The Unofficial World Cup of Food 2010 - Australia

Good morning, Australia!

It is the very early hours of Saturday, 19th June, 2010, here in Great Britain but I am aware that it is late morning in Australia and that this is the dawn of what is likely to be Australia's big make or break day in terms of the FIFA World Cup 2010 when they take on Ghana. Regardless of what happens on the pitch some hours from now, this is Australia's day in the Unofficial World Cup of Food 2010 and it is therefore my great pleasure to introduce you to Melbourne's Susanna Duffy.

Susanna told me that she rejected the kangaroo and crocodile options for her dish in order to make it more accessible to people the world over and I hope that you appreciate what she has come up with today.



Zucchini Pie

In Melbourne, football is not football without a pie. Now here's a pie with zing - using zucchini. Eaten hot or cold, as a side dish or as a main meal, it's deliciously different whichever way you choose.

Preparation - 20 minutes. : Cooking time - 40 minutes : Eating time - 3 minutes

Ingredients

500g - 1lb zucchini (courgette in UK)
4-5 bacon rashers
1 medium - large onion
110g - US 1/2 cup self-raising flour
4 good sized eggs
1 large cup of vintage or tasty cheddar
80mll - US 1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt & pepper

Method

Firstly, remove the rind from the bacon and chop the meat into small pieces. Peel and chop the onion. Put the bacon and onion into a heavy-based nonstick pan and fry over a medium to high heat for approximately 5 minutes. The onion needs to be softened, not browned. Set aside to cool.



Wash the zucchini, slice off the ends and finely grate the rest. After you've grated them all, squeeze over the sink to get rid of excess liquid.

Mix the grated zucchini mixture, the cooled onion and bacon, the cheese and flour in a large bowl.

Break the eggs into a separate bowl, add the oil and stir to combine.

Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl of zucchini mix. Stir them thoroughly together. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Pour this combined mixture into a slice pan, lamington pan or baking dish. Spread it out evenly.



Bake this combination in a moderate oven for about 40 to 45 minutes. Check with a skewer to make sure it's cooked through.

When it's cooked through, take it out of the oven and let it set for about 10 minutes.



The pie is thereafter ready to be sliced and served.



Please take some time to find out more about Susanna and her kitchen by visiting her food presence on Squidoo: What's Cooking in my Kitchen?

A Little Afterword...

Football (soccer) is not of course the sport of choice of many Australians and I am acutely aware that many will be far more concerned with the Rugby Union World Cup of 2011 than the FIFA World Cup of 2010. This will be a tournament of great expectations for The Wallabies (Australia's rugby side) and this song is far more likely to follow the team in their endeavours...



Australia will be one of the favourites for the Rugby World Cup 2011, along with their fellow Southern Hemisphere sides the All Blacks (New Zealand) and the present hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2010, the Springboks (South Africa) - provided that they can of course overcome a significant obstacle from the Northlands...