Asparagus and lemon sformatini
If you haven’t yet had the delight of experiencing the Italian sformatini then allow me to guide you. It is basically a set souffle with a light, dreamy texture and the beauty is that you can adapt the recipe with all varieties of seasonal vegetables and
75g butter, plus extra for greasing 8 spears fresh asparagus, cut into thin rounds
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
50g flour
2 cups full fat milk
1 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 lemon, zest salt and cracked pepper grated nutmeg
4 egg yolks
50g freshly grated parmesan, pecorino or aged cheddar
Method
Heat the oven to 180degC. Grease the inside of four ramekins well with butter and set aside.
In a mediumsized saucepan, melt the butter, add the asparagus, garlic and shallots and cook over moderate heat for 4 minutes.
Add the flour and mix well to combine. Cook for a further minute.
Gradually add the milk, stirring as you go so you avoid any lumps. You will end up with a thick, creamylooking sauce. Remove from the heat.
Add the chives, zest, nutmeg and season well, stir to combine.
Add the egg yolks and cheese and mix well.
Pour into the greased ramekins twothirds full.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. They will rise and colour slightly.
Remove and cool for 20 minutes. During this time they will deflate a little and by allowing them to cool they will easily turn out of the ramekins.
To serve
Run a knife around the rim of the sformatini and turn out on to plates.
Dress with crisp green salad with lemon and olive oil and serve.
It still gives me goose bumps to think about it.
And so our Wanaka adventure began. In 2000, four years after Ted first bought the land, he designed a tiny cabin that gave us a home base.
Every holiday, we’d jump on a plane and make the journey south. Summers were all about the lake — sailing, swimming, fishing and picnicking. We’d often make expeditions up into the wilderness to places with names like Siberia or Paradise, or don our packs and take on one of New Zealand’s famous Great Walks. These adventures were often exhausting, but always ended with a sense of accomplishment once we were safely back to the comforts of the cabin. Sometimes we’d head over to the West Coast to fish for crayfish and cod in the wild sea, explore the huge rivers and walk in the rainforest.
Ted had a big idea about farming the high country and creating lifestylefarm experiences that city families could enjoy and afford. He was always ahead of his time. We became partners in two 10,000acre farms: one near Wanaka, and one more remotely on the shores of Lake Benmore in Canterbury. The Benmore farm was a fantastic place in the summer. It was so wild and isolated. There was no cellphone coverage, no electricity and very little in the way of home comforts, but everyone loved being there.
There was a great feeling of freedom that came with being so far off the beaten track and away from the trappings of daily life ...
In 2014, Ted moved a barn that we’d built in the early 2000s down next to the Wanaka cabin and converted it into a studio, so that we could shoot season three of The Free Range Cook: Through the seasons. It was such a lovely space. Within a year, he and I decided to move down to live in Wanaka fulltime. Both the kids had left home and were at university in Melbourne, so we didn’t need to stay in the city.
We started here from nothing — a blank canvas and a dream. Every day I climb the hill to the vegetable garden that is located, somewhat inconveniently, a good 300m up the hill, and I find something to pick for our lunch. In the autumn, I squirrel the season’s harvests into jars of preserves that will carry us through the winter. People often say, ‘‘Oh, it’s so much work. Why would you bother?’’ But I love the rhythm of my life here, the simplicity and honesty of it. In the words of Leonardo da Vinci, ‘‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.’’
When I want to think about dinner, I wander up to the garden again and see what’s ready to harvest. I can’t believe the pleasure that growing my own food provides. Sure, it’s hard work, but otherwise I’d be buying a gym membership. This way, I get fit and at the same time feed myself with fresh, nutrientdense, sprayfree food. It feels honest and real.
Bella also includes some of the recipes that have resonated most strongly with her over the years from her famous chocolate cake to her bacon and egg pie.