Moran - Matt Morans Australian food: coast to country

Thirty years ago, when Matt Moran first started cooking in commercial kitchens, lettuce meant iceberg, fish was always sold frozen and there was one variety of tomato maybe two. Australia is now the envy of the world for its climate and range of produce, and is a food-lovers destination, spurred on by generations of keen home cooks.

The recipes in this book span the country food traditions of regional Australia to the rugged coastline, which offers amazing fresh seafood. From the best slow-roasted lamb shoulder to an iconic passionfruit cheesecake, anyone who has spent time in Australia will find something in this collection to which they can nod their head and smile, recognising a recipe that is a favourite in their household.

This is the Australian food I love, and I hope you find lots to love here too.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Sometimes I have to pinch myself. To think of where I started and where I am now it wasnt necessarily a logical progression, and I have my career in food to thank for it. I consider myself so lucky to have discovered cooking when and where I did, as Ive been able to witness and be a part of the evolution of Australian food into what it is today: world class, ever-changing and, quite simply, inspiring.

My early childhood years were spent on a dairy farm, but we moved to Sydneys western suburbs when I was nine. Dad still had a small farm at Taralga wed visit most weekends and it was there I developed an interest in butchery that remains today. Apart from my weekend life on the farm, my suburban life was little different to that of my peers.

Id love to say I was bitten by the cooking bug at the age of five and always knew it was what I wanted to do, but the truth is I came to cooking by chance, really. It was my way out of school, which wasnt my favourite thing, and after an inauspicious start at Parramatta RSL, I began an apprenticeship in 1985 at La Belle Helene in Roseville, on Sydneys Upper North Shore. In retrospect, the day I got that job was the day that changed my life forever. Working in that kitchen opened my eyes to the possibilities of food and I was hooked. Over 30 years later, I still am. I may have fallen into it, but cooking remains a deep and abiding passion, not least for its ability to connect people. I love that Australians in general have fallen in love with cooking too these days were a food-obsessed country.

As part of that national obsession, Im often asked to define Australian food. What is it exactly? Its something Ive asked myself many times during the writing of this book.

As a relatively young nation, its fair to say that Australian food isnt tied to tradition in quite the same way that many other cuisines are; theres no single dish that sums us up, nor is there a singular style of cooking that can be called quintessentially Australian. As a country, were always changing, and the same goes for Australian food. Our population continues to transform with the influx of different migrant groups, all bringing elements of their food culture to our shores, layering it upon whats already here and threading complexity and diversity into the way we eat and cook.

Aussie food truly reflects the multicultural nature of our society and were all the better for it. No longer do we eat meat and three veg every day, which was the way I grew up. Were just as likely to have sushi for lunch as we are to have a Vegemite sandwich; more likely to tuck into an excellent curry for dinner as have the grilled sausages and chops that were such a part of my childhood.

We like to call ourselves the lucky country, and when it comes to local produce, these words couldnt be more true. Its almost become clichd in Australia to say so, but our food has become hugely produce-centred. From the fanciest city restaurants to the most remote outback pub or your neighbours kitchen, this is a shift thats happened within a generation. Think about this concept for a minute. How many other world cuisines can truly claim such a focus on produce? A handful only.

Our varied climates support diverse crops within the one country, and in our home kitchens weve been trying out this new produce, loving it and expecting and getting more from our farmers. When I started cooking in commercial kitchens 30 years ago, there was one variety of tomato maybe two. Now, there are any number of heirloom varieties, and a simple tomato salad is a far more exciting dish.

The same goes for our other fruit and vegetables, our dairy products and even our pulses and grains. Theres now so much great produce available, so much variety. No longer does lettuce equal iceberg only we all have access to at least a dozen different kinds of salad greens. Some of this broadening is because of our cultural diversity, while some is due to a more widely travelled population people saw what was available overseas and questioned why it wasnt available here. As consumers, we have more power than we realise and have the ability to drive what is available.

Aussie produce continues to go from strength to strength. We produce Wagyu beef thats so great we export it to the very discerning Japanese market, while our relatively new truffle industry has been so successful we sell truffles back to the French. No longer is pork dry and flavourless, as it was back when I started out instead theres a focus on rare breeds reared for flavour and succulence.

Our natural resources are amazing too our vast coastline means we have access to some of the best seafood in the world, not to mention the fact that with a range of water temperatures, were able to enjoy cold-water fish such as salmon, ocean trout and King George whiting, as well as tropical reef fish think coral trout, red emperor and our famous barramundi. The variety is mind-boggling and its hard to believe that back in the day (and thats only a couple of decades ago), most seafood and fish was sold frozen. Compare that to our fish markets, which boast the freshest of fish, crustaceans and shellfish, and its easy to see that weve come a long way.

Were also becoming increasingly interested in provenance the whys and hows of food production. Were asking where our food comes from, how its been reared and whether it has been ethically produced. These are all important questions, which push producers to do better.

All of this contributes towards making Australian food into what I believe is some of the best in the world. Its a big call, I know, but I unashamedly stake that claim. We are now the envy of the world and a food-lovers destination. We should be proud of how far weve come, and continue to expand our cooking horizons.

Ultimately, the definition of Australian food is very personal. Someone who lives in rural Australia will have a different definition to a coastal city-dweller. As an eighth-generation Australian, my definition is likely to be different to that of someone who has a parent or grandparent from another country.