(Linda Conning Gold’n Pear Orchard)

Gently fry 125gm pork or 2 sausages per serving. Add 1 large or 2 small sliced onions, 1 diced kumara and 1 thinly sliced small Nashi per serving with 1 cup of water (orange juice, white wine or sherry can be used) and 1/2 tsp each of ground cloves and cardamom. Cover and simmer until kumara is soft. Add more liquid if required. Serve with crisp green vegetables.

Serve with cooked lamb and summer vegetables.
Serves 4

Ingredients

• ½ c orange juice
• ½ c white wine
• ½ c water
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 4 trim lamb fillets
• 3 tsp cornflour
• 2 tsp grainy mustard
• 3 Nashi peeled, cored and cut into quarters

Recipe

1. Combine orange juice, water, wine and ginger in saucepan. Add Nashi. Bring to boil and simmer until Nashi tender.
2. Remove Nashi with clotted spoon, reserving liquid.
3. Cook lamb and keep warm.
4. Blend cornflour with a little of the reserved liquid. Add mustard and remaining liquid. Stir in the saucepan until liquid boils and thickens.

For fish, squid or chicken (Robyn McDonald Katikati 1988)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 Nashi, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 carrot cut into matchsticks
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sugar or honey
• 1 Tbsp sherry
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp tomato puree
• ½ c chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp corn flour
• 2 Spring onion tops, finely chopped

Recipe

Put oil in wok and stir-fry Nashi, onion, carrot, red pepper, ginger and garlic (and any other vegetables you prefer) for a few minutes. Combine the other ingredients and add to wok. Stir until vegetables are glazed. Garnish with chopped spring onion tops. Optional: Add 1 tsp sesame oil and 3 tbsp oyster sauce just before serving.

Be bold, enjoy the moment. Use in place of Pineapple in burgers.

(Adapted from NZ Beef and Lamb promotion)
Serves 6

Ingredients

• Lamb
• 6 lamb racks, frenched and fully trimmed (can be replaced with lamb steaks)
• Sea salt and freshly milled pepper
• Oil to sear

Season lamb and sear in hot oil until well browned. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180C and roast until medium rare (about 20 minutes) or cooked to your liking. Remove from oven and rest for 6-8 minutes.

Salad - Ingredients

• 3 Nashi
• 3 shallots peeled and finely sliced (or red onion)
• Little butter and sugar to sauté
• 1 c hazelnuts*, roasted, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ c hazelnut oil
• 6 portions of baby salad leaves

Peel and quarter the Nashi, removing core. Toss Nashi and shallots in a hot pan with a little butter and sugar until just caramelized. Cool, thinly slice and combine with shallots, hazelnuts and a little hazelnut oil. Season to taste and set aside.

Dressing - Ingredients

• 750ml Sauterne, reduced to 500ml
• 100g wholegrain mustard
• 125g preserved ginger
• 2Tbsp rice vinegar
• 125g salted butter
• Sea salt and freshly milled pepper to taste

To serve

Lightly warm the first 4 dressing ingredients and whisk in the butter. Slice the lamb racks and arrange in equal portions on serving plate. Toss the salad leaves through the Nashi and moisten with hazelnut oil. Arrange on serving plates with the lamb. Drizzle dressing on and around the salad.

Lime, honey and ginger dressing
(Linda Conning Goldsn Pear Orchard)
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 150 gm salmon fillets
• 2-300 gm kumara
• 1 small-medium Nashi peeled
• 1 small red pepper
• 1 lime

Cut kumara into 2 cm cubes and boil or microwave until soft. Keep warm. Grate zest of lime and squeeze juice. Peel, core Nashi. Slice to your taste. Set aside on a flat dish and pour over the limejuice. Slice the red pepper.

Honey Dressing - Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

Put all the dressing ingredients in a pan and heat gently until honey has melted. Grill the salmon until sizzling. Drain kumara and coat with some of the dressing. Lay the salmon steaks over the kumara and garnish with the Nashi and red pepper. Drizzle dressing over the salmon. Any residual limejuice can be added to taste. Sprinkle lime zest around the plate and over the food.