--- See Barossa Gourmet with Justine Schofield Wednesdays 8pm 15 February to 22 March on SBS Food, with episodes available at SBS On Demand after they air ---
South Australia's Barossa Valley has a long-standing reputation for both good food and good wine - and as Justine Schofield soon discovers when she sets off to explore the region, good folk are just as much a key part of the equation, too.
From bakers to knife-makers, Barossa Gourmet with Justine Schofield takes viewers on a tour that's about people just as much as it is about gourmet food and wine. Schofield spends time with winemakers, chefs, artisans, farmer's market stallholders and more as she eats, sips and cooks her way across the region.
There's a catch-up with chef Callum Hann; a visit to the Barossa Farmers Market to try cruffins and ice cream, and pick up some fresh produce to cook with later on; a pasta-making session with another chef; wine-tasting adventures; and a visit to Maggie Beer's Farm Shop. There's also a visit to local artisan Barry Gardner, who's been making hand-forged kitchen knives for over 25 years.
Along the way, she sets up her portable kitchen in some scenic spots to cook up dishes that make the most of local produce: peaches from a family orchard star in a dessert, wine in a slow-cooked, meltingly tender beef dish, vincotto from the Maggie Beer farm shop in a savoury tart.
Here's a taste of what's on the menu:
Braised zucchini with lemon and garlic
Zucchini, squash and garlic picked up during a morning market visit are turned into a brunch dish, sauteed with lemon and oregano and served with soft-boiled eggs and local goat's cheese. "It's light, it's fresh... beautiful colours," says Schofield. "I think it's fun to change up brunches and breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I do love bacon and egg roll. But veggies can be heroes at breakfast too, just like this."
Vincotto French shallot tart tatin
After a visit to the Maggie Beer Farm and farm shop, where Schofield talks to Maggie and Ellie Beer about local produce, from jam made with farm fruit to verjuice and vincotto, and the Barossa's community spirit, Schofield puts a savoury spin on a popular French dessert, creating a shallot tarte tatin using Maggie Beer verjuice.
Heirloom tomato bruschetta
"When you're in a fruitful region, like the Barossa Valley, you want to showcase what they do well. And here you can see they do great with tomatoes. They do amazing bread," says Schofield. Inspired by a visit to Apex Bakery, she makes the most of local heirloom tomatoes, along with local new garlic and vinegar in this tomato bruschetta. "There's not much technique to this recipe. It really is about paying homage to gorgeous, fresh local ingredients."
Poached peach fool
"That is the juiciest peach I've ever tasted. So good," says Schofield during a visit to Trevallie Orchard, a family-owned business that grows peaches, apricots, apples and pears. "When the Barossa was first established by the European settlers who arrived, they established home orchards and mixed farming operations, which then, in turn, grew into large commercial orchards. So the Barossa Valley used to ship out thousands and thousands of tonnes of fresh canned and dried fruit every year. And the same climate and the soil and the rainfall that produces world-class grapes also produces world-class fruit," explains Trevallies' Sheralee Menz. Setting up her kitchen at the orchard, Schofield makes a pretty, peachy dessert. "For me, as soon as I think of peaches, I think of peach fool," she says. Her recipe features poached fruit layered with a cream-ricotta mixture, a quick berry sauce and crushed biscuits.
Braised beef cheek with star anise
Inspired by the region's great red wines, Schofield cooks up tender beef cheeks with red wine, star anise and soy sauce. "This cooks long and slow very gently for about two and a half to three hours or until the meat is meltingly tender and just pulls apart," she says.
Cucumber and anchovy tartine
"Barossa sunsets are some of the best in Australia. So I thought to have a beautiful little sunset picnic," says Scofield at the end of one of her days of exploring. Her picnic fare features some of the produce she's found on her wanderings, including a recipe for pickled cucumber and anchovy tartine (finger-shaped crunchy golden croutons).
Grilled nectarine and haloumi with honey
"I love haloumi's salty, slightly squeaky flavour," says Schofield - and it's perfectly paired with fresh Barossa stonefruit and honey. Add some lemon and oregano and you've got a standout dish.
Mettwurst and sauerkraut toasted sandwich
Local produce also finds its way into a hearty sandwich - in this case, Barossa-made mettwurst. After a visit to local business Steiny's to find out how mettwurst is made (while it looks similar to salami, the process is quite different - and of course, salami is Italian and mettwurst is German, reflecting the strong German heritage of the area), Schofield whips up a toastie with thick slices of rye bread, thin-sliced mettwurst, Jarlsberg cheese ("it has a fantastic melt factor") and sauerkraut.
The key to this German-themed toastie? As well as the great ingredients, it's the correct temperature. "When you're toasting the toastie you don't want the pan to be too hot because it'll cook on the outside but that heat won't penetrate all the way into the centre. You want this to be on a medium to low heat and just gently start toasting it so all those flavours have time to mingle and that cheese has time to melt." And then when it comes out of the pan - don't rush it. Give it a few minutes to cool slightly. "Just like all good things, you must wait. You don't want to bite into a toasty when it's piping hot. Trust me, I've done it, and it's not fun!"
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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