Merry Xmas foodies

Posted: 22/12/2011 12:35:35 p.m.

At our house we celebrate Christmas summer style, even our tree is decorated with surfing Santa’s and that means celebrating outside in the sunshine! The smell of the BBQ wafting on the gentle summer breeze, butterflied legs of lamb rubbed with fresh herbs and spices, whole fish grilled until you simply cannot wait anymore-it must be eaten! We couple these taste sensations with fresh vibrant salads with leaves carefully manicured from Tracey’s generous garden. This all makes for an absolutely brilliant, colourful, vibrant school holidays and one that should be enjoyed with friends and family.

This time of Year in New Zealand is a very special time indeed. The pure abundance of everything makes for a foodies paradise.

I have just returned from the Coromandel. We had decided to spend some time with family up there before Xmas. My brothers with families in tow converged on the Peninsula and made their way to us and the soft squeaky sand of Opito Bay. I have not enjoyed New Zealand this much for Year’s. We swam together, sunbathed, walked to the local Pa sight, hunted at Crayfish Bay and played touch and cricket until the sun went down. Don’t you just love that about New Zealand.

As the tide went out we began digging for Tuatua, the look on our kids faces was magic. Never before had they been able to collect fresh shellfish so easily. We have the most delicious coast offering the sweetest of morsels. The pure abundance of the Pipi’s was amazing. We took the biggest and placed them into a bucket of salt water over night (This is to ensure you have no gritty sand left inside when you eat them). Lets just say that the whole experience for the kids was enlightening and for us fruitful. It bought back memories of my childhood with my parents cruising along 90 mile beach to do the same thing. I hope Jack gets to do the same with his kids…and guess what, I believe he will.

I made a Thai style Tuatua on a crispy wonton and we all wondered why we do not see more of this type of shellfish being sold around N.Z.? They are sweet little morsels that go brilliantly with Asian flavours. I love cooking with new tastes and amazing ingredients, but to me, whipping down to the local beach, digging for a few minutes, creating something new is what food it all about. Lets forget the hype and concentrate on doing the simplest things right…