Plentiful peas, ideas for olives, swiss rolls and vol-au-vents reimagined by David Neville.

THERE’S LOTS OF . . . PEAS

Peas suffer two great setbacks: first, their good looks overshadow their quiet intelligence; second, their ability to pair well with other foods often makes them the supporting actor and not the star of the show. Let’s fix this and make them the brilliant star they are.

GIVE THESE A GO…

Green pea ice cream
Simmer 250g fresh green peas for 4 minutes until tender. Strain and blitz in a food processor until smooth. Put 500ml cream into a steel bowl with 235ml evaporated milk and 150g sugar. Place bowl over a tub of ice cubes and insert as deep as possible to chill. Beat for 7-8 minutes with an electric beater. Fold through the green pea purée. Put the bowl into the freezer for 90 minutes. Remove from the freezer and beat again for 2-3 minutes. Return to the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Snow pea tempura
Put one cup each of flour and cornflour into a bowl. Add 2 egg yolks and stir with a chopstick to form a clumpy mass. Add 2½ cups ice-cold water and continue to stir until almost all the lumps are gone. Toss 300g snow peas in 1 tablespoon flour and dip into the batter. Heat oil to 170°C then fry peas in batches for 2 minutes and drain on absorbent paper. Season with flaky salt and serve with mayonnaise and fresh lemon.

Pea tendril & green tea oil
Place 75g each of pea tendrils and flat-leafed parsley into a tall blender with 1 tablespoon green tea leaves. Add 300ml neutral oil and blend on high for 5 minutes. Pour into a small saucepan and place over moderate heat for 3-4 minutes until it begins to bubble or reaches 100°C. Remove from heat immediately and strain through a coffee filter into a clean bowl. Store in a small jar in the fridge and use in a dressing or as a drizzle in soups.

Pea shoot, chicken & preserved lemon salad
Slice 200g cooked chicken breast and place into a large bowl. Add the finely sliced peel from 1 preserved lemon. Add 300g cooked, sliced baby potatoes. Add 200g pea tendrils and 100g watercress sprigs. Add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons sour cream. Gently toss all ingredients together and season to taste with salt. Garnish with fresh seasonal herbs.

MAKE IT YOURSELF / SWISS ROLL

What exactly is a Kiwi Christmas dessert? Pavlova or trifle? Both are great dishes but we’ve all done them before. In Europe, it’s the yule log and I do like the idea. The swiss roll strikes a good balance of lightness and creative gusto in how it can be filled. This dish celebrates the blossoming of the pōhutukawa trees in December. Traditionally a cream is folded inside the sponge, but in this case I feel it distracts from the honey sweetness and I’ve opted to serve it on top. This basic swiss roll can be reworked into all these delicious variations.

GIVE THESE A GO…

Rose & raspberry swiss roll
Use the recipe for pohutukawa honey, ginger and clotted cream swiss roll, omitting the ground ginger and replacing it with 1 tablespoon rosewater. Omit the honey and replace it with 150g raspberry jam. Carefully roll up as per the method and allow to rest for one hour before unwrapping. Dust with icing sugar. Serve with any summer berry ice cream.

Pianono
Use the recipe for pohutukawa honey, ginger and clotted cream swiss roll to make the sponge. When ready to roll, replace the honey with 150g coconut kaya jam and sprinkle over 50g toasted shredded coconut. Carefully roll up as per the method and allow to rest for one hour before unwrapping. Ideal with freshly brewed green tea.

Apricot & caramel swiss roll
Use the recipe for pohutukawa honey, ginger and clotted cream swiss roll, omitting the ground ginger. When ready to roll, replace the honey with 100g apricot jam and drizzle over 3 tablespoons Highlander Caramel. Carefully roll up as per the method and allow to rest for one hour before unwrapping.

Fig & coffee swiss roll
Use the recipe for pohutukawa honey, ginger and clotted cream swiss roll, omitting the ground ginger. Brush the sponge with 3-4 tablespoons freshly brewed black coffee and replace honey with 150g fig marmalade. Carefully roll up as per the method and allow to rest for one hour before unwrapping. Brush the exterior with 3-4 tablespoons black coffee. Ideal with fresh figs.

Spiced ginger kiss swiss roll
Use the recipe for pohutukawa honey, ginger and clotted cream swiss roll, omitting the ground ginger and replacing it with 2 teaspoons mixed spice. Omit the honey and replace it with 160g mascarpone. Carefully roll up as per the method and allow to set seam side down for one hour before unwrapping. Ideal with Kapiti gingernut ice cream.

Fritters are one of those food items in life where more is more. These fritters have a stupidly moreish quality to them. The recipe makes a lot, but never enough.

CELEBRATING THE STAPLES / OLIVES

The history of olives is somewhat mysterious because their cultivation started before any form of written language was developed. Once the prize of Asia Minor, now they are cultivated here in New Zealand. If I have ever offended, let me offer you this olive branch… well, olive recipes.

GIVE THESE A GO…

Oven-dried black olive & orange tapenade
Put 300g stoned black olives onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 90°C for 60 minutes. Put into a food processor with the juice and zest of 1 orange, 2 tablespoons drained capers, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon mustard and 10 basil leaves. Blend for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and continue to blend while slowly drizzling in a ¼ cup olive oil.

Olive & black garlic hummus
Drain a 400g can cooked chickpeas and put into a blender. Add 2 tablespoons each tahini paste and lemon juice. Add 6 cloves black garlic and ½ teaspoon ground cumin. Blend on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and continue blending while slowly drizzling in 1⁄2 cup olive oil. Add ½ cup stoned black olives and pulse 5-6 times to coarsely chop olives, but avoid blending until smooth. Season with salt. Ideal with grilled flatbreads.

Olive & cheese gougères
Place ½ cup each water and milk and 100g butter into a medium-sized pot and bring to a simmer until butter is melted. Remove from heat and sift in 1 cup plain flour and ¼ teaspoon baking powder. Return to heat and beat until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in 4 eggs, one at a time. Add 100g cheddar cheese and 50g olive tapenade and fold through the dough. Heat the oven to 180°C. Pipe 3cm balls of dough onto a lined tray with a 4cm space between them. Bake for 20 minutes until puffed and golden. Ideal on their own as an afternoon snack.

Spiced lamb & olive sliders
Put 500g lamb mince into a clean bowl and season with 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons dried oregano and 2 teaspoons salt. Dice 1 medium-sized red onion and finely chop 3 cloves garlic. Add 100g stoned and sliced black olives. Mix everything thoroughly and roll into 40g balls. Heat a barbecue until hot. Lightly oil the grill, press the balls into patties on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Serve in slider buns with tomato relish, sliced provolone and olive tapenade or chimichurri sauce.

REINVENTING THE MEAL / VOL-AU-VENT

Vol-au-vent loosely means ‘windblown’ or ‘flight in the wind’ – how dare I call it a pastry cup? Classically they were strongly associated with chicken and cream. That will be the part we reinvent. These vol-au-vents embrace the festive season in shape and flavour. The method may sound tricky, but trust the process. In practical execution, once you start it becomes apparent and intuitive how to create the shape. It’s easier than French braiding hair without a mirror.

GIVE THESE A GO…

Blackberry & crème diplomat vol-au-vents
Use a 7cm cutter to cut 18 circles from two 24cm x 24cm puff pastry sheets. Brush 9 of the circles with egg wash and use a 4cm cutter to remove the centres from the remaining 9 circles. Place the pastry rings on top of the egg-washed base circles and bake at 180°C for 18 minutes until puffed. Fold 100ml whipped cream with 150ml thick custard. Carefully spoon into the centres of the vol- au-vents and garnish with fresh blackberries. Ideal as a summer dessert.

Vol-au-vents Benedict
Use the same method as for the blackberry and crème diplomat vol-au-vent (recipe above), but use a 10cm cutter to make 8 circles from two 24cm x 24cm puff pastry squares. Egg wash 4 circles and using an 8cm cutter remove the centres from 4 circles and assemble and bake as described. Fill the centre of each vol-au-vent with thinly sliced leg ham and 2 poached eggs. Top with a generous amount of hollandaise sauce and serve immediately.

Turkey vol-au-vents
Put some olive oil in a large pan on a medium-high heat and sauté 1 diced medium onion and 12 sliced mushrooms for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add 100ml white wine and stir to deglaze, add 200g cooked shredded turkey and 100g diced ham. Continue to cook until the wine has evaporated. Add 150ml cream and bring to a simmer for 3-4 minutes. Spoon the mixture into warmed large vol-au-vents and serve immediately.

Goat’s cheese & pea vol-au-vents
Combine 400g goat’s cheese with 100ml cream, 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and 10-12 grinds black pepper and salt to taste. Pipe into canapé-sized 5cm vol- au-vents. Garnish with blanched sweet peas and sprigs of tarragon leaves.