Kitchens with class
With local produce at its heart, central west NSW is spoilt for
choice gourmet destinations, writes Marguerite Winter.
Immediately beyond the Blue Mountains
and loosely bordered by the towns of
Condobolin in the west, Cowra in the south
and Coonamble in the north, the central
west has been one of NSWs principal food
bowls from colonial times onward. If it was
gold that brought the first settlers to this
region, today the lure is of olive oil,
perfect peaches, sublime honey and
gorgeous chardonnay.
The gentle slopes and wooded outcrops
in the east support orchards, vineyards,
vegetable crops and livestock. Each
subregion has its specialities; Cowra, for
instance, is rightly celebrated for its lamb,
particularly as presented by Paul Loveridge
at The Quarry Restaurant & Cellar Door
just outside town. River flats along the
Lachlan River once supported large-scale
vegetable gardens around the town, one
belonging to a Japanese gardener who
supplied white peaches to Tetsuya's
restaurant in Sydney. Today the district is
noted for its farmed rabbits, asparagus,
prunes, olive products and stone fruits.
Until recently, little Cowra boasted the
celebrated Neila restaurant (hatted for
12 years), where chef Anna Wong and her
husband, Jerry Mouzakis, offered a short
menu big on flavour that included Wong's
famous caramelised pork hock served with
a beetroot salad.
Local specialities and produce from
their vegetable garden and orchard feature
at the seasonal cooking school Wong now
runs from her "shed" at their Neila farm,
and star in the product line she is
developing under that label. Her glistening
gem-coloured jars - inspired combinations
of cherry, lemon verbena and Sichuan
pepper; plum and chamomile flower;
peach, watermelon and chilli; caramelised
peach and ouzo; and kumquat, lychee and
mint - make superb bases for dressings
and sauces.
Lively nibbles include chopped fennel in
a traditional Chinese pickle, gingerbread
spiced Chinese red dates and tea-spiced
walnuts. Bags of the famed wafer-like
crispbread with nigella seeds she served at
the restaurant complement the range.
In Sydney, her product line has so far
reached Rushcutters Marketplace on Nield
Avenue and Quattro Fromaggi Deli & Vino
bar in Mosman, and is available from The
Essential Ingredient at Kingston in
the ACT.
Wong is not running her regular classes
through the summer but will put together
sessions for up to eight on request. She's
also catering for private functions of a
minimum 20 at her former restaurant in
the town. Her next offsite gig is the
Windowrie Long Lunch with Neila this
month as this district's best-known winery
celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Class topics include the original riffs on
Eastern and Western classics that are
Wong's vibrant signature, with thoughtful
tips on technique. We caught the last class
of spring, where we handled pan-fried
dumplings (war-tip) and a green-teasmoked
duck breast salad made
memorable by a dressing centred on her
cherry, verbena and Sichuan pepper jam.
Her personal style stove-side is buoyant,
warm, informed and inclusive.
o
Finer details
Neila
Cookery classes on
request and catering
for private functions.
neila.com.au
Windowrie Long
Lunch with Neila
October 25.
windowrie.com.au