If only learning had always been so enjoyable and so delicious.  For a start, Brigidf Treloar showed us how easy it is to clean squid - well, it looked easy when she did it, prepare a sea mullet for the hot plate and come up with simple recipe ideas for ling fillets.

Professor Iain Suther who came to tell us about the work being done at the Sydney Institute  of Marine Science turned out to be a hands-on seafood scientist when he cooked that delicious sea mullet and handed it around.  We understood why so many professional fishermen tell us that mullet is their favourite fish.

All the seafood we ate that night were sustainable species from the waters around Sydney, and that greatly under-appreciated resource to our north, the 100 navigable kilometres of the Hawkesbury.  A hugely productive fishery - not just for prawns but oysters, mud crabs, calamari, eels, mulloway, bream and mullet.

The sea mullet - in perfect nick as it heads out of the estuary from March until end of June / beginning of July - and the Broken Bay Pacific Oysters all came from the mighty secret river.  The ling - also in season at this time - hails from waters north of Sydney.

Steve Jones and his wife Sally came down from Brooklyn to bring us six dozen of their beautiful Broken Bay Pacific Oysters and to share with us the story of how triploid (sterile) pacific oysters come to be growing in an environment more knows for Sydney Rocks Oysters.  It’s a story that proves you can’t keep and oyster farmer down - and having tasted the meaty and flavoursome Pacifics, we’re looking forward to the revival (post QX virus) of the Hawkesbury Sydney “Rock”.

Steve reminded us that the waters of the Hawkesbury are now so pristine, the oysters don’t need to be ‘depurated’ (washed in fresh water under a blue light) before we eat them: which means the full oyster flavour remains.

He also taught us how to open our own oysters and as we discovered that night, freshly opened is the only way to go.

Iain Suthers took off his apron, broke out the power point and gave us an only too brief taste of the work he and his team are doing at SIMS.  He currently holds four grants dealing with eddies of the East Australian Current, gelatinous zooplankton, and coastal migrations by freshwater and estuarine fish.  And if that sounds dry, not the way Iain delivered.  We’ve already been to SIMS at Chowder Bay, but we’re planning another night there.

Rachel Appleton from Krinklewood in the Hunter, whose magnificent 2008 Semillon we were drinking, dispelled a lot of myths about biodynamic farming, and gave us an insight into why the 2008 Krinklewood Semillon we were drinking was so good.  It had exactly the right acid/fruit balance to hold up to complement the flavours of all the seafood on the plates that night.

The commitee would like to thank everyone who came, sponsors Steve Jones and Krinklewood, and Brigid Treloar and Iain Suthers for donating their time and expertise.

Our local seafood is just as seasonal as fruit and vegetables!

What swims around in our local waters is more prolific at different times of the year.

This informative evening will highlight what is available and in good supply at the local Sydney Fish Market and local seafood suppliers around town in May. There will be the opportunity to try your skills at preparing and cooking different varieties and then to enjoy a shared table of prepared dishes with local wines.

Our presenter is the experienced Brigid Treloar who has been a freelance food consultant for over 20 years. The author of eight cookbooks, many of them translated into other languages, she also contributes to newspapers and magazines, reviews restaurants and judges cookery and recipe competitions. She has made many TV appearances and can often be heard discussing food on the radio. Brigid has presented specialist cooking classes in Sydney, interstate and overseas and is an educator at the Sydney Seafood School. Brigid advises many of Australia’s food companies on product and recipe development, food styling and photography and provides recipes and cooking information for company websites.

As we sample Krinklewood’s biodynamic 2009 Verdelho, we’ll learn how to prepare some very simple and delicious recipes:
Char-grilled local Squid with salt and pepper seasoning
Chermoula Sea Mullet Fillets
Pink Ling Skewers with Wasabi Mayonnaise

We’re excited to include Iain Suthers, a Professor in the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences at UNSW, and now based at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. Iain has published over seventy papers and book chapters on a variety of marine subjects concerning fisheries and oceanography, including a recent book on plankton. Plankton is the base on which the entire ocean food chain rests. Iain will tell us about the growth rate of fish as the key to sustainable fisheries, as well as the work of SIMS and ocean climate.

There will be Pukara Estate olive oils to try and Steve Jones of Broken Bay Oysters will be telling us all about this important local seafood species.

The evening is held at the Electrolux Kitchen Showroom which gives you the great opportunity to browse and test some of the newest cook tops and ovens.

When: Thursday, May 06, 2010 from 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Where: Electrolux Kitchen Showroom , 163 O’Riordan Street,  Mascot,  2020 Sydney.  View map.

Cost: $50 members, $55 non members, $35 students and pensioners. For bookings.

As us city city mice oohed and aahed with delight over the well-kept farms, the livestock and rows of vines and veggies, we were saddened by the evidence of the continuous march of the concrete cancer across the most arable land in NSW.

But that’s why we are there.  To see the beauty and bounty of this part of our city, and its potential to supply us with even more of our food, and to see the fight ahead of us to help save it.

Second generation Sydney farmer and long term warrior John Maguire at Enniskillen supplied is with coffee (actually it was his son and third generation farmer Adrian who showed his multi-skilling, turning out thirty coffees in record time) and also gave us the background of political opportunism and downright greed that still stalks this beautiful part of the world.  As John well knows, the forces of darkness never sleep - they just change their forms.

Next stop was a real revelation to most of us - but not to one of our number, Maud a visitor from Sweden who owns her own vegetable farm in Sweden.  Vicki and Joe Sultana and their children Jonathan and Samantha took us through their fertile Hawkesbury vegetable farm picking produce for us as we went.  Eggplants, corn and capsicum the main catches of the day - but what eggplants - plump and shining, corn - heavy with silk and good enough to eat off the stalk, and capsicum - little bright green numbers with, we later discovered, huge flavour.

And then it was off to vineyard corner, to Tizzana and Jubilee.  This was a real eye-opener to first time visitors.  Firstly the beauty of this corner of the valley, the same today as it was when Dr Fiaschi was drawn to it.  And secondly, not just the quality of the wines we were shown but the fact that there was wine at all in the Hakesbury.

Our last stop was 42 Bannerman where Sam Mammoliti and his family and their chef Jony Fontecchio brought all the produce of the region together to serve us one of the finest real Italian meals any of us have eaten this side of Lombardy - or Sicily I guess, as that’s where Jony come from.  Sandra’s rabbit with olives and rosemary, the little capsicum stuffed with pork and fennel sausage mix and a disc of St Alban’s goat cheese from Willowbrae, the zucchini flowers stuffed again with Willowbrae goat curd, the dessert of Jony’s Zia Maria cake were highlights of the meal which was, really, all highlights.  The city mice were gobsmacked, and will be back.

As will Slow Food Sydney.  We are planning to do more of these Hawkesbury Nepean rambles, the idea being to show as many people as we can the potential - and the problems - of Sydney’s unique farming region.

Your Slow Food Events Committee cordially invites you and your friends to a day exploring the beautiful and historic Hawkesbury Region.

Meet David and Karen Borg, Willowbrae Goat Cheese, Wilberforce.  Visit the cheesery and learn how their cheese is made.  You can buy some to take home, too.

Vicki and Jo Sultana will welcome us to their Hawkesbury Vegetable Farm, Wilberforce.  They’ll show us around their long-established farm, using the rotational crop method.  Their produce is for sale.

Swallow Rock Organics at Ebenezer is a relatively new operation run by Matt and Sue Simmons.  Discuss and learn about organic farming methods.

The sun will just be over the yard-arm when we visit Tizzana Winery and Jubilee Estate Vineyard. Peter, Caroline and Jonathon Auld of Tizzana and Ray Yayek of Jubilee Estate Vineyard will welcome you.
Tizzana is the oldest winery in the Hawkesbury area with the first vines planted by Italian surgeon, Dr.Thomas Fiaschi in 1882.  The setting reminded him of Tuscany, and the winery he built reflects that.

We’ll also visit Jubilee Vineyard Estate which is just across the road.   Jubilee was established in 1882 by Dr. Fiaschi, and is part of an original 40 acres of land (portion 112), which grew maize and wheat.

Our tour culminates with lunch at 42 Bannerman.  Owner Sam Mammoliti sources produce from the region and cooks it simply, letting the freshness speak for itself.  His inspiration comes from the small regional trattorias of Italy.

Details and Itinerary:

When:    March 21, 2010 (9.15am to 4 pm)

Where:   Hawkesbury Region, 42 Bannerman Road, Glenhaven 2156.

How to get there:
9.15am:         Your own transport as far as Glenhaven, where we meet at 42 Bannerman trattoria (42 Bannerman Road, Glenhaven.  (Corner of Glenhaven and Bannerman Roads).  There’s plenty of parking.
10 am:            We leave our cars there for a 10am pick up by chartered bus.
10.30 am:      Willowbrae Goat Cheese farm
11.30 am:      Hawkesbury Vegetable Farm
12 noon:        Swallow Rock Organics
12.30 pm:     Tizzana Winery and Jubilee Estate Vineyard
1.30 pm:        Bus back to 42 Bannerman
2 pm:               Lunch at 42 Bannerman
2 pm onwards: Linger over lunch, then depart at leisure.

Cost:         $70 members, $75 friends, includes lunch and chartered bus.

Tickets:   http://hawkesburyfarmtour.eventbrite.com/

Further informations:   info@slowfoodsydney.com.au

OceanWatch Australia is a national environmental, not-for-profit company that works to achieve sustainability in the Australian seafood industry by protecting and enhancing fish habitats, improving water quality and advancing the sustainability of fisheries.

To help raise awareness, Ocean Watch Days were held at Bondi and Manly and Slow Food Sydney were invited to come along.  Our Convivium President and chef,  Syd Pemberton,  held a demonstration BBQ and this is one if the recipes she prepared:

Spicy fish fillets cooked in banana leaf
6 fresh banana leaves, cut into large 12 squares
6 with fish fillets cut in half (ling fish, barramundi, blue eye)
Spice paste:
1 tbls finely chopped fresh ginger
1 large green chili, deseeded and chopped
1 tbls chopped coriander stalks
2 tbls chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric
2-3 tbls of coconut cream to blend
Blend the spice paste together in a smell blender or mortar and pestle.
Spread a little of the spice paste onto each piece of fish. Place onto a square of banana leaf and wrap it like a small parcel and secure it with a toothpick.
Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Lightly oil the bbq grill and cook the fish parcels for 4-5 minutes each side, until cooked through. Remove and serve with lemon or lime wedges on the side.