This recipe is a combination of two generations of recipes: one from Bec’s great-grandmother and another from Damo’s nan. We’ve made it our own, with native fruits and spices to boot. A delicious and deeply flavoured family affair.
Serves 8-10
250g (9 oz) butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing
200g (70 oz) raisins, finely chopped
100g (35 oz) dried muscatels, finely chopped
100g (35 oz) dried quandongs, finely chopped
²⁄³ cup (100 g) candied orange rind, finely chopped
100g (3½ oz) candied ginger, finely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple (skin on), finely chopped
200g (7 oz) riberries (dried or fresh)
1 cup (155 g) muntries
1 cup (150 g) macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1 cup (250 ml) orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
4 finger limes, pearls squeezed
1 cup (150 g) plain flour
1 cup (150 g) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground pepperberry leaf
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon myrtle
½ teaspoon ground anise myrtle
2 teaspoons ground lemon myrtle
1 tablespoon ground wattleseed
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
250g (9 oz) brown sugar
3 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
100ml (3½ fl oz) Økar amaro, or orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau
Cream and custard, to serve
Grease a 2-litre (8 cup) pudding bowl with butter.
Combine dried and candied fruit, apple, riberries, muntries, macadamia nuts, orange and lemon juice and finger lime pearls in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until fruit softens.
Sift flours and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, add spices and stir to combine. Add fruit mixture, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and liqueur and stir until well combined.
Gently spoon pudding mixture into bowl, smooth the top, then cover the top tightly with buttered baking paper then foil, sealing it tightly with string. Place pudding in a large saucepan filled with enough simmering water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Steam, covered with a lid for 4–5 hours, topping up with extra boiling water as necessary. Remove pudding from pan (it’s hot, so use mitts), allow to dry and cool completely, then store in the fridge for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place pudding bowl in a large saucepan filled with enough simmering water to come halfway up the sides and simmer for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 5–10 minutes before unwrapping and serving with lashings of cream and custard.
This is an edited extract from First Nations Food Companion by Damien Coulthard and Rebecca Sullivan, photography by Josh Geelen, Murdoch Books, $49.99.
Quandongs → Dried Apricots
Finger Limes → Lime Juice
Muntries → Granny Smith Apples
Cinnamon Myrtle → Ground Cinnamon
Anise Myrtle → Fennel Seeds
Lemon Myrtle → Lemon Zest
Wattleseed → Ground Coffee
]]>
If using the oven, preheat to 220°C. Spray your dutch oven with oil lightly.
Mix the oil and water in a jug. Sift the flour into a large bowl, and mix through the salt and Wattleseed. Slowly pour in the oil and water, and mix to make a dough.
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Dust with flour, place in your dutch oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until hollow when knocked on the bottom.
OR... ideally cook on a fire in the ashes. Damper is always best eaten hot with lashings of butter!!
Learn more about our visit with Bruce Pascoe to see his Native Grass Blends, the dancing grass, and one of the oldest foods in the world.
We are honoured to be one of very few people now selling the Native Grass Flour for you to use at home. It is more expensive than ordinary flours, but remember, whilst it's the oldest food in the world it's also the newest so while harvesting is super intensive and in short supply, the more we eat it the more this will become available. Also remember it packs nutrition and flavour so you need much less. Don't replace flour all together, rather use it with... And when you do share the story.
Native Grass Flour may contain a mixture of Kangaroo and Spear, or Mitchell and Button grasses.
]]> Serves 4–6
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
1 cob loaf
1 tbsp olive oil
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
250g bacon, diced
2 sprigs saltbush leaves, finely chopped or 10g of Saltbush dried
10 Warrigal Greens leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp chives, thinly sliced
250g cream cheese
160ml (2/3 cup) pure cream
160g (2/3 cup) sour cream
200g cheddar, grated
Salt and ground Pepperberry or use Warndu Native Salt Mix
1/2 baguette,
sliced Sea Parsley, Native Thyme, Saltbush and Seablite (Herbs for topping) - If you can get fresh, use 5g of dried tea flakes or ground or check out our substitution guide to learn how to substitute native foods.
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Cut the top off the loaf and reserve, then pull out the bread from the centre, leaving a 2cm shell. Tear or chop bread into coarse pieces.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add spring onion and bacon and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until bacon is browned and onion has softened. Add saltbush and warrigal greens and toss quickly until wilted. Remove from the heat.
Add chives to the pan, stir in cream cheese, then add cream, sour cream and cheddar. Stir to combine. Season with salt and ground pepperberry.
Spoon dip mixture into cob shell. Arrange the lid, bread pieces and sliced baguette in a single layer on a baking tray around the loaf.
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly toasted.
Top dip with herbs, replace the lid and serve warm.
This is an edited extract from First Nations Food Companion by Damien Coulthard and Rebecca Sullivan, photography by Josh Geelen, Murdoch Books, $49.99.
“Warrigal” means “wild” in Dharug language, and European settlers were known to use it to help prevent scurvy. It can be bought fresh – the younger the leaves the less bitter – and you can think of cooking it like silverbeet or bok choy.
Warrigal greens are available at selected Harris Farms, Something Wild and other fresh food grocers. Substitute Warrigal greens for spinach or bower spinach.
The same goes for Saltbush; if you can’t source any, use capers, caper leaves, karkalla, seablite or samphire to create the same salty bite to cut through the creamy filling.
Learn more about Warrigal Greens and Saltbush.
]]>
Flowers are magical. Not just to look at, they provide us with flavour in cooking, marvellous smells in our homes and medicine when we are ill. But the petals of the flower also provide us with colour in many different ways. Once you have used them in a more traditional manner and they are beginning to wilt, don’t throw them to the compost, you can give them a second life by turning them into dye.
Natural dying has taken place for thousands and thousands of years. It is the process of drawing colour from natural sources such as plants, roots, berries, vegetables, barks, leaves and in this instance, petals. There are many forms of dyeing using natural substances but the easiest place to start if you have not tried it before is solar dying.
By simply picking some of your most favourite flowers (by colour) and harnessing the suns power you can make dye in every colour of the rainbow to colour all of your whites that you just can not get white anymore or even use as a non-toxic water colour paint for your kids.
By using natural dyes you are not only controlling the colour, you are being kind to the planet and your pocket!
Have a wonderful time picking petals from your favourite plants. I would suggest starting with a handful of each colour you want to create, leaving enough behind always for regeneration, the birds and bees. Shake any excess critters from the flowers before bringing inside.
For every handful of flowers you will need a small jar (500ml is best) with a lid. Make sure it is clean and dry.
Pick the petals from your flowers and place into the jar. Now top up with white wine just to cover the petals. Put the lid on and then in your sunny spot.
For a couple weeks, shake your jar and watch as the sun draws the colour from the petals. Leave for up to a month, strain and use the liquid as a dye.
NOTE: This amount of dye is not really enough to dye much, more a test run for you to see how it works and how much you can get from it. But will be plenty to pain a few beautiful pictures.
]]>Mix in a bowl and rub generously over favourite meat - we love this on Macro Meats Kangaroo
To make the rub mix up
]]>
Serves 8 - 10
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Note: If you want a thicker layer of icing over the cake, double the icing recipe.
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Brush a 23cm cake tin lightly with oil.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs for 30 seconds with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mix is foamy, pale and increased in volume. While the mixer is still running, slowly dirzzle in the macadamia oil until mixed in. Stire in the rosemarey and lime.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and stir in the salt. Using a low speed, mix the dry ingredients into the egg mix. Mix until combined.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing: mix the icing sugar with the butter and oil to form a soft icing. Spread evenly over the cake. Decorate with sprigs of sea rosemary and limes.
Learn more about Desert Lime or how to use this product as a substitute for fresh Australian Native's.
]]>Makes: 1 cake
Preheat oven to 160°C (315°F). Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) square cake tin.
Combine all ingredients, except those for the icing, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on low, then slowly increase speed to high. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes, scraping down bowl occassionally if needed, until batter is pale and fluffy.
Pour batter into tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until light golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut in half lengthwise.
For icing, mix butter and icing sugar in a small bowl until well combined. Stir in egg yolks and desert lime powder. Spread top and sides of one cake generously with icing, top with the other cake and spread with remaining icing.
Kakadu Plum powder has the highest natural source of Vitamin C in the world. Native to Australia, the Kakadu plum is called Gubinge by its traditional landowners. I have been using this powder for everything and I truly believe it is magical. You can buy it online and it will be sent worldwide. A little tip, when you’re feeling run down, mix a teaspoonful with some water and take it as a shot for a few days, letting it work its magic!
1. Mix the Kakadu Plum powder and water together in a tiny bowl to make a thick paste.
2. Apply to a clean, dry face, then leave for 10–15 minutes. Wash it off with warm water.
Honey and roses smell utterly delightful together and they both have incredible healing and anti-ageing properties. Honey is the most gentle exfoliant and is naturally anti-bacterial, making it perfect for oily skin and blocked pores. Use this toner to remove the last residual dirt after a face wash and prior to moisturising. You can also carry it in a little spritz bottle in your handbag for a pick-me-up and hydration burst when travelling.
Makes 150ml
1. Pour the warm water into a small bowl, add the honey and stir until dissolved.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Decant into a sterilised lidded jar or small spray bottle and leave to cool, then store in a cool, dark place or in the fridge for up to three months.
NOTE: You can also use our Wild Tasmanian Lavender or Manuka Essential Oil.
Roses are the greatest for skin care. They are active, hydrating and anti-ageing, so this moisturiser is perfect for dry skin. More than that, roses just smell utterly delightful. Search out the roses that actually smell – they are few and far between in the shops these days, so maybe make friends with your neighbour (the one with the scented roses) and swap them for a jar. It depends on the moisture level of the roses as to how much extra oil you will get from them.
Makes 150ml
1. Start by shaking off any wee critters inside your rose petals. Put the petals into a wide-mouthed jar and cover with the avocado or olive oil. Use a wooden spoon (or smaller jar that fits inside the larger jar) to bruise the petals. Put the lid on the jar. Leave in the sunlight (inside, but not somewhere too hot, just a place where it can get sunlight) for a couple of weeks. Strain the oil into a bowl and discard the petals.
2. Put the strained rose oil and the beeswax into a double boiler over a low heat and heat until melted and combined. If you don't have a double boiler, then instead use a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water underneath).
3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little, then stir in the vitamin E oil and rose essential oil. Pour into a sterilised jar and leave to cool completely before putting the lid on. The mix will emulsify like coconut oil does, but will melt when touched. Keep in a cool, dark place for up to a month.
4. Use as required, gently rubbing the moisturiser into your skin.
These recipes and many others can be found in A Conscious Home by Rebecca Sullivan.
We've got everything you need from Australia's backyard to make these unique recipes. Or better yet, grab one of our curated gift packs from the Mother's Day Gift Guide.
If you like the look of these recipes and you think Mum will too, be sure to grab her A Conscious Home Gift Pack to say thanks for all the amazing things she does. A Conscious Home is for all of us trying to live a little lighter and includes 100 + recipes and projects. The pack includes Becs favourite tea (so mum can have a cuppa and a peruse) and essential oils frequently used in the recipes.
Happy making with Mum!
]]>This super refreshing drink is great for a non alcoholic cocktail, or change the Banks to your favourite Gin or Vodka for an after work tipple. This drink is tart and bitter so makes a wonderful digestif!
This recipe is easy and can be made with dried, fresh or frozen fruit. If you’re using dried fruit, we would recommend soaking it in water for a few hours beforehand to rehydrate it. For frozen fruit, you won’t need as much liquid in the pan as it will thaw out as you cook. If you prefer a sweeter jam, use the same weight of sugar as fruit.
Feel free to add some native spices like lemon myrtle, cinnamon myrtle or anise myrtle leaves (about four to six); remove before pouring into jars.
Makes: 1 litre (4 cups)
1. Place quandongs in a wide, heavy-based saucepan, cover with orange juice (top up with water if juice isn’t covering all the fruit) and leave to sit for up to an hour.
2. Heat sugar in a microwave or low oven until warm to the touch. Once the fruit has begun to soften, transfer into a saucepan with juice and place over low heat. Add sugar slowly, stirring to dissolve. Bring to a rapid boil and boil, stirring often to stop it sticking, for 10 minutes.
3. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before pouring into sterilised jars. Store in a cool dark place for up to a year.
Here is our guide for what to do when you can get fresh natives.
Apart from quandongs, this base recipe can also be used to pickle Tanami or other bush apples, as well as firm vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots, fennel or cabbage. Use this as you would any other pickle, with cheese, cold meats or in salads.
Makes: 2 large jars (500ml each)
1. Place quandongs in a large heatproof bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until sugar dissolves and flavours are infused.
2. Pour liquid over quandongs, stand for five minutes, then transfer apples and liquid back to saucepan and simmer for a further three minutes. Ladle into sterilised jars, seal and cool. Jam can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to two years. For best results, let the pickle mature for at least three months before eating.
This recipe is from Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthards First Nations Food Companion.
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard's First Nations Food Companion recipe for Rosella Jam
Muntrie jam and Rosella jam (bottom). Photograph: Josh Geelen/Murdoch Books
Makes: 1 litre (4 cups)
1. Separate rosella petals from seed pods. Keeping them apart, wash and shake dry. Place pods in a heavy-based saucepan and cover with around two litres of water. Boil over medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Place petals in another saucepan. Strain juice from boiled pods directly over the petals, then discard pods.
2. Add lemon myrtle leaves, and bring slowly to the boil over medium heat, then boil for 20 minutes until reduced by one-third. Remove from heat.
3. Measure the petal pulp, and add one cup of sugar (220g) for every cup of pulp, stirring to dissolve. Place over high heat and boil for 20 minutes or until setting point is reached (see note).
4. Cool briefly, then remove lemon myrtle leaves and transfer jam to sterilised jars and seal. Jam will store in a cool, dark place for up to two years.
Note: To test for jam setting point, the easiest thing to do is buy a jam thermometer and when it reads 105C, your jam will set. Or you could try the saucer test. Place a few saucers in the fridge before you make your jam. When the jam has been cooking for the time stated in the recipe, drop less than a teaspoon on a cold saucer, leave for a minute then gently push your finger through the middle. If the jam crinkles, it’s reached setting point; if it doesn’t, boil for five minutes more, then test again with another cold saucer.
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
This is a great place to start your native fruit journey, a cheeky cocktail recipe.....
To make the sugar: Grind sugar, lemon myrtle and finger lime in a spice grinder until fine.
1. Combine 3 tablespoons lemon balm sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate syrup until ready to use. Place remaining lemon balm sugar on a small plate. Rim a cocktail glass with the lime wedge and run the rim around the sugar; refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Combine the gin or Banks Botanical, lime juice and 15ml of the syrup in an ice filled shaker. Shake well, then strain into the sugar glass and garnish with the with extra mint and lemon balm.
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>As seen in the new First Nations Food cookbook.
Serves 2
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add eschalot, Geraldton wax, lemon-scented gum, kunzea and anise myrtle and stir occasionally for 3–4 minutes until softened. This will help to release their oils.
2. Stir in macadamia milk, fennel and garlic and season to taste with salt and ground pepperberry. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer. As broth comes to a simmer, season barramundi on both sides with salt and ground pepperberry.
3. Reduce heat to low and add barramundi. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, or until barramundi is opaque and flakes easily. Gently remove from broth with a fish slice and place in serving bowls. Strain broth, discarding solids, then pour it over fish. Top fish and broth with limes, flowers and leaves and serve with rice.
Coconut rice is a staple in our house because the leftovers can be used to make rice pudding or as a versatile side dish. You can use any myrtle leaf here; try anise or cinnamon myrtle.
Serves 2-3
Put rice 2 cups (500 ml) water and lemon myrtle leaves in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5–10 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Add coconut cream, remove from heat, stir, cover and leave for at least 5 minutes. Remove lemon myrtle leaves and fluff rice before serving.
Get creative with your poached barramundi and try some of our incredible Native Australian herbs and spices..
]]>
Makes 2 litres
Prep-Time: 15 minutes
Wait time: 3 weeks
1. Slice all the citrus in half. Divide it between 4x 500ml sterilised jars. Cover evenly with vodka, add the the ants and seal the jars, then shake to mix and leave for a week in a cool, dark place, shaking them a few times each day.
2. After a week, put the sugar into a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water, stirring until it is fully dissolved. Cool, then pour evenly into the citrus jars.Reseal the jars, shake and leave again for another week, shaking a few times a day.
3. After the second week, strain the liquid into decorative sterilised bottles. Citronello is best left to mature for a few months before drinking and will keep indefinitely. Decorate with strips of fresh citrus peel before serving.
Note: for a citronella spritz, mix 1 part citronello, with 4 parts soda or ginger beer, a handful of cocktail garden herbs such as sea rosemary or rivermint, perhaps some fresh finger lime and quandongs, or some citrus peels thinly sliced with the pith removed.
Get creative with your dessert and try some of our incredible Native Australian herbs and spices..
]]>
In 2021, Warndu partnered with Sunrice Australia. For NAIDOC week 2022 we celebrate tradition with a Bush Tomato Arancini with Wild Green Native Pesto, specially developed by Warndu.
1. Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Cook the onion, saltbush, pepper and bush tomato over a low heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, stir in the rice, then pour in the wine and bring to the boil.
3. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in half the stock and simmer, stirring continuously, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Add the remaining stock slowly as the rice absorbs the liquid, stirring, until the rice is cooked through (20 minutes).
5. Add the parmesan and lemon and season to taste. Spread the risotto out into a tray and leave to cool.
6. Once cooled, mix through the mozzarella. Scoop and roll the mix into balls.
7. Put the eggs, flour and breadcrumbs into three bowls. Dip each risotto ball into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, then set aside.
8. Half-fill a saucepan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-low.
9. Place the risotto balls into the oil and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
1. Blanch the Warrigal greens in boiling water then refresh in cold water and chop.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blitz until mixed.
You can buy fresh Greens for the Pesto at Something Wild in Adelaide.
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
Photo © Rebecca Sullivan 2021 a Australian Native Shrub
A shrub is a vinegar based health drink it is also known as drinking vinegar, are concentrated syrups used in beverages. With a rise of the sober curious and non-alcoholic drinks shrubs provide a great addition to your pantry. Many shrubs use a vinegar base and then add fruit and herbs to create a unique set of flavours.
Warndu carries a range of Shrub's made by Ziggy's Wildfoods
Simply fill a clean jar with the fruit. Top it with Apple cider vinegar to cover. Add some honey or maple syrup and spices of your choice (add some natives like Cinnamon Myrtle or Anise Myrtle . Put your lid on. I always leave about an inch of space but make sure liquid covers fruit by an inch. Store in a cool place away from direct sun light. Let it ferment a week or two, shaking daily. Strain into a clean bottle and store in fridge.
Use it as a health shot daily or mixed with soda for a fab mocktail 🍹
Not the make it home type - our mates from Ziggy's Wildfoods have a range of Australian infused Shrubs
#leftovers #nowaste #shrub #shrubnotscrub #drink #healthdrink #sobercurious
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
Photo: Rebecca Sullivan
Cook your rice, strain and set aside. Here you can add the two tablespoons of coconut cream at the end of cooking using the absorption method.
Into a small frying pan, add a drizzle of olive oil crack your eggs and quickly scramble the eggs. Remove and set aside.
Into the same pan on low heat, add a little macadamia/coconut oil and cook the chilli and garlic for 1-2 minutes, until soft.
Add the warrigal greens and peas. Cook for 1 minute until wilted then add the rice and egg to the pan. Heat through and serve with finger lime and curd.
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
◎
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
1. If using the oven, preheat to 220°C.
2. Mix the oil and water in a jug. Sift the flour into a large bowl, and mix through the salt and wattleseed (spice). Slowly pour in the oil and water, and mix to make a dough.
3. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Dust with flour, place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes,
or ideally wrap in foil and cook on a fire in the ashes. Damper is always best eaten hot with lashings of butter.
Note: The term 'Bush Tucker' and 'Bush Food' are not Warndu's preferred terms for Australian Native Ingredients or Australian Botanicals.
Images: © Luisa Brimble
There has been a boom of Gin companies that are using our precious Australian Natives in their distillery process to create uniquely Australian Gins.
The Applewood Distillery has a coral gin infused with strawberry gum.
Enjoy!
Read more about Finger lime and Desert Lime in our Aboriginal Bush Tucker Guide.
You can buy Warndu Fingerlime and desert lime chips here:
◎ Finger limes - citrus boost
◎ Desert limes - adds a fresh lime addition
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
Native Peach probably one of the more common Australian Native fruits in our pantry today. The perfect fruits come in many shades of pink right through to jewel like red. A popular fruit for its tartness but also widely used for the large seed/kernel inside which is used to make jewellery. They are also great little Vitamin C boost too.
Damien's fondest childhood memories are of picking Quandong (urti in his language) all around the Flinders Ranges. They would pick bags full and eat them both fresh and freeze some for later days. His Nana Barb would always make Urti Pie too. It is definitely our favourite Quandong recipe so we wanted to share it with you.
2 cups (300 g) self-raising flour
1 cup (150 g) plain flour
200 g butter, chilled and chopped
125 ml iced water
pinch of salt
sugar, for sprinkling on pastry top
500 g fresh (or frozen and thawed) Quandong, for sprinkling. If you can't get fresh or frozen for every 1 cup frozen, start with half a cup dried half, evaporated.
¾ cup caster sugar, plus extra
1 cup water (just enough to cover the Quandong) or orange juice
1 egg , beaten
2 tbsp cream
1. Combine the fruit with the sugar and orange juice, stir, cover and let stand for at least five minutes, or, if you have time, leave overnight. This will create a thicker filling.
2. Transfer the quandong mixture to a saucepan and cook on low for 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. To make the pastry: Place flours and butter in a large bowl and rub with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add water and mix with a butter knife until the pastry just comes together. Divide into 2 portions and roll each out to a 28 cm circle on a well-floured surface.
4. Line a lightly greased baking tin with one circle of pastry. Prick the base with a fork. Fill with quandong filling, and trim the edge of the pastry. Cut remaining pastry into smaller circles using a 7 cm round cutter.
5. Mix the egg and the cream together. Brush the edges of the pastry with mixture. Lay circles of pastry over the pie, overlapping slightly. Brush the top of the pie with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until golden.
Cooking tips: What to do when you can't get fresh Australian native fruits
Warndu sells Quandong in freeze-dried kibble so you can enjoy this flavour year round. Sometimes this is mispelt as qandong.
]]>
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Put the flours, saltbush, bicarbonate of soda and pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl and stir. Make a well in the middle and pour in the buttermilk. Mix quickly with a fork to form a soft dough. Add more milk if it’s too dry and more flour if too sticky.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly (don’t over-knead or it will be hard as a rock). Form into a round loaf, flatten slightly and place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cut a cross in the top of the loaf and lightly brush on some oil and sprinkle with the saltbush seeds and sea rosemary. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when you knock the bottom.
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
This is a great recipe and play around with different herbs and edible flowers. If you go with white chocolate, just use half the amount and no honey as it tends to be sweet in itself.
Serves 2Put all the ingredients into a small pan and heat slowly (on low) until the chocolate melts completely. Stir frequently. Don't let the milk boil. Serve in your favourite mug, with an extra sprinkle of Davo Plum powder.
This recipe also works great with finger lime, anise myrtle, lemon myrtle, wattleseed and strawberry gum powders - you can find them all here → to experiment with.
Curious to try more Davidson Plum products? Take a look at everything we have here → You might also want to have a go at making our Limoncello Trifle → (swoon) with our plum powders.
]]>
Four recipes from Warndu Mai
Learn how to create truly Australian food and drinks at home using ingredients such as warrigal greens, finger limes and native thyme with these recipes from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard.
Some of the ingredients may need a little online sleuthing to track down, but this resources guide is a good place to start. Alternatively, ask your local supermarket to stock some, forage for a little (respectfully) and better yet, grow a little too. Whether it's a balcony or a backyard, growing herbs and greens is easier than you think!
]]>Some of the ingredients may need a little online sleuthing to track down, but this resources guide is a good place to start. Alternatively, ask your local supermarket to stock some, forage for a little (respectfully) and better yet, grow a little too. Whether it's a balcony or a backyard, growing herbs and greens is easier than you think!
This was originally published on Goodfood.com.au
Stop drooling.
Serves 2
For the burnt butter sauce:
1. Place 300g of the warrigal greens in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 1-2 minutes until wilted, drain thoroughly, squeeze out excess water and finely chop.
2. Place the warrigal greens, parsley, garlic, ricotta, flour, eggs and cheese in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to stir very thoroughly.
3. On a floured surface, roll the dough into finger-sized lengths then cut into 3 cm portions. Place on baking tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
4. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the gnocchi until just cooked, a few minutes. They will float to the top when cooked. Drain and set aside.
5. To make the burnt butter sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the cinnamon myrtle, garlic and remaining warrigal greens. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the butter is slightly brown.
6. Toss the gnocchi through the sauce, stir through the sea parsley leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Sprinkle with cinnamon myrtle to serve.
Get creative with your gnocchi and try some of our incredible Native Australian herbs and spices..
]]>The perfect sweet and sour candy. Sweet from the brittle and sour from the tangy limes. A great gift for every occasion, too.
Makes 1 sheet
1. Preheat oven to 220°C.
2. Place the sugar in an even layer on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning tray halfway until sugar has melted and is caramelised. (It will start to melt from the edges in.)
3. Spread with a palette knife if there are any patches of sugar that have not started to melt.
4. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with freeze-dried finger limes, rose petals and sandalwood nuts. Set aside for 10 minutes to set.
5. Break into shards to serve. This brittle can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
Photo: Luisa Brimble
Learn how to create truly Australian food and drinks at home using ingredients such as warrigal greens, finger limes and native thyme with these recipes from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard.
Some of the ingredients may need a little online sleuthing to track down, but this resources guide is a good place to start. Alternatively, ask your local supermarket to stock some, forage for a little (respectfully) and better yet, grow a little too. Whether it's a balcony or a backyard, growing herbs and greens is easier than you think!
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
Four recipes from Warndu Mai
Learn how to create truly Australian food and drinks at home using ingredients such as warrigal greens, finger limes and native thyme with these recipes from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard.
Some of the ingredients may need a little online sleuthing to track down, but this resources guide is a good place to start. Alternatively, ask your local supermarket to stock some, forage for a little (respectfully) and better yet, grow a little too. Whether it's a balcony or a backyard, growing herbs and greens is easier than you think!
]]>Some of the ingredients may need a little online sleuthing to track down, but this resources guide is a good place to start. Alternatively, ask your local supermarket to stock some, forage for a little (respectfully) and better yet, grow a little too. Whether it's a balcony or a backyard, growing herbs and greens is easier than you think!
Wowzers. Next Level. Epic. Our favourite. Yummo. Our version of rhubarb and custard.
Serves 4
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place tamarind, ½ cup sugar, the water and orange juice in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the consistency is thick and jammy.
2. Spoon into the base of 4 x ¾ cup heat-proof ramekins or dishes. Place cream, vanilla essence and thyme sprigs in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove thyme.
4. Place egg yolks and the remaining sugar together in a bowl and whisk. Pour cream mixture into egg mixture and whisk. Pour back into the saucepan, heat over low heat and cook for 4 minutes or until thick.
5. Carefully pour into ramekins. Place in a baking dish and pour boiling water into the baking dish to about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until just set. (The brulee should have a slight wobble.)
6. Cool at room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until cold. Sprinkle with extra sugar and torch the tops with a kitchen blowtorch until golden and caramelised.
7. Serve immediately.
Note: If you don't have a kitchen blowtorch, preheat oven grill to high. Place ramekins under grill for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until tops are golden and caramelised.
This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard published by Hachette Australia, hardback $45.
]]>
This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, $45).
]]>The ideal way to balance its creamy denseness is with citrus flavours – and what could be better than native ingredients?
As the filling contains no gelatine, this cheesecake has a very soft set; if you prefer a firmer set, use 400g of cream cheese and 150ml of cream. The flavour combinations can very easily be played with. The base is crumbly so serve on the tin base or add more butter to the biscuit base.
Prep 20 minutes
Fridge 3 hours
Serves 8
Warndu Mai's saltbush soda bread and Davidson’s plum jam recipes
1. Crush the biscuits; either put them in a sealable bag and bash with a rolling pin, or use a mortar and pestle. I like chunky crumbs, but you can blitz them in a food processor if you prefer finer crumbs. Mix the finely diced lime or zest and lemon myrtle through the crumbs.
2. Melt the butter and mix it into the crumbs. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the base of the tin with your fingers. Put the tin in the fridge to set while you make the topping.
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer just to loosen it, until it is the consistency of thickened cream. This should take no longer than 45–60 seconds.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the cream. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese. Add the wattleseed, finger lime caviar, sugar, and lemon juice and zest, and mix until combined.
3. Spread the topping over the base using a spatula or knife. Put the cheesecake in the fridge to set for 3 hours. Decorate with freeze-dried finger lime and crushed dried finger lime.
Check our resources guide for some useful places to buy from, ask your local supermarket to stock some, forage for a little (respectfully) and, better yet, grow a little too. Whether it’s on a balcony or in a backyard, growing herbs and greens is easier than you think.
This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, $45).
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
The first time I ever ate barramundi was in the Kimberley and it’s still to this day the most magical place I have ever been. The salsa in this recipe goes with any fish, pork and chicken.
This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, $45). Next week, wallaby shanks
]]>
The first time I ever ate barramundi was in the Kimberley and it’s still to this day the most magical place I have ever been. The salsa in this recipe goes with any fish, pork and chicken.
This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, $45). Next week, wallaby shanks
serves 2
1. Remove the fish from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Pat-dry the fillets with a paper towel. Using a very sharp knife, score the skin but not the flesh, making shallow long cuts the length of the fillets. Season each side with salt.
2. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Place the fillets skin side down in the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 3–4 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown. Turn the fillets over and cook for another 2 minutes, until just cooked through or to your liking. Remove from the pan and let the fish rest while you make the salsa.
3. To make the salsa: place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the barramundi on top of the salsa.
The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US
This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, $45).
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
]]>
Granola is so much better when you make it yourself. I love the idea of cereal but totally freak out when I read the ingredients label – eek, the bad stuff!
Do yourself a favour and make it yourself. Just 15 minutes on a Sunday means you can enjoy it every morning. Fresh, crunchy and no nasties.
Note: you can use some bunya nuts in your mixed nuts
1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together all the dry ingredients except the rose petals and ground boab, if using. Then stir in the oil and maple syrup.
3. Place the granola on the two baking trays, spacing the ingredients evenly and not on top of each other. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Stir through the rose petals, and ground boab if using. Store in an airtight jar for up to two weeks. Note that the oil may settle at the bottom of the jar.
• This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, RRP $45).
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!
]]>
The salty saltbush makes it so darn good hot out of the oven with lashings of butter. You could use bush tomato, wattleseed or make your own Davidson’s plum and cinnamon myrtle jam (below).
Serves 6–8
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Put the flours, saltbush, bicarbonate of soda and pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl and stir. Make a well in the middle and pour in the buttermilk and muntries. Mix quickly with a fork to form a soft dough. Add more buttermilk if it’s too dry and more flour if too sticky.
3. Turn it out on to a floured surface and knead briefly (don’t over-knead or it will be hard as a rock). Shape it into a 30 cm loaf, flatten slightly and place on to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cut a cross in the top of the loaf, lightly brush on some oil and sprinkle the saltbush seeds and sea rosemary. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when you knock the bottom.
Makes 1.5 litres
Another one of those combinations that just cannot be beaten is plum and cinnamon. These native plums are really tart, so if you prefer you could use half native and half common plums, such as Victoria, greengage or red, or whatever is available from your neighbourhood trees.
1. Wash the plums, halve them and remove the seeds. Weigh the fruit and make sure you have exactly the same amount of sugar as fruit.
2. Place the plums and sugar in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the lemon zest, juice and cinnamon myrtle. Heat on low, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
3. Bring to a light rolling boil and allow to simmer for 1 hour, or until the mixture has slightly thickened.
4. Test the mixture by putting a small saucer in the freezer for 1 minute. Remove from the freezer and put 1 teaspoon of jam on to the saucer. Leave for 1 minute, run your finger through the centre of the jam and if it wrinkles it’s set.
5. Once set, pour the jam into 4 x 250 ml sterilised jars and seal. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 years.
Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, $45). Photograph: Hachette Australia
Check our resources guide for some useful places to buy from, ask your local supermarket to stock some, forage for a little (respectfully) and, better yet, grow a little too. Whether it’s a balcony or a backyard, growing herbs and greens is easier than you think.
This is an edited extract from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard (Hachette Australia, $45). Next week, finger lime & lemon myrtle cheesecake
Get your taste buds dancing with a true blue selection of Australian native ingredients, ripe for the picking!