Put this on your plate, mate

Like Canada, immigration has brought a world of cultures and cuisines to Australia. Celebrity chefs, cookbook authors and food writers have also been influential in creating a ‘Mod Oz’ cuisine. Add wonderful seafood, plenty of produce and grazing land, and Australia has become one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan places in the world to eat.

Donna Hay is Australia’s leading food stylist, food editor and best-selling cookbook author. Her food, recipes and styling focuses on basic ingredients, simply prepared and beautifully photographed. Her 16 cookbooks have sold more than 3.3 million copies and have been translated into nine languages.

Hay is the publisher of donna hay magazine, a bi-monthly food magazine with tremendous local success and far-reaching international appeal.

Lemon Pork and Roasted Vegetables

This recipe is adapted from one of Donna Hay’s latest series of six cookbooks, Simple Essentials, Beef, Lamb + Pork (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd). The photograph shows fingerling potatoes but regular white potatoes will roast up nicely with the pork in this one dish dinner. As fresh lemon thyme is difficult to find this time of year, try regular thyme or a pinch of dried thyme leaves and a little grated lemon zest. Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
• 4 fingerling or medium white potatoes, scrubbed  
• 4 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large (1 lb/500 g) pork tenderloin, cut into 4 pieces
• 4 slices pancetta
• 4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 2-1/2 cups/625 mL)  

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).  Cut fingerling potatoes in half lengthwise or regular potatoes into wedges. Toss potatoes and garlic in oil. Place in a large baking dish; season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes.

Top each piece of pork with 1 slice pancetta and a thyme sprig. Tie with kitchen string. Add pork to pan and roast 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until pork is cooked through and potatoes are tender and golden. Push garlic out of skins and serve with pork, potatoes and tomatoes.

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Other influential chefs and food professionals from ‘down under’:

• Bill Granger has three restaurants, bills, in and around Sydney, plus five cookbooks and two TV series, bills food, to his credit. As one of Australia’s leading food writers, Bill Granger is a regular contributor to Australian and British food publications. His style is fresh and easy going yet comforting.  His unfussy recipes use readily available ingredients and appeal to busy cooks everywhere. 

• Neil Perry is an Aussie super chef. Owner of Rockpool, one of Sydney’s (since 1989) and more recently Melbourne’s, most highly acclaimed restaurants, he sources the finest locally produced ingredients and prepares them exquisitely.  Author of five cookbooks (not all available in Canada), Rockpool, Balance & Harmony, Simply Asian, The Food I Love and Good Food, Perry’s modern cooking is widely regarded. 

• Author of four cookbooks, Spice, Christine Manfield Originals and Christine Mansfield Desserts, Christine Mansfield is another of Australia’s celebrated chefs. Inspired by strong flavours, her lastest book, Stir (Penquin Books), provides recipes for making 14 basic preparations such as green and red curry paste, harissa and preserved lemons; and over 100 recipes using those preparations as the basis. She also produces a range of spice pastes and condiments under the label Christine Mansfield Spice Collection.

– Barb Holland is a professional home economist and food writer who believes in shopping locally and in season.