As per my previous post on SOLE food, this weekend, I sourced some local produce. My intentions were three fold. To see how easy and economical it was to buy SOLE foods in the heart of suburban GW, and to practice what I am planning for The Blogger's Banquet.
In the heart of GW lies a little shopping centre that couldn't be more different from The Glen or that god-awful Pox Shitty (Knox City). It's a wee strip of shops in Kerrie Road, and there you can find oodle of things that fit into SOLE.
The butcher there sources all their meat from Cardinia, a suburb less that 20 mins away. They stock free-range eggs and hens, LaIonica chooks, and they make all their smoked goods on site.
And they're bloody helpful. Yes, you pay more than dodgy gas-packed meat from Coles or Safeway, but not SUBSTANTIALLY more.
And it's good.
Right nesxt door there is Michael's Organic Delights
| 8 Kerrie Road | (03) 9886 7107 |
They also sell non-organic produce, and on discussion, much of it is sourced on SOLE principles.
I choose some organic "sparrowgrass (from Kooweerup, about 25mins away) for my practice run for the banquet:
and I grab some organic sheep's cheese ($9.95 for 250g, in oil and spices) from Tarago River (in Neerim South, about 35 mins away).
Yes, it's a lot to pay for cheese. Click here to see why. BUT.... I am not using the whole jar, just a wee bit, and the rest I will eek out over the course of the week, for adult snacks and late night nibblies.
Unfortunately I can't get any prosciutto down at Kerrie Road. The supermarket (IGA) only has a small slab left, not wide enough for what I want, so it's back to the butcher to get some Cardinia streaky bacon.
The whole shop cost $25.95, including a non-organic chilli and a bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley.
Not too bad for a dish that provided 10 serves and a practice run to showcase my talents!!!.
And here is the final product:
Wood-fired oven cooked asparagus, wrapped in bacon, with marinated chevre.
A quick squeeze of lemon juice (sourced from the next-door-neighbour's tree) and a grind of pepper and Furry's your Uncle!!
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5 comments:
Good on you, PG! It's all a bit out of the way for an inner-city kid like me, but I think it's important to discover what 'SOLE' food is and isn't accessible for the families living further out and on tighter budgets.
I'm looking forward to the banquet!
The asparagus looks fantastic!!! Good value with the cheese too, must take a closer look... Vida x
I have just re-read your comment on the cheese being expensive but I thought I was good value??? Vida x
It's only expensive in relation to Kraft Crap. (not that I ever buy it, BTW!)
Trying to eat SOLE on a suburban budget ain't easy. $9.95 for 250g of cheese is something that we'd only be able to do on special occasions.
And I'm getting some mileage out of it!!!
I made a vegie fritatta with it last night and it was heavenly!!!
However, it doesn't "cut the mustard" for cheese in school lunches, as MUCH as my kids would love it.. way too expensive!!
so I have been thinking about this post for quite a while, and S.O.L.E. doesn't have to be that exclusive.
I have now re-written this comment 4 times and as I am about 4 posts on my own blog behind I will have to leave you hanging in suspense.
needless to say, your pizza was a treat, it was something you did for yourself, on a weekend when you were on your todd, and you used not only S.O.L.E food but cottage industry gourmet and the two aren't mutually inclusive.
so my only point is that SOLE isn't necessarily gourmet and vice versa...
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