13 January 2011

THE SUMMER OF POTATOES, KINGFISH AND SEASONAL EATING

In the picture above you can see Muzza with his pride and joy of the week; a 17.5kg kingfish caught from his boat Raindear. (The name is a play on my nickname, 'Laurainedeer' and that's quite some joke as I have never been out on the ocean with him!)

So we have enjoyed kingfish fillets panfried in oil and a little butter with lemon juice, kingfish sashimi and a wonderfully fragrant kingfish curry (the recipe is on the recipe page of this website). Fabulous eating and for once Muzza probably justified the money he spends on petrol for that boat. Fresh fish is fabulous to eat when you're over looking the ocean, and we have had superb snapper regularly this summer, along with locally gathered tuatuas and the local Mahurangi oysters.

This is the time of the year when the locavore in me really comes out. I don't need to go further afield for food, as I can feast on an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables from the local farms sold daily at their gates, and from the Matakana farmers market each Saturday.

We are loving the spuds (Rua, Red Rascal and Agria) which hardly need more than a quick wash under running water before cooking as their skins are so delicate. The outdoor tomatoes are simply delicious; full of flavour and rich red juices. There are about five varieties of beans to be found, which I simply steam and dress with avocado oil.

And then there's fennel, radishes, cucumbers, sweet corn, red onions, watermelon, plums, blueberries, late harvest mandarins, and courgettes till they come out my ears. Now this week the aubergines are ripening and I grilled some on the barbecue and they were sweet, creamy and smoky all at once! (Recipe on the recipe page).

I have herbs growing in pots on my deck, more herbs in the garden and I am in summer heaven.