ANNABEL LANGBEIN
Ground work
Last year I was invited by the US State Department to join its Culinary Diplomacy Programme. The process involved some serious vetting, but once the green light came through I found myself hosting talented American chef William Dissen here. Together we presented a series of cooking workshops and demonstrations around New Zealand, with a focus on sustainability and our shared farm- totable philosophies.
We cooked wild paua from the West Coast, fresh truffles from Waipara, scampi from the deep waters off the East Coast, saffron from Central Otago, dried wild mushrooms from Nelson, heritage Berkshire pigs from the Wairarapa, beautiful Lot 8 oils from Martinborough and freshwater king salmon from Mt Cook. With these amazing ingredients at hand, we cooked up a storm. Our dishes ranged from the more traditional fare of Dissen’s home country in a menu of Carolina Barbecue Pork, Bread and Butter Pickles, Blue Cheese and Green Apple Coleslaw, and Jalapeno Biscuits ( like a super- rich buttery layered scone), to more contemporary global tastes with a focus on sustainable seafood, including grilled salmon with Mediterranean flavours, grilled scampi with Asian flavours and grilled paua with a charred broccoli salad, pine nuts, shaved parmesan and lemon aioli.
It was a complete privilege to work alongside this brilliant man and learn some of his food philosophy and skills.
It was a thrill to hear him buzzing about the quality of our produce and the passion of our growers and chefs. At our demonstrations at the polytech in Cromwell he was blown away by their sustainable and creative approach — for one of their sections the students have to create a full meal solely from foraged foods — wild greens, game, fish and harvests from the surrounding orchards, combined with pantry supplies. Hydroponic gardens supply greens and herbs for the students to use and a state- ofthe- art compost maker creates the fertiliser for the outside gardens.
Dissen told me that at the start of each growing season he goes to the farmers who supply his restaurant, with a list of the varieties of vegetables he would like them to grow, and gives them some seed money to buy good seeds. It’s not a lot, maybe a few hundred dollars, but it cements the relationship and his faith in them and ensures he gets the produce he needs for his menus. At the end of the day this is what it’s all about – farmers, growers, cooks and chefs working together with care and integrity, a sense of community and guardianship for the land.
With the 4th of July coming up, I’ve put together a menu of American- inspired dishes for you to enjoy ...