Summer Heights

 Read more from Gerald

A belated Happy New Year! I have always found this an unreal time of year in New Zealand; Christmas is past, the New Year celebrated but with many still on holiday and others waiting for provincial anniversaries or Waitangi Day before they take theirs, it seems as though the country itself has got its shorts and jandals on and is just cruising slowly through the summer days. I love it.

All the Christmas goodies, like the ham and the turkey, or in our case the lamb, have long gone, the puddings are things of the past and meals need no longer be built round Yuletide leftovers. We have cleaned out the fridge and therein lies now new and fresh delights for a relaxed summer of good eating.

With many of our friends not yet returned to work, we have been able to take the opportunity to enjoy lunch with them. The weather has not always been suitable for barbecues with the gale-force winds Wellington has had to endure of late but I have lived here too long to be unprepared for that. Warm summer days by the sea, windy or not, always make me think of the Mediterranean and so lunches so far have been either Spanish or French.

For one French dish I made a crepe per person with a couple extra and some Béchamel sauce. I gently poached fillets of super-fresh white fish in white wine flavoured with a crushed clove of garlic, some parsley and a little Pernod (or I could have used some chopped fennel or dill leaves) then put the fish in a bowl and covered it.

I strained and reduced the pan juices then added it to the Béchamel sauce together with any accumulated juices from the fish. I poured some of the sauce over the fish, breaking it into pieces, added some chopped parsley then divided the sauced fish between the crepes, folding them and arranging them in a gratin dish. I poured the remaining Béchamel over the crepes and sprinkled the dish with a little grated cheese. I put it in a hot oven to melt and brown the cheese then taking the gratin dish to the table served it with a crisp salad of lettuce, Florence fennel and green and red capsicums which I dressed simply with oil, lemon juice and a little salt and freshly ground pepper.

There have been some absolutely beautiful aubergines… oh all right, eggplants… in the shops of late. And the thought of these purple jewels mingling with scarlet summer tomatoes and capsicums, bright green courgettes (or zucchini if you must) together onions and new-season garlic has driven me into a frenzy of ratatouille. I believe the secret to good ratatouille is to prepare and fry each of the different fruit/vegetables separately  in good olive oil and then introduce them to each other and season them for a final and unstirred cook together, thus avoiding the sloppy vegetable stew that is sometimes presented under the name of ratatouille.

Some cooks hold that this final cooking should be done in the oven in a covered dish whilst others believe it is best done on the hob, again covered; I do both. Before the final cook I often add some fresh basil, thyme or even some fennel leaves. After cooking the dish for 40 minutes or so it should be left for about 15 minutes before serving. Ratatouille is wonderful hot or cold, try it cold on hot toasted country bread with some feta for a light supper or lunch… summer on a plate.

The Spanish word for aubergine is berenjena which comes from the Arabic bāḏinjān, so it seemed only right that my Spanish dish using this opulent fruit should enjoy some Arabian flavours. In the past I have baked the aubergine halves before filling but I find steaming them, as in the recipe, works much better.

Berenjenas Rellenas

2 medium purple aubergines – longer-shaped ones – trimmed and halved lengthways
¾ cup water
¼ cup good olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
¼ cup milk
1 medium onion – peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic – peeled and finely chopped
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes – drained
350g minced lamb
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 egg – lightly beaten
2 cups grated tasty Cheddar

In a large casserole or similar oven-proof dish with a lid arrange the aubergine halves cut side up. Season them with salt and pepper then pour around them the water and a tablespoon of the olive oil. Cover and put over a medium heat. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and allow the aubergines to cook for 6 minutes or so or until they begin to feel tender when poked with a knife.

Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C. In a bowl mix the breadcrumbs with the milk and set aside. In a separate pan fry the onions in the remaining olive oil over a medium heat until they just start to brown then add the garlic and continue cooking for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and allow to cook for 5 minutes before adding the minced lamb, cinnamon and cumin together with a seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir the dish to break up the meat and allow to cook until the meat changes colour.

Meanwhile, with a spoon carefully remove the flesh from the aubergines leaving enough in the skins to act as a shell. Roughly chop the flesh and add, with the bread and milk to the cooking lamb and stir until any liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and allow the lamb to cool slightly and then thoroughly mix in the beaten egg. Spoon this mixture into the aubergine shells, sprinkle them with the cheese and bake them in the oven for 20 minutes or so. Serve hot with a salad and crusty bread.

Serves 4.

I am eagerly anticipating any barbecue lunches the "summer" weather may allow me but I’m also looking forward to the lesser effort of occasions where a greater number of friends may gather outdoors, each having tried to outdo the other with their offerings for a shared lunch picnic. I love the summer.