I’d never tried biltong before. The package arrived at work so I whipped it open and shared it with the staff – a very tasty and chewy meaty mid morning snack. It was gone in minutes.

The cabanossi I will leave for my special simple pasta dish. The recipe follows:

Biltong and cabanossi

Ingredients:

• Cabanossi, or bacon, or salami or similar, chopped
• garlic, peeled and diced thinly
• one dried chili diced very finely
• 1 400g tin of good quality Italian tomatoes
• 300g penne pasta

Method:

Dice the meat into small pieces. Heat the oil in a shallow frypan. Stir-fry the meat, garlic and chili until crisp and cooked. Add the tomatoes from the can. Chop the whole tomatoes in the pan so it resembles more of a thick mush (very technical term).

Keep the whole shebang on a low heat until most of the moisture is cooked out of the concoction.

In the meantime put a saucepan of well salted water on to boil. Once boiling add the penne pasta and cook until ‘al dente’. Drain the pasta.

Stir the tomato-meat mixture through the pasta. You only need enough to coat the pasta, not drown it.

Serve in large white bowls, with grated parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves for garnish.

Delicious. Add more chili if you love it hot. This is a quick and easy dish that we make when we have nothing else in the cupboard.

Because there are only four people in our family I halved the recipe – this is what you need for four:

Pork:

• 1 x 4 rib pork rack, bones scraped clean
• 3 tablespoons of fennel seed, dry toasted in a pan and then loosely crushed in a mortar and pestle
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• fresh black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• salt

With a sharp knife score the skin on the pork in 1 cm strips, cutting through to the fat under the skin. Mix all the ingredients, except the salt, and rub this all over the pork. Leave to marinate in the fridge, preferably overnight, or at a minimum for a couple of hours.

Preheat the oven to 240° C. Pat the pork dry with paper towels then season the skin and pork with salt.Place the pork on a rack in a roasting dish then pour in some water so it’s just touching the pork. You may need to top this up as the cooking progresses. Roast for 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 190°C and cook for a further 45 minutes.

After cooking remove from the oven and rest for up to 25 minutes in a warm place. While that is happening remove the juice from the roasting dish to a wide mouthed jug and cool in the fridge. Once the fat has settled on top, spoon it off and then reduce the sauce in a pan to ⅔ cup.

Potatoes

• 8 medium Agria potatoes, peeled and cut into 8
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of butter, unsalted if you have it
• 1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves and left unpeeled
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 200° C – or put the potatoes into the same oven the pork is cooking in. Put the potatoes in a pan with cold water and salt, bring to the boil then drain well.

Heat the olive oil and butter in an ovenproof frying pan. Add the drained potatoes, garlic and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the butter and oil mixture then place in the oven to cook for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Turn them only once during roasting.

To serve

• silverbeet, with stalks removed and chopped
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• sea salt
• ground black pepper
• juice of one lemon

Boil the stalks in plenty of well salted water until nearly tender. Add the leaves until all tender. Drain then toss in olive oil and lemon juice.

Slice the pork rack, one portion per person. Serve on top of silver beet with potatoes on the side. If you have quince paste serve that as a condiment.

This was so succulent, the fennel is a wonderful aromatic herb that compliments the pork well. Delicious!

Pork rack and fennel - deliciously succulent...

Pork rack and marinade ingredients

The finalists in the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Steak of Origin Challenge, sponsored by Pfizer Animal Genetics, have been announced after the semi final in Christchurch this afternoon.

Competition judge Bruce Griffiths, chef at Cook’n with Gas, says helping judge the top steak in the country was an honour.

“There was a couple that stood out but overall the standard was extremely high,” says Griffiths.

2012 celebrates a decade of the Steak of Origin Challenge and a special Producer of the Decade award is also being presented based on the results entrants have attained over the past 10 years.

The scores are so tight it will take the results of the 2012 Grand Final to determine the winner of this prestigious Decade title.

2012 Steak Of Origin Finalists

Class 1 – Best of Breed: European

• Malcolm Entwisle, Te Kauwhata (Aubrac) processed at AgResearch Ruakura
• Jon Knauf, Wairoa (Simmental) processed at Silver Fern Farms Hastings
• Alex MacMillan, Whangarei (Hinterwilder) processed at AFFCO Moerewa/Lynnmac Meats
• Andrew Neal, Piopio (Simmental) processed at Wilson Hellaby/Auckland Meat Processors

Class 2 – Best of Breed: British

• Chris & Karren Biddles, Te Kopuru (Angus) processed at Wilson Hellaby/Auckland Meat Processors
• John Morrison, Marton (Ezi Hereford) processed at Taylor Preston
• Tim Wilding, Cheviot (Angus) processed at Wilson Hellaby/Auckland Meat Processors
• Hamish Williams, Gisborne (Angus) processed at AgResearch Ruakura

Class 3 – Best of Breed: Crossbreed and Other 

• Don Buchanan, Taumarunui (Piedmontese X) processed at AgResearch Ruakura x2
• Jon Knauf, Wairoa (Simmental/Angus) processed at Silver Fern Farms Hastings
• Katherine Robertson, Piopio (Shaver/Speckle Park) processed at AgResearch Ruakura

Class 4 – Best of Brand: Retail

• Bowmont Wholesale Meats, Invercargill (Hereford Prime) x2
• Land Meat NZ Ltd, Wanganui (Angus Pure)
• New World Melody’s, Palmerston North (Angus Pure)

Class 5 – Best of Brand: Wholesale/Foodservice

• Bowmont Wholesale Meats, Invercargill (Hereford Prime)
• Chefs Choice, Wanganui (Angus Pure)
• Neat Meat, Auckland (Angus Pure)
• Progressive Enterprises, North Island (Countdown Angus)

Producer of the Decade Finalists:

• Chris & Karren Biddles, Te Kopuru
• Don Buchanan, Taumaranui
• Joe & Lea Fouhy, Pahiatua
• Philip Hoskin, Pahiatua
• Kevin McConnell, Whangarei
• David McKenzie, Waipu
• Peter McWilliam, Masterton
• John Morrison, Marton
• Dannie & Bethley O’Shea, Whangarei
• Alistair & Patricia Sharpe, Waihi

Brand of the Decade Finalists:

• Angus Meats, Christchurch (Angus Reserve)
• Bowmont Wholesale Meats, Invercargill (Hereford Prime)
• Chefs Choice, Wanganui (Angus Pure)
• Glanworth Beef, Pahiatua
• Harris Meats, Cheviot
• Lake Farm Beef, Cambridge
• Land Meat NZ Ltd, Wanganui (Angus Pure)
• Magills Butchery Ltd, Te Awamutu (Hereford Prime)
• Neat Meat, Auckland (Angus Pure)
• Progressive Enterprises Ltd (Countdown)
• Westmeat (Riverlands/CMP)

Background Information

The Steak of Origin challenge aims to find the most tender and tasty sirloin steak in New Zealand.  It is open to beef farmers, retailers, wholesalers and foodservice.

It originated from a national carcass competition ten years ago, when a taste element was introduced to help improve the consumer appeal of the contest.

The competition process involves an initial assessment of the sirloin steak at Carne Technologies in Cambridge.  Each steak is aged for three weeks before being tested for tenderness, pH, marbling and % cooking loss.  The most tender sirloin steaks reach the semi-final and are cooked to medium rare in a neutral flavoured oil without seasoning before being tasted by a panel of judges comprising foodies and industry personnel in Christchurch.  The finalists (the top four from each of the five classes) are tasted at the Grand Final hosted by the Manawatu Beef Expo in Feilding by top chefs and celebrities to find the most tasty and tender steak in the country.

You can see the Sunday programme here and a follow up to the debate from TVNZ Breakfast here.

Pete Cronshaw, the reporter in the Sunday story, purchased a cattle beast via Trademe, waited for 28 days and then had the cattle beast slaughtered in what appeared to be a home-kill situation.

Let’s be clear – home-kill regulations in New Zealand prevent anyone other than the farmer (owner), farmworker, or the farmer’s immediate family from eating that home-kill meat. The farmer certainly isn’t allowed to sell the meat to any of those people.

The exception is if you take an active role in the care and maintenance of the animal for 28 days prior to slaughter.

Pete Cronshaw suggested that this is what he did before the cattle beast was slaughtered. My opinion is that he broke the law as he wasn’t seen to be caring for the animal in any way.

There does appear to be a loop-hole, and it’s apparently backed by the Federated Farmers Rural Butcher chairperson, Mike Hanson. Mike is a dual butcher. He runs Netherby Meats in Ashburton and also operates an abattoir and a home-kill service.

Cow-pooling - to do or not?

In a press release, and on the Breakfast programme, Mike suggests that anyone could buy a cattle beast or a lamb from a farmer, and as long as that beast was sent to a registered abattoir for slaughter then this is a completely legitimate and legal trade.

Rod Slater, CEO of NZ Beef and Lamb, is rightly concerned that home-kill services may not be as vigilant as a licensed abattoir in detecting disease in a slaughtered animal. But for Rod to suggest that the quality is better in the meat from a freezing works to that of an animal slaughtered in it’s natural environment seems to be clutching at straws, and has an air of desperation about it.

So, on the face of it if you can find a farmer who will sell you a cattle beast or a lamb, and then you can organise the slaughter of the  animal in a registered abattoir then you have made a legitimate and legal purchase, and what’s more you don’t need to wait the 28 days between purchase and slaughter. As well all levies are paid to NZ Beef and Lamb so Rod Slater will be happy too.

Here’s a list of licensed abattoirs in New Zealand. I can’t guarantee the accuracy of this information, but it’s a good starting point.

Photo by Crowdive via Flickr

Meateaters was contacted a few months back to talk about the legality of buying meat directly from the farm gate – it’ll be interesting to see what the story uncovers.

Here’s the precis from the TVNZ website:

The Kindest Cut 
The best cuts of meat taste sweeter when they are cheaper. SUNDAY tests a new consumer trend…how to beat the butcher and the supermarkets when buying meat. Fill the deep freeze, get the best the farm can offer and save hundreds of dollars in the process. Is it too good to be true? 
Correspondent - Peter Cronshaw 
Producer - Joanne Mitchell 
Camera- Dave Pierce 
Editor - Will Kong 

Sunday, TV1, 7.30pm, 29 April 2012

The Federal St, Auckland eatery has been named the winner of the supreme award, as well as best new restaurant and best casual bistro at the annual awards. Brown also won the Audi restaurateur of the year award.

Al Brown

Depot, which opened last year, is part of what has been called the changing face of dining, both geographically and atmospherically.

As well as a live oyster bar, charcoal cooking and local produce, Depot also has wine on tap served by the tumbler.

The restaurant also refuses to take reservations, a stance that isn’t relaxed, even for the world famous celebrities – even UK boy band One Direction were turned away on Friday after trying to secure a table.

Depot and its inner-city eatery neighbours have sparked a move away from the traditional restaurant hotspots and have turned areas like Federal St into new dining destinations.

Well, it seems that enough time has passed – New Zealand Pork has a new front man – Simon Gault from top class restaurant Euro, and currently the chubby judge on New Zealand Masterchef.

NZ Pork chairman Ian Carter is talking it up, calling the Extraordinary Kitchen campaign the boldest marketing campaign seen within the industry for years. Conceived and realised by OgilvyAction the glam advertising campaign utilises Facebook and YouTube to entice viewers and readers to buy pork and to cook it using Simon Gault’s recipes.

From now on the 100% New Zealand Pork rosette will be complemented by The Extraordinary Kitchen label on all New Zealand-farmed pork, which will identify the type of cut and direct consumers to a new website which offers the best way to cook it.

“We’re going on the front foot, promoting the quality of New Zealand product and ensuring shoppers can easily identify 100 percent NZ pork in the chiller,” says Carter.

He says the labels are part of a drive by the New Zealand pork industry to “up the ante” within the industry.

“Forty-five per cent of all pork is imported – and we think that’s way too much.”

A series of online videos, hosted by celebrity chef Gault and rising young chef Nick Honeyman, will be released as part of the new campaign, demonstrating how to create pork dishes at home.

“New Zealanders are great experimenters in the kitchen, but our research shows that they’re not especially confident and have some outdated perceptions when it comes to preparing pork dishes,” he says.

“New Zealand pork is a world-class product and our research clearly shows that when consumers have confidence preparing it, there’s massive room to grow market share. We aim to do just that.”

Simon Gault - the new face of New Zealand Pork

It’s a great opportunity to ask him any question, to do with cooking, that you’ve always wanted to know the answer to.

Al says there will be prizes for the best questions.

Go to: Facebook.com/albrownnewzealandchef between 12 and 1 pm.

Rib roast steak with egg and chips - thanks TY