Chicken Stock Soup

Posted on 2020-03-28

This is my chicken stock soup, as I made it after shooting Sarah Ginella’s (Barulho) delicious chicken stock soup above. I didn’t get her recipe, but managed to sort of make my own, in the “a little bit of this” and “a little bit of that” kinda way, based on her instructions and what I could taste in it.
Serves 4-6 people, or a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 small kids) twice. Freezes well.

1 whole organic chicken

Whatever veges you have in your pantry.
I use 1-2 carrots, 1-2-3 stalks of celery, 1-2 potatoes, 1 large onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic
You could also use, celeriac, swede, beets etc.

Whatever veges you have in your fridge/ fruit bowl.
I use capsicums, tomato, mushrooms (if I have any), zucchini etc.

Herbs from the garden
Ie parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves.

1 tin of beans (kidney beans, berlotti beans or butter beans etc)
1 cup of rice/ noodles/ orzo/ other carby pantry stable, cooked as per packaging instructions
Miso paste
Paprika
Tomato paste
Neudorf mushroom salt
Soy sauce or fish sauce
Fresh oregano to garnish
Parmesan cheese

Make sure the chicken is clean inside and out. I always chop the bum off. Chop all veges into bite size pieces. I have small kids, so I chop it all into quite small pieces. You might prefer yours a bit chunckier.

Place the chicken in a large pot (4-5 litres) along with the veges from your pantry (root veges, celery etc) and herbs and cover with water. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Then turn the heat down and let the chicken simmer at low heat with a lid on for 2,5 – 3 hours until tender. At this stage the meat should be falling off the bone. With a large spoon & spatula gently remove the chicken from the pot and place on a chopping board and peel all the chicken from the bone and return the meat to the pot. Discard the carcass. I often save the chicken breasts to use for another dish, but it can be returned to the stock with everyting else.

Take out any stalks from herbs that are too tough to eat, ie rosemary stalks, thyme stalks and bay leaves. I don’t remove the veges. If soup has been simmering on low heat, these should be tender but still have bite, and fine to eat. Add the remaning veges, a tin of beans to the pot as well as any pre-cooked rice or pasta/ orzo and bring to the boil again, then let simmer for 3-5 minutes to tenderize the rest of the vegetables and heat through the beans.

To flavour the soup use 1-2 teapoons of miso paste, 1/2-1 teaspoon of Neudorf mushroom salt (Nicola Galloway gave this to me once. After about a year in the pantry I discovered it adds a wonderful umami to any sort of bland tasting dish or sauce, brilliant), a dash of paprika (smoked paprika is wonderful), a table spoonful or 2 of tomato paste and lots of salt and pepper. You can also use fish sauce, soy sauce, some leftover tomato based mexican style salsa or any other sort of pesto or sauce you might have in the fridge. I’d avoid anything dairy based. I’ve tried to add tzaziki, but that was a tad weird.

Serve chicken stock soup in bowls, garnish with fresh oregano and plenty of grated parmesan. Sarah also had some wonderful romesco sauce and what I think might have been a salsa verde or chimichurri to dollop on top.

I did this shoot with Sarah Ginella and her Chicken Stock Soup for my Mother Chef project whilst Sarah was talking to me about the importance of preparation to be able to make good, nutritious food choices. You can view more of the project here, on my website. Make sure to check other of my recipes on this blog, ie my pork belly with crispy crackling.

Monique Fiso and Hiakai

Posted on 2018-10-22

In the beginning of last year, I started seeing the name of this young chef pop up all over the place online and in print media.
Monique Fiso, a chef with a strong vision to explore Māori food and native New Zealand ingredients and turn it into fine dining. I felt really drawn to her passion and vision and her focus reminded me of what had happened with the food scene in Denmark, my home country 10-15 years ago. I wanted to tell her story, so I contacted Monique Fiso to see if she’d be keen to work with me.

Together we created an article for the Norwegian food magazine Nord (read article below), and the beginning of a body of photos that would later turn into many other things. Not just one magazine article but 2, a museeum exhibition (as some of the images will be exhibited this October at MOTAT, Aucklands Museeum of Transport and Technology as part of a bigger exhibition about Innovators and the work Monique Fiso has done with her restaurant concept Hiakai), a tiny feature in a Netflix show (as one image gets displayed in the bio about Monique Fiso, that features in the show) a calendar for year 2020 and a book (a much bigger body of work, which will be published next year), and who knows, maybe more…

During the time we have worked together, Monique Fiso has given me an incredible and invaluable view into native New Zealand food culture, and Māori cuisine. Something I didn’t pay much attention to before I met her. I view her work as something hugely important for the New Zealand food and restaurant scene, but also for NZ food tourism, general NZ culture and identity. She has hugely contributed to putting the New Zealand restaurant scene on the world map (and continues to do so), and I really admire her strong vision and ability to stay true to her purpose. Few people work as hard as her.

Moique Fiso foraging native plants for her Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso. Food; Cooking; Food photography; Food photographer; Eat, Hiakai, Maori Food, Native Cooking, New Zealand, Foraging, Hangi
Hangi Cooked Chicken with Root Vegetables and Maori Potatoes. Hiakai Winter Menu by Monique Fiso. Recipe and food styling by Monique Fiso. Styling and photography by Manja Wachsmuth.

Q&A with Monique Fiso, Hiakai
As published in Nord Magazine #24 Sep 2017
By Manja Wachsmuth

(Please note, that this Q&A was written in June 2017, thus many things, including Monique, has developed a lot since then. I’ve chosen to keep this as it was originally written, as a contrast to where Monique is at today with her vision.)

The New Zealand food scene is diverse and influenced by many cultures. Often referred to as Pacific Rim cuisine, almost all corners of the Earths most celebrated cuisines can be found in plentiful here. But something is happening under the radar. Similar to what happened to the Nordic Food scene when Rene Redzepi and Claus Meyer started Noma and founded the New Nordic Food manifesto. Several chefs and restaurateurs are starting to look closer at their own backyard, and what they can find in the native bush of The Land With The Long White Cloud. Up and coming, much celebrated in New Zealand, young chef Monique Fiso, is at the forefront of this foodie movement with her engagement in bringing Māori Cuisine back on the map.

Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso

What is your background as a chef and how does it relate to your cultural background?

I’ve been cooking professionally for 13 years, most of which has been in Michelin starred kitchens in New York City. I didn’t grow up knowing much about my culture at all, mainly because I was discouraged from doing so. New Zealand in the late 80’s and 90’s wasn’t as “Māori friendly” as it is today, there was a lot of racism so I grew up being told to act as Pakeha (White European) as possible if I wanted to get anywhere in life. I know a lot of Māori of my generation who grew up in this way also. It causes a lot of self-hate and depression in many of us. It wasn’t until my mid twenties that I started to explore my Māori heritage.
…

Rewena Flatbread and Tītī Fat Butter. Hiakai Winter Menu by Monique Fiso. Recipe and food styling by Monique Fiso. Styling and photography by Manja Wachsmuth. Charred Kumara with Goats Cheese, Manuka Honey & Puha. Hiakai Winter Menu by Monique Fiso. Recipe and food styling by Monique Fiso. Styling and photography by Manja Wachsmuth.

Tell us a bit about Hiakai

Hiakai is a pop up series devoted to the exploration and development of Māori cooking techniques and ingredients. I started Hiakai because I really wanted to challenge the status quo on Māori Cuisine. People had this view that Māori cuisine is limited or unsophisticated and that it isn’t possible to integrate Māori cooking techniques or ingredients into a fine dining experience. I’m happy to say that Hiakai has blown that notion out of the water and now a lot of restaurants are integrating more elements of Māori food and culture into their business. Hiakai launched in June 2016 and quickly established itself as a leading innovator in the New Zealand food scene, while also helping play a huge role in keeping traditional Māori food culture alive.
…

What is a Hāngi (explain to someone who wouldn’t have seen it or heard about it before), and how to do a Hāngi at home?

Hāngi is a traditional method of cookery used by Māori to cook food beneath the ground over hot volcanic rocks. It takes almost a whole day to cook a Hāngi, and it’s hot, hot labour intensive work which is why it started to be used less and less with the arrival of the British and the introduction of gas and electricity. The result is food that is incredibly moist and has earthy and smoky tones throughout.

First you dig a pit approximately 3 feet deep, then you place a lot of wood over the pit to create a large fire and place your volcanic rocks among the wood. Light the fire. You want the fire going pretty fiercely for 2 1/2 – 3 hours until the rocks are glowing red. While the fire is going, prepare your food and gather two large containers and fill them each half way with water. In one container place the leaves of two cabbages, in the other container soak 4 – 5 thick cloths that are large enough to cover the hole.

When the rocks are hot, remove them and keep them to the side. Shovel out all the ash and embers from the pit and keep them in a separate pile away from the rocks and hangi pit. Work quickly, your rocks are losing heat as you do this and you want to retain as much heat as possible. Once all the ash and embers are gone, place the rocks back into the hole. Toss your cabbage leaves over the rocks first, then put your food on next, then cover everything with the wet cloths and quickly start shoveling soil into the hāngi pit and keep going until everything is completely covered and the pit is full. Pat down the soil as much as possible to seal the heat in especially around the edges of the pit. If steam appears to escape from certain points, cover it with more soil and pat down. Depending on how large the hangi is or the size of the ingredients inside, the food will take approximately 4 hours to cook.
…

Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso Moique Fiso chopping tree roots, whilst digging the pit for her Hangi at Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso. Moique Fiso taking a quick breather, whilst digging the pit for her Hangi at Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso. Moique Fiso loading up the Hangi pit for her Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso. The venue/ The tent. Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso in Waimauku, Winter 2017. Monique Fiso/ Hiakai Book published by Penguin Random House 2019. Photography by Manja Wachsmuth Moique Fiso taking food baskets out of the Hangi pit for her Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso.

Why cook in an earth oven instead of over open flame?

A Hāngi works more as a method of steaming, whereas fire is direct heat and roasting. Ancient Māori were masters of both methods. Hāngi was an ideal method of cookery in ancient Māori times because they could light the fires, heat the rocks, place the food in the pit, cover it and go out hunting, fishing or take on any other work that needed to be done on the Pā (Māori Settlement/Village), then come back at the end of the day and there would be all this food ready to go beneath the ground. In times of war this method was especially useful because once the pit is sealed, it’s almost undetectable whereas if you were cooking over an open fire your enemy would be able to spot your location from many kilometers away.
…

Tips on matching meat and herbs in the earth oven?

Ancient Māori actually have plants that they specifically line kete baskets with depending on what protein they’re cooking, a sort of guideline if you will. If you are cooking Kaimoana (seafood) or any animal that lives of seafood e.g. Tītī Bird, then the rule of thumb is that you choose herbs, seaweeds and plants that grow along the coast to go in your Kete basket. If you are cooking Quail, Weka or Pigeon you would pick plants and herbs that grow in the forest around the animal’s natural habitat. It’s simple and it works. Of course you can always mix things up to suit your taste. I use a lot of the native plants and herbs to make brines and rubs as well as using them in my linings. Each to their own.
…

What’s the biggest challenge for you, running Hiakai?

The biggest challenge for me is that there are almost no producers or suppliers of indigenous Māori ingredients, and this is a big reason why when people come to New Zealand they can’t find any Māori restaurants. Currently I have no choice but to forage for a majority of what appears on the menu. If I were to open a European, Indian or Mexican restaurant in New Zealand I’d been able to call a few suppliers and have things delivered to my restaurant door, no problem. That’s just not the case with Māori ingredients which is very odd considering we are the indigenous culture of New Zealand, you’d think that foods endemic to our land would be the easiest to get a hold of. Things are changing though, Hiakai is having a tremendous amount of influence in the New Zealand food scene and the demand for Māori ingredients across the country has increased demand so now there are companies that have just begun commercially growing and harvesting Kawakawa, Horopito, Pikopiko, Puha, Native Berries, etc. I’m incredibly proud that Hiakai has impacted the New Zealand food scene in this way in such a short amount of time.
…

Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso Moique Fiso foraging native plants for her Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso. Moique Fiso foraging for Horopito and other native plants for her Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso. Food; Cooking; Foraging for native herbs for the Hangi. Hiakai pop up dinner by Monique Fiso in Waimauku, Winter 2017. Monique Fiso/ Hiakai Book published by Penguin Random House 2019. Photography by Manja Wachsmuth

What are your future plans?

There’s a lot on the go at the moment. I’m currently in the process of transitioning Hiakai from a pop up into a dining experience that will be a fixed location, it’s going to mean that I can grow my own vegetables and herbs, and also allow me to take the food up another level because I won’t be shifting the entire operation across the country every few months like I have been doing this past year. I’m writing a book on Māori cuisine at the moment, this is going to take some time as a lot of Māori culinary knowledge was passed on orally so to fill the blanks I have to go through historical accounts from early European settlers as well as interview a lot of Kaumatua (Māori elders) from different tribes to piece everything together.
…

How do you think the New Zealand food scene compares to the Nordic food scene? Any parallels?

I feel that the New Zealand food scene is going in the same direction that the Nordic food scene went in the early 2000s. Chefs are starting to look at how best to utilize what is grown locally here rather than using imported ingredients from overseas to create their menus. The subject of “What is New Zealand Cuisine?” has been a topic of hot debate among Chefs, Food Writers and Producers. Our diets and food trends over the past 150 years has been heavily influenced by Britain so most of our restaurants are more “British-New Zealand” than anything else. Slowly New Zealand is starting to pull away from that and people are taking culinary cues from what grows in our own backyards rather than bringing in ingredients from other countries and trying to mimic England, Europe and North America.
…

Explain about the herbs you use (the flavours and other characteristics), and how to swap these for things commonly found in Scandinavia

Just follow the same rules that the ancient Māori did with respect to choosing herbs that grow in the same areas that your chose meat, fruit or vegetable is growing in. At the end of the day, food is subjective. You can pair almost any herb you like with the food you’re planning to put in your Hāngi, just bear in mind you’ll want it to pair well with earthy, smoky flavors and it needs to be available.

Hangi Steamed Pudding, Roasted Corn Anglaise, Horopito Spiced Apples. Hiakai Winter Menu by Monique Fiso. Recipe and food styling by Monique Fiso. Styling and photography by Manja Wachsmuth.

Want to read more about kiwi chefs I’ve worked with?
Tom Hishon, Orpans Kitchen
Natasha MacAller, Vanilla Table
Peter Gordon, The Sugar Club

Golden Pavlova with Summer Berries and Salted Chocolate Sauce

Posted on 2017-12-20

Golden Pavlova with summer berries and salted chocolate sauce. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

GOLDEN PAVOVA WITH SUMMER BERRIES AND SALTED CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Server 6-8

A Pavlova recipe with a golden twist and a salty chocolate sauce that breaks with the sweet pav and the tart summerberries.

Pavlova:
6 egg whites, at room temperature
380g brown sugar
4 tsp. cornflour
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Salted Chocolate Sauce:
100g dark chocolate of good quality
150 ml single cream
1 tbsp. syrup
2 tsp. sea salt flakes

Garnish:
200 ml single cream, whipped to peaks
100g Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
100g Blackberry (fresh or frozen)
100g Raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Golden Pavlova:
Preheat the oven to 140 ° C. Place baking paper on a baking tray. Whip egg whites until they stiff and then gradually add brown sugar until the meringue forms soft peaks and is shiny. Be patient, it may take up to 10 minutes. Then add corn flour, vinegar and vanilla and whip on low setting until the meringue is even. Arange the meringue on baking paper on a baking tray and shape it in a large circle, about 5-6 cm high using a rubber spatula. Smooth the edges with the spatula and then bake approx. 1 hour until it is firm and light golden. Turn off the oven and leave to cool completely before serving. The Pavlova can be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container.

Salted Chocolate Sauce:
Heat water in a large sauce pan on the stove and place a heatproof bowl that fits into the pan so that the water touches the bottom of the bowl. Then slowly melt the chocolate into the water bath while stirring occasionally with a silicone / rubber spatula. When the chocolate is melted add the syrup and mix thoroughly. Then add whipped cream into small portions and stir continuosly until the sauce is smooth. Finally, taste with sea salt.

Gather the pavlova by distributing whipped cream over it in a smooth layer and decorate with berries and salted chocolate sauce. If you are using frozen berries, leave the pavlova for 10-15 minutes before serving so they can thaw a bit. Serve with extra chocolate sauce.

This recipe is part of my salt story published in Matmagasinet Nord #23 2017, focusing on using salt as a main ingredient for cooking or flavouring. Try these recipes from this series too:
Blackberry Grav Lax
Salt & Vinegar Potato Skins
Bork Belly in Brine with Cripsy Crackling
Salt Dough Baked Leg of Lamb
The Perfectly Salty Margaria
Oozy Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Posted on 2017-12-19

Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Cooking with Salt. Recipe, styling, food styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM
Makes 1 litre

This here, is probably the worlds best salted caramel ice cream! So good infact, I’ll advice you to make a double batch because this one will be gone within a few days, tops!

500 ml cream (single cream)
250 ml whole milk
3 large egg yolks, beaten and set aside
1 jar genuine Dulce de Leche
1½ tsp sea salt flakes
200g sugar
50g butter

Method Ice Cream Mix:

Place a medium size pot on the stove and bring milk and cream to a simmer stirring continuously to avoid burning. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then set aside to cool slightly for 10-15 min.

Once cooled, pour the warm milk mixture, in a slow stream, into a bowl with the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour custard back into the pot and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard coats back of spoon and registers 85ºC on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Set aside until caramel is prepared.

Pour dulce de leche into a pot and heat over low heat until smooth and liquid. Stir continuously to avoid burning. Add sea salt flakes to taste. Add caramel mixture to ice cream mixture and combine well. Cool over ice bath, then refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Method crunchy caramel:

Heat sugar over medium heat in a pan until edges begin to melt. Gently push melting sugar with a heatproof spatula from edges to center of pan stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking swirling pan occasionally so sugar melts evenly. Add butter and combine thoroughly. Remove from heat and pour into a heat proof dish. Set aside to cool. When caramel has cooled, it will be hard. Chop into small pieces and set aside until ice cream mix is ready for churning.

Just before churning, add crunchy caramel to ice cream mix, then churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instruction. Spoon into an airtight freezer container, cover and freeze until solid.

Serve the salted caramel ice cream in ice cream cones, sprinkle with extra crunchy caramel and sea salt flakes.

This recipe is part of my salt story published in MAD&venner #129 2015 & Matmagasinet Nord #23 2017, focusing on using salt as a main ingredient for cooking or flavouring. Try these recipes from this series too:
Blackberry Grav Lax
Salt & Vinegar Potato Skins
Bork Belly in Brine with Cripsy Crackling
Salt Dough Baked Leg of Lamb
The Perfectly Salty Margaria
Oozy Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Golden Pavlova with Summer Berries and Salted Chocolate Sauce

© Manja Wachsmuth 2017. Thanks to Natasha MacAller for helping me shoot the moody shot on this page and for teaching me how to make salted caramel ice cream. This recipe was originally hers, however I have simplified and modified it heavily since then.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Cooking with Salt. Recipe, styling, food styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

Oozy Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart

Posted on 2017-12-18

Salted Chocolate, Caramel Tarts. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

OOZY SALTED CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TART
Serves 12

This delicious oozy salted chocolate, caramel tart has a surprising layer of crunch, and will satisfy any chocolate and salted caramel craving.

Tart shells:
Makes 1 tart of 12 cm x 35 cm or 12 small tart shells of 10 cm diameter.
Half the dough can be frozen for later use.

140g unsalted butter, softened
85g vanilla sugar
1 large egg
225g plain flour, sifted

Caramel filling:
450g glass Dulce de Leche
1 tsp. sea salt
100g butter, melted
100g golden or rice malted syrup
80g peanuts, roughly chopped

Chocolate layer:

200 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
25 ml of whipped cream
2 tsp. golden or rice malted syrup
2 tsp. sea salt

Method tart shells:

In a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth but not whipped. With mixer on low, stream sugar into butter until well combined. Add the egg until incorporated. Add flour in 3 stages just until incorporated. Don’t overwork the dough. Turn out onto a board and work with a dough scraper until smooth. It should feel like “play dough”. Shape into 2 discs, wrap tightly in double plastic and chill until ready to shape into the tart pan.

Preheat the oven to 175ºC.

When ready to bake, remove from plastic and pat out into pan smoothing the dough with your hands. If it gets too soft place in fridge and chill until firm and then rework the dough. You may also roll chilled dough into rounds between layers of plastic wrap. Peel off bottom layer and place in tart pan shaping sides to fit snugly. Cover and chill until firm. Place a sheet of parchment inside tart shell and fill with pie weights.

Bake at 175ºC for about 15 minutes until edges are browned. Carefully remove parchment and pie weights. Return to oven and bake until just lightly browned, about 12 min. Remove from oven when done, and set aside to cool completely, before removing tart tins.

Method chocolate ganache:

Put chopped chocolate in a small bowl and place inside a medium sized bowl. Boil 500ml of water, and pour into the medium sized bowl, to melt the chocolate over a water bath. Heat cream until steamy in a small saucepan. Pour heated cream over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute then slowly stir until chocolate is melted. Do not refrigerate but set aside until ready to assemble.

Method caramel filling and assembly:

Place the Dulche de Leche in a small pot, and heat on the stove on low-medium heat to smoothen it up, mix in melted butter, syrup and sea salt. Mix till well combined and smooth. Fill tart shell 2/3 and add a layer of chopped peanuts. Cover with a layer of chocolate ganache and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

This recipe is part of my salt story published in MAD&venner #129 2015 & Matmagasinet Nord #23 2017, focusing on using salt as a main ingredient for cooking or flavouring. Try these recipes from this series too:
Blackberry Grav Lax
Salt & Vinegar Potato Skins
Bork Belly in Brine with Cripsy Crackling
Salt Dough Baked Leg of Lamb
The Perfectly Salty Margaria
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Golden Pavlova with Summer Berries and Salted Chocolate Sauce

Salted Chocolate, Caramel Tarts. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

The Perfectly Salty Margarita

Posted on 2017-12-07

The Perfectly Salty Margarita. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

THE PERFECTLY SALTY MARGARITA
Serves 4

The original zingy flavor of summer, this refreshing cocktail is bound to bring a good mood to any summer gathering. The salted rim on the glasses is the perfect flavor combination with the tequila and the zingy lime.

375 ml lime juice (juice of app 15 limes)
175g caster sugar
6 cups of crushed ice
165 ml good quality tequila
2 limes cut into wedges
Soda to serve

Rim glasses:

Cest of 1 lime
2 tbsp of sea salt flakes
1tbsp of sugar

Method Margarita:

Blend lime juice and caster sugar in a blender until sugar has dissolved. Transfer mixture to a large jug. Whizz crushed ice in batches in a food processor until slushy. Add to jug with tequila and stir well.

Method glass rim:

Mix lime zest, sea salt and sugar in a bowl and spread out on a plate in an even, thick layer. Use a wedge of lime to rub around the rim of 4 chilled glasses, and then dip each glass into the salt/ sugar mix to lightly coat the rim. Serve margarita in prepared glasses with extra lime wedges and a dash of soda (if desired).

The Perfectly Salty Margarita & Pink Grapefruit Margarita. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

PINK GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITA
Serves 4

For a sweeter version of the classic margarita, the pink grapefruit is a festive colour and less sour than the the lime version. Still the salt cuts the sweet, tangy taste of the grapefruit.

325 ml pink grapefruit juice (juice of 4-5 grapes)
50 ml lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
100g caster sugar
6 cups of crushed ice
165 ml good quality tequila
1 grapefruit cut into slices
Soda to serve

Rim glasses:

Cest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp of sea salt flakes
1tbsp of sugar

Method Margarita:

Blend grapefruit juice, lemon juice and caster sugar in a blender until sugar has dissolved. Transfer mixture to a large jug. Whizz crushed ice in batches in a food processor until slushy. Add to jug with tequila and stir well.

Method glass rim:

Mix lemon zest, sea salt and sugar in a bowl and spread out on a plate in an even, thick layer. Use a wedge of lemon to rub around the rim of 4 chilled glasses, and then dip each glass into the salt/ sugar mix to lightly coat the rim. Serve margarita in prepared glasses with slices of grapefruit and a dash of soda (if desired).

Drink responsibly!

This recipe is part of my salt story published in MAD&venner #129 2015 & Matmagasinet Nord #23 2017, focusing on using salt as a main ingredient for cooking or flavouring. Try these recipes from this series too:
Blackberry Grav Lax
Salt & Vinegar Potato Skins
Bork Belly in Brine with Cripsy Crackling
Salt Dough Baked Leg of Lamb
Oozy Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Golden Pavlova with Summer Berries and Salted Chocolate Sauce

Salt Dough Baked Leg of Lamb

Posted on 2017-11-07

Salt Dough Leg of Lamb. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

SALT DOUGH BAKED LEG OF LAMB
serves 8-10

Baking a Leg of Lamb in salt dough takes a bit of patience and concentration, but slow cooking your meat like this, ensures great flavor and moisture and it will be worth all your efforts. Furthermore cracking the crust open at the dinner table is a bit of a showstopper!

2 kg leg of lamb, French trimmed
1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
6 cloves garlic, halved lengthways
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Extra thyme leaves on stem

Salt dough:

700g/ 6 cups plain flour
300 g / 2 ½ cup sea salt
1 ½ tbsp freshly ground pepper
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 ½ cup/ 375 ml water
2 egg yolks mixed with a little cold water

Method leg of lamb:

Pre heat the oven to 180ºC

Combine the thyme and the mustard in a small bowl. Cut 12 deep slits in the leg of lamb and push in the garlic cloves. Rub the mustard paste over both sides of the lamb. If you have a large flat grill plate, the leg of lamb can be browned and cooled before rubbing with the mustard mixture. This doesn’t change the flavour, but does make the lamb look more attractive when the crust is broken.

Method salt dough:

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl to combine. Slowly add the combined egg whites and water to make dough, stirring with a spoon, adding a little more water if necessary to bring the dough together. Tip onto a lightly floured bench and knead for a couple of minutes until well combined. Don’t let the dough rest, as this will make it dry out.

Roll the dough to a large 40 cm x 45 cm rectangle.

Place extra thyme leaves on stem on the dough and the leg of lamb on top, presentation side down, and bring the sides of the dough up, over the lamb. Wet the edges of the pastry and press firmly to make sure the lamb is completely sealed. Turn the lamb right side up and place on a lined baking tray. Wet the pastry where necessary and smooth with your fingers to seal any cracks, making sure the dough is sealed tightly. Brush the dough with egg wash.

Roast for 1 ½ hours, then remove from the oven and rest the leg of lamb for 15 minutes.

To serve:

Carefully break the crust open and pour the cooking liquids into a jug (or discard). The cooking liquids can be used as a stock for making gravy to accompany the lamb. Lift the lamb out of the crust, then carve against the grain and serve.

Thyme. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth. Recipes for MAD&venner. Salt Dough Leg of Lamb. Cooking with Salt. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth. Recipes for MAD&venner.

This recipe is part of my salt story published in MAD&venner #129 2015 & Matmagasinet Nord #23 2017, focusing on using salt as a main ingredient for cooking or flavouring. Try these recipes from this series too:
Blackberry Grav Lax
Salt & Vinegar Potato Skins
Bork Belly in Brine with Cripsy Crackling
The Perfectly Salty Margarita
Oozy Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Golden Pavlova with Summer Berries and Salted Chocolate Sauce

Bork Belly in Brine with Cripsy Crackling

Posted on 2017-11-03

Cooking with Salt. Pork Belly in Brine with Crispy Crackling. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

PORK BELLY IN BRINE WITH CRISPY CRACKLING
Serves 4, as part of a main course

Nothing beats a properly done pork belly. This recipe brines the meat, ensuring a really nice flavour and crispy crackling. You can either do this in the oven or try it on the BBQ for a delicious meal on those long, bright summer nights.

1 kg Pork Belly, skin on
30 g Sea Salt Flakes
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
250 ml Water

Method Oven:
Score the skin of the pork belly in slices or squares. Be careful not to cut into the meat.
Place the pork belly in a non-reactive, deep-sided roasting dish. Rub the salt into the meat on both sides and leave for 30 minutes. Turn the belly so the skin is facing down, and then cover in enough cold water to submerge the meat. Cover tightly and place in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

Preheat the oven to 250º C.

Drain the brine from the pork belly and pat it dry all over with a paper towel. Make sure that the skin is completely dry, otherwise it won’t crackle. Rub the skin with a little olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and fennel seeds. Place the pork skin side up on a rack that fits in a roasting dish and roast in the oven for 45 min, or until the skin starts to crackle. Remove from the oven and reduce temperature to 180ºC. Pour water into the roasting dish, ensuring that the skin remains dry. Return to oven and cook for 1 hour and 15 min, until tender.

Remove from the oven, and leave to rest in a warm place for 15 min, before cutting the meat into square bites, or slices. Serve while hot.

Method BBQ:
Note, this is a guideline only. Correct cooking on bbq is highly dependent on a number of factors such as the size of the bbq, the type of coal / briquettes, the placement of the roast, etc. The most important thing to remember is to check the roast often and to turn the meat to ensure even cooking.

We have used a medium-sized kettle bbq with lid.

Fill two coal trays with briquettes (it is advantageous to use briquettes and not charcoal as they hold the heat longer) and place on each side of the BBQ, leaveing a space in the middle that the roast can sit over. Place a foil tray between the coal trays (underneath the roast), to catch meat juice so that it doesn’t drip into the embers, and either causes flames or makes the BBQ difficult to clean. Light the briquettes and put a rack over to cover the entire grill. Wait for the briquettes to burn down until they are fiery red, very hot and with quite a low flame.

Place the roast on the rack, skin side up, over the drip tray between the coal trays, and roast for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Check often.
Rotate the roast occasionally to make sure it is cooking evenly on all sides, and always position with the skin side up.

For crispy crackling, turn the roast sideways, with the cracklling facing one of the coal trays, a little closer to one of the trays to expedite the process, keep an eye out, it burns easily! The crackling is done when it’s bubbled up and crispy all over. Total cooking time approx. 1-1.5 hours. Remove the roast from the heat and rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve while hot.

Cooking with Salt. Pork Belly in Brine with Crispy Crackling. Recipes, foodstyling, styling & photography by Manja Wachsmuth

This recipe is part of my salt story published in Matmagasinet Nord #23 2017, focusing on using salt as a main ingredient for cooking or flavouring. Try these recipes from this series too:
Blackberry Grav Lax
Salt & Vinegar Potato Skins
Salt Dough Baked Leg of Lamb
The Perfectly Salty Margarita
Oozy Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Golden Pavlova with Summer Berries and Salted Chocolate Sauce

Blackberry Grav Lax

Posted on 2017-08-20

Salt recipes Cooking with Salt

BLACKBERRY GRAV LAX
Serves 8-10

In this Grav Lax recipe salt, in combination with the sugar, alcohol and fruit is used to draw moisture out of the flesh and preserve the fish. Giving it a lovely smooth texture and a very slight salty taste. The traditional Scandinavian Grav Lax, has had an overhaul with blackberries, creating a stunning fillet, that looks great on your smorgasbord.

1 kg Salmon Fillet, skin on, pin boned
½ cup/70g Sea Salt Flakes
¼ cup Raw Sugar (weigh)
2 tsp Heilala Vanilla Powder (seeds from 2 vanilla pods)
2 tbsp freshly ground Pepper
3 cups/ 400 g Frozen or fresh Blackberries
1/3 cup/ 1 dl Snaps
2 tbsp fennel seeds

Horseradish Dip:

Horseradish cream
Sour cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Serving:

Rye Bread
Micro greens (coriander & beetroot sprouts or watercress)
Lemon rind
Blackberries

Method Grav Lax:

Place sea salt, sugar, vanilla powder, pepper, blackberries, snaps and fennel seeds in a food processor or blender, and blitz to mix.

Place the salmon skin side down on several layers of cling film, (enough to wrap around and cover the salmon), and place on a baking tray. Using tweezers, remove the pin bones along the side of the salmon fillet. Spread the salt and blackberry mixture over the fish, making sure it’s completely covered. Then wrap the cling film tightly around the salmon. Place a second baking tray or chopping board over the fillet and weigh it down with a heavy item (Weighing the fish down, is not usually part of traditional Swedish curing technique, however it’s often used in Southern Hemisphere cooking, to help draw moisture out. This technique may give the fish a tougher texture).

Refrigerate and cure for at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours.

Remove the cling film and clean the seasoning mixture from the salmon with a wet teatowel. Avoid rinsing the filet, under the tap, as this will rinse out the beautiful red colour. Serve thinly sliced on toasted rye bread, garnish with micro herbs (ie coriander & beetroot sprouts or watercress), lemon rind, blackberries and horseradish dip (see method below).

Method Dip:

Mix horseradish cream and sour cream, evenly 50/50 and season with sea salt and pepper to your liking.

The Grav Lax will keep 3-4 days, chilled.

Cooking note: It is important to use sea salt crystals and not rock salt, as flavour and texture will vary greatly.

Salt recipes

This recipe is part of my salt story published in MAD&venner #129 2015 & Matmagasinet Nord #23 2017, focusing on using salt as a main ingredient for cooking or flavouring. Try these recipes from this series too:
Salt & Vinegar Potato Skins
Pork Belly in Brine with Cripsy Crackling
Salt Dough Baked Leg of Lamb
The Perfectly Salty Margarita
Oozy Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Golden Pavlova with Summer Berries and Salted Chocolate Sauce

Pizza on the Weber BBQ

Posted on 2014-12-05

Pizza on the BBQ

Summer has officially arrived in New Zealand! One thing I love the most about summer is cooking on the BBQ. Last year I discovered cooking pizza on the BBQ, and when you’ve tried it once, it’ll be the only way you’ll ever want to cook pizza again. Pizza on the BBQ is the fool proof way of getting a moist and delishious filling and above all a super crispy base, which you can never seem to get in the oven, regardless of the temperature or quality of pizza stone.

The majority of Kiwis (and probably Ozzies and Americans) swear by th gas BBQ’s and most pizza BBQ recipes will tell you to cook your pizza on a gas BBQ, where you can control the temperature and monitor it 100%, but there is another way. Personally I prefer a coal BBQ any day. This is how it was when I was a kid and the ritural of lighting a fire (or drinking a glass of ice cold chardonnay, while watching your husband lighting a fire) – you just can’t beat it. The smokey flavour of cooking over coals, just adds an extra element to the pizzas and everyone will be coming back for more.

The tricky thing is obviously getting the temperature right, so you don’t burn your base, so you gotta watch your pizza like a hawk. And also you MUST use a pizza stone. But once you’ve tried it a few times, you will master it, and be eating pizza’s with friends and family all summer!

I’m providing you with the recipe for a great pizza dough, that’s my updated version of a pizza recipe I shot for Dish Magazine back in 2010, for their Italian issue. I’ve used wholemeal, stoneground flour for added nutritional benefits, and it is how I prefer my pizza base. Of course you can use plain flour or 00 flour if you like.

Pizza dough
Makes two pizzas, 4-6 serves

1 cup of plain flour or 00 flour
1 cup of stoneground, wholemeal flour
½ teaspoon of sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of instant dried yeast
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 cup of lukewarm water
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Mix the water and oil together in a separate bowl or jug. Gradually add the water to the dry ingredients, little by little, mixing the dough with your hands or a wooden spoon. Be careful not to make the dough too wet and sticky, nor too dry. Once roughly combined turn the dough out on a lightly floured benchtop and knead for 3-5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky and springy. Place it in a lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Set aside in a warm place and let rise for 1 – 1½ hour.

Mastering the BBQ & making your pizza

About 10-15 minutes before your dough is ready, start up your BBQ using choal or briquettes. If using briquettes, you might want to get them started around half an hour before the dough is ready. The coal is quicker to start up, but also burns out faster. The briquettes take longer to get ready for cooking, but will hold the heat a lot longer. We usually use coals when it’s just the two of us, and briquettes when cooking for more people.

Once doubled in size, split the dough into two portions and roll out thinly on a lightly floured bench top. Place the pizza base on a piece of baking paper, and fill with your favorite filling. I’ve used:

Organic tomato paste
1 whole zucchini sliced sideways with a potato peeler
Red onion, thinly sliced
Cherry tomatoes (from the Curious Croppers)
Prosciutto
Buffalo mozzarella
Homemade pesto
Salt & pepper

Once the coals or briquettes have settled down, and turned to embers, place your pizza stone on the BBQ about 5 minutes before you’re ready to cook it, to let the stone heat up properly. Then transfer your pizza, with the baking paper underneath, to the pizza stone, and cover your BBQ with the lid. Make sure to have the air vents open, to keep the air circulating around the pizza and ensure even cooking of the base and the top. Depending on the amount of heat in your BBQ, your pizza will cook in 15-20 min. Keep an eye on it every 5-10 minutes, making sure the base doesn’t burn. If the base colours too quickly the BBQ is too hot, and you should wait a little while longer, next time, to let the coal settle a bit more. Once the base has firmed up, you can remove the baking paper. When the base is crispy and the cheese on top slightly melted, garnish with fresh basil. Your pizza is ready to serve!

ENJOY!

Don’t drink and fry!