About me
We live in a rural area of the state of Victoria in the south of Australia , surrounded by stonefruit orchards ,vineyards ,dairying and cropping -- with some beef and sheep .On our small homesteading farm we grow our own veges , a lot of our fruit and raise calves to killing age for the home freezer . Chickens and ducks also . So my cooking is produce driven with an emphasis on fresh dynamic flavours with lots of home grown veg and herbs . Quality ingredients are everything with me as well as well-defined flavours ,no subtlety in my recipe book ! As Australia is so multi-cultural with a very recent migrant history ,my influences are South East Asian ,North African ,Mediterranean and Indian .But I love home-style farm cookery too ,with an interest in bread making ,preserving our harvest ,and cooking the food our forebears ate ,although with a modern twist .An old fashioned leg of spring lamb but stuffed with spinach ,fetta and pine nuts ! Or a good steak ,grilled to perfection ,sliced and served alongside a Moroccan cous-cous made with dried fruits and preserved lemons . Tonight for instance I'm cooking some chicken pieces in a Middle Eastern inspired way ---tomatoey ,herby and spicy and served with homemade pasta and a sprinkling of sumac ! --and offer some Greek-style yoghurt on the side to cool the chilli. Love a food adventure --a new ingredient or a fruit I haven't seen or eaten .Different game meats like pigeon or hare .I'm growing oca at the moment ,an old Andean tuber a bit like a potato but without the disease problems .So I'm experimenting with cooking and serving them ,learning what tastes improve them P.S --the avatar photo was taken at a fancy dress --we aren't always that colourful !! ha ha