The sign by the road couldn't say it any better: ''be here now''. This week's recipes come from Ainsley and the team in the kitchen at Sherwood, along Frankton Rd in Queenstown.
Here the emphasis is on seasonal, fresh whole ''soul foods'' and, where possible, the menu is supplemented from the restaurant's own vegetable garden.
The kitchen philosophy is about simple food done well, honest, true and flavoursome.
So there is plenty to nourish you after finishing a lesson in yoga, Pilates or meditation, all of which can be done in the refurbished hotel. So if you can't ''be here now'', at least try to enjoy the soul food recipes.
Roast pumpkin with spiced buckwheat dukkah.
Make the dukkah ahead and keep in a sealed jar to use for all sorts of dishes, to top hummus or dip bread in.
Ingredients
½ cup buckwheat, soaked for 3 hours
1 Tbsp ground coriander
½ Tbsp ground cumin seeds
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 cup hazelnuts, roasted and chopped roughly
3 Tbsp sesame seeds
½ crown pumpkin (or any variety you like)
olive oil
sea salt and ground black pepper
Sage butter
100g butter
handful of sage leaves
Method
Drain the buckwheat, toss in the spices, spread on to a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 3 hours or until the buckwheat is crispy.
Mix the dehydrated buckwheat with the sesame seeds and chopped hazelnuts. Taste.
Preheat the oven to 180degC. Cut pumpkin into large wedges. To keep fingers safe I cut the pumpkin in half and then into quarters. Scoop out the seeds then cut each piece into six. Toss the pumpkin in olive oil then season with salt and pepper.
Roast on a tray in the oven for 16 minutes. Halfway through, flip the pumpkin over and continue roasting. Check the pumpkin with a knife and make sure it is golden and soft right through.
Sage butter
Melt the butter in a pot on the stove, add the sage, continue cooking the butter until it bubbles and foams.
The bubbling will subside and once the butter bubbles again, watch it until the milk solids begin to turn a golden brown and you get a nutty smell. Pour this straight into a heatproof container.
Pour over the pumpkin then sprinkle with the dukkah.
Braised lamb shanks
This recipe can be made for any number of people. Just adjust the number of shanks. Two per person is plenty.
And use a handful of veges, generous seasoning and enough wine to cover the bottom of the tray. Top up with water or stock if you like.
Ingredients
8 lamb shanks (two per person)
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
½ bottle pinot noir
Wild thyme or rosemary
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
Method
Marinate the lamb shanks in the wine, diced veges, seasoning and herbs overnight.
Remove the lamb shanks, heat a frying pan and add the olive oil. Cook the shanks in the pan until they are golden brown.
Place the shanks back in the marinade, add 1 cup of water and cover tightly with tinfoil. Braise for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. This could also be done in a slow cooker.
When ready, gently remove the shanks, pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a pot and reduce to a sauce consistency. Taste, season if necessary and pour this jus over the cooked shanks.
