Gallery - Melanie's Kitchen

Been a while since I’ve been on the old gram but

Been a while since I’ve been on the old gram but managed to sneak down to Wanaka for a couple of days to do pre Xmas prep and cooked up these little egg and dairy free pancakes for the team here . Surprisingly light and fluffy served with some homemade berry Coulis maple syrup and coconut yogurt . #happydays #xmasprep #gardening #housemaintenence

A French classic Coq Au Vin. So easy, basic ingre

A French classic Coq Au Vin. So easy, basic ingredients are Red wine, bacon, mushrooms, garlic, onions, herbs. The key is to soak the chicken in a bottle of red wine the day before !! Bloody beautiful ... #coqauvin #frenchcooking #forfriends #easycooking

Gorgeous Saturday Dinner thanks @dishmagnz issue 9

Gorgeous Saturday Dinner thanks @dishmagnz issue 92 for a lovely easy as Prawn,Chorizo and Fish Stew, definitely adding this one on melanieskitchen #eatingin #saturdaynight #weekend ##fishstew

So here are the left overs of the Chick pea aquafa

So here are the left overs of the Chick pea aquafaba, Guy called them vegan t ies 🤭
1/2 cup aquafab ( chickpea Juice)
1/4tsp cream of Tartar
3/4 cup castor sugar
1tsp vanilla.
Turn the oven on to 100 degrees
Line a baking tray with cooking paper parchment
Put the aquafaba in a mixer with a whisk attachment with cream of Tatar and whisk on high until soft peaks, a good 10 mins
Add the caster sugar tablespoon by tablespoon slowly until well combined another good 10 mins
Fold in the vanilla and put mixture into a pipping bag
Pipe mixture onto the trays and bake in the oven and cook for 90minutes and turn oven off and leave in oven until cool and the meringues peel off the baking paper .
Fab recipe #vegancooking #veganmeringue #aquafaba #eggallergy

Homemade Pitta bread didn’t disappoint it’s ve

Homemade Pitta bread didn’t disappoint it’s very easy and so much nicer than store bought. Recipe was an @allrecipes one served with @annabellangbein creamy hummus topped with Panfried chickpeas and smoked paprika oil. Yummy. Wait till you see what I made with the chickpea aquafaba 😝💚#backinthekitchen #homemadepitta #hummus #stormcoming

Thank you @dishmagnz Roasted Butternut with Rosema

Thank you @dishmagnz Roasted Butternut with Rosemary and Stracciatella one of the nicest pumpkin dishes ever!! also check out in their latest issue is the roasted cabbage with tarragon and mustard cream, incredible !! #backinthekitchen #onholiday #pumpkin

Guy gave me this recipe to read on the plane on my

Guy gave me this recipe to read on the plane on my way down to Wanaka, thought it looked like a bit of me so had to try, didn’t have all the herbs but is lovely it is called Green Herb bagna cauda an Italian dip made from anchovies garlic and olive oil recipe was found in The Guardian where Mr Ottolenghi writes his regular column check out my white daphne it’s gone nuts this year 💚#bagnacauda #greenherbs #littleholiday #whitedaphne

Hope all the Dads out there have had a lovely day.

Hope all the Dads out there have had a lovely day. Was lucky to spend the evening with the Dad to our kids 💚 They were offsite !! Haha 🤗Panfried John Dory with caper lemon butter and citrus mash and sautéed lemony veg recipe from @akaroacooking fabulous book. Let’s cook kiwi #happyfathersday #supportingeachother

The perfect quick midweek meal right here. Asian B

The perfect quick midweek meal right here. Asian Bolognaise 500gm pork mince
1 chopped red onion
2 Tbsp fresh ginger
4 crushed garlic cloves
3 Tbsp chilli bean paste I used fresh chilli
1 Tbsp Chilli sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
5 Mushrooms preferable shiitake
1/4 cup rice wine
2Tbsp oyster sauce
1 cup Chicken or beef stock
1 Packet noodles
Salt and pepper and perhaps some kepap manis and if you have a 1/4 cup coconut cup cream add that too !!
Chillies, coriander, bean sprouts,and spring onions to serve
Place the onion in a wok or fry pan and cook to soften
Add to the oil and onion the garlic and ginger add the chilli sauté
Add the mushrooms and rice wine, kappa manis and rice wine and oyster sauce and seasoning cook down until the sauce thickens then add the pork mince until browned
Add the stock and coconut cream if using and cook for 10 minutes
Add the noodles pre cooked and heat in the mixture toss to combine
Serve with chopped red chillies heaps of coriander and bean sprouts ( almost essential ) and spring onions .
#midweekmeal #asianbolognaise # easybutyummy

Fantastic easy meal Red Curry Pork Meatballs. 500

Fantastic easy meal Red Curry Pork Meatballs. 500g Pork mince 2 red chillies chopped. 2 lime leaves thinly sliced. 3 cm generous grated fresh ginger. 2 garlic cloves 1/2 tsp salt. 1 egg white ( optional I find it binds well without and allergy free)
2 tbsp peanut or rice bran oil
2 tbsp red curry paste
400 ml coconut milk
200 ml Chicken stock
225 gm tin of bamboo shoots
Sliced green beans or zucchini sliced oblong
1 cup basil or coriander leaves
3 cups bean sprouts .
Mix the pork mince with the chilli, ginger, garlic and lime leaves and salt and shape into small round balls and refrigerate.
Heat oil in a large deep frying pan and fry the balls in batches for 5 minutes turning frequently.
Remove and keep warm.
Add the curry paste to the pan and cook for 1 minute
Poor in the coconut milk and chicken stick and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Return the meatballs to the pan with the bamboo shoots and greens simmer for 2 minutes
Throw in the bean sprouts and herbs top with peanuts ( optional ) and crispy store bought shallots and serve #midweekmeals #pork #redcurry #cookingmadeeasy #glutenfree #eggfree #allergyfriendly

She is coming back ! So guess what this is missing

She is coming back ! So guess what this is missing ? Fabulous recipe from @lennawallace who has an amazing repertoire of allergy friendly recipes . #allergyfriendly #eggfree #doesntlooklikeit #diaryfree #thirdbornchild

Loads of lemons on my tree called for a lemon meri

Loads of lemons on my tree called for a lemon meringue pie coupled with the fact that Anabella is back at uni and is now very much egg free and this baby had about 10 eggs so needed to make hay while the sun shines ! Winning recipe by @annabellangbein Essential book volume 2 💚🤭#noteggfree #lemonmeringuepie #eatingseasonally #bloodydelicous

My First ( and won’t be the last ) batch of Pau

My First ( and won’t be the last ) batch of Paua Dumplings and Paua Pie. It was quite the feast thank you so much for the amazing Paua @kim_n_ant. Will pop recipes up on www.melanieskitchen.co.nz soon. #newzealandfood #paua #saturdaynightathome #willhaveleftovers

A pivotal moment in Melanie’s kitchen today. Gro

A pivotal moment in Melanie’s kitchen today. Growing up Brussel sprouts were the bain of my life. Boiled forever and left to the end of my meal which meant I had to eat the little bastards cold ! They ganged up on my plate like nasty green balls and I hated them. When I became a mother one thing I felt impowered about was that I would never subject my children to these green balls and would never buy them . Today I bought my first bag EVER of Brussel sprouts and cooked this bloody delicious winter salad primarily because I follow @riperecipebooks and they shared this recipe. Anwar’s Beautiful Brussels + Broccoli Salad. I served it warm and it was lovely. So there you go after all these years I eat and buy Brussel sprouts who would of thought. #neversaynever #wintersalad #brusselsprouts

Back Saturday night entertaining at last. I decide

Back Saturday night entertaining at last. I decided before I buy the new book from the @ottolenghi crew I’d spend time in some of their earlier books most of these recipes came from the Jerusalem book. Including this nurtured Lamb shawarma, baby spinach with dates and almonds and pumpkin with red onion tahini and za’atar. We reflected over dinner how we have really changed the way we eat and entertain gone are the days I used to spend a large portion of the night plating up the meal on very hot plates teaching my daughter how to place the sauce correctly and wiping off any that happened to be in the wrong place heaven forbid ! Then finely sitting down taking a large gulp of wine with guests patiently waiting to start their meal, and I’m thinking thank god that’s done only to be up shortly afterwards to plate the desert !! 😅. Anyway enough rambling Check out these recipes though you will love them #simpleentertaining #saturdaynight #entertaining #jerusalem #rugbyaotearoa

This Whole Boiled Mandarin Cake with Jasmine Tea S

This Whole Boiled Mandarin Cake with Jasmine Tea Syrup popped up on my daily email from @mindfoodmag and thought it deserved to be cooked really interesting recipe. #mondayafternoon #mandarin #eatingseasonally

Chilly nights are perfect to start cooking slow st

Chilly nights are perfect to start cooking slow style! These are Spanish Oxtails with chorizo and prunes are simply Devine and easily frozen. When cooking Oxtail it does pay to cook it a day ahead so you can remove the meaty fat layer. The taste and texture of the meat is Second to none . Check out the recipe on www.melanieskitchen.co.nz #spanishcusine #oxtails #slowcooked

Happy International Nurses day 💚💚💝#intern

Happy International Nurses day 💚💚💝#internationalnursesday #blessthemall

Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely Mums out th

Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely Mums out there hope you get lots of treats and have a gorgeous day 💚these are Annabel Langbein’s Ultimate Chocolate Raspberry cupcakes with berry butter cream frosting flaked flake and crumbed fresh as Raspberries all ready to go to my Rawhiti Mums 💚#mothersday #level3 #cupcakes #hightea

Ok just because you can all dash out this morning

Ok just because you can all dash out this morning to your local cafe and purchase some morning treats and a coffee now we are in level 3,I bet you won’t find it as satisfying to eat knowing you haven’t made them yourselves. These very easy Cinnamon scrolls are just gorgeous check the recipe out at 💚www.melanieskitchen.co.nz #happysaturday #level3 #cinammonrolls #morningtreats

Happy birthday to my sis in law @jo.chaplin1 who f

Happy birthday to my sis in law @jo.chaplin1 who finally changed decades today under lockdown, wasn’t the planned birthday celebrations and she apparently remains 49 for another year !! Decided to deliver a wee cake. Recipe from @nigellalawson Carrot and Ginger cake with a couple of add ons like walnut praline, honeyed ginger pumpkin &sunflower seeds,toffee shards and apricots.Happy birthday Jo #birthdayunderlockdown #50 #finally
#carrotcake #nigellalawson

Jazzing up the old Porridge. Awesome way to start

Jazzing up the old Porridge. Awesome way to start the day check it out Porridge Two ways www.melanieskitchen.co.nz #holidaymonday #porridge #breakfast #foodpics

These Date and Orange scones from @annabellangbein

These Date and Orange scones from @annabellangbein Essential Vol 2 ( incredible book ) were lovely this morning as we remember our hero’s. I have just popped them on my website www.melanieskitchen.co.nz #lestweforget #orangeanddatescones #saturdaymorning #week5

This little desert from Annabel Langbein is the mo

This little desert from Annabel Langbein is the most amazing recipe for an Autumn dinner party when lock down is over and we can dine sensibly with others these are Ruby roasted pears with spiced marscapone from @annabellangbein book, Cooking To Impress. The recipe is on my website www.melanieskitchen.co.nz but the book is fabulous and is also in Annabel’s Essential book volume 2. Photo challenge from down under for @thelittleplantation #eatcaptureshare #littleplantation #photochallenge #eatingseasonally #pears #rubyroasted #escQC

The Sun is setting early now on this chilly evenin

The Sun is setting early now on this chilly evening but these Tamarind glazed slow roasted lamb shanks are full of gorgeous Unami flavours and warms you from the inside out . Thank you for the chance to enter this food photography challenge during quarantine @thelittleplantation #EatCaptureShare #escQC

Happy Easter in your bubble definitely one we will

Happy Easter in your bubble definitely one we will remember, A special afternoon was had creating a couple of these within our Rawhiti bubble #happyeaster

Sorry I meant to post a pic of the Corona Cook in

Sorry I meant to post a pic of the Corona Cook in action too @guyeady @rawhiti_estate #funafternoon #inlockdown #inourbubble

Inside this beautiful bubble Melanie’s Kitchen c

Inside this beautiful bubble Melanie’s Kitchen cooking experience @rawhiti_estate where Guy ( aka the Corona Cook ) and I cooked and chattered with our Residents #ourbubble #cookingdemo #whitebaitfritters #coronacooking

Welcome to Autumn Southern Hemisphere.Daylight sav

Welcome to Autumn Southern Hemisphere.Daylight saving now behind us .This past weekend I spent the time catching up on life round home and a work colleague lent me a @nigellalawson book called Nigella Express,which I devoured and cooked up quite a few recipes like this stunning beef dish, and then found this handy little setting on ma new phone camera. All in all was a great weekend living within the boundaries of the new norm .
#letskeepitgoing #letsdothistogether #lockdown #keepcooking #beef #bestyet

Definitely craving a cheese scone from @brownseate

Definitely craving a cheese scone from @brownseateryandstore but these are pretty bloody tasty and will have to do. Check the recipe out on my website they are easy !!! Happy weekend #stayhome #dothistogether #cheesescone #bestever

Two weeks ago I very excitedly launched my website

Two weeks ago I very excitedly launched my website and cooking experience. So let’s do an update of what I’m up to now ! Melanie’s Kitchen food empire business appears to be on hold for a bit !!! Hahaha, that said now is the perfect time for you all to get into the kitchen and try some dishes that you normally wouldn’t really have time for, go and play around in the kitchen challenge your self. There are also bound to be plenty of helpers that can do the dishes !if you could support the following groups that need our help and will struggle during these bizarre times @everybodyeatsnz @aucklandcitymission @ihaveadreamnz and women’s refuge . Every dollar counts to help for these amazing charities,Humbily are these little Passion fruit cheese cakes with passion fruit sherbet and are on my website. They aren’t hard and are very tasty .So many bits of blurb I wrote on my site I now find amusing ... like my youngest away from home ... she is now home .... me needing to re create myself ..... me now back working full time as an RN. Life is so unpredictable but I do feel truly blessed I can help the community in particular our senior folk. Apologies for the ramble but get cooking and I hope maybe Melanie’s Kitchen website provides you with some cooking inspiration #getcooking #weareinthistogether #flattenthecurve #aucklandcitymission #everybodyeats #womensrefugenz #ihaveadreamtoo

Exciting news today from Melanie’s Kitchen, I ha

Exciting news today from Melanie’s Kitchen, I have launched my website ! Not only will you be able to access all my favourite recipes but I have created a Tourism Cooking School, called Melanie’s Kitchen cooking experience, where visitors from around the world can come to my home and help me prepare and cook some of New Zealand’s classic cuisine. ( Probably not the best time to launch such a business but sometimes in life there is never an ideal time so I thought I would just get on with it!) I am very proud of the site and it will always be a work in progress so keep visiting it for updates. Special thanks to my family for their love and support and Chris Grimstone from design@mad-daily.com for his knowledge and patience and Nicola Topping for her lovely photography for the cooking school and Jemma James for helping me write up the recipes #newwebsitelaunch #cookingschool #nztourism #newbeginings

Friday night surf and turf with parsley garlic but

Friday night surf and turf with parsley garlic butter, I found this recipe long ago and soon you will be able to access too woohoo!!!#newbeginnings #surfandturf #parsley #fridaynightfood

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