At the Bannockburn hotel recently, I was chatting with the barmaid about the weather and the goings on in the neighbourhood.
“It’s been busy all week, everyone’s out foraging,” she said, leading us out the door and pointing up the road to a large apple tree. “That’s a beaut apple, and just up the road there are a couple of huge walnut trees, with loads of nuts.”
You could see the favoured apple tree had been picked hard on one side of the fence, but was still laden on the other side. No one was game to jump over and pick the fruit from the other side, as when you jump the fence you go from foraging to scrumping. Technically, to scrump is to steal apples from someone’s orchard, but overhanging branches … well, they are generally considered fair pickings.
I am more of a gleaner than a scrumper. There’s nothing I like more than getting the call from my friend and market gardener Peter letting me know the pepper paddock is free for a final pick over. The practice of gathering after the harvest became an accepted part of European rural life throughout the Middle Ages, and the right of usufruct was established. This was the right to use and enjoy another’s property on the understanding that this use would be without destroying, damaging or diminishing the property. I hate the thought of the harvests wasting, and my friend is very happy for me to go in and pick. A bacon and egg pie and a jar of eggplant kasundi are his preferred koha.
The peppers are just starting to colour, but a few days on the windowsill in the sun will turn them red and sweet. Like tomatoes, as long as they have started the ripening process, both peppers and chillies will continue to ripen after harvesting, and in the process, the flavour profile will change quite dramatically from green, grassy and slightly bitter, to sweet, fruity and mellow.
My favourites are the long bullhorn capsicums, they are so much sweeter than the classic bell peppers. I almost always roast them (15-20 minutes at 220C, just until they start to blister and puff) and then cover them so they sweat as they cool which makes their skins easier to remove. I take out the seeds and all the pith and then they are ready to use.
In Mexican cuisine, capsicums are integral to dishes such as salsa, mole, and chiles rellenos. In South Asia, they feature prominently in curries, chutneys, and pickles, adding depth and spice to the cuisine. In Mediterranean cooking, capsicums are roasted, grilled, or stuffed, enhancing dishes with their sweet and smoky flavours. Before the first frosts turn the harvests to pulp, make the most of the last of the pepper season with these tasty meals.
Fridge-Foraged Fried Rice
Whenever we have rice I cook extra so there’s some in the fridge or freezer for another day. I’ll fry it up with whatever vegetables are at hand and throw in a couple of eggs or some leftover chicken or meat for protein. This recipe serves four but is easily scaled up for more.
Ready in 20 mins
Serves 2
2 eggs
2 tsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp neutral oil
2 spring onions, thinly sliced, green and white
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, deseeded, cored, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
½ long red or green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
3 cups cooked brown or white rice
1-2 cups diced cooked chicken, diced ham, or grated tofu (optional)
2 handfuls bean sprouts or finely chopped cabbage or bok choy stalks
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp chilli oil, (optional)
TO SERVE
2 Tbsp roasted peanuts
2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 red or green chilli, thinly sliced
Lime cheeks, to serve (optional)
Lightly whisk eggs and fish sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy-based frypan and add spring onions, garlic, pepper, carrot, chilli, and ginger and sizzle for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Make a space in the pan and add eggs, stirring until they set in curds. Add rice, bean sprouts, cabbage or bok choy, soy sauce and chilli oil if using and cook over a high heat, stirring now and then without breaking up the egg too much, until heated through (about 5 minutes).
Add peanuts and coriander and toss lightly to combine. Pile into bowls, scatter with chillies and serve with lime cheeks to squeeze over the top, if desired.
Chicken Fajitas with Tomato Chilli Jam
I often make the tomato chilli jam in this recipe in bulk. It keeps in the fridge for about a week and freezes well. It’s delicious over almost everything.
Ready in 40 minutes
Serves 4
Sauce makes 1 1/2 cups
400g chicken stir-fry or sliced chicken thighs
2 onions, halved and cut into very thin wedges
2 red peppers, finely sliced
3 Tbsp Mexican spice mix
2 Tbsp neutral oil
SMOKY TOMATO & CHILLI JAM
450g tomatoes, cored and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeds and pith removed, diced
1 long red chilli, seeds and pith removed, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp canned chipotles in adobo
½ tsp salt
TO SERVE
8 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
Salad fixings of your choice, such as iceberg lettuce, sliced red onion and/or pickled jalapeno peppers, diced tomatoes
Sour cream, salsa, guacamole, (optional)
Start by making the tomato chilli jam. Place all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Uncover and continue cooking for another 10–15 minutes, stirring now and then to ensure it doesn’t catch, until the mixture is reduced and saucy.
While sauce simmers, combine chicken, onions, pepper slices and spice mix. Heat oil in a large heavy frypan or on a barbecue hotplate and, working in batches if necessary, cook over a medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
To serve, dollop a little Smoky Tomato & Chilli Jam into a warmed tortilla. Top with chicken mixture and garnish with salad fixings and sauces
Chilli and Lime Chicken Stir-Fry
This easy aromatic one-pot meal makes for a speedy mid-week meal.
Ready in 30 mins + marinating
Serves 4
about 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, very thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Zest of 2 limes, finely grated
1 double makrut lime, central stem removed, leaves very finely shredded
1-2 long red chillies, thinly sliced, plus extra to garnish
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp soft brown sugar
1-2 red or green peppers, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into fine batons
2 stalks celery, thinly angle-sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 Tbsp neutral oil
½ cup water
2 spring onions, thinly angle-sliced
2 handfuls bean sprouts
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 red chilli, thinly sliced to garnish
Mix chicken with garlic, zest, shredded lime leaf, chilli, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours).
Place peppers, carrots, celery and broccoli in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Stand for 2 minutes then drain well.
Heat oil in a wide heavy pot or wok and cook chicken over a high heat, stirring, until browned (about 3 minutes). Add ½ cup water and simmer for 5 minutes. Add peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli and cook another 2 minutes. Mix in spring onions and bean sprouts and toss for a few seconds to soften. Drizzle over lime or lemon juice and garnish with chilli.
Match these with ...
by Yvonne Lorkin
(Fridge-foraged fried rice)
Deep Down Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 ($27)
All the ginger, soy, chilli and garlicky goodness just hollers for something stacked with tasty tropicality and terrific tension. Seeing as its label already says “certified organic”, “wild ferment’, “single vineyard” and “vegan friendly”, I don’t need to tell you much more, other than this ultra-complex wine is produced by Seresin alum Clive Dougall and erupts with lime, lemongrass, soft herbs and hay. It might say “Deep Down”, yet it has a feather-light touch. It’s also crunchy-fresh, cracking with flavour, cleansing, juicy and not your usual slap-in-the-sipper style.
(Chicken fajitas with tomato chilli jam)
Abandoned Brewery Kolsch 440ml ($9)
Brewed in Lower Hutt and one of the star serves in their Petone Tap Room, this kolsch absolutely fangs with these spicy fajitas. Kolsch is having a modern revival here in Godzone and, while it’s technically an ale, it also tastes crisp and lightly bitter like a pilsner and a yeasty, nutty, bready note at its core. It also has history dating back to 874AD and it’ll quickly be history once you get some of it in your gob alongside a forkful of fajita. At 4.7 per cent abv it’s an extremely sessionable style, so you may need to stock up.
(Chilli and lime chicken stir-fry)
Wairau River Reserve Marlborough Viognier 2022 ($30)
Grown in their Angler vineyard on the banks of the Wairau River, the fruit for this rich, juicy, apricot and citrus-scented viognier (vee-yon-yay) is hand-harvested, gently pressed and fermented in oak barrels for added fatness and fabulousness. Its creamy, complexity and floral intensity works sensationally with anything featuring heat from chilli, acidity from lime and buckets of other flavours like this superb stir-fry. The Wairau River Wines team have crafted a sexy southern sip indeed.