The Australian Women’s Weekly Food Issue 74

I feel we are at a crossroads, as what we eat is having a huge impact on the environment, animal welfare and the health of our farming sector as we try to find a food system that can support our increasing appetites. Australians are facing more hunger, obesity and environmental degradation than ever before. According to one of Australia’s leading food rescue organisations, FOOD BANK (foodbank.org.au) Australian households throw away 2.5 million tonnes of edible food each year – that equates to nearly 300 kilograms per person! It’s crazy to think that much of what we are buying in our trolleys ends up in the bin. This issue we’ve devoted some space to thinking about our food and where it comes from. We hope to arm you with the information you…

LITTLE S’MORE PIES PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES MAKES 12 300ml thickened cream100ml milk120g milk chocolate, finely chopped120g dark chocolate, finely chopped1 tablespoon CSR Rapadura Sugar1 tablespoon malted milk powder3 egg yolks OAT PASTRY ½ cup (80g) White Wings Wholemeal Flour½ cup (75g) White Wings Plain Flour½ cup (45g) rolled oats¼ cup (40g) CSR Rapadura Sugar1 tablespoon malted milk powder125g cold butter, chopped1 egg MARSHMALLOW 1 cup (220g) CSR Caster Sugar2 teaspoons liquid glucose2 egg whites2 tablespoons CSR Rapadura Sugar4 titanium–strength gelatine leaves, softened in cold water for 5 minutes 1 Make oat pastry. 2 Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan. Remove pastry from fridge; stand at room temperature for 5 minutes or until soft enough to cut. Cut pastry into 12 even pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll out on a lightly floured…

FIVE-HOUR BRISKET & BEER PIE WITH CHEDDAR PASTRY PREP + COOK TIME 5 HOURS 30 MINUTES (+ RESTING) SERVES 8 ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil30g butter, chopped finely2 large (400g) red onions, sliced thinly1.75kg beef brisket, fat trimmed, cut into approximately 2cm pieces1 tablespoon CSR Muscovado Sugar¼ cup (60ml) red wine vinegar1 celery stalk, chopped finely1 medium (120g) carrot, chopped finely2 garlic cloves, chopped finely2 teaspoons smoked paprika2 teaspoons ground cumin3 cups (750ml) beef stock400g can cherry tomatoes1½ cups (375ml) dark ale⅔ cup (100g) White Wings Plain Flour1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg washsour cream, to serve CHEDDAR PASTRY 2 cups (300g) White Wings Plain Flour1 cup (160g) White Wings Wholemeal Flour1 cup (120g) grated vintage cheddar250g chilled butter, diced2 teaspoons Dijon mustard2 eggs QUICK PICKLED ONIONS , thinly into…

If you’re serious about reducing waste and looking after the environment, the key is to think before you buy. Start by looking at what you already have. Perhaps it’s not needed after all, or it could be substituted with something else. Consider planning meals around what you have, rather than what you need to get. Be principled in your purchases, avoid anything that’s over-packaged, and as much as possible avoid plastics. BULK-BUY DRY GOODS Buying in bulk lessens the amount of packaging required. If you’re part of a small family, or a solo consumer, buy with friends and divvy things up. At home, transfer dry goods to glass jars or food-grade stainless steel containers. CONVENIENCE FOOD Try to shift your thinking and reduce your reliance on ready-made meals, as these come with an environmental…

NOT-SO-PALTRY CONCERNS ABOUT POULTRY With so many differing labels and terms, buying the best kind of chickens and eggs for your family can be very difficult. Right now in Australia there are also no national standards that all egg farmers need to comply with, so sometimes, what the labels say is not what you think it means. For free-range, for example, you might be buying a brand of eggs laid by chickens who have 10 times more space to move around in than those of other brands, so it pays to do a little research. Once you find a brand you’re happy with, stick with it. Whether you’re choosing eggs and chicken due to animal welfare concerns or simply for the difference in flavour, you can only guarantee you’re getting what you pay…

In an ideal world, we should be able to look at a label on the food we buy and get all the information we want and need: where the food and/or ingredients come from; where and when it was made or packaged; its nutritional value; what food additives have been used, if any; how many serves the package contains; and directions for use and storage. When it comes to meat and seafood, an increasing number of us want to investigate even further: how the animal was raised or caught; what it was fed; and how it was slaughtered. Also, people are becoming more committed to finding out about the environmental impacts on our planet around how their food is produced, whether it’s in regard to genetic modification or the sustainable clearing and…