Dish

The last few years have been lived with a low hum of background Covid-related anxiety and I know we’re all feeling over it. Recently, like so many, I was tucked up in bed with Covid for a week. The tiredness lingered and I felt pretty wiped out. A few weeks later, I’m starting to feel back to normal and more than anything I’m ready to gently kick back and have a laugh. If anyone knows how to have some fun, it’s the women who make up one of dozens of dish clubs around the country. Head to page 36 to hear the story of their decadelong friendship with the sharing of food at its core – and find out how easy it is to start your own club! From there we’re…

Claire Aldous Food Editor @clairealdous Claire is the mastermind behind recipes enjoyed by thousands of readers for more than 15 years, having been with dish since the very first issue. With a vast knowledge of ingredients and techniques, her constant innovation and imagination are an invaluable source of inspiration. Always generous and welcoming, she focuses on creating recipes that are neither fussy nor overly fancy, producing delicious dishes that delight her guests and fill the kitchen with gorgeous aromas. “My favourite night of the week? Sunday. Having family and friends over for a casual, delicious dinner, usually followed by an indulgent dessert, encapsulates everything I love about cooking.” Kylee Newton Contributor @themodernpreserver Kylee was born and raised in Ngāmotu, Taranaki. Before she moved to the United Kingdom, where she lived for 21 years, she studied at Elam…

Back in the 70s when French cuisine was de rigeur in restaurants, spinach mixed with cream, egg and nutmeg, baked in moulds and turned out onto plates was considered très chic. Spinach was made into soups, added to tarts and quiches according to Elizabeth David’s instructions in French Provincial Cooking, and stuffed into chicken breasts, wrapped around fish fillets and layered in lasagne. Spinach was the green of choice for chefs, and home cooks received a better reception to a bowl of creamed spinach than to one of overcooked silverbeet. Why did it lose its popularity? Broccoli came along. With a modern way of getting broccoli picked, packed and dispatched super-fast, ensuring it arrived in shops firm, green and with no off-odours, it took over our plates. Spinach had a…

BERKELO SOURDOUGH PASTA Made with certified sustainable grains, this unique sourdough pasta has been long-fermented to deliver a gut-friendly bowl with delicious depth of flavour. Best of all, it’s all wrapped up in compostable packaging. From $10.99 FARRO KITCHEN JACKFRUIT MOUSSAKA Treat your tastebuds to a new delight from Farro Kitchen: a slow-cooked vegetarian Greek classic, flavoured with oregano, cinnamon and paprika and layering eggplant, mushroom and jackfruit. $24.99 PEEL & TONIC DRIED FRUITS The mixer elixir your cocktails have been waiting for! Peel & Tonic’s dehydrated fruits bring punchy flavour and style to all your favourite drinks, and the Glorious Grazing pack is filled with platter-worthy picks to enjoy with cheese. From $14.79 J. FRIEND AND CO. UNCUT RAW COMB HONEY Beautifully presented in its original frame, this raw Canterbury honeycomb is as untouched as honey…

Sarah Tuck, Editor Blue Breeze Inn, Auckland: It had been an age since eating at Blue Breeze Inn, but on a recent celebratory visit I found the food and service fantastic. Eight of us descended without a booking (in my defence, Your Honour, it was early and spontaneous), however the maître d’ had us seated at a fabulous table being looked after by attentive waitstaff within minutes, on the understanding that said table was booked again in an hour and a half. So, with great efficiency we inhaled Steamed Pork and Prawn Shumai, Betel Leaves with Whitebait, Crab and Green Papaya, Sweet and Sour Pork (for the young’uns), Crayfish and Crab Wontons and Steamed Buns with Roasted Pork Belly and Pickled Cucumber. All washed down with a (standard for me) negroni,…

Instagram: Three-cheese and Pumpkin Baked Pasta When we released Issue #102, the country was experiencing some particularly dreadful weather, and our Three-cheese and Pumpkin Baked Pasta proved to be the perfect antidote to the miserable conditions. Fans flocked to the recipe page, eager to delve into its rich and cheesy glory. Some might call it a happy coincidence; we call it impeccable timing. Facebook: Apricot, Coconut and Almond Slice This is the kind of recipe that causes our fans to tag their friends in the comments – either to let them know what to expect the next time they visit, or to implicitly beg their more baking-savvy friends to make it for them. In either case, our fans were not only keen to try it for themselves but to share it as well. eDM:…