Todays menu is all about 'WILD FOOD', well not really but I did my best to team up our fabulous market vendors and their food as if you were collecting from the wild.  Our wild/foraged food around Dunedin is fresh, nutritious and jam-packed with flavour. Todays menu is full of interesting goodies which has been great to think of new recipes and adapting some old and trusted ones.

Kiwi Wakame seaweed products are delicious and of course they naturally will team up with fish so that is what I am starting with.  I also have fresh chestnuts from The NZ Nut Company which are warming and comforting and go great in savoury dishes as well as sweet. The Port Larder have some really delicious preserves and today I will be using Wild Apple Jelly as well as their green pesto.  Bread is the grainy, earthy loaf named Trebor and Revival have some delicious products to try like blackcurrant and apple cider and peach and vanilla cordial.  Wairuna always delivers and apart from his sweet organic carrots I have his deep green leafy collard greens which just make you feel healthier.

And as usual I always like to finish off with a sweet treat so todays warming pie is full of blackberries and apples.

See you all at the mobile kitchen.

 

CHESTNUTS

Chestnuts are the edible fruit of the sweet chestnut tree, they are used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Once the chestnuts are removed from their hairy outer casing you will find they are covered in a shiny brown, leathery skin. They contain high amounts of starch, less fat and protein compared to other nuts. They are always eaten cooked!

To roast a chestnut, you need to do a few basic steps to prevent them exploding.

Preheat your oven to 200C. Using a sharp small knife, cut a small cross into the shell of each nut. Place in a roasting tray and for 25-30 minutes or until the nuts are tender and the shells and skins lift away easily. Cover the nuts with foil and let sit for 10 minutes or so before eating.

 

CHESTNUT SAUCE

This sauce will go well with anything wild!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter

1 leek, washed and sliced thinly

1 shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

150g chestnuts, cooked, peeled and chopped

100ml dry sherry

300ml chicken stock or veg stock

150ml cream

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and once it starts to foam, add the leeks, shallots, garlic and chestnuts and saute over a high heat for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.

Add the sherry and let it bubble, stirring and scraping the base to remove all the sediment stuck on the bottom. Boil rapidly over a medium heat until the sherry has reduced and become syrupy.

Add the stock, cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, remove the lid and simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened.

Add the cream and simmer until well combined and thickened.

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Return to the heat and serve.

 

PANFRIED FISH WITH SEAWEED SEASONING

By simply panfrying fish in a light seasoning keeps the fish moist and you can eat the fish within minutes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 fillets 100-120g each

2 Tbsp flour or gluten free flour

1 Tbsp Kiwi Wakame seaweed flakes

Salt and pepper

1-2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 lemon

Method

Add the flour, seaweed flakes and a light seasoning of salt and pepper to a flat dish or plate, mix to combine.

Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy based fry pan over a moderate to high heat until the butter melts.

Place the fillets of fish into the seasoned flour mixture and coat on both sides, patting down so the seasoning sticks. Shake off excess seasoning.

Place the fillets of fish in the pan and fry for 3 minutes, turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Squeeze over half the lemon.

Remove and serve with more lemon wedges.

NB this dish would also work beautifully with the chestnut sauce.

 

SEAWEED BATTERED FISH

Battered fish is a kiwi classic and when adding some natural Kiwi Wakame seaweed to the batter is a perfect partnership for the fish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

100g plain flour, 4 Tbsp for dusting

100g cornflour

2 tsp baking powder

300ml sparkling water

about 1 litre sunflower oil, for frying

600g – 700g fillets white fish – gurnard, cod, brill, sole

Lemon for serving

Sea salt flakes

Method

To make the batter: Combine the flour, cornflour, seaweed seasoning, baking powder and in a large bowl, season. Gradually pour the water into the bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. Set aside, until ready.

To cook the fish, heat the 1 litre oil in a deep saucepan until a drop of batter sizzles and crisps up straight away. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, then toss it in the reserved flour. Shake off any excess, then dip into the batter. Carefully lower each fillet into the hot oil and fry for 6-8 mins – depending on the thickness of the fish – until golden and crisp. Using a large slotted spoon, lift out the fish, drain on kitchen paper, then sprinkle with salt, and serve with lemon or vinegar.

 

COLLARD GREENS

 

Collard greens are a major staple down south in the USA, but they are commonly known to us as a form of cabbage. The leaves are tough enough to cook through in a good old boil-up, great in a soup and lovely stewed with beans or chickpeas. However, you can also cook them quickly as you would cabbage.

Serves 4 as aside

Ingredients

600g collard greens, tough stalks removed

2 Tbsp butter

1 clove garlic

Pinch caraway seeds

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Method

Wash and drain the greens, remove any tough centre stalks. Finely slice the leaves.

In a large pot or fry pan add the butter and garlic and caraway seeds, fry until the garlic starts to colour lightly and give off a lovely nutty aroma.

Add the greens and toss through the butter. Cook until the leaves wilt down and soften. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper.

Enjoy!

 

APPLE AND BLACKBERRY PIE

This is the ultimate family pie. You make and bake the pie in the dish that you will serve it in – and reduce the dirty dishes!!

Serves 6

Ingredients

450g sweet short pastry (ready-made) or homemade

150g blackberries

200g cooking apples (peas none good such)

20g ground almonds

50g golden caster sugar, light brown sugar

A pinch salt

A pinch ground ginger

1 egg yolk beaten with ½ tsp sugar

20cm round pie plate (enamel or ceramic)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick and you will need to cut to rounds both 22cm.

Use one to line the pie plate and the other will be used later on for the top.

Put the blackberries, apples, almonds, golden sugar, salt and ginger into a bowl and mix gently to combine. Pile high on the pastry lined plate and brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture.

Lay the second round of pastry over the top and press the edges together to seal. Use a knife to trim off any excess pastry, then crimp around the edges of the pastry. Peirce the top with a sharp knife.

Brush the top of the pie with the remainder of the egg mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180C and continue to bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let the pie rest for 10 minutes before serving with hot custard and cream.

 

 

Alison wishes to thank the vendors for their outstanding products

Bennies honey – bush honey

Wairuna organics – collard greens

Harbour fish – fresh fish

New Zealand Nuts – chestnuts, walnuts and fresh almonds

Kiwi Wakame – seaweed products

Ettrick gardens – blackberries and peas good none such apples

Otago Organics – Nettle tea with rose

The Port Larder – wild apple jelly, green pesto

Revival –

Gilberts fine foods - trebor