Cooking Galah is an art in itself and once you have mastered this recipe you can cook and eat anything

To cook the Galah first pluck and clean the bird and soak in salt water for an hour or two
Then place the Galah in a HOT camp oven on a piece of green iron bark wood
Stand the camp oven on a good bed of coals and fully cover the lid with coals
From time to time add fresh coals both under and on the lid to ensure continued high heat
Cook the Galah until the ironbark is soft and then throw the Galah away and eat the ironbark very nourishing and extremly tasty

Cheers and enjoy
Furphy

Hi Furphy. Good old story, but in truth the pink galah does in fact make for very good eating.
Back in the mid 70's my late father in law brought 4 other mates up to nsw and the 6 of us went out to Menindee for a weeks fishing. Camped on one of the regulators which was releasing plenty of water the yellowbelly were coming thick and fast. After a couple of days eating fish, Rod, (my FIL) reckoned we should knock off a few pinkies for the camp oven.
Now Rod, who's 3 main things in life (at that stage) was shooting, fishing and beer, knew a thing or two about pinkies so he said to me we need 18 (2 each) for a feed so get your gun and we will find some. 
We knew that upriver from Menindee are extensive nardoo areas which pinkies love. Not too long to get 18 birds (and how you shoot 18 galahs without moving from the spot has to remain an old bushies secret)
Back to camp, pluck and dress the birds  (the gut is terrific bait) then Rod made up a stuffing of bread and onions, the 18 pinkies (nicely browned) just neatly fitting (neck down) into the CO. Plenty of red wine/port, a couple off chopped up carrots and then a very slow cook on low heat.
About 1/2 an hour before he reckoned they were done he showed me another good cooking trick. He made up some smallish balls of flour and butter with salt and pepper which he tossed in and stirred (there was a bit of room by then) This made a rich sauce to pour over the birds which were falling from the bone. Absolutely delicious.
That was a great week we had there, it was only a couple of years after that Rod became ill, then battled for a couple more years before he passed away. He would have enjoyed me repeating this yarn.
mikel

Hi Mike
Yeah I am aware that the much rubbished pinkie makes a satisfying and tasty feed when cooked correctlyand I have assisted more than once in preparing and eating said birds.
Much of my early life after leaving school was working in droving plants in the far south west of qld where I learnt to cook in camp ovens.
The bloke I worked for had a huge collection of ovens and I can clearly remember cooking meals in ovens up to 3' in dia but have no idea what company made them at the time "It never really came up for discussion" but I have to tell you that more than one comment was passed regarding the contents.

During this period I was taught to dry corn meat which was totally nessacary to keep food after a fresh kill when we would eat fresh chops or steak for the 1st day and then it was a constant job trying to think of a new way of serving Corned meat in a different way at each meal, strange but corned mutton is still one of my favorite meals.

When done correctly and looked after, dry cured or corned meat can last for ages and I can remember eating corned mutton eleven weeks after being corned and it was just as good . Makes a mockery of the use by labels on food today doesnt it.  The old fellas back then would laugh at those labels and living rough as they had to back then would have been impossible.

I can remember hanging spuds and pumpkin etc in an onion bag under the hot bore head at Hebel in the west for 20min while we cleaned up in the pool and it was a real earth lined pool that the bore filled and when we collected the vegies after our clean up they were completly cooked.

Sadly in most areas this can no longer happen as the bores are being turned off. although when heading west from Goondiwindi and you turn left near the Wengallon store you can still find an active bore about 2 kms down and about 200m on the right still make a cup of tea directly from the bore head but be warned only use about 4 tea leaves Yep (4) as it makes your tea as black as the ace of spades.

During my time in the west I passed through this area many times moving cattle and sheep between Goondiwindi -St George - Dirrenbandi - Hebel and into the south western corner of the state and I can remember a family who camped permanatly on the river bank at Nindigully and did bore delving (This was the dragging of a vee shaped plow along the miles of bore drains to clean them out ) but this family was still using horse teams to do the job and the house or caravans were huge covered wagons and they were kept in top condition by the family who I knew very well at the time. some of my greatest memories are of seeing 12 draught horses each side of the drain pulling this massive plow for miles and the bloke who owned them not having to say a word to them they knew their job thaat well.

I am starting to ramble a bit but your yarn just got me going (Sorry)
Will catch up later
Cheers Furphy






 

Hey Mike
Sounds like you've been around a bit and surviving as a bait layer is a real achievement  seriuosly though they were great times but I have to say I dont miss them too much getting to old and soft nowadays and prefer my creature comforts.

As a matter of interest you can still get quikurit in most western stores but under a different brand name and I still buy it for home where I still do my own corning using the shortcut method 3 tablespoons coarse salt 1 tablespon quikurit and 1 tablespoon sugar then boil for an hour and empty and refill with fresh water and cook.

Most of my week is still spent in the west as part of my job as I am required to travel all over qld including Normanton - Croydon - Tablelands - Mt Isa and all other areas but stay in motels nowadays and I have to say that it is great to get back home.

My work vehicle is a Holden Crewman fitted out with an auxilary battery and 12 volt fridge and all the goodies yeah I know bloody spoilt when looking back to the old days laying on the ground in a swag made from an old shearers bed tick a few blankets and wrapped in a piece of tarp.  I still shiver remembering waking up in the old days nice and warm on the side facing the fire and the tarp on the side away from the fire covered in frost and having to climb out of bed to walk after the horses that were a real mongrel to catch even though they were hobbled. Mongrels were never keen to be caught and made to work.

I was just thinking this post has really deviated away from Galah cooking has'nt it there you go you got me going again bad influence on me you are.
Look forward to catching up
Cheers Furphy

Hi Lk
Happy to share a few yarns about the old days just an old bloke thinking about being young again and I am sure that Mike will have as many good stories about his life.
I am amazed that a bit of a joke about cooking parrots has taken off in the direction it has I guess its all about people recognising a little of themselves in others.
I am finding it enjoyable yarning with both you and Mike and not to forget Poddydodger and camperbear who has been on as well.

Cheers Furphy