Galley Essentials with Amanda
Amanda and John on Dickabram Bridge
A few months back upon
arriving in Brisbane, Australia we quietly berthed at the swanky Royal Queensland Yacht Club. We had three weeks off and life was looking grand as I settled myself into yacht club and village life, even catching a session of traditional music and stepping at Manly’s Irish pub. Suddenly my swanning
about came to an abrupt end when John declared we were off to explore Queensland. He’d been online checking out camper rentals and had clicked on what he felt was a sweet deal; the small campers were sold out so the enlarged camper with head and shower looked a treat. But when I stood in the rental yard eyeing the assigned camper I freaked, requesting something smaller. No such luck, they were all rented. I quickly dubbed our camper “Big Beastie” and we hit the road under a dark cloud of gloom. Our first assigned visit was south,
beyond the mayhem of the Surfer’s Paradise, to Coolangatta for a visit with Stewie, the “Vegemite Kid” who’d recently joined us on an expedition. A keen surfer, Stewie resides in a rustic cottage perched on a hillside where he can check the morning surf from his bed. Beastie didn’t even come close to hiding away in Stewie’s cul-de-sac so in case we broke the law by camping in a residential area we indulged in the comforts of his guest room. Stewie was the perfect host and threw an entertaining family dinner that included his dad, who’d grown up in colonial Fiji, in addition to also being a great cook plays a mean ukulele.
Stewie’s Quick Red Curry Prawns olive oil (a drizzle) 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
48° NORTH, FEBRUARY 2012 PAGE 32
Travels in Queensland by Amanda Swan Neal
Sweet Camper Van
8 large unpeeled raw tiger prawns 2 cups snow peas
8 oz small cooked prawns 1 14oz can coconut milk 2 limes - cut into wedges ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro Drizzle some olive oil into a hot
skillet and sauté tiger prawns 1 minute. Stir in 1 tablespoon of curry, transfer prawns to an ovenproof dish and place in warm oven. In same skillet, sauté peas, then small prawns in olive oil, stir in coconut milk and remaining curry, leave to simmer 5 minutes. Serve on jasmine rice with large prawns, coriander and limes. Serves 4.
Aside from getting over colds
we’d have gladly accepted Stewie’s morning offer of a surfing lesson though instead joined him and a mate for a zany Zen beach workout followed by their ritual cuppa at a café. The lads keenly offered advice for our travels suggesting we skip the local hinterland
in favor of heading north, by- passing Brisbane, to explore the Glasshouse Mountains. Named in 1770 by the then Lieutenant James Cook, the 15 majestic mountains, eroded remnants of 25 million year old volcanoes, bore similarities to the glass kilns from his homeland. Beyond Mt Tibrogargan, Aboriginal for biting flying squirrel, a panoramic site provided an awesome soul restoring run. Following a scrumptious pancake brunch and leisurely
hot shower, Big Beastie and I started to bond and as we continued inland through the Blackall Range I was soon affectionately calling her BB thus making John’s life less glum. The quaint hilltop villages of Maleny and Montville offer endless exploration and an hour whiled away in a captivating bookstore made us devour the following salad before travelling north.
Chicken Salad
½ cup olive oil ½ cup rice vinegar juice of 2 limes
3 chili’s - seeded and finely chopped 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 garlic cloves - crushed 4 cups cubed cooked chicken 1¼ cups fresh corn kernels ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro ½ red bell pepper - diced 4 green onions - diced salt and pepper to taste Whisk together first six ingredients
and combine with remaining ingredients. Serves 4.
Mexican Corn Pancakes
2 teaspoons brown sugar 1¼ cups masa flour (corn flour)
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