January Farro Feast

JANUARY 2018

r e m sum e!

Tim

FEATURES: Our favourite picnic treats Sensational summer stone fruit Al Brown tells us what’s in his Farro basket

FREE ISSUE!

JANUARY EATING WITH FARRO Our January theme of picnics speaks volumes about what we’ll be doing – taking moments just to sit and reflect and enjoy the sunshine.

We invite you to do so too. Prepare a picnic, get out to see some of Auckland’s incredible sites… or get a crowd over. If you’re at home, at the bach or at the park, serve easy shared platters of simple but glorious treats.

Whether you’re staying in the city or venturing to the beach, Farro is here to make sure you have the most delicious summer ever.

ON OUR TABLE

FREEDOM FARMS PORK FILLET

$29.99/kg SAVE $4.50 valid 1- 28 Jan 2018

ON OUR TABLE THIS MONTH •

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Best of berries: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries… whatever the berry, now is the best time to enjoy them while they are ripe and sweet. Freeze some too, for morning smoothies or make jam and compote to serve with pikelets and pancakes.

Chillies are at their best right now, along with other nightshade family members – tomatoes and eggplants. Make chilli jam; chilli-infused tomato sauce; eggplant, tomato and chilli chutney… Excess chillies can also be dried or frozen for use later in the year. Pickled chillies can be a real flavour hit on top of noodles or added to stirfries and marinades.

Corn on the cob, any which way, we just can’t get enough!!

WHAT’S IN YOUR BASKET? AL BROWN

Summer tipple: The Gingermore This is pretty much summer in a glass, with fresh blackberries, mint and Sanpellegrino Limonata. Just add your favourite gin if you want an alcoholic option.

INGREDIENTS 30 mls lime juice 2 small slices fresh ginger 4 blackberries Mint (for garnish) Lemon (for garnish) Sanpellegrino Limonata METHOD In the bottom of a sturdy, large glass (400ml capacity), muddle the blackberries and fresh ginger. Fill the glass with ice cubes and top with Sanpellegrino Limonata. Gently stir the ingredients together using a bar spoon.

Garnish with lemon peel, blackberries and fresh mint.

I swear to you, one of my favourite simple food pleasures is fresh-baked bread topped with delicious well-made butter. I still have nostalgic yearnings for classic loaves of white bread that I grew up with, however these days we are simply spoilt for choice.

The artisan bakery scene in Auckland, and New Zealand-wide, is something this country can and should be incredibly proud of. We are seriously spoilt for choice, whether we want the perfect example of a French baguette, a San Franciscan-style sourdough loaf, or a pillowy soft brioche hamburger bun. Wild Wheat, Loaf and Amano bakeries are all firm favourites of mine, all producing delicious examples of the humble loaf.

You won’t be surprised to hear I’m also partial to the occasional Best Ugly Bagel... (yes, I agree – shameless self-promotion). I’ve also got a well-used sweet tooth, so I’m actually super-excited about the new chocolate bagel my team at Best Ugly have come up with. It’s packed full of nice big chunks of dark chocolate wrapped in a seriously good cocoa dough.

The beauty of these are they scream chocolate but are not overly sweet by any stretch. Like their white dough cousins, they’re all hand rolled then cooked in one of our wood-fired ovens fresh each day.

The guys worked hard to get this product as chocolatey as possible and didn’t skimp on sourcing the good-quality ingredients. For me, I like them pretty natural. Toasted, of course, then finished with a generous lick of Lewis Road salted butter, creating a few puddles of natural goodness. If you want to turn up the sweet dial, go for a spread of raspberry jam, and I’m told a smashed up All Good Fairtrade banana, sprinkled with sugar then caramelised with a blow torch and a scoop of cream, turns them into a decadent, super-easy dessert option.

Anyway, pick up some chocolate bagels, in the distinctive gold pack with King Kong gracing the front, and give them a crack, I’m pretty sure you’ll dig em!

Pork Fillets with Roasted Plums and Charred Sweet Stem Broccoli This simple but delicious pork dish is bursting with colour and flavour and is guaranteed to become a new family favourite.

Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins INGREDIENTS 2 x 400-gram packs Freedom Farms pork fillet 2 red onions, peeled and sliced into small wedges 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons thyme, leaves picked 600 grams ripe plums, sliced in half, stone removed 250 grams The Fresh Grower Bellaverde sweet stem broccoli ½ lemon, juiced 10 grams fresh Italian parsley, leaves picked, roughly chopped METHOD Preheat BBQ to hot.

Add into a medium-sized mixing bowl the pork, onion wedges, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and thyme leaves, season to taste and toss to coat. When the BBQ is really hot, add the pork and cook for 15-20 mins or until nicely charred and cooked through, turning the pork over a few times.

Remove the pork from the BBQ and allow to rest.

Add the onion wedges to the BBQ and cook for 5 mins or until the onion is tender.

Remove onions and set aside but keep warm.

Add the plums to the BBQ, cut side down, and cook for 1-2 mins or until

charred and just starting to soften.

Remove plums and add to the onions and keep warm.

Place broccoli in a medium-sized mixing bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice and season to taste and toss to coat.

Add broccoli to the BBQ and cook for 6 mins or until charred, turning once. While the broccoli is cooking, slice the pork.

To serve: arrange broccoli on a plate with the pork, plums and onions, drizzling over any remaining juices from the bowl of onion and

In season: Stone fruit January is the month when stone fruit really comes into its own. It’s gloriously sweet and juicy at this time of year, and in abundance. Perfect for eating fresh, of course, and also traditionally for preserving or baking.

These delicious fruits are just great matched with meat or added to salads too. Our main growing regions for stone fruit are Nelson, Marlborough and Central Otago in the South Island and the Hawke’s Bay in the North Island. Those long sunshine hours and dry weather make glorious fruit. As a source of high vitamin A and C levels, good stone fruit is given the chance to ripen on the tree, so later picking is important for the flavour to develop.

For us at Farro, we have to be extracareful about how we stack and store stone fruit, and the same goes for you at home.

Some golden rules to get the best from your stone fruit: • Eat as soon after buying as you can – don’t leave fruit sitting for too long.

• Refrigerate for a day or two only, and as stone fruit enjoys a bit of humidity, do that in a plastic bag.

If your fridge is too cold, it will kill the flavour completely, so keeping the fruit above 8°C is important.

• All stone fruit tastes much better when eaten at room temperature, so remove it from the fridge in time to let it warm up.

COOK THE COVER Check out our recipes for stone fruit on our website: Farro.co.nz/recipes GRILLED NECTARINE, MANCHEGO AND JAMON SALAD

SUMMERTIME FRESH PEACH CAKE

Summer is for sharing

Auckland’s parks, beaches and harbour comes alive at this time of year. So pop into your local Farro, pack a picnic and get out and make the most of the sunshine and this incredible city, whether at the park, beach or on the boat. The best picnics are packed on the go–simple items that are perfect for grazing and dipping, finger food or easy-to-prep sandwiches. We’ve picked some of our favourites for two types of picnics: one by the beach and one at your favourite local park.

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By the sea side…

1. Georgatti tricolour dip and salmon paté $8.50/180G 2. L’original tartare garlic and herb cheese 80g $6.49 (Valid 1/1/18 - 28/1/18) 3. Casa Vecchio flatbreads from $7.99 4. Kauri Kitchen mini quiches $5.99 5. Southern Seafood smoked mussels 250g $10.99 6. Picnic Salmon Baguettes with Horseradish Cream (try the recipe) 7. Bogle Chardonnay $19.99 bottle 8. Govino plastic reusable wine glasses $32.00 4 pack

Picnic Salmon Baguettes with Horseradish Cream Ingredients: 2 Paneton half baguettes 10 grams fresh chives, finely chopped 3 teaspoons Mandy’s pure horseradish 1 celery stalk, very finely diced 1 Lebanese cucumber, seeds removed and chopped into 5-centimetre dice ½ teaspoon mustard powder 1 tablespoon grain mustard 100 grams Zany Zeus sour cream ½ teaspoon Essente caster sugar ½ tablespoon Essente white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/8 teaspoon salt 200 grams Southern Seafoods hot-smoked salmon, flaked into chunks 20 grams Silwood micro greens watercress

Serves: 2 Prep time: 15 mins Salmon and horseradish make beautiful baguette fellows Method: In a medium bowl, add the chives, horseradish, celery, cucumber, mustard powder, grain mustard, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, olive oil and salt; mix well to combine.

Slice baguette in half and fill with horseradish sour cream topped with flaked hot-smoked salmon and sprinkled with the micro watercress.

park perfection 1. Tartuflanghe truffle chips 45G $6.99 (Valid 1/1/18 - 28/1/18) 2. Farro whole cooked chicken, from the deli $13.99 3. Zalamero berry berzerk smoothie 350ml $7.75 4. Farro deli salad, medium $9.50 5. Hungarian Artisan trio pack 220g $19.99 6. Maison Therese kasundi 21g $6.50 7. Wise Boys aioli 300g $11.50 8. Wild Wheat sourdough baguette $3.00 (Valid 1/1/18 - 28/1/18) 9. Relish The Thought eggplant kasundi 270G $11.00 10. Sartori Prosecco $17.99 bottle

Farro Food Hero of the Month Bostock’s Organic Free-Range Chicken

Wine Producer of the Month: Billecart-Salmon Champagne

ROASTED/BBQ CHICKEN DRUMS WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA Serves: 4 Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 30 mins

N

estled amongst an organic apple tree farm in the sunny

the Bostock’s grow their own feed made from locally grown pumpkins,

Hawke’s Bay are a flock of happy chickens, housed in

onions, apples, barley and corn. “It’s important to grow our own feed

uniquely designed French chalets with access to freely roam

so that we know exactly what we’re feeding the chickens,” says Ben,

and thrive on an organic, wholesome diet. Thanks to brothers Ben

“we also use the chicken manure to fertilise the ground before planting

and George Bostock, we now have 100% organic free-range chickens

the next season’s crop.”

produced with both the animal welfare and environmental standards top of mind, making them quite possibly the tastiest chickens in the

Welfare and quality are Bostock’s key focuses. “When we first decided

country.

we wanted to farm chickens I thought of doing just free-range. But after seeing 40,000 chickens being fed antibiotics in a shed - and that

The Bostock boys share a passion for organic farming with healthy and

being the SPCA free-range standard - it became very important that

safe growing processes. Their father John Bostock, pioneer of New

we had to establish an organic, small-scale system.” Their vision is

Zealand’s commercial organic apple production, was their inspiration.

to educate Kiwi consumers about where their food comes from and

They both grew up on the apple orchard and decided to start up

the benefits of eating free-range organic chickens. “I think a lot of

something of their own, but rather than apples settled on chickens.

people think that free-range chickens are fed differently and the flock sizes are small, but they’re not.” Bostock’s chickens live twice as long

Ben set off to the United States to gather inspiration from one of the

as any conventional free-range chicken and enjoy a better life, being

best organic farms in Georgia. “They process everything on a small

antibiotic free, hormone free, GMO free, chemical free, chlorine free

scale, which is really cool,” says Ben. The meat is then sold to high-end

and stress free!

restaurants in Atlanta and New York. “It was that whole artisan, smallscale ‘from the farm to the plate’, which is what we wanted to do.”

If you’re in the Hawke’s Bay, you can get a taste of Ben and George’s chicken at the Bostock Organic Kitchen. The menu changes weekly

They saw an opportunity where they could control the whole

based on what’s in season and available from the farm or other local

production process on their family farm. From one-day-old, the baby

organic producers. Their favourite dish? “Anything to do with chicken,

chicks are nurtured throughout the growing process. They are housed

of course!” Bostock’s chickens are also sought after by some of the best

in state-of-the-art, solar powered ‘French chalets’ that have windows

chefs in the country, including Al Brown. “We’re very proud to stock

to protect them and gives them access to freely explore the certified-

Bostock’s for you at Farro!”

organic, lush green grass. Committed to sustainable farming practices,

Ingredients For the salsa 1 red onion, finely chopped Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra to taste Large pinch of chilli flakes 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped (optional) 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 cups pineapple, peeled, cored and diced into 1-centimetre pieces 1 bunch mint, finely chopped 1 bunch coriander, finely chopped 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil For the chicken 2 packs Bostock’s organic chicken drumsticks ½ teaspoon Farro ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon Farro ground coriander ½ teaspoon Farro ground allspice ½ cup Homegrown orange juice 3 limes, zested and juiced (1 extra if you want to add more to the salsa) 2 lemons, juiced

The house of Billecart-Salmon is part of a family estate who, through their work and knowledge, have built a champagne dynasty that is now nearly 200 years old. The secret vinification methods have been handed down through six generations to create some of the finest wines in the world that have great finesse, delicacy and balance.

We talked to Billecart-Salmon ambassador Sebastien Papin.

How does it feel to be a custodian of a

What is the history of

Can you tell us a bit about the vineyards

Billecart-Salmon champagne?

The story of Billecart-Salmon began in 1818 when Nicolas François Billecart and his new wife Elisabeth were given a small plot of land in Meruil-sur-Ay and founded a champagne house.

Since then, every member of the Billecart family has been committed to continue the family tradition and it has now become one of the few remaining champagne houses to be owned by its

winery with such a rich family heritage that dates back for generations?

It is a feeling of immense pride. When tastings are held, our current managers Antoine and François are still joined by their father Jean, who is turning 90 next March. Jean began working in wine when he was 16 and has been involved in over 70 harvests. His knowledge of the land is so great that he can tell what the wine will be like in 20 years and often says, “this sample won’t last, and in 15 years you’re going to cry!” Jean can also feel a vintage by just smelling and tasting the musts, building the blend in his mind before it’s even tasted, which is pretty special!

and how they contribute to the characteristics of the champagne?

The very marginal growing conditions in champagne means the grapes will only just reach ripeness in most years. This gives champagne the perfect amount of refreshing acidity to age incredibly well and a complex yet delicious taste to our non-vintage champagnes from the blending of different years’ harvest. The limestone soil also

original family.

gives special character and minerality to our native

Method Preheat oven to 200C. Put the chicken in a large roasting dish with all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Would it be fair to say Billecart-Salmon

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

and the founders were some of the

Choosing a champagne can be a bit daunting

Spread the drumsticks out in an even layer and place in the oven for 30 mins, basting occasionally, or until cooked and browned.

and they were among the early houses to be

While the chicken is cooking, heat a little cooking oil in a small frying pan and cook the onion over a medium heat for 5-8 mins or until well softened but not brown. Add the chilli flakes and sugar and mix well; cook for 2 mins.

innovate with the double cold settling of their

Remove from the heat and tip into a large bowl.

Add the remaining chicken ingredients, mixing well and adjusting to taste by adding more fresh lime juice or lemon, more salt or a touch more sugar.

now managing the winery, what is their

Serve chicken hot or at room temperature, with the salsa on the side.

Roland-Billecart, and will soon be handing over

pioneers in the champagne industry?

Sparkling champagne wine itself was only in early development when Billecart was founded proudly making sparkling wine in champagne.

More recently in 1952, Billecart were the first to champagnes, refining even further the elegant and finessed house style.

François and Antoine Roland-Billecart are relationship to the founders? How many generations of Billecart are there?

They are the 6th generation to run the maison.

They work very closely with their father, Jean the reigns to the 7th generation.

varieties, in champagne such as Pinot Meunier,

for some people. What tips can you provide Farro customers for selecting the right champagne?

Taste the wines! Whether that’s in a restaurant, by the glass or at home, the more you taste the better understanding you can get of the styles that you like. If you are buying for someone, it’s safe to spend just a little bit extra as the quality can dramatically improve. Talk to a Farro staff member as they will have tasted the wines and can point out the difference between the main styles and the more elegant wines.

What’s your favourite wine memory?

The greatest wine memories are from tasting wines in the cellars that they were matured in.

These wines taste special so if you ever get a chance to go to a winery and taste their wine in their cellar, savour it.

HARMONY TAUPO BEEF PICANHA STEAK 400G

BOSTOCK’S ORGANIC CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

FREEDOM FARMS FREE-FARMED PORK FILLET

$15.99/KG

$9.99/KG

$29.99/KG

SAVE $1.00

SAVE $3.00

SAVE $4.50

* VALID 01/01/2018 - 28/01/2018

* VALID 27/12/2017 - 31/01/2018

* VALID 01/01/2018 - 28/01/2018

MINI GRISSINI BREAD STICKS WITH BLUE CHEESE

JOSHUA’S ICE CREAM 500ML TUB RANGE

WHAIORA SMOOTHIE BLENDS

$6.99/EACH

$7.99/500ML

$39.99/SERVES 12

SAVE $1.50

* VALID 01/01/2018 - 14/01/2018

WILD WHEAT SOURDOUGH BAGUETTE

TARTUFLANGHE TRUFFLE CHIPS

$3.00/LOAF

$6.99/PK

* VALID 1/1/18 - 28/1/18

SAVE 50C

TARTARE GARLIC AND HERBS 80G

SAVE 51C

* VALID 1/1/18 - 28/1/18

$6.49/80G * VALID 1/1/18 - 28/1/18

WE’LL BE BACK ONLINE FROM JAN 9 Farro Online will be back from January 9th for all orders.

Get your picnic or BBQ box delivered, ready for the weekend. farro.co.nz

SAVE 50C