Farmers cook up local Christmas feast ideas
CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and for the May family at Paddock to Potager, that not only means busy times, but incredible food.
Paddock to Potager founder Fiona May said it was a busy year at the property and Christmas would be the busiest part of it.
Not only were they taking orders for Christmas pork products, but this year had decided to branch out into Christmas trees.
She said the property was surrounded by forestries and as a result it had its own healthy crop of pine tree saplings just aching to be taken into loving homes and decked with tinsel and ornaments.
Given they were already looking to expand the paddock space for their free-range pig enterprise, it made sense to invite Toowoomba families onto the property of a Sunday to select and cut their own trees.
She said if they hadn’t done that, it would simply have been a case of bulldozing them into a pile and throwing a match at it.
But in between feeding the pigs and the chooks, organising the Toowoomba Farmers’ Market and serving on the board of a coastal food collective, Mrs May has been very much looking forward to cracking out the Christmas recipes.
She said many of the greens and herbs would be plucked straight from the garden and much of the menu would be inspired by what’s in season right now.
One of her pet hates was supermarkets perpetuating the myth that all food should be available in all seasons.
But that didn’t mean they couldn’t have some traditional Christmas fun with some very Australian foods, like their nutmeg and ginger sausages, perfect for either a relaxed barbecue lunch or a gourmet evening meal.
She said bacon was another big seller at Christmas thanks to a lot of people with both house guests and hangovers from enjoying a few too many festive brews the night before.
There was also plenty of inspiration at the weekly farmers’ markets.
She said it had been a bit of a strange season at Paddock to Potager, with some things ripening early and others late, so heading to a farmers’ market was the best way of ensuring you got the freshest fruits and vegetables and enjoying a few surprises.
“There are some really cool young farmers trying to make a go of it at Highfields and they’ve only just got their vegies planted, so what they’re doing now is selling beautiful sunflowers which would be great for the Christmas table,” she said.
“If you want something a bit different, Bronwyn from 9Dorf Farms has been doing really cool things.
“They’re using fish poo from their farmed barramundi to fertilise the paddocks that their chooks are in, producing eggs and meat.
“So a bit of barramundi for the barbecue would be good if you want something a bit
different.
“We also have a market gardener who specialises in heirloom cucumbers.
“His name is Andrew and he loves to tell a good story. “He’s quite a character.” Here are a few of Mrs May’s favourite Christmas recipes.
Many of the ingredients can be sourced locally at this time of year from a plethora of producers at roadside stalls, markets and boutique shops.
Places like Paddock to Potager and Tillari Trotters provide free-range pork and ham, rhubarb suppliers abound (Mrs May buys hers from a roadside stall run by Hampton producer Justin Russell of Half Moon Farms), and apples are coming in fresh from Stanthorpe and further afield.
Numerous local producers have fresh garlic and there are even olive oil producers like Bunnyconnellen and Rash Valley Olives.
PORK LOIN ROAST
Ingredients
Pork loin, rolled off the bone 1 small handful fresh rosemary, leaves picked 3 heaped tablespoons fennel seeds sea salt freshly ground black pepper 500g sourdough or rustic bread
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 small handful fresh sage leaves, ripped up
1 handful pine nuts extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar Method
Preheat your oven to 200C.
Place your pork loin in front of you and score across the skin with a sharp knife, or a Stanley knife, about 1cm deep and about 1cm apart.
Pound up the rosemary and fennel seeds with a tablespoon of salt – bash the mixture until really fine – and then rub it into all the score marks on the pork.
Remove the crusts from the bread and slice it up. I like to toast the bread in a toaster or on a griddle until lightly golden, as this gives the stuffing a really fantastic smoky flavour.
While the bread is toasting, slowly fry the onions, garlic, sage and pine nuts in a little olive oil for 10 minutes until the onions are sweet and soft.
Season with salt and pepper, add the balsamic vinegar and put the mixture in a bowl.
Rip your bread into pieces and add to the bowl. Squash everything together, really squeezing the onions into the bread.
Have a taste – it may need a little more seasoning. Put to one side and allow to cool.
Insert your knife into the eye meat of the pork loin and make a cavity for your stuffing. Pack in the stuffing, then roll the pork over and tie it with a few pieces of string.
Place the pork on a roasting tray and cook in the preheated oven for just more than an hour until crisp and golden.
HAM GLAZE
Ingredients
2 tbsp Dijon mustard 300g honey
1 tbsp cloves
1 star anise
1 ethical ham, skin removed, fat scored
Method Preheat oven to 180C.
Combine mustard, honey, cloves and star anise in a small bowl, stir to combine.
Place ham in a large roasting pan and pour over glaze.
Roast, basting occasionally, until golden and warmed through (1-1¼ hours).
Thinly slice and serve!
APPLE AND RHUBARB CRUMBLE
Ingredients
5 medium Granny Smith (green) apples (900g), peeled, cored and diced into 2cm pieces
3 stems of rhubarb, sliced ½ cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground cinnamon Store-bought vanilla ice cream, to serve Crumble topping 1½ cups (225g) plain (all-purpose) flour
¾ cup (165g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (90g) rolled oats 225g unsalted butter, melted Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Place the apple, rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to combine.
Transfer to a 1.5-litrecapacity ovenproof dish.
To make the crumble topping, place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, oats and butter in a large bowl and mix with your fingers until just combined.
Spoon the crumble mixture over the apple and place the dish on a large baking tray. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and the fruit is soft.
Serve with vanilla ice cream