Here in Aotearoa (NZ) Matariki is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Māori Maramataka (calendar). The Māori New Year is a time for renewing and recharging. Each iwi (tribe) has their own traditional practice and customs for Matariki, much of which have been overlaid by the rhythms of the Gregorian calendar. The interpretations of […]
Old-fashioned rice pudding
Once a week we are blessed to be able to purchase raw, unpasteurised, unhomogenised milk. If I have surplus before the next delivery I turn it into a slow cooked rice pudding. Such a wonderful comfort food and perfect for winter nights. The little guys love it just as much as the big ones. The […]
Mum’s sweet and sour sausages.
Every Monday is the day I spend exclusively with my two mokopuna. We go to our Te Puna Reo Māori Playcentre group in the morning then spend the afternoon at home doing stuff. This sweet and sour sausage casserole has become our monday dinner ritual. It’s always delicious and always enthusiastically gobbled up by the […]
Apricot and coriander loaf
For a few months I’ve been watching a jar of dried organic apricots in the pantry get more and more manky every day and I know that even though there is nothing wrong with them they probably won’t get eaten so today I decided to make a sweet loaf with them. Our little guys love […]
Cloud Bread
So I decided to make cloud bread. We are still getting plenty of eggs from our chooks and I’m always looking for ways to use them that isn’t cake. Cloud bread is simple and fun to make and next time I’ll make them with the moko’s. This recipe makes 6 pieces which converts to 3 […]
Vegan Banana Bread.
Yesterday we had a working bee at the marae. I made two vegan banana breads, and a double batch of anzac bikkies for the whakanoa morning tea. The whakanoa is the final part of the powhiri process where we “break bread” together. In this way we go from a state of tapu back to a […]
Breakfast buckwheat groats
If you are looking for a gluten free easy as pie breakfast to make, look no further. Buckwheat groats tick all the boxes. Buckwheat is technically a seed so contains no gluten and when cooked has an earthy, nutty flavour. There are many health benefits to adding buckwheat to your diet either in groat or […]
Freezing peaches
When it comes to preserving I am a romantic, a traditionalist if you like. I’ve always prefered to fill agee jars and have everything on shelves in my pantry where I can admire and appreciate all my bounty. Freezing produce has never had the same appeal as I’ve found that a lot of things just […]
Plum Clafoutis
So many plums, what to do with them all! I’ve bottled some and frozen some for sauce making come autumn. We’ve made plum, crumble and orange blossom water poached plums, and plum cordial. However I’ve been wanting to make a baked plum custardy thing so did some googling and came up with this desert called […]
Pickled Beetroot
This summer we had an excellent crop of beetroot. Grown from seed and planted into a relatively new garden bed they quickly grew fat. I decided to pickle most of them as I didn’t want them to suddenly bolt in this extreme summer heat. I left some in the ground, stored some in the fridge […]
Plum Cordial
When you have a home orchard, it’s impossible to predict which of your fruit will produce in abundance. There are so many variables; as the trees come into blossom the weather may threaten pollination; as the fruit ripens you are competing with birds and possums and again the weather leading to fungus diseases like brown […]
My silverbeet feta pie.
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 […]