is good. Although we grow some great durum in Australia, some pastas are made from lower quality wheat which is only used for animal feed in Italy. One way to tell is the colour which should never be brownish unless the pasta is wholemeal.

* the bronze extruded pastas on the market, which also tend to be the most expensive, are harder to cook properly al dente, so experiment first and maybe leave them for special occasions. They are also not necessarily more of an artisan product than the smoother more common pastas.

* the common habit of adding oil to the cooking water is not only useless, but can stop the pasta from properly binding with the sauce in a “beautiful marriage”.

For a new type of pasta to try, Luca recommends we look out for “casarecce” a short twisted Sicilian style of pasta as it works well with lots of sauces, including a simple tomato sauce.

He talked about saving the pasta cooking water to add to the sauce, which caused concern with at least one listener. This is a common little trick. In Italy cooks try to use a minimum amount of sauce to coat and flavour the pasta, and often the mix can be a little dry when you put pasta and sauce together, so a spoonful or 2 of the cooking water is added to get the preferred consistency. The cooking water is the right temperature, and contains a little starch and salt which help to make the “beautiful marriage” work. If you are making a sauce which includes blanched veg, you can also use the same pot of water, before cooking the pasta, to make the most of the boiled water and lose as few nutrients and flavour as possible.

Below is an extract from the Barilla site with some basic rules of recognising good pasta and how to cook it well. Obviously they aren’t the only good pasta in the world, but there is a lot of pasta out there that is hard or impossible to cook well. And luckily the good stuff is often the same price or not much more than the bad.


	Wrong. All pasta isn’t the same. The quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the ingredients. A simple cooking test will tell you. If the water doesn’t froth intensely when boiled, remains clear after cooking and the pasta’s golden, you’re on a winner. [bellysis note – this is because low quality pasta releases lots of starch and nutrients in the water]

	Most people don’t use a big enough pot and enough water. The rule is one litre per 100 grams of pasta.

	Salted water helps flavour the pasta as it absorbs liquid and swells. Add 10 grams of salt per litre of water.

	With a premium quality pasta, there’s no need to add oil. It will just coat the pasta causing the sauce to slide off rather than bind. Poor quality pasta can require oil to combat the amount of sticky starch released when cooked.

	Again if it’s Barilla there’s absolutely no need to rinse. Only a small amount of starch is released during cooking, so the pasta doesn’t stick together. Rinsing in fact removes the pasta’s light starch coating which is important for holding the sauce.

	Dry pasta contains carbohydrates but no fats are added to the dough so the total fat in dry pasta is minimal. The sauce you add is another matter. If it’s rich and creamy then this will contribute significantly to the fat and calorific content of the dish.

	Pasta is digested differently to other carbohydrates. That’s because pasta is high in complex carbohydrates which provide a slow release of energy. The carbohydrates become glucose stored in the muscles, which is then released when required.

	Pasta should be cooked ‘al dente’. Quite literally this means ‘to the tooth’ or slightly firm to the bite. Ideally it should be tasted from the pot and finished in a frypan combining with the sauce over heat. One of the benefits of ‘al dente’ pasta is to encourage chewing as this aids in the digestive process.

	Italians use less sauce than we do. That’s because they want to taste the pasta as well as the sauce. So if it’s good pasta don’t drown it. The general rule is to use as much sauce as pasta. However, pesto sauce should be used as a simple garnish. In Italy there are over 300 types of pasta, often the signature dish of a particular region. Different shapes suit different sauces. For instance short pasta like Penne go with chunky meat and vegetable sauces. Fettuccine or Pappardelle suit rich creamy sauces and Bucatini and Cannelloni are ideal for baking.

	Better pasta is in fact made from semolina which is produced by grinding kernels of durum wheat. And here are … The Casa Barilla 10 Italian Kitchen Commandments: Thou shalt not add oil to the pasta water. Thou shalt not cook with subordinate produce. Thou shalt not use old wine for cooking: if you drink it, cook with it. Thou shalt not ban the man from the kitchen: encourage him to use his hands! Thou shalt not add masses of sauce to a pasta dish: the beauty of Italian food is its simplicity and honesty of simple flavours and combining. Thou shalt drink an Italian wine whilst cooking – this will make you feel Italian even if you aren’t Thou shalt respect the seasons – they are what make us alive and what keeps the Earth in harmony. Watch, learn, listen to the produce and people who grow it. Thou shalt respect tradition and what Italian mamma says. She knows from her mamma, who knew from her mamma who knew from her mamma and so on. It’s been tried and tested. Thou shalt come to Casa Barilla to learn how to cook, enjoy and share Italian food. Thou shalt share Italian food with your loved ones. It is what life, love and family are all about. So them’s the rules bellysister – straight from the horse’s mouth – now follow them or break them, it’s only pasta……brrrr, I can feel the bolt of lightning building up to strike me down already! And btw the word is linguine not linguini, even my spell check knows that – not really relevant to the topic, but it bugs me severely. Also I should thank Barilla for sending the biggest box I have ever received of pasta goodies, biscuits and aprons etc – enough for 2 prizes for subscribers, we are still not sure if it came all the way from Italy. Also a pasta timer which we are keeping to play with on air – maybe we should time ourselves when we are raving on too much, what do you think? Today’s EDIBLE QUOTE was Italian of course, a saying from Victoria Cosford’s “Amore and Amaretti” “A tavola non s’invecchia” – at the table you do not age And yes it’s been a lot of talk about Italian food on belly lately, so if you are or know a good cook from another background, come along and talk to the bellysisters please please please In NOVEMBER IN SEASON NEWS, the banana growers council says it is a great year and time for good looking cheap nanas, so don’t pay too much, local blueberries have started, and I’m experimenting with chocolate eggplant – eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and lots of juicy melons and berries are in season now. Sister T Herbie Hancock, ‘Watermelon Man’ and ‘Cantaloupe island’, from “Watermelon man the ultimate Hancock!” Havana Mambo, “Malanina”, from Putumayo, “Salsa around the world” Bandabardo, “Il Principiante” – the beginner

The Casa Barilla 10 Italian Kitchen Commandments: