The range of ingredients available to us has increased dramatically over the last 25 years and Kiwis are now eating a much larger range of food from other places. Sushi is a good example of how our diet has changed – my grandmother would have stared at me in disbelief if I had told her New Zealanders would soon be eating the raw fish wrapped in vinegared rice and seaweed that is now available in almost every town in the country. The presence of larger ethnic communities, more choice of restaurants, the growth of producers’ markets and food marketers who have responded to our desire to cook and eat a more diverse variety of food have changed what is available in even the most basic mainstream supermarket. When I was growing up, many of the ingredients we now take for granted simply didn’t exist in New Zealand. As a young chef I can remember wanting to cook a dish that needed verjuice and having to try and replicate it myself. These days verjuice is produced here and is easy
to find, as are many other formerly obscure ingredients.

I have chosen chillies, fennel, Asian greens (from bok choy to water spinach, gai lan and choy sum – use whatever you find at your local Asian supermarket) and the Cypriot cheese, haloumi, as examples of ingredients that are relatively new to us and still a little mysterious to some cooks.

Warm lentils with fried haloumi & zucchini (pictured above)
Serves 4-6
300g green or brown lentils
extra virgin olive oil for frying and drizzling
6 zucchini, thinly sliced
zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
400g haloumi, sliced 1cm thick
1⁄2 cup chopped roasted almonds
2 red capsicums, roasted, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
small handful flat-leafed parsley sprigs

Bring a large saucepan of unsalted water to the boil. Add the lentils and boil gently until tender. Drain well and spread over a warmed serving platter.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the zucchini, zest and garlic. Fry gently for about 10 minutes until the zucchini is soft and browned. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then sprinkle the zucchini mixture over the lentils.

Heat more oil in a clean frying pan then fry the haloumi slices over high heat until browned on each side. Place the haloumi on the zucchini.

Sprinkle the almonds, capsicums and spring onions over the haloumi. Season then drizzle with the vinegar and a little oil. Scatter a few parsley sprigs on top then serve.

Haloumi & vegetable skewers
Dice some haloumi into 2cm cubes then thread on to bamboo skewers with similar sized pieces of red onion, red capsicum and button mushrooms. Brush with garlic-infused olive oil (or just mix crushed garlic with olive oil) then barbecue or panfry until well browned. Serve with yoghurt that has been blitzed with mint, garlic and salt then had finely diced peeled and deseeded cucumber stirred into it. Good with couscous or steamed rice.

Mediterranean-style salad
Cut eggplant into 2cm-thick slices then brush with olive oil and place the slices on a baking tray, side by side. Bake in a hot oven until well browned. Do the same with carrots, thinly sliced lengthways. Arrange the roast eggplant and carrots on a platter of baby cos leaves, along with thinly sliced roasted red capsicum and panfried slices of haloumi. Drizzle with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Haloumi, herb & walnut pasta
Put some hot short pasta in a warmed serving bowl then add lots of chopped dill, parsley, garlic, finely diced red onion, grated haloumi, chopped tomatoes, toasted walnuts and extra virgin olive oil. Mix well then taste and season.

Haloumi & tomato fritters
Mix mashed floury potatoes with beaten eggs and a little flour, chopped garlic, sliced mint leaves, thinly sliced sundried tomatoes and lots of grated haloumi so you have a dropping batter. Fry spoonfuls in hot olive oil until well browned on each side then serve with Kaitaia Fire or your favourite hot sauce.

Beetroot & haloumi salad
Roast whole beetroots until very tender. Once cool enough to handle, peel and slice them then place in a serving dish. Top with panfried haloumi slices, capers, thinly sliced celery and halved cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Chillies
Chilli & garlic spaghetti
Italian soul food doesn’t get much better than hot, al dente Italian spaghetti tossed with thinly sliced chilli, garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil with a liberal dusting of freshly grated parmesan. Also good tossed with sliced fried sausages, chopped tomatoes and rocket leaves wilted through it.

Cumin, garlic & chilli potatoes
Parboil some bite-sized chunks of Agria potatoes then drain well until dry. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan then add the potatoes, along with chopped garlic, toasted cumin seeds and sliced chilli. Fry until the potatoes are golden then add some finely diced preserved lemon and plenty of chopped coriander. Serve with fried fish fillets, a bowl of plain yoghurt on the side and lemon wedges for squeezing

Quick tomato-chilli relish
Fry finely chopped onion, cumin and fennel seeds, and lots of garlic and chilli until the onion is soft. Add a can of crushed tomatoes and simmer until thick and jammy. Season with sugar, salt and a little vinegar so it is pleasantly sweet, sour and hot and serve with barbecued or grilled chicken, fish or lamb.

Beef stir-fried rice
Slice steak thinly across the grain then stir-fry with sliced chilli, spring onions, chopped garlic, chopped coriander and thinly sliced ginger. Add steamed long grain rice, chopped tomatoes and crushed roasted peanuts and mix through to heat then season with soy sauce, a splash of fish sauce and fresh lime juice.

Eggplant & mozzarella stacks
Panfry slices of flour-dusted eggplant in hot olive oil until browned and tender (or simply brush with oil then bake in a hot oven). Remove from the pan and make 3-slice stacks of eggplant, sandwiched with mozzarella, finely diced preserved lemon, rocket leaves, fresh marjoram or oregano leaves, thinly sliced, deseeded mild red chillies and finely chopped garlic. Top with well-seasoned chopped tomatoes mixed with a dribble of extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped, deseeded, mild red chillies and grated parmesan then place in the oven until the cheeses have melted. Serve as a first course or with panfried Italian sausages and steamed rice for a main.