Its Good to be Green

Let me introduce my new best friend his name is Malabar or Indian spinach genus Bassela. Some times called Ceylon spinach its only a distant relative to European spinach. He looks innocent enough but its the most useful, flavoursome ingredient that I have discovered in ages. It has all the best qualities of English spinach without the grit.
This heatwave has made most common green leafy vegetables very scarce. But Malabar seems to love the heat. Raw it has a refreshing cool flavour and a fleshy moist texture. Gentle heat gives it a silken texture that makes a very useful companion to soft cheeses or strong gutsy dressings. Its a vine that grows to glorious heights. You can find it in most Asian markets. Vietnamese call it Mong Toi, its not expensive easy to clean and keeps for ages without withering. It can take hard heat and results in a velvet smooth puree.
A very welcome new member to the repertoire. Grow it from seeds or cuttings.
How do you use it?

Donlevy Fitzpatrick Remembered

It will be a year tomorow since Don passed away.
.



But if for a while
I think of you, dear friend,
all losses are restored
and sorrows end.


.
The day begins much like any other day,
The time is in the year before Don got sick.
It’s a Wednesday
The day he would often stop in on his way down to the coast.
I always looked forward to Wednesdays knowing the day would only get better for his visit.
I’m in the garden when he arrives picking the last tomatoes of the season,
A good wet season.
There is abundance and ripeness.
He scrunches a bunch of tomato leaves in his hand inhales the aroma takes a big bite from a ripe tomato and all is well with the world.
In the car he has something special to show me.
From amongst the ordered clutter in the old black bus he hands me a survey map and asks if I have any gum boots,
We’re going to see Wye River the site of his latest and most ambitious project.

On the way down through the winding roads of the Otways there is little conversation.
The bleating phone is switched off and each passing minute sees the weight of the city lifted from his brow.
How’s the rain been? What’s in the garden?
We speak of Di, of Uschi, of mates seen that week, snippets of news and goss Punctuated by knowing looks at the sight of the forest, the first glimpse of the ocean.
We silently glide through Lorne and head west.
We walk over a small stream at Separation Creek to his first special spot.
Imaginary theodolites take sightings,
There is talk of a house possibly his and Uschi’s for the kids?
He is at his best near the ocean.
We head on up the hill slipping and sliding and begin to walk over the main site.
There are stones marking out the ground and his dream is slowly revealed.
Many of you are there with him doing what you do as part of this grand design. The builders, the architects, the artists, the cooks.
The makers,the growers, the dreamers and the shakers, we are all there breaking the ground.
We look at the lichen on the trees the fungi amongst the forest floor, the mess of weeds on this long abandoned farm.
All the while his inner eye is adding layers to the landscape.
Inevitably talk of lunch begins to take hold.
We head back to the pub where favourite wines are offered
Beers, fish and chips a crisp riesling
Looking at waves that convince us there is time for a short dip.

On the stretch of road between Separation and Lorne he sees something out of the corner of his eye and points to two whales frolicking
We stop and gaze on their play for a few minutes before heading back to Birre.

Back at home I show him where the ripe tomatoes are,
Where the basil and rocket is at its best, the garlic in the shed
He will be back on friday picking lunch for his beloved for the weekend to come.

He was my friend
a kind man
a Mensch.

VALE ALAN SCOTT

Very Sad to have to report that Alan Scott, master oven crafter and man of bread passed away on January 28 in Tasmania. His funeral was today in Oatlands.

We would like to extend our deep sympathy to his family and friends.

When I light the oven for the weekend there will be a few gargles and many memories revived.

I last heard from Alan about a month ago, he rang out of the blue from hospital and we spoke for over an hour about his new plans for a mill at Oatlands and that he would drop in on his way to Warnambool where he had an oven building workshop planned in the near future.
Anyone who has an interest in artisan baking would acknowledge that Alan was one of the most influential people instrumental in the renaissance of the real bread movement worldwide.
His special and revolutionary expertise lay in masonry oven design. He was also an exceptional craftsman and motivator of so many bakers and oven builders.
Dozens of his ovens will be baking tonight and for a very long time to come, they are built to last. I don't think its an exaggeration to say that at any time there will be an Alan Scott oven fired up somewhere over the world. The fires will keep burning.

I first met Alan at an oven building workshop at Iain Banfield and Lyndall Francis’ Fruition Bakery in the Yarra Valley.
I had always had a great desire to cook and bake in a traditional masonry oven and when the opportunity to participate in one of his workshops was possible I jumped at the chance.
I had no idea what a warm and passionate community would open to me up during and after that first workshop. Fruition already had a small Alan Scott oven but Iain and Lyndall were upgrading to the largest of Alan designs to be built Australia. During that workshop many strong friendships were made and many great meals enjoyed in true fellowship.

As soon as I could, I organised a workshop here at Sunnybrae and now five years later, not only do we bake the bread but we cook as much as possible in the gentle but penetrating heat of our oven which is one of the smallest of Alan’s designs.
Alan had a pacemaker fitted about 3 days before our workshop was scheduled and instead of putting it off for a while he came with a renewed vigour, he loved technology. The thermodynamics of Alan’s ovens combined a respect for ancient proportions with a completely original way of keeping the heat inside.

Alan was the real deal, not just with bread or ovens but a whole philosophy of self sufficient baking that provided a full family and social lifestyle to bakers. Fruition Bakery in the Yarra Valley is a perfect expression of Alan’s ideals.
Farewell Alan we are reminded of you every time we stoke the fire.

Links his website http://www.ovencrafters.net/ a great interview at http://sourdough.com/interview-alan-scott

STICKYFINGERS HAS ALERTED ME IN COMMENTS TO THE NEW YORK TIMES OBITUARY FOR ALAN AT http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/dining/06scott.html?_r=1

..