The Australian Women\'s Weekly - June 2018

Health and happiness

from the world’s problems is waiting

for him.

“I love getting into the veggie

garden and Mum’s always got about

ive cubic metres of mulch waiting for

me to spread around!” he smiles.

When Sandro’s parents, Lynn and

Pietro, purchased the property two

decades ago, it was rolling paddocks

and scrub. Today the property is a

lush green feast for the senses. To the

south, Lynn’s native garden is a haven

for birds and wildlife; to the north

is Pietro’s abundant orchard, trees

dripping with peaches, nectarines,

plums, igs, grapes, persimmons,

tomatoes and vegetables of every

kind. Before us, stretching to the

horizon, is a vista of grape vines, the

fruits of which will be drunk over

lunch today. Everything on the table

has been grown before our eyes.

“I was lucky to spend time in the

kitchen with Mum and Dad at an

early age, so I associate cooking and

food with love and happiness. This is

handed down through generations,”

Sandro says,

with a nod

to his Italian

grandparents

who arrived in

Australia illiterate

and had to grow

their own food

to survive.

“The mental

and physical

health beneits of

getting out into

the garden are

well known. ➝

Below: Sandro’s dad, Pietro, harvesting

plums. Bottom, left: The Demaio family

• Lynn, Mae, Pietro, Sandro – and Sandro’s
  longtime best friends, Daniel and Juliette.

4 zucchini

juice of 2 lemons

generous splash of olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

½ cup (80g) pine nuts, toasted

handful of mint, chopped

handful of currants

100g Danish feta, crumbled

This salad makes a deliciously
simple summer meal alongside
grilled fish, chicken or pork and
some crusty bread.
Using a vegetable peeler, cut the
zucchini into long thin ribbons and
place in a large bowl. Add the
lemon juice and olive oil and
season well
with salt and pepper. Gently
toss to combine and coat evenly,
then cover
and marinate at room
temperature for 30 minutes.
Drain the zucchini and arrange on
a serving dish. Top with the pine
nuts, mint, currants and crumbled
feta, and serve.

RECIPE

Zucchini salad

SERVES 4 PREPARATION TIME: 15

MINUTES, PLUS MARINATING TIME