Market Platter

July 8, 2006

During a recent holiday break I managed to sustain a back injury which left me limping around in pain like an old chook while I waited for the drugs and traction to kick in with some relief.

After three weeks I was beginning to feel almost normal and decided it was time to address the empty compartments in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry.

The Spouse was happy to take charge of my granny trolley, as long as I didn’t dawdle (and cut into his Saturday sports TV watching, no doubt). I have to say I was impressed how quickly he’d accomplished his solo trip to the market the previous week. Clearly I waste a lot of time talking to the providores, picking over the produce, comparing prices, seeking culinary inspiration.

The South Melbourne Market has been undergoing a considerable upgrade in recent months and it’s really starting to look very impressive as traders have better facilities to display their wares. The delicatessens were all doing a busy trade on Saturday when we arrived but I managed to get a place in the queue while The Spouse stood behind me choosing his lunch menu – “get some olives”, “I love dolmades”, “look at those mushrooms”, “I wonder what the stuffed figs taste like” and so on, as the patient woman behind the counter started stacking up the containers.

Our purchase (clockwise from top left): Turkish bread, olives, falafels, stuffed vine leaves, roasted artichokes, stuffed baby peppers, mascarpone-stuffed figs, a small round of goat's cheese and some marinated mushrooms.

With a tempting array of bread on top of the counter as well, we were spoiled for choice. Some Turkish rolls cooked in a wood-fired oven completed the order, probably much to the relief of my helper on the other side of the counter. She was still cheerful as she gave the standard Aussie “No worries” response to my apologetic thanks.

Murray River salt flakes have been on my mental shopping list for a while and I’d previously noticed them at another deli stall, so I bought them in between buying the meaty chunks of veal shin for osso buco from one butcher and my usual two kilos of organic chicken breasts from the favourite poultry shop.

Moving on, we filled the remaining gap in the trolley with grapes, mandarins, apples, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, (“Come on, hurry up!”) leeks, fresh coriander, red peppers, mushrooms, radishes – all the things we’d run out of.

My trolley boy signed off from duty before the putting away but was quick to relinquish the TV remote control collection once lunch was put out.

We even had leftovers. I cancelled the roast pork I’d planned for that evening and turned some of my market vegetables into a hearty soup.

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