Celebrating Matariki

Every year in late June or early July, the rising of the first star of Pleiades marks the beginning of the Māori new year, known as Matariki. Matariki is a time to honour the past and to celebrate the future, to remember, reflect and renew with whanau and friends. Discover some favourite recipes from our team that we’re sharing, making and eating when gathering with our loved ones.
From our home to yours, happy Matariki!

Afternoon Tea – Karen’s (slightly spicy) Cheese Scones

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 heaped teaspoon salt
A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional but definitely worth a try)
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 cups grated strong tasty cheese (250g mainland tasty)
1 cup full-cream milk – if mixture is a little dry, add a couple more tbsp.

Method
Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Put the baking tray in to heat up.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper into a bowl then mix in the cheese.
Make a well in the centre.
Check you have a clear bench with flour on it and that the oven is fully heated so the scones can be in the oven as soon as possible.
Add the milk, mix quickly with a knife.
Turn out onto a floured bench and quickly shape into one large 3cm thick rectangle.
Cut into 8 scones and put on to your floured, hot tray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. You’ll smell the deliciousness as they bake, enjoy!

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Easy Starter or Warming Lunch – Jamie’s Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
1.5kg pumpkin or squash
Olive oil
1 teaspoon dried chilli
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 litre hot vegetable stock

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Half the pumpkin and remove the seeds then chop into wedges.
Place the pumpkin on two large baking trays and drizzle over a little olive oil.
In a pestle and mortar, grind the chilli and coriander seeds with a pinch of salt until finely ground.
Sprinkle the spices over the pumpkin with some black pepper.
Roast the pumpkin for 1 hour, or until soft and slightly caramelised at the edges.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the onion, garlic, carrot and celery.
Heat a lug of olive oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan then add the vegetables and cook for 15 minutes, or until soft and sweet but not coloured.
When the pumpkin is ready, add to the pan with the hot stock. Blend with a stick blender, adding a little more water if you like a thinner consistency

Garnish with crumbled feta or a splash of cream and serve with crusty bread.

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A Long Lunch – Sarah’s Herb Chicken + Broccolini Salad

Ingredients
1 x organic free range skinless, boneless chicken breast per person
2 x tbsp of Italian herbs per chicken breast (yes, that much!)
Olive oil, salt + pepper
3 x fresh broccolini stems per person
100 grams feta
1 x handful slivered almonds
1 x lemon

Method
Cut chicken breasts in half across the width to create 2 pieces of a similar size for even cooking.
Heat a fry pan to a medium/high heat.
Drizzle the pan with olive oil and once hot, add the chicken breasts.
Season with salt, pepper and generous dousing of Italian herbs.
Cook for a few minutes then flip the chicken and re-season as above.
Cover the pan with a lid or tin foil to prevent the chicken drying out.
Remove from heat once cooked through and leave to rest in pan.

In a dry non-stick fry pan on a medium heat, add a generous scattering of slivered almonds.
Stir frequently to prevent burning.
Remove from heat when toasty in colour and leave to cool.
Drop broccolini stems into a large pot of boiling water.
Cook for a few minutes until al dente.
Drain and lay on serving platter.
Garnish with crumbled feta, toasted almonds and a generous squeeze of lemon juice and cracked pepper.

Serve with roast potatoes or brown rice and a chilled glass of your favourite tipple.

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Family Dinner – Matt’s BBQ Eye Fillet

Ingredients
1 x whole eye fillet
Olive oil
Salt + pepper

Method
Pat the eye fillet dry with a paper towel.
Place eye fillet onto a large dish and season both sides well with salt and pepper.
Drizzle eye fillet with olive oil and rub into meat on all sides.
Leave to marinate and for the meat to come to room temperature.
Heat BBQ grill to a high heat. Sear both sides of fillet until a nice crust forms, then place fillet on a trivet to lift it away from the flame and close lid of BBQ. Cook until fillet reaches just under 75 degrees for medium rare. Test with a meat thermometer.
Rest for 5 minutes, then carve with a sharp knife into steaks to serve.

Serve with roast veges and a green salad or broccolini and a glass of hearty red.

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A Sweet Treat for Dessert – Kendra’s Lemon Syrup Loaf

Ingredients
2 eggs
100g butter, melted
2 Tbsp grated lemon rind
1 cup caster sugar or raw caster sugar
1 ¾ cups standard flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk

Syrup
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup caster sugar or raw caster sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C bake.
Grease or line the bottom of a loaf tin measuring approximately 21cm x 9cm.
Using either a food processor or electric mixer, beat eggs and butter together. Add the lemon rind and caster sugar and beat until creamy. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt and milk.
Mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45-55 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Mix together the syrup ingredients and pour over the loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Leave to cool in the tin.

Serve with whipped cream or a dollop of coconut yoghurt.

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