What’s Fresh in February 2010

PLUMS:
You can rely on plums for their luscious sweetness as juicy stone fruit to enjoy through Autumn. As the name implies, Amber Jewel - a WA-developed plum - has has become extremely popular for it’s firm sweet flesh. Traditionalists may want to look for Laroda and Stirling. Buy plums with plenty of colour, a somewhat dull skin and just a little softness. Store in your fruit bowl to enjoy the full flavour of the fruit.

ZUCCHINI:
Economical zucchini makes a great filler for pasta sauces and curries. Dices or slices can be lightly steamed or microwaved and tossed through hot pasta with light sour cream, spring onion and grilled prawns to make a tasty light dish, packed full of nutrients. Zucchini is also a wonderful ingredient in home-made fritters; simply grate and combine with grated potato, eggs, lashings of oregano and some feta cheese for a Greek twist on a family favourite.

BLACK GRAPES:
Add an extra colour to your grape choice with delicious Black Beauty – a seedless black grape that will be available through February. Look for berries with a mist-like ‘bloom’, indicating that the grapes have received minimum handling and fresh looking green stems so you know they are recently picked. Keep and eat chilled.

SWISS BROWN CUP MUSHROOMS:
Plenty of flavour and just the right size for popping into summer salads, rice pilafs and pasta dishes. These nutty brown mushrooms work well with Asian flavours such as chilli, ginger and coriander; try stir-frying in the above plus a dollop of hoisin sauce and serving with honey glazed pork and steamed greens.

Aussies give thumbs up to grapes!

Peach, Prosciutto and Grape Salad
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: Nil
Serves: 4

200 g prosciutto,
torn into bite size pieces
100g red grapes, halved
200 g bunch watercress, washed
200 g fetta cheese, crumbled
2 tblspn red wine vinegar
3 tblspn olive oil
1 tblspn honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pinch salt
Pinch ground cloves

Place peaches, grapes, prosciutto, watercress and fetta into a bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, honey, garlic, salt and ground cloves. Drizzle dressing over salad and fold together. Serve immediately.

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

by Alessia Spedding

Australians are munching their way through more grapes than ever, with 50% more consumed over the past ten years. Grapes are now being hailed as the perfect snack alternative to highly-processed packaged foods.

With a host of health benefits, including low GI certification from the Glycemic Index Foundation, it’s not hard to see why table grape consumption jumped from 2kgs to nearly 3kgs per capita.

Grapes taste fresh, sweet and juicy; they’re healthy and contain no fat; they’re convenient because there’s no peeling or cutting; you can take them anywhere and store them easily; they’re a perfect bite size and easy to share; they’re always affordable; and they’re at their best from November to May. What more could you want?

Health-conscious Australians who Munch-A-Bunch-A-Grapes this season will be doing themselves many favours. Grapes are 80% water so they will keep you hydrated throughout the day, while their natural fructose will provide energy and vitality. They contain lots of fibre, so they help cleanse and detoxify the system, and are a good source of Vitamin C, which helps maintain a strong immune system.

Grapes also contain resveratrol, a substance found in the skin, which has been found to protect against inflammation, viruses, ageing and heart disease. They contain Vitamin B6, vital for a healthy nervous system, and red grapes contain the same beneficial antioxidants as red wine – without the alcohol.

Grapes are a healthy lifestyle choice for people of all ages. They are a delicious portable snack option when you’re on the go; ideal for grazing on throughout the day, making them the ideal snack between meals and the fruit of choice.

Munch a bunch today and try out these delicious grape recipes

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Dinner for One

Grape Pikelets with Passionfruit Yoghurt

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Serves: 1

1/2 cup self raising flour
2 tspn sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grapes
1/3 cup vanilla yoghurt
1 passionfruit

Combine flour and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add egg and a little of the milk. Whisk together with a fork adding a little more milk as you whisk. Add only enough milk to form a creamy batter. Add in grapes (slice if large). Drop large spoonfuls onto a medium-heated non-stick pan. Cook over for 1 minute each side. Once all batter is used, combine yoghurt and fresh passionfruit. Serve a stack of 3-4 grape pikelets with a large spoonful of passionfruit yoghurt and extra fresh grapes to serve.

Wine Review

Top Wines from Tall Timber country.

Salitage Wines have long been recognised as producing some of the best wines in the Pemberton wine region not to mention the entire country. Pemberton’s cool climate is marginally warmer than neighbouring Manjimup as it is closer to the ocean and situated at a slightly lower altitude. Better known for its Burgundian varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Pemberton also enjoys the ability to produce good clean crisp sauvignon blanc.

It is no coincidence that Salitage Wines, one of the pioneering wine producers in the region, have scooped up some great accolades from notable wine critics including Ray Jordan and Robert Geddes MW from Australian Wine Vintages. Geddes awarded 2 of his Top 100 positions to Salitage - the 2008 Sauvignon blanc (RRP $22), currently available, and the 2008 Chardonnay (RRP $36) released soon. Having tasted both wines they are stand-outs that I can recommend sourcing from your local fine wine outlet.

Ray Jordan rated the 2007 Pinot Noir in his Top 100 last year and includes the 2008 Pinot Noir in the ‘Best of the West’ in his 2010 WA Wine Guide saying, ‘…Oh yes, without a doubt this is the best pinot that has come from Salitage. It has it all… a beauty that restores my faith in the variety’.

If you are a lover of pinot, this one is a great example of quality and style typical of the Pemberton region and certainly up there with the best I’ve seen in recent years. RRP $40.

Happy drinking!

updated 09/02/10