Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Protection of harbourside sites

• An excellent example of how a passionate community group like the Headland Preservation Group, can work together with the government, to move on from this reported situation to deliver a result everyone is happy with.

It's great to see the future of our iconic and historic harbourside sites now protected for future generations by law as reported  recently by Senator Andrew Bragg.

As a member of the HPG I feel particularly connected to the sites at North Head and Middle Head, and it’s a great result for Australia that this law guarantees public access to the sites forever.

    

Raising one of the 18 ton guns - 1876

POMEGRANATES Pick of the Week

 

Pomegranates are a fantastic versatile fruit that are becoming increasingly popular with the Australian public. We are at the start of the Australian season which lasts from mid-Autumn to the end of Winter, and they can be grown pretty well anywhere in Australia.

Ways to use this versatile fruit

EAT AS A SNACK — just need a spoon.

TOP YOGURT — With berries out of season, pomegranates make a terrific topper.

STIR INTO GRAINS — Add pomegranate seeds to cooked rice, quinoa, farro, or other grains to add color and tang.

ADD TO FRUIT SALAD — Pomegranate seeds marry well with other fruits.

MAKE SALSA — for topping for grilled fish, chicken, or lamb chops.

SCATTER OVER HUMMUS — Pomegranate and hummus have Middle Eastern roots, so why not combine the two.

USE AS A GARNISH — Sprinkle over everything from cupcakes to custard to add a bit of interest.

MIX A Pretty in Pink Cocktail — A combination of sparkling wine, pomegranate juice, and a spoonful of pomegranate seeds that bobble in the bubbles makes for a festive cocktail.

Extract from ALFRESHCO foreshore flavour - 

Claire Mitchell

AUSTRALIAN CUISINE : A CRY FOR ACTION

 

The James Beard Foundation promotes good food for good™. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives.

So, what is Australian cuisine? Australian traditional food is the result of Australian history. It has a foundation of British cooking from the settlers, with Asian and European ingredients from migrants. There’s our iconic foods of lamingtons, pavlovas, and meat pies – dishes that will continue to be reinterpreted over and over and native Australian ingredients are on the rise. Add some great weather and easy lifestyle, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a distinctly Australian cuisine.

When it comes to food, Australians have always been open to experimentation, adaptation, and innovation.  We’ve taken ingredients from all over the world and fused them with techniques and flavours from other countries. 

Today, whether it's food gathered from the deli, a well-chosen horsd'oeuvre platter, or a shared platter, current food is defined by the use of seasonal, local produce. This was not always the case, as lamented by Adelaide author, Michael Symons, in 'One Continuous Picnic - a Gastromonic History of Australia', revised in 2007 after being published in 1982.  

Unlike other societies with a dominant agrarian history, Symons says that Australia's citizens have not developed a true contact with the land; have not had a peasant society.  Therefore we haven't inherited a cuisine; in the traditional sense; instead Australia's food history has been dynamic, urban and industrial.

A cry for action, 'One Continuous Picnic', successfully launched a new Australian taste for fresh produce, farm markets, and international flavours - one that still exists today.  

"On launching the updated book, Symons says, "In the 25 years since writing the book, it has become easier to eat much better, and much worse, in Australia."

 /

Is the BBQ the answer to the elusive search for an Australian Cuisine?

Australia Day brings out our iconic foods of lamingtons, pavlovas, and meat pies – dishes that will continue to be reinterpreted over and over. 

Australian traditional food is the result of Australian history.  It has a foundation of British cooking from the settlers; Asian, European and Middle Eastern ingredients from migrants and travellers; with native Australian ingredients on the rise.  Add some great weather and easy lifestyle, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for distinctly Australian cuisine.

However, the elusive search still goes on. Trying to define an Australian cuisine isn't easy, as I discovered when writing 'ALFRESHCO foreshore flavour' as there are of course many factors to consider, most importantly our outdoor culture.  So for this post, I'm going for the 'barbie' since Aussies have always tried to claim the BBQ as our own where it is considered traditional, if not sacred.

A common factor uniting the barbequing world, whether born in Australia or elsewhere is that it's mainly 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 electrical grill appears to have the ability to stir genuine yarning and conversation in the way a campfire might once have done."

We've had a tendency for everyday backyard cookout fare  'to cook the food, hot and fast on the grill'.  "We've probably been brought up with the burnt sausage and well-done steak," Australasian BBQ Alliance Co-founder, Adam Roberts, said.  "Whoever was doing the BBQ probably said, 'That's the way I like them'; when in reality they've just stuffed it up."

The Aussie BBQ 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.

Summarised from ALFRESHCO, foreshore flavour

Bring back the picnic

 

Out to Lunch


"I FELL ASLEEP halfway through lunch the other day.  It's not something I'm proud of, but at least I was lying down at the time.  The sun was warm, the picnic blanket was soft, the wine was working its magic and suddenly I was zzzzzzzzz."

Picnicking should be greatly encouraged - it's good for us.  It gets us out in the fresh air, breaks our routine and brings us back to basics.  Picnicking means drifting off to the cry of children on the swings or in the surf.  In its own way, it is practicing mindfulness, being in the moment while letting your mind drift like a cloud.

Really a picnic can be anything you want it to be.  Chicken sandwiches and a bottle of bubbly;  cheese and crackers with hummus; a baguette with jambon and fromage and a bag of cherries.  

Words by Terry Durack  Summarised from GoodWeekend 

Home-made fast foods allow you to still 'Fit in Your Jeans'

 

Normally, other things taking up space in your regular scheme would often result in minimal free time available to explore your love for cooking. But the present lockdown period seems a great time to try some easy healthy recipes at home that are based on fresh produce and allow you to still
'Fit in Your Jeans'.

Awaken your 'inner cook'  by experimenting with BBQs or picnics to fit in with our outdoor lifestyle.

Serve the dips with Crudites "crew/dee/tay"   - baby carrots, leave tops on, red pepper cut into strips, radishes, cucumber or celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, sliced fennel - maybe pickled etc.  

Cut the vegetables within 2 hours of party time to keep them fresh and crunchy.  For the picnic, put the vegetable sticks in a cool bag with an ice pack.

BEETROOT DIP  P85

Pulse 2 medium-sized beetroot (vacuum packed, tinned or fresh) in a food processor with 2 garlic cloves, 50g pine nuts, toasted, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Add 25g parmesan and then add 50g olive oil.  Season with freshly ground pepper.  

A preferred method adds the beetroot last for a short time to achieve a more textured result.

PESTO is a great way to start any casual meal perhaps with crunchy raw carrots and celery, then using it as an accompaniment to a salad.  

The traditional version consists of pounding half a bunch of basil, a handful of pine nuts, a clove of garlic, 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 40 ml extra virgin olive oil, in a food processor. You can also experiment using different herbs eg blanched kale can be substituted for basil — simply discard the stems.

WALNUT PESTO - P 100 This Tuscan favourite substitutes walnuts for pine nuts and is amazing in pasta dishes or as a dip. Shred a bunch of basil leaves and blend with 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; 1 large handful chopped walnuts, juice ½ lemon, about 3 tbsp olive oil; and 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. 

AVOCADO DIP  Page 85.- the quickest and healthiest of all.
Smash 1 large avocado, with a fork, add a good squeeze of lemon juice or vinaigrette dressing and 1/2 cup Danish feta cheese, crumbled, dried chilli flakes or freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with chopped mint or herbs in season. Serve with crudites or crackers.

Cranberry Relish Christmas Cheer

 Adapted from an American recipe from Once Upon a Chef

This is a Thanksgiving Recipe but in Australia, we like to serve Cranberry sauce or relish with our Christmas fare.  Flavoured with maple syrup, orange zest, and balsamic vinegar, this nutty cranberry relish is a delicious alternative to cranberry sauce.  Cranberries are generally unavailable in Australia but Woolworths sell frozen berries. Another alternative (cheats) to achieve a similar result is to buy, Ocean Spray  Whole Cranberry Sauce from Coles then add orange zest, balsamic vinegar and pecans.  

INGREDIENTS

•  About 3 cups fresh cranberries or frozen  
• 1 cup pure maple syrup (1/2 cup for Australian taste)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the cranberries and syrup in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Let them bubble gently, stirring often until the skins on the cranberries have all split and the mixture has thickened, 4 to 5 minutes (cover the pan with a lid if the cranberries splatter).
2. While the berries are cooking, put the pecans in a small, dry skillet, and stir them over medium heat until they are fragrant and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. When the cranberry mixture has thickened, take it off the heat and stir in the orange zest, vinegar, and pecans. Mix well. Serve warm or transfer to a covered container and chill.
4. Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The relish will keep for 10 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Blood orange and fennel salad

Sharing Maggie Beer's post. This salad would be ideal for ALFRESHCO dining as it travels well.

4 blood oranges, medium size

2 fennel bulbs, medium sized, with 1/4 cup fennel fronds

3 tbspn Vinaigrette - 

3 tbspn Quince, Apple Cider Vinegar & Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Cut each end from the blood oranges and trim away the remaining skin. Cut into 5mm thick rounds and set aside.

Trim any stalks from the fennel bulbs, then thinly slice crossways, removing any pieces of core.

Place the orange slices and fennel into a bowl, season with sea salt and ground white pepper and mix together. Place onto a serving platter or onto individual plates.

To serve, sprinkle over the fennel fronds, then drizzle over the Vinaigrettee.

Walnut Pesto Pasta for Tuscan lunch

HAPPY MEMORIES - Alvina's Bell at Podernouvo still calls me to lunch!

Walnut pesto pasta

G assisted in the fields with Umberto, doing what needed to be done
  - digging out stones etc; we picked grapes and I cut lavender and rosemary
back before winter.  

Alvina's bell is a suspended bronze bell which she rings when lunch is ready. She has tended the vegetable garden, harvested its bounty, applied her endless creativity; the call of the bell means that a delightful lunch awaits. 

We eat, exchange experiences of the morning, make plans for the evening meal (everything revolves around food of course) then retire to our villa for siesta - maybe to doze or perhaps to read the current novel which was being circulated.


Traditionally Pesto is made with pinenuts - perhaps they were plentiful in Italy but they still had to be super labour intensive! Have you seen the way they have to extract each little precious pinenut? An alternative is Walnut Pesto which evolved from the need to find ways to use the walnuts which drop from the old walnut trees on the property.  (For family meals I actually use whatever nuts are in the pantry and use alternative herbs such as parsley and coriander.)

Alvina's Walnut Pesto Pasta

Serves 4

400g (13oz) cappellini or angel hair pasta - sea salt and black pepper to taste
(Cappellini or angel hair pasta are long strands of pasta that are commonly used with light sauces.)
Pesto
Large bunch fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 large handful chopped walnuts
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Shred basil leaves and place in a blender with crushed garlic, walnuts and about 2 tbsp olive oil. Puree until smooth and then add the parmesan cheese and a little more oil.

Place pasta into boiling water with salt and cook for around 15 mins or until el dente  (firm to bite.)
Pour over the drained pasta and garnish with fresh basil.   Add a few more chopped walnuts and parmesan
to taste.  Serve with Orange and Fennel Salad or a Green Salad.

http://www.timeintuscany.com/

Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say. 

ANZAC biscuits a symbol of a mother's love

Hi there

I'm passing on an extract from an article written by a friend, Eda Utka. To me, it epitomises the spirit of Australia, including our new residents from other lands.  Thanks Eda  https://www.writepublishgrow.com/

LEST WE FORGET
Claire

This Saturday is a special day here in Australia. It’s a day of remembrance for the men who sacrificed their lives to fight battles in faraway lands. One of those distant lands where Australians and New Zealanders fought was Turkey, my homeland.

This year, I baked ANZAC Biscuits. These biscuits are symbolic of a mother’s love and the innovative spirit of the ANZACs. The mothers of the ANZAC soldiers developed a recipe made from non-perishable ingredients to last the long journey to Turkey and this biscuit made of flour, rolled oats, coconut flakes, golden syrup and butter was born.

So this ANZAC spirit that we talk about, mateship, humour, ingenuity, courage and endurance, it is not only in the men who served overseas, but in the women who were left behind to raise their children to provide moral support, bake and ship off ANZAC biscuits as a symbol of their love. These days I see ANZAC spirit in people who leave behind their homes to come to Australia to study or start new lives here with their families.

Lebanese lentil or chickpea salad is seriously addictive

I know - it doesn't look amazing
but it's seriously addictive! 

Lebanese lentil or chickpea salad with garlic and herbs 

This is sooo simple and great for Quarantine cooking ie if you can get tinned lentils.  However, any tinned legumes are transformed by this method.  It can be served as a lunch dish on its own perhaps with the addition of mushrooms (as per picture) or as an accompaniment for just about anything.  
ps  I've reduced the amount of garlic & lemon ...

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in small frying pan, add 4 cloves minced garlic or less, and cook over very low heat until garlic is fragrant - about 7-8 minutes. 
• Add 1 tbsp lemon juice with a little zest, 1¼ tsp ground cumin. ¼ tsp ground allspice, salt and fresh ground black pepper; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and heat for about 1 minute. 
• Add 2 cans Puy (green) lentils, rinsed and drained and warm through for 2 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and add ½ cup each finely chopped fresh mint and parsley. Serve warm or cold.   Also works well with tinned legumes. 

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' 

Eat   Talk   Share

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.