It has always been that way. It is the place she seeks comfort, calm and nourishment — physically and mentally.
It is a place she describes as "the calming force, the place where I am least ruffled and most inspired, in touch with the essence of my being".
In her book A Quiet Kitchen, she shares her journey to finding her place in a small seaside community, the ups and downs as well as some of her favourite recipes.
"Thankfully, since the age of 40, I’ve been able to work in this arena too, cooking and writing about food. It has kept me nourished in more ways than one."
Wickes, former New Zealand Women’s Weekly food editor (she lost the job when Covid-19 hit), is "mid-age, having never been married or partnered, nor having any children of her own" and has discovered "settling down with myself" in the small rural community was what she had been striving for all along, even though she had spent decades "frantically bouncing around seeking all the possibilities", endeavouring to be more social than she felt and living up to jobs that demanded too much of her.
Many of the recipes for the book came out of the Covid-19 lockdown which provided her with her "dream" time to potter in the kitchen. She posted a video on social media every day of what she was cooking, starting with a sloppy lemon risotto.
The majority of the recipes are tailored to the single person — no need to cut large recipes down.
She does not understand people who say cooking for one is boring, for her it is the most gratifying part of her day and she hopes the book will help others see it that way too.
A convert to living alone, Wickes says she never feels lonely when she is cooking. She cooks a proper meal for herself almost every night.
"I don’t cook fussy food or meals that take forever to prepare. It’s got to be easy with great results. A sure bet. I may be single, but that doesn’t have to mean missing out on the nurturing quality of home-cooked food or the celebration of a simple, yet fabulous feast."
Wickes, who swims in the ocean year round, also shares frankly how and why she gave up drinking, the impact of menopause, why she advocates therapy for those living solo and admits she comfort eats.
"To comfort eat is painted as bad, weak, undisciplined. Yet cooking brings such comfort. I’m nothing without my appetite for food, for life, they’re intertwined."
Unlike a traditional recipe book, A Quiet Kitchen is divided into chapters based on Wickes’ journey and the food that goes with that, including a fun chapter on food to cook on the road — such as the the tamarillo steamed pudding featured on this page.
The book
These recipes are an extract from A Quiet Kitchen by Nici Wickes, photography by Todd Eyre, published by Bateman Books, RRP$45.
Travelling tamarillo steamed pudding
Steamed pudding in a campervan! After a few trips, I got used to taking some of the baking basics flour, butter, sugar so that I could make pancakes, dumplings and these lovely little steamed puddings, using the empty tomato tins that I inevitably had
Makes two puddings
Ingredients
2 tamarillos, flesh removed and chopped
a drizzle of maple syrup
1 ½ Tbsp softened butter
1 ½ Tbsp caster sugar
1 small egg
½ cup self-raising flour
75-100ml milk
Method
Grease two ramekins, teacups or tin cans. Line the bottoms with a square of baking paper. Place the chopped fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup in the base of each.
In a small bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy-ish. Whisk in the egg and stir in the flour with a few splashes of milk to combine. The mixture should be a dropping consistency.
Spoon the pudding batter over the fruit, allowing room for the pudding to rise. Cover with baking paper and then a layer of foil, and tie firmly.
Place in a saucepan with 5cm of water. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Turn out and eat!
Note: If tamarillos aren’t in season, use another soft fleshed fruit such as peaches, feijoas or berries. Even a few tablespoons of jam or golden syrup will do the trick.
Venison, beetroot & onion chutney in pita bread
There are a couple of local hunters who sling me some venison from time to time. Those are good times! Replace the venison with beef or lamb if you like.
Serves 1 or 2
Ingredients
Salt and pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
150-220g venison backstraps or steaks, cut into chunks
Olive oil for frying
To serve
Homemade pita bread (see below) or store-bought flatbread of some sort
Caramelised onion chutney
Fresh beetroot, grated
½ cup natural yoghurt
Coriander leaves, torn
Place the salt, pepper and oregano on a wooden board and roll the venison in the seasoning to coat.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan on a high heat and add oil to coat the pan. Sear the venison briefly on all sides until rare to medium-rare. It should be squidgy (not firm) to the touch for medium-rare. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Plaster the warm pita bread with the onion chutney. Pile on the grated beetroot and venison pieces. Drizzle over the yoghurt mixed with the torn coriander leaves. Season.
Fold the bread over the filling and eat!
Store-bought pita is fine but you won’t go back once you try homemade. It’s simply divine and well worth the effort.
Makes 8-10 pitas
Ingredients
1 tsp honey
1 tsp active dried yeast granules
¾ cup warm water
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups plain or high-grade flour
Method
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the honey and yeast with the warm water. Leave until the mixture froths (approximately 5 minutes).
Pour in the olive oil and flour, mixing with a knife, then turning out to knead to a soft dough on a floured bench.
Lightly oil the bowl it came from and return dough to it, cover with a damp tea towel and put it somewhere warm to double in size (approximately 30-60 minutes).
Once risen, gently turn out and divide into 8-10 pieces.
Roll into balls.
Flatten each with your palm then dust with flour and roll each out to a 12-15cm disc.
Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan on a medium heat and dry-fry each pita, flipping over when dimples appear and the cooked side has freckles of colour (don’t let it brown too much).
Flip and cook second side. Stack and keep warm, under a tea towel, until required.
Note: These freeze really well and make perfect quick pizza bases.
I firmly believe a bowl of soup can make me feel more secure. It may be something to do with the fact that sipping soup is quite rhythmic, a bit like yoga breathing, don’t you think? Slurp, breathe in, swallow, breath out and repeat.
Makes one medium-sized pot of soup
2 Tbsp oil
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 chicken carcass (cooked or uncooked)
1 fresh bay leaf, ripped
1 sprig of parsley + extra to garnish
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
The best little bread crunchies ever!
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp dried tarragon
1-2 tsp wholegrain mustard
A pinch of chilli flakes to taste
A three-finger pinch of salt
1 long bread roll, diced into chunks
Method
Heat the oil in a medium-large pot, add the vegetables and allow to cook until slightly soft without colouring.
Rinse the chicken carcass under cold water, if uncooked.
Add the chicken carcass to the pot with the vegetables and cover with cold water.
Bring to a gentle simmer, removing any scum that may float to the surface with a ladle.
Add bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the carcass, pick off any worthwhile meat and add to the broth, discard the carcass (it has done its job nicely) and season the broth before serving with bread crunchies. Garnish with extra parsley.
Crunchies
To make the bread crunchies, preheat the oven to 180degC and line a tray with baking paper.
In a bowl, combine the oil with other ingredients and toss the bread chunks in the mixture until coated.
Place on the lined tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.
