My taste buds tell me that mangoes have been particularly good this season, however yields are down, according to reports from the Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA). Despite this, it is anticipated that about seven million trays will be produced in Australia, which is approximately 70 per cent of last season's record crop.
Just prior to Christmas, I purchased a 3kg box of Austral Fisheries wild-caught tiger prawns. Austral Fisheries operates a fleet of ten prawn trawlers in the Northern Prawn Fishery situated off the coast of northern Australia. The fishery was established in the late 1960′s and is Australia’s most valuable fishery. The company's Banana and Tiger prawns have been certified as 'sustainable and well managed' by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
We've been cooking our way through that box of prawns and I have to tell you, the quality is outstanding! Austral's trawlers are fully refrigerated, allowing the crews to grade, pack and freeze the prawns on board within a short time of them being caught. Thus, that ocean freshness is truly locked in. 'Today Sydney, Canberra and other NSW centres experienced extreme temperatures, with records being set for Sydney at Observatory Hill (45.8°C); Sydney Airport (46.4°); Canberra (41.6°); and a range of other communities along the coast from Bega (44.6°) to Williamtown (44.8°). The highest temperature recorded in the Greater Sydney Area was 46.5° at Penrith.' A quick note to let you know I've launched my Good Things facebook page. Please join me on facebook as I share my recipes, news, reviews and more. I invite you to like my page and network with me. See you soon!
'I'm making toasted bread with garlic, would you like some too, pipike (little chicken),' my mother would ask when I was little. 'Nagyon finom! (it's very delicious)', she added enticingly, as she rubbed a clove of garlic over the thick slices of hot, freshly toasted continental bread.
Sometimes she would spread cultured butter on the bread beforehand. Remember olive oil wasn't readily available in the 1960s. In those days olive oil was something your mother bought it from the chemist. It was gently warmed and a few drops would be popped into your ear to ease the pain of an earache. It worked. And is still recommended by doctors and nurses today. In summer, mum would slice some of my father's homegrown Oxheart tomatoes onto the toasted bread (or Pirítós as we knew it), making sure she added just the right sprinkle of salt and pepper. The tomatoes were just picked, still warm from the sunshine and simply bursting with flavour! If I had a month of Sundays to spare, I'd most certainly spend more time in Sydney, investigating all that this vibrant Australian city offers in terms of food, curiosities, scenery and people. Recipe for Aunty Lizzy's 'hot sauce' (an Ode to the tomato and its all-embracing freshness)12/1/2013
It’s impossible to ignore the bountiful supplies of rich red tomatoes that flood our produce markets throughout summer. With their vibrant colour, appetising aroma and tasty tang, tomatoes are the trademark ingredient for refreshing salads and light summertime meals.
And when it comes to summer tomatoes, there’s much to celebrate! Without them, summer salads and salsas would be bland in colour and flavour, pasta would be positively plain, and basil would be a total bore. I think Pablo Neruda best summed it up in his Ode to Tomatoes, brilliantly praising the fruit for bringing inexhaustible sun to our salad bowls, and for granting us a festival of ardent colour and all-embracing freshness. One of the best things about food, I think, is that it brings like minded people together. I really enjoy spending time in the company of chefs, fellow cooks, farmers and food producers who are clearly passionate about their craft. My friend and colleague, Pepe Saya (the alter ego of Mr Pierre Issa), is one such person. On our way home from Sydney, Peter and I stopped in at the Tempe factory where we watched Pepe and his team making butter and also ghee or clarified butter. Not just any ghee, mind you... this was made by the butter master himself, Pepe Saya, from his award winning, handcrafted cultured Australian butter.
Welcome back to Good Things, where 'fresh' is the theme for 2013. Watch this space for a feast of fresh and delicious recipes based on seasonal produce from the market basket; as well as news on good things like food and wine events, cook's tools, food TV, and cookery books. I'll also introduce you to my favourite blogs, food producers, food writers and market people who share a passion for food and cooking. It's mid January already and here we are in the midst of a searingly hot Australian summer. Since December, the days, weeks and months have flown by so quickly. Many of you (myself included) will have enjoyed a short and refreshing holiday. I'll soon be back to my Monday to Friday office job and, while I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into the new challenges that 2013 will deliver, I'm also looking forward to winding down towards the end of this year, as Peter and I plan for our retirement from full time work. While I would normally not wish for the time to pass swiftly, I can honestly say that at this point in time I'm already looking forward to December!
One of the delights of being at home for the holidays (and I imagine in retirement, too) is that I have had the opportunity to spend much more time on the things I love: cooking, cycling, gardening, reading, visiting friends, taking photographs, writing and generally pottering around the house. The garden is much happier and the folk at our local garden centre have almost come to know Peter and myself on first name basis... we've been popping in so often! Speaking of time (well, actually, thyme), in my kitchen (garden) is a pot of very healthy-looking Thyme that I couldn't resist buying during one of our hardware store visits. I love to sprinkle these fragrant leaves on roasted vegetables and salads. |
Welcome...Üdvözölöm
Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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