#2 The Pot - pork and puha



A Sunday visit to the Hastings Farmer's Market lead me to this week's recipe from "The Great NZ cookbook". Daughter Imke, with her fellow students, were selling their "Colour Hawke's Bay" colouring books at the market as part of their young enterprise project. Farmers markets are great, and there is always that feel good factor of supporting local producers. With coffee in hand, Caroline (eldest daughter) and I perused the stalls. I avoided the temptation of buying a huge checker chopping board slab and turned to the grow your own "Wright Sprouts". Just tasting a sample made you feel healthy. I purchased the growing jar, and a selection of seeds to try. After downing a not so healthy Berliner Doughnut, passing the organic chocolate stand, we continued to the vegetable selection where I spotted bunches of puha. I knew that there was a recipe for this in THE book and having not ever cooked it before, I was excited to trying something new.
Anne Thorp, referred to as the Maori Queen of cuisine, supplies the pork and puha recipe which she fondly refers to as "The Pot". She describes the aroma of the cooking of the pot nostalgic for most Maori. Everything going into the one pot where the pork bones are simmered and when the meat is almost falling off the bones, the puha is added. She remembers how her mother would not allow her and her siblings back from gathering puha until their kete (basket) was full. It is not unusual to see people gather puha from the fresh water streams here in the Bay. Although Anne recommends the steaming or boiling of root vegetables, I choose to do a roast vegetable accompaniment.
The fam enjoyed sucking the life out of the pork bones and the puha accompanied it beautifully. I loved the bright green colour it managed to maintain.
For dessert, Caroline took little persuading to try out the Chocolate self-saucing pudding - you can find that kiwi great at "Mount Brist" in Mt Manganui. Stephen Barry the chef, supplies a gluten and egg free recipe so his daughter can enjoy it, just like he did as a child. Chocolate self- saucing pud... chocolate... I never did stop at that organic chocolate stand in the market... another good reason to return!

Colour Hawke's Bay @ Farmer's Market

Puha, carrots and Wright Sprout purchases




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