Scallops, chorizo, black garlic, and sake
Chorizo brings a smoky salty dimension to these succulent scallops. The umami of the black garlic and the freshness of the lemon and sake perfectly prepare your mouth for the next course.
Thai seafood green curry with quinoa
The green curry paste and coconut cream provide a versatile foundation for building layers of flavour, resulting in this delectable Thai seafood green curry.
Paua Fritters
This very simple paua fritters recipe highlights the taste of the paua. Why add lots of additional tastes – the paua is the star of the show and deserves to be.
Cold tomato soup with sweet potato and cauliflower mash
The cold tomato soup is delightful on its own, but pairing the chilled tomato with the warm sweet potato and cauliflower mash… the taste/texture/temperature sensation is divine.
Beer batter fish and chips with a roasted red pepper tomato sauce
Surviving the transformation of New Zealand cuisine, the popularity of fish and chips hasn’t diminished. The beer-battered fish, twice-cooked chips, and delicious roasted red pepper tomato sauce place these fish & chips well above the take-away version.
Salmon head stock
You will need a good fish stock to make seafood chowder, seafood curry, seafood pie, or salmon miso soup. This salmon head stock also includes salmon bones and a lot of vegetables.
Vegetarian banh mi (banh mi chay) – with a mushroom quinoa patty
Vietnamese bánh mì has become very popular beyond the shores of Vietnam. Normally packed with animal-derived products, this vegetarian banh mi (bánh mì chay) incorporates a delicious nutty quinoa patty as well as the usual pickled vegetables, cucumber, and cilantro.
Vietnamese breakfast sandwich (bánh mì trứng)
Bánh mì trứng – fried egg in a baguette – the Vietnamese breakfast sandwich. Here it is supplemented with asparagus and smoked salmon. As Leonardo Da Vinci is credited with saying: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Red quinoa citrus salad with cacao nibs
The superfood salad – quinoa, cacao nibs, and pomelo. So healthy it is. The nuttiness of the quinoa, the sweet acidity of the pomelo, the bitter complexity of the cacao nibs… this red quinoa citrus salad is so delicious.
delectabilia salad dressing
This salad dressing is simple and easy to make. Most importantly it does not dominate the salad, but enhances its freshness.
Roasted red pepper and corn waffles. Parmesan sour cream dip
These roasted red pepper and corn waffles are made using yeast as a leavening agent, adding a layer of flavour and a nice chewiness to the texture.
Gin cured salmon with citrus and star anise
Cured salmon, or gravlax, has its origins in Scandinavia in the Middle Ages where it was used as a way to preserve the salmon. The citrus, gin, and star anise add new layers of flavour to what can be achieved with the basic curing process.
Pancetta carbonara with slow-roasted tomatoes
A carbonara is one of those dishes people get very passionate about… cream or no cream, whole eggs, or yolks only. This pancetta spaghetti carbonara synthesizes some of the best advice. With the addition of slow-roasted tomatoes, the result was simply delicious.
Balsamic glazed octopus on a black garlic and anchovy puree
I have eaten octopus at Japanese restaurants – pondered those big tentacles at the fish market – eaten Vietnamese style stir-fried baby octopus many times – marvelled at the giant squid at the Te Papa museum in Wellington, New Zealand. This glazed octopus is the synthesis of those experiences.
Panko crusted tofu on a corn salsa
The panko-crusted tofu had crunch and creaminess as only panko breadcrumbs wrapped around delicate silken tofu could have. Adding a contrasting sparkle were the fresh corn kernels, offset by the salty, sour, and umami flavours of corn salsa dressing.