Good morning, yet again we are blessed with a stunning day! The menu today is nicely reflecting our gorgeous day with fresh fish, green beans stewed with tomatoes and herbs.  Cabbage is going to be blanched and tossed with a little butter and caraway this is a refreshing way to have cabbage.  Rosedale orchards have been busy picking corn today which is perfect timing for the long weekend.  Fresh corn  fritters will be perfect for that lazy brunch!  Wairuna Organics have wonderful sweet-potato pumpkins which are sweet and creamy and perfect for quick mash. 

Autumn is here but we still have so much to cook with, make the most of the bulk buys on fruit and veges to get on top of preserving.  I will be cooking away so do come by and have a little snack and a chat.  Have a relaxing long weekend!

 

GREEN BEANS AND TOMATOES

This dish is inspired from my time in Turkey where you would eat this dish at room temperature with plenty of good bread! Great for using up those soft tomatoes.

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

4 large fresh ripe tomatoes1 red chilli, pricked with fork

1 red chilli, pricked with fork

500g runner, green, French beans, top and tailed

1 sprig fresh basil

Salt and cracked pepper

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Handful fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Good quality bread for serving (optional)

Method

Heat a large heavy-based fry pan up over a moderate heat, add the oil and onions.  Cook the onions until soft and sweet (about 4 minutes), add the garlic, tomatoes and chilli give it a stir and adjust the temperature so that the tomatoes don’t catch too much on the base of the pan.  Once the tomatoes soften and a sauce consistency is appearing add the beans either whole or cut into large pieces.  Season with salt and pepper and poke the basil sprig into the sauce.  Add quarter cup of water and vinegar, cook away until the beans are tender and the sauce thickens and has a lovely glossy appearance this will take at least 20 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning if necessary, add the parsley and cook for another minutes.  Remove from the heat and serve on a platter with some good quality extra virgin olive oil drizzled over and a pile of fresh bread.

 

FRESH CORN FRITTERS

Everyone needs to have a corn fritter recipe up their sleeve and this is the one.  If you are gluten free then simply substitute the flours to suit!

makes around 12 medium sized fritters

100g butter or ghee 3 cobs corn, husks and silk removed

430ml milk

240g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

30 g butter, melted

1 free range egg

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped chives a pinch of salt

Good quality bacon and maple syrup (optional)

Method

Firstly you need to clarify butter! This is not as daunting as you might think and of course you can certainly cook them in oil, but like most things a little butter can improve things quite dramatically. To clarify butter, melt the butter in a small pot over low heat and cook for 5 minutes or until a white crusty foam appears on the surface and the milk solids have dropped to the bottom.  Remove from the heat and allow to settle for a few minutes.  Then carefully pass through a muslin lined sieve or very fine sieve - i gradually pour the butter leaving behind any white milky residue which you will see on the bottom of the pot, discard this.  Set aside the clarified butter until required. Any leftover will keep covered in the fridge for several weeks.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to the boil over high heat.  Drop in the corn cobs and cook for 8 minutes or until tender.  Remove the corn and drain and cool over a colander.  When you are able to handle the corn, run a sharp knife down sides of each one.  You should have about 250g corn.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into large mixing bowl, then make a well.  Whisk egg with ilk and pour into dry ingredients.  Whisk well until you have a smooth batter, add the herbs, corn and melted butter.  Allow the batter to stand for 1 hour at room temperature, covered with tea towel.  If you don't have the luxury of 1 hour then by all means you can still cook them straight away they just don't have quite the same finish!

Heat enough clarified butter to cover the base of a non-stick or a heavy based fry pan over medium heat, then using a small ladle to ladle in a few portions of batter.  Leave to cook until the underside is golden.  Flip over and cook through.  Continue until all the batter is used, adding clarified butter as needed.  Serve corn fritters immediately with bacon, maple syrup if desired tart tomatoes!

 

BAKED FISH

Serves 4

1 medium red or white onion, sliced thinly

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

800g firm white fish fillet

3 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs

3 or 4 sprigs fresh, flat-leaf parsley

8 to 10 fresh mint leaves

3 or 4 large fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup dry white wine or water

10 to 12 black olives, cracked and pitted

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté over low heat until the onion has wilted and started to turn translucent; be careful not to let it brown. Add the red wine vinegar to the pan and shake it briefly, then transfer everything to the bottom of a medium-sized baking dish.

Wipe the pan with a paper towel to clean it, then place it back over low heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Dump the breadcrumbs into the pan and stir to completely coat them with the oil. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a small bowl to cool slightly.

Wash the herbs, pat them dry, and finely chop them. Add them to the bowl with breadcrumbs, and season everything with a small pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Lay the portioned fish on top of the onions and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Distribute the breadcrumb-herb mixture evenly on top of the fish. Add the white wine or water to the pan and scatter the olives around the dish.

Bake the fish for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish; it should be cooked through but still moist; check the pan after 10 minutes and add a bit more water or wine if necessary.

Serve immediately.

 

Mashed Sweet Potato Pumpkin

Wairuna Organics is the place to find these beauties, this is just one of many ways you can use this sweet, creamy pumpkin

Serves 4-6

1kg Sweet potato pumpkin, peeled and deseeded

50g butter

freshly grated nutmeg

salt + pepper

Method

Toss pumpkin in olive oil, roast in the oven for about 40 mins until tender, then mash or purée with a little butter, freshly grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Use instead of mashed potatoes.

 

Blanched Cabbage with Butter and Caraway

serves 4

½  head of green cabbage

4 Tbsp butter

1 tsp caraway seeds

½ tsp celery seeds (if you have them)

Salt

½ tsp black pepper

Method

Heat a large pot of well salted water to a boil.

While the water is heating, prepare the cabbage. Peel away and discard and discolored or old outer leaves. Cut the head of cabbage into quarters, through the core, and cut away and discard the core. Use your hands to tear the cabbage into large (about 2-4cm) pieces. (Or use a knife.)

Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the torn cabbage leaves to the water. Submerge the leaves in the hot water. Cook for 90 seconds, then drain the pot of its water. Return the cabbage leaves to the pot.

Stir 4 tablespoons of butter into the cabbage. The cabbage and the pan are both hot, so the butter should melt quickly in the pan. If you are using unsalted butter, you will want to add more salt to the cabbage. Start with half a teaspoon and add more if needed. Sprinkle with caraway seeds, celery seeds, and black pepper, and toss to combine.

Serve immediately.

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

KAKANUI TASTY TREATS – tomatoes

ROSEDALE ORCHARDS – corn and fruit

HARBOUR FISH – fresh fish

TE MAHANGA – beans of all varieties

GODDARDS – swede, cabbage and cauliflower

WAIRUNA ORGANICS – sweet potato pumpkin

GILBERTS FINE FOODS – fresh baked goods