The holidays are around the corner and you know what that means: barbecues will soon be sizzling in unison across New Zealand, bringing together family and friends over good food and fresh drinks.
Looking for great festive recipes to feast on? Here are four enticing recipes sourced from the experts, to impress your guests and their taste buds.
Appetiser: Festive Kale, Cranberry and Goat’s Cheese Salad
Tired of the traditional, omnipresent potato salad? Auckland-based food writer Kelly Gibney has an excellent alternative for you: her festive kale, cranberry and goat’s cheese salad. For extra crunch and texture, you can add sliced almonds (just be mindful of any allergies your guests may have!).
What you need
150–200 grams kale leaves | 80 grams goat chèvre or goat feta | ⅓ cup dried cranberries | ⅓ cup sliced almonds.
For the dressing: Juice of one lemon | 3 tablespoons of olive oil | 1 generous teaspoon maple syrup, coconut sugar or honey | Generous pinch sea salt & cracked black pepper.
How to make it
Place all dressing ingredients into a jar and shake vigorously until well combined.
With a knife, separate the kale leaves from the coarse stems and cut them into bite-size pieces. Pour half the dressing over the kale leaves and massage the leaves for about two minutes until they are soft and darker. According to Gibney, this method makes the kale more tender and palatable for ‘kale-phobes’.
Add extra dressing to suit your taste and place the kale leaves on a salad platter. Crumble goat’s cheese over the top, followed by cranberries, almonds, and a generous grind of cracked black pepper.
Main: BBQ Grilled Scotch-Fillet
New Zealand-based Chilean chef Norka Mella Munoz shared her version of this family favourite on Recipes.co.nz. Her chimichurri-infused recipe serves 6-8 people and takes about 50 minutes from start to finish (15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook).
What you need
For the chimichurri: 1 cup of fresh coriander (finely chopped) | ½ cup of flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped) | 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano | 40 ml of white wine vinegar | 4 garlic cloves | 1 lemon (zest and juice) | 1 pinch of ground cumin | 1 pinch of coriander powder | 1 pinch of chilli flakes | 1 cup of sunflower oil | salt and black pepper (to taste).
For the scotch fillet: 1 whole beef scotch fillet (approx. 1.7 kg) | 3 tablespoons of olive oil | salt and pepper (to taste) | 1 handful of fresh coriander.
How to make it
For the chimichurri: Put all ingredients in a mortar and pestle, grind together while slowly adding the oil.
For the scotch fillet: An hour before cooking, bring the meat to room temperature. Then, heat the BBQ: you can use any BBQ that has a lid, but Mella Munoz says that a charcoal BBQ is the best option if you want to add a smoky flavour to the meat.
Rub the beef with olive oil, salt and pepper and cook on the BBQ (with the lid down) for 30-40 minutes or until the meat’s internal temperature is 52°-55°. Turn the meat over halfway through the cooking time.
Leave the scotch fillet to rest for ten minutes before cutting it into thick slices. Then, arrange it on a platter with coriander leaves as garnish and drizzle chimichurri over the beef.
Dessert: Pavlova Wreath with Mascarpone Cream
They say it’s not a Kiwi holiday without a pavlova, so why not add a fun twist to it? Here’s food consultant Jennene Plummer’s recipe to satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth.
What you need
For the pavlova wreath: 4 egg whites | 3/4 cup caster sugar | 1 teaspoon of lemon juice | ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract | halved strawberries, blueberries and raspberries to serve.
For the mascarpone cream: 300-millilitre tub thickened cream | 1 tablespoon of icing sugar | 1 teaspoon vanilla extract | 250-gram tub mascarpone.
How to make it
For the pavlova wreath: Preheat oven to slow, 150°C. Line a round oven tray with baking paper and mark a 22 cm circle on it. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the sugar dissolves and the foam is thick and glossy. Then, beat in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Dollop mixture in rounds to form a wreath shape. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to very slow, 120°C and bake for a further 45 minutes. Allow the pavlova to cool.
For the mascarpone cream: Beat cream, ice sugar and vanilla extract together in a medium bow with an electric mixer, until soft peaks form. Top the wreath with dollops of mascarpone cream and dust with icing sugar.
Festive Mocktail: Blueberry and Maple Mojito
There’s nothing quite like a fruity drink to get everyone in the summery mood. From New Zealand’s first Masterchef Brett McGregor, this mocktail only takes five minutes to prepare.
What you need
8-10 mint leaves, plus more for garnish | 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice | 1 tablespoon of good-quality maple syrup | ⅓ cup of blueberry juice – no added sugar | ½ cup soda | frozen blueberries (for garnish).
How to make it
Put the amount of ice you want, and the mint leaves in a glass and muddle well until the mint releases its flavour. Add the lime juice, maple syrup, blueberry juice and soda to the glass, then stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
Add ice and a handful of frozen blueberries for garnish. If you like, you can also garnish with additional mint leaves.
Enjoy the holiday break!
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