7 Recipes Using Native Ingredients You Need To Cook This Weekend
If you've been following along for a while now, you'll know how much I love cooking with ingredients native to Australia. It feels deeply humbling being able to use ingredients from the land that indigenous Australians have been using in their cooking and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Since the beginning of Smør Kitchen, I have been committed to showcasing how to use native Australian ingredients with ease in everyday cooking in the kitchen at home.
I want to show you how easy it is to incorporate Tasmanian Pepperberry and Saltbush in lamb, fish and chicken dishes. I want to show you how simple it is to use Lemon Myrtle, Bush Tomato and Wattleseed in baking bread, making pasta and pickling vegetables. I want to show you how wonderful it is to incorporate Muntries, Finger Limes and Quandong in cakes, ice creams and desserts. Thanks to the likes of The Australian Super Food Co and Kakadu Plum Co, native ingredients are so accessible with their range of native herbs, spices, powders, extracts, syrups and air dried fruit.
If you're looking for a place to get started and incorporate native ingredients in your cooking, here are some recipes to begin with:
Lemon & Native Finger Lime Macadamia Tart
This is my take on the classic Lemon Curd Tart. I have pumped up the citrus levels to an all time high with the addition of native finger lime extract and fresh finger lime caviar. I have made a sweet tart crust and have mellowed it out by blitzing native macadamia nuts in a food processor into a meal and adding it to the dough. While the tart crust is subtly sweet thanks to the addition of icing sugar, adding macadamia meal takes it down a very subtle notch and compliments the citrusy zing of the lemon and native finger lime. It's a party in your mouth, in the best kind of way.
Beetroot & Native Bush Tomato Pasta
I recently bought ground native Bush Tomato from The Australian Superfood Co and have been thinking of ways to incorporate this unique native ingredient into different yet easily approachable recipes. While the native Bush Tomato isclosely related to the regular garden tomato, it has a distinctively raisin and caramel flavour initially, followed by a subtle spicy aftertaste. It's earthy, peppery and robust, and I immediately knew pairing it with beetroot and making a pasta would be a match made in heaven.
Campfire Baked Brie with Bush Dukkah
Bush Dukkah from Kakadu Plum Co is a whole other level of wonderful. It's like your traditional dukkah, but different! It's 100% Australian and is made using macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, lemon myrtle, wattleseed, peppeberries, mountain pepper, kakadu plum and salt. It's so good on fish, meat and salads, as well as a dipping accompaniment with sourdough bread and EVOO. But I knew it would be the perfect addition to my Campfire Baked Brie. I decided to throw in some extra ingredients to make (in my humble opinion) the best Baked Brie in the business. The best thing about my Baked Brie is that you can also make this in your oven at home and when you're camping, and I have included the steps for both methods.
Lemon Rossella Pudding
If I had to pick one dessert for the rest of my life, this warm Lemon Rossella Pudding would be it. I love warm lemon puddings more than my own children. Ok, maybe not but you get the gist. The thing is, it's the one recipe I gravitate towards as soon as the temperatures drop and the nights turn freezing cold. I've been making this recipe for years but this winter, I wanted to step it up a notch by addingRossella extract. While Rossella is not specifically native to Australia (it was introduced from Africa), indigenous people have been using it in their cooking for thousands of years.This dessert is bright, warm, comforting and above all, velvety. It's drowning in a zingy lemon sauce that oozes out from underneath the pudding when you dip your spoon into it. Oh yes, yes indeed.
Lemon Myrtle & Thyme Damper
Damper is a really great introduction to baking bread because its pillowy and soft, it's super simple to make and there's nothing like pulling apart a loaf of damper when it's still hot. There are many ways to incorporate more flavour into the classic plain dough and this recipe calls on native lemon myrtle and thyme to elevate it from good to great. You can easily bake it at home in the oven and use it as a side bread for cheese platters, soups, salads and lots more. Go on, make some damper this weekend.
Rhubarb and Apple Crumble with Davidson Plum
Everyone loves a fruity crumble, especially in the cooler months and for this recipe, I used rhubarb and apples with the very beautiful Davidson Plum. While you wouldn't ordinarily eat a Davidson Plum raw because its incredibly sour, it is wonderful in homemade jams, sauces (we've got a red wine and Davidson plum jus on our mind), and many, many desserts like this crumble! Davidson Plum is also a rich source of calcium (perfect for vegans), Vitamin E and zinc, and possess anti-diabetic properties and has the ability to reduce obesity and lower hypertension. Amazing! Make this recipe here.
Apple & Quandong Galette
A galette is simply a French tart and typical me, I wanted to elevate this classic while paying homage to indigenous ingredients. I decided to use apple and Quandong, which tastes like a sweet peach. Apple and Quandong is a match made in heaven, and the galette is peachy, sweet and downright addictive. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top will take the galette to the next level, but I prefer to enjoy this dessert in it's own right. To ice cream or not to ice cream? Don't choose, have both! Here's the recipe.
