The macadamias are just getting cured enough to start using now, and the pumpkin stack on the verandah shows no signs of going down. This recipe makes 10. That many is easy to make and they are at their best fresh. And they are a bit too good. If you make more everyone will just eat them, and unless you have a big household you really can’t call 20 in…
For several years now through busy times and camping holidays and all the inevitable ordinary routine-breakers of life, baking our own bread has made the cut – something worth doing even when time is the most precious commodity going and a zillion other things are barking for attention. Which is a bit intriguing.
No doubt this recipe is not authentic, and I would love anyone who has a real Vietnamese grandmother to share the authentic version. But one of the nice things about multicultural Australia is the cross fertilization of ideas, in food as in everything else.
This recipe uses treacle, which is just as healthy as maple syrup and much more local. I also uses 1½ cups of pumpkin puree which makes no dent at all in the pumpkin pile but at least makes me feel like I’m trying.
This is straight hot sauce – just chilies, vinegar and salt. Depending how hot your chillies are, it can be anything from magma to mildly spicy. Its simplicity is its strength – you can add it to anything without muddying flavours.
It’s a bunya year, and easy to see why they are a feasting food for multitudes. We’ve been eating them just sauteed in butter and garlic, or made into pesto, or used as a dipping stick, or stirred into stir-fries or curries, just about every day. Bunya batter is a nice find though, worth sharing. Recipe:
Olives are easy to process. You just have to allow them time. I pick them over to remove any damaged ones, then put them in big glass jars and cover with water and drain and change the water every day for a fortnight. This is the work part. The rest is mostly just waiting.