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Winter’s Bounty
Holly McVicar grew to appreciate great food while growing up in rural Katikati. After years abroad, she’s returned to the Bay of Plenty to a new life (and vege garden), inspired to share her recipes in this new seasonal column.
Holly McVicar grew to appreciate great food while growing up in rural Katikati. After years abroad, she’s returned to the Bay of Plenty to a new life (and vege garden), inspired to share recipes in this seasonal column.
I was fortunate to have a love of fresh produce and good food passed down to me through many generations. Growing up on a beef farm and large horticultural property in Katikati, my parents introduced us to their passion for food and travel, and our garden was always full of climate-defying produce. Self-sustaining was a way of life back then, but it was yet to have a label. I earned pocket money by raising animals and selling fruit and vegetables, and had free rein in the kitchen with whatever was growing on the property at the time.
This grounding saw me working in food from a young age, from a job at a local vineyard restaurant at high school to cooking schools and working in boutique lodges. I completed my chef qualifications simultaneously with a Bachelor in Earth Sciences, and have subsequently worked around the world as a geologist and project manager.
After the upheaval we’ve been through these past few years, I was incredibly glad to gain a spot
in the MIQ lottery late last year and to move back to the Bay of Plenty with my husband and two wonderful children. I hope to give them the upbringing I had — connecting the environment with
the produce we eat, and being close to family.
One of my first missions at our new home was to establish a vege garden. My (hopefully abundant!) produce, along with that of all the local growers and makers I plan to meet, will be the inspiration for this recipe column (and recipes I post on @madebyhollys). The food will be simple to make, full of flavour and celebrate the best produce each season has to offer.
Spiced Carrot & Ginger Soup
This is a simple take on a recipe that won a culinary award many years ago. The carrots growing
in my vege garden are destined for this warming soup that’s ready in 30 minutes. Pair it with some crusty fresh bread for the perfect winter meal.
SERVES 4
20ml olive oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
20g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
500g carrots, peeled and sliced
1L stock (chicken or vegetable works well)
100ml cream
Lime crème fraîche
50ml crème fraîche
Zest and juice of ½ lime
1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
Place the oil and turmeric in a large, heavy-based saucepan and cook over medium-low heat
for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli (if using), then cook for
about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent but not browned. Stir in the carrots, add the
stock then simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
While the soup is cooking, mix together all the ingredients for the lime crème fraîche in a
separate bowl, then season to taste, and set aside.
Puree the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Just before serving, stir in the cream and
season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls and swirl with crème fraîche, to finish. Serve with your
favourite bread, if desired.
Lemon Yoghurt Cake
This can be a large cake (I baked the one above in three separate tins), baked as a loaf or made
as muffins or mini-loaves, and I’ve given options for both a drizzle or buttercream icing. When in season, add a large handful of fresh raspberries or blueberries into the mixture before baking.
SERVES 12
¾ cup rice bran oil
2 large free-range eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated
lemon rind
¼ cup lemon juice
1 cup unsweetened Greek yoghurt
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
Lemon Buttercream
125g salted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Lemon Drizzle Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the cake, preheat the oven to 160°C and grease or line your selected tin with baking paper.
Mix together wet ingredients, then add the sugar and mix well until it’s dissolved. Gently fold in
the flour until just combined.
Bake until golden brown and the top springs back when pressed. I find a 20cm round springform
tin takes about 50 minutes, a loaf tin takes an hour, and the mixture divided into 12 muffin/mini-loaf tins takes about 20 minutes to bake. For the lemon drizzle icing, mix ingredients well until smooth, then drizzle over cake when cool.
For the lemon buttercream, use a cake mixer to beat the butter and icing sugar until pale and smooth — around 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and combine. The scraper attachment on a stand mixer works well here and eliminates bubbles in the mixture. Top the cooled cake with buttercream.
Tip Before transporting a cake iced with buttercream, pop it into the fridge for the icing to firm up
for the journey.
For more recipes and local produce inspiration, follow @madebyhollys
