Former ODT food editor Charmian Smith has been shopping at the Otago Farmers Market since it opened 20 years ago. She recalls the first day and selects recipes using market produce demonstrated by talented chefs in the mobile kitchen.
The first market day took both the organisers and the vendors by surprise. They’d underestimated the demand for Central Otago fruit straight from the orchard and fresh vegetables from growers. Queues formed and vendors sold out quickly.
Several producers who waited to check the initial impact before committing to a stall came to see what was happening. I remember Colin Dennison, from Evansdale Cheese, who’d come to look telling me he thought they should be there, and sure enough their stall turned up a couple of weeks later. Soon there was a waiting list for places.
What impressed me most that first season was how the vegetable growers managed to keep up fresh supplies throughout winter. Even now a lot of other markets still close down in the colder months.
Now I’ve retired, we often travel round the country in our campervan and visit farmers’ markets wherever we can.
It’s a wonderful way to see what grows in the area - you’ll find avocados and citrus, persimmons, kumara and taro in northern ones like Tauranga, Gisborne and Kerikeri, compared with the wonderful stone fruit down here. Most have local cheesemakers and bread makers, as well as fruit, vegetables, preserves, olive oil - and of course coffee and baking.
I really think our market is one of the best in the country. It has a variety of high-quality produce, including things that many others don’t have, such as fresh milk, fresh local fish, the wonderful Central Otago fruit, as well as a good balance of primary products and ready-to-eat food. It’s also reasonably compact with (almost) enough parking nearby - and it runs all year, whatever the weather.
Since around 2009 when the first market kitchen was established, chefs have demonstrated recipes using vendors’ produce.
Alison Lambert, the first market chef, remembers seeing the weather forecast for her first day was for strong southerlies with rain and possible hail.
“I rallied around the producers and gathered pork bones, beef bones, hearty vegetables and so on and did a market-style boil up in a fabulous cast iron pot from South Africa from yet another vendor. It turned out fantastic and it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the nourishing, warming market food while shopping and having a chat,” she said.
It’s been tough selecting just four recipes from the market’s extensive archive, as so many delicious ones have been made over the years by the various chefs. I’ve chosen recipes that are versatile, well-flavoured and easy, and one that demonstrates “nose to tail” eating in a vegetable way - a carrot soup with carrot-top pesto using part of the vegetable that is usually thrown away.
One of the wonderful things about the market is that you sometimes get two for one - freshly dug root vegetables such as beetroot and carrots often come with their leaves which can also be used. Cook beetroot leaves like silver beet, and carrot tops can be used as a herb or salad green, or in pesto as in the following recipe.
Carrot soup with carrot-top pesto
By Jamalia Edwards
Soup
1 medium onion peeled and finely diced
4 cloves of garlic
4 Tbsp oil
4 carrots
4 Tbsp of finely chopped parsley (including stalks)
4 Tbsp of finely chopped coriander (including stalks)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked pepper
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ cup coconut milk or
dairy milk
Pesto
Tops of 2 bunches of carrots
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup raw almonds
1 small clove of garlic - peeled and crushed
Method
For the pesto:
Place the almonds in a food processor and blitz until they reach the desired consistency. This will depend on the power of your food processor and how chunky you like your pesto.
Add the remainder of the pesto ingredients and blend until pesto forms.
Store in a jar in the fridge.
For the soup:
Melt the oil in a large pot and add the onion, garlic, pepper and salt. Cook on a medium heat until transparent.
Peel and dice carrots and add to the pot. Cook until beginning to soften.
Add the stock, herbs and turmeric powder and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer until the carrots are well cooked.
Remove from the heat and add the coconut milk.
Blend with a stick blender until silky smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Top with a dash of coconut milk and a teaspoon of pesto.
Vendors
Vegetables, herbs and garlic: Ettrick Gardens, Rosedale Orchard, Oamaru Organics, Caithness Farm, Janefield Hydroponics, Moturata Gardens, Waewae Permaculture. Olive oil: Dunford Grove.
Cauliflower and leek frittata
Frittata is one of the most versatile dishes. You can use virtually any vegetable, either fresh or leftovers. You could use milk instead of cream, butter or oil instead of ghee and even replace the delicious smoky tamari seeds with a pickle - I particularly enjoy the orange and lemon pickle from Tartan Sari on frittatas and omelettes.
2 Tbsp ghee
1 large leek, thinly sliced, green leaves included
1 small cauliflower head, cut into florets
6 free-range eggs
½ cup of cream
½ cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Handful smoky tamari seeds.
Method
Heat a heavy-based, oven-safe frying pan (preferably cast iron) over a low/moderate heat and add the ghee. Once melted, add the leek and sauté for 2 minutes to soften. Add the cauliflower with a pinch of salt and continue to sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelise (around 10 minutes).
Whisk the eggs and cream in a bowl to combine, season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat up high and pour egg mixture over the vegetables, run a spatula around the edge of the pan and move/tilt the pan around so uncooked egg can run underneath, cook for 2-3 mins. Scatter the grated cheese over the top then sprinkle with the seeds.
Put frittata into the preheated oven and bake for 15-20mins until puffy and golden.
Check it is cooked in the centre with a small knife, if not, cook for a further 5 minutes.
Smoky tamari seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp tamari
MethodPreheat the oven to 150degC. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a large baking tray.
Vendors
Fish Stew
The Otago Farmers Market is one of the few selling fresh, locally caught fish. A meaty fish is good in a stew as it doesn’t fall apart so easily. Amy uses gurnard here, but monk fish would also be good or, in fact, any of the variety of fillets they sell, depending on what has been caught the day before.
500g gurnard
3 Tbsp black bean / chilli oil
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
3 sticks celery, including the tops
2 carrots
2-3 potatoes peeled and cut in chunks
1 green capsicum
½ cup white wine
1 can whole tomatoes
500ml vegetable or fish stock
1 lime
Crusty bread to serve
Method
Put the black bean or chilli oil in a large heavy-based pot and heat. Cut the onions, celery and carrots into good-sized chunks and cook off for 5 minutes.
