Nyngan residents have received a tasty lesson in food waste and discovered ways to create from pantry to plate.
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Masterchef winner Kate Bracks was in Nyngan to deliver a free community cooking workshop not only to pass on some culinary skills, but to teach the benefits of cooking from scratch such as helping to reduce food waste and improve nutrition.
“That’s a big priority for us because we have way too much food going into landfill, but also along the way to encourage people to think about their nutrition and how to get more fruit and veggies into their diet so that we can improve nutrition and health outcomes,” Ms Bracks said.
“Also for me personally giving a few of the skills that I’ve been lucky enough to learn in the past are to help people improve flavour so that they’re more motivated to cook for themselves,” she said.
Participants were treated to the secrets of three recipes including shakshuka – a middle eastern dish of eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce, hommus and flat bread.
“These are great things to help put on a platter, where you might be able to pull a few things out of the fridge and put together to form a left overs meal,” Ms Bracks said.
“Because eating our leftovers and using them before they go to waste is also a great tip.”
The Pantry to Plate workshops are part of the NSW government’s Food Smart program ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ and has teamed up with the Cancer Council to reinforce cooking for yourself and being smart with waste has its nutritional benefits.
“Really the message of cooking for yourself from scratch and being mindful of waste and nutrition it all goes hand in hand,” Ms Bracks said about joining forces.
Ms Bracks said she’s really enjoyed her time in Nyngan and is encouraging people to sign up for the Food Smart program.
“It’s been a real privilege to come and be apart of these communities for a couple of hours and get to meet the people.
“We’ve been so incredibly welcomed and that just gives me a real buzz and makes me want to come back again and do more.
“We’re also trying to encourage people to sign up to the Food Smart program because this is just a way to track our food waste and think through what steps we can take to reduce our food waste collectively, that’s a big impact on the environment.
The Food Smart program is a series of surveys over a four week period with suggested activities in between to encourage people to think through and reduce food waste.
To sign up visit the NSW Food Smart program website.
Kate Bracks Recipies
Shakshuka
(Serves 6)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 1 green capsicum, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 tbs ground corriander
- 1 tbs sweet paprika
- ½ tbs ground cumin
- ½ tbs red chilli flakes
- 1 cup passata
- 400g tinned tomatoes
- 1 tbs sugar
- 2-4 grinds of black pepper
- salt to taste
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, freshly chopped
METHOD:
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frypan
- Add the onion and cook until lightly caramelised
- Add capsicum, garlic and spices
- cook a further 1-2 minutes until capsicum has softened slightly
- Add the passata, trimmed tomatoes, sugar and pepper
- Stir to combine and simmer for 5-7 mins until slightly thickened
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt to taste
- Make 5 indentations in the tomato mixture
- Crack an egg into each indentation
- Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid
- Cook until the egg whites have set
- Garnish with fresh parsley
Hommus
(Makes approximately one cup)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tin of chickpeas
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 tbs dried mint
- 4 tbs ground cumin
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 4-5 grinds of black pepper
- ¼ tbs salt, plus extra
- 1 head of roasted garlic (optional)
METHOD:
- Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid
- Combine all ingredients, except chickpea liquid in a food processor
- Blend on high speed adding enough chickpea liquid to form your preferred consistency
- Taste and season with extra salt, to your taste
FLAT BREAD
(Makes 6)
INGREDIENTS:
- 200g self-raising flower
- 150g wholemeal self-raising flower
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 350g natural yoghurt
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- salt flakes, to taste
- 2 tbs sesame seeds or nigella seeds
METHOD:
- Combine the flours and baking powder in a medium bowl
- Add the yoghurt and stir until it starts to come together
- Tip onto a floured surface and knead until it forms a dough
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions
- Using a rolling pin, roll each portion to a thickness of 2-3 mm
- Using a sharp knife make 5-6 shallow cuts across the top of the dough
- Combine the olive oil and garlic in a small bowl
- Heat in a non-stick fry pan to a medium-high heat
- One at a time add a portion of dough (cut side down) to the dry pan
- Cook until lightly charred and then flip over to cook on the other side
- Once cooked through remove bread from the pan
- Brush the top of the bread lightly with the oil and garlic
- Sprinkle with salt flakes and sesame seeds to taste
- Repeat with remaining dough parts
Zaarkacha Marlan
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
