Good Morning, the forecast is fantastic today - no gas blowing out, no food blowing away just sunshine and lots of irresistible food.  Corn is in its prime and apart from eating it on the cob it can be added to salads, salsas, fritters, soup, and pasta and noodle dishes.  Children seem to love it, so i highly recommend making the most of this relatively short season.  Pasta doro pasta is celebrating St. Patricks day with green pasta for sale.  Swedes, turnips and pumpkins are back on the menu which is good timing as the weather is getting cooler and meals will be taking on a different angle.  Slower cooking is creeping back, stodgy comforting accompaniment's like potatoes, pumpkins and swedes start to bulk out our meals.  However we still have the last of the tomatoes, stone fruit and berries available.  As i have mentioned before it is the perfect time to bulk up on your preserves so you can relax over winter.

help yourself - stone fruit fresh from the orchard

Make the most of the sunshine, fantastic food and have a great weekend!!

SWEETCORN SOUP

This is a simple and fresh variation on the traditional chicken and corn soup. Using fresh, sweet and crunchy corn is a delightful addition


Serves 4


4 cobs of corn, husks and silk removed
2 litres homemade chicken stock (stock cubes are okay)
2 Tbsp oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely sliced or grated
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fish sauce
1 ½ tsp light soy sauce
Pinch of sugar
2 free range eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp finely chopped spring onions or snipped chives
Pinch of fresh chilli, finely chopped (optional)


Method
Firstly run a fork down the corn kernels to split the skins, then run a sharp knife down the cob to remove the kernels. You should end up with around 3 cups of corn kernels.


Heat the oil in a medium size pot over a medium heat, add the onion, garlic, ginger and salt for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, corn and the cobs (they will be discarded later) and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes. You may need to remove any scum that has risen to the top this will keep your stock clear. Remove the corn cobs and discard, adjust seasoning and now add the soy sauce and beaten egg. I do this in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a fork. As soon as you see the egg forming fine ribbons remove from the heat.


Serve in warm bowls sprinkled with spring onions and a pinch of chilli if desired.


SWEDE AND BACON


Swedes, neeps or rutabaga as they are sometimes known are back on the menu. They add volume, texture and a calm, mellow flavour to any dish. You can add them to your roast veges, mash them on their own or team them up with carrots, pumpkin, potatoes and leeks.


1 swede
4 rashers bacon, diced
40 g butter
Salt and pepper


Method
Peel the swede and cut into smallish cubes. Cover with salted water and bring to the boil, then simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and toss gently to roughen up the edges.


Heat half of the butter and fry the chopped bacon until it begins to crisp. Return the swedes to the pan and fry the swede in the bacon and any fat that has occurred until you get crispy, golden swede. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and serve immediately (great with a fried egg).


ROAST SWEDE

Nigel from Brydon Organics

1 whole fresh swede, peeled and roughly chopped 
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Thyme sprigs
Olive oil


Method
Preheat the oven to 200C


Place a baking tray to heat up in the oven whilst you prepare the swede,
Place the swede in a bowl with the thyme, seasoning, squeeze of lemon juice and enough oil to coat them well. Toss well to coat.


Place the swede and all the contents from the bowl onto the hot baking tray and roast for 10 minutes and then turn and continue cooking until the swede is crispy, golden and tender. Enjoy!


WAITAKI BACON AND EGG CARBONARA
Serves 4


100g bacon ends, or streaky bacon cut into 1 cm pieces
50g parmesan or pecorino cheese, grated
3 free range eggs
350g Pasta d’oro pappardelle, linguine or spaghetti
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
50g unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper


Method
Put a large saucepan of heavily salted water on to boil.


Firstly get together all your ingredients such as the cut bacon ends, grated parmesan, lightly beat together your eggs in a bowl and set aside.


In a heavy based fry pan add the butter and dash of olive oil, add the bacon. Cook over a moderate heat so the fat renders out a little and it starts to colour. Squash the garlic and add it to the bacon. Continue cooking until the bacon has gone golden and crisp. Remove the garlic as it has done its job of imparting flavour.


Cook your pasta as directed on the packet. I am using fresh pasta which is very quick to cook (2-4 minutes). Ensure the water is constantly boiling. When your pasta is cooked you can either drag it across from the pot to the fry pan with a long pair of tongs or you can drain in through a colander, but make sure you collect a little of the cooking liquor as this is vital to your dish.


Mix most of the cheese with the eggs (reserving a little cheese for serving), remove the fry pan from the heat and now quickly pour in the egg mixture. Using tongs lift up the pasta through the mixture so it evenly coats all the threads of pasta and thickens as you do so. Add a few tablespoons of the cooking water to loosen the mixture. You want it moist but not wet. Adjust the seasoning and serve with freshly grated cheese.


STICKY SPONGE WITH NECTARINES
This is the perfect dessert for our enclosing colder nights. The nectarines can be substituted with any stone fruit and it works equally well with apples and pears.


For the sponge
55gunsalted butter
55g caster sugar
55g self-raising flour
1 free-range egg


For the nectarines
30g unsalted butter
30g caster sugar
30g brown sugar
3 nectarines, cut into slices
1 lemon, zest only
icing sugar, to serve


Method
Preheat the oven to 220C.


To make the sponge, cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor.
Add the flour and egg and blend together.
To make the nectarines, heat the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together in a medium non-stick frying pan until a caramel has formed.
Add the nectarine slices with the lemon zest and heat for a few minutes.
Pour the nectarines into a suitable size oven dish and pour the sponge mixture on top of the nectarines and transfer to the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sponge is golden and springy to the touch, it is wonderful served warm with cream of any description or good quality vanilla ice cream.

EDMONDS FRESH FISH based in Green Island

ALISON WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING VENDORS

WAITAKI BACON AND HAM – streaky bacon
ROSEDALE ORCHARDS – fresh corn on the cob
BRYDONE ORGANICS – swedes
JANE FIELD PAEONIES AND HYDROPONICS – fresh herbs
HARWARDEN ORGANICS – nectarines
JUDGE ROCK WINES - wine