A CENTRAL MARKET CHRISTMAS: At Adelaide's Central Market

With the Christmas countdown ticking away, our thoughts turn to festive feasting together, and where better to contemplate all that than at the Central Market. Christmas dinner, for instance, means splurging on seafood for many of us - and why wouldn't we? Cray boats come into Robe, prawn catchers ply the gulfs and oyster beds abound the on the West Coast. I asked Gordon at Samtass about his favourite for Christmas Day, and he pointed to a 600mm whole fish in the tray.

“Barramundi like this one……….wrap it in alfoil with some lemon and herbs and spices and put it on the barbeque. Perfect”.

Others like to stick to tradition, and that is where Barbara and Franz at the Barossa Fine Foods stall come in. In their refrigerated counter, there are all the sausages and smallgoods for a festive platter you would expect from a fourth generation Australian-German butcher. Queried about an interesting collage, Barbara told us it was a chicken galantine. Just before Christmas, she takes a lot of orders for chicken, duck and turkey variations from people wanting to take a shortcut. They take them fresh and roast them at home.

Come the family gatherings, and plenty of market customers “say cheese” with a visit to a bright, attractive and copiously supplied stall of that name. If you want to go gourmet and get daring, try buffalo milk bocconchini sliced in a salad or sheep milk haloumi from Kangaroo Island in strips on the barbeque (very sweet and delicious). Goats cheese from Udder Delights at Lobethal is popular here, and now there's a marinated version in a jar. Manager Andrew explained, “it's in olive oil, canola oil and herbs”. I tried a “serving suggestion” by tipping it onto a plate for eating with a crusty loaf from the next stall. Fortunately, it was a “one-take-wonder” as we shot the segment. It had to be!

If you're thinking Chrissy desserts at the markets, try going Irish. We found Jane Doyle at her parent's Doylies Patisserie stall getting into practice decorating the first Irish Christmas Yule Logs for the season. The story goes that an Irish chef in the 1870's combined a Swiss roll with a German tree-cake or Baum-Kuchen and added his own touch. When he visited friends, he took them with him as a traditional “log” for the fires. Steve Doyle has added his own signature by coating his with a chocolate orange brandy ganache. Begorrah!

You know Christmas is coming when the old Blackeby's sweets stall in the Central Market brings in the first of their Adelaide-made Christmas mixture, and it happened before the Postcards camera lens. Breaking a candy stick, I asked how they get the words “Merry Christmas” inside it. The answer? “With great difficulty”.

When it comes to the summer barbeque, however, try veggies. They are easy, especially with a little advice from Michael at the Aubergine's stall. He loves the idea of all the magnificent looking produce with all its colour and taste coming from Virginia or the hills - under an hour away.

Capsicums piled high - red, green and yellow - are all great for a Christmas barbeque, he says, as long as you know what to do. Secret number one is to baste them with oil and pepper and salt, garlic and oregano, the way you like it, and secret number two is to cook them until they collapse …… five to ten minutes and they are done. He shared the $20US entrée with us too, or at least that is how someone saw it priced on a European menu. Take a Banana Capsicum, slice the top off, fill it with your favourite cheese and warm it on the hot plate until it melts. Bellissimo. Have a veggie Christmas!

The Central Market is in its festive finery already, with party lights, garlands and tinsel adding even more colour. It is just the spot for the unpredictable gift. At the Providore stall, for instance, they are expecting their first batches of Christmas puddings and mince pies shortly, and anytime they'll advise on a special gift bottle of olive oil. With a choice of forty-five types now, there are elegant bottles and expensive truffle oils, or you can select the best in South Australia, as recently awarded. It is called “Augusto's” from Mypolonga and sells for about $22. The big surprise for me in this favourite haunt, however, was in the “T-Bar”, a stylish and designer-cool teashop at one end of the market. Sure, the T Bar is all about a “cup of cha” - black teas, green teas, excellent leaves from all over. They are also about gift ideas, and I opted to make my own gift box for them to wrap later. A choice of infusers here, a “bath tea” there (no, you don't drink it…….it is a kind of bath bomb), and you can always add some “Buddha Balls”. Like a large marble in size, it is a hand-rolled white tea (between a green and ulong, for those who know). On Co Proprietor Kate's advice, I dropped it in a glass teapot to watch the progress. Four minutes later, it began to unfold like an exotic flower, emitting hardly any colour but offering a lovely aroma.

You learn something every time, specially when your Christmas shopping at Adelaide's Central Market.

Adelaide Central Market
Gouger Street/Grote Street
Adelaide

Further info via:
City of Adelaide Customer Centre
25 Pirie Street
ADELAIDE SA 5000
PH: (08) 8203 7203

Email : centralmarket@uunet.com.au
Web : www.adelaide.sa.gov.au/centralmarket