Chocolate Crunch for a Dancer and a Chef

Two little girls, like chalk and cheese. The eldest, dark eyed, slender and tall; she is a dancer. Her little sister, blue eyed, pale and short: she has announced that she is a ‘cheffa’. They arrive early and gather some eggs for breakfast. The dancer choreographs the cooking while the cheffa sniffs things and picks the parsley. The tall one has salt and no parsley, the little one insists on black pepper and lots of herbs.

This old fashioned slice has been around forever and should appeal to their differing tastes. I remember eating this as a child and it was the first thing I ever made as a teenager. It incorporates a healthy breakfast cereal, coconut and cocoa and is simple and fast to make.  Children love to crunch up the vita brits, the first step in this recipe. They share the tasks readily: my job is to find the ingredients in the chaotic pantry and melt the butter.

Chocolate Crunch 

Heat the oven to 180c before commencing.

• 3 vita brits ( or other wholewheat breakfast biscuits)
• 1/2 cup (120g) sugar
• 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
• 1 cup dessicated coconut
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 150g butter, melted

Icing.

• 1  cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• knob of butter
• a little milk.

Break up the vita brits until you have fine crumbs. Mix in the other dry ingredients. Add the melted butter. Stir well until all the dry ingredients have been moistened, using the back of a tablespoon.

Grease with butter a rectangular tray 26cm by 16 cm. Tip in the biscuit mixture. Press the mixture in and flatten with the back of a spoon, removing all air pockets.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Icing. Heat the butter and mik. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cocoa together, then pour in enough of the milk/butter mixture to make a firm, not too runny, icing. Pour the icing onto the warm slice, ‘a small puddle of wet chocolate’ in dancing terms, and then spread evenly over the slice.  Cool and let the icing set. Cut into small squares when set and store in an airtight tin. It keeps well but is more likely to be eaten quickly by the dancer, the chef and their elders.

Camping, Cuisine and the Murray River

In his foreword to Steve Strevens’ book, ‘Slow River’, Stefano de Piero attests to his appreciation of the slowness and strength of the Murray River, noting that words like ‘mighty Murray’ are too clichéd. Stefano continues to quote poet and scholar Paul Kane, who describes the Murray in this way,

“The Murray, a river of work, cutting its way through time and all resistance: here broad and reflecting, there deep and gorgeous in confinement- scoriated limestone valleys of imagination – and stillness too, in swampy backwaters and billabongs, where the traveller, the river’s reader, can paddle about and muse on the curious vicissitudes of Nature’s Muse, who is like a river, only she is her own source of plenishment, whereas the Murray- refreshed by loss- is both less and more.” Paul Kane, 1995.

I have tried on a few adjectives too and I keep coming back to ‘elemental’ and ‘primordial’ to describe this river and its beautiful surrounding bush. Although not many of us are in the position, like Steve, to take a ‘tinnie’  (a small aluminium boat) down the Murray from source to sea, we can appreciate its wonder and hypnotic attraction by camping along its banks. 
One evening, a posse of around 20 pelicans came bobbing along, appearing as if from nowhere from a nearby fork in the river. For the first 10 minutes, like obedient troupes, they stayed in a neat line as they travelled upstream. Bills up and down in unison, they hugged the banks of the river for some time. Then, as if commanded by an invisible force, they simultaneously spread out in a wide circle, a choreographed show, and the hunt was on. Fishing time! Amidst the white troupe, one small dark cormorant had joined the gang.

Human daytime activities consist of walking and photography, noting the variety of flora and bird life, and watching the ever-changing moods of this slow river as it passes by.  Other pastimes include reading books about the Murray ( see below), fiddling with the solar panels, and considering whether it’s time for another cup of tea or something stronger. Big decisions. The days are sunny and the nights are frosty in early September so a camp fire is recommended.  From November through to May, camp fires are banned due to the risk of bushfire.

At times, a houseboat cruises by. The nearby Lyrup Ferry service operates 24 hours a day: it is a free service and one simply pulls up, presses the red button, and out comes the ferryman to take you and your car over the short stretch of river. Of course, I couldn’t stop singing Chris de Burgh’s, “Don’t pay the ferryman, don’t even fix a price, don’t pay the ferryman, until he gets you to the other side, ah ahh ahhahaah”.  South Australia retains some fine traditions.

Handsome and on call Ferryman at Lyrup.

In the late afternoon, food is prepared and the fire is lit. Mr T chops onions, garlic and ginger: he is my favourite kitchen hand. Tonight’s feast includes a Keralan fish curry, loaded with fresh curry leaves found in the excellent Indian shop in Mildura. Alongside is an Aloo Gobi stir fry- a simple little cauliflower and potato dish with added Kalonji seeds. I put Kalonji seeds in many things these days, especially flat breads.
The next day, a big shared Szechuan soup for lunch with wongbok cabbage, tofu and chilli hits the spot and at night, my favourite, jaffles cooked in the fire. Food tastes so good in the open air.

Szechuan soup, tofu, wongbok, chilli, spring onions

Jaffles cooked in the fire.

Camping by the river is one of the best ways to enjoy the Australian bush, especially in September when you have the place to yourself, along with the birds, and the silence of the slow Murray River. As the night descends, it’s time for a glass of local wine and perhaps a hummed tune, ‘Take me to the River’ ,after the wine has disappeared.

The banks of the Murray River at Lyrup, South Australia

Two excellent books on the Murray River:

Slow River, A journey down the Murray, Steve Strevens, Allen and Unwin 2006

The River. A journey through the Murray- Darling basin, Chris Hammer, Melbourne University Press, 2011

Abandoned Cottages of the Outback, Sunday Stills.

The history of settlement of the outback, South Australia, particularly around the Flinders Ranges, is intriguing, especially if you have travelled north of Quorn or Hawker and noted the many abandoned stone cottages.  Idealistic farmers, many with German background, hoping to make their fortune in wheat growing, took up large tracts of land in this semi desert area, believing that ‘the rain would follow the plough’.

The basic premise of this theory was that increased human settlement in the region and cultivation of soil would result in an increased rainfall over time, rendering the land more fertile and lush as the population increased. The theory was widely promoted in the 1870s as a justification for settlement in the Great Plains of America and was also used to justify the expansion of wheat growing on marginal land in South Australia during that period.¹ Despite the warnings of  climatologist, George Goyder² in 1865, farmers continued to believe this fallacy and took up land north of Quorn, near the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

Today we can witness hundreds of ruins and shattered dreams along the highways and small tracks in this area, as recurring droughts eventually drove these settlers away. Their abandoned hand-built stone houses are hauntingly beautiful, set amidst plains of grey-green saltbush, red sandy earth, with a backdrop of purple escarpments and ranges. Thanks Ed,of Sunday Stills, for this week’s prompt. ¹.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_follows_the_plow 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goyder%27s_Line http://ashadocs.org/aha/03/03_04_Young.pdf

Hunza Pie to the Rescue. Silverbeet.

During the 70s, a little paperback vegetarian cookbook – Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé – was all the rage.  It was a political book, the first to argue an environmental approach to vegetarianism, that ‘world hunger is not caused by a lack of food but by ineffective food policy.’  As a cookbook, it took a rather scientific approach to food, and emphasised combining grains and nuts with sesame seeds and so on, to provide sufficient protein. It was hugely popular at the time and marked a shift in my cooking, from the earlier influence of Elizabeth David, to a wholefood approach. Since then, my cooking has acquired many layers of influence, all coming together in the food of today, but a little of that simple wholesomeness remains.

some simple ingredients

As I consider the rampant forest of silverbeet/chard/bietola in the vegetable garden, a classic dish from this era springs back to mind, the Hunza Pie, along with faded memories of our old Kombi van heading towards the then undeveloped hippy havens of Byron Bay and Mullumbimby, and us, dressed in flared jeans with something to smoke.

pie asssembled

If you also are inundated with silverbeet, I recommend this wholesome classic to you. It might be a tad hippified, but it’s still good.

25 minutes in the oven

Hunza Pie, the old way.

The Pastry

• 150 gr wholemeal plain flour
• 75 gr butter
• pinch of salt
• one egg yolk
• two tablespoons of icy cold water.

The filling

• 6 or so large stems of silver beet, stems and leaves cut up separately
• half a small red onion, chopped finely
• 100g cooked brown rice ( do this as you make the pastry)
• 130 gr tasty cheddar cheese
• one egg
• pepper

Make the pastry by whizzing the flour and butter in a processor, then adding the egg yolk, process, then add a bit of the water until the pastry comes together in a ball. Pat out flat, and wrap in cling wrap to rest in the fridge for an hour.

Remove pastry. Prepare and grease an 8-9 inch pie dish or quiche tin, roll out the pastry and lay it in the tin. Trim the edges. As this is a simple rustic dish, there is no need to blind bake the pastry. The filling is fairly dry so the case is able to cook crisply
in one go.

Cook the chopped silver beet stems in ample salted water for 8 minutes, then add the chopped leaves for another two minutes. Drain well and squeeze dry. Mix the silver beet in a bowl with the remaining filling ingredients, holding back some of the cheese. Fill the pastry shell, smooth the top, then sprinkle the reserved cheese on the top.

Preheat oven to 220c. Add the pie and turn down oven to 175c ( fan on) and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with a salad. Serves four. Leftovers make great work and school lunches.

 

Sunraysia Farmers’ Market, Mildura and Italianità

You don’t have to look far to find Italianità in Mildura and the surrounding district, Sunraysia. Many of you may know of the famous restaurateur from Mildura, Stefano de Piero, not only noted for his fine cuisine at the Grand Hotel some years ago, but also through his series, ‘A Gondola on the Murray’ and various cookbooks. Not so many know about the thousands of  Italo -Australiani who contribute to the farming community around the district.  Although first generation Italians now make up less that 2% of the population, second and third generation Italo- Australiani make up a significant proportion of the population and have contributed much to the town, its culture, agriculture and the arts.

A quick tour around the Sunraysia Farmers’ Market, held every first and third Saturday of the month, will provide you with some irresistible provisions for touring the district. An important consideration, when buying fruit and vegetables, is to take into account any State border crossings. As Mildura sits in Victoria, close to South Australia and New South Wales, quarantine laws demand that one must forfeit most fruit and vegetables on entering another State.

This is enforced by officials upon entering South Australia and through signage and the voluntary depositing of goods on entering Victoria and New South Wales. The borders can be confusing upon entering/leaving the Sunraysia district which seems to have some extraordinary quarantine lines within Victoria itself. It’s all about protecting South Australia and the Sunraysia district from fruit-fly.

Some demographics from a past census will show that 353,000 Italian migrants arrived in Australia in the post war period, from 1948 through to 1970. Most of the Italian born are now aged over 60. They have kept alive many of the farming traditions learnt from pre-war times and this is particularly evident in preserving techniques and salame making.

The wine industry in the Sunraysia district makes up 80% of all Victorian wine grape production. The highways linking Mildura with Swan Hill are lined with farms selling wine, olive oil, citrus fruits, avocados and vegetables. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the farmers’ market, there are plenty of roadside stalls with honesty boxes selling all kinds of fresh produce, on both sides of the Murray river in each state.

 

Travel Theme: Strong

The foundation stones of Il Torre di Pisa were laid in 1173 and despite its lean, the tower is still going strong. 
Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons. and the thickness of the walls at the base is  2.44 metres.

You need to be strong to climb to the top, not only because of the 294 steps. Those suffering from vertigo aren’t able to find the courage to handle the height or the lean. The last time we were there, we sent young Mischa Bella up on her own but in the company of a handsome gentleman and his son, who we found in the queue!  You need to be 18 years old to attempt the climb da sola, and Mischa, who was only 14, was determined to reach the top.  Brava Mischa.

And brava also to Ailsa who has chosen STRONG as the travel theme this week.

Outback Cuisine in Orange/Sunday Stills

I am currently surrounded by orange. The rock faces of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia are bathed in orange at different times of the day. The road to Brachina Gorge is an orange drive all the way.

And I just cracked a large Kent Pumpkin. As we are camping off the grid and have limited cool storage, orange cuisine is on the agenda. Recipes will follow another time. Camp cooking is never dull. Thanks Ed from Sunday Stills for the suggestion.

Vegetable soup featuring pumpkin and carrot, parsnip, potato and found herbs.

Fire roasted pumpkin and beetroot salad with fetta and rugola.

Indian pumpkin fritter mix of grated pumpkin, shallot, besan flour and spices.

Trentham Estate Restaurant, Mildura

Mildura is situated on the banks of the slow winding Murray river in the far North-West corner of Victoria, Australia. It calls like a sunny siren from its distant post, attracting many travellers in winter and early spring, those who wish to experience big, blue skies and sunny days. The land is flat but very productive, given that 80% of Victoria’s wine grapes come from this area, along with crops of oranges, avocados, and other vegetables. The architecture is modern and bland, with a touch of Spanish Mission here and there. It is an odd town but still very appealing, with broad city streets lined with palm trees and ornamental vines, one famous hotel and some very good art galleries.

We have stopped here for the night on our journey to the outback. First stop is lunch at Trentham Estate winery, then an overnight camp along the banks of the Murray River, followed by a morning visit to the Sunraysia Farmers’ Market.

View from the outdoor tables on the verandah

Lunch at Trentham Estate Restaurant.

I started with a leek and potato soup, which came with some surprising little extras on the side, a dollop of house made tapenade with a touch of lemon zest, some crisps, and small wedges of roasted zucchini. Small, but very satisfying, especially with the tapenade swirled through the soup.

Mr Tranquillo opted for a main course only, although I knew that he would devour half my dolce. A substantial fish pie, containing Murray Cod, smoked salmon, and prawns, this dish was well executed and I was extremely jealous. I scored a few forkfuls!

seafood pie, creamy and substantial.

I opted for another entrée, this time a tart of roasted beetroot, creamy fetta and caramelised onion. The puff pastry overwhelmed this dish and I felt that the dish was too dry.

Next came a dessert of quince tarte tatin, served with ice cream and hazlenut. This little treat stole the show, and as predicted, Mr T developed a taste for half.

The other pleasure to be found at Trentham is the wine tasting room with its glorious view and pleasant staff. We purchased the Nebbiolo. This Italian variety is hard to find in Melbourne. Trentham’s vintage did not disappoint.

Wine tasting room at Trentham Estate.

TRENTHAM ESTATE WINERY

Sturt Highway
Trentham Cliffs
NSW 2738
Australia

Travel Theme: Noise

We’re back in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China. At night, the bars light up, with each bar employing a band or singer. The noise can be overwhelming, but the locals love to party.  I preferred wandering the streets of this ancient Chinese city in the day time, when the cobblestoned streets were quiet and empty.

You can find some more noisy shots at Ailsa’s travel photography site.  And I recommend my brother’s take on this theme too. Take a look at Mick’s Cogs.

Lijiang by night.

Travel Themes: Merchandise

Scarves and wraps re essential at night.

Merchandise in the old towns of Dali and Lijiang, in Yunann Province, China,  is colourful and tempting. Lijiang is a Unesco World Heritage site with an altitude of 2,500 meteres above sea level. It can get cold at night, even in summer. Both towns are popular with young Chinese travellers, particularly on the weekends, when they come to party and shop. The cobblestoned streets are closed to traffic, making the evening promenade a pleasant experience.  An appealing travel challenge from Ailsa this week.

All the tea in China.

A basket of combs for sale!

Young women shop for strawberries.