Apart from the fact that its market day and the sun is shinning we also have thousands of visitors in our magnificent little city!

The produce at the market is still going strong and the variety is forever changing.  Greengages are here and apart from simply eating them as they are, they cook up exceptionally well, i will be making a little jam too spread on our freshly baked Lievito bread.  Cardrona Merino Lamb have created a new variety of sausage - cracked pepper and merlot (now we're talking)! Havoc bacon and ham have a special going on juicy ham steaks which are quick to cook and fit perfectly into this balmy weather as you can simply dress them up and eat with salad.  Carrots from Brydone organics are sweet and crunchy which makes them just right for teaming up with Ray Goddards broccoli.  Jane Field Hydroponics basil is massive at the moment and i suggest getting a few jars of pesto stored away.

Simon from Rosedale Orchards said they may have their first juicy cobs of corn and Te Mahanga have those sweet orange busfire pumpkins.

(And Simon my husband is on market duty - go and annoy him and ask him something really ridiculous! Make his day!)

 

QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS

Pickles are a fantastic way of adding a bit of zing to any dish and these onions will surely do that!

Serves 4

3/4 cup (180ml) white or cider vinegar

3 Tbsp sugar

4 black peppercorns

pinch of salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp freshly chopped dill

1 -2 fresh chillies

2 large red onions, peeled, and thinly sliced into rings

Method In a small, non-reactive saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, salt and seasonings and bring to the boil. Pierce the whole chilli a few times with a fork and add to the vinegar mixture.

Add the onion slices and lower the heat, then simmer gently for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer the onions and the liquid into a sterilised jar then refrigerate until ready to use. Storage: The onions will keep for several months, but I find they’re best the week they’re made.

 

BUSHFIRE PUMPKINS

These gorgeous little orange skinned pumpkins are one of my favourites. The skin is so tender that you can actually eat it.  The flesh is silky smooth and will adhere to most methods of cookery

BUSHFIRE PUMPKIN ROASTED WITH HERBS AND SPICES

Cut pumpkin into wedges, toss with salt, pepper, ground cumin and olive oil and roast at 200c for about 20 minutes, until tender. Scatter with chopped chilli and garlic, return to the oven for 5 minutes, rip over some fresh basil or coriander leaves and serve with toasted pumpkin seeds

 

CARDRONA MERINO LAMB – merlot and cracked pepper sausages

Well they have done it again and this time Cardrona Merino have created a sausage with not only their succulent lamb but with the addition of a little merlot and cracked pepper! This is taking sausages to a new level!

Try these sausages simply grilled on the BBQ with perhaps a fresh tomato, red onion and parsley salad.

Or take the flesh out of the skins and cook them like little meatballs and add some roughly chopped fresh tomatoes, a handful of spinach and some pasta.

How about a posh version of Toad-in-the-hole (yorkshire pudd mix with caramelised onions etc.

 

CARROT AND BROCCOLI SALAD

Two great natural partnerships; carrot and broccoli.  This is a great little salad and one that everyone can make!

serves 4

300g broccoli, cut into small florets

4 carrots, peeled & very finely sliced lengthways into thin ribbons (use a veg peeler to do this)

2½ Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cumin

juice 1 lemon

handful fresh coriander, basil or parsley leaves, chopped

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

Steam or blanch the broccoli for 2 mins or until just tender. Remove from the heat, transfer to a large bowl and add the carrots. Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds, garam masala and cumin and fry gently until the mustard seeds start to pop. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and fresh coriander. Season to taste. Pour the dressing over the veg and serve while the broccoli is still warm, or cold.

 

JANE FIELDS FRESH BASIL IS IN ITS PRIME; the flavour of basil is rapidly destroyed by cooking, so it is commonly used raw in salads (most famously with tomatoes and mozzarella) and sauces (such as pesto or pistou), or added to dishes right at the end of cooking. Pistou is wonderful for lifting dull dishes and invigorating a jaded palate. A dollop transforms a bowl of minestrone and can be as good on pasta as its cousin, pesto.

 

GREENGAGE JAM

 

makes 4-6 jars

1.5 kg greengages

1.5 kg granulated or caster sugar

2 vanilla pods

Method

Check over the greengages as you wash them and eat any that are so ripe they are squishy (they may spoil the keeping qualities of the jam, so you might as well). Throw out any that are damaged or mouldy. Slightly underripe fruit are fine.

Put the whole greengages into a pan with 250ml water and the vanilla pods. Simmer quietly for around 30 minutes until the fruit is extremely soft. Draw off the heat and stir in the sugar. Keep on stirring until it has all dissolved, then return the pan to the heat and bring back to the boil.

Let it boil hard for about 10 minutes, by which time the stones should be rising to the surface. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Keep on boiling the jam until setting point is reached. Skim off scum, fish out the vanilla pods (rinse, dry and bury in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar), then ladle into hot sterilised jars, seal tightly and leave to cool.

 

HAM STEAK

I remember having ham steaks either cooked under a hot grill or in a pan with a round of pineapple (very retro).  Havoc’s ham steaks are fat, juicy and could be cooked in many ways.  Simply heat a heavy-based pan to medium add a little oil and cook the steaks for a couple of minutes until golden, turn over and continue on this side.  The beauty is that they don’t require very much cooking at all.

Because of their ham flavour, they will go with spiced chutneys and relishes.  Creamy herb sauces will partner nicely along with some potatoes, roasted carrots and wilted greens.  Or go a little spicy on it and make a glaze with chilli, cumin, coriander, honey and a little oil, brush generously and grill till sticky and golden, serve with wok fried veges and a little sweet pumpkin or potato mash!

 

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

RAY GODDARD – fresh broccoli

CARDRONA MERINO LAMB – merlot and cracked pepper sausages

JANE FIELD PAEONIES AND HYDROPONICS – fresh greens, especially basil

BRYDONE ORGANICS – carrots

GILBERTS FINE FOODS (LIEVITO BAKERY) – fresh baked goods

TE MANGHA – bushfire pumpkins

ETTRICK GARDENS – onions

BOUCHEE – preserves

HARWARDEN ORGANICS – greengages

JUDGE ROCK WINES – Central Otago wines

HAVOC BACON AND PORK - ham steaks