When the silverbeet is pumping and the chooks are laying fit to bust this is my go to dinner. It’s super easy, nutritious and uses lots of home-grown produce. You can use any greens in the pie but my favourites are silverbeet, sorrel, fennel tops, parsley and spring onions. Add a block of feta, 8 […]
Flourless avocado brownies
It’s not very often there is an over abundance of ripe avocados going spare in this household, but today there was. We were gifted a boxful from a family member and some were damaged/ripe and wouldn’t make it through another day. So, even with all my Christmas baking organised I couldn’t bear to waste these […]
Christmas Cake.
Making an old favourite Christmas Cake today. This one harks back to my gluten free years. It’s based on Maria Middlestead’s Christmas cake from her book Cooking Naturally. What’s especially nice about this cake is the addition of chunks of fresh ginger. I’ve made it quite late in the piece as it should sit for […]
My Anzac Biscuits
I’m on a baking roll right now. I love baking, always have. Biscuits, cakes and breads. It’s in the blood I think. I blame my grandmother, my mum’s mum. She filled the biscuit jars once a week. Peanut brownies were a weekly affair and then there was the yo-yos, queen cakes, kisses, lamingtons, melting moments […]
Old-fashioned Bran Biscuits
Here’s another keeper. Old-fashioned bran biscuits. I was flicking through one of our cook-books recently and came across Tui Flowers recipe in The great NZ Cookbook. This a dry but moreish plain biscuit that is perfect with a cup of tea or a cold glass of milk. Inexpensive to make with very little sugar this […]
Homemade Hummus
I spent this morning making focaccia, hummus and preserved lemons with a bunch of women at the marae. It took us an hour. It’s pretty quick and easy to magic up a delicious and super economical feast. The hummus was amazing! so much nicer than anything you could buy. You just can’t beat fresh and […]
Lemon Madeira Cake.
I’m a sucker for lemons. When my meyer lemon tree died a few years ago I was gutted. That particular tree kept us in lemons all year round. It was huge and bountiful, and then it died. I need lemons on a daily basis. I use the juice and zest in dressings, tarts, cakes, salads, […]
Tātarāmoa (bush lawyer)
Tātarāmoa you have held a fascination for me from the very first time I heard of you. I hold fond memories of the times I have found you in many out of the way places and managed to gather some of your prickly leaves to bring home as a tonic/rongoā for my people. Your ability […]
Garlic lentils.
This recipe for garlic lentils is a delicious, healthy, hearty and economical meal to feed a family. I normally serve this with a baked potato or my peanut rice (recipe to follow) and a green salad or cole slaw. In my experience it’s a perfectly acceptable vegetarian option for many a diehard meat-eater. Leftovers are […]
Gracious koromiko
Gracious koromiko, your flowers come in so may hues of pink and purple from the palest lilac to the boldest magenta. One of a select few of our shrubs here in Aotearoa with brightly coloured flowers you are easily recognisable when I visit my London resident kids. I was surprised on my first visit to […]
Kawakawa my heart.
Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsior) is to Rongoā Māori what Arnica is to Homeopathy. Nearly everyone has either heard of it or used it. Easily recognised by it’s heart shaped holey leaves, and lush little-finger sized orange fruit my 3 year old mokopuna can spot it a mile off. In summer when the fruit are in season […]
Kumarahou / Kawakawa tea.
Kumarahou & Kawakawa are powerful purifiers – The combination of these two native medicine plants have a powerful synergistic effect on many systems of the body. Easy to make in a tea form; it works on the circulatory system, urinary, digestive and respiratory organs. It helps to balance blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugars and […]