Winter’s bounty truly comforting

I’m willing to sacrifice the odd carrot or two for some fun in the snow and give up my winter...
I’m willing to sacrifice the odd carrot or two for some fun in the snow and give up my winter woollies to dress a snowman (only temporarily, though). Photo: Isabella Harrex
Celebrity cook and Arrowtown resident Nadia Lim  joins the Fresh fold this month to share her enthusiasm for winter.

The sense of beautiful stillness that settles on the land during our Central Otago winters makes me want to dash out into the crispy-crunchy frost and frame up the scene with my camera.

Equally, though, it’s tempting to stay indoors near the fire and the stove, to prepare something warm and wholesome that will stop my toes and nose from turning blue.

Although it seems like precious little is happening in the garden right now, that’s nowhere near true. Cavolo nero is a hero in my garden right now, poking out through the snow and delivering so much nutritional goodness.

Red cabbage is another winter star and it also delivers health benefits in bountiful amounts. This year I’m regretting not taking my own advice and staggering planting out my seedlings. I have a sea of red cabbages all coming on at once. Never mind, we love the warming taste of slow-cooked red cabbage.

Our heritage apple trees have delivered an abundant harvest this year and though I stopped weighing the harvest after the first few days of picking, I feel like we have had 150kg so far.

They are not good eating apples so it is into apple sauce or being juiced daily or fermented into apple cider vinegar.

Best of all, they are delicious in desserts and my nan’s steamed pudding with apples and golden syrup is perfect for a chilly evening treat.

I hope these recipes inspire you to lean into the comforts of winter for slow-cooked dishes that feed body and soul.

Nga mihi nui.

Photo: Matt Quérée
Photo: Matt Quérée

Red cabbage

Cabbage is relatively easy to grow (just watch out for those creepy-crawlies) and equally easy to add to your diet, whether it’s as the main event - a hearty soup, for instance - or a tangy and nutritious side.

Winter staple

Cabbage is a great winter staple, a cool-season crop that grows well in autumn, winter and spring. Once temperatures start to rise above 21degC, plants begin to suffer. They stop growing altogether at about 25degC, and heads may crack or bolt. Conversely, in areas with freezing winters and extended frosts (below -7degC), European cabbage varieties tend to bolt without forming heads. In these conditions, growing in tunnel houses is ideal. Red cabbages contain healthy levels of anthocyanins, antioxidants that give purple and red-coloured fruit and vegetables their hue.

Where to grow

All cabbages like rich soil with plenty of compost, aged manure or dug-in worm castings. Surprisingly, they are relatively resistant to drought (though less water means smaller plants and smaller heads). This drought tolerance comes from their ancestor — the wild cabbage, which grows in an arid environment.

Planting

Plant seedlings deep — to where the first leaf grows from the stem — and firm soil with your heels or the back of a rake. When grown in loose soil, plants tend to grow tall and leggy with loose heads. Keep plants moist to ensure good size and taste. Lack of water, followed by a sudden influx, can cause the heads to split.

Watch out for

When the weather warms up, keep alert for slugs and snails and white cabbage butterflies. Pick them off (or squish them) when numbers are low to keep them under control.

Harvesting

Cabbages are biennials, producing their leafy heads in the first year and flowering and setting seed in the second. Unless you wish to collect the seeds, harvest in the first year as soon as the heads are big enough — don’t leave it too late, or the heads will split open.

Photo: Rachael McKenna
Photo: Rachael McKenna

Golden syrup apple steamed pudding

My nan used to make steamed pudding with apple and golden syrup all the time. Unfortunately, I never got her recipe before she passed away, so I’ve had to come up with my own based on my memories of hers.

You don’t need a fancy pudding bowl to steam a pudding; any plain old stainless steel bowl will do - cover it tightly with baking paper and tinfoil and secure with string.

And keep an eye out to make sure the pot doesn’t boil dry. You can also bake this pudding in the oven in a large dish, which cooks it faster.

We placed it in a hangi (in the middle of the vegetables) to cook, and it was delicious.

SERVES 10-12
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 2 hours 30 minutes to steam or 1 hour to bake

½-¾ cup golden syrup
150g butter, softened
175g sugar
4 large eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup milk
200g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2-3 apples, peeled and diced

Method

Generously grease a stainless-steel pudding bowl with butter, then pour in the golden syrup.
 
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until thick, pale, light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.
 
Add the lemon zest, juice and milk. Sift in flour and baking powder. Fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to overmix the batter. Gently stir through the diced apple.
 
Pour mixture into greased pudding bowl, then cover with a piece of baking paper, followed by foil, and fold down firmly around the edges. Secure with a piece of string tied around to seal the bowl. Place the pudding in a pot of boiling water so that the water comes halfway up the sides. Partially cover the pot and simmer gently for 2-2½ hours. Add more water to the pot if water is getting a little low.
 
Once cooked, uncover the pudding and turn it out on to a plate (or you can simply scoop it out from the bowl to save on an extra dish).
 
Serve with custard, yoghurt, whipped cream or ice cream.
 
Tip: If you prefer, you can also bake the pudding in the oven. Grease a large baking dish with butter, pour in the golden syrup then the batter and bake at 180degC for 1 hour or until cooked through in the middle.

 

Photo: Matt Quérée
Photo: Matt Quérée
Red wine-braised cabbage with orange and currants

This is a delicious way to cook cabbage, especially good served alongside roast, pan-seared or slow-cooked venison or lamb with mashed or roasted kumara or potatoes.

SERVES 4
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
800g (½ large) red cabbage, finely sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
1 cup red wine
juice of 1 orange
2 Tbsp dried currants
1 Tbsp plum, cherry or blackberry jam or jelly
knob of butter

Method

Place olive oil, butter, cabbage, cinnamon sticks and bay leaf into a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat.

Cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is starting to soften.

Add wine, orange juice, currants and jam/jelly.

Continue cooking for a further 20 minutes or so until the cabbage is soft and the liquid has reduced.

Remove cinnamon stick, stir through the knob of butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

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