From Te Pātaka: Food memories of New Zealand

Cook up a kiwi storm with these traditional recipes, peppered with creative spices. Highlighted are a few famous people’s recipes from their family or cultural traditions, such as Simon Gault’s summer BBQ recipe, and Charles Royal’s traditional kai. There’s also tales from a famous Wanaka restaurant, local sausage recipes, camping recipes and much more. Try these recipes to switch up your dinner plans this summer.

Kiwi favourites cookbook : celebrating 75 years of Wattie’s in Kiwi kitchens
“A collection of best-loved kiwi recipes from 75 years of Wattie’s in New Zealand kitchens. The taste and smells of our favourite childhood food is called comfort food for a reason! From shepherd’s pie and corn fritters to carrot cake and pavlova. In the last 75 years New Zealand had been through enormous changes, but the tried-and-true recipes passed on from our mothers and grandmothers can still delight us!” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Summer with Simon Gault / Gault, Simon
“The Kiwi summer goes hand in hand with good times, friends and family, and the finest, most nutritious food. In Summer, beloved chef Simon Gault shares his favorite recipes, offering quick fixes for the BBQ, picnics at the beach, stints at the bach, keeping the kids happy and exploiting the best produce of the season. With a focus on healthy, tasty and stress-free eating, it’s mouth-watering food for everyday people – a book to make summer entertaining easy.” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Bangers to bacon : a New Zealand guide to making, cooking and using sausages and cured meat / Schmid, Jeremy
“Whether it’s the good old kiwi-style sausage sizzle, the gourmet venison sausages, or even the vegetarian snags, sausages are a staple in the New Zealand household. Author demonstrates step-by-step processes to make fresh sausages; hot smoked, cured, dried and vegetarian sausages; dry cured and wet brined meats, Mash and Toad in the Hole and humble Bangers.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

From kai to Kiwi kitchen : New Zealand culinary traditions and cookbooks
“In the past two decades, cuisine and culinary history have attracted increasing attention, with both popular and academic books reflecting the growth of interest. Recipes are both markers of the socioeconomic conditions of their times and written representations of a culture’s culinary repertoire yet, they have not been the primary focus of research projects. Acknowledgement of their potential contribution to our understanding of culinary history has been slow. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Cooking 4 change : 101 famous Kiwis share their favourite recipes
“Cooking 4 Change is the brainchild of celebrated New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell, his business partner Christian Kasper and TV host Erin Simpson. They asked a wide range of New Zealand celebrities to share their all-time favourite dishes in order to raise money for longstanding local charities. The recipes and stories are accompanied by sumptuous photography, mostly taken inside each celebrity’s own kitchen, and shows a remarkable when kiwis work together for the charities. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Francesca’s Italian kitchen : delicious Italian recipes made in New Zealand / Voza, Francesca
“Francesca’s Italian Kitchen is a popular South Island restaurant serving authentic Italian cuisine. This cookbook presents Francesca’s popular pasta, pizza, lamb shoulder ragu, cannellini bean salad and desserts using local NZ ingredients. Co-owner Francesca Voza has restaurants in Wanaka, Christchurch, Dunedin and Timaru. This book is peppered with photo taken from trips to the south of Italy and Wanaka. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Blue sky kitchen : creative cookery for Kiwi campers / Saker, Nicola
“Love camping, but fed up with canned food? Read on! Nicola Saker gives campsite cuisine a fresh new flavour with these mouth-watering recipes, some of which are her own creations and others collected from close friends and family. Along with a host of delicious new recipes – many involving New Zealand’s superb seafood bounty and old favourites, such as chilli con carne to potato salad. She also offers practical advice on food hygiene and storage, campfire tips and safety, and cooking kits.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

My Indian kitchen : delicious recipes for New Zealand cooks / Ismail-Singer, Ashia
“My Indian Kitchen features recipes for well-known traditional Indian dishes alongside a range of new and exciting Indian tastes and textures, these recipes are also Ashia’s food memories which has been passed down through generations. These are easy to make with ingredients that are easy to access in New Zealand. With chutneys and bites for grazing, light lunches, mains, desserts, home baking and more.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The rugby pantry : healthy measures & guilty pleasures / Dagg, Daisy
“Daisy is partner of All Blacks Israel Dagg and Amber is partners of Victor Vito. They shared recipes for mouthwatering meals that are also healthy enough for an athlete as well as personal anecdotes, which made them popular on Facebook. From Red Wine & Garlic Lamb Shanks with Herbed Mash & Cabbage or Sage, and Milk Poached Crispy Pork Belly, to Crispy Skin Salmon with Ginger Kumara Mash; from delicious desserts such as Tamarillo Tart or Apple & Feijoa Crumble.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Cooking with Charles Royal / Royal, Charles
“Here New Zealand’s foremost Maori chef combines traditional ingredients with tantalizing culinary flare.” (Catalogue)

Don’t spend all day cooking: New recipe books

Cooking over summer should be fast, easy and delicious, making sure there is still plenty of time left to sit back and enjoy the warm evenings. Here are some the latest cookbooks released this month to make meals quick and stress free this summer.

The plain cake appreciation society / Pamment, Tilly
“Welcome to The Plain Cake Appreciation Society. Where 52 simple, seasonal cake recipes inspire you to pause throughout the year, bake something delicious, and reflect on all that’s good in your world.  Find your own slice of joy in the Weekday Lemon Cake or Raspberry-studded Tea Bars at the height of a breezy summer, or the Rainy Day Chocolate Loaf and Ginger and Rose Madeleines for when the weather sets in. Uncomplicated and easy to make, these recipes will provide delicious inspiration all year round.” (Catalogue)

Classic : a timeless recipe collection / Goodwin, Julie
“Author, presenter, MasterChef, mum and nan – Julie Goodwin is also Australia’s most trusted home cook. In this ‘best of’ collection she shares tried and trusted recipes you’ll want to make again and again for your own family and friends. With comfort food, hearty family feasts, quick mid-week meals and the bakes and treats she is known for, as well as celebration show stoppers and an indispensable collection of condiments and sauces, this is classic Julie Goodwin at her best.” (Catalogue)

Do yourself a flavour : 75 easy recipes to feed yourself, your flatmates and your freezer / Freeborn, Fliss
“If you’re a young(ish) person who wants to expand their kitchen repertoire beyond pesto-pasta and beans on toast, then you’re in luck. Do Yourself a Flavour is full of ways to take your cooking to the next level. Brimming with over 75 recipes, plus tips and tricks for turning leftovers into fabulous meals in their own right, you’ll be covered for all situations, from those quick fridge-to-face moments, through to making a delicious dinner to feed your plant-based pals and raging carnivores alike.” (Catalogue)

Rick Stein’s simple suppers / Stein, Rick
“From bestselling cook and food writer Rick Stein, comes the iconic Simple Suppers – a joyful collection of over 100 genuinely easy and delicious recipes paired with stories that celebrate the simple things in life.” (Catalogue)

Mary makes it easy : the new ultimate stress-free cookbook / Berry, Mary
“In this brand-new collection of 120 recipes, Mary shares her tips and tricks to make home cooking stress-free, easy and – of course – delicious. Divided into clear chapters, featuring one-pot recipes and 5-ingredient meals, easy bakes and desserts as well as prep-ahead and store cupboard favourites, this book contains fuss-free, crowd-pleasing food that everyone will enjoy. Each recipe is beautifully photographed and accompanied by no-fuss tips and advice on preparing ahead and freezing. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Jeremy Pang’s simple family feasts / Pang, Jeremy
“Easy feasting is back on the menu with this new collection from TV’s Jeremy Pang. Bringing together the best flavours from across East and South East Asia, Jeremy Pang’s Simple Family Feasts includes more than 80 irresistible recipes for the whole family to enjoy. Nine of the ten chapters in the book are dedicated to a different country in East and South East Asia, each one offering a range of dishes inspired by that particular cuisine.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Modern Chinese : 70+ easy, everyday recipes from the winner of MasterChef NZ / Low, Sam
“Sam Low demystifies modern Chinese cooking with a collection of accessible, simple recipes that can be cooked with ingredients from the supermarket. He describes in detail how to build your pantry of classic Chinese ingredients, setting the foundation for cooking. Having grown up in a diasporic Chinese household, Sam creates recipes with a unique take on nostalgic traditional classics, while adding a new narrative to what it means to cook modern Chinese.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Air fryer magic : 75 easy recipes for frying, roasting, & baking
“In this ultimate cookbook, the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen shows just how versatile air fryers can be with dozens of tested, perfect recipes for delicious mains, easy appetizers and sides, decadent desserts and super-fast breakfasts. Plus, the experts share their lab-testing notes about which type of air fryer to buy, the best ways to clean and maintain your machine, as well as top-tested tools and techniques for successful air frying (psst…make sure to not crowd the basket!).” (Catalogue)

Eat up: New cookbooks

Here are some of the latest new cookbooks to the library. Their topics range from preserving your own food, lunch ideas, camping meals and some classic recipes for any day of the week.

Preserving and canning for beginners : quick and easy ways to can, pickle, and jam all your favourite veggies, fruits, and meats
“Whether you are a gardener, a fan of farmers’ markets, or just someone who likes to browse the bountiful produce at the supermarket, canning and preserving are easy, fun, and affordable ways to enjoy fresh-grown foods all year long. Preserving and Canning for Beginners covers every method, from water-bath and pressure canning, pickling and jam-making, and beyond!” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The RNZ cookbook : a treasury of 180 recipes from New Zealand’s best-known chefs and food writers
“180 delicious recipes hand-picked from the thousands that have featured on RNZ shows such as Nine to Noon, Afternoons and Saturday Morning in recent decades. Written by some of New Zealand’s most admired and trusted chefs and food writers, this go-to cookbook is the perfect companion for many happy hours of cooking, with the radio on in the kitchen, of course.” (Catalogue)

 

Lunchbox boss : make mornings easier with 50+ new ideas & recipes / Georgievski, George
“Lunchbox Boss shows you how to master the art of putting together a lunchbox that your kids actually want to eat, with 50+ quick and easy recipes for busy parents. George Georgievski, aka School Lunchbox Dad, tackles some of the most common lunchbox dilemmas, such as fussy eaters, allergies and feeding kids well on a budget. Lunchbox Boss is the ultimate solution for busy parents who need new recipes and fresh ideas for ways to fill their kids’ lunchboxes with a rainbow of delicious food!”(Adapted from Catalogue)

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There’s a Cure for This – New Health Books in the Collection

We all worry about our health from time to time; it’s completely normal.  Thankfully there are lots of good books written on the topic from people who have had similar experiences or worries.  We’ve got a good crop for you this month in our new books in the collection.  Here are just a few of the new titles available.

There’s a cure for this : a memoir / Espiner, Emma
“From award-winning writer Dr Emma Espiner comes this striking and profound debut memoir. Encompassing whānau, love, death, ’90s action movies and scarfie drinking, There’s a cure for this is Espiner’s own story, from a childhood spent shuttling between a ‘purple lesbian state house and a series of man-alone rentals’ to navigating parenthood on her own terms; from the quietly perceived inequities of her early life to hard-won revelations as a Māori medical student and junior doctor during the Covid-19 pandemic. Clear, irreverent and beautiful, this book offers a candid and moving examination of what it means to be human when it seems like nothing less than superhuman will do.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Allergic : our irritated bodies in a changing world / MacPhail, Theresa
“Hay fever. Peanut allergies. Eczema. Either you have a frustrating allergy, or you know someone who does. Billions of people worldwide–an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the global population–have some form of allergy; millions have one severe enough to actively endanger their health. Medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail, herself an allergy sufferer whose father died of a bee sting, set out to understand why. This book is a holistic examination of the phenomenon of allergies from its first medical description in 1819 to the mind-bending recent development of biologics and immunotherapies that are giving the most severely impacted patients hope.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The wellness trap : break free from diet culture, disinformation, and dubious diagnoses–and find your true well-being / Harrison, Christy
“”It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.” You’ve probably heard this phrase from any number of people in the wellness space. But as Christy Harrison reveals in her latest book, wellness culture promotes a standard of health that is often both unattainable and deeply harmful. Many people with chronic illness understandably feel dismissed or abandoned by the healthcare system and find solace in alternative medicine, as Harrison once did. Weaving together history, memoir, reporting, and practical advice, Harrison illuminates the harms of wellness culture while re-imagining our society’s relationship with well-being.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

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Recipes for Local Food Week 25 Feb to 6 March

Local Food Week is an annual event that celebrates Wellington’s local food and food producers. Eating from resources that are around to keep you healthy and strong: kiwifruit and wild berries, pies and cakes, backyard treasures and fresh produce markets, kitchen and local restaurants, and much more.

The organic guide to edible gardens / Stackhouse, Jennifer
“Growing fruit and vegetables in your own backyard, and feeding your family with food freshly harvested can be extremely rewarding, and even better to grow naturally without chemicals. This fully illustrated guide to growing authentic produce at home from purchasing your first seedlings, understanding the growth cycle, sourcing biological fertilisers, controlling pests and diseases and ultimately sustaining healthy, organic edible plants.”  (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

A treasury of New Zealand baking
“One hundred recipes for cakes, slices, loaves, scones, tarts, muffins and friandes from a star-studded list of New Zealand food writers. The recipes include everything from glamour special-occasion cakes to every day fill-the-tins reliables. Every recipe was tested and baked especially for this project by well-known international baker and author Dean Brettschneider, and photographed by Aaron Maclean, and edited by New Zealand food ambassador extraordinaire, Lauraine Jacobs.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Eating clean, living paleo : New Zealand paleo cookbook / Devcich, Rachael
“New Zealand’s favourite cafes open their recipe books to share popular dishes from their menus. You will spot some familiar places from the 50 cafes up and down the country, and be shown how to recreate their signature breakfasts, brunches, lunches and baked treats. The perfect road trip companion book to flick through over a flat white; a celebration of our thriving cafe culture and the places, people and food that make it special”. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Forager’s cocktails : botanical mixology with fresh ingredients / Zavatto, Amy
“From fresh produce markets to speakeasies, delectable drinks made from foraged and grown ingredients are trendy to hit mixology. Full of mouth-watering colour photos, this handy guide offers 40 inspiring recipes, tips for foraging and preserving seasonal berries, herbs, flowers, and more. It’s a luscious toolkit for crafting tasty and unique cocktails from backyards and woodlands. Raise your glass to making the most of nature’s bounty!” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

My family table : simple wholefood recipes from ‘Petite Kitchen’ / Ozich, Eleanor
“Eleanor’s unique approach to food styling and photography showcases the simplicity of her food in a natural, down-to-earth style that is fresh and inspiring. Eleanor presents over 100 wonderfully simple, nourishing and wholesome recipes. She takes some classic family favourites and adds her own wholesome, creative twist, and using plenty of herbs and aromatic flavours for scrumptious taste combinations.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The complete New Zealand seafood cookbook
“From smoked fish pie and whitebait fritters to fish burgers, gumbo and paella, all of your favourite seafood dishes are here in this cookbook. This book also has tips on catching, handling, purchasing and storing fish; preparing fish at home, including scaling, gutting, filleting, boning and skinning, as well as cleaning and preparing shellfish; cooking seafood, including pan-frying, barbecuing, steaming, poaching and baking; and how to choose the ideal seafood option for a meal. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Tahua-roa, korare = Food for your visitors, Māori green vegetables : their history and tips on their use / Roskruge, Nick
“Nick Roskruge, Massey University horticulture and Maori resource development lecturer, introduces over 30 korare, or Maori green vegetables sourced from freshwater or coastal areas, the forest or bush, as crops, or as weeds. eg: kokihi, puha, porporo, kopakopa, rerewai and many others. This illustrated book aims to increase knowledge of korare by histories and practical everyday recipes, whakapapa and nutritional values.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

New Zealand café cookbook : recipes you love from your favourite cafés
“New Zealand’s favourite cafes open their recipe books to share best-loved quintessential kiwi dishes from their menus. As you discover recipes from 50 cafes, you’ll spot some familiar places, and their signature breakfasts, brunches, lunches and baked treats. The perfect road trip companion book to flick through over a flat white; a celebration of our thriving cafe culture, places, and people. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Edible cities: Books on foraging

A selection of our books on foraging

via GIPHY

So far, raumati (summer) in Wellington has been pretty idyllic. Hopefully, you’ve been able to get out and enjoy the outdoors, maybe by taking a dip in the surprisingly welcoming ocean or enjoying time in the garden with a good book. If you’re looking for a new outdoor activity, and are keen to explore around Wellington a bit more, foraging could be an ideal new hobby for you! Wellington has an array of forgeable foods growing all around the city, including mushrooms, koromiko flowers and dandelion!

Of course there are risks with foraging, you need to be confident in identifying plants before you eat them! We suggest first connecting with Wellington’s vibrant foraging community. There are plenty of supportive online communities, and professionally led courses you can attend to gain this required knowledge.

Our libraries also have a wealth of resources to help you in your foraging adventures! Below is a booklist to get you started. Happy foraging!

A forager’s treasury / Knox, Johanna
“Features profiles of many edible plants commonly found in New Zealand, including advice on where to find them, how to harvest them and how best to use them”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)

Find it, eat it : cooking foraged food gathered around New Zealand / Daly, Michael
“Divided according to edible weeds, food foraged from the fields, forest and seashore and a pantry section, Michael Daly provides recipes that demonstrate the use of wild foods in everyday cooking.”–Publisher information.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

A field guide to the native edible plants of New Zealand / Crowe, Andrew
“Over 190 trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, mushrooms, lichens and seaweeds are described in detail in this useful and attractive book, with information on which part is edible and when, how plants have been utilised, particularly by Maori, their nutritional value, and where they can be found. In a separate section, Andrew Crowe also describes important poisonous plants that are native to New Zealand or are likely to be confused with the edible plants.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Seaweed and eat it : a family foraging and cooking adventure / Houston, Fiona
“Part cookbook, part natural history guide, with tasty recipes, fascinating folklore and inspiring ideas for seasonal feasts, this book leads the reader through the process of identifying, learning about and cooking unusual and wild native foods.” (Catalogue)

The edible city : a year of wild food / Rensten, John
”  In The Edible City, urban forager John Rensten gives us the tools to identify, source and cook delicious food from the year-long bounty around us, whether that’s winter cress and wild garlic soup, nettle and three-cornered leek gnocchi or stinging nettle tempura. This account of a year of urban foraging is perfect for the armchair enthusiast or home cook looking for exciting new ingredients to experiment with.” (Catalogue)

The thrifty forager / Fowler, Alys
“Fowler takes a fresh look at foraging, encouraging you to look closer to home, from the weeds in your garden to the trees in your street…Alys showcases her favourite edibles with a plant directory packed with useful information – photographic identification, plant description and tips on how to grow and how to eat it (including recipes such as fruit leathers and chutney) – that will give you the confidence to identify plants yourself.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Food you can forage : edible plants to harvest, cook and enjoy / Francis, Tiffany
“An accessible and engaging guide to foraging for families and amateur naturalists.” (Catalogue)