With a new cook book full of recipes — many written and tested in her kitchen in Wanaka — hitting the shelves, Annabel Langbein tells Rebecca Fox about her ‘‘opus’’.
Her son has just been diagnosed as coeliac, her daughter is vegetarian and her hubby is a ''body is my temple'' eater so Annabel Langbein is no stranger to today's eating challenges.
She wanted her latest cookbook, Essential, to reflect those challenges and the busy lives many home-cooks live.
The book includes about 650 recipes, many variations and tips collected during Langbein's 20-year cooking career.
She estimates she has written more than 10,000 recipes in that time so when it came to pulling them together it was always going to be a challenge to select the recipes to include without giving people ''RSI every time they picked it up''.
''I stamped my foot quite a lot.''
Quite early on in the process she decided there was no way she was going to fit sweet recipes in as well as savoury. That means Essential is the first volume with another to come.
To her, the definition of New Zealand food derives from the fresh food available to everyone and the ''global pantry'' of products now available in the country: quite different from the days when her ''Best Of'' came out 20 years ago.
Her recipes are targeted at using that to people's advantage, to be a ''springboard'' for home cooks.
''I want it to be a tool kit.''
Busy home cooks wondering what to have for tea could look it up and get inspiration for the ingredients they already have.
''They don't have to start from scratch. If they have a nice bit of cauliflower or eggplant or fish, if they know the method they can change out the flavours.''
People are slowly coming to the realisation they need the nourishment from fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables rather than just processed, industrialised food, she believes.
''We forget we are animals and as a species we need nutrients to be at our peak performance.''
Langbein has included tips to help explain the whys and hows to people, so they are not ''slaves to the recipe''.
''I want to demystify cooking. We got scared of food somewhere along the way. I call it the con of convenience when we were told we were too important to cook.
''I want to show people it's so easy to make something yummy.''
There are recipes for the gluten intolerant, dairy free and vegetarian eaters in the family: so something for everyone.
With autumn and winter on its way, she is a big fan of slow cooking, whether in the oven or in a slow cooker.
''Coming in and smelling something hearty fends off the cold.''
Langbein also loves getting outside in the colder weather.
''I love a picnic in the autumn colours. It's so beautiful. You can go for a walk, come home and cook up a yummy dinner.''
But at the end of the day, her most important advice is to have fun in the kitchen no matter how it turns out, although she says her recipes have all been tested multiple times.
''If it's a complete disaster, open a bottle of wine.''
In a nutshell
• Top gadget:
I always travel with a stick blender and a zester.
• Top ingredients:
Lemons for the brightness they bring to recipes.
• Top tip:
Acid balance is just as important as salt. Add 1/2 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice to stews or other rich dishes to lift the flavour profile.
• Must learn technique:
Taste: learn to taste your food so you can understand the changing flavours and can adjust recipes to suit.
Photo: supplied
Beef pho
This is one of my go-to meals when I want to eat something that's light and refreshing yet dishes up lashings of comfort. Its essence lies in having loads of fresh herbs and salad garnishes to deliver a pow of freshness. You can use very thinly sliced rare-cooked beef in place of raw beef.
READY IN 20MIN - DAIRY FREE/GLUTEN FREE
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
100g dried vermicelli noodles
12 button mushrooms, sliced
3 stalks lemongrass, bruised with a rolling-pin, or 1 Tbsp lemongrass paste
1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, plus extra thinly sliced to serve
1 kaffir lime leaf or finely grated zest of 1 lime
4 cups beef stock
1½ Tbsp fish sauce, plus extra to serve
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
½ tsp five-spice powder
a pinch of ground cloves
about 150g raw or rare-cooked beef fillet, cut as thinly as possible across the grain
4 handfuls bean sprouts
½ cup coriander leaves
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice, or more to taste
2 spring onions, very finely shredded
mint and/or vietnamese mint leaves, to serve
wedges of lime, to serve
Method
Place noodles in a bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to stand for 10 minutes while you make the soup.
Place mushrooms, lemongrass, chilli, kaffir lime leaf or lime zest, stock, fish sauce, ginger, five-spice powder and cloves in a large pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain noodles, snip with scissors in a few places and divide between heated serving bowls. Top with beef slices, bean sprouts and half the coriander.
Remove and discard lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf, if using, and divide boiling hot broth between bowls. Add ½ to 1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice to each bowl, or more if desired.
Top with spring onions, the remaining coriander and mint and garnish with lime wedges. Pass around extra fish sauce for seasoning if desired, and accompany with a bowl of sliced chillies.
Photo: supplied
Chicken fajitas
Oh, so good for a quick family dinner or barbecue with friends, especially with chargrilled corncobs or kumara wedges.
READY IN 30 MINS
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g chicken stir-fry or sliced chicken thighs
2 onions, halved and cut into very thin wedges
2 red peppers, finely sliced
3 Tbsp mexican spice mix
2 Tbsp neutral oil
To serve
8 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
salad fixings of your choice, such as iceberg lettuce, sliced red onion and/or pickled jalapeno peppers
dressings of your choice, such as sour cream, tomato salsa and/or guacamole
Method
Combine chicken, onions, pepper slices and spice mix.
Heat oil in a large heavy frypan or on a barbecue hotplate and, working in batches if necessary, cook over a medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
Serve with tortillas, salad fixings and sauces so people can build their own fajitas.
Photo: supplied
Miso-glazed fish
One or two oily fish meals each week will meet your needs for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon makes a brilliant midweek meal because it cooks in a matter of minutes. Serve these Asian flavours with rice and lightly cooked Asian vegetables.
READY IN 15 MINS - DAIRY FREE
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless salmon or white fish fillet pieces
2 tsp black and/or toasted white sesame seeds (to garnish)
chopped chives, to garnish (optional)
MISO GLAZE
2 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp miso, preferably white miso or instant sachets
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
Method
To make the miso glaze, mix together all ingredients until the miso is evenly incorporated.
Preheat oven to 220degC fanbake and line a large, shallow oven dish with baking paper for easy clean-up.
Arrange salmon pieces in a single layer in the prepared oven dish and spread miso glaze over the top.
Roast until salmon is just cooked through and glaze is just starting to caramelise (about 8 minutes). It should give when gently pressed.
Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds and chives, if using.
