Nowozelandzkie kiwi

Shortly my first book on New Zealand’s cuisine will be published so I start a series of articles on New Zealand food in general and on that found in Poland in particular. The book will be in Polish so enjoy the Polish introduction to the topic. 

Jako że wkrótce ukaże się moja książka poświęcona kuchni nowozelandzkiej, zaczynamy cykl postów przybliżający kiwuską kulturę jedzenia i nowozelandzkie produkty dostępne w Polsce.

 

Zaczniemy od KIWI. Kiedyś ta sprytna roślinka nie cieszyła się zainteresowaniem nawet umiejących przyrządzić wszystko Chińczyków. Była jednym z wielu dzikich pnączy. Gdzieś na początku XX wieku dotarła do Nowej Zelandii, gdzie klimat do jej wzrostu okazał się bardzo sprzyjający. Dzięki charakterystycznej, włochatej skórce, owoc otrzymał nazwę właściwą dotąd endemicznemu ptakowi Nowej Zelandii, kiwi. W jezyku angielskim rozróżniamy owoc kiwi fruit i ptaka kiwi. Sami Nowozelandczycy również określają siebie Kiwis, po polsku: Kiwusi. 

Hodowcy nowozelandzcy z kolei umieli świetnie wypromować radosny, zielony owoc. W latach 60-tych stał się on symbolem i ulubioną dekoracją dań nouvelle cuisine, charakteryzującej się lekkimi daniami. Historia uprawy kiwi i eksportu nowozelandzkiego kiwi jest atrakcyjnym tematem prac naukowych z dziedziny handlu i marketingu. Sami na pewno zauważyliście, że nowozelandzkie kiwi w Polsce jest 3-4 razy droższe od kiwi z innych części świata. Po części odpowiadają za to koszty transportu, po drugie zaszłości z czasów, kiedy Nowa Zelandia była największym eksporterem kiwi, a po trzecie fakt, że jest to najsmaczniejsze kiwi na świecie. Żadne inne kiwi nie będzie miało tej słodyczy i aromatu, co kiwi z Nowej Zelandii. 

Do Polski trafiają owoce z nalepką firm ZESPRI lub ENZA™. Jeśli są to kiwi oznaczone “New Zealand” – to jest to (ZESPRI hoduje już na licencji kiwi we Włoszech – to nie to samo). Oprócz zielonych docierają do nas kiwi złote, z gładką skórką, żółtym miąższem i smakiem słodszym od tradycyjnego kiwi. Czasami znajdziemy kiwi giganta, ważącego do 150 g, albo kiwi jagody – dwucentrymetrowe, zielone owoce o gładkiej skórce. Nowozelandczycy przodują w pracach nad nowymi odmianami, smaczne jest między innymi kiwi czerwone. 

Kiwi zawiera 10 razy więcej witaminy C niż cytryna. Najwięcej jest jej pod skórką, która notabene jest jadalna. W czasie przeziębień zjadamy 1-2 kiwi dziennie. Dodatkowo mamy w nim wapń i glikozydy sprzyjające sercu. Kiwi najlepiej pasuje do narodowego deseru nowozelandzkiego, tortu Pawłowej.

Znaczący tort na 30. urodziny:-)

Sama roślina kiwi ma postać pnącza o rozmiarach około 5 metrów. Jest wykrzystywana jako roślina ozdobna. Wczesną wiosną wypuszcza wielkie, zielone liście, które dobrze się prezentują także jesienią. W Nowej Zelandii już koło listopada zawiązują się owoce, a od marca do czerwca trwają zbiory. Coraz popularniejsze są w Polsce sadzonki kiwi jagód, a są tacy, którzy już jedli własne owoce. W przeciwieństwie do odmian nowozelandzkich, dostępne w Europie odmiany odporne są na mrozy (do pewnego stopnia...). Moje trzy sadzonki kiwi przetrzymały pierwszą zimę i z początkiem marca rozwinęły pierwsze liście.  

      

Więcej informacji o naturze nowozelandzkiego owocu kiwi oraz oczywiście przepis na Pawłową już wkrótce!

Zobacz także: 

Bogactwo kiwiowych odmian.

Świetna strona z wieloma odmianami kiwi. 

TED New Zealand & Kiwifruit case study. 

Nowozelandzka encyklopedia o historii kiwi w Nowej Zelandii.

Great Australian jelly

Australians love jellies. Theu simply do. Maybe that's the echo of the fight with the climate in the past. All the colours, flavours and shapes are acceptable. And who doesn't like fruits soaked in a fragrant wine? Or a wine with some ripe fruits soaked?? Especially if it's a light fair Australian wine? This jelly is especially good with some ripe melon but you can also try other soft fruits like watermelon or strawberries. Anyone's freezing? It's an Aussie summer right now!

Melon jelly

makes 4 portions

300 g melon flesh, cut into small pieces

400 ml white Australian wine (necessarily!)

80 g sugar

1 Tbsp gelatine

6 dried apricots

1. Soak the cut melon in wine for half an hour. Drain.

2. Bring the wine to the boil, dissolve sugar. Take from heat and dissolve gelatine in wine. Leave until  it starts to set (egg white consistency).

3. Scald apricots with boiling water and drain. Chop into stripes.

4. Combine wine jelly with soaked melon and chopped apricots. Divide into four 150 ml glasses and leave in a fridge for about two hours.

5. Decorate with fresh melon, strawberry sauce or fresh strawberries. 

This dessert is especially nice for a cold evening to heat you up. So simple yet elegant, typically Australian.

Mango muffins!!!

Gorgeous mango pulp was waiting for me since the conference. I really wanted to bake something with it. Muffins were the laziest idea but the result was not so cheap. Here you have deeply orange in colour, not too heavy and full of good stuff muffins. Ones of the best available!

Mango muffins

makes 12

200 g flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsps cream of tartar

30 g oat brans

30 g raisins

40 g sugar

1 egg

50 ml vegetable oil

180 ml mango pulp

2 Tbsps condensed milk

an EXTRA mango (a half is enough)

Orange icing

3 Tbsp icing sugar

1,5 Tbsp boiling water

2 drops of orange essence

1. Sift flour and baking powder together, mix in sugar, oat brans and raisins. An EXTRA fresh mango chopped into cubes would make a sensation.

2. Beat the egg slightly, add oil, mango and milk and mix well.

3. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ones and combine well trying not to overmix. Divide quickly into 12 muffin wholes.

4. Bake in preheated oven at 190 degrees for 15 minutes. Check with a skewer if it comes dry.

5. Cool for a minute and take out on a rack.

6. Add orange essence to the icing sugar and mix well with boiling water to make the icing. Make check on cold muffins pouring down the icing from the teaspoon. 

Australia in the Modern World - foretaste of the tasting.

Australia in modern world. Between Asia, America and Europe - the conference organised by Australia, New Zealand and Oceania Research Association is walking fast. It is this Friday, November 26th, in Cracow. Around midday you would try some marvellous Australian wines, as well as the food. I am planning some must-to-do Australian dishes, as Anzac biscuits and little Pavlovas with fruits, but also some really old-fashioned jellies and seafood mousses. Should I encourage you to come and try a crocodile or a roo*? I don't think so. 

Before this, I opened my Australian and New Zealand Complete Book of Cookery and inspired by that prepared this tropical mousse. While making it, the smell was really promising and the taste is equally rewarding. The method is truly Australian - according to the rule keep it simple.

Australian tropical mousse

(makes 2 portions)

125 ml water

110 sugar

a pinch of cream od tartar

10 g gelatine

40 ml fresh orange juice

1 tsp lemon juice and some extra for a banana

1/2 tsp of the lemon and orange rinds grated

60 ml condensed milk

1 banana

1 passionfruit

1. Place water, gelatine, sugar and cream of tartar in a pot and boil over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and thicken.

2. When the mixture gets the consistency of the egg white, add the lemon and orange juices and the rinds. Beat until foamy. 

3. Add milk and continue beating for few minutes.

4. Slice banana, coat with extra lemon juice and drain well. Mix in the mousse and divide into separate cups. 

5. Chill in the fridge until set. Decorate with passionfruit pulp and some extra bananas.

See you on Friday at the Jagiellonian Library, Krakow, before 12 am. You can enter here.

*kangaroo

Not fancy for a liver?

This was a liver testing week for me. This happens if you buy a kilo of offal that your husband doesn’t eat. Following Peter Gordon’s tips on sautéing livers, I went from rumaki through liver and beans to the liver and plum paté. Imagine that you prepare your own homemade paté, you exactly know what is inside and there is nothing artificial! Not mentioning the whole mistery of making a paté! It is a good thing as a spread for a party canapés or simply to go with some cracers. Or with some toasts for the open-air breakfast...

Liver and plum paté

360 g chicken livers
50 ml red wine
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
130 g red plums
2 Tbsp honey
50 g butter salt

1. Wash the livers, remove the sinews. You can cut them into halves so they cook more quickly. Heat up the oil in the frying pan, place the livers when it’s very hot. Fry for a minute or two on one side, or until you see that the upper side changes the colour into some grey brown. Turn over and keep frying for another two minutes. The livers should be cooked through but still pink. Place on the sieve and let it cool down and drip the oil and some juices.

2. Remove stones from the plums, cut the fruits into small cubes, heat up the honey in the frying pan and cook the plums until they start to soften. Remove from the heat and leave to cool down.

3. Melt the butter. Put the livers, butter and wine in the food processor and blend well. Now’s the funny thing. You have to pass the paté through a sieve, using a spatula or by pounding the paté on the sieve with a ladle. 4. The rest is the easy task. Season well with salt, add plums with all their honey juices and mix well. Place in a container. It will keep at least for a week in a fridge. You should get 300 g of your own homemade paté.

Besides did you know that livers are actually more valuable as a source of vitamins, minerals and proteins than the meat itself? Chicken and duck livers are both tender and versatile in using. Apart from these, the best it is said are those of calf, than lamb’s livers. Beef’s, pork’s or sheep’s livers have stronger flavour. It is important to remove sinews and fibres. You can soak livers in milk for getting a fair colour. You don’t salt the livers until it is cooked, otherwise it will harden – a good exception from that is to marinate livers in the soy sauce. Stewed liver with the onion sauce is a classic Polish dish, equally loved and hated. Liver for a living?

Wholemeal Apple Muffins

Clearing the pantry I managed to get off with soya bean paste finally. Recently I am working on my flours. Cornflour was used for few variations of bread. Wholemeal wheat flour is much more demanding as it has very distinctive flavour. I try not to overdose....

Wholemeal Apple Muffins

Ingredients:
160 g wheat flour
40 g wholemeal wheat flour
pinch of salt
1 Tsp baking powder
65 g icing sugar

1 egg
150 g strawberry yoghurt - fill up with milk to obtain 200 ml volume
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 apple diced

1. Sieve into a bowl two flours, icing sugar, salt and baking powder, mix well.
2. Mix in another container slightly beaten egg, oil, yoghurt, milk and diced apple.
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is just incorporated.
4. Divide the dough into the oiled muffin tins and bake 25 minutes in 180 degrees.

What is different for these muffins it is the lack of spices what tends to be characteristic of the apple muffins. And that is why my husband loved these ones:-)PS. A successful recipe for to'okutu is mostly wanted. Help very appreciated.

PS. 2. It is obvoius that I was absent recently despite cooking every day and baking every second day. I will try to improve. Enjoy the muffins!

Sweet potato

I am so sweet having this small violet leaves...
But I'll soon lose my innocence.
To become mature, hot and tasty sweet potato that has been through a lot.
And what do you say if I am lying like this in front of you completely knocked into a cocked hat?
I am afraid to check if the sweet potato goes well with the whipped cream. Certainly it brings out and strenghten the natural flavour of the fish flesh. Probably this is one of the reasons why it is so popular in the Pacific region. I will try to give you more more serious information if I have time.

See you later!

Figs with rich feeling

Hi everybody!! I'm back too. Apologies for my absence, but summer means buzy time for me.

This summer I made a discovery of “fig”. I know these fruits and sometimes I ate them but I never was delighted with taste of figs... until now. My summer guests brought me Polish culinary magazine “Kuchnia” ( kitchen). On the front cover there is a picture of a fig with pine nuts. I like pine nuts but I never ate them in that combination. I found recipe and made it.

For 4 people
8 figs
40 dag goat's cheese ( any one is good, I tried tihs recipe with a few kinds of goat's cheese )
10 dag pine nuts
olive oil and balsamic vinegar for taste

Every fig on top makes a cross cut. Gently part fig and put inside piece of goat's cheese.
Roast pine nuts . Sprinkle figs with pine nuts. Put fruits on baking tray covered with baking sheet and put in oven. Bake for 8 minutes in 190 C.
Before serving sprinkle fruits with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Recipe is easy but taste is rich – perfection!!!

Enjoy