Australian Bush Tucker

[mrsK]

Damper ·

Benjamin Christie

Damper was the mainstay of the early settlers in Australia. They used water, bi-carb and coarse flour occasionally ‘stretched’ with flour milled from wild seeds or nuts. But Aborigines have been cooking this way for tens of thousands of years before them. They took to wheat flour damper readily instead of collecting and milling the far more nutritious wild seeds – it was back-breaking,

laborious work.

Try this gourmet damper flavoured with glacé riberries and blue cheese.

800g self raising flour

250ml milk (approximately, so plus or minus 50ml)

pinch of Outback Salt

50g riberry confit

100g blue cheese

Pre-heat the oven (and the camp oven, if you’re using one). Then sift the self raising fl our and salt into a bowl. Add milk to the flour and salt to make a soft dough without over-working the mix, it should be just incorporated and as airy as possible. Then add the riberries and the coarsely broken up blue cheese into the dough. Shape damper into a round loaf and dust with a little more flour. Sprinkle a little flour to the camp oven to check the heat and lessen the damper sticking or use a floured, shallow, 25cm round, cake tin if just oven baking. Bake at 180°C in your conventional oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom;

If cooking the damper in the camp oven, fit the heated lid and place the camp oven onto hot coals and add more hot coals onto the lid; if there’s a wind blowing, build a windbreak or replace the coals regularly and pile up some extra hot coals on the windward side as this will cool off and make the baking un-even; also turn the camp oven often to help distribute the heat around the damper.

Serve damper hot or warm, with or without butter and either pull apart into rough chunks for dunking or slice the damper up for sandwiches or toast.



________________________________________________________________________

[Snooze]

Oh dear, I read that last word in the title wrong at first.

[mrsK]

Snooze;739482 wrote: Oh dear, I read that last word in the title wrong at first.


An honest mistake:eek::yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

[mrsK]

Anzacs Biscuits

Benjamin Christie





Anzacs biscuits are most certainly the national biscuit of Australia. Their heritage dates back to the First World War, where on the 25th of April 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli.

Anzac biscuits (or Soldier’s Biscuits as they were originally known) were sent by women back in Australia who were concerned about the nutritional value of the food being supplied to their men by the army. The ingredients for Anzac biscuits were originally rolled oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle, bi-carbonate of soda and boiling water.

Anzac Biscuits now are still as popular as ever and around ANZAC Day, Anzac biscuits are also often used by veterans’ organisations to raise funds for the care and welfare of aged war veterans.

The original Anzac Biscuit recipe pairs perfectly with Australian wattleseed, by offering coffee, hazelnut and chocolate flavours.

Makes approx 30-35 Anzac Biscuits

1 cup plain flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

½ cup castor sugar

30g ground wattleseed

½ cup decicated coconut

125g butter

1 tablespoon boiling water

2 tablespoons golden syrup

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 150°C

In a mixing bowl combine oats, sifted flour, wattleseed, sugar and coconut. In a saucepan, melt the butter and butter and golden syrup, stir over gentle heat until combined. Mix water and baking soda, then add to melted butter mixture, stir into dry ingredients.

Take teaspoonfuls of mixture and place on lightly greased oven trays; allow room for spreading.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling racks.

[mrsK]

Benjamin Christie



No matter where I am, people always ask me about how to cook kangaroo and how they should serve it. As kangaroo has less than 2% fat it has a tendency to dry it out during the cooking process. For this reason I recommend that people serve kangaroo either rare or medium rare. This recipe is slightly different, as the kangaroo is braised in a sauce and wont dry out as much as it would on a grill or BBQ.

Serves 8

500g kangaroo mince

1 large onion ( chopped )

2 cloves of garlic ( crushed )

500g Bush Tomato Chutney

100ml Australian Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon

30g tomato paste

5g Australian Wildfire Spice

1pkt fresh lasagne sheets ( boiled )

300ml béchamel sauce

5g Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle.

250g shredded mozzarella cheese

20g parmesan cheese

Outback Salt as required

In a large saucepan on medium heat, cook the kangaroo mince, onion, and garlic until brown. Then stir in tomato paste and wine then cook until reduced. Add bush tomato chutney and Australian Wildfire Spice, and then allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with Outback Salt as required.

When making the béchamel sauce, as it cools mix in the Lemon Myrtle, this will ensure maximum flavour.

Lightly grease the sides and bottom of an individual serve dish. Then spread a little of the kangaroo sauce over the bottom. Then place a cooked lasagne sheet on the kangaroo sauce. Spread the Lemon Myrtle béchamel sauce on the cooked lasagne sheet. Then spread with kangaroo sauce and a little mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers till you get to the top of the dish. Finish with Lemon Myrtle béchamel sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle Wildfire Spice on the top and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

[mrsK]

Alpine Pepper Jus

Alpine Pepper Jus is the ultimate pepper sauce. Unlike regular pepper sauce which often has a strong pepper burn flavour, Alpine Pepper Jus has a subtle pepper heat. Made from Alpine Pepper from Tasmania, the pepper is well known for its fragarant aroma and is a great sauce for both lamb or beef dishes.

B Christie

Makes 1lt

1 bottle of quality red wine (750ml)

1 onion, fine diced

1/4 bulb garlic

1 bouquet garni

8lt beef stock

salt to taste

10-15g Alpine Pepper

In a saucepan sauté the onion, garlic and bouquet garni. Then add the red wine and reduce over low heat until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the beef stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours or until the liquid is the consistency of light syrup and coats the back of a spoon lightly. Season to taste, then add Alpine Pepper, depending on required heat level.

[mrsK]

Wild Honey/Sugar Bag Honey



There are many types of native bees found in South West Queensland. A careful eye and great tracking skills enable Aboriginal people to follow native bees back to their nests high in hollow trees. The tree was usually chopped down and all the contents of the hive were removed and placed in a paperbark container. The contents include honey, wax, yellow pollen balls and dead bees. Honey was seen as a much prized bush food and is often given as gifts.

Large quantities of honey and pollen mixed with water is used to clean the gut.

[mrsK]

Aboriginal Food Rules & Laws

The laws laid down by The Dreaming affect the types of food eaten, who gathered or hunted what type of food, eating habits and the way in which food is prepared or stored.

Rules and Laws differed from one language group to another depending on the environment and The Dreaming stories that belonged to that area. There are many, many laws and rules, too many to list.

In many language groups the men and women eat separately. In some seasons when food is short, some people have preference over others for various types of food. Heart, liver, kidneys and other animal organs are often saved for the elders in the language groups.

Some foods have spiritual significance to some people. These are often called totems. These animals and plants need to be protected and were often not eaten or only eaten during ceremonies.

Pregnant women, boys prior to initiations and girls prior to puberty would be denied foods for sacred reasons.

Certain foods are prepared by women , others by men. Yams, roots, nuts, fruit and shellfish are often prepared by women, whilst flesh foods such as kangaroo and emu are often prepared by men. This rule is not the same in all language groups.

In some language groups the men do all the cooking, whilst in others it is the women's job. In some language group the food prepared by a man was not eaten by a women, and vice versa.

At times of sadness (mourning) or during some ceremonies only certain people could feed particular people. For example in some areas a person who is morning may not touch food until ceremonies for the deceased are over.

[mrsK]

HUNTING / GATHERING

At contact, the Aboriginal economy was based on a stable, considered management of the environment and an effective organisation of labour. Males and females made different but complementary economic contributions. Women were primarily the gatherers of vegetables, roots, herbs, fruits and nuts, eggs and honey, and small land animals such as Snakes, Goannas. Men were the hunters of large land animals and birds and also co-operated to organise large-scale hunting drives to catch Emu's and Kangaroos. The collection and preparation of this wide variety of bush food required the development of an efficient, multifunctional technology, considerable practical skills, and its seasonal changes. Some plant foods were easy to collect but required complex preparation before they could be eaten.

[mrsK]

Title: Quandong Jam

Yield: 1 Serving

Ingredients

450 g quandong fruit -stoned, and

-freshly

2 lemons

680 g sugar

1 c water

Instructions

For jam making, quandong fruit should be as freshly picked as possible, and

slightly under-ripe. Jam made from overripe fruit will not set or keep as

well. For every 450gm of stoned quandongs you need 2 lemons, 680gm of

sugar and a cup of water. Remove the skin and chop lemons, and slowly boil

together with quandongs and water until pulpy. The sugar should be

dissolved as quickly as possible to prevent loss of flavour. You can speed

up the dissolving process by warming sugar in the oven before adding it to

the jam. Once added, make sure the suagr is thoroughly dissolved before

being brought to boiling point or the jam may crystalise. After about 10

minutes of a rolling boil it is time to test for setting point. When ready,

pour into warmed, prepared jars and seal. From THE ADVERTISER, Tuesday

October 21st 1997 From: Kevin Jcjd Symons Date: 22 Oct 97 National Cooking

Echo Ž

Cuisine:

"Australian"

[mrsK]

OUTBACK COOKING

Although most Australians (80%) are city dwellers, the vast majority of the Australian continent itself isunpopulated wilderness, which is referred to, in general terms, as the ‘Outback’. Outback cuisine is a world unto itself, filled with its own wonderful, rugged character.

Kangaroo: Sorry to say, these delightful Aussie icons also make a killer steak; it’s tasty and virtually fat-free. It’s popular smoked, or preserved as jerky. Some popular recipes include Kangaroo Tail Soup and Wallaby Stew, and a modern concoction: Pan Fried Kangaroo Steak in Port Wine Sauce.

Emu: This flightless relative of the ostrich is raised commercially throughout Australia, and is increasingly seen in the North America. The meat is red, richly flavoured, and tender. Emu eggs are also eaten; they’re about ten times as big as a hen’s egg.

Witchetty Grubs: One of the most nutritious food in the outback, ten of these fat white grubs per day are said to be sufficient for survival. The flavour is variously described as almond-like or similar to peanut butter. Some popular recipes include Singed Witchetty Grubs and Witchetty Grub Soup.

Bugs and Yabbies: These are relatives of the crayfish and lobster; they’re sweet-flavoured, firm-textured crustaceans from the Australian bays and streams.

By Gordon Springer for the Epicentre. © 2003.

[mrsK]

I changed the title so I can add other bits & pieces:-6

Stewed Orange Banana with Pork

Juice of 4 oranges or 250ml (1 cup) orange juice

zest of 1/2 an orange, finely shredded

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 bananas, peeled and sliced 2cm thickness on the diagonal

To Serve

Grilled pork cutlets, fat removed

Wilted english spinach

To make sauce, combine the orange juice, zest and sugar in a small frypan and bring to the boil over a medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the banana pieces and reduce the heat to low. Cook the bananas for 1-2 minutes to soften them and then turn the heat off and let the bananas cool in the syrup for 5 minutes before spooning over the pork cutlets.

The Australian Banana growers council

[mrsK]

Plenty of quondongs out this way.

Not in season now though:-6

[AussiePam]

Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen's Famous Pumpkin Scones



Lady Flo with her famous scones

Chef: Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen

This recipe is courtesy of the website www.southburnett.net

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:

1 Tblsp butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup mashed pumpkin (cold)

2 cups Self raising flour

Method:

Beat together butter, sugar and salt with electric mixer.

Add egg, then pumpkin and stir in the flour.

Turn on to floured board and cut.

Place in tray on top shelf of very hot oven 225-250c for 15-20 minutes.

[AussiePam]

Witchetty grubs





Method :

* The reason this recipe is for only one serving is that it is almost impossible to find anyone else to eat them with you.

* First catch your witchetty grubs.

* 1. Raw: Hold the live grub by the head, lower into the mouth, bite off at the neck and start chewing. Tastes like cream.

* 2. Cooked: Throw them into the coals of the campfire and lightly roast till the skin is crisp like a sausage skin. Tastes like sweet scrambled eggs.

* Tip:

If eating them raw, it's important to start chewing straight away because it can be a bit disconcerting to have the grub wriggling inside your mouth for any length of time.

[mrsK]

Thanks Pam.

I like the degree of difficulty with Flo's scones.

My style of cooking;):-6

[mrsK]

Ground Ovens

In some areas in Australia underground ovens are made to cook food. In the Torres Strait Islands and in Cape York these underground ovens are called Kup-murri.

A hole dug in the ground and a large fire is allowed to burn down. Large stones are laid over the fire and heated by the coals. Leaves of palm trees or paperbark are used to line the heated pit with meats and vegetables laid in the hollow. These are covered with leaves and dirt and allowed to cook. After many hours the food is removed, and it tastes great!

In the south western region holes were dug out of the ground with clay and rocks found in the ground put to one side. The hole is swept out with some grass and then filled to the top with firewood. Selected pieces of clay and stone are placed on top. The wood is ignited and when burnt the clay is baked red hot. The clay is removed by sticks and the ash in the pit is swept out. Moist grass is laid in the bottom of the pit, possums or other game are laid in the bottom on the grass and covered in more damp grass. The red hot clay lumps are placed on top with the fire dirt from the hole layered on the top to stop the steam from escaping. The meat takes different times to cook depending on the type of meat used.

European people watched how Aboriginal people made breads. By grinding seeds into flour and adding water, these breads were then cooked in the coals from a fire or under the ground. These were the original dampers from the bush! Today we use flour to make damper that someone else has ground for us and we cook it in the oven.

[mrsK]

Gumleaf Scented Smoked Salmon Bushetta ·

Typically the Italians serve all types of bruschetta and is one of the easiest things in the world to make and is a fantastic starter or canape. Make sure you use food grade eucalyptus oil.



Approx 20 – 30 pieces

400-500g side of Tasmanian salmon

1 sheet paperbark roll (sliced)

1-2ml food grade eucalyptus oil

50ml sugar syrup

100g ricotta cheese

1 small bunch chives

1 sour dough French stick

5g black & white sesame seeds

In a baking tray lay a little paperbark on the base of the tray. Over the paperbark, place a cooling rack to rest the salmon upon. Add eucalyptus oil to the sugar syrup and brush over the salmon fillet.

Cover with foil, then place over the stove and begin to heat the tray, to begin smoking the salmon. Leave on the stove for 30 minutes on very low heat. Remove and allow to cool in the tray. When cool brush with remaining sugar syrup, cover and store in cool room over night.

Slice the fresh French stick, spread a little ricotta cheese, then place a small amount of the salmon, dust with sesame seeds and freshly chopped chives.

Benjamin Christie