Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

My friends Astuko and Hideko often send me this dried tofu which I find super versatile! I just soak it in water (or stock) and then use it in a variety of dishes. This time I just soaked it in water and then cut each blog into four pieces, and put them in a skewer (soak the skewers too!) with some spring onions.  I sautéed the skewers on both sides with a little rice bran oil to which I added a few drops of sesame oil, then I brushed the tofu and spring onions with a sauce made by simmering a teaspoon of honey (use sugar or molasses if you are vegan) with two tbsp of water, two of soy sauce (gluten free please use tamari) and a pinch of freshly grated ginger. I turned the skewers over one more time and then I served them, hot and yummy! The scrapings from the pan were delicious on plain rice too! And this is a picture of Karekare from a walk last Sunday, the Hau Hau track going up, and the Coman on the way down. Splendid!  Click here  if you like to see...

Photo by Alessandra Zecchini© Kawakawa  tea!!! I have many kawakawa plants in the bush around the house, the leaves are beautiful and make a lovely tea, and even an infusion used in  Māori medicine for several ailments. The seeds can be used as  long pepper  (the plant is related to the pepper family) and if you like an extra tip, New Zealand bush inspired but created by an Italian (me :-), I use kawakawa instead of vanilla to flavour cremes and custards and panna cotta and so on. To give you an example have a look at my  Flan with Kawakawa crème and Kahikatea berries ! But mostly I like to go into the garden/bush, pick a few leaves, wash them and pour hot water over them. One or two leaves per cup will suffice, the smell is truly delicious, and this is foraging at its best because everyone can do it!  And of course I like to add a teaspoon of NZ  honey .

This is such a classic NZ soup, everybody seems to know how to make this one: You just need some kumara (I used the red ones, peeled). Cook about 2 large kumara with 3 or 4 celery sticks (with leaves, most Kiwis do not add the leaves here, but celery leaves have lots of flavour and they are perfect for soup) in a litre of light vegetable stock. When the celery and kumara are soft blend well and serve. No need to add cream, in my opinion,  but do if you like. Serves 4. Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

A New Zealand Bush inspired dessert for Rick Stein One of the world’s most highly respected chefs, Rick Stein is to visit New Zealand this winter with his first ever theatre show on these shores – Rick Stein’s Food Odyssey – at Auckland’s ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, on 4 and 5 August, and the St James Theatre in Wellington on 7 and 8 August 2010. You can find more details here . New Zealand Food Bloggers were asked to provide a recipe for the occasion, to celebrate New Zealand Food. But what is New Zealand food today? I am a recent immigrant, and cook mostly Italian food, so I cannot go for 'tradition'. The only tradition I have, in common with my immigrant predecessors, is foraging, an almost forgotten art. One of the things I love most about New Zealand is the bush, and those who wish to preserve it for future generations, to respect it, and to learn more about it. A few years back I went foraging with ranger Riki Bennett in the Waitakere Ranges, West of Auckland. The tou...

A crop which gives me great pleasure is borlotti beans, not only for their flavour but also because I love the idea of growing protein food! I eat fresh borlotti, or I dry them and then use them to make nice soups and stews; in particular I like soups with pumpkins, but since this year I am traveling on, I will not enjoy the pumpkins that are growing in my garden. So I tried a different 'pairing'. A friend gave me some kamo kamo, the traditional Maori squash, and told me that the way to eat it is to boil it (skin on) and then cut it and spread it with butter (or olive oil...) salt and pepper, and scoop the flesh out with a fork. I had two kamo kamo so I boiled one (as a was told) and cut the other and sauted with a drop of olive oil and other vegetables from my garden: red onion, and celery. Then I added the beans and some water, salt and pepper, and cooked everything until the beans were soft. I added water little by little, when necessary, and I thought that this would be goo...

Photo by Alessandra Zecchini © Get out in the garden (or bush, or field...) and start picking. I got a few young borage leaves, some cress, some puha, then I added a leek and a potato from my garden. Wash everything very well and cooked with water, add salt to taste and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © Plum jam is one of my favourite, and as I live near some beautiful orchards in Oratia, west of Auckland, I like to make the most of the plentiful supply. This year my neighbors invited me to pick from their fruit trees, the variety was great and the fruit delicious. Plum Jam Ingredients For each Kg of plums I used 600 g of sugar, (because I like my plum jam a little tart) and one teaspoon of pectin. Wash the freshly picked fruit and place in a large saucepan with a little water. Bring the fruit to a gentle boil. When the fruit is simmering add the sugar and stir well. After 5 minutes add the pectin. Simmer the jam for about 5 more minutes and then pass through a sieve, discarding the stones. Place the hot jam in sterilised jars, dried in the oven. At this point you can add to each jar a cinnamon stick (for dark plums) or a long pepper (for yellow plums); or you can wet the inside of the jar with a little grappa or brandy (an old Italian method). Either s...

On Christmas morning I went foraging in the neighbor's property (he is cool about it) to pick some watercress. It is a bit late for watercress, the flowers are already out, but I could still pick some to mix to other greens to make a tasty dip. Green Dip Ingredients: A mixture of watercress, rocket (rucola), and Genovese basil, (or any greens and herbs you like) 3 handfuls of cashew nuts 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 slice of aged pecorino cheese (optional and not for vegans) a little water Salt to taste Extra virgin olive oil to finish Blend the first 5 ingredients, then add salt and olive oil to taste. Serve with homemade bread, as a dip or as a spread. Photo by Alessandra Zecchini © Of course I made other things for Christmas lunch, but I think that I will put the recipes on the blog very slowly ;-). This was the starter.

Yes, the meadows and orchards of Oratia are full of it, and it is a weed, slowly creeping towards my house, unaware that I will EAT IT! Foraging is back into fashion, and what better excuse to be kind to the environment (Weed Free Waitakere!!!) and your health. Eat raw, or cook. You can eat the flowers, stem and bulbs, finely chopped and tossed on salad or on a steaming bowl of soup. Also add to noodles, fried rice and any other dish that would required chopped spring onions (with the difference that these are free while spring onions cost $2 for about 5 stalks!). The bigger bulbs and stalks can be dipped in dressings and sauces like you would do with carrot and celery sticks. Alternatively chop and sauté in a frying pan with a drop of olive oil, add a pinch of salt, and serve as a side dish, or as an ingredient to make pies, omelets, pasta sauces, or the base for risotto, soups and stews. Excellent sautéed with tofu and dressed with a drop of soy or tamari sauce. Photos by Alessandr...

Only one thing beats finding field mushrooms: to be presented with some... Dan gave me a bag of field mushrooms. "What will you do with them?" "I will cook them with a little butter, garlic and flat leaf parsley..." "Too much! Just butter, the traditional way! When I was a boy I used to pick field mushrooms on the way home from school and then cook them with butter..." "Did you eat garlic and flat leaf parsley when you were a child?" "No..." "Maybe it is traditional for me then..." I know, I can be very stubborn. I cleaned the mushrooms and let them stand with a little rock salt. This way the worms (if any) will run away...towards the sink! Yes, I used garlic, 3 cloves, sautéed in butter, and then I added the mushrooms, chopped. I decided to make a pasta sauce. When the mushrooms stopped trowing out water I added 200 ml of cream, and salt and pepper to taste. I simmered the sauce a little longer and then...