KAREN TOBICH
Spring Menu
Spring entertaining Think simple and fresh.
Sourdough Bread topped with quark spreads and a pea and broad bean spread Cucumber Quark bites (with or without salmon) Stuffed Cherry tomatoes Home-cured Salmon
T
he evenings are getting longer and it’s like everyone is coming out of hibernation, so be inspired and invite some friends over. Celebrate longer days, more sunshine and fabulous food. On my travels in this glorious country, I stop at the various farmers markets and am always amazed at the food that our local food heroes produce. On a recent trip to Hawkes Bay, I visited the Hastings Farmers Market and found some quark, a type of fresh cheese that is similar to cottage cheese but is creamy with no lumps. An absolute must try. It is healthy and great to cook and bake with, fantastic for desserts and convenient and healthy to use as a base for spreads. I have since discovered that you can buy it in most supermarkets, but if you can get it fresh at the farmers market or your local delicatessen shop, buy lots of it and freeze it, so you always have it on hand. On an earlier food adventure, I bought a Micro Greens Kit at the Taupo Farmers Market. Since my vegetable garden has been a bit neglected, I now grow some greens and herbs on my kitchen bench. You should try it; it’s so easy and convenient, and it looks so pretty.
Teachers Matter
So equipped with two tubs of quark, fresh sourdough bread, garden-fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, peas and broad beans and salmon, I put together a healthy and yummy menu. The best thing about it is that there is absolutely no cooking; you can prepare everything ahead of time and then just plate everything up before your guests arrive.
58
Micro Greens Raspberry Quark Dessert
Cured Salmon (Gravlax) with Quark Raita served on Sourdough Bread For the Cured Salmon you will need: 3 days to cure the salmon 2 sides of fresh salmon (you will need about 1 – 1.5 kg for 8-plus people) 1/3 cup of sea salt flakes 1/3 cup of brown sugar Very finely grated zest of 1-2 lemons Bunch of fresh dill finely chopped Good grinding of black pepper For the Quark Raita you will need: 250g of quark 1/3 of a cucumber grated 1 garlic clove crushed Handful of fresh mint leaves finely chopped Salt and pepper to season To Serve Sourdough bread thinly sliced 1 red onion finely sliced Capers Micro Greens (mustard or rocket works good with salmon) Place the salmon fillets skin down on the bench and remove the bones with tweezers (or you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you). Place sugar, salt flakes, finely grated lemon zest, and chopped dill in a bowl, add freshly ground pepper and mix well. Then rub it into your salmon. Give it a good massage. Sandwich the two salmon sides together and wrap them firmly with some cling film. Place it on a platter or on a baking tray and weigh it down with another platter and place it in the fridge. After 12 hours, remove the salmon from the wrap (it would have created some juices) and rewrap and place it back into the fridge with another platter on top. Turn it over every 12 hours. After three days, your salmon is ready to eat and will last in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To make the Quark Raita, grate the cucumber, sprinkle some salt over it and let it drain in a sieve for 20 minutes. Squeeze as much of the liquid out of the cucumber before mixing it with the chopped mint and garlic into the quark. Season with salt and pepper and store in the fridge until ready to serve. You can make up little bites of sourdough bread, topped with Quark Raita, salmon, red onions, capers and a sprinkling of micro greens and serve them on a platter or you can place all the ingredients on a platter and let everyone help themselves. If you have any leftover salmon, try it on scrambled egg, in sushi, in a salad or over new potatoes and with asparagus.
Savoury Quark on Sourdough Bread or serve on cucumber slices and fill cherry tomatoes You will need: 250g of quark 1 tomato finely chopped 2 spring onions finely sliced a handful of chopped parsley Or try a combination of herbs: chives, parsley and garlic basil coriander and chili or peppers It’s all simple: Mix quark with chopped herbs and refrigerate until needed. Serve on bread or crackers or on slices of cucumbers and filled in cherry tomatoes.
