A taste of Mystery
28 July 2010
Veteran’s Health Week was celebrated in Nowra with the frantic skillet swinging style usually associated only with MasterChef cook offs.
While Nowra Showground didn’t attract the same 3mil plus viewers the audience was every bit as enthusiastic and the three competing teams just as determined to win.
Veterans Health Week 2010 focussed on promoting the health and wellbeing of the veteran community and the day included guest speakers from Nutrition Australia, the Heart Foundation and Diabetes Australia.
CPO Scott Barker, AB Rachael Lambert and AB Jessica Swift represented HMAS Albatross and were joined at the hotplates by special guest cooks boxer Shannan “Bullli Blaster” Taylor, Dan Hunt of the St George Illawarra Dragons and volunteers from local veterans associations.
Albatross CO Captain Stefan King announced it was time to get into the kitchen and start rattling those pots and pans and each team was given a mystery bag of ingredients to commence working their culinary magic.
The bags were well named as team members were mystified as to what some of the more exotic items were. Luckily Dan Hunt once worked in the fruit and veg section at Woolies and was able to identify the tamarillo. What exactly to do with it was another matter.
CPO Barker who describes himself as a “good home cook” found this the most challenging aspect of the competition “In your own kitchen if you want to be a bit adventurous you usually start with a recipe”, he said, “but we were presented with five ingredients and let loose for forty minutes. I had never heard of a Panama Passionfruit before but there it was sitting in the bag so we just decided to give it a go and we managed to make good use of it in the end”.
After 40 minutes it was time to plate up and CPO Barker’s team presented the judges with “A Taste of Mystery” - chicken chilli pasta, chicken wraps with tamarillo sauce and rockmelon and passionfruit cream.
Captain King and his fellow judges then had the task of sampling the 3 menus. Captain King said he was very impressed “"It just goes to show how a bit of enthusiasm and some fresh ingredients can create some great healthy meals".
While the tamarillo sauce may not have received the Michelin star he was hoping for CPO Barker wasn’t fazed “I think the greatest enjoyment came from the crowd, their eagerness to see what we were coming up with and the banter that went back and forwards between the teams and the spectators made it a great occasion”.
 Able Seaman Jessica Swift of HMAS Albatross (L) shows Illawarra sporting icon, professional boxer Shannon "The Bulli Blaster" (R) how to remove the core from a pineapple. |
 Captain Stefan King, RAN (Commanding Officer HMAS Albatross) samples food prepared for him and fellow food judge Ms Christine Took. |
 Able Seaman Rachael Lambert and Mrs Yvonne McLane busily prepare their meals whilst food judge, Captain Stefan King, RAN (Commanding Officer HMAS Ablatross) looks on. |
