Flying start to wingfoil nationals

Manly Sailing Club hosted the first ever New Zealand Wingfoil Nationals on May 20-21, with more than 60 ‘wingers’ contesting Open and Social classes, including competitors who travelled from Australia to take part.

Extremely windy conditions hit the region, setting the stage for two intense and challenging days of racing.

Club captain Joel Brazle says the club is on the leading edge of the development of NZ wingfoil racing, and its members posted some great results.

Aimee Bright took out the female division to become the 2023 Women’s New Zealand Wingfoil National Champion. Hugo Wigglesworth finished second overall in the Men’s Open, winning the under 19 age category; and Kosta Gladiadis finished second in the under 19s.

Ben Rist finished first in the Social Division.

In conjunction with the Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation, Manly Sailing Club hosts Learn to Wing courses and is developing new wingfoil classes for the 2023/2024 season.

Full results at www.manlysailingclub.org.nz/ results.html

Lauraine Jacobs www.laurainejacobs.co.nz/blog/

Spicing up winter veggies

I have always been puzzled about eating spicy meals in countries where the climate is hot throughout the year. I like salads, barbecuing and eating food outdoors and chilled dishes when the weather is hot. But we have now moved into the cold season, the time has arrived when I crave food that’s spicy and hot.

The vegetables of winter can become very boring, very quickly and it’s easy to overcook them and serve up soggy meals that no-one will truly enjoy. Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and spinach are all much better if cooked fast and lightly. They’re even better when a little imaginative flavouring picks them up and makes these stalwarts of the winter really interesting.

Curries are not for the faint-hearted or lazy cook, as a good spicy curry needs careful attention and a good knowledge of how spices work. The shelves of the supermarket are packed with jars and packets of spicy flavouring mixes, so you don’t have to be troubled about keeping the pantry filled with numerous little spice packets, which go past their use-by-date very quickly and lose their pungent aromas. If you do use spices, be sure to put them in the pan before you add your veggies or protein so that the heat brings out the flavours.

Recently, one of the top chefs in Auckland, Sid Sahrawat, the owner of Cassia, Kol and Sid at the French Café, brought out a range of excellent curry sauces which might be life-changing if you love a curry, but don’t have the patience or time to make it. His Cassia curry sauces are also an opportunity to taste the deliciousness of Sid’s food with a minimal investment. My favourite of the four flavours is the Karahi and if stores near you do not stock them, they can be bought online.

Being a cook with a lifetime passion for being in the kitchen and cooking up a storm, I am happy to embrace the colder weather with curries of my own. The doyenne of curry is the English actress and chef Madhur Jaffrey and in my cookbook library I have a battered copy of her BBC cookery book, Madhur Jaffrey’s Flavours of India. Some of the pages are so badly stained with splodges of sauce I can hardly read them anymore.

One of my favourite ways to cook cauliflower is a Madhur recipe that I have tweaked over the years. It’s a great dish to serve with grilled steak, lamb or fish and can be served as part of an Indian banquet with naan bread and a yogurt relish. It is substantial enough to serve as a vegetarian dish on its own, perhaps with the addition of some green peas or fresh beans. It is not too spicy and if you wish to either lessen or increase the heat of the dish, just use a little more or less cayenne pepper.

1/2 cauliflower

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed

8 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely sliced

5cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into fine slivers

1 cup light tomato puree or pure tomato juice

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 ½ tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garam masala

½ tsp roasted cumin seeds

Break the cauliflower into florets. Cut the potatoes lengthways into halves. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy, deep frying pan. When hot, add the potatoes and fry them until they’re medium brown and barely cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper towels. Put the cauliflower florets into the same oil and fry until golden and just barely cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoons and drain on kitchen paper towels. Remove most of the oil from the pan so only about 3 tablespoons remain. Add the onions to this oil and stir over gentle heat until they are golden. Add the ginger and continue cooking until the onions start to brown. Add the cayenne, turmeric, coriander and salt. Stir in and fry for a minute, then return the potatoes and the cauliflower to the pan, stirring to mix gently. Stir in the tomato puree or tomato juice and bring to a gentle simmer. If necessary sprinkle a tablespoon of water over the vegetables (more if needed) and cover the pan. Turn to low and cook gently for 5-8 minutes. Finally uncover, add the garam masala and the cumin seeds. Stir gently to mix and turn off the heat.

To serve, tip into a heated bowl and decorate with coriander leaves. Serve with yoghurt and lime wedges.

Serves 4 with fish or chicken, or serves 2 as a vegetarian meal.