Recipes

Heat a saucepan with 4 cups water until boiling and drop the bay leaves in it. Add the lentils and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Wash, trim and spread the carrots over a baking dish with the mushrooms. Season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast vegetables in oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim the duck breast of any extra fat, score the top of the skin with a sharp knife. Season with salt and pepper. Place the duck breast in an ovenproof frying pan that is cold. No oil is needed. Put it in skin side down. Turn the pan onto a medium to high heat and cook duck breast for approximately 9-10 minutes allowing the fat to render.

Flip breast and cook for a further 4 minutes. Once browned, place into the oven for 10 minutes. When cooked remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tip out the fat from the frying pan used to cook the duck leaving 1-2 tablespoons of juices in the pan. Add the orange juice, red wine, smoked paprika, maple syrup and cinnamon quills. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow the sauce to reduce to half. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the cinnamon quills before serving.

Serve the duck breasts on top of the warm seasoned lentils, with the roasted carrots and mushrooms, and pour over plenty of the orange and red wine sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Mix together the beef and pork mince with the onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, herbs. Add the worcestershire sauce, mustard, sweet paprika and season to taste. Mix in well, using hands if necessary to combine all ingredients evenly.

Take spoon lots of the mix and mold into golf-ball sized balls. Roll the balls in the flour, coating the whole surface. There should be about 26-28 meatballs.

Heat a large cast-iron, or oven-proof frying pan with olive oil, on a medium-hot heat. Cook half of the meatballs in the frying pan, browning on all sides. Remove to a dish, and repeat with the second half of the meatballs.

Once all the meatballs have been cooked, cover and set aside. Preheat oven to 200°C. Wipe out the large frying pan, removing any burnt flour.

To make the smokey tomato sauce, place the frying pan back on a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, with onion and garlic. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato soup, red wine and 1 cup water. Add the brown sugar, smoked paprika, fresh herbs and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow to cook down for 10-15 minutes to thicken.

Place the meatballs back into the frying pan, arranging close together, to fit them all in. Sprinkle the grated smoked cheese over the top and place the whole pan into the oven. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve hot with fresh cooked spaghetti or fettucine pasta.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a slice tin, and line with baking paper. Cook the peas in boiling water, until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, then plunge in cold water to stop cooking to preserve the colour. Prepare the capers, cabbage, and spring onions.

Whisk the egg yolk with the flour, seasonings and mustard. Mix this into the prepared vegetables. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until light and foamy, not too stiff. Fold the egg whites into the vegetable mix, until just mixed in.

Tip the vegetable and egg mix into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan. When cold, slice into small pieces, or rounds. When cool, cut out round shapes 3-4 cm in diameter.

Remove the Ahia Smoked fish from the fridge and remove the skin. Flake the fish, using a fork. Mix together the horseradish, chives, lemon zest and season to taste. Spoonful on top of each piece of fritter. Flakes of Ahia Smoked fish, pomegranate arils and sliced peas.

Arrange on platter and serve with chilled Matawhero Pinot Rose.

Place all the ingredience in a blender and blend until combined, but not smooth

Serve on your choice of cracker, crostini or as a dip

To make the dish extra special, top with additional pieces of flaked smoked fish, and garnish with fresh herbs

Combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic
powder, mustard powder and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Rub spice mixture over
pork, covering all sides generously.

Place pork shoulder in slow cooker. Add the onion, cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Cook on low for 12 hours, or on high for 8 hours. Once cooked, remove the pork and shred with two forks, removing any bones and skin. Mix through your tonkatsu sauce.

Keep the shredded pork warm, and divide between the brioche buns, top with apple slaw and garnish with fresh herbs.

While the pork is cooking, prepare the brioche rolls. Mix together the melted butter and the milk and sprinkle over the dried yeast In a medium sized bowl. Cover, set aside and leave to stand in a warm place for a 10 minutes for the yeast to activate

Whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until the sugar has dissolved and the eggs are getting frothy in a large bowl. Add the butter, milk, and yeast mixture to the eggs, stir to combine. Pour over the flour. (The mixture will be wet, if too wet add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time.)

Knead the mix together for 5 minutes, on a floured surface, until dough is elastic. Place bowl in a warm place, cover loosely and allow to double in size, otherwise cover and allow to prove overnight in the fridge.

Brush two x 12 hole standard muffin tins lightly with oil to coat. Empty the dough from the bowl, knead lightly for 8 minutes until soft and elastic. Pinch off pieces of the dough and shape into balls about the size of a small orange. Place each ball into the holes of the tin.

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan bake). Leave the tins in a warm place and to allow the dough to rise again. Check after about 20-30 minutes. Brush each bun with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in hot oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

To prepare the salad, Make the apple cider dressing by mixing together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, basil, mustard in a glass jar or jug. Whisk together well before seasoning to taste and then whisking in the olive oil.

Toss together the cabbage, spinach leaves, spring onions, parsley, apple, and gherkins in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss well to coat the vegetables. Cover and chill until ready to use. Use the remaining dressing to coat the salad again, just before serving.

Assemble each bun, slice the bun through the middle and top with a generous helping of pulled pork, top with apple and spinach slaw, and garnish with fresh herbs. Best served warm.

Preheat the oven to 250°C fan bake. Trim fish and scallops, dust with a little flour and set aside. 

Make the carta da musica by placing 275ml water in a large bowl, add crumbled yeast and stir to dissolve. Add oil, fine semolina and ½ teaspoon salt then, using fingertips, stir until mixture forms a dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, then return to bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave for 5 minutes.

While waiting, blanch broad beans in hot water, and remove inner kernel from pods, refresh in cold water. Drain canned beans. Trim and cut asparagus into bite size chunks. Steam for 2-3 minutes, and then refresh in ice cold water.

Make the dressing, by mixing in a small blender the olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, mustard, capers, anchovy and garlic and blend (or whisk together in a small bowl). Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Repeat kneading the bread dough for another 5 minutes, then divide into 4. Cut each quarter into 5 pieces. Form each piece into a ball, then using a floured rolling pin, roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1mm thick and about 18cm round. Place a heavy-based oven tray or pizza stone in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Place dough on stone and bake, in batches, for about 3-4 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden. Carefully remove from oven and, using a sharp knife, pierce to release steam, then cut in half horizontally.

Mix together the beans, asparagus and fresh herbs. Pour over half of the lemon and caper dressing. 

Heat a heavy based frying pan with butter, and a squeeze of lemon juice over a medium heat. When the butter is bubbling place the snapper fillets in the pan. Cook each side for 1-2 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove and keeping the pan hot, fry the scallops for 1-2 minutes each side.

Serve spoonfuls of the bean and asparagus salad on four plates and top with fresh cooked fish fillets and scallops. Spoon over remaining lemon and caper dressing over the fish, garnish with extra fresh herbs and lemon wedges to serve.