Margaret Fulton - The Margaret Fulton Cookbook

THE MARGARET FULTON
COOKBOOK

MARGARET FULTON
SUZANNE GIBBS

Photography Geoff Lung
First published in 1968

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A big thank you to my daughter Louise and her husband John Keats for inviting our team to work on
photography at their beautiful farm in Kangaroo Valley in New South Wales.
Louise is photographed preparing freshly cooked prawns.
Her sister Kate is photographed with an Isa Brown chicken at the farm.
We would also like to thank Louise Lister for the use of her portrait of the three generations
of women in the Fulton clan. Thank you also to Daniel Mercer who gave up many weekends to scan the
original book into a form with which we could work. We would also like to thank Anders Ousback for the loan
of his ceramics, glassware and linen, much of it his own design, used in many of the photographs.
The terrine mould is from The Art of Food and Wine, Queen Street, Woollahra. The ceramic pt
dish is available at Margaret Fultons Kitchen ( www.margaretfultonskitchen.com.au ).
SUZANNE GIBBS

For more information go to www.margaretfulton.com.au

THE MARGARET FULTON COOKBOOK

First published in 1968.
First revised and updated edition published in 2004 by
Jannie Brown and Suzanne Gibbs. Distributed by Hardie Grant Books.

This edition published in 2008 by
Hardie Grant Books
85 High Street
Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia
www.hardiegrant.com.au

Text Margaret Fulton 2004
Photographs Geoff Lung 2004

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher in writing.

Cataloguing-in-Publication data
is available from the National Library of Australia.

ISBN 978 1 74066 452 3

Original Words and Recipes Margaret Fulton
Food and Editing Suzanne Gibbs
Project Director Jannie Brown
Art Direction and Design
Yolande Gray Design Photography Geoff Lung
Photographic Assistant Emma Reilly
Styling Amber Keller
Illustrations John Coye
Sub Editing Kate Gibbs
Food Assistant Chris Sheppard
Project Assistant and Guardian Angel Eddie Ho
Proofing Victoria Carey

Set in Granjon 12.5 pt.
Colour separations by Splitting Image, Melbourne
Printed in China by SNP Leefung

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Front cover: Cheese Souffl.

I would like to dedicate this book to my daughter Suzanne,
who has inherited my joy and love of cooking, and my two grand-daughters
Kate and Louise with whom my life is magically entwined.
They are my present and my future.

Contents

pasta, rice,
other grains & pulses

good things
for the pantry

great dishes from
my travels

introduction

I have always believed that good food and good cooking are part of all that is best in life, all that is warm, friendly and rewarding; and that love is as essential an ingredient to a good meal as it is to a good marriage.

The most vivid memories of my youth are linked with my mothers kitchen coming home to the warmth of a log fire and good food, lovingly prepared. The highlight of each day was the evening meal, when the family gathered to share not only the food, but the days happenings. A trying day never seemed so bad at the end of that meal and a good day turned into a celebration.

Cookery is now accepted as one of the creative arts and one by which a person can express their own individuality. Never look on this book as a set of rigid rules, but rather as a starting point. Once a dish has been mastered, be adventurous give it the stamp of your personality by adding your favourite flavours or your choice of garnish.

As a guide for beginner cooks I have used a system to indicate the simplicity of each recipe:

A simple and quick recipe that a beginner could accomplish with ease.

Dishes for the average cook with a knowledge of basic techniques, but requiring a little more time.

A special dish, requiring more skill and probably taking some time to prepare.

Beginners should not be discouraged from trying out 3-star recipes just be prepared to give them more time and concentration.

Happy cooking.

It was while my mother was writing The Margaret Fulton Cookbook that I too began to cook seriously. Still a teenager, I cooked simple grills and salads at first, but learned that the griller must be heated first, the salad greens must be carefully prepared and that the oil and vinegar dressing should be added last. Then I experimented by testing her recipe for Indian ghee rice and was thrilled at how successful it was. Her communication of that recipe gave me the sort of incentive I needed to take off to London and do the Diploma course at the Cordon Bleu School of Cookery.

Thirty years later I was chatting with my close friend, Jannie Brown, with whom I had flatted all those years ago. We both agreed that the new generation of cooks interested in the quality, freshness and goodness of food would also respond with confidence to the very essence of The Margaret Fulton Cookbook. Margarets unique approach and ability to communicate to the home cook, makes her recipes accessible and achievable.

So, with Margarets blessing, Jannie and I set to work to create this update of Margarets original book.

Margaret has inspired generations of Australian cooks. We hope this book will introduce future generations to her simple philosophy of eating well, in a loving environment. With my daughters Kate and Louise representing the younger generation, we have continued the work my mother started.

CHEESE BISCUITS AND OLIVES

The first course is the curtain-raiser to any meal and often sets the mood for what is to follow. The choice is vast and may range from simple crisp vegetables as munched by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the more elaborate foods eaten by later civilisations.

The Russians introduced caviar, while the Spanish enjoy a glass of wine or sherry with tapas, a selection of dishes such as grilled fresh sardines, garlic prawns and fried spiced almonds.
In Italy they serve an antipasto tray of olives, small vegetable dishes, salami and hams. The French have their pts and terrines and the Scandinavians know the value of pickled and smoked fish as a pre-dinner appetiser. Many of these delicacies are available at any good delicatessen and, along with fresh fruit and vegetables, combine to make simple but delicious appetisers.