by Tom on August 18, 2010
Soup season is coming to a close, but that doesnt mean it’s too late.
We seem to all want to eat more at this time of the year, big hearty comfort meals of braised meats, casseroles of wild game, curries to feed the soul, and rich brothy soups to keep us healthy.
A lot of these meals require a good stock, and the most common and versatile stock is chicken stock.
Stop socialising, the kitchen is where we belong to get lost in our thoughts during winter, and bought stock hurts the travel budget for the warmer months, so time to be wise and have something to boast the next time you make risotto. Trial and era is the best way to learn.
Time to intimidate your mum and make your own stock. It freezes well and will be the motivating ingredient for so many other dishes just from one batch. Plus, just 15 minutes of prep time.
Your local market poultry supplier will basically throw chicken bones at you in exchange for a gold coin donation.
Or, if your looking for something more sustainable, organic chicken carcasses can be ordered from most specialty meat stores or from your local organic shop. Here at Clay we take orders for chicken carcasses on Tuesdays and if you ask kindly cost price is all you will pay, so 2kgs of guilt free chicken will set you back roughly $5 dollars.
The rest of the ingredients will only cost you $3-4, depending on what you already have in the pantry.
Result is exciting, 2 litres of stock for under 10 dollars, the end product cooked in your home filling every cavity with the amazing scent of cloves, leeks, black pepper and bay leaves bubbling away. Flightless birds are here for our winter boredom. [click to continue…]
Us Clay kids grew up on a farm close to a Murray River town called Barham, situated one hour north of Echuca and three and a half hours from Melbourne. Rich red soil known for its potential to grow seasonal vegetables was what attracted our parents to the property known as ‘Red Bank’.
How on earth did Prue and I end up selling veggies? We hated working for our dad on the farm. It seems strange, maybe we just didn’t want to do all the hard farming work, and now after years of exploring passions in other career paths we have found an easier way to surround ourselves once again in something that must be in our blood.
We all seem to be drawn back to our child hood at some stage or another, for us it’s the chance to escape the city and vegetate.
Easter camping is the event of the year in most Murray River towns, even for the locals. Drinking, fishing, eating and snoozing. Drinking, eating, fishing, fishing at the same time as drinking.
By day three we have almost mastered participating in all three activities at the same time, well that’s what we thought Ash was trying to do when we saw him floating down the river with a stubbie in one hand, fishing rod in the other, screaming out for help. Ash is the owner of the property we camp on and lover to Amy my other sister. Ash is a man of many talents.
Camping for me is about preparing gourmet meals over hot coals and pretending I’m some kind of super chef, a cross between the Bushtucker Man and Huey from the show Huey’s Cooking Adventures.
My original plan for this years camping trip was to cook an Aussie paella of Murray cod and yabbies, making use of my bush tucker skills. I also pondered the idea of shooting a rabbit, skinning it and then making a confit in duck fat.
If only it all went to plan. [click to continue…]
Okay, so I wrote this post about a month ago, but it is still entirely relevant and apples are still tasting great.
Apples are the first thing I think about in the morning. Probably because they are in season and at their best. Some people might not know when apples are in season because availability is year round, not because of importation but simply because of their ability to keep well in storage. [click to continue…]
by admin on June 14, 2010
After trying Dench and Natural Tucker we chose Loafer Bread to be our bread wholesaler.
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Miellerie unheated honey is produced by Yves Ginat and a small team with the assistance of his local community.
Having a good cheese section is a hard task for a small organic shop. Cheeses come and go but after nearly two years of trading finally our cheese section has naturally moulded itself. [click to continue…]