Saturday 18 April 2015

Forage 2015

I can't believe that Forage has been and gone for another year already. 2015 is the fifth Forage, a highlight of FOOD Week in Orange. It's a totally great event, and we've had 4 years of fabulous, dry autumnal weather. 2011. 2012. 2013. 2014. Forage is bigger and better every year. 2015 was something special.


Much rain was predicted this year.
90% chance of 10-20 mm.
And it started raining just as the first buses arrived!
But it was only a shower, and didn't last that long. 
The ladies were mostly kitted out in dress wellies anyway

Highland Heritage's
5 Spice Pork with Crispy Salad

Foragers are an intrepid lot and don't let a little shower
dampen their enthusiasm.

The day was atmospheric and glorious. 

It's always wonderful walking between the vines

With so many delicious pit stops along the way. 

Lolli Redini's
Chicken Rillette with Orchard Fruit Compote




Stepping Stone's Minnestrone
with Trunkey Creek Spec

The Forage ahead. 

Crowds of enthusiastic Foragers build with every bus arrival.

I certainly did. 

Agrestic Grocer's
Wild Mushroom Pie
warming and perfect for the day

Sadly I wasn't drinking but did have the
occasional sip. 
Bite Riot Cherry Juice is good!

Beautiful new vistas with every step. 




Edwena Mitchell's
Beef Shin Braised in Coconut Cream
was sensational.
As was
Vindevie's
Hand Pressed Shiraz Sorbet

The rain had held off for long enough
and was soon bucketing down.
Most people had had enough wine that they didn't
really care.

But now I long for a Gustav Klimt brolly too...
It was a wet end to a great day. 

But Kate Brack's
Chocolate and Red Wine Cake
with Roasted Pear and Cinnamon Cream
was Exceptional.
 I didn't care that it was raining. 

Second Mouse cheese to finish
And then a wet and soggy dash to the bus home. I can't wait to see what Forage 2016 will bring...

Edwena Mitchell published her marvellous beef shin recipe on Facebook and is happy for me to share it with you here. I think I need to try this at home. It would be easy to make a half recipe, although so delicious you'll probably want the full one. 

The Braised Shin Beef was quite well received so herewith the recipe, adapted from a Gourmet Traveller Fare Exchange recipe:
2 kg shin beef, don't remove the casings, just cut it up into largish chunks
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 tab pepper
1/2 tab dark brown sugar
1 tab Herbies Chinese 5 Spice mix
1 or 2 green chillis
2" piece ginger grated
6 big fat cloves garlic
2 tabs sesame oil
800ml coconut cream
Make a paste with the pepper, sugar, spice mix, ginger, garlic, chilli & sesame oil, mix the paste with meat and soy sauce & marinate for as long as you can (at least 2 days).

Put the meat into good heavy casserole pot with coconut cream & cook at 140 degrees for 4 or 5 hours till very tender.

Serve with rice and:

2 green capsicum
1 Lebanese Cucumber
1/2 bunch radish
1 bunch shallots or 1 Spanish Onion
1/2 bunch coriander
1/2 cup sushi dressing 

Slice capsicum, shallots & radish very finely, pour over sushi dressing 1/2 hr before serving & use Coriander for garnish at serving.

Serves 8 with a bit left over!!
For Forage, the meat was marinating in the soy & spice paste for one month, cryovac'ed, thanks to, Michael Borg from M & J Meats in Orange, my wonderful butcher.

Marinating for a month! No wonder it tasted so amazing. I might need a trip to see Michael this week too. It's been raining ever since Forage ended, and has turned quite wintery.

Saturday Snapshot is a wonderful weekly meme
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This post is linked to Weekend Cooking
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19 comments:

Beth F said...

I look forward to your Forage post every year. The event looks like so much fun -- love that you walk through the countryside as you go from food station to food station.

Katherine P said...

What lovely pictures! The food and the scenery both are stunning. Plus, I'm kind of in love with the floral wellies!

Joy said...

What a great crowd! Love the wellies. And the sky was just lovely for your landscape photos.

Joy's Book Blog

jama said...

Thanks for taking us along! Had never heard of Forages -- what beautiful scenery and those food stops look so delicious. I have my eye on that wild mushroom pie. :)

jama said...

Thanks for taking us along! Had never heard of Forages -- what beautiful scenery and those food stops look so delicious. I have my eye on that wild mushroom pie. :)

Laurie C said...

A great story-in-pictures post! Loved seeing all the photos and hearing about the day. I was thinking you were actually foraging for wild food, too, along the way, but apparently not! The food you had looked much better than what you could pick from a bush along the way!

Sarah (Sarah's Book Shelves) said...

What an mazing menu of food! I feel like you were on an episode of Top Chef.

Kay said...

What a fun event! And thanks for taking us along. Wish the pictures had included a little taste. LOL

Julie @ Smiling Shelves said...

This looks like so much fun! Delicious food and beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing!

Carole said...

Fabulous fun despite less than perfect weather! Cheers from Carole's Chatter

CaptainManga said...

I was told there was going to be coffee this year, did they have it?

Louise said...

Megan there's always coffee at the cake/cheese station- but I don't drink coffee so it never occurs to me to mention it. There was also a coffee stand at the bus departure point in the morning, which was new, but again I couldn't make use of it.

Brona said...

I really, really must get to Orange for Forage one year. I have no excuse with family in the area and a fellow blogger to show the way :-)

The mushroom pie looked amazing :-)

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

What an awesome celebration! I enjoyed how you alternated the scenes and the people with the delicious looking food.

Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

Unknown said...

Id never heard of Forages before
Im a keen walker though and what yummy looking food :)

shelleyrae @ book'd out said...

Sounds like a wonderful event, and you get the chance to walk off what you eat!

Happy cooking,
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

grammajudyb said...

Love the photos of all the interesting food. Yummy! Love the wellies too. I must look into getting a pair.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

The food. Oh my!

Especially that Chocolate and Red Wine Cake. I love the sound of that.

Esme said...

This looks like a delightful rain-despite the rain. Sometimes it is fun to wear the wellies.