FOOD WITH MIGUEL MEASTRE

GOOMERI PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

For most of us a pumpkin is just a pumpkin but for the locals living in country town, , it's a reason to celebrate. It's time for the 18th annual pumpkin festival and Miguel is heading out to join the party. He'll teach the secret to making the perfect pumpkin risotto before joining the 10,000 visitors in town to revel in the excitement. He may win over the locals with his risotto but competition is fierce for the big event, the Great Australian Pumpkin Roll.

FAST FACTS

• The first pumpkin festival was held in June 1997 and came about as way of improving business and morale from the effects of years of drought and water shortages. • The first festival attracted 1000 people and 71 pumpkin rollers; it now has up to 12,000 visitors each year. • Pumpkin inspired food is sold through out the day with around 400 litres of pumpkin soup, pumpkin scones, pumpkin damper, pumpkin pies, gourmet pumpkin sausages, pumpkin bread rolls, a wide variety of pumpkin cakes such as boiled pumpkin fruit cake, cupcakes, pumpkin cheesecakes and pumpkin fudge.

• The largest grown pumpkin recorded at the festival to date weighed in at 220kg at 2013 Pumpkin Festival. • The most famous activity at the festival is the Pumpkin Roll. The roll is held on ‘Polices Mans Hill’, named because of the police station at the end of the hill. • Other pumpkin activities that take place include pumpkin bowls, decorated pumpkins, giant pumpkin competition, pumpkin pull, pumpkin pageant, pumpkin quilt challenge, decorated tea towel competition and pumpkin power shot. • The Goomeri Pumpkin Festival is held in the last weekend of May yearly. SOURCE: http://www.goomeripumpkinfestival.com.au/

GOOMERI

• Goomeri is located approximately 265 km’s northwest of . • The Goomeri Township is in the Kilkivan Shire and has a population around 500. • The town is surrounded by beef cattle and dairy farms. • Pumpkins where traditionally grown in the area but is no longer a major regional produce.

Goomeri is a quaint country town only a 2-hour drive inland from either Queensland’s Sunshine Coast or Hervey Bay. Many of its buildings were built in the 1920’s giving the town unique old-world charm. Goomeri has its own hotel, motel, caravan park, B&B’s, cafes and restaurants. Goomeri offers antique shopping, farm tours to station Booubyjan Homestead one of its earliest settlements.

SOURCE: http://tourism.southburnett.com.au/towngoomeri.htm

RECIPES

The Best Pumpkin Risotto

INGREDIENTS 2 tbsp extra Virgin Olive Oil 30g butter 4 small white onions, peeled, finely chopped 2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped 1 large Leeks, finely chopped 3 celery sticks, finely chopped 1/2 butternut pumpkin, roughly chopped 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 bunch fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped, save stalks for stock 1 bunch oregano leaves, finely chopped, save stalks for stock 1 bunch sage leaves, finely chopped, save stalks for stock 400g Arborio rice 1.5L chicken stock, hot ½ butternut pumpkin, peeled, cubed 200g Parmesan cheese handful roasted pine nuts splash balsamic vinegar ½ butternut pumpkin, cubed and roasted, for serving

METHOD To make stock: Boil together the chicken stock, pumpkin and stalks from the herbs. Boil for around 10 minutes until pumpkin starts to get soft. Turn heat down and simmer. In a large saucepan on medium heat, slowly sauté onions, carrots, leeks, celery and pumpkin with olive oil and butter until soft. Add garlic and herbs cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rice and stir continuously adding one ladle of hot chicken stock at a time until it absorbs into rice, continue until all stock has gone and rice is al dente. Remove rice from heat slightly under cooked as it will keep cooking with residual heat. Add Parmesan, pinenuts, balsamic vinegar and roasted pumpkin to serve. It’s important to serve very hot.

WEBLINKS http://www.goomeripumpkinfestival.com.au/