EDITOR’S LETTER

Where would we be without the onion? Seriously scathing when raw, but oh-so beautiful when slowly sautéed, caramelised or roasted, onions are the basis from which so many great recipes begin. Every year when we start to create and curate our winter issue, we turn to a slower style of cooking: comforting pies and pasta, a slow-cooked stew or a ragu. What would happen, I wondered, if we tried to create that warm, winter comfort food without relying on so much meat?

It is the right thing to do, with so many people wanting to cut back a little on meat consumption. And yes, I know we sometimes have to work a bit harder to get the flavour profiles we crave without relying on meat as an ingredient. But as I flick through these pages, I’m incredibly proud of the work that we’ve done here. Ginny Grant’s nourishing pies are warming and seriously snackable, and Fiona Smith’s soups are filled with her clever umami flavour-bombs to pack a punch into each bowl. You’ll see that Tauranga chef Ian Harrison is an absolute genius at filling vege dishes with layers of flavour, and although Wairarapa chef Marc Weir may have stepped away from the professional kitchen, his rich and vibrant home-cooked winter dishes are a reminder of what fabulous cooking with simple ingredients is all about.

While Martin Bosley has been creating a pot pie that is chock-full of the flavours of the Wairarapa, I’ve been scouting this stunning region and braving the Remutaka Range to bring you some dazzling tastes of both Wellington and the Wairarapa, in case you are looking for travel inspiration. If, instead, you are staying in and close to home for the colder months, then perhaps a whisky is in order while you read Tash Mcgill’s suggestions for those with a truly curious palate. Or, perhaps snuggle up next to the fire with the Cuisine wine panel’s suggestions for some big beautiful reds.

But back to our produce-driven stars: I urge you to take a look at David Neville’s reinvention of steak and chips using four different vegetable options, and give his magnificent mushroom steak a whirl. You will thank him for it.

This is not, by any means, an issue created just for vegetarians or vegans. It’s for all of us who want to support a more sustainable eating style and still get our bang for buck on winter flavour. We’ve done the hard yards for you in this glorious issue, so you don’t have to think too much about it and can get into the kitchen and have a play. Much of it starts with the humble onion…