July 20, 2015
The annual Courier-Mail Regional Flavours festival shone a spotlight on the best of the South Burnett in Brisbane at the weekend.
The two-day event at South Bank is billed as Australia’s largest free food festival, attracting more than 40,000 visitors each day.
It divided Queensland into different food regions, with a whole area devoted to the South Burnett.
Celebrity chef Cameron Matthews, from Montville’s The Long Apron, went on stage on Saturday morning “Serving Up The South Burnett”, only using South Burnett produce.
The South Burnett’s own Jason Ford also went on stage at the Courier Mail Piazza with well-known chefs Miguel Maestre and Kate Gibbs to talk about bunya nuts.
“It was pretty cool, but I was freaking out a little as I really needed to get back to the stall to make wraps as it was peak lunchtime,” Jason said.
The ‘South Burnett Wraps’ (see recipe, below) were a highlight in the South Burnett section.
“The criteria for the recipe was to create something that festival goers could purchase and eat with one hand as they walk around the event, and captured a snapshot of the South Burnett’s best produce,” Jason said.
“I made 600 and they were a massive hit.
“Everyone at South Bank was talking about them. It was hard to keep up with demand. In fact all the South Burnett stalls were a huge success on the weekend.”
South Burnett producers taking part in Regional Flavours included Clovely Estate, Crane Wines, Fat Hen Farm, Kingaroy Cheese, Kingsley Grove Estate, Taste South Burnett and The Peanut Van.
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South Burnett Sticky Pork Belly Salad Wrap (makes six serves)
by chef Jason Ford
INGREDIENTS
Pork
2 tbsp palm sugar (grated)
2 tbsp ‘Taste South Burnett’ honey
1 ½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp salt reduced soy sauce
1 tbsp ‘Proteco’ peanut oil
2 small shallots, finely chopped
2 ‘Just Aus’ garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 kg ‘Barkers Creek’ slow-cooked pork belly, skinned and 2cm cubed
Dressing
1 tbsp ‘Bunya Red Farm’ capers
1 tbsp ‘Chinchilli’ harissa paste
1 ½ tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp ‘Proteco’ sesame oil
Salad
100g carrot, fine strips
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
30g spring onions, finely sliced
60g ‘The Peanut Van’ unsalted toasted peanuts, chopped
30g mint leaves, torn
30g coriander leaves, torn
100g mesculin lettuce mix
6 sandwich wrap breads
METHOD
Pork
1. In a saucepan, combine the palm sugar, honey and 2 tablespoons of water.
2. Over a medium heat, bring mixture to a gentle boil, and cook unit it turns a light caramel colour (approx. 3 minutes).
3. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon water.
4. Simmer for another 2 minutes and then remove from heat.
5. In another pan over medium heat, add the peanut oil, shallots, garlic, and ginger and fry until it starts to turn brown.
6. Add the cubed pork belly and continue frying until it begins to lightly caramelise.
7. Drain off any excess fat, add the caramel sauce to the pork and continue to cook while stirring until it becomes glazed and sticky, the put aside.
Dressing
1. In a mortar, begin to pound the capers and palm sugar to a paste with a pestle.
2. While continuing to pound the mixture, add the remaining dressing ingredients.
Salad and Wrap Assembly
1. In a bowl, combine all salad ingredients, and toss with dressing.
2. Add warm sticky pork belly.
3. Divide the pork and salad mixture among the sandwich wraps and roll up.
4. Secure wraps with a skewer or roll in greaseproof paper to serve.
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More Photos From Regional Flavours
What a great weekend it was. Other South Burnett producers that attended were also Bunya Red Farm, Kingaroy Gourmet Peanuts and Chinchilli – all promoting their products and the region.
Adriano Zumbo surprised his audience with a South Burnett Pork sausage roll, featuring Barkers Creek Pork, Bunya Red Farm capers, Suncoast Lime lime juice, Chinchilli’s chilli, and The Peanut Van’s peanuts – rolled in a rough puff pastry, all made from scratch.
South Burnett Sticky Pork Belly wraps were a winner as well.