How to Roast Scrub Turkey

Christmas is tomorrow, which means food prep is in full swing. Is anyone planning on having roast scrub turkey on the day? Find out more from Barbara Santich's discussion of fauna-eating practices in Bold Palates … There wasn't any hesitation in accepting wild duck and other game birds in the same way as kangaroo—indeed, wild birds often took the place of scarce domesticated poultry. In 1794 John Macarthur employed a game shooter with a team of dogs at his property, Elizabeth Farm, supplying…

The many forms of Christmas

Here's a wonderful little view of the many forms of Christmas from Margaret Merrilees's Fables Queer and Familiar, complete with illustrations by Chia Moan. Every little vignette in this novel is equal parts touching and hilarious. Read on and you'll see what I mean … Mr Stretton, Victoria’s Reception teacher, has reached that pinnacle of school life – the end-of-year concert. Traditionally Reception and Year One open the show with a segment based around the manger. Since his first year…

How to make Coke Chicken

We can't believe that we helped bring Dean Lahn's Beat Heat Eat recipes to the public. Coke chicken?? Really??! What's even worse is that the damn thing tastes delicious … You’re not going to find this dish in any self-respecting kitchen – that’s why you are going to make it in yours. Give in to the Dark Side. PARTS: (A) 1 litre Coke (B) tomato sauce (optional) (C) 4 chicken breasts (or similar quantity of drumsticks and/or wings) Pork…

A Very Italian Drive to Work

This is a laugh: an Italian drive to work, according to Vincenzo Cerami's by turns witty, delightful and vicious A Very Normal Man, translated into English for the first time in 2015 by Isobel Grave. Giovanni’s 850 was parked at an angle over the footpath outside UPIM, a big department store. He had to be in the office by half past eight. The Ministry was only a short distance from Rome’s central station and since Giovanni lived at…

Paul Hansen's Orange Cake

One of the many great stories in Liz Harfull's The Blue Ribbon Cookbook comes from Paul Hansen, and his delicious orange cake: You would be hard-pushed to describe Paul Hansen as a typical show cook. Born and bred at historic Kulcurna Station near Lake Victoria, Paul counts taxidermy, song writing and photography among his many skills. He also makes a mean orange cake. Although he has been known to whip up a six-course dinner party for 80 people to raise money…

Holden in a flood

Don Loffler must be one of our most prolific authors at Wakefield Press, and he's one of our most popular, too! His books on the early Holdens and their history have been read and reread, printed and reprinted, with the sixth in the series released late last year. With each book there's a flood of interest and new material for Don to work with – he's got several more books in the pipeline. Below we have…

Baked Stuffed Sardines

Victoria Cosford's Amore and Amaretti is a food-lover's delight: a romance, an escape and a tribute to Italian cooking all in one. Here, she describes old widower Annunzio, with whom she had to share a flat at Portoferraio while they were both working at the same restaurant. At first she is daunted by the old man, but soon she finds comfort in his gentleness and eccentricity, not to mention his baked stuff sardines … Annunzio soaks…

Fish Carvings from Catherine Truman

One of our major releases for this year is the latest SALA monograph, Catherine Truman. With a lush, evocative text from Melinda Rackham, this book delves into the fascinating world of Truman's art. One of her earliest series, the Fish Carvings, has echoes throughout her career. Truman's first solo exhibition, Fish Carvings (1987), held at the Contemporary Jewellery Gallery in Sydney, intuitively articulates a feminist discourse of difference in conceptions of ageing and beauty. Carved in two woods –…

Blessing the Fleet from Liz Harfull's Almost an Island

Liz Harfull's Almost an Island is full of fascinating information about Robe on the Limestone Coast. One of the great traditions of the area is the blessing of the fleet, which happens every spring. Liz explains: Blessing the Fleet Every spring, at the start of the rock lobster fishing season, people gather at the Robe marina for an important ceremony. The Blessing of the Fleet brings peace of mind to the fishers and their families who are involved in…

Friedrich Gerstäcker's take on Tanunda

Friedrich Gerstäcker, the German explorer who travelled up the Murray in a makeshift canoe in the 1850s, is a fascinating character. Celebrated as a travel writer in his home country in the 1800s, he fell out of favour and his work is little known in Australia. Historian Peter Monteath has released a translation that is of significant historical importance – but is also a wonderful read to boot. You can find out more and purchase…