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My Favourites

Midnight Munchies:

Good, tart yogurt (I am very partial to Kenilworth’s Greek style), fruit, nuts and a liberal sprinkling of wheat germ, whey powder or even Totally Natural Quick Fibre Plus (must be the ‘Delicious Carob Flavour’ however). Spoon out the wild lime, add to mixture and pucker up while you do your lower colon no end of good. I add thinly sliced plum to this dish and it seems to work all right but I think the plum (or any acidic fruit) must be added just before serving or it will react with yoghurt to its detriment.

Limey Mayo

Must be a quality mayonnaise (S&W or Hellmanns at the very least - both more salty than sugary - attempt to substitute with No Frills and you will die a thousand culinary deaths).

Add finger lime ‘pearls’ to mayo and use as side dressing for stir-fried vegies, garden salad or almost anything - tofu, tempe, pomes noisettes (never have been able to spell that one) or the humble chip. Could in fact be classified under Midnight Munchies.

Somewhat Sweet:

One day, when you’re mature and life has become somewhat settled, you will spend your Saturday mornings making pralines (good luck). When you do, don’t waste them. Serve them up with:

1/2 cup cream

1/4 tsp cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

a coupla drops of port (no more)

Mix the above and chill.  Before serving, stir in about 2 tsp of wild lime ‘pearls’ and garnish with very, very finely shredded lime skin (or Vietnamese mint if you want a milder, very different taste). Use pralines as you would chips and dip into above. Interesting...

Crunchy Jelly

This is easy peasy. Prepare any jelly you are partial to. As it begins to set, carefully stir in a goodly portion of wild limes ‘pearls’. The lime should not cook or soften but maintain its integrity. The finished product has the sweet smoothness of jelly with the added burst of the lime pearls. Quince, riberry, pear or apple jelly make ideal bases

The 'You Don’t Like Tofu?' Recipe

(Basically a marinade)

Mix well in blender:  wild lime pearls, a touch of coriander, a little white wine and vinegar, chives, a sprinkle of pepper.

Marinate tofu in this (24hrs), skewer and toss on hibachi.

A little unimaginative? Add pickled capsicum, char-grilled aubergine cubes, sun dried tomatoes and/or soused croutons to the kebab (they should all cook at pretty much the same time).

Have fun. Experiment. Enjoy. Ingest Never apologise to your guests unless you have served a mediocre wine.

A Handful of Bunya Recipes

Bunya and Bacon Quiche

Pastry

* 1 cup self raising flour

* 1/2 cup minced cooked Bunya Nuts

* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

* 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

* pinch salt

* squeeze lemon juice

* water

Combine flour, Bunya Nuts, parsley and salt. Rub in butter. Add lemon juice and sufficient cold water to mix to a firm consistency. Roll out pastry to fit tart plate or flan dish. Prick all over with fork and cook in moderate oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.

Filling

* 4 eggs

* 1/2 cup light cream or milk

* 1/2 cup grated cheese

* 3 bacon rashers (chopped)

* 1 1/2 cups minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* pinch nutmeg

* paprika

* salt and pepper

Sprinkle bacon and cheese in tart shell. Beat eggs, cream and nutmeg together. Mix in Bunya Nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over bacon and cheese. Cook in a moderate oven for 40 minutes, or until filling is firm. Garnish with paprika. Serves 6.

Bunya Nut Damper

Ingredients

* 3 cups self raising flour

* 1 cup minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* 1 teaspoon salt

* handful of sultanas

* water (usually about 2 cups)

Method

Place flour and salt in bowl, add sultanas and mix well. Add sufficient water to bind the dough into a moist, rubbery mass. When working it with your hands, all the flour should be taken up and the bowl be quite 'clean'. Place gently In a well greased small camp oven. Place oven in hot coals of camp fire. Cover the lid with coals and shovel coals around sides. Allow 30-40 minutes cooking time. If you can smell the damper cooking after only a few minutes, the fire may be too hot. If so, rake away a few of the coals.

Before removing the oven from the coals, brush coals off lid, remove lid - if cooked, it should have a nice well-browned crust. Remove oven from fire, take out damper and allow to cool.

(c) 1997, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Bunya Johnnie

Ingredients

* 4 cups minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 2 tablespoons powdered milk

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 eggs

* 2 tablespoons sugar

* 1 tablespoon butter

* fruit if required

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together (this includes Bunya Nuts). Then add eggs and butter, which has been melted in a little hot water. Mix to a 'just-pouring' consistency adding more water if necessary. Pour into greased 7 inch sponge tin.

Bake at 240 deg C for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 200 deg C and bake until cooked.

Bunya Nut Casserole

Ingredients

* 4 cups minced or finely chopped boiled Bunya Nuts

* 250 g bacon rashers

* 2 medium onions

* 1 can peeled tomatoes (425 g)

* 250 g grated Coon cheese

* pepper and salt to taste

Method

Grease a 2 litre deep casserole dish. Cover bottom with a layer of Bunya Nuts, then add a layer of sliced onions, which have been fried in a small quantity of oil until soft and clear. Next add a layer of lightly fried chopped bacon, then a layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle with some of the grated cheese. Repeat layers, finishing off with Bunya Nuts sprinkled with grated cheese. Cover, place in moderate oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, removing lid for last 15 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

Bunya Nut and Beef Casserole

Ingredients

* 750 g minced steak

* 3 - 4 cups finely chopped or minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* 2 medium or large onions

* 2 tomatoes (sliced)

* 1 - 1 1/2 cups water

* 2 cups boiled mashed pumpkin

* pepper and salt to taste

Method

Fry mince in a little oil until brown. Remove from pan. Slice onions and fry in pan with a little oil until soft and clear. Remove from pan.

Grease a 2 litre casserole dish. Cover bottom of casserole with a layer of Bunya Nuts. Add a layer of onions. Then season mince and add it to casserole. Place tomatoes on top of the mince, then the remainder of the onions. Add just enough water to make it all moist. Add another layer of Bunya Nuts. Top with mashed pumpkin. Cover and cook in a moderate oven for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Serves 4 to 6.

Garlic and Diemen Pepper Cream 

(Blue Gum Fine Foods)

From the Diemen Pepper site:

4 Garlic cloves

600ml Olive oil

3 Egg yolks

5g fresh mountain pepper or 3g dried berries soaked for 30min.

200ml champagne vinegar

10g chopped lemon basil

Salt to taste

Chop garlic and combine with pepper. Whisk into egg yolks with vinegar, as for mayonnaise, and drizzle oil in a stream, till all incorporated. Season with lemon basil and salt to taste.

Diemen Pepper Butter Sauce (Australian Native Fine Foods)

Reduce chicken, veal or fish stock to a 'jus'. Remove from heat and add 5g ground pepper leaf per litre of reduced stock. Allow to infuse 30 secs. Then finish the reduced stock with cold butter. 

Note: Pepperberries may also be used (ground), although the effect of the burgundy colour of the berries is more effective in a white or cream sauce.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with pepper, prosciutto and parmesan sauce 

(Anon., Southern Bushfood Association. Magazine No 5)

Gnocchi

750g sweet potatoes, steamed, chopped, mashed and cooled. 3 tsp. Ground Diemen Pepper leaf 3 medium. eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups plain flour

Pepper, prosciutto and parmesan sauce

1 cup cream
1 tsp. Ground Diemen Pepper
2 tblsp unsalted butter
6 thin slices prosciutto
100g freshly shaved parmesan

To make the gnocchi, mix ingredients thoroughly, forming a firm dough, adding flour or a little water if required. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 2 -3 minutes. Divide into 4, roll each into a long sausage and cut into 1 inch slices. From these into your favourite gnocchi shape, dust with flour and set aside. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and gently drop in the gnocchi. Immediately they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon and place in a shallow baking dish.

To make the sauce, bring the cream to the boil in a small saucepan, add the pepper and remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter. Pour the mixture over the cooked gnocchi, and sprinkle shaved parmesan and prosciutto evenly over the surface. Place in a preheated (370¡F) oven for 10 minutes then serve immediately.

1/4 cabbage, shredded
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
1- 2 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1 tsp ground Diemen Pepper leaf, or coarsely ground dry berries
1 red apple, diced

Mix oil, vinegar and pepper in a small jar and leave for 1-2 hrs. Cook apple and vinaigrette till liquid slightly reduced, add cabbage and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer till vinegar is evaporated. Serve as an entree or accompaniment.

Tasmania's Diemen Pepper is most effective as a condiment (used at the table, or towards the end of cooking). A small bowl of milled leaf in the centre of the table may be 'pinched' over soups and sauces. Keep a second pepper grinder filled with Diemen Pepper berries - use sparingly - the flavour is robust and may surprise. Pepperberries will bleed a soft pink colour into marinades or pickle solutions, pale sauces and yoghurt. Diemen Pepper Tapas Oil, in a small bowl provides a spicy dip for crusty fresh bread.

Healthy Cheese Cake

(Recipe from John King)

Ingredients:

Base:

100grams ground Macadamia Nuts
50 grams Butter
2 Tablespoons Macadamia Nut Oil
50 grams Sugar
1 cup plain flour

Base Cheese Mixture

500 grams Ricotta Cheese
375 grams Silken Tofu
4 Large Eggs
150 grams Sugar
Cheese Flavouring

2 Large Kitchacontu Leaves (Strawberry Tea Tree Leaf) ground fine
OR
½ cup Desert Limes, whole fruit puree in blender, or any fruit in syrup
½ cup Desert Lime cordial, delete if using fruit in syrup
100 grams Sugar
1 Tablespoon Potato Flour
Jelly Topping

2 cups Fruit in syrup, for the Kitchacontu flavouring I use Limes, for the Lime I use Lilly Pilly
2 heaped teaspoons of Agar Agar powder

Base

mix all ingredients to coarse crumb stage, and press into baking pan with a round of baking paper in bottom of pan. Bake in medium oven till brown.

Cheese Mix, mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl and pour onto cooled baked crust. Bake until lightly browned on top.

Jelly Topping, place fruit and Agar Agar powder in saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as boiling pour on top of cooled cheese cake in baking pan. Cool in baking pan till next day, run a knife around inside of pan to remove cake.

Fruit in syrup, 1 cup fruit, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water. Mix all ingredients in pan and boil until fruit is soft. Can be done and placed in preserving jars in advance.

Lilly Pilly Jelly

Fruit for jelly should be fully matured, but not over-ripe. Adjust the quantities to suit the amount of fruit you have.

lilly pilly fruit
water
sugar
lemon juice 

Method

1. Put lilly pilly fruit into a preserving pan or heavy saucepan with enough water to just come to the top of the fruit but not cover it. Boil rapidly till the fruit is soft.
2. Strain through a clean cloth (eg muslin) and allow all the liquid to run through. Do not press the fruit as this may make the jelly cloudy.
3. Measure the liquid and allow a cup of sugar for each cup of liquid. Put the strained liquid, sugar and juice of a lemon into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil until it jells when tested on a cold plate.
4. Bottle in sterilised jars. (Hint: add extra lemon juice or use a jam setting product containing pectic, like Jamsetta, if the jelly is slow to gel.)

Riberry Jelly 1

50 gm riberrys

100 ml water

40 g sugar

3 gelatine leaves

Method:

Bring berries, water and sugar to simmer for 10 minutes - skim off any impurities. Remove half of the berries. Puree the rest. Pass through sieve. Add gelatine and remaining whole berries. Spray  moulds with light oil, pour 1cm of jelly into bottom and set.

Lilly Pilly Jelly 2

For each pound of fruit, add 3 cups of water. Cut each fruit with a sharp knife all the way round and place in the water.
Boil for and hour briskly to release as much pulp from the stones as possible. Remove the stones with a slotted spoon.
Cool slightly and place the pulp and juice in a jelly bag to drip for eight hours or overnight.
 For each cup of liquid add 1 cup of sugar. Add the juice of 1 lemon to the pan. Heat slowly until all the sugar is dissolved and then boil rapidly until setting point is reached.
Ladle into hot, pre sterilized jars and seal.

If you wish to make jam, skip the jelly bag section, and add 1 lb of sugar to 1 lb of pulp plus the juice of 1 lemon in the pan. Heat slowly until all the sugar is dissolved. Boil slowly, stirring continually until setting point has been reached. Ladle into hot, pre sterilized jars and seal

Lilly Pilly Jelly 3

Fruit for jelly should be fully matured, but not over-ripe. Adjust the quantities to suit the amount of fruit you have.
lilly pilly fruit
water
sugar
lemon juice
Put lilly pilly fruit into a preserving pan or heavy saucepan with enough water to just come to the top of the fruit but not cover it. Boil rapidly till the fruit is soft.
Strain through a clean cloth (eg muslin) and allow all the liquid to run through. Do not press the fruit as this may make the jelly cloudy.
Measure the liquid and allow a cup of sugar for each cup of liquid. Put the strained liquid, sugar and juice of a lemon into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil until it jells when tested on a cold plate.
Bottle in sterilised jars. (Hint: add extra lemon juice or use a jam setting product containing pectin, like Jamsetta, if the jelly is slow to gel.)

Midnight Munchies:

Good, tart yogurt (I am very partial to Kenilworth’s Greek style), fruit, nuts and a liberal sprinkling of wheat germ, whey powder or even Totally Natural Quick Fibre Plus (must be the ‘Delicious Carob Flavour’ however). Spoon out the wild lime, add to mixture and pucker up while you do your lower colon no end of good. I add thinly sliced plum to this dish and it seems to work all right but I think the plum (or any acidic fruit) must be added just before serving or it will react with yoghurt to its detriment.

Limey Mayo

Must be a quality mayonnaise (S&W or Hellmanns at the very least - both more salty than sugary - attempt to substitute with No Frills and you will die a thousand culinary deaths).

Add lime ‘pearls’ to mayo and use as side dressing for stir-fried vegies, garden salad or almost anything - tofu, tempe, pomes noisettes (never have been able to spell that one) or the humble chip. Could in fact be classified under Midnight Munchies.

Somewhat Sweet

One day, when you’re mature and life has become somewhat settled, you will spend your Saturday mornings making pralines (good luck). When you do, don’t waste them. Serve them up with:

1/2 cup cream

1/4 tsp cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

a coupla drops of port (no more)

Mix the above and chill.  Before serving, stir in about 2 tsp of wild lime ‘pearls’ and garnish with very, very finely shredded lime skin (or Vietnamese mint if you want a milder, very different taste). Use pralines as you would chips and dip into above. Interesting...

Crunchy Jelly

This is easy peasy. Prepare any jelly you are partial to. As it begins to set, carefully stir in a goodly portion of wild limes ‘pearls’. The lime should not cook or soften but maintain its integrity. The finished product has the sweet smoothness of jelly with the added burst of the lime pearls. Quince, riberry, pear or apple jelly make ideal bases

The 'You Don’t Like Tofu?' Recipe

(Basically a marinade)

Mix well in blender:  wild lime pearls, a touch of coriander, a little white wine and vinegar, chives, a sprinkle of pepper.

Marinate tofu in this (24hrs), skewer and toss on hibachi.

A little unimaginative? Add pickled capsicum, char-grilled aubergine cubes, sun dried tomatoes and/or soused croutons to the kebab (they should all cook at pretty much the same time).

Have fun. Experiment. Enjoy. Ingest Never apologise to your guests unless you have served a mediocre wine.

Baked Wattleseed Bread & Butter Pudding

 (serves 8)
•1200 gm baked egg custard 

•6 thin slices of buttered bread 

•60 gm sultanas 

•10 gm wattleseed 

•30 gm castor sugar 
Remove crusts from buttered bread slices & cut into 4 triangles. Arrange on bottom of pie plate with slices neatly overlapping. Sprinkle over the sultanas & wattleseed & cover with the rest of the bread slices. Pour half the custard over the bread & allow to stand for 30 mins to prevent the bread from floating to the surface. Add the rest of the custard, dredge with castor sugar & sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake & serve as baked egg custard.

Wattleseed ice-cream

(including hints on using other bushfoods as flavourings) 

Prep. time 5 minutes 

2-4 litres of good quality vanilla ice-cream 

5g of premium wattleseed 

This recipe is a very easy way to make good quality vanilla ice-cream into a bushfood sensation that every-one will rave about. Simply add a teaspoon of premium wattleseed into a glass and add just enough water to just cover the grounds plus a tiny bit extra. Heat mixture to the boil in a microwave (or you can do this in a saucepan) so the wattleseed flavour is infused into the water. You can then either use the water (if you don't want any grounds in your ice-cream) or preferably add the whole mixture once cooled down into approx. 2 litres of semi-thawed good quality vanilla ice-cream (you can play around with the quantity ie. 4 litres is OK too.) Mix the wattleseed through the ice-cream and re-freeze and then serve with a light garnish of icing sugar to finish a unique chocolate-coffee-hazlenut flavoured ice-cream. If you make your own ice-cream, add the water/watleseed mix as flavour. Ice creams with bush food flavourings 

Wattle and red wine sauce 

Prep. time 10 mins 
250ml meat stock

100ml red wine 

15g Wattle 
Combine all the ingredients and bring to the boil. Simmer and reduce to thicken. Strain out the wattle grounds and freeze for other applications eg. as a crumb substitute over meats. Finish the sauce with cold butter or cook in a corn flour slurry for the required consistency. 

Wattle tiramisu 

This dessert is best made the day before so that the flavours and syrups can fully soak the biscuits. 

Prep. time 45 mins 
Cake

250g Italian sponge finger biscuits 

30g Wattle

375ml water 

30ml dry Marsala 

60ml sugar syrup 

Filling 

2 x 55g eggs 

60g castor sugar 

15ml white rum 

20ml dry Marsala 

250g Australian marscarpone cheese 

180g chocolate, finely grated cocoa for the topping 

Boil the wattle in the water and remove pan from heat. Add the Marsala and sugar syrup, mix and leave to cool. Line the bottom of an appropriate dish with half the biscuits to form an even base. Strain the wattle syrup and pour half over the biscuit base leaving stand to soak in. Alternatively, quickly dunk each biscuit before laying them out. In a double boiler, cook the eggs, sugar, rum and Marsala until thick. Cool over ice until cold. Whisk the marscapone cheese until stiff and gently fold into egg mixture. Spoon half over the wattle soaked biscuits, sprinkle on some of the finely grated chocolate then spread out another biscuit layer and drizzle the remaining wattle syrup over the biscuits. Add more grated chocolate and the remaining cheese mixture and finish with powdered cocoa. 

Wattle cream 

Prep. time 10 minutes 
Cream enhances the coffee, chocolate and hazelnut taste of wattle and is best unsweetened since sugar tends to over-power the flavour of wattle. Besides, the desserts that wattle cream garnishes are usually sufficiently sweet. In addition, an important use of unsweetened wattle cream is to thicken and flavour savoury sauces. 

300ml thickened cream, whipped to firmness 

1 tablespoon Wattle 

50ml water

Boil the wattle and water in a microwave, watching to stop the mixture from boiling over. This slurry can be kept chilled for up to four days. Cool slightly and fold into the whipped cream. 

Wattleseed Pavlova

Prep. time 30 minutes 
4 egg whites 

1 teaspoon vinegar 

1 teaspoon corn flour 

100g fine sugar 

300 ml Wattle cream (see recipe) 

1 cup toasted muesli 

2 teaspoons ground Aniseed myrtle 

100g Spreadable Rosella fruit 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. While still beating, add the vinegar, corn flour and slowly follow with the sugar. Stop once the stiff peak stage is reached and take care not to over-whip. Spread baking paper on an oven tray and lightly coat with oil spray. Spread out the pavlova mix to a thickness of 1.5cm and square off the edges. Bake at 150ºC until just beginning to brown. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, blend or process the muesli and aniseed myrtle to a medium fine crumb. Sprinkle this topping over the pavlova and holding the baking paper by the edges flip the pavlova onto a clean teatowel and peel back the baking paper. If the paper sticks place a hot wet towel onto the paper for a few minutes and the paper will come away easily. Spread the wattle cream and using the towel, roll up the pavlova lengthwise. Transfer to a platter, trim the ends obliquely and serve 4 to 5cm slices with a wild rosella coulis made from spreadable rosella fruit diluted with lemon juice and water. 

Miner's wattled fruit bag 

400g plain flour 

100g castor sugar 

100g softened butter 

5g Wattle 

20ml water 

2 eggs 

360g wild fruit compote 

30ml rum 

Combine flour and sugar and beat in the butter. In a microwave, bring the wattle and water to a boil and cool in iced water. Add the eggs to the wattle slurry and then slowly add this mix to the flour being careful not to over-beat the pastry. If it is over-worked it will toughen and lose that delicious shortness of good pastry. Divide the pastry into four equal pieces, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. Meanwhile, mix the rum into the compote and test-taste for sweetness. On a well floured surface, quickly roll out each piece of pastry into a rough square, add the compote and fold up the edges to form the miner's bag. Secure the bunched pastry at the top of the bags by wetting the pastry with water, melted butter or a little extra rum. Bake at 180º for 25 minutes or until pastry is brown. Serve with a native peppermint curd (see aniseed myrtle curd but use 2g of native peppermint). 

Somewhat Sweet:

One day, when you’re mature and life has become somewhat settled, you will spend your Saturday mornings making pralines (good luck). When you do, don’t waste them. Serve them up with:

1/2 cup cream

1/4 tsp cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

a coupla drops of port (no more)

Mix the above and chill.  Before serving, stir in about 2 tsp of wild lime ‘pearls’ and garnish with very, very finely shredded lime skin (or Vietnamese mint if you want a milder, very different taste). Use pralines as you would chips and dip into above. Interesting...

Crunchy Jelly

This is easy peasy. Prepare any jelly you are partial to. As it begins to set, carefully stir in a goodly portion of wild limes ‘pearls’. The lime should not cook or soften but maintain its integrity. The finished product has the sweet smoothness of jelly with the added burst of the lime pearls. Quince, riberry, pear or apple jelly make ideal bases

The 'You Don’t Like Tofu?' Recipe

(Basically a marinade)

Mix well in blender:  wild lime pearls, a touch of coriander, a little white wine and vinegar, chives, a sprinkle of pepper.

Marinate tofu in this (24hrs), skewer and toss on hibachi.

A little unimaginative? Add pickled capsicum, char-grilled aubergine cubes, sun dried tomatoes and/or soused croutons to the kebab (they should all cook at pretty much the same time).

Have fun. Experiment. Enjoy. Ingest Never apologise to your guests unless you have served a mediocre wine.

A Handful of Bunya Recipes

Bunya and Bacon Quiche

Pastry

* 1 cup self raising flour

* 1/2 cup minced cooked Bunya Nuts

* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

* 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

* pinch salt

* squeeze lemon juice

* water

Combine flour, Bunya Nuts, parsley and salt. Rub in butter. Add lemon juice and sufficient cold water to mix to a firm consistency. Roll out pastry to fit tart plate or flan dish. Prick all over with fork and cook in moderate oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.

Filling

* 4 eggs

* 1/2 cup light cream or milk

* 1/2 cup grated cheese

* 3 bacon rashers (chopped)

* 1 1/2 cups minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* pinch nutmeg

* paprika

* salt and pepper

Sprinkle bacon and cheese in tart shell. Beat eggs, cream and nutmeg together. Mix in Bunya Nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over bacon and cheese. Cook in a moderate oven for 40 minutes, or until filling is firm. Garnish with paprika. Serves 6.

Bunya Nut Damper

Ingredients

* 3 cups self raising flour

* 1 cup minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* 1 teaspoon salt

* handful of sultanas

* water (usually about 2 cups)

Method

Place flour and salt in bowl, add sultanas and mix well. Add sufficient water to bind the dough into a moist, rubbery mass. When working it with your hands, all the flour should be taken up and the bowl be quite 'clean'. Place gently In a well greased small camp oven. Place oven in hot coals of camp fire. Cover the lid with coals and shovel coals around sides. Allow 30-40 minutes cooking time. If you can smell the damper cooking after only a few minutes, the fire may be too hot. If so, rake away a few of the coals.

Before removing the oven from the coals, brush coals off lid, remove lid - if cooked, it should have a nice well-browned crust. Remove oven from fire, take out damper and allow to cool.

(c) 1997, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Bunya Johnnie

Ingredients

* 4 cups minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 2 tablespoons powdered milk

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 eggs

* 2 tablespoons sugar

* 1 tablespoon butter

* fruit if required

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together (this includes Bunya Nuts). Then add eggs and butter, which has been melted in a little hot water. Mix to a 'just-pouring' consistency adding more water if necessary. Pour into greased 7 inch sponge tin.

Bake at 240 deg C for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 200 deg C and bake until cooked.

Bunya Nut Casserole

Ingredients

* 4 cups minced or finely chopped boiled Bunya Nuts

* 250 g bacon rashers

* 2 medium onions

* 1 can peeled tomatoes (425 g)

* 250 g grated Coon cheese

* pepper and salt to taste

Method

Grease a 2 litre deep casserole dish. Cover bottom with a layer of Bunya Nuts, then add a layer of sliced onions, which have been fried in a small quantity of oil until soft and clear. Next add a layer of lightly fried chopped bacon, then a layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle with some of the grated cheese. Repeat layers, finishing off with Bunya Nuts sprinkled with grated cheese. Cover, place in moderate oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, removing lid for last 15 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

Bunya Nut and Beef Casserole

Ingredients

* 750 g minced steak

* 3 - 4 cups finely chopped or minced boiled Bunya Nuts

* 2 medium or large onions

* 2 tomatoes (sliced)

* 1 - 1 1/2 cups water

* 2 cups boiled mashed pumpkin

* pepper and salt to taste

Method

Fry mince in a little oil until brown. Remove from pan. Slice onions and fry in pan with a little oil until soft and clear. Remove from pan.

Grease a 2 litre casserole dish. Cover bottom of casserole with a layer of Bunya Nuts. Add a layer of onions. Then season mince and add it to casserole. Place tomatoes on top of the mince, then the remainder of the onions. Add just enough water to make it all moist. Add another layer of Bunya Nuts. Top with mashed pumpkin. Cover and cook in a moderate oven for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Serves 4 to 6.

Garlic and Diemen Pepper Cream 

(Blue Gum Fine Foods)

From the Diemen Pepper site:

4 Garlic cloves
600ml Olive oil
3 Egg yolks
5g fresh mountain pepper or 3g dried berries soaked for 30min.
200ml champagne vinegar
10g chopped lemon basil
Salt to taste

Chop garlic and combine with pepper. Whisk into egg yolks with vinegar, as for mayonnaise, and drizzle oil in a stream, till all incorporated. Season with lemon basil and salt to taste.

Diemen Pepper Butter Sauce (Australian Native Fine Foods)

Reduce chicken, veal or fish stock to a 'jus'. Remove from heat and add 5g ground pepper leaf per litre of reduced stock. Allow to infuse 30 secs. Then finish the reduced stock with cold butter. 

Note: Pepperberries may also be used (ground), although the effect of the burgundy colour of the berries is more effective in a white or cream sauce.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with pepper, prosciutto and parmesan sauce 

(Anon., Southern Bushfood Association. Magazine No 5)

Gnocchi

750g sweet potatoes, steamed, chopped, mashed and cooled. 3 tsp. Ground Diemen Pepper leaf 3 medium. eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups plain flour

Pepper, prosciutto and parmesan sauce

1 cup cream
1 tsp. Ground Diemen Pepper
2 tblsp unsalted butter
6 thin slices prosciutto
100g freshly shaved parmesan

To make the gnocchi, mix ingredients thoroughly, forming a firm dough, adding flour or a little water if required. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 2 -3 minutes. Divide into 4, roll each into a long sausage and cut into 1 inch slices. From these into your favourite gnocchi shape, dust with flour and set aside. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and gently drop in the gnocchi. Immediately they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon and place in a shallow baking dish.

To make the sauce, bring the cream to the boil in a small saucepan, add the pepper and remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter. Pour the mixture over the cooked gnocchi, and sprinkle shaved parmesan and prosciutto evenly over the surface. Place in a preheated (370¡F) oven for 10 minutes then serve immediately.

Cabbage with Diemen Pepper 

(SBA Newsletter No 12)

1/4 cabbage, shredded
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
1- 2 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1 tsp ground Diemen Pepper leaf, or coarsely ground dry berries
1 red apple, diced

Mix oil, vinegar and pepper in a small jar and leave for 1-2 hrs. Cook apple and vinaigrette till liquid slightly reduced, add cabbage and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer till vinegar is evaporated. Serve as an entree or accompaniment.

Other Suggestions

Tasmania's Diemen Pepper is most effective as a condiment (used at the table, or towards the end of cooking). A small bowl of milled leaf in the centre of the table may be 'pinched' over soups and sauces. Keep a second pepper grinder filled with Diemen Pepper berries - use sparingly - the flavour is robust and may surprise. Pepperberries will bleed a soft pink colour into marinades or pickle solutions, pale sauces and yoghurt. Diemen Pepper Tapas Oil, in a small bowl provides a spicy dip for crusty fresh bread.

Healthy Cheese Cake

(Recipe from John King)

Ingredients:

Base:

100grams ground Macadamia Nuts
50 grams Butter
2 Tablespoons Macadamia Nut Oil
50 grams Sugar
1 cup plain flour

Base Cheese Mixture

500 grams Ricotta Cheese
375 grams Silken Tofu
4 Large Eggs
150 grams Sugar
Cheese Flavouring

2 Large Kitchacontu Leaves (Strawberry Tea Tree Leaf) ground fine
OR
½ cup Desert Limes, whole fruit puree in blender, or any fruit in syrup
½ cup Desert Lime cordial, delete if using fruit in syrup
100 grams Sugar
1 Tablespoon Potato Flour
Jelly Topping

2 cups Fruit in syrup, for the Kitchacontu flavouring I use Limes, for the Lime I use Lilly Pilly
2 heaped teaspoons of Agar Agar powder

Base

mix all ingredients to coarse crumb stage, and press into baking pan with a round of baking paper in bottom of pan. Bake in medium oven till brown.

Cheese Mix, mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl and pour onto cooled baked crust. Bake until lightly browned on top.

Jelly Topping, place fruit and Agar Agar powder in saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as boiling pour on top of cooled cheese cake in baking pan. Cool in baking pan till next day, run a knife around inside of pan to remove cake.

Fruit in syrup, 1 cup fruit, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water. Mix all ingredients in pan and boil until fruit is soft. Can be done and placed in preserving jars in advance.

Lilly Pilly Jelly

Fruit for jelly should be fully matured, but not over-ripe. Adjust the quantities to suit the amount of fruit you have.

lilly pilly fruit
water
sugar
lemon juice 

Method

1. Put lilly pilly fruit into a preserving pan or heavy saucepan with enough water to just come to the top of the fruit but not cover it. Boil rapidly till the fruit is soft.
2. Strain through a clean cloth (eg muslin) and allow all the liquid to run through. Do not press the fruit as this may make the jelly cloudy.
3. Measure the liquid and allow a cup of sugar for each cup of liquid. Put the strained liquid, sugar and juice of a lemon into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil until it jells when tested on a cold plate.
4. Bottle in sterilised jars. (Hint: add extra lemon juice or use a jam setting product containing pectic, like Jamsetta, if the jelly is slow to gel.)

Riberry Jelly 1

50 gm riberrys

100 ml water

40 g sugar

3 gelatine leaves

Method:

Bring berries, water and sugar to simmer for 10 minutes - skim off any impurities. Remove half of the berries. Puree the rest. Pass through sieve. Add gelatine and remaining whole berries. Spray  moulds with light oil, pour 1cm of jelly into bottom and set.

Lilly Pilly Jelly 2

For each pound of fruit, add 3 cups of water. Cut each fruit with a sharp knife all the way round and place in the water.
Boil for and hour briskly to release as much pulp from the stones as possible. Remove the stones with a slotted spoon.
Cool slightly and place the pulp and juice in a jelly bag to drip for eight hours or overnight.
 For each cup of liquid add 1 cup of sugar. Add the juice of 1 lemon to the pan. Heat slowly until all the sugar is dissolved and then boil rapidly until setting point is reached.
Ladle into hot, pre sterilized jars and seal.

If you wish to make jam, skip the jelly bag section, and add 1 lb of sugar to 1 lb of pulp plus the juice of 1 lemon in the pan. Heat slowly until all the sugar is dissolved. Boil slowly, stirring continually until setting point has been reached. Ladle into hot, pre sterilized jars and seal

Lilly Pilly Jelly 3

Fruit for jelly should be fully matured, but not over-ripe. Adjust the quantities to suit the amount of fruit you have.
lilly pilly fruit
water
sugar
lemon juice
Put lilly pilly fruit into a preserving pan or heavy saucepan with enough water to just come to the top of the fruit but not cover it. Boil rapidly till the fruit is soft.
Strain through a clean cloth (eg muslin) and allow all the liquid to run through. Do not press the fruit as this may make the jelly cloudy.
Measure the liquid and allow a cup of sugar for each cup of liquid. Put the strained liquid, sugar and juice of a lemon into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil until it jells when tested on a cold plate.
Bottle in sterilised jars. (Hint: add extra lemon juice or use a jam setting product containing pectin, like Jamsetta, if the jelly is slow to gel.)

Midnight Munchies:

Good, tart yogurt (I am very partial to Kenilworth’s Greek style), fruit, nuts and a liberal sprinkling of wheat germ, whey powder or even Totally Natural Quick Fibre Plus (must be the ‘Delicious Carob Flavour’ however). Spoon out the wild lime, add to mixture and pucker up while you do your lower colon no end of good. I add thinly sliced plum to this dish and it seems to work all right but I think the plum (or any acidic fruit) must be added just before serving or it will react with yoghurt to its detriment.

Limey Mayo

Must be a quality mayonnaise (S&W or Hellmanns at the very least - both more salty than sugary - attempt to substitute with No Frills and you will die a thousand culinary deaths).

Add lime ‘pearls’ to mayo and use as side dressing for stir-fried vegies, garden salad or almost anything - tofu, tempe, pomes noisettes (never have been able to spell that one) or the humble chip. Could in fact be classified under Midnight Munchies.

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