Happy Australia Day - January 26th

Australia Day is an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia, It commentates the day in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of the First Fleet of eleven convict ships from Great Britain and the first governor of New South Wales, arrived at Sydney Cove. The raising of the Union Jack there symbolized British occupation of the eastern half of the continent claimed by Captain James Cook on in 1770.

Some immigrants who prospered in Sydney, especially those who had been convicts or the sons of convicts, began marking the colony's beginnings with an anniversary dinner - 'an emancipist' festival. Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the emancipists' friend, made the thirtieth anniversary of the day in 1818 a public holiday, thirty guns counting out the years of British civilization, a tradition Macquarie's successors continued.

There have been significant protests from the Indigenous Australian community who view the day as a celebration of the destruction of Indigenous culture by British colonialism. There have been many proposals to change the date of Australia Day to other dates, but none have succeeded to date

One of the special celebratory dishes that the locals enjoy on this national holiday is Kangaroo Pie. Kangaroo meat was legalized for human consumption in South Australia in 1980, and in all other Australian states in 1993 availability, Although consumption in Australia is becoming more widespread., only 14.5% of Australians were reported in 2008 as eating kangaroo meat at least four times per year. Many Australian supermarkets now stock various cuts of kangaroo including fillets, steaks, minced (ground meat and 'kanga bangas' (kangaroo sausages). and it is is exported to over 55 countries worldwide, and has become very popular in Germany and France. Kangaroo Meat has a much stronger taste than beef and similar in taste to venison, Many locals prefer 'minced roo.' One of the more popular recipes for 'minced roo' is Kangaroo Pie. In the United States, kangaroo meat can be ordered from Marx Foods.com. PO Box 540 Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716 1-866-588-MARX (6279)

Enjoy this tasty down under treat specialty while viewing Kangaroo Jack (2003) about kangaroo that runs away with $50,000 of mob money.

Kangaroo Pie
Ingredients 1 lb Kangaroo meat, ground 1 large onion, chopped 1 cup beef stock 1 cup frozen peas 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1 pinch nutmeg Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste   2 TB flour water 1 frozen pie crust, thawed. 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 egg

Instructions   1.  Sauté the meat  onion in a frying pan until brown. Add the meat stock, peas, tomato sauce and seasonings. Stir and simmer for      10 minutes. Stir in blended flour and thicken mixture. Allow to cool. 2.  Put crust in pie pan. Spoon in the cold meat mixture into crust . Dampen edges of crust with water Top the pie with puff pastry,      pressing down gently to seal the edges together. 3.  Trim and pinch the edges, brush pastry top with lightly beaten egg and make a small slash in the centre of the pastry. Bake at 450º      F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350º F and bake a further 30 minutes.

Serves 2