Pumpkin Soup

The only reason why I have been procrastinating about making pumpkin soup is the preparation. I am however, ready to admit that it is the lamest excuse because the result is so rewarding especially when you need something hearty for a cold winter afternoon.

I gobbled it up too quickly so there are no pictures but you can be sure that I will be making it some time son. I am heading to Frankston again and am going to pick up more pointers from Auntie Charlotte, who so kindly told me how to do it.

If you would like to try it out, have the following:

1/2 butternut/japanese pumpkin, mashed
1 medium sized sweet potato, mashed
1/2 cup yellow split peas, soaked
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp oil
3 cups chicken stock

*Note: Cooking the root vegetable in the microwave saves you a
lot of time, so does soaking the yellow split peas overnight.

1. Heat oil in a pot and fry chopped garlic till fragrant. Place mashed root vegetables into pot and fry for another five minutes.
2. Slowly pour in chicken stock and yellow split peas. Allow to boil for about ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and mix herbs if you like. I experimented with a little garlic salt and loved how fragrant the soup instantly became.
3. Serve with cracked pepper and toasted Lebanese bread.

Wine-ing

A trip to the Grampians, Great Western is not complete, if you haven't visited the wineries, namely Seppelt and Best's. Thought I should have this down for those who are intending to tour some wineries in Victoria, and for my own reference.

The Seppelt wine tour, which covers the famous "Drives" and cellar door, was indeed an eye-opener. Built 3km underground, the drives house Seppelt's collection of wines including their award winning Sparkling Shiraz - the next one slated to be ready by 2013. The conducive environment of the drives is further complemented by the carpet of black french mould on their walls. They are soft to the touch and slightly damp from absorbing the moisture in the air. I was careful not to bring back any on my clothes. The guide also introduced the different tools of trade that workers in the early days had used; cementing the fact that wine-making is a tedious process and remains so, even with the introduction of technology today. I got a little restless halfway through the tour because I couldn't take any photos with the bad lighting. Thankfully we were quickly brought up to the bar for some wine tasting, where we were offered the Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz 2005 and Seppelt Salinger 2003. I'm just growing to like my reds, particularly the Shiraz so I felt my taste buds were a little intimidated by the fizziness in the Sparkling Shiraz. I'd have my reds flat, please. As for the Salinger, which is made up of different grape varieties, it had a slightly high tannine level so the after taste was bitter in the mouth. Other than that, this white sparkling wine has a very welcoming bouquet; full of fruit and flowers, but still in my opinion, is just another bubbly you can get at a waterhole in the city.

Moving away from the more commercialised and overrated Seppelt, I headed to Best's - a small, humble establishment but definitely has a lot to be proud about. Unfortunately, I picked up the Chardonnay 2001 instead of the Riesling which I had tried at the Federation Square Wine Showcase and really, really liked. The Late Muscat 2006 was absolutely refreshing without being too overpowering. However, we were warned of its high alcohol level and to drink it sparingly.

I would have loved to visit The Gap, among other up and coming wineries in the region but of course with limited time, these two were and are the must-visits.

Fair Trade Fortnight '07

Trade has become an integral part in everyone's lives and it is easy to see what it has done for many of us, especially in the early beginnings of our respective home countries.

Fair Trade Fortnight is a two-week event that is organised by the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand,where i am currently serving my internship under the Political Science major at university. We have a string of events that will take place during Fair Trade Fortnight and this includes a Speaker Tour by a coffee farmer from Costa Rica. There will also be an exclusive screening of the movie, Black Gold, which outlines the ways that coffee producers and farmers are struggling to make ends meet, and this is to the sheer advantage of industralised countries like the U.S. and Australia which makes tons of money from buying the beans cheap and selling them at rocket-high prices. FTAANZ has held this event diligently every year and I believe that organisations in other countries are doing the same as well. If you don't know about it already, check out the Fair Trade Fortnight website for more details and perhaps show a little support by organising your own event in the same two weeks!