Tuesday, April 07, 2015

OH! WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ME? WHAT IS MY WORLD COMING TO? I MIGHT TAKE FLIGHT IN FRIGHT!



Granny Smith Apples




Often it is advised one should shed one’s load; share the despair. By doing so one’s load is said to become light. Well, here I go…I’ll try with all my might (if I’ve got any left)! 


The other day I got the shock of my life.  I couldn’t find what I was searching for.  Even after I cleaned my glasses until they sparkled and I could see myself in them, I couldn’t find what I was looking for.  Like a woman possessed frantically I searched high and low, but it was nowhere to be seen.  It couldn’t be found; not here, not there; not anywhere! How could this happen?  Usually I’m more diligent; ever on guard; always prepared.  If I had a naughty corner I would’ve sat in it – for a week at least - repeating over and over ad infinitum; “I will never run out of Vegemite ever again!” 

Panicking, I knew there was no time to waste. Fruitlessly for hours I’d already searched. The clock was ticking…faster and faster!  

Despair engulfed my very being. Heart palpitations had set in. Such an embarrassing blight to have run out of Vegemite!

Suffering unbridled shame, red-faced, I lowered my head at my desperate plight. In fact, since the horrifying discovery – one that’s never happened to me before - whenever I think about my scandalous oversight my head lowers automatically causing me to prop it upright.  Like now as I write about my shocking oversight I’m propping up my head. I can’t see my monitor when it plops down. Also, it lands on my keyboard making it difficult to type. 

Downing tools and donning clothes off to IGA I hastened; incognito, naturally, because I didn’t want anyone to recognise me during my outrageously disconcerting moment of desperation.

My lack of Vegemite needed rectifying immediately before anyone discovered my humiliating secret.

You might consider my anguish at the plight of being without Vegemite a mite trite. You might make light of it, but that’s alright. 

The uninitiated say it’s an acquired taste.  My taste for Vegemite was acquired long before my memory kicked into gear.   I’m never without a jar of Vegemite - until the other day! 

A few years ago a friend from the US visited for a couple of weeks. During his visit I introduced him to our iconic Aussie spread; but only a little at a time; not lashings of it, like many people thoughtlessly do when attempting to introduce Vegemite to folk not familiar with its taste.   Even though I was brought up with Vegemite I understand what a shock to the system the initial taste would be if it was plastered thickly over bread or crackers; and why the newcomers to the yeast spread run screaming out the door to catch the first flight back home never again wanting to be within tongue’s reach of our mighty ‘mite!

My US friend didn’t run away in hysterics; he liked it - in small doses – not layered thickly like plaster on his toast or bread.  I don’t even like Vegemite plastered too thickly.  There is a limit to everything!  Less is more!

Often when I was a little girl I was given a mug of hot Vegemite broth. It was good for settling an upset tummy, too; far better tasting than any medicine, in my opinion…then and now.

I love fresh bread spread with butter and Vegemite, and then topped with slices of Granny Smith apples (green apples to those also uninitiated to our Aussie Granny Smiths). Yum! Yum!  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_Smith

And how wonderful Vita-Wheat biscuits/crackers are with butter and Vegemite...push two crackers together and watch the curls of combined butter and Vegemite ooze through the holes.  Then lick them off....delicious fun!!

Vegemite and avocado on toast...another healthy breakfast...or lunch...or whenever the mood takes hold!

During my Hinchinbrook Island days, one staff member’s culinary trick was to spread Vegemite over her pizza bases; then she’d top them off with baked beans and cheese.  I’ve never gone that far…but I imagine (know) there are worse things to eat. 

Now for something completely different - here’s a Vegemite pizza you might like to try…

Kumara-Rosemary-Vegemite Pizza: Thinly slice 300g kumara; place on lined baking tray; spray with oil; bake in 200C oven, 20-25mins, or until just tender. Sift together 1c flour, 1tsp yeast, 1/2tsp salt and 1/4tsp sugar; ad 1/3c lukewarm water and 1tbs olive oil; stir to make dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic. Place in oiled bowl; cover; let stand in warm area, 30mins or until doubled. Roll out dough on floured surface to about 20x30cm rectangle; place on floured tray; spread with 1tbs Vegemite; top with kumara, fresh rosemary and 2/3c grated mozzarella or tasty cheddar; bake in 200C oven, 10-15mins.

Cheesy Vegemite Muffins: Whisk 1c milk, 1/3c oil, 1/4c Vegemite and 2 eggs in bowl; add 2c S.R. flour and 1tsp baking powder, 3 finely-chopped shallots and 5 slices cheese singles, roughly chopped; mixed until just combined; spoon into 12 lightly greased ½-cup capacity muffin pans. Bake in 200C oven, 15-20mins.

Vegemite-Rosemary Cutlets: Combine 1tbs Vegemite, 1/4c honey, 2tbs finely chopped rosemary leaves and 2tbs olive oil; pour over 12 trimmed lamb cutlets; chill 2hrs. Barbecue cutlets over medium heat, 3-4mins per side, or cooked to your liking. Marinade is suitable for lamb, beef, pork and chicken.

Vegemite-Cheese-Sausage Rolls: Grab 600g quality beef sausages; remove filling from casing; place in bowl. Process 2c grated cheese, 2 slices of bread (made into crumbs), 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 egg, 1tbs Vegemite and 1-1/2tbs white sugar; add to sausage meat; mix well; cook a little bit of the mixture to check for seasonings; adjust accordingly. Chill10mins. Cut 3 sheets puff pastry lengthways. Divide mix into 6; roll into sausage shape; place in centre of each pastry rectangle; brush pastry with egg wash; seal over filling; chill 10mins; brush to with the egg wash. Bake at 200C, 20-25mins until

30 comments:

  1. I have never heard of that product - it is yeast? Hello my friend.

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  2. Hi Sandie...yes...yeast extract...I've just added an image displaying the ingredients. We Aussies were/are brought up on Vegemite, but for those new to our shores it is an acquired taste...and one not acquired by many not used it! :)

    Thanks for dropping in. :)

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  3. Hey Lee!
    This reminds me of grits in the South, people have made fun of them for years but now, they are "trendy" and you can find them in fancy restaurants, they are served with shrimp.
    I do believe that I could eat anything you would prepare for me and I would like it, even Vegemite!

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  4. Hi there Kay....everything goes around in circles, doesn't it? I assure you I wouldn't over-load your toast or sandwiches with Vegemite, Kay...I'd ease you gently onto it! lol

    Thanks dropping in. :)

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  5. I was given Vegemite broth too, long before I can remember. After I left home my Mum did not need to buy Vegemite anymore but always makes a point of getting it in when I vusit. Of course I would never run out either ~ touch wood. And for some reason ~ years of practise I tell my son ~ I make the best Vegemite toast ~ well better than he does at this point in his life. Like I say to him ~ it takes practise. I would hate to get to a point in time when I did not have control over my own consumption of Vegemite. Imagine being an old lady in a nursing home and not being able to spread my own or worse just be given marmalade and honey ~ although I do like marmalade and honey too. You can tell I am a Vegemite kid because of my rosy cheeks ~ believe me? LOL

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  6. Oh dear. How UnOrstrayan of me. I don't like it. I never acquired the taste. Promite, occasionally, but not vegemite.
    Though we always have it in the house and I do cook with it. And himself eats it in ways which make me shudder. Spread thickly. With peanut butter.

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  7. Hahahahaha! I love your response, Carol! What would our life be like without Vegemite? I, too, am a Happy Little Vegemite!!!

    Thanks for your comment...and thanks for the smiles it gave me. :)

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  8. EC...Wash your mouth out, girl! You are going to have to change your ways!!

    Thanks for dropping in. :)

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  9. I see the vegemite is made with wheat so I couldn't eat it, but it doesn't sound very appetizing to me either. Each recipe you mentioned sounds good without the vegemite. I am adventuresome with food but this morning well not so much. ha.

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  10. Yes, Vegemite tea was a real comfort to an unwell tummy and Vegemite " worms" with Vita Wheats too ! I've tasted Vegemite and avocado too but prefer thick cold butter and fresh bread.

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    Replies
    1. Hey Helsie...we sure did have fun at school with the Vegemite "worms"! lol Small pleasures!

      Vegemite with tomato is nice, too....but my very fresh bread, butter, Vegie and Granny Smith slices is really yummy...try it some time. The tartness of the apple breaks down the "bite" in the "mite"!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  11. I have no idea what this product is or how it enhances food but your sales tactics made me want some very badly. Perhaps you should share this post with the Vegemite makers.

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  12. I have had both Vegemite & Marmite and Vegi is milder. Mo found here as you know, http://www.aglimpseoflondon.com/ did compare the two a wee while ago and tempted me to buy one. I ended up with Sainsburys own brand, a bit like Vegi.

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  13. Hi Linda...I'm not allergic to wheat or anything else that I'm aware of....other than some humans, of course! :)

    There's nothing too adventurous about Vegemite...it's just a spread similar to Marmite and Promite...but as I said...it's best, especially to those unfamiliar with it, to only have a light spread of it on their toast, bread or crackers. It's an Aussie product that we've all grown up with and got used to since we were babies. No shock to our systems!

    Thanks for coming by. :)

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  14. Hey Annie...it's just a spread for bread, mainly. Some times I get a real craving for it and I just have to go and have some...that's why I always like to have it on hand...in stock.

    Thanks for coming by. :)

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  15. Hey Adullamite. A while back I tried another maker of a product similar to Vegemite...they're and Aussie-owned company making their own product in protest that Kraft the makers of Vegemite are now no longer Aussie-owned; but after one taste of the replica product...I tossed the rest of the jar out. It was gross. I couldn't eat it. So I'll stick to Vegemite, which is made in Australia by Aussies for a company based in Australia but not Aussie owned. I'm sure many Aussies have shares in the company, though!

    When my Randall was still overseas...before he returned to Australia and we married...I used to send him Vegemite in a care package of goodies from "home" that he couldn't purchase in the US, or in the UK. Each country has their unique products....ones the locals can't do without! :)

    Thanks for popping in. :)

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  16. Such an embarrassing blight to have run out of Vegemite!

    That sounds like a 1950s English jingle. Well done!

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  17. Hey there, RK! That'd be okay! I could skip the routine; change the cuisine, and turn it into a ditty for 2015!

    Thanks for coming by! :)

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  18. The first time I can remember hearing of Vegemite was in Men At Work's Down Under, and I still have never tried any. Since what you have pictured was made by Kraft, I would think that it could be found around here.

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  19. Hi Jerry...It never used to be available in the States. I used to send it to my ex (before we were married and he was living in New York)...but, it could be available at some places these days...not everywhere or easy to come by I would imagine. At one stage there were a couple of Aussie blokes who set up a business in New York a few years ago, stocking Aussie products...but whether that's still operating or not, I have no idea.

    Thanks for coming by. :)

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  20. Yes, that also reminded me of the Mean At Work song too. Which then reminded me how Aussie hysteria became prevalent in the U.S. with Crocodile Dundee, that Energizer battery guy and of course Yahoo Serious! And that made me wonder whatever happened to him. And yet I still have no idea what vegemite tastes like.

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  21. Hi Dexter...yes, the Men at Work song "Down Under" sure did become well-known after the Aussies won the America's Cup in 1983. It almost became an anthem!

    Colin Hay, the lead singer now lives in LA...and has done so since 1982. He was born in Scotland and came to the Land Down Under when he was 14 years old...so in truth, we really can't claim him as one of our own!!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Hay

    As for Yahoo Serious (he is now 61 year old!!!!!!) Time certainly flies whether you're having fun or not! :)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo_Serious

    Follow my advice, Dexter if you even do run across a jar of Vegemite...less is more....don't overdo it...otherwise it will be too much of a shock to your innocent system! lol

    Thanks for coming by. :)

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  22. I'm prepared for disappointment here, but I have to know. Is the Vegemite you eat now, the same as the Vegemite you ate as a child? Am I the only person in Australia who is convince it isn't the same at all?
    The stuff in the jars now, is dark brown, thick like a stiff paste and hard to spread in cold weather. Years ago, "our" Vegemite was sold to America and for a while it was a lighter brown, like the English Marmite and tasted different. Now we Aussies have bought it back and it is less like Marmite, but still not the Vegemite I remember from my early years. My mum used to buy it in 7 pound tins, (plum jam too) and I remember it more resembling black grease. It was softer, easier to spread slightly more bitter and very black. I have found a spread in the supermarkets that resembles my early childhood favourite much more than actual Vegemite. So that's what I buy. (sorry Kraft Vegemite, you lost me)
    Do you also agree that Vegemite tastes so much nicer when spread (thinly) over real butter and not margarine?

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  23. It was interesting, we had both Marmite and Vegemite when we were in NZ but they both tasted like vegemite! It is less harsh tasting than Marmite (English version). I agree,entirely addictive!!

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  24. I've seen that for sale in the natural food stores here in the US, but haven't been tempted to buy it. I always think of that line from that Men at Work song "...he just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich."

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  25. As I wrote, River..."butter"...not margarine. I never use margarine; will never use margarine. I hate the stuff. It's only ever been butter for me. So, yes...I wholeheartedly agree...you'll get no argument from me there. :)

    Vegemite tastes the same to me now as it did when I was a child. Dick Smith's imitation Vegemite, however, doesn't. I bought a jar of it once...just once...and after the first bite, I tossed the toast and the full jar into the bin. I'll never buy it again. It's foul. The Vegemite I buy, which is made by Kraft here in Australia is black, not dark brown; and I find it easy to spread all seasons. Actually, I even keep it in my fridge and it still spreads easily for me. Kraft may not be an Aussie-owned company but the Australian branch of the company Mondelez International based in Melbourne employ a huge number of Aussies; all of which helps the money go 'round here in our country.

    http://www.mondelezinternational.com.au/en/about-us/who-we-are.aspx

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondel%C4%93z_International

    Before Randall (my ex) and I married he lived in the US - for nigh on a decade back in the late Sixties to mid-Seventies - in New York City. He couldn't purchase Vegemite in the States back in those years. I used to send some to him periodically (along with a few pairs of underpants he would only wear and couldn't buy overseas during those years, too....Jockettes). When he spent some time in the UK, based in London...he couldn't buy Vegemite there, either at that space in time.

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    1. River...thanks for dropping in. :)

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    2. Perhaps I'll give the Vegemite another try next time it's on special.

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  26. Hi Jenny, I've not had Marmite, nor Promite, for that matter, for ages, but my preference is Vegemite. I'm still a "Vegemite Kid"....a big kid!

    Thanks for coming by. :)

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  27. Hey there Lynn...Yes, our good old Vegemite was made famous after the Aussie's win of the America's Cup.

    Years ago it couldn't be found in any stores in the States...but things have changed...and perhaps, too, the tastes of some! :)

    Thanks for coming by. :)

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