NZ recipes from leading food writers

Beyond Bok Choy - Jenny Yee

Ray McVinnie's Slow Roasted Kumara Salad

Roast anchovied pumpkin

Makes 6-8 servings

Recipe by Jill Bewis, food writer and immediate past-president NZGFW

Ingredients

6 anchovy fillets

2 teaspoons oil from anchovy jar

1 tablespoon olive oil

700g pumpkin, peeled, seeded, cut into 3-4 cm chunks

1 large kumara, peeled and cut into 3-4 cm chunks

6 large whole cloves of garlic, peeled

2 red capsicums, cored, seeded and quartered lengthwise

1 green capsicum, cored, seeded and quartered lengthwise

3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Mash the anchovy fillets with the anchovy oil and olive oil and spread over base of a shallow roasting pan.

Prepare the pumpkin, kumara and garlic and place on top of the mashed anchovies. Turn the vegetables over to coat thoroughly in oil.

Roast in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Add the prepared capsicums and stir to coat with oil.

When vegetables are almost tender, add the pumpkin seeds and stir to coat with oil. Return the pan to the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve on a bed of rocket if desired.

For a summer dish, some diced honeydew melon can be added with the pumpkin seeds. Sounds wacky but it works!

JILL BREWIS has been a food writer and editor longer than she cares to remember. She is the author of Parnell Pot Pourri, Colonial Fare, Home Landscape Design for New Zealanders and Muffin Time, and compiler of Digby Law’s Dessert Cookbook and The Essential Digby Law. Her latest book, In a Pickle was published by Penguin in November 2006.

A founder member of NZ Guild of Food Writers, she’s delighted that her grandchildren love good food as much as she does and are showing signs of pushing her aside to give them more room in the kitchen.

Coriander and Karengo Pesto 

Makes 1¼ cups (dairy- and gluten-free)

Recipe by Maria Middlestead,
clinical nutritionist

Karengo is a delicate local seaweed that comes in powdered form and as slim, short ‘fronds’ or strands. Conveniently these can be added to dishes without the pre-soaking most seaweed requires.

New Zealand soils are volcanic and low in iodine. This mineral is critical for the thyroid gland to regulate metabolism and body temperature. As a nation that is never distant from the sea, we should honour the palate – and thyroid – pleasing virtues of iodine rich karengo. Impressively seaweed is also the number one food source of calcium, manganese and plant-based iron.

This multi-purpose pesto can be used as a spread to replace butter on bread and crackers, or toss with pasta, dollop over baked potato, mix with steamed vegetables, or smear over cooked tofu, fish or chicken.

Fresh coriander and garlic are anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Nuts and seeds are good sources of inflammation quenching fats and vitamin E, and of growth promoting zinc. Their protein levels, along with the soluble fibre in seaweed, and the acidity of the lemon juice all help regulate blood sugar and thus mental and physical vitality.

Enjoy both the gustatory pleasure and the therapeutic rewards. 

Ingredients

¼ cup coarsely chopped brazils

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup pumpkin kernel

1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro

60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice

¼ cup karengo fronds

3 medium cloves garlic

½ to 1 tsp sea salt to taste

80 ml (5 Tbsp + 1 tsp) extra-virgin New Zealand olive oil

Medthod

Use a heavy-based fry pan - no oil is necessary. Over low to medium heat lightly toast the brazils, walnuts and pumpkin kernels just until fragrant, not brown. Place them in a food processor with the coriander, lemon juice, karengo, garlic and salt. Process on high speed until finely blended. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil until well combined. Cover and refrigerate. Keeps well.

MARIA MIDDLESTEAD is a clinical nutritionist of 30 years’ experience. A tertiary senior nutrition lecturer, Maria is the best selling author of seven books and has hosted four TV series on food and health in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Maria has worked as a columnist, broadcaster, pastry chef, co-owned a health food store complex, run her own catering business and cooking school. She is the recipient of awards as a nutrition writer, food writer, educator, public speaker, and practitioner. For recipes, food and health tips visit: mariamiddlestead.co.nz

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