Campion and Curtis food and wine newsletter

January 2003

 

Welcome to the January edition of the Campion and Curtis food and wine newsletter, and a big welcome to the many new subscribers we've received over the Christmas / New Year period.

Click here to visit the Campion and Curtis website

 

We've been lucky enough to enjoy lots of beach time so far this year, and plenty of great food and wine to go with it. One of the best things we've cooked is a whole smoked salmon - the fish ends up with a fantastic lightly smoked flavour while remaining moist and delicious.

 

We've dispensed with the usual format for this edition as we think (and hope) that most of you are way too busy enjoying a summer break to sit in front of your computer screen for too long. Instead we've come up with a few ideas for a foodie New Year.

 

Foodie resolutions for 2003

Most New Years resolutions are made in a champagne haze around 1am on January 1st and are rarely last more than a week. Now that we’re into the year proper we’ve decided to put together a list of foodie resolutions, a list of things all food and wine lovers should aim to do in 2003.

 

Join the Slow Food movement and get involved with like-minded people at feasts, functions and events throughout the year. Slow food is active in most states around Australia so what are you waiting for? Find you local branch here by visiting www.slowfood.com/eng/sf_ita_mondo/sf_mondo.lasso or consider setting one up yourself if it doesn’t already exist. There’s also the national congress coming up this March in Mildura for Slow Food members.

 

Make a Saturday morning date in your diary to get out into the countryside and visit one of the many Farmers Markets. They offer a great opportunity to meet hard working growers and producers of fine products, and many of the ingredients have been picked in the previous 24 hours. Support those who provide us with fantastic ingredients year round. , we're hoping to make this a full national listing as information comes to hand.

Attend a cooking class and learn new foodie skills. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to create authentic Indian curries, stir-fried noodles, Moroccan tagines, vegetarian meals or fantastic cakes – now is the time! Click onto the Yellow Pages on-line, type in cooking schools, pick your state or town, and you’re on your way. www.yellowpages.com.au/yp/index_search.jhtml?_requestid=67935 

Organise a picnic for friends far and wide. It could be on a beach, in a city park, beside a lake or even in a National Park. Simply choose a date, pick up your telephone book and invite all those friends you haven’t seen for ages. Ask everyone to bring a plate, a few drinks and a couple of boules (petanque) sets. It could well become a much-love annual event.

Get a group of like-minded friends together and sign up for a wine course. Learn how to improve your tasting skills and appear knowledgeable to colleagues and dining companions. Join in and discover the pepper in your glass of shiraz, the terra rossa in your Coonawarra cabernet, or find a pinot with that elusive ‘sex on the wild forest floor’ character. These are classes available for beginners and experts alike, so get your tasting glass in hand and learn how to sip, swirl and swallow with the best of them.

Get the dates of you favourite food and wine festival into the diary – and make a point of booking early. Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is coming our way in March, www.melbfoodwinefest.com.au/, Tasting Australia in Adelaide for in October www.tasting-australia.com.au/tasting/tasting.aspx, and many more in the year ahead. Visit the state based tourism sites for lots more events and links.

Use seasonal ingredients. This is one of the easiest foodie resolutions to make and to keep. Every time you shop for fresh food make sure you choose only the best in-season fruit and vegetables, and cook dishes which use them to their best. If you need a little advice on what's best this month check out the monthly lists on the C&C website.

Book dinner for two in that really expensive restaurant you’ve been dreaming about. Who cares if it takes a few months of regular saving, it’ll be worth it on the night. Then you can really splash out and have a food and wine experience to remember.

Hopefully this has given all of you some food for thought, we'll be back with our regular newsletter in early February. Also our website will be up-dated with lots of new information, recipes, helpful links and food ideas.

Cheers and happy new year,  Allan Campion and Michele Curtis

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