OTAGO FARMERS MARKET
Good Morning, another day full of fantastic produce. I will be cooking pork belly thanks to Waitaki Bacon and Ham which i will be teaming up with some fantastic apples from Willowbrook Orchard. I will also be turning some apples into a puree and folding through Greek yoghurt and smothering on toasted Brioche from Levitio Bakery. Nigel from Brydone Organics has the last of the season outdoor grown tomatoes so i have asked to utilise some of his green tomatoes and hopefully if all goes well we will get to fry some and to also make some relish.
Paul from Judge Rock wines deserves a huge thank you as he generously gives us wine to accompany our food week after week. Thank you.
Just a quick message to all you students trying to get some 'cheap' inspiration for meal time. If i can assist in any way do come and see me at the mobile kitchen. I cook weekly with only seasonal and locally sourced ingredients and i try to simplify the dishes so everyone can cook them no matter the skill level, equipment and available funds. Good food should be available to us all and that is where i can help out.
This brings back memories of Turkey and Morocco, warming aromas mixed with vibrant sweet tasting carrots and best eaten with fingers!!
Serves 4
1 bunch (500) fresh carrots
2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan and then ground
2 cloves garlic
2 -4 Tbsp fresh walnuts, lightly roasted
75g feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp chopped oregano, marjoram, mint or dill
Good quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
To serve – crisp flatbreads
Method
Preheat oven 180C
Scrub and trim the carrots, cut them in half length ways and put them in a roasting dish along with the garlic and olive oil. Season lightly with sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper and place into preheated oven and roast for about 30 – 50 minutes depending on thickness of carrots or until they are tender, and slightly browned.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly, add the cumin seeds, and half the fresh herbs. Mash coarsely with a fork or masher and spread out onto a platter. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts, crumbled cheese and a sprinkling of herbs. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, a couple more pinches of sea salt flakes and serve with plenty of toasted flatbreads!
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES 
This is a fantastic way to use up the end of the season green tomatoes.
Serves 2-4
4 to 6 green tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Cornmeal (polenta)
Bacon grease or vegetable oil
Method
Slice the tomatoes into ½ cm slices. Salt and pepper them to taste. Dip in meal and fry in hot bacon fat or oil for about 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Gently turn and fry on the other side. Serve as a side dish - delicious with breakfast!
This is a fantastic relish which goes beautifully with cheese, smothered in a sandwich or dolloped generously on cold roast meats.
Makes 7-10 jars
2.5kg green tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 tsp / 30g salt
1 litre malt vinegar
500g soft light brown sugar
250g sultanas, roughly chopped
3 tsp / 20g ground pepper
EQUIPMENT
Preserving pan or other large lidless pan
7 - 10 jars with lids
Glad wrap/plastic wrap
Sticky labels
METHOD
Finely slice your onions and washed green tomatoes, cutting out any bad bits. Add to a large bowl and stir. Add the 4 teaspoons of salt, stir again and then cover with gladwrap or a large plate and leave overnight – this draws out a lot of the unnecessary moisture form the tomatoes and helps to enhance the flavour. However if you don’t have the time, reduce the salt by half and skip this stage although you will have to cook it a little longer to thicken it up!
Place the litre of vinegar into a large pan. Add the 500g of light brown soft sugar and stir over a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil.
Add the sultanas and add to the simmering vinegar and sugar. Bring the whole lot to a gentle boil.
Remove the cover from the tomatoes and onions that you've left overnight. Drain well but do not rinse as rinsing will add more water and the goal of leaving it overnight with salt was to remove as much water as possible without pulping them.
Add to the chutney and stir in well. Add the 3 teaspoons / 15g white pepper.
Once all the ingredients have been added they need to be boiled gently for 1.5 to 2 hours until thick and golden.
Over the next 1 - 2 hours, ensure that you stir it occasionally and adjusting the heat if they start to boil too vigorously.
Wash your jars well in hot soapy water and rinse. Place upside down in a very low oven 50C to completely dry and sterilise. Place the lids in a small pot covered in water and boil for 10 minutes to sterilise. Set aside until required.
When the relish is thick, golden and pulpy cool slightly then pour carefully and as tidily as possible into the jars. Wipe the rims with a clean cloth and place your sterilised lid on tightly. Label with date, what it is and store out of direct sunlight.
PORK BELLY WITH APPLES AND MUSTARD SAUCE
Serves 4
1kg piece pork belly , scored
3 apples, quartered and cored
2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed lightly
500ml white wine (optional water or stock is fine)
Salt and pepper
Method
Heat the oven to 220C. Cut the pork belly into 6 pieces, rub the skin of each piece with seasoning and crushed fennel seeds. Place the pork on a wire cooling rack over a roasting dish and roast for 30 minutes to get the crackling started.
Add the onions and apple and pour the wine around the pork and turn the oven down to 160C. Cook for a further 40 minutes or until the pork is tender. The apple should have broken down by now and the wine reduced.
Serve the pork with the apples, onions and mustard sauce!
Quick mustard sauce
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| SUE - Waitaki Bacon and Ham |
APPLE PUREE
Apple puree is simple enough to make and is a good thing to have around, as a base for breakfast, or any number of puddings.
Makes about 350g
500g cooking apples
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Caster or raw sugar to taste
Method
Cut the apples in quarters, remove the stalks and any damaged parts, but do not peel or core them. Put into a pot with 120ml water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 15-20 minutes. Process in a food processor until smooth or pass through a fine sieve – discarding pips and skin. Transfer to clean container, cover and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
A QUICK DESSERT USING APPLE PUREE
Grilled brioche with apple yoghurt fool
Serves 4
4 thick slices brioche
350g chilled apple puree
250g Greek yoghurt or you can use ½ yoghurt and ½ softly whipped cream
1 Tbsp runny honey
Icing sugar to serve
Method
Preheat a griddle pan or grill up to medium hot.
Stir the chilled apple into the yoghurt or half and half mixture; add the honey and mix to combine.
Grill the brioche until lightly toasted.
Place the brioche on a warm plate and generously spoon over the apple yoghurt mixture, dust with a little icing sugar and serve immediately.
Alison would like to thank the following vendors for their exceptional produce
WAITAKI BACON AND HAM – pork belly
ETTRICK GARDENS – carrots
WILLOWBROOK ORCHARDS – apples
LEVITIO BAKERY – brioche
JUDGE ROCK WINES – wine
BRYDONE ORGANICS – green tomatoes