Ingredients
| PICKLED PEACHES | |
| 4 ripe but firm peaches | |
| 250ml white wine vinegar | |
| 125g raw sugar | |
| 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half | |
| 6 cloves | |
| 1 star anise | |
| GREEN TOMATO & CHILLI MARMALADE | |
| 1 lemon | |
| 500g green tomatoes, roughly chopped | |
| 4 green chillies, seeds and stems discarded (leave some seeds in if you want it spicy) | |
| 100g raw sugar | |
| TO SERVE | |
| ¼ cup buckwheat | |
| ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed | |
| ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| ½ teaspoon chilli flakes | |
| 250g burrata or stracciatella | |
| fresh basil leaves, pea shoots/microgreens, toasted bread, to serve |
The old Aunt Daisy cookbooks and The Red Cookery Book feel like they have always been a presence in the kitchen. The gathering of recipes from around New Zealand into curated books was a first and was a precursor to Mum’s job writing the ‘Country Girls’ column for the Department of Agriculture Journal where she also gathered recipes from cooks around the country.
Aunt Daisy’s books were heavy on preserves and baking and one recipe that featured a lot in our house was the one for pickled peaches spiced with cinnamon and cloves and quite vinegary – they are perfect with cheese or in a savoury recipe.
Not wanting to waste any produce, green tomatoes were also the base for many preserves, and this is a great way to use up any unripened tomatoes at the end of the season. These pickles were naturally made in bulk and preserved in sterilised jars, but I usually just make enough for one or two meals and keep them in the fridge. The crunch of the toasted buckwheat is important, but you can substitute your favourite nuts or seeds, but reduce the cooking time so they don’t burn.
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Instructions
| 1. | PICKLED PEACHES |
| 2. | Get a bowl of iced water ready. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil then remove from the heat. |
| 3. | Cut a small cross at the base of each peach, add to the hot water and leave for about a minute until the skin loosens sufficiently to peel. |
| 4. | Remove from the hot water and plunge into the cold water to stop the peaches from cooking. |
| 5. | Drain, then peel off and discard the skins, cutting off any stubborn bits with a knife. |
| 6. | Cut each peach into quarters, discarding the stones. Put into a heatproof container and set aside. |
| 7. | Put the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and star anise into a saucepan with 250ml water and bring to the boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer and cook for 5 minutes. |
| 8. | Take off the heat and pour over the peaches. Leave to cool, then cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days before eating. |
| 9. | GREEN TOMATO & CHILLI MARMALADE |
| 10. | For the marmalade, cut the lemon into quarters and discard any seeds along with the hard stem. |
| 11. | Put the lemon in a food processor with half the tomatoes, the chillies and the sugar and process to a purée. |
| 12. | Transfer to a saucepan over a low-medium heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring. |
| 13. | When boiling, reduce to a steady simmer. Add the remaining tomatoes and stir through. |
| 14. | Cook for 40 minutes, stirring often, especially in the last 15 minutes, until you have a thick marmalade-like consistency. |
| 15. | Cool, transfer to a container and store in the fridge for a few weeks. |
| 16. | TO SERVE |
| 17. | Put the buckwheat in a bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak for 1 hour then drain and rinse. |
| 18. | Heat the oven to 160°C. |
| 19. | Spread the buckwheat on a tray and bake for 20 minutes until dry and toasted. |
| 20. | Mix in the fennel and coriander seeds and salt and roast for 10 more minutes. |
| 21. | Stir through the chilli flakes and cool before storing in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. |
| 22. | To serve, spread the marmalade over the bottom of a serving platter (or two if you have two burrata), to form a thick ridge around the outer edge of the plate. |
| 23. | Place the cheese in the middle. Slice the peach quarters in half and arrange around the cheese. |
| 24. | Scatter with buckwheat, basil leaves and microgreens. |
| 25. | Serve with toasted bread to scoop. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles