I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was growing up, so when I left school I carried out a career ‘degustation’ of sorts - from a Lift Driver in a New Zealand department store to the Assistant to the Senior Geophysicist for British Petroleum in Libya and in the fields of light aircraft to being a Citizen-ship Law Clerk for the American Embassy and undertaking House Management at the Women’s College of Sydney University. So when it came to a career involving food it really just evolved. There was no grand plan - but moving to the Barossa when I married Colin and being surrounded by such wonderful, seasonal produce certainly sparked my existing interest in food to be taken to the next level. -MB Read the rest...
September 08 2017
News
Maggie and Professor Ralph Martins will be touring nationally throughout October, November and December to promote Maggie’s Recipe for Life. If you're interested in attending, please visit the Simon & Schuster website for full event and ticketing details. Read the rest...
I love the ease of pre-dinner drinks when I have dukkah on hand; it’s an essential in my pantry. It couldn't be simpler to add a bowl of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some crusty bread to the table while wine is being opened, providing that perfect nibble with drinks, yet still leaving plenty of room for the main course. Which is where I also like to utilise the crunch and spice of dukkah; the fact that it steps in for breadcrumbs when coating fish or chicken is another great tip for anyone who loves to entertain, because it looks far more impressive than the easy steps it takes to create! -MB Read the rest...
Because Verjuice can be used in lieu of any kind of acidulate; vinegar or lemon juice for example, it can easily become a welcome addition to your egg poaching technique. Just add a tablespoon of Verjuice to the poaching water and you will see its effect on keeping the whites of the eggs beautifully compact when they slide into the water. Of course the most important thing when poaching eggs is their freshness. Nothing can compare to just-laid eggs for poaching success, so if you don’t have chooks in your own backyard, it might be worth befriending someone who does! My method for poaching is as follows: Read the rest...
All animals reflect the feed they are given, but none more so than a pig. If you can buy from farmers who allow their pigs to range in a field of fallen apples, figs or even onions, you’ll taste the difference. The pig has always been central to the Barossa tradition, given the German heritage of the Valley. When I first settled here in 1973, almost every farm was mixed, including a vineyard and it was normal practice to have a couple hundred chooks, fifty turkeys and geese for the Christmas market and a pig or two, complete with mud holes for wallowing. This tradition of the mixed farm has dwindled in later years, but there are still those who keep their own pigs to slaughter each year, and they are rewarded with the most amazing flavour as a result of their farming efforts. -MB Read the rest...
