After dinner chocolate kawakawa

 This is better than after dinner chocolate mints, and very much a New Zealand foraging option! Kawakawa abounds in the 'bush' (forest) where I live and it is by far my favourite NZ foraged leaf. I often make tea, use it for custards instead of vanilla, and in other recipes.  

But these chocolates are my best creation to date, or so I think - so if you copy them please credit me ;-) (I had far too many recipes from this and my other blogs taken without credits, a bit cheeky really, especially if Kiwis do it: New Zealand is a small place, too small to do this!!).

Melt a block of dark chocolate in a deep plate or terrine (not in a bowl - you want something with more surface than deepness) over a pot of hot water. Forage your kawakawa leaves, wash them well and pat them dry. Holding the stem place them shiny side down onto the chocolate, and then on a tray lined with cooking paper, chocolate side facing up. Add a little chocolate with a teaspoon if you missed a bit - you want to cover the whole surface of the leaf. Don't make it too thick though, thin after-dinner chocolates are more 'rstylish'.

Refrigerate until set, then turn upside down and gently peel the leaves off the chocolate (they will come out easily). Keep in the fridge until serving time. One side will be darker, while the other (the one that touched the leaf) shiny. The chocolate will be coated with the scent and mild peppery taste of kawakawa. I prefer them to chocolate mints, and so did my family, plus they look so cool!

A part from being served as an option to after dinner mints, they are also great with ice cream and to decorate cakes, cupcakes and desserts.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Soba with Vegetable Tempura - and the Leftovers for the Second Night

I don't fry much these days, but I love fried food, like tempura. I made the batter quickly with just flour and beer, nothing special, it was an impromptu dinner. I fried pumpkin, red onions and nori seaweed (in that order). Nori is great to use at the end to pick up all the batter - no waste in my kitchen :-).

I add salt to the fried pieces as I take them out of the hot oil to drain on kitchen paper. Quite a bit of salt, actually, as I don't use any in the batter.

In the meantime I prepared the cold soba. One thing that I quickly learned is that soba is not cooked like pasta. The only thing in common with pasta is that you should use the biggest pot you have, and have enough water as if you were to cook spaghetti. But don't add salt!

Bring the water to boil: add the soba, stir gently. When the water starts to froth add half a cup of cold water and lower the heat. Do this three times. After the third time your soba should be ready. Drain and collect the cooking water to make soup, if you like (full of starch and vitamins and minerals) and place the soba in a bowl with ice water. Or just rinse under cold water (I prefer this way, the soba may not be perfect but I cannot bear to loose anymore starch!

For the dipping sauce, usually I make a kombu broth, but I didn't have any kombu, so I used the water from the soba, to which I add soy sauce. Then this time I used chopped chives, ground ginger, and yuzu citrus with chili paste (wasabi is an alternative). Put everything in your dipping bowl and enjoy, and if there is some sauce left at the end, just add more soba water and drink it like a soup.

The day after:

This meal is even better in my opinion. I had some soba noodles and tempura leftovers, so I just made a light vegetable broth and poured it over the noodles. I warmed up the tempura and put it on top and added fresh chives. Seasoned with soy sauce and Japanese chili.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©