Recurrent natural cycle of droughts, floods and bushfires

With thanks to our farmers for being our amazing produce providers
and to acknowledge the unique challenges they face in doing so.

Dry clay bed

Recurrent natural cycle of droughts, floods and bushfires in rural Australia in the early 20th Century as seen through the eyes of ‘Hanrahan’, a pessimist farmer of Irish descent.

SAID HANRAHAN (Abridged version)

"We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,

In accents most forlorn,

Outside the church, ere Mass began,

One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about,

Coat-collars to the ears,

And talked of stock, and crops, and drought

As it had done for years.

“It’s lookin’ crook,” said Daniel Croke;

“Bedad, it’s cruke, me lad,

For never since the banks went broke

Has seasons been so bad.”…

And so around the chorus ran

“It’s keepin’ dry, no doubt.”

We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,

“Before the year is out.”…

In God’s good time down came the rain;

And all the afternoon

On iron roof and window-pane

It drummed a homely tune…

It pelted, pelted all day long,

A-singing at its work,

Till every heart took up the song

Way out to Back-o’Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran,

And dams filled overtop;

“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,

“If this rain doesn’t stop.”…

And stop it did, in God’s good time;

And spring came in to fold

A mantle o’er the hills sublime

Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet,

With harvest-hopes immense,

And laughing eyes beheld the wheat

Nid-nodding o’er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face,

As happy lad and lass

Through grass knee-deep on Casey’s place

Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel

Discoursed the men of mark,

And each man squatted on his heel,

And chewed his piece of bark.

“There’ll be bush-fires for sure, me man,

There will, without a doubt;

We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,

“Before the year is out.”

John O’Brian  1919

Extract from 'Alfreshco - foreshore flavour' 

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WITH THANKS TO
The ‘produce providers’of yesterday and today,
and innovators who have refreshed
the Australian cuisine. 
Without Great Produce, There Can’t Be Great Food.

A personal tribute to Margaret Fulton

Jul 24, 2019 - Celebrated food writer Margaret Fulton, OAM, has died at the age of 94. ... She was known as “the woman who taught Australia to cook.” Indeed ...

To dear Margaret 

Thanks for teaching me how to polish up my cooking.  My mum set a fine example,  but you took us way up and beyond meat and three overcooked vegetables (vege).  

With love, Claire.  

The first Margaret Fulton Cookbook was published in

1968.  This image is of one of the early editions.

Australian food has changed dramatically since World war 11 with the increase in overseas travel in the 1950s and the1960s. Another factor was the great number of recipe books which had begun to be published. overcooked(The early books have lengthy sections on baking with more than half of the recipes being puddings and cakes.)

In 1966, both Epicurean and Australian Gourmet were founded. Epicurean, the official magazine of the Wine and Food Society of Australia, was the first magazine which, because of contributors, was devoted to food and wine.

Margaret Fulton was the first of the Australian celebrity cookery writers. She taught generations of Australian families how to cook and entertain.

Margaret:  “I was travelling a lot. I would go to a country and would be introduced to the best cooks and dishes… so I was really bringing the world to Australia. It had been starved, of the international feeling about food because of a world war and a world depression.”

Prawn Cocktail - circa the early 1970s for 4
Combine 1/2 cup tomato puree, 2 drops tabasco sauce,
1/2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp cream.
Place shredded lettuce in 4 individual dishes;
divide and arrange on top - 1 kg cooked prawns (shelled and deveined);
spoon sauce over and serve with triangles
of thin buttered brown bread and wedges of lemon.

Germane Greer was writing ‘The Female Eunuch’, published in 1970 but while she was suggesting that women throw out their bras and learn about women’s liberation, many apron-clad women were practicing to be ‘Domestic Goddesses’.

I had a foot in both camps!
Being the proud owners of a new project home, much of our family's entertainment consisted of impromptu BBQs or hosting dinner parties, often with a culinary theme, which required cooking up a storm for several days before.

Armed with ‘The Margaret Fulton Cookbook’, we produced French influenced dishes featuring entrees such as Prawn Cocktail or Mushroom Pate; mains of Beef Burgundy and Coq a Vin, and desserts like Chocolate Mouse, Pavlova or even Avocado Crème.

In the late 70s in the USA, I bequeathed my copy of Margaret’s book to a friend when she begged me to teach her how to cook vegetables from ‘scratch’.

Footnote - At this time, a large proportion of the diet of many Americans consisted of convenience and fast food.

Extract taken from 'ALFRESHCO: foreshore flavour'

A Mothers' Nurturing - Leunig says it better

Photo credit: Michael Leunig   

A dedication to all who engage in the art of mothering, be they biological mothers, foster mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers, lesbian mothers, straight mothers, gay dads, straight dads, teachers, artists, activists, peacemakers, community organisers... Anyone and everyone who has ever brought forth and nurtured, in one way or another, life and love into the world.

God be with the mother. Michael Leunig

As she carried her child may she carry her soul.
As her child was born, may she give birth and life and form
to her own, higher truth. As she nourished and protected her child,
may she nourish and protect her inner life and her independence.
For her soul shall be her most painful birth,
her most difficult child and the dearest sister to her other children.

Amen.

Photo credit: Michael Leunig

   

Happy Mother’s Year to all!

Finally, a photo of an ANZAC TILE!

Finally I found a photo of an ANZAC TILE looking just as it was described!
I've never actually seen one before.

Extract from ALFRESHCO: foreshore flavours

WORLD WAR 1— Mothers’ love
The ANZAC biscuit epitomises the link between food and WWI in national remembrance, and it is an expression of maternal care, having reportedly been devised to withstand the long journey to the front in ‘comfort packages’. In WWI food was the most potent means for mothers to convey their love to sons at the front.

“When we look at experiences of wartime through the prism of food, we are constantly reminded of its power to divide us, but also to bring people together. So famously a ‘weapon’ of WWI, food can also occupy a central role in the bridging of national, ethnic and religious divides.”
Heather Merle Benbow University of Melbourne

So what did they eat? Bully beef (canned corned beef), rice, jam, cocoa, tea, some bread and above all ‘hardtack’ fed the Australian soldiers at Gallipoli.  Hardtack, also known as ‘ANZAC Wafer’, or ‘ANZAC Tile, has a very long shelf life, and continued to be eaten during the Second World War. 

The original biscuits were made by Arnotts’s, resembling SAOs and the recipe (below) has been provided by them.

HARDTACK RECIPE   Makes six biscuits
Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix 1½ cups self-raising white flour, 3 cups self-raising wholemeal flour, 5 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp milk powder, pinch salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add 1 cup water. Mix together until an even dough is formed. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and let rest for half an hour.
Divide the dough into 3 and then roll each ball into thick 1cm sheets. Cut the rolled sheet of dough into 9 cm squares then make a regular pattern of holes in each biscuit, 5 holes across by 5 holes down (25 holes in all). Place on a slightly greased baking tray; bake on the centre shelf for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack until they harden.


Gallipoli, 1915 ANZACs

"For supper, we had nothing more than those tough, square biscuits given to us as rations - they were so hard, a man could break his teeth on them.  Someone offered me the bottom of a can of tea, which helped to wash those tough biscuits down."  To Hell & Back: The banned Account of Gallipoli, Gunner - Sydney Loch. 

Fresh salads order of the day for alfresco dining

Wherever you were enjoying our glorious Sydney weather this Easter,
good friends and fresh salads were the order of the day 

with a few delights cooked on the Barbie, of course.

A few recipes from 'ALFRESHCO: foreshore flavour' are included.

Enjoying Alfresco dining at Balmoral

Caprese Skewers 
Page 90 - as a starter.  
Baby bocconcini marinated in a white wine dressing, threaded onto skewers
 then basil and grape tomatoes added.
Seasoned with sea-salt and freshly ground pepper.

Pear, rocket & walnut salad
A version of this simple, elegant salad from
ALFRESHCO: foreshore flavour P 142

Choose firm but ripe pears like Beurre Bosc, Packham or Williams.  Transport rocket and pears to the picnic in separate containers with the pears tossed in a little dressing to prevent oxidisation. At the picnic combine 1 bunch rocket, trimmed; 2 firm pears peeled of unpeeled, quartered, cored then each quarter sliced into 3 or 4;  125g piece Parmesan, shaved.  Toss gently with a little extra dressing and add a handful of toasted walnuts.

Dressing: Combine 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp cider, white wine or balsamic vinegar and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

For an elegant variation - Witlof, pear and hazelnut salad with Roquefort - Add witlof and rocket, seasoned with sea-salt and ground pepper. Finish with the crumbled cheese and a sprinkling of chives.

Colourful tomato & onion salad 
combines a selection of different coloured tomatoes, with thinly sliced Spanish Onion, served on mixed salad leaves with the addition of English Spinach drizzled with an olive oil citrus dressing and tossed with feta cheese.

For the love of Pumpkins & Picnics

PUMPKIN DIP WITH CHILLI & GINGER
A lovely Autumn starter for an Easter picnic or BBQ, equally good warm or cold    

Drizzle pumpkin / sweet potato & crushed garlic, with olive oil, season with salt & pepper in a preheated oven (200c) and roast for about 20 minutes, turning once until tender. 

Process with (to taste), chopped ginger, seeded red chilli and juice of lime until just blended. 
Serve with crackers or French baguette that's been sliced and toasted after being drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with garlic.

A word on DIPS
A dip or dipping sauce is specific to being able to be scooped up with a cracker or likewise, so needs to be more substantial and less liquid, but not too chunky. Unlike other sauces, instead of applying the sauce to the food, the food is typically dipped, or added into the dipping sauce. 

Sophia attributes her youthful appearance to olive oil

Most Italians will agree that olive oil holds powerful anti-ageing properties.

It seemed to work for Sophia!

Sophia Loren at age 52 

Who can forget Sophia Loren?

If you can believe it, the legendary Italian actress is now 83 years old — and we still look to her as an example of poise and confidence. Even after five decades in the spotlight, she walks the red carpet with grace and class seeming to be almost immune to the passage of time. In her 1984 book “Women & Beauty,” she talked about taking pride in your own unique features, whatever they may be: "If you have the strength to appreciate your idiosyncrasies, the rest of the world  may come to agree with you.”
True to her roots, she credits her youthful appearance to the Italian habit of using lots of olive oil in her diet. It turns out, olive oil is full of antioxidants that fight free radical damage. It’s rich in vitamins A, D, K, and especially skin-nourishing vitamin E, contains a powerful compound called squalene — which naturally hydrates our skin and even helps support collagen levels. In fact, she is famous for applying olive oil directly to her skin to moisturise.  Apparently, our skin will absorb only as much as it needs… leaving it both protected and hydrated.  

Footnote - Whether you eat it or apply to your skin, extra virgin olive oil helps in supporting your weight loss goals effectively. ... Extra virgin olive oil does contain calories but it is a healthier type of fat and is a great alternative to others like butter or refined oils, especially if you are on a diet.

“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. 

It is not something physical."

Penne served cold at picnics with tuna, tomatoes & olives

Equally good hot or cold but for picnics, either prepare at home
or add grilled tuna to a prepared penne salad.

TUNA:  Heart Friendly, Lowers Blood Pressure, Improves the Immune System, Helps with Weight Loss, Strengthens Your Bones, Improves Skin Health, etc; is delicious and quick to prepare.

Cook 2 cups penne in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water according to the packet instructions or until al dente. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add 500g tuna steak, cook, stirring occasionally, for 2—3 minutes until seared. Remove from the pan, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Return the pan to high heat and cook  2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced; 2 long red chillies, seeded and finely chopped and 4 chopped anchovies.  Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add a punnet of grape tomatoes and a handful of black olives and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, or until the tomatoes are slightly softened.

Add the hot pasta and tuna to the pan and gently toss. Add a handful of basil leaves and season with salt and pepper.

A perfect Aussie BBQ

BBQ / grill at Hill End Caravan Park NSW

We have a tendency to use the terms ‘barbecue’ and ‘grill’ interchangeably but in the US the BBQ refers to cooking for a long period at a low temperature, where meats, particularly tough cuts, soak up the smoke and marinade flavours to become very tender and moist. We do favour cuts such as Butterflied Lamb which is served pink and therefore is in between the two. However, grilling which is the opposite approach is most commonly used for everyday backyard cookout fare in Australia: ‘the method of cooking food hot and fast on the grill. “We’ve probably been brought up with the burnt sausage and well-done steak cooked on the barbecue,” Australasian Barbecue Alliance Co-Founder, Adam Roberts, said. “Whoever was doing the barbecue probably said, "That’s the way I like them when in reality they’ve just buggered it up.” ...

The Aussie barbecue has evolved; these days tong-wielding enthusiasts are embracing global
influences, turning down the heat, and transforming the humble backyard barbie into another excuse to pit mate against mate in healthy competition. The final touch which remains however, is a
handful of gum leaves in the fire for that dinky di (authenic) outback flavour.
Less heat, more time — it’s part culinary movement, part sport.
Extract - ALFRESHCO: foreshore flavour

On the other hand, Celebrity chef, Matt Moran, said a BBQ was about showcasing the best summer ingredients - a selection of Aussie beef, lamb and sausages, plus seafood.
"I think we're all pretty traditional on Australia Day.  Most Aussies like to keep it simple - I love the snag rolls with caramelised onions on freshly buttered baked bread roll - it's a memory and taste you can't beat.
 Daily Telegraph, Jan 20 - 'Australia Day 2019'

Caramelised onions 

These are wonderful served cold as an accompaniment to cold meats, pates and terrines or hot with grilled meats. They’re very easy to make at home – you simply cook the onions slowly to caramelise their natural sugars while the brown sugar and balsamic help the process along.

Heat 2 tbsp oil on a grill or in a large frypan over low heat. Add 3 large red or brown onions, sliced and a good pinch of salt and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from catching. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up, as you don’t want the onions to burn. When onions are softened and tinged golden, add 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar.
Cook over low heat for a further 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelised.
Recipe P170 - ALFRESHCO

A

MAN YOUR ESKY January 26 - Firing up the Barbie

Man your Esky!

Many countries have a long history of grilled meats, yet Aussies try to claim the BBQ as our own, where it’s considered traditional, if not sacred. The barbecue and sausage sizzle along with the truly Australian invention of the Esky, have become emblems of Australian hospitality with ‘Firing up the barbie’ practically a way of life...

A common factor uniting the barbecuing world, public or private, whether born in Australia or elsewhere, is that it’s the men who do the cooking. And as they do so, they talk.

Richard White, Australian historian and author of ‘Inventing Australia’ says, “Australian men aren’t known for their ease at social chat. Beyond the footy scores and house prices, even a soulless electric grill appears to have the ability to stir genuine yearning and conversation in the way a camp fire might once have done.”

Mark Thompson in ‘Meat, Metal, & Fire: The Legendary Australian Barbecue’ believes Aussie men fulfil their hunting and creative instincts in the ritual. At the end of the day, it’s mateship, the sharing of good food and casual relaxed moments that is an intrinsic part of our lifestyle. We can create a gourmet meal with all the trimmings, cooked to perfection, or just have a few chops and snags (sausages) maybe a bit charred; with bread; throw in some beer/wine and enjoy the day.

Extract from ALFRESHCO: foreshore flavour

   

Pomegranate & walnut salad for Australia Day celebration

Pomegranates - Stephen Trebilcock

The pomegranate is one of the main fruits in Armenian culture (alongside apricots and grapes). Its juice is used with Armenian food, heritage, or wine. The pomegranate is a symbol in Armenia, representing fertility, abundance, and marriage. 
It is also a semi-religious icon.

Pomegranate  herb & walnut salad

A simple, elegant salad

Combine in a large bowl,  2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced small; 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced; 1/3 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped; 2 handfuls of spinach or rocket leaves. 

Use pomegranate dressing (see below)  or a red wine vinegar dressing, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and a large handful of roasted walnuts

Pomegranate Dressing

Prepare 1 pomegranate by cutting it in half - juice one half to yield 1 tbsp juice after removing some of the seeds to retain with seeds from the other half.  Combine 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 2 tsp pomegranate molasses, 1 tbsp pomegranate juice, a squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and cracked pepper.

A substitute for pomegranate molasses which can be purchased from good supermarkets, 

Pomegranate molasses is traditionally used in Middle Eastern cuisine and has a distinct sweet and sour taste. It is also referred to as pomegranate syrup or pomegranate paste. Pomegranate molasses has gained popularity worldwide and is being used to give a new flavour to non-traditional dishes and drinks.

Top Substitutes

You can use various foods in place of pomegranate molasses. The top substitutes are cranberry concentrate;  balsamic vinegar with sugar; sweetened pomegranate juice syrup.  Add sugar to your taste.

Recipe - ALFRESHCO: foreshore flavour

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