BEET & BERRY KEFIR COCKTAIL
SERVES 1 / PREPARATION 5 MINUTES
The Wild Fermentary Beet & Berry Kefir Soda has such an interesting depth of flavour – tart, a little sweet and earthy – not to mention a stunning colour, so it is the perfect choice for a party drink, either alone or made into a cocktail. You could simply pour straight over some berry ice and garnish with mint, but here I’ve gone all out to highlight those wow flavours.
30ml gin or non-alcoholic gin
15ml Cointreau or orange juice
1 teaspoon beetroot syrup or to taste (see recipe) Wild Fermentary Beet & Berry Kefir Soda
Half fill a glass with ice and pour over the gin, Cointreau or orange juice, beetroot syrup and top up with beet and berry kefir soda. Garnish with berry ice and beetroot circles. NOTE: To make berry ice, pour cooled, boiled water over a tray of frozen berries (I used raspberries). Freeze for 6 hours before breaking into pieces. Keep frozen in a container in the fridge.
MAKE YOUR FESTIVE SEASON DELICIOUS WITH SIMPLE IDEAS FOR ENTERTAINING USING AOTEAROA'S LEADING ARTISAN PRODUCTS.
Cut the pastry into two and roll each out to a long rectangle about 12cm x 36cm. Slice open the skin of each sausage lengthwise and remove the filling keeping the sausage shape. Lay three sausages down the centre of each pastry rectangle, end to end. Whisk the egg and brush the far edge of the pastry, then fold one side of the pastry over, wrapping the filling inside, with the join on the bottom. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Heat the oven to 180℃ fan bake. Cut the long rolls into 3cm pieces and place on a baking tray. Brush with the rest of the egg wash and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden.
CHEESY KIMCHI PIES
MAKES 24 / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES / COOKING 15 MINUTES
Wild Delicious Matakana Kimchi is wild fermented and has a fresh, tangy appeal that works well in traditional recipes or as an addition to so many other dishes. I love it with poached eggs in the morning or stirred though lunch salads and bowls, and it really lifts a sofrito when making a soup or casserole.
1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
½ cup Wild Delicious Matakana Kimchi, chopped
½ cup frozen corn
50g cheddar cheese, grated
50g mozzarella, grated spray oil
500g flaky pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (I used a mix of black and white)
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic and spring onions and cook for a few minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the kimchi, corn and cheeses and mix well.
Spray a 24 hole (or 2 x 12 hole) mini muffin tray really well with oil. Roll the pastry thinly (about 3mm thick) and use a 6cm cookie cutter to cut out 24 pastry circles. Use to line each hole of the muffin tray pressing the pastry into the bottom and up the sides. Fill with a heaped teaspoon of filling, packing it in firmly. Use a 4cm cookie cutter to cut 24 pastry circles for the tops of the pies. Top each pie, pressing well around the edges. Brush the tops with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 15 minutes at 180℃ fan bake until golden and puffy. Remove as soon as you can from the tray and put onto a wire rack. Serve immediately or reheat in the oven at 180℃ for 5 minutes.
SPICED CAULIFLOWER & KŪMARA PIES
MAKES 32 / PREPARATION 25 MINUTES PLUS RESTING TIME / COOKING 30 MINUTES
Mixed Roots Nice Spice is a user-friendly blend of all those spices you don’t have in your pantry, mixed in perfect balance and fresh tasting. Use it any time that you want to add a full depth of spice flavour. Here I have used it to flavour a simple samosa filling. Serve with a chutney or raita on the side.
I have used a dairy-free pastry, but you could use filo pastry wrapped around the filling in a triangle shape, or even a flaky pastry, cut in squares and folded over.
300g / 2 cups wholemeal flour 125g / 1 cup plain flour or half plain flour
and half chickpea flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons neutral oil, plus extra to brush 500g / 2 medium kūmara,
peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
400g / ½ small cauliflower, chopped 2 tablespoons Mixed Roots Nice Spice blend 1 cup peas
Sift the flours into a bowl with the baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt. Add ½ cup warm water and 3 tablespoons of the oil and knead together to a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Put the kūmara in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to just simmering then cook for about 5 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion, cauliflower and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 10 minutes, covered, add the spice mix and cook for a few seconds then add the kūmara, heating through and crushing with a fork as you mix to break up the kūmara pieces a bit. Finally, stir through the peas. Set aside to cool before filling the pies.
Heat the oven to 180℃ fan-bake.
Knead the dough again and divide into 16 balls. Roll out each ball into a thin circle about 15cm in diameter and cut into two halves.
Take one half and connect two opposite ends. Add the filling and close the opening, pressing with a fork to seal well. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Place each samosa on a lined or greased baking tray and brush or spray with oil and bake for 15 minutes until golden.
WE THINK OUR 12 FINALISTS ARE JUST PERFECT, ADDING A UNIQUE AND SPECIAL FLOURISH HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO SERVE THEM.
SPANISH TORTILLA WITH CHORIZO SERVES 6 OR MAKES 24 BITE-SIZED PIECES / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES / COOKING 45 MINUTES
Poaka Chorizo tastes so authentic you might swear it’s been imported from Spain, only it’s better. This beautifully handcrafted, fermented chorizo salami begins with happy pigs living among the orchards, chowing on acorns and chestnuts. It’s perfect served with crusty bread on a platter, or the flavour is amazing in peasant-style Spanish stews. This time I have paired it with a traditional potato tortilla: serve in wedges for lunch with some leafy greens, or cut into bite-sized pieces topped with a slice of chorizo for a party or pre-dinner tapas. You do need a non-stick frying pan: a well-seasoned steel pan is perfect, but if you are nervous, you can cut a piece of baking paper to fit the bottom of the pan.
700g bite-sized medley potatoes or other waxy potatoes 5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1½ teaspoons salt
6 large or 8 small eggs
160g Poaka Chorizo slices
Cut the potatoes into ½cm slices.
Heat most of the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and add the potatoes, onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to coat everything in oil, turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir well then cook for a further 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. You need the heat to be low enough that you don’t end up frying the potatoes. When tender, drain off any oil into a bowl and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and remaining ½ teaspoon salt together in a large bowl then tip in the potatoes and onions and mix well.
Wipe the frying pan, add back enough of the oil to coat the bottom of the pan (plus extra if you need it), and heat over a medium-high heat. Pour in the potato mix and arrange to make an even tortilla. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, pressing down. Remove from the heat, run a spatula around the sides and bottom to loosen then flip the tortilla onto a plate. Wipe the pan again if needed and heat a little more oil then add the tortilla back into the pan and cook a further 5 minutes until it feels set in the middle. Rest for at least 10 minutes before turning out and cutting. Arrange slices of chorizo on the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
SMOKED HONEYCOMB WITH SEA SALT & ROSEMARY CRACKERS & CHEESE
MAKES 12 LARGE CRACKERS / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES PLUS SOAKING TIME / COOKING 25 MINUTES
Mānuka-smoked Honeycomb from Honey by the Sea will create a real wow factor on your cheeseboard. The smoky honey pairs very well with hard, sweet and nutty cheeses or milder soft cheeses such as havarti or even soft blues. I have served it with the Mercer Vintage Waikato, a rich, sweet gouda-style cheese, and a crunchy cracker that shows off the organic quality of sea salt from The Taipa Salt Pig. 1 tablespoon linseeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
250g wholemeal flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon very finely chopped rosemary 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
5-6 tablespoons milk or plant milk
The Taipa Salt Pig Natural Sea Salt
Honey by the Sea Mānuka-smoked Honeycomb, to serve Mercer Vintage Waikato cheese, to serve
Put the linseeds and sunflower seeds in a small bowl and pour over ¼ cup warm water to cover. Set aside for at least 1 hour. Put the seeds in a small food processor and blend to a paste. Heat the oven to 170℃.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl with the baking powder then add the seeds, rosemary, oil and milk. Mix to a soft dough, adding a little extra milk if needed. Roll the dough between two large pieces of baking paper, to a thin rectangle about 40cm x 28cm. Sprinkle with sea salt and use the rolling pin to press it into the dough. Transfer to a baking tray and peel off the top layer of paper. Score the dough into large cracker shapes. Bake for 25 minutes until golden, turning the tray halfway through cooking. Cool on a rack then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Serve with Honey by the Sea Mānuka-smoked Honeycomb and Mercer Vintage Waikato cheese.
PLUM & DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE SERVES 6-8 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES PLUS COOLING AND SETTING TIME
Augustines of Central has captured the perfection of Black Doris plums; poached in pinot noir syrup, they make an elegant dessert paired with a spoon of something creamy. However, here I have served them with a rich plant-based dark chocolate mousse topped with a crumble of Little Bird Organics Good Cookie Double Chocolate cookie which adds nutty flavour and texture. These cookies are delicious with the added bonus of being packed with whole ingredients. Choose a dairy-free chocolate and the dessert is perfect for those on plant-based diets (the pinot noir is vegan, too).
200g dark chocolate
2 cups avocado flesh (about 2 large avocados) 100ml pinot noir syrup, from the jar of plums 100ml coconut milk
6-8 Augustines of Central Black Doris Plums in Pinot Noir 2 Little Bird Organics Good Cookie Double Chocolate cookies small herb leaves, to garnish
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water then set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Put the avocado and chocolate in a food processor and blend while pouring in the pinot noir syrup and coconut milk. Divide between 6-8 serving dishes and refrigerate to set. Bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Chop the cookie roughly and scatter over the mousses then top with a plum and garnish with a few little herb leaves if liked. ■