Charity cookbook Cooking 4 Change is being launched in Otago on Thursday. Rebecca Fox discovers its Dunedin roots.
Christian Kasper loves Dunedin, so it's no surprise that his latest project has many city residents' hands involved.
While he is artist Dick Frizzell's business partner, he lives in Dunedin, and only commutes to Auckland for business.
The pair disagree on how the concept for the book - a cookbook without chefs - originated, but whatever its origins the idea took off with the help of TV presenter Erin Simpson.
''We had one celebrity, Dick, then someone recommended another and off it went - it snowballed.''
It ended with 101 celebrities contributing their favourite recipes - often either ones handed down through families or their family favourites - and a 488-page cookbook with all the profits going to the Cooking 4 Change Foundation and distributed to the charities Auckland City Mission, Leukaemia and Blood Cancer NZ, Paw Justice and the Starship Foundation.
''That feels good.''
Admittedly it was not all easy-going as some celebrities played hardball about participating before realising they could not really afford to miss out, he said.
They also wanted to ensure the celebrities came from a range of backgrounds such as sport, performance, arts and literature so the book would appeal widely.
It was helpful that because New Zealand was so small, everyone knew someone else they could refer them to, he said.
Among those in the book are actors Sam Neill, Antonia Prebble, Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby and Stan Walker, media personalities Hilary Barry, Pippa Wetzell, Kerre McIvor and Carol Hirschfield, politicians Helen Clark, John Key and Andrew Little, as well as fashion icons Nick Von K and Trelise Cooper.
To put it all together they drew together a team which included Dunedin-based photographer Kelly Lindsay, consulting baker Kevin Gilbert and chef Ben Davidson and a videography team of Shene Holtzhausen and Sam Gilchrist.
''Because myself and Kelly are based here it made sense to have the other work done down here. There are a lot of good things happening in this city.''
Lindsay thought the idea of the book sounded great and was pulled into the project.
''The idea became a reality and escalated quite quickly.''
He ended up travelling around the country photographing celebrities he never imagined meeting.
''I grew up listening to Don McGlashan and Jordan Luck so there were some really cool moments.''
One of his favourite moments was photographing Otago artist Grahame Sydney, who turned out to be ''a warm, interesting guy'' despite expectations to the contrary.
He found Jordan Luck to be the ''loveliest guy'' and Sol3 Mio to be ''very cool''.
''Doing Sam Neil and Michael Hill in the same day was amazing.''
However, the project was not without its challenges as he often had to set up and photograph multiple celebrities, whom he did not know, in one day, not giving him much time to get creative.
The charity aspect of the project made it so worthwhile and doing an evening with Auckland City Mission recently brought that home, he said.
''To see their response was quite special.''
Both men said it was not the end of the road for Cooking 4 Change with other projects in the works for the foundation which aimed to raise funds and build awareness of this ever-increasing global problem of people having access to good food.
''It would be a shame to let it die after one project. The proceeds can't help everybody but if it can help as many people as possible then we can't stop at one book,'' Kasper said.
It had already led to the concept being translated for television.
''It's surprising how many doors it's opened.''
Alison Shanks’ homemade crackers. Photos by Kelly Lindsay.
Alison Shanks' homemade crackers
I love pre-dinner snacks and hors d'oeuvres, and, let's be honest, crackers are just the mechanism of transport for other yummy antipasto delights.
That's why I love this easy, healthy homemade cracker recipe. It contains none of the preservatives or unnecessary additives you'll find in bought crackers.
Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 15-20mins
Serves: lots of lovely crackers
Skill level: easy
Ingredients
1 cup flour
⅓ cup wholemeal flour
4 Tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 tsp sesame oil
flaky sea salt or grated parmesan, for sprinkling
Let's cook
Preheat the oven to 165degC and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add the oils and 1/2 a cup water and stir to form a soft dough.
Divide the mixture into two and roll out each ball on to a piece of baking paper as thinly as possible, it should be virtually see-through.
Cut into strips, or use cookie cutters to make unique star, hearts or flower shapes - the possibilities are endless.
Transfer to the prepared tray, brush with oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt or some parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until the crackers are crisp and golden - keep watch so they don't burn!
Tip: You can substitute the white sesame seeds for any combination of black sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Serve the crackers with your favourite snacks and antipasto.
Grahame Sydney’s chicken, mushies and thyme.
Grahame Sydney's chicken, mushies and thyme
This chicken dish is one of those a man loves because it is both forgiving of his amateurish cooking skills, and, like the best of any art, always in the end greater than the sum of its parts.
It makes me feel that I might after all develop some competence in the kitchen. Thanks must go to Neil Perry for giving me a recipe that greatly exaggerates my talent with taste and flavours.
Prep time: 25mins plus soaking
Cook time: 40mins
Serves: 4
Skill level: easy
Ingredients
10g dried porcini mushrooms
3 tsp olive oil
2 small brown onions, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
80g rindless pancetta, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
100g button mushrooms, sliced
150g Swiss mushrooms, halved and sliced
150g portobello mushrooms, halved and sliced
600g skinless chicken thighs, quartered
½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup cream
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
crusty bread, to serve
Let's cook
Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside to soak for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and chop.
Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a deep, wide pot with a tight-fitting lid over a medium-high heat. Add the onions, thyme, pancetta and salt and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
Add the mushrooms (except the porcini) and cook for a few minutes further until all the ingredients turn golden brown.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil over a high heat in the pan.
Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides.
Return the mushroom mixture to the pan, then add the porcini mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and mustard and cook for 1 minute.
Add the white wine and deglaze the pan by scraping any cooked bits from the bottom of the pan into the liquid as it bubbles.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn the chicken, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
Add the cream and continue to simmer until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Season with pepper, check the seasoning and serve with some crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Matiu Walters' spag Bol.
Matiu Walters' spag Bol
From what I remember, we spent about 20 bucks each a week for food when I was a student in Dunedin.
It doesn't seem like a lot right now but, then again, we didn't eat very well when we were flatting. The spag Bol I've cooked for Cooking 4 Change is pretty gourmet in comparison to what we used to eat.
I don't think any of us were good cooks to be honest - it was more something to fill the belly between beers. Paul O'Donnel was the one.
When it was his turn to cook, he just cooked frankfurters. It used to piss us of because it only took him 5 minutes to prepare the whole thing, which didn't seem fair. When I cooked spag Bol it took me, like, 10 minutes.
Prep time: 10mins
Cook time: 50mins
Serves: 4
Skill level: easy
Ingredients
500g prime beef mince
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups red wine
2 Tbsp beef stock concentrate
2 bay leaves
2 400g cans whole peeled tomatoes
Worcestershire sauce, to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
400g spaghetti
grated parmesan, to garnish
torn basil leaves, to garnish
Let's cook
Heat a frypan over a medium-high heat.
Add the mince to the pan and brown all over while breaking up the mince with the back of a spoon as it browns.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for a few minutes to soften.
Add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously so it doesn't burn.
Add the red wine and cook for a few minutes, deglazing the pan by scraping any cooked bits from the bottom of the pan into the liquid as it bubbles.
Add the beef stock concentrate and stir. Add the bay leaves and the tomatoes.
Mix everything together and add Worcestershire sauce to taste. Cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the Bolognese sauce is almost ready, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until al dente and drain.
Season the Bolognese sauce with salt and pepper.
Serve the sauce over the spaghetti garnished with basil and parmesan.
