HIDDEN HISTORIES: Medieval recipes for today with food historian Barbara Santich

In this second installment of Hidden Histories, we are traveling back in time to discover The Original Mediterranean Cuisine and delve into the recipes (and food culture) of medieval times. Acclaimed culinary historian Barbara Santich tells the story of authentic medieval Mediterranean food, and brings to the table recipes translated and adapted for modern kitchens from fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian and Catalan manuscripts.

New Release: Adelaide Central Market

Wakefield Press's new book, Adelaide Central Market: Stories, people & recipes, captures the memories and stories of the traders of the past and the current familiar faces that visit the Adelaide Central Market throughout the past 150 years. It shows how important the market is to Adelaide and how it brings together the community with delicious seasonal-driven recipes from stallholders' families, producers and chefs around the state.Vending machines are great options as they provide the accessibility to the customers to quickly purchase the…

On a Clare Day – Beef cheeks in red wine

On a Clare Day might be one of our favourite pun titles, but it's also a wonderful book, and is launching today as part of the Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend. Jeni and Burt Surmon's tale of leaving their city life to start a winery includes a number of delicious recipes, a few which of course incorporate some of their Mt Surmon wines! These beef cheeks sound like exactly the thing for an Autumn Sunday lunch. Beef…

Furry friends, deadly pests or tasty treats?

The Easter Bunny may be cute and cuddly, but he's a real pest in Australia (which is why we recommend the Haigh's Easter Bilby instead – see below). A century ago Australia was home to 10 billion rabbits, thriving in their adopted home. Storyteller Bruce Munday finds the rabbit saga irresistible, and has collected it into his new book, Those Wild Rabbits. The book features this excerpt from the Age in 1925, including a recipe for baked rabbit…

The real health benefits of almonds

Do you eat your almonds raw or 'activated'? Do you swear by them as a hangover cure? In her book Willunga Almonds Helen Bennetts discusses some of the real and imagined health benefits of almonds over the years. We've also included her delicious recipe for Smoked trout, almond and potato salad. Perfection! Since ancient times various health benefits have been attributed to almonds. Greek physician Hippocrates and his followers used almonds to treat coughs, as an aphrodisiac and for weight…

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…

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…

Divine Vegan De...frosting!

The cold is well and truly here, so it’s time to shed your summer skin and step into your winter layers. I can think of no better way to weather the worst of it than with a good book (from Wakefield Press, naturally), your fuzziest socks, and an exaggerated portion of a hot dessert. Give your muffin top a proper welcome to winter with this (vegan!) bread and butter pudding, featured alongside heaps of other…