It is always a blessing when you wake up on a Saturday and the weather is better than expected.  I had the thermals ready and waiting, only to be pleasantly surprised with the warm balmy weather outside.  I just knew it would be a great day!

Alison in the Mobile Kitchen

As usual when the weather is warm, people are happy.  Once again i had fantastic produce to cook.  This week i had brussles sprouts from Ettrick Gardens, venison chilli salami from Basecamp Salami, smoked mauaka eggs, from Neville and plums from Harwarden Organics.  And as usual Nigel from Brydone Growers generously added some outdoor grown tomatoes which are great cooked into sauces, chutneys, and general everyday cookery.


OTAGO FARMERS MARKET - 22 APRIL 2011

Ettrick Gardens (brussels sprouts)

CRISP BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PINE NUTS AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Photo by Sarah Cowhey

 Serves 6
600g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
2 shallots or 1 onion, thinly sliced
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C
In a bowl, mix the sprouts with the shallots or onion, olive oil, honey and some salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking tray or shallow dish, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until the sprouts are tender and lightly browned. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and balsamic vinegar and serve.
NB; try adding a little basecamp salami diced up and added to the Brussels before roasting.

(thank you for the plums)Harwarden Organics

DIMPLY PLUM CAKE

Photo by Sarah Cowhey

1 ½ cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup oil such as canola or rice bran
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
8 plums, halved and pitted

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C
Butter a 20cm square pan, dust with flour, tap out excess.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cardamom or cinnamon if using together.
Using a electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it is creamy and soft. Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, and beat well between each egg. Still working on medium speed beat in the oil, zest and vanilla; the batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter– four rows of plum halves each – jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is honey/golden brown in colour and puffed around the plums, and if inserted with a skewer it will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes during which time the plum juices will seep back into the cake then run a knife around the sides of the pan, invert and cool right side up.

Once cool, I dusted mine with icing sugar. (It soaks into the plums, but keeps the cake a speckly white.)
You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, during which time it will get softer and moister.

Mark Basecamp Salami

BRUNCH IN A PAN - MANUKA SMOKED EGGS, POTATOES, WITH BASECAMP CHILI SALAMI

photo by Sarah Cowhey

Serves 2

1 large cooked waxy potato – van rosa or desiree
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
70g basecamp chilli salami, cut into thickish slices or chunks
2 Manuka Smoked eggs
1 spring onion, sliced thinly
3 sprigs fresh coriander, cut roughly
Olive oil
2 slices toasted sour dough bread

Preheat the grill to medium-hot.

Heat a medium size heavy fry –pan up to medium-hot, add a generous amount of oil. Add the onion and garlic, cook until the onion slightly colours and softens (5 minutes). Add the salami and cook gently to extract flavour. Cut the potato into ½ cm slices, add to the fry pan and gently toss so the potatoes are coated in the flavoured oil. Cook until the potatoes go golden brown and crispy, break both eggs carefully onto the potatoes. Place under a hot grill and cook until the eggs have just set (2-5 minutes). Remove from the oven and sprinkle over the spring onions, coriander and a little seasoning. Serve immediately in the fry pan with good quality toasted bread!




Neville  Manuka Smoked Eggs

MANUKA SMOKED EGGS – if you are one of the few who haven’t yet tried these delicately smoked eggs then I thought it only fitting that I give you a few suggestions to get you on your taste journey.

• They make the best scrambled egg, add a little cream, seasoning and if you want to really make them sing add a few finely chopped chives. Cook gently in butter. It is vital that remove the eggs off the heat when they are still slightly runny.
• Mayonnaise or aioli
• Omelet
• Hollandaise sauce
• Quiche/ bacon egg pie
• Added to batter, and when crumbing
• Fried egg atop a good steak
• Boiled or softly poached and used in salads
• Scotch egg
• Baked custard

ALISON WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING VENDORS FOR THEIR FANTASTIC PRODUCE! AND SARAH FOR HER COMPANY!

MANUKA SMOKED EGGS

BASECAMP SALAMI

BRYDONE GROWERS

ETTRICK GARDENS

HARWARDEN ORGANICS