A Tale of Two Pies

I went to Agfest last weekend (yes still doing the happy dance for that and only about 359 sleep til it comes around again) and I broke the tradition of a lifetime and I had a pie - well two actually.

On the way I stopped in at Andy's Bakery in Westbury for one of their "famous" Tassie Devil pies. Now I say famous because I am very new to the area but the sign told me so, and it also added that no Tassie Devils were actually in the pie - it was beef and pepper. Now the pastry was pretty standard pie pastry, there was real meat (grass fed beef according to another sign which is a big thumbs up from me) and quite a bit of it and lots of pepper. Now I mean LOTS of pepper. I can't actually tell you what the pie tasted like, apart from peppery. And the gravy oozed. I don't like oozy gravy in a pie - it makes a mess, makes it hard to eat and well, distracts from the eating process to the "how am I going to get this in my mouth before it goes everywhere" process. Overall, it wasn't bad, less pepper and it would have been good, but I won't buy another. Cost: $6.50

Then at Agfest I got a wallaby pie from the Railton Town of Topiary tea Room (no website but this one is a start) which I confess was one of my goals of the day. Well more accurately, I had a choice of a rabbit or wallaby pie but had to choose one (the rabbit will wait for another day). This one was perfect! Crisp flaky pastry (home made maybe), full of meat and veg perfectly cooked with a minimum of gravy but nowhere near dry. Served with a homestyle relish which was full of bounce. Full of taste. Highly recommended. Cost $8.00.

And just as a small addendum, I also bought a sausage roll from Andy's (don't say it, I know but I was on a food exploration day). Now sausage rolls, for me, have a scale from Mrs Macs (which I am not sure can actually be described as a "sausage roll" through to the sausage rolls at the BP Williams Roadhouse (WA) which has the ultimate product (unless I cook it myself of course lol). Anyway, this one was definitely at the Mrs Macs end. I am quite confident in recommending it to my vegetarian friends because I am quite sure that no animal died in making of that roll. I was trying to work out the filling because it had a certain taste an texture to it - I was thinking of under-cooked rolled oats for a while but then it came to me - it tasted like paper. Yes I am serious. I even checked to verify that I wasn't accidentally eating some of the paper bag it came in (and no I wasn't). Now I am not suggesting it had paper in it (there are food laws after all) but I can't describe the taste any other way. Cost $3.50.

Food and Eating When Not Lcoal

For all of my soapboxing about food when I am at home, I fully concede that the rules don't apply when on the road.

When I was in Western Australia a cheese sausage was a usual option. Nutritional value: zero. Ability to be called food:  well doubtful at best. Would I ever eat one in any other circumstances - hell no!

And then there was the sausage rolls from the Williams Roadhouse (southern roadhouse not the one oat the northern end of town). Homemade, huge, filled with real meat and flavor. Nutritional value: zero. Caloric value: calories don't count when you are on the road.

In New South Wales I discovered the joys of "Service Centres" which are a collection of fast food outlets, a fuel station, toilets and sometimes even a shower randomly placed down the highways (being that most towns are by-passed these days).  And it is in these havens of celebrations to all things wrong with the world that I have discovered my lastest road food - Subway. Nothing organic, nothing local or free-range, just a multi-national doing its job.

And I make no excuses for my indulgence - my choice of sandwich has been the pizza (hold the marinara sauce) fresh with swiss cheese, all the salads including jalepenos, salt and pepper and chipotle sauce. I know salami and chipotle make no sense but that is one of the joys of road food.

Bye Bye Bellofoodbox

My beloved bellofoodbox has been a huge part of my life for the last year or two. Just a little background - it was started by a devoted band of volunteers to help promote the quality, affordable produce (with a preference for spray free or organic) that was grown locally (within 100 miles of Bellingen) for economic, social and environmental reasons. Since it started off, the success of buying local has been pretty incredible - instead of two and a half local outlets there are now six or seven and it was decided by the committee that bellofoodbox would best be operated by the Bellingen Green Grocer.

All in all this a great decision - BGG operates with similar ethics to bellofoodbox, has agreed to keep the markups the same (to ensure that the fruit and veg is really affordable), and being an actual shop front it will allow clients to either top up the produce in their boxes or to buy other local, sustainable products like milk or to just get a yummy juice. The down side (and the only one) is that they super little band of volunteers and our team leader Leigh, are going our separate ways so far as Wednesday afternoons are concerned.

So today was our last day all together. Which corresponded with my last day in town so it was bittersweet. Having said that, there was much laughter to be had. There was the usual pick of one or two strangely shaped items of produce - this one was an emoticon apple - turned up one way it had a huge smile, up the other was a sad face (no photo of that one, there are lots of weird fruit and vegetable shots out there), there was the inventive use of a damaged apple to  create an incense holder and open particular conversation the contents of which can't be posted here. There was also a couple of birthdays to celebrate. And that doesn't even include our incredible customers that come bouncing in to collect their bounty with a happy face, an interesting story or a quick joke.

On the downside, it was our last day together. While we work incredibly well together, in all circumstances, we are a disparate little group that don't usually see each other anywhere else - except random moments when driving around town followed by wild waves out a window which the other person may or may not see.

I know I am going to Tasmania so this would have been my last day anyway. I know that the changes are really, really good for the project. But, as I said, it was a bittersweet day.

When I announced I would be travelling south it was mentioned, as a throw away comment, that I need to start my own foodbox program in Tasmania. If it could be half as good as the experience I have had with our local one, I would be made not to.

So thank you, best of luck and farewell bellofoodbox and all who have sailed with here xx

Hanging At Number 5

 I went to Number 5 again today - i think this shall be my new haunt. For the uninitiated, Number 5 is a new cafe located at 5 Church Street in Bellingen. Very impressive .... and it does help that friends work there so there will always be someone to chew the straw with.

In any case I went for a coffee but couldn't help, as I do, spying on what other folks had ordered. The milkshake looked particularly impressive with a dusting of cinnamon atop its foamy head. I made an appropriately impressed comment and before I knew it, was presented with a shot glass sampler. The top photo is my proof. Now I figured this would just be a regular milkshake, unworthy of a photo so I drank it before I thought about it.

I was wrong - this was a drop of  heaven - real banana blended with homemade ice cream to create a thick (but not too thick) measure of lip-licking heaven. And as I was still drooling over the dregs of the glass, I was offered a chocolate one as well. Camera was immediately pulled out (bottom photo).

I shall have to investigate how they managed it but this had a real depth and roundness to the chocolate - no cheap syrup was used in its creation. To choose which one was better would require the same effort as choosing which of your children you love more - not impossible but emotionally draining.

I can also highly recommend the homemade chips - fabulous. And don't forget to ask for a serve of their own Church St mayo on the side - a delightful mix of dill and mayonnaise and other secret ingredients.

Stay tuned while I try the rest of the menu :-)

The Politics of Food

Writer and Masterchef judge Matt Preston made a particularly insightful comment about the politics of food the other day. His focus was on how Australia still upholds European ingredients (truffles, foie gras etc) as the peak of food perfection when we have a number ourselves.

I have extended that thought and now consider the political nature of all food. Whether it be those who have much, and those who don't have enough; to eat meat or not; food miles; ethical growing methods; price; water usage, fair trade ... the list goes on. However you look at it, food is a political issue.

And even for the consumer that ignores all else and just wants to pay the least amount possible for their food, it is political.The politicians know it and the supermarkets know it. An example I saw in the catalog of one of our big supermarkets (the one with a W) was extolling the benefits (cost and taste) of their beef as the cows had spent 100 days being fed quality grain. Sounds much better than admitting they were feedlot animals lol. And then there is the fast food company that quickly mentions in their jingle that their chickens live in fields .... when the company that supplies them doesn't sell free range products. Don't tell me they weren't buying into the politics of food.

And then there is the politics of health claims of food products which i haven't even begun to discuss here.

I look at the marketing of food differently when I have my "politics" glasses, as well as the "sell sell sell" glasses on.

Comfort Food

With the help of Miss Kylie, I have perfected the Potato bake. Actually I take that back, Miss Kylie's is the most perfect of perfect so mine isn't quite that good, but it does a good impression so that makes me happy. It is funny that such a simple food had foiled me so many times before (I think it came down to just not cooking it for long enough) but bingo! I am now on a winner :-)

Lumberjacks Perfected

I don't like dates. Actually I need to clarify, I will projectile vomit if my tongue feels a date on its tastebuds. It is not something I can control. You can then imagine my "delight" when I was asked to make a lumberjack cake! Nonetheless, I girded my proverbial loins and got going. Actually time was short so I skipped the "cake" and decided "muffins" would be much more practical. Accidentally I tasted one of the extra ones - I was just trying to taste the topping but a little muffin got included. WOW! I couldn't taste the dates - even though there is a ton in there. In fact most of them appeared to have "melted" into the muffin. These are gorgeous!

After some tweaking the original recipe I have some up with what I determine to be the "perfect" Lumberjack Muffin. I couldn't decide which photo to use - the one with or without the flash - as neither is ideal, so I have included both.


1 1/2 C apple, peeled and chopped
1 C dates, chopped
1 t bicarbonate of soda
1 C boiling water
2 eggs
1 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 - 2 C SR flour

Topping:
1 1/2 T butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C milk
2/3 C shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare muffin pans - this recipe makes about 12 regular muffins AND 10 - 12 mini muffins.

Place the dates in a bowl with the bicarb and boiling water (yes there should be fizzing), making sure the dates are covered. Add the apples on top - these don't have to be fully covered by the water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl beat eggs, sugar and oil for 3 minutes.  Add the apple and date mixture (including the water) and fold. Then fold in 1 1/2 C flour until well combined. If the mixture is too loose (it should be a wet batter but not watery) add the extra flour.

2/3 fill each muffin hole. Bake for about 12 minutes until almost cooked.

While this is happening, prepare the topping. Add ingredient to a small pan and mix until butter is melted.

While still in the tray, top each muffin with a small amount of coconut mixture. Return to the oven and cook for about 8 minutes.

PS: A Lumberjack Cake recipe is pretty generic but in order to be ethical I got the original ones here and here.

Fruit and Vege Boxes

I have joined a local initiative and received my first box today. It is part of the "eat local" efforts. So for $30 I have enough fruit and vegetables to last me nearly two weeks - so very exciting. I can get it weekly but as there is only one of me, I think I can extend it.

All the food is seasonal and within the food miles (yay). This time we got potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, parsley, cucumber, bananas, apples and tamarillos. Actually I am sure there is one or two more things - that's right - pumpkin :-)

So tomorrow I shall make my famous (with me anyway) orange vegetable and chickpea curry (vegetarian). And then I shall have enough for Saturday (election day). Actually I might even cook up a few dishes - I am thinking about a pasta with a creamy mushroom and parsley sauce - to put in the freezer. And I could even make a parsley pesto, or twice baked potatoes stuffed with herbs ... hmmm, so many possibilities :-)

I just remembered, there is some very fresh ginger in there as well - I will put some in the curry but then I am thinking about maybe making a ginger syrup to serve with a fruit salad made up of the bananas and tamarillos. And a ginger, apple and cucumber salsa which would go beautifully with (say) a pork chop.

I think I am going to love this :-)

Jewish Apple Cake

3 C SR flour

2 C sugar

1 C vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

3 T orange juice

2 T vanilla

3 medium peeled and thinly sliced apples

5 T sugar mixed with 5 t cinnamon and ½ C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180 C.  Line and grease a springform pan.

Combine flour and sugar. Pour in oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until well blended, to yield a very thick batter.

Combine the apples and sugar-cinnamon mixture just before preparing layers. (if allowed to stand, the mixture becomes too wet).

Spoon a third of the batter into a well-greased tube pan. Add half the apples, but do not allow them to touch the sides.

Layer another third of the batter on top of the apples, add another layer of apples, and finish with remaining batter.

Bake for 45 minutes, then check to make sure cake isn’t getting too brown. If it is, cover with tin foil. Bake for another 30 minutes. Wait about an hour before removing cake.

Serve hot or cold. Delicious!

Based on a recipe I found here.

Friendship Is ...

I have just spent a wonderful evening with Wendy and Simon.

Simon cooked a whole snapper on the weber (stuffed with garlic, lemon, a splash of balsamic vinegar and seasonings). Wendy made an awesome salad. And there was baked potatoes (cooked in the weber) and garlic bread.

Add good conversation and lots of laughter and it was simply perfect :-)

And yes I did take the camera - I was just too busy to take photos lol


Image: "Friends" by Juliejxk

Ribs Galore!

I had ribs for dinner on Wednesday - with twice baked potatoes and homemade coleslaw. I was sure I had died and gone to heaven. I know I enjoy a lot of food and can't usually pick a favorite, but for my last meal I want ribs, ribs and ribs.

I am not really fussed whether they are beef or pork. I am not really fussed on what sauce or rub is used, I don't care if they are done in the oven, the slow-cooker or smoked on the webber. I am in love with ribs.

Now I would like to launch a challenge for myself to come up with the best rib recipe but I don't need to - I don't think you can make bad ribs. And I don't have a webber :-)

Sigh ....

Delicious Dinner

Had a treat tonight - fresh (yellow) pears and Jindi brie. The cheese was a gift from the fabulous Val form next door. And I did consider caramelizing the pears, and adding some rockets and walnuts to make a salad. Or crackers and other bits to have a bit of a tasting plate. But sometimes I am just a wild woman so naked (the food not me lol) cheese and pear it was.

Yummo!

Dreaming of Dallas

I always miss Miss Weasley and her family like crazy but I am now missing my Dallas experience too. Admittedly it may just be a variation on a theme but you get that.

Last week I was hankering for food from Abuelo's big time. We have lots of "yellow box" Mexican here (Tex-Mex really) and it is really hard to get ingredients to cook real Mexican - especially in my regional area. In the end I had to compromise and fix up some black beans and make enchiladas and do it that way.

Then I got a taste for pulled pork. Now that would have to be what I would request for my last supper and fortunately it is something I can do myself. Last night dinner was a pulled pork sandwich with a side of homemade coleslaw - divine!!!!

Now, it is Red Hot & Blue that I am hankering for. I have ordered ribs from the butcher so I am thinking hickory smoked ribs with twice baked potatoes and slaw would be fabulous for a meal next week sometime. Now if I could just replicate their iced tea - I am sure they use fake sugar or something which you just won't find at my place lol.And I haven't forgotten the peach cobbler either but it isn't peach season so that might have to wait.

And there is just food from Chilli's to go :-)

I so have to figure out a way to get back there ....

Aussie Tucker

I put a call out to folks about Australian food - either what "typical Aussie food" we would serve to international visitors; or what international guests would expect to eat as "typical Aussie food".

I did get a pavlova as a suggestion and lots of food including bush tucker flavors and ingredients but I ask myself if that is something that we would "typically" eat. For most folks, I think the answer would be 'no' - fabulous food, great ideas, but not "typical".

So, putting my thinking cap on, I think it would be a barbecue. It could be flash or regular; it could be steak or seafood but I think it would be a barbecue. Salads would include a coleslaw, a potato salad, a green salad and then a "chef's special" (ie whatever they wanted to throw together on the day). Dessert would include the pav, and probably a cheesecake and a fruit salad. It would be byo drinks but softies would be provided. The rest of it (including the budget) is entirely optional.

Any thoughts from others?

Flavor Trends

I previously posted that I try to have a feature salad for each summer (and a soup for winter) for those times when I need to bring a plate to a barbecue or whatever.

It doesn't need to be a "fancy" recipe as such, just something a bit different. I had this one perfectly planned out - it would be a Chicken and Mango Salad with a Thai-style dressing - I even made it again a couple of weeks ago to confirm it was what I wanted. It was! Divinely delicious, healthy, reasonably priced, easy to make - tick, tick and tick :-)

And then I picked up a recipe magazine and noticed a very similar one was being featured. Obviously my original plan got canned on the spot - oh I will make it again, just not as a 'feature'.

So that means I have spent the last day or so trawling through recipe books looking for flavor ides - I am tossing a few ideas around but nothing definite so far.

What i have noticed (again) is our trends with foods and flavors - my books from the seventies relied on some weird combinations of food (think banana, cucumber and carrot or a celery and olive salad (no other ingredients or even dressing for that one) - and lots of canned goods rather than fresh alternatives. Sauces were heavy and plentiful. There was often a "lovely" circle of tomatoes or olives around the edge. Nonetheless, these recipes can easily be updated and tweaked - both in ingredients and presentation.

The aspic ones can not. I have eaten these - I even enjoyed some but then I was under 10 and didn't appreciate what I was doing. Now I somehow fear that by mentioning these joys - consider "Creamed Fish in Aspic" or "Jellied Tomato and Spiced Ham" - it will somehow inspire someone somewhere to reintroduce the "under glass" look. Don't. Please stop now. This cannot be made "nice" - no way, never, na ah. Run from the idea, forget you ever even heard it, change the subject! Just say no!

And if the chefs insist on foisting this on a new, unsuspecting generation, then it is up to us to steer these naive consumers away from the travesty that is aspic.

Where is the Real Food?

Cloned animals - cows specifically have been declared as safe to eat in the UK. Now I say up front that this has been going on in South America and parts of Asia (?) for ages so it is perhaps less of a novelty and more of an inevitability than anything else.

Nonetheless I am struggling with it. Not the notion of cloning per se - lets face it, much (read "most") of our grains and vegetables come from cloned seed (think GMO) - but for ethical reasons. And I admit I have only had 24 hours to think about this so while my opinion is fixed, my reasons are yet to be concreted.

I understand that the meat and milk from cloned animals can be proved to be ok for human consumption, or at least not detrimental. And I understand that the future of food security for nations, and the planet, is dodgy to say the least and cloning of food products is possibly our only solution to maintaining our present diets. I understand that farmers have bred animals for centuries for characteristics that are beneficial to their market and that cloning can be seen as a speeding up of this process. I understand that a cloned animal can have an equal quality of life as that of a "naturally bred" animal.

What I don't understand is why we NEED cloned animals.

Our diets have changed significantly in the last fifty years, not always for the best but lets leave that argument for another day. Our portion sizes have increased significantly. Our expectations of all food all year round, and always priced cheaply seems to have become the norm.

As a result we have needed to resort to increased processed food, GMOs, fake meat and the like. "And the like" now includes cloned animals.

When will we start focusing on seasonal produce, farmed ethically and sustainable, and priced fairly? When will start focusing on REAL food, with real nutrients, with little to no processing?

Image: "Cows in the morning" by mrak9

For further info do a Google search or check out the BBC

Proposed Birthday Dinner

This is my menu (at this stage) for the dinner party for 8 of the sistas- I am trying to come up with a combination of dishes to suit a couple of vegetarian guests, those with gluten intolerance, those that don't eat mushroom (yes you know who you are - mwah) as well as my very limited time that I can stand up/move and wallet. Other considerations are over/fridge space, what to do with leftovers, serving possibilities, cooking space, serving space, serving dishes and bowls - well a whole heap of little things. Oh! - and the theme is "Italian".

Upon arrival:
Mixed bruscetta (v) (some mf)
Baked ricotta and crudites (v) (gf) (mf)

First Course:
Roasted tomato bread soup with buffalo mozzarella (v) (mf)
Italian white bean soup (v) (gf) (mf)

Mains:
Slow roasted pork with apple aioli (mf) (gf)
Slow braised beef ragu with homemade pasta rags
Chicken cacciatore (gf)
Eggplant parmigiana (v) (gf) (mf)
Vegetarian lasagne or spinach cannelloni (v)
Italian roasted potatoes (v) (gf) (mf)
Italian beans and zucchini (v) (gf) (mf)
Caponata (v) (gf) (mf)
Soft polenta (v) (gf) (mf)
Garlic bread (v) (mf)

Dessert:
Tiramisu (v) (mf)
Pears Poached in red wine (v) gf) (mf)
Espresso creams with coffee bean toffee brittle (v) (gf) (mf)

After:
Biscotti (v) (mf)
Brutti ma buoni ((gf) (v) mf)
Coffee

Soupy Days

I continue to make soups - white ones this time. Yesterday it was a potato, leek and rosemary, today it is a cannellini bean soup.

The first one was just for me and Val (next door) and the freezer. It had only six ingredients was delicious!

Today's soup is still cooking so I can't give a verdict but it was a trial run for the birthday dinner (yes as well as the virtual party I am having a dinner party for those that live in the neighborhood).

Long live cool days :-)

More Gifts

As well as warm fuzzies I got cookies. Okay I had to pinch Miss K's pic because these didn't last very long - White Chocolate and Macadamia Biscuits. Now I say this because I mean it and I am not trying to be polite - THESE WERE THE BEST COOKIES I HAVE EVER HAD EVER! And I am not a huge fan of the genre - I mean I can usually take 'em or leave 'em for the best part (cookies and cakes and other sweet things that is) but these were incredible! I don't really know how many were on my plate - and I did make them last for a fraction over 24 hours but that was only because I was trying so hard not to be piggy. The recipe is here. And I mean it - they are soooooooo good - make two batches because one will never be enough lol.

The Chicken Update (and Beef and Pork)

Since deciding some months ago to only buy free range (preferably organic) chicken my consumption has dropped from a few times a week to maybe once a month. Two reasons for this - the product is harder to source, and I have decided to pay a fair price for the product (about double what cage birds cost) so it is less easy to fit in the budget.

So, I have been buying Lilydale chicken on the occasions that I do buy it but some further research has made me pause again. Their stocking rate comply with the FREPA standards (not the "new and improved" free range standards that give the birds an area not much bigger than their body size to stand on - still better than cage standards but not my idea of "free range") but it has been pointed out by my ever wise food guru (that would be you Graham) that the amount of manure produced is unsustainable for the land they are grazing on.

So now I have written to them to find out what they do with it. And chicken is again off the menu until I work it out. On the same subject, I have found a producer that fits into my Food Mile goals that is now selling their product in Coffs - I will give them a call tomorrow re stocking rates and manure to see if they are a viable alternative.

All bacon and ham purchases are also on hold until I can find a supplier that can guarantee that the pork is not a subsidized imported product - I think I have a lead there. And my beef is still grown on a farm 6 km down the road. And no I don't eat a lot of meat anymore.

PS - I know the Isa Brown is an egg chook not a meat chook but it was so pretty lol