Soul Food

After a summer that feels to have thrown everything our way, I’ve been busy rescuing seeds
(now quite an obsession with uncertain times ahead), making pesto with herbs before they go
to seed and poaching the last of the stone fruit for the freezer. 

We’ve been enjoying the last of the chillies, corn and my third crop of beans are still producing well. I’ve been busy planting lettuces, celery, pak choy and silverbeet — when selectively harvested, they will see us through to spring. Lemons and guavas are ripening and my recently planted finger lime
is growing quickly. We’ve just passed a year in our house and bit by bit we’ve been replacing ornamental trees with edibles.

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An early sign of autumn came in the form of a rogue butternut pumpkin vine that was destined
for the family farm but somehow established itself. The kids are watching in interest as it
snakes around the garden, following it like a treasure hunt each afternoon to find where
the “huge!” pumpkins are growing. 

For this issue, I was lucky enough to get some local Mārama’s Mushrooms from Billy, and Nicki’s
Eggs from Nicki, who were both at the fantastic Tauranga Farmers Market. I’ve also used walnuts from Katikati, fresh feijoas, and of course my own produce. Keeping it local, JS Ceramics in Te Puna supplied pieces for our photo shoot, including the beautiful new Oatmeal clay collection.

For more recipes & local produce inspiration, follow Holly @madebyhollys

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Mushroom Tart with Parmesan & Walnut Pastry

Serves 4–6

25g butter
2 shallots, finely sliced
300g fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used a mixed tray from Mārama’s Mushrooms,
but use whatever you have available)
2 tbs fresh chives, chopped (use garlic chives if you have them)
200ml creme fraiche
150ml thin cream
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk

Parmesan & walnut pastry

200g wholemeal flour
100g ground walnuts
20g freshly grated parmesan
2 tbs fresh thyme leaves
100g cold butter, diced
2 large egg yolks
1–2 tbs iced water to bind
(if required)

For the pastry, place flour, nuts, parmesan, thyme and butter in a food processor, then pulse until
the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Season, add egg yolks and pulse until the mixture comes together in a single ball (if this doesn’t happen, slowly add the iced water until it binds). Wrap in
cling film or beeswax wrap, and rest in fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Grease and flour a tart tin with removable base, tapping out extra flour (use a 26cm round tin
or I used a 35cm x 10cm rectangular quiche tin). Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to
0.5cm thick and press into base and sides of tin. Trim excess pastry and return to fridge for at
least 30 minutes (this prevents pastry from shrinking).

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line tart shell with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice
(to prevent pastry from rising). Blind bake for 15–20 minutes until edges start to turn golden.
Remove beans and paper. Bake for 5 minutes more until pastry is golden brown.

For the filling, melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat, then add shallots. Cook until they
start to soften. Add mushrooms (stems first), gently shaking pan until well coated in butter.
Season, then transfer to a bowl to cool.

Place chives, creme fraiche, cream and egg in a bowl and whisk, then season. Gently stir mixture through mushroom filling. Pour into tart shell and bake for about 15 minutes or until filling is slightly puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing from tin.
Serve as is, or with a side salad.

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Oven-roasted Dijon Chicken Thighs

Serves 4–6

2 tsp olive oil
6 boneless chicken thighs
1 large onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Large sprig each of thyme, oregano and rosemary (tied together
with string for easy removal before serving)
2 tsp smoked paprika

Sauce

1 cup chicken stock
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/2 cup thin cream (optional)
400g can cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place oil in a pan (ovenproof, if possible) over medium heat, add chicken and cook until golden brown all over. Remove from pan and set aside.

Place pan back on heat, add onion, garlic, herbs and paprika. Season and stir until onions are soft. Transfer to an ovenproof dish (if required) with chicken.

For the sauce, combine ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook in oven, uncovered, for about
20 minutes or until chicken is cooked and sauce is reduced.

Serve with steamed greens, and rice, quinoa (I used tri-colour), bread, barley or roast potatoes.

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Feijoa Pudding

Serves 6–8

8 large feijoas, halved, flesh scooped out
(substitute for any stewed fruit)
1 tbs honey
1 vanilla pod, sliced lengthwise, seeds scraped out
(substitute 1 tsp of vanilla paste)
125g salted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs
125g self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Place the feijoa, honey and vanilla seeds into a
2L ovenproof baking dish or individual ramekins (I used 8cm x 10cm soufflé dishes in the photo),
then mix to coat well.

Using a stand mixer or hand beater, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat
in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and vanilla and mix until just combined — be sure not to overwork the mixture.

Spoon the sponge mixture evenly over the fruit and smooth the top. Place in the oven and bake for around 45 minutes or until the sponge has risen and has a golden brown top. Serve straight from oven (while sponge is airy and top is crunchy) with whipped cream, custard or vanilla ice cream.

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Recipes by Holly McVicar @madebyhollys

Photography by ilk

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