WA's premier lifestyle newspaper for the over 45s.
 
  
Winemakers Choice
 
Home News Health Entertainment Travel Activities Clubs About Distribution Advertise contact
Competitions Horoscopes Friendships, dining & dating Fashion & Style Food & Wine Food & Wine Free Classifieds Have a Go Shop
         The current time is 

Food

What’s Fresh in the Markets

Prepared by Fresh Finesse Food Promotions www.freshf.com.au

Nectarines: Plentiful supplies of these summer favourites are now arriving in store and the prices are very affordable. Luscious yellow fresh varieties are sweet and juicy eating – perfect for snacking, freshly sliced on y our morning cereal or as fruity sorbet, you really only need to puree and freeze. Pile them high in the fruit bowl and they will disappear as if by magic.

Donut peaches: A unique white fleshed peach, small and flat with a sunken centre (shaped like a doughnut). Can be eaten firm or soft and are naturally sweet and juicy. They’re a huge hit with kids, as they are easy to hold in hand, easy to eat and have great novelty factor.

Buy apricots that are firm, but not hard, with unblemished skins and they should be a deep, clear orange and some may even have a red blush. Apricots bruise easily, so carry them home with care.

Apricots: If you are blessed with excess apricots, then making apricot jam will carry on this beautiful flavour for months ahead. It is a great surprise when you find a large piece of apricot as you spread the jam onto fresh bread.

Eggplant: Locally-grown hydroponic eggplants are plentiful now. Best grilled or barbecued and you can easily create an impressive dish for your next BBQ by layering with good-quality fetta, fresh rocket and a dressing of finely chopped chilli, roast &ground cumin seeds, mint, lemon juice and evoo.


 

click here


Barbecue Daze
January 2012

Brought to you by Fresh Finesse Fresh Food Promotions – www.freshf.com.au

Blessed with long, warm days in WA it seems cheeky not to take advantage and partake in a little alfresco eating and what better way to do it than with a classic Aussie Barbie? “Throwing another Shrimp” has become a tongue- in-cheek part of our vernacular and for good reason. Hot grill plates are designed for absolute cooking simplicity and is just a matter of selecting your choice of meat and veggies then cracking open an icy beer whilst the barbecue heats up. Prawns, funnily enough, are a fantastic choice and delicious threaded onto rosemary skewers and doused with a little lemon juice and olive oil before serving. This method of skewering also works equally well for firm white-fleshed fish and Mediterranean vegetables such as capsicum, mushroom and eggplant.

Marinades are a fantastic and easy way to add a distinctive touch to a barbecue. A home-made tandoori paste of lemon juice, garam masala, paprika, garlic and natural yoghurt is wonderful smothered on chicken prior to grilling. A little Dijon mustard and vinegar brushed on potatoes towards the end of cooking gives a tangy kick to an essential barbecue side. Large field mushrooms work really well marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and pepper then grilled till cooked and garnished with a dollop of a soft white cheese such as goat’s, ricotta or buffalo mozzarella.

Foil Parcels filled with delicious vegetable treats are another fuss-free barbecuing option. A combination of tomato, black olives and cubed, cooked potato is lovely, as is a parcel of swiss brown and button mushrooms, butter and haloumi cheese. Simply seal and pop on the barbie until cooked to your liking. This is a particularly good option for vegetarians or fussy eaters- get them to create their own favourite combinations.

The best thing to accompany some aromatic grilling is a fresh, crunchy salad and what’s more, they’re one of the simplest of dishes to prepare. A classic green salad is en-livened by the addition of some toasted nuts and unusual salad varieties such as tatsoi and snowpea tendrils. A fantastic potato salad is an absolute staple of any barbecue- experiment with different flavours such as dill, mustard, bacon and cumin.

So go on…..this weekend, do what those pesky foreigners expect and throw another shrimp on the barbie! Give the following variation of the classic a go.


Barbecued Flat Mushrooms with Prawns


Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking 6 minutes
Serves Serves: 4

16 (about 500 g) green medium-king prawns, peeled
1 cup coriander leaves
4 (about 100 g each) flat mushrooms
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tspn wholegrain mustard
1 tblspn brown sugar
2 tblspn lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste



Method:

Place prawns and ¾ cup coriander into a medium bowl and mushrooms onto a large plate. Combine oil, mustard, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a screw-top jar. Shake well to combine. Pour ¼ cup dressing over prawns and toss well to combine. Drizzle remaining dressing over mushrooms. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Preheat a greased barbecue plate on medium-high heat. Spoon prawns and marinade onto the barbecue plate and cook, tossing frequently, for 2 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium and cook mushrooms for 2 minutes on each side or until just tender. Arrange mushrooms and prawns onto serving plates. Sprinkle with remaining coriander. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Recipe for One

Smoked Salmon and Nectarine salad

A light refreshing salad perfect for serving as a lunch or entrée.

Preparation: 5 mins
Cooking NIL
Serves Serves 1

1 yellow nectarine, cut into cheeks
30g smoked salmon
1/4 cup watercress sprigs
30g grape tomatoes, halved
Dressing –
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 Tblspn fresh orange juice
2 Tblspn olive oil
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and cracked black pepper



Method:

Arrange the nectarines on serving plates with the salmon, watercress and tomatoes. Combine the dressing ingredients and drizzle over salad.


“Vince Garreffa’s Shepherds Pie”

My love of Shepherds Pie is always associated with January because it’s when I have the most left over cooked meat from Christmas celebrations. Using leftover meat minced up and mixed with fresh ingredients to make a scrumptious tasting pie is also so good for the wallet. If you don’t have any leftovers, use fresh mince instead.

If you want a particular recipe from me, don’t hesitate to drop a line to me at Have a Go News. Send your enquiry to Vince Garreffa c/- Have a Go News PO Box 1042 West Leederville 6901, or email your question jen@haveagonews.com.au
Buon Appetito!

Ingredients for 1 big tray or 6 individual pies
• 1.2 kg minced leftover meat of your choice ( lamb-beef-pork-chicken-turkey-ham)
• 150 gm onion fine diced
• 150 gm carrot fine diced
• 150 gm celery fine diced
• 150 gm Tomato Paste (preservative free)
• 50 ml Worcestershire Sauce
• 400 ml lamb/beef or chicken stock
• 50 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(EVOO)
• Freshly cracked black
pepper to taste
• West Australian Organic
Lake salt to taste

Creamy Potato Mash
• 1 kg Royal Blue potatoes
• 50 gm butter
• 100 ml cream



 Vince Garreffa

Method:

First saute your onion in the oil ’til it’s a little coloured then add, stir and cook the carrot and celery ’til they are soft. Now add your minced meat and cook for 5 minutes or ’til cooked. If using raw mince (crush well with no lumps in the mince). Now add the tomato paste and cook for two minutes then add your stock and worcestershire sauce, cooking ’til your mixture is not too wet. Do test for salt and pepper then cool mixture for use later. Now make your potato mash by cutting your peeled potatoes in small diced pieces and boiling in salted water till soft, then strain. Bring your cream and butter to a slow simmer then mash (or sieve into a fine paste) your hot potato into the cream and butter and mix really well. Then cool this mix. When ready to make your Shepherds Pie or pies fill the bottom of your containers about 65 per cent full then pipe the potato on top and bake them for about 40 - 50 minutes at 175°C ’til golden brown on top. Serve piping hot.
PS: Can be made and refrigerated then baked next day with a little liquid butter painted over the mash while baking.

Buon appetito
Vince Garreffa

Raise your glass - great wines to quaff
by Frank Smith


ONE WAY to buy a good bottle of wine very cheaply is to look for bin ends. Those are small numbers of cases left over just taking up storage room in the winery. There are too few to make it worth advertising them, so most wineries sell them off to passing customers.

The problem is finding bin ends when you want them. Good wineries don’t want their premium customers to lower their price expectation so you will rarely find bin ends mentioned on a website. Rather visit the cellar door and keep a look out for boxes discretely hidden away from the main selling area, or just ask.
I recently bought a case of six magnums of Cape Mentelle classic red for $120 at the cellar door. That’s the equivalent of $10/bottle.

Harvey River Bridge Estate has a 2008 Viognier available at the cellar door for $60 a case. That’s just $5/bottle for an excellent wine. It is well worth calling in if you are travelling south.

Some wineries advertise bin ends on their newsletter. One such winery is one of my favourites, Kim Tyrer’s Galafrey winery at Mount Barker. In January they should have 2004 Chardonnay, 2003 Frankland River Shiraz and their 2007 Riesling, but being bin ends they could easily be sold out. Email Kim Tyrer kim@galafreywines.com.au to see what bargains they have.

Here are some wine suggestions for summer drinking.

   

Xabregas Sauvignon Blanc from Mount Barker.

If you find New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc too sweet and fruity then this is the one to try. It is light bodied and crisp with watercress, guava and melon without excessive vegetable flavours.

Riesling from the same winery is medium dry with citrus, lavender and apricot blossom and a hint of cloves and cinnamon. Both retail around $23/bottle but I have seen them offered much cheaper in discount liquor stores.


Yering Station 2010 Little Yering Chardonnay and 2010 Little Yering Pinot Noir both hail from Victoria’s Yarra Valley.

The Chardonnay has citrus fruit flavours with a touch of oak. The Pinot Noir has cherry and gamey flavours with a more subtle oak and a savoury finish. Both retail for up to $17/bottle and are well represented (at an inflated price) in restaurant wine lists.



Beresford Beacon Hill Merlot

looks dark plum in colour with plum and cherry flavours and a hint of spice with a soft mouthfeel. Beresford Highwood Pinot Grigio from McLaren Vale is light straw coloured with a bouquet of nashi pears and slight minerality and goes well with Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. Look for them around $15/bottle. Sadly their owners, Step Road Wines of Langhorne Creek, have gone into receivership, so buy now before the bean counters take over.

Kangarilla Road Primitivo

I’m a sucker for unusual varieties so Kangarilla Road Primitivo appeals. Primitivo is a Croatian variety known as Zinfandel in the US. It is a spicy red with acidity that goes well with rich food. The top of the range is around $20/bottle.

Brown Brothers Vintage sparkling Moscato

For those who like a bubble but don’t want too much alcohol Brown Brothers Vintage sparkling Moscato has only six per cent alcohol. It has vibrant sparkles with citrus notes, fruitiness and a sherbet aroma and is available for up to $16.50 per bottle. This sparkling wine is an ideal social summer drink.
 
 

Have a Go News Discount Directory

Follow us Twitter Facebook

GAMES

Play these great games:
+ Battle over Berlin
+ Blooming Gardens - New game
+ Cricket - New game
+ Crossword
+ Darts - New game
+ Golfish - New game
+ Golf - New game
+ Mahjong - New game
+ Soccer - New game
+ Sudoku
+ Tennis - New game

LINKS
We are proud to be associated with:
+ Advocare
+ Council on the Ageing
+ Department for Communities
   - Seniors Interests
+ Department of Sport & Recreation
+ Diabetes WA
+ Heart Foundation
+ Masters Swimming WA
+ Seniors' Recreation Council of WA
+ The School Volunteer Program

FEATURES
Great offers available now with:
+ FREE Classifieds
+ FREE Dating & Connection Service
+ FREE Horoscopes
+ Shopping - great bargains!!

 
 
 
click here
 
 
 
Circulations Audit Bureau
CAB Audited: 65,433 copies.

Competitions Page: "click here to find out more"