LOCAL HEROES

Martin Bosley takes a look at the local food scene in Taranaki.

Martin Bosley takes a look at the local food scene in Taranaki

Several years ago, I was in Tokyo demonstrating to a number of chefs the glory and beauty of New Zealand grass-fed beef. The chefs were comparing it unfavourably to Wagyu, the grain-fed cattle they were used to. Behind me was a large, cinematic poster of Mount Taranaki, its towering volcanic slopes surrounded by lush green pastures with the byline “our backyard”. I pointed to the poster and told the chefs that this was where the beef came from – that this was the water the cattle drank, the grass they were raised on and the clean air they breathed. All comparisons to Wagyu stopped – they were hooked on the flavour and the story.

Once known for its beef and dairy farming, surfing, wild beaches and mineral resources, Taranaki is now also known for a sustainability-focused food scene. Here, local producers are dedicated to growing the best possible produce, with infectious energy and enthusiasm.

Ōakura-based Roebuck Farm is a sustainable, small-scale working farm nestled on just half an acre of land in a protected valley. Owners Jodi Roebuck and Tanya Mercer grow vegetables, microgreens and mixed salads the way Jodi’s grandma used to, mixed up with a few modern innovations. The farm is interactive, with Jodi teaching independence and self-sufficiency through activities based on their agrarian and market garden production. roebuckfarm.com

South Taranaki is home to The New Zealand Quinoa Company. Hamish and Kate Dunlop started growing the South American ‘super grain’ after a couple of years of research and development. Farmed sustainably with minimal intervention, their quinoa cooks quickly and is light, easily digested and highly nutritious. It's versatile too: grains usually used for tabbouleh, couscous, stuffings, salads and risottos can all be interchanged. newzealandquinoa.co.nz

Founded by the Carey family in 2012, Green Meadows Beef farm is located south of Ōpunake, not far from the Green Meadows surf break. Protected by Mount Taranaki and the Taungatara Stream, it’s a bovine paradise – thanks to the cool climate, the cattle graze on abundant, nutrient-rich grass pasture, silage and hay. The result is high-quality, great-tasting, consistently tender and delicious beef. greenmeadowsbeef.co.nz

Juno is the ancient goddess of love and marriage. It’s also the name of Jo and Dave James’ gin. Partners in life as well as in business, they have fleshed out the traditional warming coriander and juniper flavours of gin with high-quality, locally sourced botanicals and water flowing from Mount Taranaki. For those who think that marinating beef in gin is a waste of good gin, consider the Negroni. This is quite possibly the world’s greatest aperitif; it’s one of the few that also works as a digestif, and its success relies on the quality of the gin. The recipe is a doddle – equal parts Campari, gin and sweet red vermouth, with an orange zest garnish over ice. junogin.com

LOCAL TARANAKI PRODUCERS ARE DEDICATED TO GROWING THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCE THEY CAN, WITH INFECTIOUS ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM.

GIN-CURED BEEF, QUINOA & PEA SHOOTS, TURNIP & RADISH CONFIT SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 30 MINUTES PLUS 12 HOURS MARINATING / COOKING 45 MINUTES

In theory, this recipe is simple enough, but you can see why it is often left to restaurants – once you have bought and cured your expensive piece of beef fillet, it isn’t easy to cut into wafer-thin slices without it looking like you took a chainsaw to it. You can avoid this either by briefly freezing the meat, wrapped in cling film, for about 30 minutes before slicing it, or taking it straight from the fridge, cutting slices the thickness of a one-dollar coin and then batting the meat out between two sheets of cling film.

300g beef fillet, trimmed

100ml Juno Gin

60g light muscovado sugar

60g sea salt

6 juniper berries

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

6 black peppercorns

5 sprigs rosemary

Place the beef into a deep container. Put the gin, sugar, salt and aromatics into a blender and blitz together. Cover the beef with the salt and sugar mixture. Tuck in the rosemary sprigs under the beef, cover the container and refrigerate for 12 hours, turning after 6 hours.

Remove the beef from the container and lightly brush off the curing mix with absorbent kitchen paper. Place the beef onto a sheet of cling film, roll into a tight sausage and place in the freezer for up to an hour. Remove and slice, batting any thicker slices between two sheets of cling film using a rolling pin. Peel off the cling film and place the meat in a single layer on a flat plate. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge.

CORIANDER OIL

Coriander is the second most commonly used botanical after juniper in the world of gin, although its contribution is usually nuanced. Try adding a few coriander sprigs along with a chunk of cucumber to your next gin and tonic.

50g coriander leaves and stalks 1 garlic clove, crushed 30ml olive oil

Place all the ingredients into a blender with a pinch of salt and blitz until the oil has emulsified.

QUINOA & PEA SHOOTS

The secret to great quinoa is to use twice as much water as there is quinoa.

1 cup quinoa 1 cup pea shoots

Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse under cold running water for 30 seconds or so. Drain well. Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the quinoa has absorbed all the water, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pot with its lid and leave to steam for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork and season with salt. Stir in the pea shoots while the quinoa is still warm.

TURNIP & RADISH CONFIT

This isn’t strictly a confit, but ‘boiled turnips’ doesn’t sound anywhere near as nice. Tokyo turnips have none of the sharp, bitter bite found in their larger cousins.

10 sprigs fresh thyme

6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 bay leaves

250ml virgin olive oil

300g Tokyo turnips, green tops attached 300g radishes

Heat the thyme, garlic, bay leaves and olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the turnips and radishes, and season with salt and pepper. Add enough water to barely cover the turnips and radishes, and simmer until they are tender – about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Halve the turnips if they're large.

To assemble, spoon the quinoa onto the plate, top with the sliced beef, turnips and radishes, and drizzle with some coriander oil.