Author Archives: Helen Jackson

NZ’s ORIGINAL MASTERCHEF RETURNS TO HIS INSPIRATION

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The original Masterchef NZ winner Brett McGregor is set to create a three-course dinner showcasing his own unique spin on the famed food of Thailand, the country that inspired his passion for cooking, in his role as head chef of the hit pop up restaurant Tasting Lounge by Mondo Travel.

The Thai culinary experience, on Monday April 30, is the third offering in Mondo Travel’s monthly pop-up restaurants at Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, which aim to provide the true “flavour” of different countries, and have been sold out to date. McGregor, author of cook book Taste of a Traveller, says he is particularly excited about exploring the food of Thailand for the Tasting Lounge menu because it’s where his love affair with food began. “I fell in love with Thailand and Thai food during my first trip there in the 90’s,” McGregor says.

“It was the first time I had experienced a cuisine so different to ours, with such contrasting flavours. –it was an assault on the senses,” he says. “I’ve since been back numerous times, travelling extensively throughout Thailand, sampling its delicious delights one dish at a time. Now, with The Tasting Lounge I get to bring diners my Thailand, and I intend to deliver a Thailand experience they’ve never had before!”

The Tasting Lounge is open at the Marvel Grill, in Auckland’s newest dining precinct the Wynyard Quarter, on the last Monday of every month until June this year. Each month celebrates the best cuisine from a different destination or travel experience with matched wines, and MC’d by iconic Kiwi entertainer Jackie Clarke.

Previous Tasting Lounge’s have showcased the food of New South Wales and Tahiti, and Mondo Travel marketing manager Gordon Bayne says the April event is one not to be missed.

“Brett is so passionate about Thai food; he’s going to come up with something really spectacular.” Bayne says the Tasting Lounge is the latest in Mondo’s long history of innovative travel concepts. “Mondo prides itself on selling more than just plane tickets and hotel rooms,” he says. “Travel with us is about really experiencing a destination – and guiding our clients towards sampling the amazing cuisine of a country is a perfect example of how we bring a destination to life.”

Bayne is also thrilled to have Qantas on board as a key partner for the Thai Tasting Lounge. The airline offers great fares for Kiwis travelling to Thailand, and operates seven flights from Auckland to Bangkok every week.

Mondo Travel’s other key Tasting Lounge partners include Marvel Grill, Easy Mix, Grab One and Thailand Tourism.

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Additional information: Tickets for the dinner are $99 per person including the three-course meal by Brett McGregor and matched wines. Funds raised from the pop-up restaurant will go to the Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust, which trains mobility dogs to assist those with physical disabilities.

Other destinations and travel experiences celebrated in future Tasting Lounges will showcase Western Australia and cruising.

For further information on The Tasting Lounge, menus, and purchasing tickets visit www.mondotravel.co.nz/tastinglounge.

 

April 2012

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Hi there,
For those of you with school aged children then I do hope you are enjoying some holiday time with them.  We have stayed at home and I have been busy planting a new garden and also picking vast amounts of limes, feijoas and figs.
Last weekend I was lucky enough to go the opening of Jersey Boys – and it really was oh what a night! the cast are so amazingly talented and the show went by in one big wonderful bIink. I am now keen to go back and see it again!
This delicious feijoa loaf recipe is being made repeatedly around here – icing is optional but the loaf is oh so good.
Happy Cooking,
Helen

The Great Recipe Challenge – Minute Radiation

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Irene Field

This week’s challenge is all about Microwaves. Hands up how many people actually cook a meal wholly in their microwave. The modern appliance has all the bells and whistles and yet even I am guilty of using it for porridge, white sauce, melting butter, reheating my coffee and um, yes, then I use it for um and ah. You get the picture.

 

Back in the 1970s/1980s when Microwaves burst onto the scene, they were newfangled. In fact I can remember Microwave Cooking classes being offered at time of purchase. I can even remember purchasing a recipe book to allow me to add to my cooking repertoire. Confession time! I have never cooked one solitary recipe from the book. It is entitled ‘Microwave Cooking Made Easy’ first published in 1979 with a reprint in 1982. The introduction gives credit to the author, a Douglas Marsland who is/was an experienced chef.

 

Microwave cooking of main meals has never appealed due to the lack of browning and what resembles to me a general bleurgh appearance. So the book has sat and sat on my bookshelf. No doubt crying use me, use me and I have thumbed my nose at it. Until now and the Great Recipe Challenge – and you guessed it,  this book was next. No longer could it be ignored.

The recipe decided upon was ‘Cabbage Rolls’. Yes I have made cabbage rolls before but never in a microwave oven. I also must confess here to another cooking anomaly. I often read a recipe and decide how I can improve it, add to it, leave things out. Douglas Marsland’s Cabbage Rolls have received the same treatment.

First up – place cabbage leaves in two tablespoons of water in a covered casserole dish. Cook for eight minutes or until soft. This is so easy. I kicked myself as to why I had never, ever done this before. Much easier then softening in a pot of boiling water.

 

The filling is a combination of beef and pork mince. I used pork only. Add to this chopped onion, cooked rice, a beaten egg, thyme, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. The recipe then has one cup of tomato sauce, half of which was to be mixed into the meat mixture. I substituted home made tomato chutney for the sauce, to allow a bit of an oomph factor.

 

The stuffing is then placed on each cabbage leaf and the leaves are wrapped tightly around this Place these into a microwave safe casserole dish, dot with butter and pour over the rest of the tomato sauce (or chutney in this case). These are then cooked covered, on high, in the microwave.

Well knock me down with a minute dose of microwave radiation. These were beautiful. Yet again another recipe challenge has exceeded expectations. What a wonderful, easy way to make cabbage rolls. No boiling in a pot or an inordinate time spent in the oven.

I am looking at this book with new eyes and may have to venture further into other recipe offerings. I think I will send my dear other half out on a fishing expedition, as the Whole Fish with Black Bean Sauce looks fairly appealing!

In the meantime, Bon Appetit and a Happy Easter to all.

Affordable milk for consumers here to stay

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NOSH GETS ITS BOTTLER

Affordable milk will be available indefinitely at all six Nosh food market stores from April 16 following a bottling agreement announced today.

Nosh director Clinton Beuvink says the company has signed a deal with Green Valley to bottle milk under the Nosh Essentials own-brand label.

Green Valley produces a wide range of milk, including organic milk, and is based in Mangatawhiri just south of the Bombay Hills. The company is the largest privately owned organic dairy farm in New Zealand and is managed by dairy industry identity Corrie den Haring.

Nosh Essentials milk will retail at $2.49 for two litres, around half the price of branded milk advertised by a big supermarket chain.

“Milk is finally more affordable for New Zealand consumers on an on-going basis,” Mr Beuvink says.

 

“Green Valley milk is a high quality product. The company is widely recognised as one of the leading dairy farms in New Zealand with the highest quality milk. It has a fresh-from-farm approach with the supplier mid-way between our Auckland and Hamilton food market stores. We couldn’t be more delighted to secure them as our supplier.

 

“It has been a costly exercise for us but it is worth it now we have achieved our goal of a sustained reduction in price,” he says.

 

Green Valley is very supportive of the move: “We’re pleased to be supporting Nosh in its private label venture,” says Mr den Haring.

 

Nosh reduced the price of milk to $2 for two litres in its six food market stores in early February in protest against excessive industry mark-ups on milk.

The company extended its discount offer in to March and has continued to receive wide consumer support for the idea. It has sold hundreds of thousands of bottled milk at the reduced price in seven weeks.

Nosh Essentials (2 litre bottles) will be available from Monday 16 April in blue, light blue and trim varieties in all six Nosh food market stores for $2.49

 

Issued for Nosh Food Market by Pead PR

 

Easter 2012

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After 5 days of sun and relaxation with friends in Samoa it has left me keen to take the family to visit this island paradise – watch for a new travel feature once I have caught up with myself.
Easter this week and I urge you to try our delicious hot cross bun recipe that is most definitely tried and true!
Another fun thing to do with the kids is Easter chocolate crackles.  These look sweet wrapped in cellophane and given away as gifts.
As it is a weekend where chocolate indulgence is a given I thought I would make a rich chocolate tart to follow on from a slow roasted leg of lamb.
Happy Easter!
Helen