Despite Australia’s reputation as a wealthy country, food insecurity is a reality for an increasing number of families. Last week I had the incredible honour to meet with the volunteers at FoodCare Orange, and see with my own eyes their shop, the systems and the amazing job they are doing helping people here in town who are going through financial hardship.

According to data, more than 1 in 5 people are running out of food and unable to buy more in Australia. Please, if you know someone or you are feeling it yourself, don’t hesitate to pop into FoodCare at 142 March St to get a little bit of help and support. This incredible non-profit provides non-perishable food, fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, bread, eggs, and other groceries and household items (they even have some food for your pets).

Many local businesses are already doing their bit to support FoodCare, and I’d like to congratulate them all here. Good on ya guys! However, the thing that surprises me the most is that living in one of the food bowls of NSW, fresh fruit and vegetables are one of the things that are hardest to get. Please, if you have an orchard or big veggie patches at your home and have excess of fruit and veggies please get in contact with them and donate whatever you have. I’m told flour and sugar seem to always be in high demand... so don't hesitate to donate if you can. 

Standing outside, on a Tuesday morning, I saw just how many were in line waiting to get their groceries. For the next hour or so, that line of people never stopped, they were really busy!

Please, allow me to thank all the volunteers for what they do. Their level of hospitality and care was remarkable! I was really touched by that, you don’t usually witness this type of care/service anywhere nowadays. A lesson for many for sure!

I was thinking it would be a great opportunity for young TAFE hospitality students to spend some time over there and learn to value the real meaning of customer service! (I’ll leave that thought out there, for anyone who wants to take it).

The first thing that popped into my head, obviously, was wondering what type of food these customers cook at home? And immediately I saw a connection with what I’m trying to achieve with this food column every week. A healthy approach to home cooking may be a solution for solving some of this real hidden hunger, but it may also boost confidence, improve mental health and create a bit of happiness in someone’s life. In my opinion, reducing the stress of families when it comes to food should be a priority in Australia.

I’ve also been fortunate to be able to enjoy the talks of Sydney’s Writers Festival, thanks to the Orange Library and the Gallery, where I saw Australian legends Maggie Beer and Stephanie Alexander talk about food. One of the things Stephanie said that really caught my attention, was her complaint that Australian media put a lot of money, time and effort on showcasing the high end of the food industry — the expensive restaurants, the drama of TV cooking shows, et cetera — but nothing to help Australians with their fears and anxieties when it comes to cooking for their family with little time or money. 

I definitely couldn’t agree more with Stephanie Alexander! And I LOVED the fact that she chose to verbalise it in public, LIVE across the nation. Because it is a real sentiment that many people have in this country, and so they choose fast food convenience instead of cooking at home (with whatever they have), and miss out on the pleasure of creating food at home with and for your people. Definitely one of the biggest bonds we can offer to our youngest generation!

Today I'm going to share a really useful recipe that can be made with any ingredients you have in the fridge, we call it 'salteados' in Spanish. But I guess I need to use the English name for you to understand the technique I'm talking about: stir fry. This is a method of cooking that fries any veggies or protein with a small amount of hot oil and is stirred in a wok. Now, I really respect traditions, mine as a Spaniard of course, but also other cultures. But instead of thinking about the correct Chinese ingredients, please bear with me, and think about the method of cooking.

First things first: 'salteados' can be made in a normal frypan at home. And most importantly, you can use anything you have in the fridge. Serve it with long-grain white rice and you will feed your family nutritionally balanced in a really cheap way. My tip is to chop everything small and make the rice as I recommended to you months ago here in OCL.

Take this as a standard recipe, but you can vary it as much as you want, depending on what you can buy this week, what you have in the freezer, et cetera. Change one protein for another one, use any vegetables you like, use frozen veggies if you need — be fearless and creative! They are fun, fast and delicious!

Sample ingredients:

- White long-grain rice (50 gr per person)

- Garlic, chopped small

- Olive oil if you have it.

- Any protein, chopped small (depending on what you have)

- Vegetables, chopped small (doesn't matter what you have)

- 3 eggs, make an omelette and chop it small.

- Splash of soy sauce 

- Optional: chilli if you like it and have it handy

Method:

1. In a frying pan, cook the long-grain rice according to the info at the back, using the absorption method.

2. Chop every ingredient the same size (protein and vegetables).

3. In a second frying pan turn it on high heat and add a bit of oil and your protein.

4. Once the protein is cooked, add one veggie at a time, stirring it constantly.

5. Put all the mixed protein and veggies on the side and add a bit of oil in the centre plus the chopped garlic (or ginger if you have it). Cook it until it changes colour and mix it up quickly with the rest of the mix.

6. Turn it off and add a splash of soy sauce and stir everything together (don't overdo it please or it will be very salty). Note: if you like chilli you can add it too.

7. Serve the rice in a bowl with a couple of spoonfuls of the 'salteado' of protein and veggies. 

Enjoy!