summer 2012
Your seasonal fresh food market magazine!
so fresh
free what’s inside!
Present time!
ham carving Learn all the little tips and tricks for carving a Christmas ham.
Check out our Christmas gift guide for some unique and fun ideas.
Summer Sangria See inside for a delicious and refreshing summer libation recipe.
Summer Seafood We talk about Christmas, the good ol’ Aussie way.
summer lovin’ Praise the sun! The warm weather is finally upon us, let us hope that it lasts a little longer than last year! When I think of summer, I immediately think of the different bright coloured, sweet fruits available such as mango, watermelon, lychees and what about stonefruits too! It’s time to embrace the amazing produce that comes with this warm weather and kick start a healthier year. We all know the festive season is a time to relax, maybe loosen a belt buckle (or two!) and indulge in some well deserved treats. We know it all too well.
what’s happening at the markets this summer!
Why not opt for the beautiful range of fresh, ripe produce and incorporate this into your holiday diet? There really is nothing like a big slice of juicy watermelon to devour while sitting by the pool, or perhaps some juicy local prawns are more your style. So come around with your family and friends and enjoy what the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets has to offer this summer. For any suggestions, tips or comments about So Fresh please contact us at info@bffm.com.au
diary notes christmas day 25 December Santa has come to visit, the kids are ecstatic, and it’s time to relax and enjoy some time with your family and soak up the summer sun. Perhaps, even a game of backyard cricket is in order!
school holidays 21 December - 1 February School holidays are here, and so is the sun. Use this time to go outside with the kids, soak up the warm sun and enjoy the sunshine for the next 6 weeks! With plenty of activities and fun for the family to join in, make these holidays count!
new years eve 31 December As one year comes to a close, we start a new one. How time flies! Bring in the new year with family and friends and kick off 2013 with a bang!
summer 2012
so fresh
australia day 26 January Celebrate the official national day of Australia! A perfect excuse to crack open a cold one and cook a barbie with your loved ones! Even better... it’s a public holiday, which means a little time to relax!
summertime
SEAFOOD
“Jingle all the way....All the family’s there, sitting by the pool, Christmas Day in the Aussie way, by the barbeque! ” Colin Buchanan got it right when he penned the national favourite Aussie Jingle Bells by saying “All the family’s there, sitting by the pool, Christmas Day in the Aussie way, by the barbeque!”. Not one to usually follow tradition, yet instead pave our own, the Australian way of Christmas has become quite an iconic celebration. While a good portion of the world is experiencing cold wintery conditions, Aussies are facing blistering heat, beautiful long days and balmy nights throughout the Christmas season. With many of the Christmas traditions stemming from the British empire still prominent in Australia, there are a few which we can add to the list as being truely unique to Australia.
Belconnen Fresh Food Markets is home to two of Canberra’s best seafood retailers - Fishco Downunder and Sea Harvest Australia. The summer season finds our surrounding waters thriving, making seafood a natural inclusion in the Christmas menu. We spoke to John Kalogris from Sea Harvest Australia to get his tips on picking the best types of seafood over the festive season. John believes that a beautiful fillet of fish is always a winner with the family, and so simple and quick to cook! Local coastal snapper, tuna and NT Wild Barramundi are great choices as they are in season over summer and in high demand. At this time they are coming in at a great price point arriving fresh in store daily.
Sport has long played an important role in Australian culture, and equally now plays a popular role in Christmas celebrations. Boxing Day flags the start of the legendary Sydney to Hobart race along with the start of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), a perfect setting to spend time with family and cheer the national success of our sporting heroes.
By far the most popular addition to the Christmas plate are lobster, king prawns and smoked salmon which are great for sharing with minimal preparation time. John sources as much of his produce from the local market as he possibly can. Australia is lucky to be surrounded by water delivering some of the very best produce in the world.
As we spend our deliriously hot summers celebrating Christmas, we’ve often found ourselves complementing the hot traditional dinners with cold platters of fresh seafood. Not only is seafood a tasty choice, it can be a relatively easy meal to prepare in advance or simply throw on the BBQ to grill!
John’s tips for choosing seafood at Christmas are to always look out for a fresh ocean smell, there should be little to no discolouration through the flesh or on the shells of crustaceans. Always buy your seafood at the end of your shopping trip and refridgerate as soon as possible to maintain maximum freshness!
so fresh
summer 2012
cherry sangria ingredients (serves 8) 750ml red or white wine (a spicy shiraz
1x lime
or fresh sauvignon blanc is perfect)
1x litre lemonade
1/4 cup caster sugar
300g pitted cherries, halved
1x orange
100g fresh raspberries, whole
1x lemon
method Combine the wine and sugar in a large jug. Thinly slice the orange, lemon and lime and add to the wine mixture. Stir in the cherries and raspberries and chill for at least 1 hour (or up to three days). When ready to serve, add the lemonade and serve over lots of ice. Alternately, serve the wine and the lemonade in separate carafes and allow people to mix the sangria themselves, to their taste!
vegetables
fruit apricot banana cherry grape lime lychee
mango nectarine passionfruit pineapple plum prickly pear
h fres ! le profi
summer 2012
asparagus capsicum celery cucumber eggplant okra
peas radish sweetcorn tomato watercress zucchini
mango Mangoes are becoming more readily available in store as they make their way down from the Northern Territory. Typically weighing anywhere between 250g to 900g, depending on the variety, the flesh varies from yellow to golden and is soft, juicy and sweet. Select fruit free from blemishes and black marks, as these indicate the fruit is overripe. The best test of a mango is its aroma, which should be highly perfumed when ripe.
so fresh
Christmas
as e d I t f i G
Pick out the perfect Christmas gifts for your loved ones with these interesting and clever ideas from the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets. First Choice Johnnie Walker Black Glass Pack $44.95
Book Passion House of Tiffany $30.00
Petbarn Christmas Cat Outfit $27.80
Pivotal Hair Hard Muk Styling Mud $22.00
his hers
&
Eco Meats Peter Watson Spice Rubs $9.95
Bunches Belconnen Vanilla Bath Sugar $12.95
Food Lovers Italian Style Hamper $26.50
First Choice Moet & Chandon Imperial $53.00
Qi Massage Chopsticks $5.00 Bunches Belconnen Elume Candles from $14.95
so fresh
summer 2012
the perfect
christmas ham Ham is a staple on the Christmas menu for many every year. As each year rolls around, do you find yourself scratching your head thinking - “where do I even start with this thing!?”. Here’s our fail safe guide to preparing and carving a delicious ham for your family. ingredients 1x ham
brown sugar
2 tbsp dried mustard
seville marmalade
ground cinnamon method Preheat the oven to 175oC. Remove the skin from ham by inserting a sharp knife and making an incision across the rind. Make the cut just big enough to grip the skin with your fingers (make sure you don’t cut into the fat too deeply as you only want to remove the rind). Using your knife, continue to make small cuts around the outside edge of the rind and then use your fingers to ease back the skin. Using your hands, massage the dried mustard over the flesh of the ham. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and then cover evenly with brown sugar. Before placing the ham in the oven, wrap the leg bone with foil to stop the bone discolouring and becoming too brown. Place the ham (fat side facing upwards) on a rack over a large baking dish with 2-3cm of water in the bottom. Bake for 45 minutes on 175oC. After 45 minutes remove the ham from the oven and coat the flesh with seville marmalade and return to the oven for a further 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, and then your ham is ready to carve!
summer 2012
so fresh
carving Carving your ham can be the hardest part of the whole operation, so follow our easy steps to ensure you create a beautiful carving every time! you will need:
r you ate cre ing p p sho he own h t wit list app M BFF
your ham (of course!) 1x very sharp knife 1x roasting fork step 1: Place the ham on a cutting board or a ham stand (if you have one). step 2:
Carve an end slice off the ham to make the carving easier. step 3: Using the first cut as a starting point, cut straight down the ham at 3-5mm intervals. step 4: Once you reach the hock bone, cut around the bone to allow for the maximum number of slices.
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so fresh
summer 2012
‘So Fresh’ chats to Bede from Market Meats about his fantastic butcher shop and the variety of different cuts in store. Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, unlike a supermarket, offers an assortment of speciality stores delivering some of Canberra’s freshest local food to the ACT region. Market Meats focus on top-grade produce and friendly personal service in store. Providing an array of beef, pork, lamb and veal produce, their emphasis is on quality and flavour. Customers are always greeted with a smile and the team are happy to deliver any requests to customers. Market Meats also have an in-house smoke room which allows for beautifully smoked products such as ham, bacon and speck.
Q.
Tell us a little bit about your journey with Market Meats.
I started out a Market Meats when I was 14 as an apprentice doing basic shop duties like cleaning, serving, maintenance and basic cutting. I took over the store in 2009 and my vision is to create a more traditional style butcher shop with an emphasis on quality and personal service.
Q.
Is meat a seasonal product?
No, not really. However we do sell more types of meat in different parts of the year. For example winter is a very popular time for roasts like beef rib and of course a leg of lamb! Summer is a popular time for our gourmet sausages, bone aged steaks and basically any cut of lamb.
Q.
Do you source your produce locally?
We try and source as much of our produce from the local region. I have had an ongoing relationship with Paul Darmody of Wynella Farm in Bungendore for over 10 years now. Paul supplies me with the best quality beef and some lamb cuts for the store. I also get some amazing pork from Matthew Houston at Redfern Downs close to Young, NSW.
Q.
What is your relationship like with your local suppliers?
I have a really great relationship with my local suppliers, we’ve been working together for such a long time now they know exactly what my customers like and what sells well in my store. They make sure they always provide me with the best quality produce.
Q.
What’s the benefit to your customer?
I estimate around 70% of my clientele are return customers, and they really enjoy being able to talk to me and my team personally because they know they are getting great service. We are also very happy to cater to everyone, if you only want a certain amount or a special cut you only have to ask!
Tues: 7:00am - 5:00pm Wed, Sat & Sun: 7:00am - 5:30pm Thurs - Fri: 7:00am - 6:00pm Phone: 02 6253 4162