OTAGO FARMERS MARKET

May 18, 2012 Alison Lambert

Good Morning - what can i say except that it is cold - very cold! But hey i have fantastic food to cook and that's all that matters!
Edmonds fresh fish will be there with tubs of fresh fish - i will be cooking portion sized flounders, scattered with fresh chilli, garlic slivers and a squeeze of lemon, placed under the grill until the skin is bubbly, golden and delicious. I will also be using organic broccoli from Bydone and teaming it up with pasta from Pasta Doro and once again a little chilli. I will be making silverbeet pie which is a fantastic way to use greens whether they be silverbeet (chard), spinach, kale or cavolo nero, if you don't have Parmesan simply use cheddar cheese or something to your liking and finally i will have a wonderful selection of apples from Harwarden orchard which i will be grilling with a little honey, butter and lemon.

SILVER BEET PIE

Rustic country pie made with plenty of hearty winter greens makes for a perfect lunch or dinner.

Serves 8

Filling

1kg silverbeet, kale, spinach, cavalo nero

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 leek, washed well and cut thinly

1 onion, sliced thinly

3 rashers smoked bacon (optional) finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, made into a paste

1 tsp fresh rosemary or thyme leaves, finely chopped

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp chilli flakes

3 eggs

½ cup parmesan, pecorino or vintage cheddar grated

Crust

1 cup breadcrumbs, fresh or dried

3 Tbsp olive oil

½ cup grated parmesan, or pecorino cheese

Cracked pepper

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

Meanwhile, remove the stalks from the silver beet and from any other large greens you may be using. When the water is boiling add the stalks first and cook for 2 minutes then add the leaves, cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Drain well and cool on a tray lined with a clean cloth (this will soak up any excess moisture and cool the greens without losing any excess flavour).

Preheat the oven 180C

In a large fry pan heat the oil and add the bacon, cook over moderate heat for 2-4 minutes or until the bacon has started to colour. Add the onions, leeks and rosemary and cook until soft (5-8 minutes). Remove any excess water from the greens and chop roughly, add them to the pan along with the garlic, chilli flakes, nutmeg and seasoning. Cook for a further minute or two allowing the flavours to mingle, remove from the heat and place in a bowl to cool.

Meanwhile brush a deep pie dish or cake tin with 2 tablespoons of oil and scatter enough breadcrumbs to coat the dish well.

Add the eggs, half the grated cheese, half the breadcrumbs and mix well to combine. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Pour the mix into the prepared pie dish and spread out with the back of a spoon.

Mix together the remaining half cup of breadcrumbs, half cup of grated cheese and tablespoon of olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Sprinkle this crumb mixture over your pie and bake until set and lightly browned, about 45 minutes. (If the top begins to get too brown simply cover with foil.)
Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Pasta doro stand at the farmers market

PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND CHILLI

400 g slaters, penne, orecchiette pasta

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped finely or a pinch dried red chilli flakes

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

olive oil, for frying

grated parmesan, to serve

Method

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the broccoli and cook for 1-2 minutes or until it is tender to the bite. Remove carefully from the water and drain.

Add the pasta and cook until tender (read cooking instructions on packet). Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water (this will be used in the sauce).

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan, then add the chilli and garlic and cook for 1 minute over a gentle heat.

Add the broccoli and drained pasta and toss well until heated through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the pasta water and add a generous handful of the freshly grated parmesan cheese. Toss to combine.

Serve with more grated parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.

WHOLE GRILLED FLOUNDER OR SOLE

1 portion

1 whole fresh flounder or sole

1 chilli, de-seeded (optional) cut thinly

1 clove garlic, sliced thinly

1 lemon

2 sprigs fresh thyme, parsley or coriander

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Good quality oil

Method

Preheat the grill on your oven to hot and place the oven rack about two down (allowing enough room to fit fish).

Wash the fish under cold water and pat dry. Using a sharp knife on the dark coloured skin slash the skin 2-3 times across the fish and then cut another 2-3 times in the other direction.

Lightly drizzle enough oil to coat both sides of the fish. Place the fish cut side up on a baking tray. Sprinkle with a little chopped chilli, garlic slivers, and a little of the chopped herbs. Season well with salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and place under the hot grill until the skin begins to bubble and the flesh turns from an opaque white to a solid white (about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish).

Remove from the oven, using a fish slice carefully transfer the whole fish to your serving plate and drizzle over any juices. Serve with more fresh lemon and crunchy salad.

GRILLED APPLES

2 servings

2 dessert apples, Balaraic or peasgood nun such (fantastic cooking)

Juice of ½ lemon

30 g butter, melted

1 Tbsp runny honey

Method

Preheat the grill on your oven to hot

Halve the apples and remove the stalk and core. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and brush with melted butter. Place on a baking tray flat side down and pop under your preheated grill (about 10cm away from the element) until the apples begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Turn them over and brush with a little more butter and lemon juice and grill until the apples start to colour. Pour the honey into the hollows where the cores were, and return to the grill. When the honey bubbles, and the apples are tender to the point of a knife, they are done.

Best eaten with cream or ice cream!

Alison would like to thank the following vendors for their fantastic produce

PASTA DORO – pasta

EDMONDS FRESH FISH – fish

HARWARDEN ORGANICS – apples

KAKANUI PRODUCE – chillies

BRYDONE ORGANICS – broccoli

ETTRICK GARDENS – silverbeet

JUDGE ROCK WINES – wine

LEVITIO BAKERY – bread