Bring health and joy to your life with the seasons of meals

An extract from Guy Mirabella's Eat Ate – re-released in softcover in 2010

Contributed articles and stories

Guy Mirabella, author of Eat Ate - a feast of fresh, beautifully balanced flavours and textures

Eat Ate - A wonderful celebration of Guy Mirabella's passion for Italian Food

All of our food came from the garden when I was growing up: we had a lemon tree in the backyard, and tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, basil, continental parsley and rosemary in the front.

At Shop Ate Café and Store, many of our customers give generously from their gardens. It could be a box of shiny green apples, bright yellow-green quinces or the biggest juiciest lemons. Moira regularly brings us baskets overflowing with fresh herbs. Pat brings parsley and crisp bright green oak leaf lettuce from her garden, that we love so much to put into our panini and baguettes, not only for the way it looks but also for flavour. Alan and Stella give generously from their lemon tree and herb garden.

My favourite season of all is summer. It is the season of Sunday lunches eaten outside, meals that linger and creep slowly into dinner. Of long walks on the beach at dusk and sitting under the stars sipping favourite wines into the night. When home-grown tomatoes and basil can at last be picked and combined with garlic over thick slices of grilled bread, tossed through just-cooked linguine or brushed over the lamb or fish cooked on the barbecue that fills our backyard with that distinctive smoky, summer smell.

As the days cool a little, they seem to grow a little quiet as autumn arrives. The summer holidays and the return to school have passed, leaving everyone exhausted and needing time to recharge. Big baskets of furry quinces arrive at the café from appreciative friends, as well as ruby pomegranates. Dad’s zucca lunga, the very long, thin pale green zucchini, takes pride of place in his garden. New season apples, figs and mushrooms appear in abundance at farmers’ markets, customers grabbing them while they can.

If summer is the season for the spirit and autumn a time for recharging, winter is the season of the heart. It is the season for reflection, to sit and ponder, and be comforted by angels. It is a time to rediscover favourite dishes and flavours. Like old friends we haven’t seen for a while, they bring back fond memories and some surprises. It is the time for comfort food like thick hearty ragús and home-made gnocchi and sauces. Lasagne cooked in deep-sided dishes with enough left over for the next day.

Spring brings hay fever and itchy noses. The sound of buzzing flies and bluer skys. Long breakfasts with friends that turn into lunch, catching the sun’s warmth by sitting outdoors even though the air is still crisp. Spring is about colour with flowers bursting in all directions. It is time to plant tomatoes, basil and zucchini. It is that time of year when Jo and I go on holiday, something we never did when the children were young. As they have left the nest we have also flown off to various destinations.

We love the whole experience in the planning of a trip, how long we will stay (which gets longer every year). Accommodation and what airline to fly with. I don’t enjoy flying at all, I’m not a very patient passenger but I love airports. Going through customs and all the hustle and bustle my favourite part being the baggage carousel. It never ceases to amaze me that there are never 2 suitcases or bags the same except for mine and Jo’s. They stand out every time and they are black like most of the other baggage on the steel carousel. This year our first trip overseas in the 35 years we have been together. Paris was achingly blissful, beautiful and as the designer of this book once wrote to me, ‘an assault on all the senses’. It grabs your heart and doesn’t let go. I don’t normally do regret, but I wish we were there now.

Spring is a time of new beginnings and the best time for starting relationships and new ventures. Planting the seeds and watching them grow. Making a fresh start and doing a bit of a spring cleaning. And looking forward to summer, that most darling of seasons ...

Eat Ate is published by Hardie Grant Books, (Melbourne, 2008 hb RRP A$49.95)
This extract is reproduced with permission (c) Guy Mirabella 2008

A new softcover edition has been released in 2010, RRP A$39.95. VisitVineyards.com and Winepros Archive subscribers can click here to purchase this new edition of Eat Ate by Guy Mirabella from our book partners, Seekbooks, at 12.5% discount off RRP (postage extra).

The hardcover edition is also available here at 12.5 % discount (postage extra).

Regions

Melbourne Surrounds (VIC)
Mornington Peninsula (VIC)

Our Recommendations

To see our recommendations, ratings and reviews you must be a logged-in subscriber.

To subscribe please enter your email address in the "Subscribe Now - it's Free" box on the right and click the "Join" button, or fill in this form >

July 21st, 2010