Seasonal usually also means plentiful which sees prices come down and we can take advantage of insider tips from the fresh food team at New World to keep us in the know about which produce is the best buying this week.
FRESH IN: Asian greens join cavolo nero, silverbeet, spinach and kale as the best way to get greens into your diet now the cold has truly hit. Bok choy (or pak choy) is available in big and baby sizes and you may also find kailaan (gai lan), known as Chinese broccoli, and the more slender-stemmed choy sum (Chinese flowering cabbage) in supermarkets now too. Add them to stir-fries and soups (Western ones included) or plunge the sliced stems into boiling water and follow with the quicker-cooking leaves. Dress them as they do in Asian restaurants, with oyster sauce and sesame oil. Peel the lower stems first if they look too fibrous and slice thick bok choy stems in half vertically and then chop into pieces if you find the long lengths too much to chew. “Bok choy is grown all around New Zealand but they do like a warmer climate, so most are grown in Pukekohe” says New World Fresh Expert Brigit Corson. Leeks are good buying as are drumhead cabbages and caulis. Never cooked with swedes? They are plentiful over winter. Pick one up in the supermarket and cut it into matchsticks for a clever twist on slaw.
Tofu braised with greens
LOOK FOR: Imported mangoes. Partner in a salad or salsa with local (nice and affordable) new season avos and pretend you are on a beach somewhere tropical.
MOVING ON: “We’re still enjoying some mild weather for this time of year, so your New World produce section will be looking plentiful” says Brigit. “Local satsuma mandarins are coming to an end though, so make the swap to New Zealand navel oranges, or try the Afourer mandarins — they’re often quite large, seedless, and have great flavour!”