A More Sustainable Australian Bite

Passport & Plate - Kangaroo Kofte & Warrigal Green Fattoush (serves 1

Australia | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 4 photos

Kofte
100g kangaroo mince
2 cloves crushed garlic
¼ cup red onion grated
½ tsp ground mountain pepper leaf
¼ tsp sumac
½ tsp ground lemon myrtle

Fattoush
1/4 Red onion, finely diced
5 Cherry tomatoes halved
1/4 Lebanese cucumber quartered and chopped
Warrigal greens, blanched and chopped
1/8 cup chopped mint
1 sml clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp sumac
¼ tsp ground lemon myrtle
Juice ½ lemon
32ml extra virgin olive oil

Flatbread
1 ¼ cup tepid water
1 ½ tsp dry yeast
1 ½ tsp castor sugar
460g plain flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Garlic Yoghurt Sauce
2 tbsp Full Fat Greek yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt to taste

How to prepare this recipe
Pre-heat oven to 200°C
1. Heat 1 tsp olive in a small fry pan over a medium heat & cook red onion & 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Set aside to cool
2. To make the flat bread, combine water, yeast & sugar in a small bowl and leave in a warm spot for 20 mins or until the mixture foams
3. Create fattoush dressing by combining garlic, sumac, lemon myrtle, lemon juice & olive oil in a small bowl with salt to taste
4. Place all other ingredients for fattoush (except flatbread) in a larger bowl
5. In a large bowl, mix flour & salt for flatbreads, then make a well in the centre. Add the olive oil & yeast mixture & combine. Work the dough until it comes together. Turn out and knead on a lightly floured bench until it becomes smooth. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with clean cloth & leave for 15-20mins or until doubled in size
6. While dough is rising, place ingredients for kofte (including cooled onion mixture) in a bowl & combine using hands
7.Split kofte mixture into three equal parts & shape into small fat cigar shapes. Thread the kofte on to one metal skewer. Set skewer onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in oven for 15 mins or until kofte are cooked through
8. While kofte are cooking, split flatbread mixture into 12 equal parts, wrap 10 parts in glad wrap & freeze (use these babies for future fattoush, as an accompaniment to other meals or even pizza bases)
9. Roll out the remaining two balls of dough onto a floured bench so each are flat & even and approximately 16cm in diameter
10. Brush one flatbread with olive oil & place oil side down into a non-stick pan over medium heat. Gently brush a little oil on top while it is cooking, the bread should start to puff up. Check the base, when it looks crispy flip it over & cook the other side until crispy, set aside on a plate. Repeat with other disc
11. Pour dressing over fattoush, toss
12. Remove kofte from oven & place on top of fattoush mixture with flatbread Serve with garlic yoghurt sauce

The story behind this recipe

Ok, so my recipe wasn’t created by a log forgotten relative while trying to feed 12 kids, her grandmother and her mountaineering husband in the throng of the worst Winter ever seen. However, it does contain ingredients that have been used in Australia by our traditional custodian’s for over 40,000 years.

Developed after attending a dinner run by a group of young people big on the sustainability and eat local ethos (something close to my heart) this dish highlights the often overlooked and underutilised produce Indigenous to Australia. The inspiration came when prior to the entrée the following question was posed “what does sustainable eating mean to you?” There were the ‘saving the planet’ responses and the ‘it’s better for your health’ advocates but what surprised me most was not a single person in the windmill referred to consumption or propagation of produce Indigenous to Australia. In my mind, farming and consuming produce Indigenous to a particular country or region was the most sustainable way to eat, especially in Australia. Our climate is one of the most distinct on the globe, the produce indigenous to our country has adapted to our unique environment and sustained our indigenous population until only quite recently. So why didn’t anyone acknowledge the key role this form of produce could play in the sustainability movement?
Maybe they don’t know what to do with Indigenous produce?

So I decided to create a dish that showcased ingredients native to Australia, was easy to prepare and wasn’t confronting. By using readily available Indigenous herbs and spices, a variety of meat so uniquely Australian that can be found in most supermarkets and a species of easily accessible native plant I created a dish that acknowledges the traditional owners of our land whilst giving a nod to future generations if we choose to eat and farm more sustainably. Oh, and It can be cooked on the barbeque at the beach, by the river or on the red sands of our centre!