Not so Native Warrigal Greens

Look closely and you will see this plant everywhere! Warrigal greens, Tetragonia Tetragonoides, otherwise known as Botany Bay Spinach or New Zealand spinach, though considered a 'native' ingredient, is technically not. Warrigal is a word used on the east coast to mean 'wild' harvested as opposed to farmed and Warrigal greens were often eaten by settlers in Botany Bay as a green leaf vegetable. It is believed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people very rarely ate this plant.

However, with a high level of Vitamin C, this plant which is native to New Zealand and adopted as native to Australia, was eaten by Captain Cook's crew to fight off scurvy. Younger smaller leaves are less bitter than the larger older leaves. Due to the high levels of oxalic acid in this plant, it is advisable to eat Warrigal greens in moderation. After washing the leaves in the RiverMint Kitchen, we bash the plant with a rolling pin to release the acid, then cook in boiling water for two minutes. After immersing in iced water, the leaves are squeezed out and frozen for later use or chopped immediately for use in canapés and other dishes. 

For a quick and easy canapé dish using warrigal greens that many can find for free in their back garden or through Tuckerbush, click here. This recipe uses the green in conjunction with Native Lemongrass which adds a unique and delicate flavour to chicken and coconut.

Bunuru and Banksia

Take a drive towards Esperance during summer and you will notice the distinct spreading shrub that is Bull Banksia.  Made up of cones containing hundreds of tiny flowers all grouped together in pairs, yellows, oranges and rusty red heads compliment the light green toothy leaves. The small flowers of the cones actually fall off early and make a lovely sweet drink when steeped in hot water.

One of many plants that colour the landscape with  'sunburnt'  hues, Bull Banksia, also known as pulgarla by Nyoongar people, is an instantly recognisable part of the West Australian landscape. With the season of Bunuru  and the second summer, we also see the flowers of the Red Gum and Ghost gums throughout the Marri and Jarrah forests emerging. 

This is the perfect time to be eating fish such as Tailor, Mullet and Marron. Steamed mussels are also great, especially when the flowers of the Bull Banksia are used to impart a sweet but savoury flavour to the broth. For those not so keen on seafood, now is the time to enjoy rich and satisfying duck meat or duck egg omelette. Confit duck leg salad with a wild berry vinaigrette perhaps?

Collaboration Dinner and Cooking classes at The Mantle

RiverMint Dining are excited to announce our participation in Indigenous month in collaboration with Stuart Laws of Don Tapa and The Mantle, Fremantle. The month kicks off with a long table six-course dinner on the 7th March 2017, with courses featuring produce from the Kimberley region and specialised native ingredients.  Each course will be prepared by some awesome WA chefs including Kiren Mainwaring (Co-Op Dining), Sam Ward (Mas), Melissa Palinkas (Young George) Stuart Laws (Don Tapa) and Sue Lewis (Sue Lewis Chocolatier). Tickets are limited to 25, so get your ticket quick on Eventbrite. There will also be art exhibitions by local aboriginal artists including Naomi Grant and Philip Narkle and a cultural talk with Dale Tilbrook of Maalinup gallery. 

Robyne will also be holding a cooking class and demonstration on Sunday the 12th March featuring native ingredients from the season of Bunuru. If you fancy learning more about native ingredients and how you can use them in your kitchen, visit our recently posted event on Eventbrite for tickets or click here.

We here at Rivermint Dining would like to recognise the traditional owners of our land, elders past and present, and would in particular like to pay our respects to members of the Kimberley communities whose ingredients, including Kakadu Plum and Boab, will be featured at the long table dinner.

Embracing a Food Photography Shoot

In the making of this website, I was lucky enough to be able to work alongside the very kind and professional Craig Kinder and his assistant Kelly. It is rather nerve-racking for a chef doing a first time food photo shoot. However, once into the swing of things and with gentle encouragement, the nervousness dissipates.

Being involved in a food photography shoot is certainly exhilerating. I learned about black holes in food shots and lighting angles such as bird's eye and oblique. Viewing my food in a different way, via an iPad screen hooked up to a camera, was most certainly a new experience. Add to that the power of colour saturation and photoshop, where knife skills and the art of a perfectly straight line are scrutinised under the detailed lens of a food photographer.  It was one hell of a learning experience.

But best of all was the fact that I cooked the food and plated it pretty much how I would serve it. No preservation gels, no 'fake' icecream made from potato, no oiling of old meat to make it look 'fresh'. Just well positioned lighting, the correct equipment, top quality fresh food and a very good photographer with a wealth of knowledge. All the photos taken by Craig Kinder are featured on this website and we hope to work with Craig again in the future to bring more amazing plates of food to life. To see more of Craig Kinder's food photography work including photos from recent cookbooks such as Sophie Zalokar's book Food of the Southern Forests, check out his website or visit his Facebook page.

Pretty Pigface

With a common name like Pig face, it doesn't sound very appetising does it?! And it most definitely does not taste like pork.  Pigface (Carpobrotus Virescens), can be spotted all along the WA coast and inland cliff dunes.

The succulent banana shaped leaves of Pigface taste similar to salted zucchini and cucumber and are delicious steamed, roasted or sautéed served alongside fish or meat dishes. It was eaten for centuries by the traditional owners of this land who have a deep spiritual connection to these foods. Later, European settlers adopted it to starve off scurvy. It is also good for easing constipation and stomach cramps due to its laxative properties. 

The beautiful pink flowers first start appearing in the season of Djilba and are a perfect garnish to brighten up any dish.Following flowering comes the ever-popular fruit, squeezed out of its bulbous skin and eaten. The white pulp tastes similar to sweet but salty kiwi fruit and has a texture not dissimilar to dragonfruit. There is also a non-native Pigface dotted around Perth,introduced from South Africa, with larger succulent leaves and yellow flowers. This too is edible.

Many people wander the paths leading through the dunes to the beach not even noticing the edible plants around them. It is important to remember however, that removal of plants from protected areas and private land is strictly prohibited. All foraging requires a license and should always be done with respect for the season and the land that it is on. Also, be mindful of any possible contaminants, such as dog deposits and insecticides, as well as ensuring that the plant has been correctly identified. Popular in the RiverMint kitchen, all parts of the Pigface plant are utilised and sustainable collection practices are paramount.

The Season of Birak

Heralded in by the the blossoming of Melaleauca paperbark trees and the WA Christmas tree, the landscape during Birak is coloured by reds and oranges. Banksia is in bloom ready to be steeped for a special drink. Birak is the Nyoongar season of the young, often referred to as the First Summer.

During this season, the days are hot and dry, with easterly winds during the day and strong south westerly winds from the Indian Ocean in the evening........ I try to get to the beach before the wind picks up. Traditionally, this was the time for controlled mosaic-style burn offs by Nyoongar people, opening up the forests and long grassed areas after the rains. Such traditional fire controls have all but stopped due to hotter summers and restricted fire bans. These changes throughout Australia have put many native food sources, such as the Pindan Walnut, under threat of extinction.

Reptiles come out of hibernation during Birak, shedding their old skin. Frogs start to grow into adults. Shingle back lizards, goannas, snakes and an array of marsupials emerge. Goanna fat in particular is considered a delicacy. The estuaries and coastal fishing areas are full of fish and seafood especially during the salmon run.

Birak is truly the time to enjoy the extensive choice of seafood we are lucky enough to have along the west coast of Australia as well as in estuaries further inshore. Particular RiverMint Dining favourites include Spanish Mackarel, Pink Snapper, Red Mullet, Dhufish and Fremantle Sardines. To celebrate the approaching end of Birak and its abundant seafood offerings, here's a quick but delicious recipe for two using sweet Sand Whiting and desert limes.

Steamed Sand Whiting, Desert lime Macadamia butter and Sea lettuce

1. Chop one shallot and saute in olive oil until translucent. Add a handful of chopped desert limes and saute until light browned and fragrant. Pour in the juice of 1 orange and 100ml fish stock. Reduce until nearly evaporated. Slowly add 200g of chopped cold butter whisking until melted. Add a handful of chopped macadamia nuts and season. Allow the butter solids to clarify before skimming.
2. Take two Sand whiting fillets, skin and tails still intact, and halve down the middle. Roll each strip from head to tail end, leaving tail part unrolled and secure with a toothpick. You should now have 4 rolled fillets.
3. Preheat oven to 190°C. Heat oil in a cast iron pan and fry rolls over medium heat until lightly browned. Place in oven for 2 mins to finish cooking.
4. Take fresh sea lettuce and thinly sliced garlic and toss lightly in hot pan with butter and 1tbsp yuzu juice. Set aside. Any this point you can also use any dehydrated sea lettuce that has been made.
5. Take fish, arrange on plate dressed with desert lime butter and garnished with sea celery. This dish goes nicely with a tabbouleh-style salad.

Tucker Bush

The native food industry in Australia is vast and largely untapped. Yet, more and more people are becoming curious. Many want to start their own bush food gardens, the 'native verge' concept introduced by many local councils is also an encouraging sign that Australians are embracing the land and the amazing array of exotic looking plants.

Businesses that focus on native plants as a possible food source in our own backyard are certainly starting to spring up. As a chef, this is an exciting time to learn from the start how these plants were used in the past, the spiritual significance, their nutritional value and how in the modern day certain plants can be propagated. In my search to learn more I was lucky enough to be introduced to Tuckerbush, a native plant brand that is the brainchild of Mark Tucek.

With over three decades experience in the horticultural industry, Mark's knowledge is vast. And more importantly, his commitment and passion for native plants is obvious. With the support of Domus Nursery, Tuckerbush plants such as Samphire and Native guava can now be purchased at local hardware and garden centres such as Bunnings. The RiverMint garden will soon have native guava, bloodroot and munthari berry growing in the garden and we look forward to the new Native fruit and Vegetable range coming up soon.  

We are excited to use our urban garden for featured ingredients on our menus. It is our hope that in time we will be able to maintain a larger garden plot that will supply many different and unique native food plants for Rivermint events. For a recipe featuring one of our favourite native fruits and to check out the new Tuckerbush website, click here. We love to experiment with different textures and flavours and this Davidson Plum, Tapioca and coconut dessert is sure to impress.