BUSH TUCKER RECIPES - FOOD & DRINKS

The following recipes are a selection of our favourite bush tucker delights comprising of drinks, pizza & pasta’s, soups, fish, meat, sweets and condiments. The recipes are largely sourced from the website links that we provided in the ‘Bush Tucker’ section, so refer to these links for more recipes and information. Enjoy!

DRINKS

Lemon Myrtle Syrup/Cordial

6 cups of sugar

6 cups of water

20g lemon myrtle leaves (good size bunch)

  • Put everything together and bring to the boil.
  • Turn heat down and simmer until the liquid has reduced to syrup consistency.
  • Strain the syrup.
  • Refrigerate until use.
  • Serve with soda water.

Peppermint Gum Tea

Makes 2 cups

  • Heat 3 cups of good quality water to boiling.
  • 1 rounded teaspoon of Peppermint Gum into the infuser or strainer.
  • Pour about 2 cups of boiling water over the infuser and into the pot.
  • Let the Peppermint filled infuser steep for 2-3 minutes.

Variation: Pour it over ice in a tall glass, and sip slowly. Iced Peppermint tea is a great summer beverage.

Billy Tea

Billy pot (pot with handle, available at camping stores)

Water

Handful (2 or 3 Tablespoons) of loose tea leaves

Small fire (or stove burner)

Clean stick for stirring (wooden spoon or chopstick may be substituted)

Drinking mug

Sugar or honey (optional)

Milk (optional)

  • Place the pot on a burner and heat the water to a boil. The traditional method is to hang the pot over an open fire.
  • Fill billy pot ¾ full with water.
  • When the water is boiling, add the tea leaves.
  • Remove the pot from the fire or stove.
  • Stir leaves and water with stick (or wooden spoon).
  • Let the mixture stand (steep) for a few minutes, allowing the tea leaves to settle to the bottom of the pot. Traditionally, someone would swing the pot by its handle in a wide circle over his or her head, using centrifugal force to settle the tea leaves. A safer method is to use the stick to tamp—push down—the leaves to the bottom of the pot.
  • Pour the tea slowly into the drinking mug.
  • Add sugar (or honey) and milk if desired for taste.

PIZZA – PASTA - DAMPERS

Bushfood Pizza with Warragul Greens

3 large ripe fresh tomatoes or 1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 onion finely chopped

1 or 2 clove garlic

2 dessertspoon of ground Bush tomato

1 dessertspoon of tomato paste

Pepper and salt to taste

Warragul Greens finely chopped, if leaves are old blanch them first (use spinach if Warragul greens not available)

Fetta cheese or mozzarella

Black olives (optional)

Fresh basil (optional)

Pizza base or make our own dough

  • Preheat oven to 200 degree C.
  • Brown the onion in the olive oil.
  • Add crushed garlic and tomatoes.
  • Cook until soft.
  • Add ground bush tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook until sauce is thick enough to spread on pizza dough.
  • Add tomato mixture to the pizza base.
  • Top with Warragul greens, crumbled fetta or mozzarella, olives and fresh basil.
  • Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes until cooked.

Bunya Nut Pesto Pasta serves 4

50g basil leaves

1 cup cooked bunya chopped

1 clove garlic

1 cup olive oil plus extra 2 tbsp.

2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Pasta

  • Cook the Bunya nuts for 20 minutes in hot water until tender.
  • Rinse in cold water to stop the heating process.
  • When cool blend until granulated (like couscous texture).
  • Place basil, garlic, and oil in a blender and blend.
  • Add bunya nuts and blend for 6 seconds.
  • Add grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook the pasta to liking.
  • Toss and coat the pasta with the pesto.

Bush tomato Napoli Sauce for pastaSERVES 4-6

1 small onion

2-3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp. tomato paste

1 small carrot

750g ripe tomatoes diced in 1 cm chunks (or tinned)

40g ground bush tomato

10 basil leaves

1 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

1/3 ground pepper

  • Grate carrot, chop onions, garlic and basil.
  • Cook the onion and garlic in the oil for 5-10 minutes until they just begin to colour.
  • Add all the remaining ingredients.
  • Simmer slowly for 45 minutes.
  • Makes about 1 Lt.
  • Serve with cooked spaghetti and grated parmesan.

Herb and Cheese Damper

1 cup (160g) wholemeal self-raising flour

1 cup (150g) white self-raising flour

60g unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (40g) grated tasty cheese

1/4 cup chopped oregano leaves

3/4 cup (185ml) milk, plus extra to glaze

1 tbsp. grated Parmesan

Salt

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Sift the flours into a large bowl (adding in any flakes from wholemeal flour) with 1 teaspoon of salt.
  • Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • stir in tasty cheese and oregano.
  • In a separate bowl, combine milk with 1/4 cup (60ml) water.
  • Make a well in the centre of flour and stir in three-quarters of the milk mixture.
  • Add remaining liquid a little at a time until mixture just comes together.
  • Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 1 minute.
  • Shape into a round loaf and place on a greased baking tray.
  • Brush top with milk and sprinkle with parmesan.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Serve warm.

Apple and Cinnamon Damper

3 cups self-raising flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp white sugar

75g of chilled butter, cubed

1/4 cup of packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

2 gala or pink lady apples, grated

1 egg white, beaten

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup of water

1 banana, sliced when serving

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree C.
  • Grease a baking tray and line it with baking paper.
  • Lightly grease the baking paper. Set aside.
  • Mix together the flour, salt, sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub butter into flour mixture until the mixture resembles small breadcrumbs.
  • Add the grated apple and mix well with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the milk and 1/2 cup of cold water to flour mixture. Mix until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Add a little extra water if necessary to moisten the dough slightly.
  • Turn the dough onto a lightly-floured surface. Gently knead it until it's just smooth -- about 4 times.
  • Shape dough into a 15-20cm round. Place the round on the prepared baking tray.
  • Rub some flour on a sharp knife and score top of damper into 8 wedges.
  • Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Tap the bread and if it sounds hollow, it's ready.
  • Let the bread stand on the tray for 5 minutes and then place it on a wire rack to cool.
  • Slice and serve with butter, banana and maple syrup.
  • Store the damper in an airtight container for up to a week. It can also be frozen

Vegemite Damper

3 cups self-raising flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsps.Vegemite, dissolved in

1/2 -cup milk

1 (12 ounce) stubby beer (you wont need it all)

1-cup tasty cheese, cut into 1-centimeter cubes

  • Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate into a bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.
  • Dissolve the Vegemite in the milk in a saucepan over a low heat - or this can be mixed in the microwave-.
  • Stir the dissolved Vegemite/milk mixture and some of the beer into the mixture until pliable dough is formed. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a round shape.
  • Place on a greased oven tray; moisten the top with water and sprinkle with grated cheese if you wish.
  • Using a knife, score lines about 1cm deep on top of damper to divide into 6.
  • Bake in a hot oven for 25-30 minutes.

SOUPS

Witchetty Grubs Soup (Grubuccino)SERVES 4

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 cup finely sliced leek

2 tbsp. butter

150g large witchetty grubs (about 12)

black pepper

1 litre chicken stock

salt

150ml soft whipped cream

roasted ground wattleseed for sprinkling

  • Fry the vegetables in butter
  • Add whole witchetty grubs and pepper and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add chicken stock, and simmer for 45 minutes
  • Puree soup in blender
  • Strain through fine mesh
  • Add salt to taste
  • Serve in a cup and add a dollop of soft whipped cream and sprinkle of wattleseed

Barramundi BrothSERVES 4

Barramundi head and wings

3 sticks celery, cut to chunks

3 sassafras leaves

1 onion, quartered

1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns

1 to 2 sprigs of tarragon

Shredded coriander leaf for garnish

Light soy sauce for serving

  • Boil the head, wings, celery, sassafras leaves, onion, pepper and tarragon into a tall stock-pot. Add enough water to cover 3 cm above fish.
  • Simmer for 1 hour over a medium heat. Do not boil.
  • Turn off heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
  • Ladle the stock into a muslin-line strainer, leaving the last two ladleful’s behind.
  • Remove the cheeks from the barra head and the long white muscle meat from the wings and add them to the hot broth.
  • Serve with shredded coriander leaf and a hint of light soy sauce.

Kangaroo Tail SoupServes 4

400g kangaroo tails

olive oil

1 large carrot

2 sticks celery

1 large parsnip

1 small bulb celeriac

100g butter

1 large brown onion

2 bay leaves

1 tsp.finely ground black pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

parsley

  • preheat oven to 200 degree C.
  • Run the Kangaroo tails through a little olive oil and place them in the oven until the pieces brown all over (approximately 15 to 20minutes). While the tails are cooking proceed to step 3.
  • Wash the vegetables and chop the vegetables.
  • Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan.
  • Fry onions.
  • Add other vegetables – sweat for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Place the tails onto the vegetables, add bay leaves, pepper and cover with water to about 10cm above the surface of the tails.
  • Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer until the meat easily comes off the tails.
  • Season to taste and eve with a generous amount of washed, dried and finely-chopped parsley.

Bunya Nut SoupServes 4

30 bunya nuts cut in half

2 large peeled and diced potatoes (can also use sweet potatoes)

White part of a leek chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 onion diced

Stock or water

Salt and pepper

  • Boil the bunya nuts in salted water for 15 minutes, run under water and remove the shells.
  • Put potatoes, leek, garlic, onion in a pot and cover with 10 cup of stock or water.
  • Add seasoning of salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked.
  • Remove from heat and blend until smooth.
  • Bring the soup back slowly to eat.

FISH

Lemon Myrtle & sweet Potato Fish Cakemakes 4

1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed

1 cup cooked mashed fish fillets or tinned fish in spring water (drained)

1 tsp. ground lemon myrtle

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1⁄2 cup frozen diced mixed vegetables, or grated fresh vegetables

1 beaten egg

2 cups breadcrumbs

Pepper to taste Olive or canola oil to grease the baking tray

  • Preheat oven to 180°C.
  • In a large bowl, mix the sweet potato, fish, pepper, lemon myrtle, parsley, onion and mixed vegetables until well combined.
  • Take approximately two tablespoons of the mixture and roll with the palm of your hands into a ball and slightly flatten.
  • Repeat for the rest of the mixture.
  • Put the beaten egg into one bowl and the breadcrumbs into another.
  • Dip each ball into the beaten egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs.
  • Place on a lightly greased baking tray and cook untilgolden brown, around 20 minutes.

Coral Trout Cooked in Paperbark with Lemon Myrtle

Whole coral trout

Mixture of vegetables: zucchini, mushroom, pumpkin, onion, carrot etc.

Salt

Pepper

1 dessertspoon lemon myrtle or aniseed myrtle

Paperbark washed and soaked for 5 minutes

Foil

  • Stuff the fish with chopped vegetables.
  • Sprinkle with pepper, salt and lemon myrtle.
  • Wrap the fish in the wet paperback.
  • Wrap in foil.
  • Cook on the BBQ for about 40 minutes, check after 30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.

Prawns Marinated in Finger Limes with Lime Chilli dipping Sauce serve 2-3

Marinade:

6 fresh prawns

1 fresh chilli

juice from finger limes

  • Peel Prawns and remove the black vein running along the back
  • Marinade with the fresh chilli and juice from finger limes

Sauce:

225g sugar

200ml water

Fresh chilli

  • Bring the sugar and water to the boil.
  • Add fresh chilli and slices of finger lime.
  • Cook until of a syrup consistency.
  • Cool.

Cooking

Macadamia or olive oil

1 crush garlic

  • Heat oil is frypan.
  • Add prawns with crush garlic.
  • Cook until prawns turn orange.

Serve with dipping sauce

Or serve with:

Finger Lime & Honey Aioli

Blend 2 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of finger lime flesh, 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 cloves of garlic finely crushed slowly with 250ml of Macadamia Nut Oil to a mayonnaise consistency.. Season to taste

Blackened Barra Cutletserves 4

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. white pepper

¼ tsp. thyme

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. onion and chili powder

½ tsp. chilli powder

4 barramundi cutlets

300g butter melted

  • Mix all the herbs and spices together.
  • Pat dry the fish cutlets.
  • Coat one side of the fish with melted butter.
  • Shake the herbs and spices over the coated side of the fish.
  • Wait until the butter has set the herbs and spices to the flesh.
  • Cook the seasoned side for 1 ½ minutes to 2 minutes.
  • Turn the fish over to cook the other side. Do not return to the blackened side. The longer this side is cooked, the stronger the flavor will be.

MEAT

Kangaroo Meat Pieserves 4-6

Vegetable oil, such as olive or academia

700g Kangaroo Mince

1 diced onion

1 diced carrot

1 stick celery (sliced)

1 can tomatoes

1 teaspoon Mountain Pepper

1 teaspoon Native Thyme

1 teaspoon Saltbush

1 teaspoon Native Sage

1 cup cooked pasta

Puff Pastry Sheets

1 tbs. corn flour

2 tbs. water

1 egg

  • Preheat oven 180 degree C.
  • Heat the oil in a large pan.
  • Add onion, carrot, celery.
  • Cook or 3 minutes and then add the Kangaroo mince.
  • When the meat has browned, add the tomatoes, the mountain pepper, native thyme, saltbush, native sage.
  • Cook for 15 minutes.
  • Mix corn flour with water to form a past and add to the mixture to thicken.
  • Add the pasta.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Allow to cool.
  • While the meat mixture is cooking, grease a pie dish and line with the puff pastry.
  • Add the kangaroo mixture.
  • Cover with puff pastry.
  • Brush with beaten egg.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.

Wallaby Ragoutserves 4

Olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

600g-diced Wallaby

4 chopped carrots

2 stsick celery chopped fine

1 clove garlic sliced

½ can chopped tomatoes

1 glass of wine or stock

Dried rosemary

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 ½ cup of white beans

2 cups of shredded cabbage

  • Heat the olive oil if a saucepan.
  • Add onion and sauté until translucent.
  • Add cubed Wallaby and cook until browned.
  • Add carrots, celery and sliced clove garlic.
  • Add tomatoes, wine or stock, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add beans.
  • Stir and simmer for 30-40 minutes with a lid on.
  • Add shredded cabbage.
  • Stir and replace lid.
  • Cook for another 10 minutes.

Crocodile Skewers with Lemon Myrtle Sweet Chilli Sauceserves 4

500g crocodile fillet

Juice from 1 lime + another lime for serving

2 tsp. olive oil

Bamboo skewers, soaked for at least 20 minutes

1 tsp. grated ginger

1 crushed garlic clove

2 small red chillies, deseeded and sliced

1 tsp. round lemon myrtle

½ cup lemon myrtle sweet chilli sauce

  • Cube the crocodile fillet into 2cm cubes.
  • Marinate with olive oil, lime, ginger, garlic, chilli, ground lemon myrtle and half the sweet chilli sauce for 2-3 hours.
  • Thread crocodile cubes on to skewers.
  • BBQ or pan fry on medium to high heat until brown on the outside and just cook through.

Serve with lemon myrtle sweet chilli sauce and wedges of lime