Fresh produce was the focus of the Hunt and Gather Dinner held recently at the Terrace Cafe in Canberra as part of the Appetite for Excellence program. Finalists were treated to an inspiring five-day adventure that gave them the opportunity to experience first-hand the passion of producers in regional New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
The tour included visits to Regal Mushrooms on the outskirts of Sydney; Melandra Park Organic Pork; Country Valley Farm at Picton; Bermagui Fisherman's Co-op; Tweenhills Chestnut Farm at Hoskinstown; McAsh Oysters at Bateman's Bay; Gilmore Brae Heritage Beef at Batlow; Small Cow Farm at Robertson; the Wagga Wagga Abattoir; as well as Clonakilla, Ravensworth and Majura wineries; and the Capital Region Farmer's Market in Canberra. 'All that we've have seen and done over the last few days has really made me appreciate fresh produce even more,' one young chef explained to me with gusto. In the chapter titled Chocolate and Divinity in the History of Food, author Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat notes that 'The witty letter-writer, the Marquise de Sévigné had strong feelings about the exotic foodstuff, chocolate. On 11 February 1671, she was obviously madly in love with it. She [wrote] to her daughter, Mme de Grignan: "If you are not feeling well or if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate pot! I think of that again and again. How will you manage?"'.
Two months later, in April, it seems the Marquise realised that she had simply been 'carried away by the fashion' and she wrote that chocolate had been 'accused of causing every evil under the sun'. And by May, she was was totally paranoid, even convinced that indulging in chocolate may be fatal! Strange behaviour, no? On Fehérvári út on the Buda side of Budapest, there's a vibrant and fascinating open air market-place. It was there, many years ago, that I, as an Australian-born Hungarian foreigner, had my first encounter with an unusual vegetable called celeriac. 'Do you have any zeller,' I asked the old woman vendor in Hungarian, meaning the vegetable I knew as celery. She nodded and presented me with a large lumpy, turnip-like object with scrawny dark green stalks that had completely withered in the forty-two degree C heat of the day. Despite being a food writer with a keen interest in fresh produce, I hadn't yet seen celeriac at our Australian markets and therefore couldn’t help laughing, as I asked — 'What on earth is it?'. 'It’s zeller,' said my cousin. He stressed the word quietly through gritted teeth, while looking straight ahead at the woman. I noticed that he was suddenly flushed and embarrassed. Oops, sort of. I suppose I was having a moment of food culture shock. It was already curious and mildy offensive to me that market shoppers were not permitted under any circumstances to touch or select their fruit and vegetable purchases. And on that topic, my father had been yelled at by a vendor because he had spoken out at the mouldy peaches the vendor had tried to sell us! Times must have been tough back then, I guess. A few years later when my aunt (said cousin's mother) visited from Hungary, she was in awe of our celery (and other produce) and I think she felt she'd landed in food heaven when she visited the markets I was managing! But now, back to the original topic. Also known as poor man’s celery, celery root, turnip-rooted celery, German celery and celery-knob — celeriac is a native to southern Europe. It was a fashionable vegetable in the 18th and 19th century, particularly in France and Germany. Recent food trends have rekindled this vegetable’s popularity. And rightly so! I'm a stickler for freshness and quality in food, especially having spent nearly ten years of my life working on site as promotions manager at a fresh produce market. That wonderful stint in my career taught me plenty about fresh and seasonal produce across the board: fruit and veg, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, cheese, bread, the works. With Capital Region Farmer's Market at Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) five minutes from our home, these days the farmer's market is the first port of call for Peter and I on a Saturday morning. Every visit for us is an enjoyable and exciting adventure, and celebration of what's on offer. Lately there's a guy at EPIC who sells the most delicious and inexpensive pumpkins. His stall comprises a simple table lined with whole pumpkins, various sized wedges of freshly cut pumpkin and a giant knife (and a few potatoes). There is always a lineup for his pumpkins, which is good as there are plenty more pumpkins stashed in a mesh trailer behind the stall. I'm not exaggerating when I say that supermarket pumpkin is pale in comparison with these, and I mean that in every sense of the term.
A year ago, I spent an amazing ten hours sitting in my study, focused on designing and pulling together this web site and blog. Peter, my partner, was away, so I worked through the night, the only sound (other than tinnitus in my right ear!) and light tapping at the keyboard, was that of a clock ticking somewhere in the background. From memory, I published Bizzy Lizzy's Good Things at about 6.30am. Then, exhausted but delighted with my efforts, I drove to the Capital Region Farmer's Markets, bought a few groceries, interviewed and photographed some stall holders, including Carmen and Todd from Honey Delight, and then returned home for a nap. And twelve months have passed just like that! Good Things is the culmination of a lifetime of cooking and collecting recipes, and a almost a decade (plus one year!) of writing about it. Reiterating the words in my Profile, my grandmother owned a fruit and vegetable store on the outskirts of Budapest when my father was a child; and my mother was a skilled and beautiful cook, particularly in the art of baking. She and I spent many hours in the kitchen together; cooking, talking about food and sharing recipes. I like to imagine that my inspiration stems from these family origins. Sharing recipes and my love of fresh produce and cooking has been a passion of mine for many, many years and I hope to continue long into the future through Good Things. Thank you, dear readers, for sitting with me at the kitchen table. Happy birthday to my blog and happy cooking to you! Bizzy Lizzy xoxAt the start of every month, my friend-in-food, fellow blogger and inspirational cook, Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, hosts a segment where cooks from across the miles allow readers to peek into their kitchens.
In my kitchen in August are three copies of Recipes My Mother Cooked - 100 Favourite Recipes from the Country's Favourite Foodies, which I would like to give away. In this book, some of Australia's favourite chefs have gathered to share the recipes their mothers cooked for them. Among them are recipes from Steve Manfredi, Gabriel Gate, Ian 'Herbie' Hemphill, Alex Herbert, Peter Kuruvita and Maggie Beer... and their beloved mothers. The publishers, Allen & Unwin, are donating 5% of the retail price of the book to the McGrath Foundation to help place McGrath Breast Care Nurses into communities across Australia, and to educate young women to become aware of breast cancer. As a gesture of thanks for your support over the last twelve months, I sponsored a special treat and had three copies of Recipes My Mother Cooked ($29.95 RRP) to give away. To be in the running to 'win' a copy of this lovely book, I asked you to simply tell me (in the comments box below) about your mum (or dad, or grandparent, or favourite aunt), how they inspired you to cook, and then share your favourite family recipe if you like. Entries closed at midnight AEST on 31 August 2012. Unfortunately, the prizes were restricted to Australian residents, however friends from around the world were invited to share stories too. I was genuinely touched by the number of entries and also enjoyed reading each and every one of your comments. I truly wish I had 50 or more books to give away. However, there could only be three winners. AND THE WINNERS ARE: Brian Dodd Lindell McConnell Fiona from TIFFIN Bitesized In the event that you didn't 'win', you might like to purchase a copy of Recipes My Mother Cooked, Remember, you are helping The McGrath Foundation and their quest to support Breast Cancer. The Fishpond banner in my sidebar will take you direct to the online bookstore. Thank you all for your entries and thanks again for your friendship and support. |
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
All
NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
|