The Aristologist, Napier (2025)

10/01/2025

Slow and long cooked beef cheek on a marrow and potato pureé.: Lanson Le Rosé.
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Our youngest daughter gave birth to a litter of seven perfect little pure bred border collies - our magnificently affectionate but slightly dumb (as only boys can be) Rupert being the father. The first pup came at 11.20am, and at that point dinner went into the oven.
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Into a casserole went beef cheeks accompanied by onion, chopped herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, savoury celeriac), chopped tomato, marmalade, jaggery, red wine, chicken stock, pepper, salt, paprika and a few cloves. Brought to a simmer then lid on into the oven at 140C.
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
At 6.15pm the last little girl - “Portia” entered the world and, soon after, the dinner came out of the oven. The juices were then reduced to a rich sticky sauce.
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Marrow and potato chopped and simmered with butter, creme fraiche , chicken stock and pepper until ready to pureé.
Plated. Sublime !
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Lanson Le Rosé: whether it was reality or simply relief this was the best drop to pass my anxiety parched lips for weeks. The perfect celebratory elixir to welcome these gorgeous little additions to the family.
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In all - perfect!
Mum and babies doing well - with many thanks to the beautiful people at and Animal Care Havelock north.

08/01/2025

Lamb, rice pudding and aubergine. Gabo do Xil 2023 (Spanish dry white).
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Daughter with her partner, so did a leg of lamb. Dusted the whole leg with smoked paprika, cardamom seeds, zatar, Ras el hanout, black pepper and cinnamon. Left for 6 hours then made a carapace of breadcrumbs, butter and chopped herbs to keep the spices in place and unburnt.
Under the leg went a cup of basmati and abt 600 ml chicken stock. Cooked 140C for 2 hrs.
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Aubergine halved, insides scored and drizzled with oil and Seville orange juice. Pan fried in butter both sides until wilted.
Plated with a good dollop of yoghurt with chopped mint and barberries.
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The Gallician white made from 100% Godello. Clean stone fruit and herbs with a long mineral finish. It actually was nice with the lamb despite my originally considering Pinot noir. Just shows I guess …..
all delicious - the lamb perfumed with spice and the lovely complex unctuous aubergine refreshed by its minty topping - the rice beautifully gentle and it too scented groom the frizzing of lamby fat and spice.

06/01/2025

Christmas dinner: we decided to break with tradition - no turkey or goose, just a nice meal with our neighbour.
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Smoked salmon wing meat and horseradish on toast. Best cut of salmon for amuse.
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Entrée: Heritage tomatoes sliced and drizzled with vinaigrette for a few hours - the juices poured off to soften malt bread which was pan fried in olive oil and served as croutons. Heaven!
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Rib of beef, truffled pork sausage, puree of pea and cucumber, glazed carrots and a creamy gratin of potato. A rich jus to set it al off. An unbeatable combination.
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I had made a pavlova for dessert but we were all too full! So had it the day after.
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Pouilly Fouissé - one of my favorites - the perfect Burgundian Chardonnay - treads a careful but characterful path between oak and malo - just lovely.
Barolo - a robust but early drinking Barolo - assertive and a foil to the pretentious arrogance of the beef.
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Didn’t miss the turkey at all.

Beef from
Tomatoes from
Pouilly F:
Barolo:
Salmon

04/01/2025

Forgot to add this dish from last night - basically it’s a potato-fry with prawns.
Stir fried chopped garlic for a few seconds in oil then removed the garlic. Continued to fry cubed potato until browning, then added tomato paste, Kashmiri chili, jaggery, the reserved garlic, then prawns. Tossed around a bit then plated with coriander. Damn good.

04/01/2025

Too many complicated things going on to get Instagram back into focus, but here’s a dinner from last night I thought was lovely - no recipes used, but if you’re interested I can still remember - let me know - I’ll post some backdated dinners from the last month in another post.
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Pork vindaloo: a real one that is sweet and sour as it should be but never is in commercial eateries. I used a heavy hand with vinegar, jaggery and tamarind chutney. Plenty of warm spices. A lighter hand with chillis - vindaloo need not be taste-effacing hot - remember its origin - vin d’aloo - nothing about chili. Totally elegant and delicious.
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Rice and Ebly wheat khichdi, tempering of cloves cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper and onion. Added raisins which in retrospect was perfect.
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Papad
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Pea and silver beet curry - always delish.
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Raita - grated cucumber, diced red onion, diced apple , yoghurt, chaat masala, lemon pepper, salt, sugar, garam masala.
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Hyderabadi pickle provided the real heat of the meal.
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Unfortunately didn’t photograph the wine - a delicious cleanskin 2019 Pinot Gris from elephant hill (not enough made to label) and a Daniel Le Brun fizz, totally serviceable.
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As I say, a lovely Indian inspired meal.

19/12/2024

A Mogul-Indian dreamscape. APLA (Greek) red blend.
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I was bored. And at 9 am decided I felt like cooking dinner. B was going to be late home so it needed to be forgiving. And having spent an hour reading about jahangir, Akbar, shah jahan and Aurangzeb and their love of khichdi - most of which is BS, my mind was tainted by Rajasthan and memories of Agra. Anyway, dreamt this up - call it what you like - pellaw, pulao, etc etc.
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2 lamb leg steaks (couldn’t get shoulder), chopped and fried, chopped onion fried with cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, paprika and a little cayenne. Added 1 cup rice and quarter cup farro wheat, fried a few more seconds. All into a casserole. Covered in chicken stock. Close fitting lid. 140C for 8hours, topping up stock regularly (about 1.25 litres total). Sultanas added with an hour to go. Then lid off to dry a little.
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So it was gently soft, aromatic, with a little spicy heat and pops of sweetness from the sultanas. The topping was to contrast.
I had some red cabbage, onion and beetroot slaw, with corn, mayo, vinegar, maple syrup etc left over from a few days back. Took a few spoonfuls of this and pan fried. Done this a few times in the past - it’s delicious - sweet / sour etc. perfect contrast to the persianesque base.
Delicious.
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APLA- a greek red blend of Xinomavro, Limniona and Mavroudi from Oenops . Pours with the lightness of a Pinot noir, but the aroma is plums, balsamic and licorice. It has a body without fat, lightness without being skinny, almost a hint of sweetness, gentle tannins and the acids take a back seat. A little beauty - loved it, and perfect with lamb.
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Transpired B had eaten, no matter ….

17/12/2024

Monthly meeting of the NWA - Napier Wine Appreciation Society, a tasting (a bit more than that) of affordable French wines along with a delicious coq au vin, chocolate mousse and madeleines to dip into a rare Viognier sticky from Chateau Garage (2018). Champagne to kick off - as you do - a La Baume Chardonnay, lovely richness and nice acidity, without the oak and malolactic overload, a silky Perdigal GSM then a tannat Madiran with its inky fruit-laden depths and restrained tannins (Cab Franc in there too?) and then a quick Medoc blend of Cabernet to refresh the taste buds before the memorable sticky. And after all was done and dusted an even rarer Rosso from the local Dolce Vista vineyard - ethereally smooth and ridiculously delicious.
A perfect evening - food, wine, friends, and a lot of laughter. Next month it’s an English themed wine tasting …. Thank heavens for global warming …

13/12/2024

Pork schnitzel, red cabbage, onion, beetroot, corn and peach slaw.
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Pluma Vinho Verde.
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Thirty degree days in Hawkes Bay. A pregnant border collie - Pippin. Two new volumes of the Aristologist to send out to subscribers. The garden in insane mode. Recovering from a symposium, covid and the death of B’s mother.
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Christmas seems like an afterthought before it happens. But dinners and dining continue unabated. A trip to Auckland to see kids and grandkids - with a brilliant dinner on the gentrifying end of Dominion Rd.
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Images: schnitzel and slaw. Pork fillet smashed and crumbed, with fennel seeds, fried. Slaw - everything grated, sliced or 1/8thed (peach). Doused in vinegar, mayo and maple syrup. Rather delicious combination of crisp, warm, moist and slightly fatty with cold, sweet , crunchy, soft.
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Pluma - an innocent - slightly spritz, refreshing, clean and will never get a PhD, but, on a hot day, its developing quaffable acidity is something to be grateful for. Enjoyed.
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Also shown (from a few days ago) is a smoked salmon kedgeree made with macaroni. Made as you would a rice kedgeree - delicious. There is precedence for the dish - during WW2 in Britain, with a shortage of rice - semolina maybe tapioca, and macaroni were all brought into service. Couscous would be good too. While in Auckland I made a duck kedgeree using an Asian crisp skin duck bought from one of the many crisp-skin duck sellers in the big smoke. Delicious!

30/11/2024

Experiments with khichri:
Having just had covid, a death and a symposium, social media has taken a back seat. But dinners continue. Here are some experiments with khichri / khichdi - a staple Indian dish of rice with lentils, often moong dal, tarted up by every region in India - the word derived from the Sanskrit, and hence in the Dravidian south, taking on other names - e.g. Pongal.
But I digress - my khichri is equal parts rice, ebley wheat and buckwheat, cooked with water, fried onion, a hefty dose of crème fraiche and a little tomato paste. It’s fantastically rich, nutty and soul food delicious. I served it with rib of beef and brocollini, then a rolled, stuffed leg of lamb with beans. Both delicious combinations. With left overs I tried reconstituting it with cream and warm spices to have, like a grainy bread sauce, with chicken and leek. Also delicious. The combination of grains was rather random and I a purist would say there is no dal present, and hence is not a true khichri, but purists are best ignored. This was created as a byproduct of thinking about khichri, that’s good enough.
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Other images are some wines I’ve had over the past few weeks at home, all good value and interesting - most from . - oh yes and some whitebait.
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Give the khichri a go - instead of the usual carb component, it’s rich, textured and moist, - a keeper!

Ebley wheat and buckwheat from

27/11/2024

NZ symposium of food history and gastronomy. Sunday evening dinner: Central Fire Station, Tennyson St, Napier.
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Final evening of gastronomy at the much lauded CFS bistro under the knives of Sam Clarke. What better way to top off a weekend of cerebral and gastric overload, than a dinner guaranteed to tempt even the most jaded Mr Creosote.
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Gougere, then a three course series of delicious jewels. For me it was Venison tartare (sublime), a rich assemblage of duck, then a lovely tamarillo tart. Perfect. Other images are fish crudo, lamb and fried globe artichoke.
Orca Corca flowed and, with the duck, I had an Syrah - they were made for each other.
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The perfect ending to a brilliant weekend.

26/11/2024

NZ Symposium of Gastronomy: Friday Dinner - Hunger Monger. Marine Parade, Napier.
Pre-symposium dinner for early arrivals to Napier. If there is one place that every Napier local loves it’s Hunger Monger. Fish restaurant / bistro with insanely delicious food that is populist in its best sense. Dishes that can’t be taken off the menu, because they are so damn good - the yellow curry is so addictive that I can’t go past it …. Ever.
A sampling of entree dishes then the yellow curry sets you up for a symposium like nothing else.
And with it a sublime bottle of harmonie de soir from - who says you can’t have a red with fish!! Delicious!…..

A perfect evening …. Fraser Slack is a culinary magician, and Agnieszka, the front of house, is the most welcoming human being on the planet.

26/11/2024

NZ Symposium of Gastronomy, Napier. Banquet at Bistronomy, Hastings St. On a weekend discussing academic and armchair aspects of everything from Lithuanian cheese stealing devils to spaghetti on toast , the gastronomic offerings were very special too. Wonderful, as always, dinner on Friday at Hunger Monger, and Sunday dinner at the sensationally good Central Fire Station. But the highlight was the Saturday Banquet at Bistronomy. Jason and Sabrina gave us an Escoffier inspired menu that approached three star perfection. The classic egg and potato purée, tomato terrine, a brilliant tete de fromage, chateaubriand, and an Eton mess that left any EM I’ve had for dead - strawberry, and its sorbet encased in sponge with shards of meringue - a totally refreshing ending to a superb meal. Accompanying wines - all gems in their own right..,,
The lunch I cooked for Saturday paled in comparison but folk were kind - I did fillet of beef (SV 3hrs with garlic and thyme), a zingy potato salad, caramelised peaches in prosciutto, chicken drumsticks braised in fermented garlic honey, salad leaves etc and brilliant bread from Dan at Baked in central fire station. Funeral dumplings came for afternoon tea. Pikelets for morning tea and a Victorian sponge for afternoon.
And yes, the scales subsequently lied.

18/11/2024

Arrived back from the printers today - labours of love … I love print on paper - weird really …

08/11/2024

Roast duck, pumpkin and black pudding stuffed mushrooms.; Chocolate roulade: No Zero, IGT Salento Negroamaro.
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People for dinner, and needed something simple. So on the bottom of a casserole a layer of sliced onion and pumpkin. Then duck legs from , chicken stock to half cover, cream to coat, a blob of honey, a smidge of quatre epices and into the oven at 180 for 45 mins.
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Big open mushrooms from received a small dollop of mustard, medlar jelly and a thick slice of black pudding. A coating of cream and into oven with the duck for 20mins.
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Roulade - recipe testing for a secret project.
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Negroamaro - the bottle you open and are so glad you did. From - smooth as Luxon’s head, and fermenting with essences of wild blackberries picked on a hot summers day by purple stained fingers. At about $25 this is a sensational value red you’d be nuts to dislike.
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Basically a gorgeous meal. Duck and pumpkin lovely - black pudding and mushroom seriously interesting.

06/11/2024

Dragging my politically bewildered mind onto topics other than that once great nation - I am behind on dinner posts. Here’s one from last week:
Endive, pepper and onion frittart. With a simple salad of leaves. Method I’ve described many times. Simple and lovely lunch or entree. With an Askerne Chardonnay, emblazoned by a lot of stickers. Yes a nearly picture- perfect chard, ticks all of the judging boxes ….. but lacks the wabi-sabi edge that I crave. Just me … you’d love it if you like classic Oakey chardonnays.
That’s all my head can say this morning - I feel thankful I live in the country I do live in. Other immigrants are not so lucky.

27/10/2024

Pheasant risotto, asparagus. Orange tart: Church Road, Grand Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, 2019.
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Left over pheasant. Made stock with the bones and tore off the meat into wabi-sabi chunks. Warmed the pheasant in the stock. Carnaroli rice added to a pan of diced onion basking in a gently foaming pan of butter. Cooked a minute then the stock slowly added with intermittent stirring, until happy with texture. About half a cup of water also needed. The pheasant then added and a handful of grated Parmesan. Salt, pepper.
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Asparagus chopped and pan boiled/fried in a frying pan with butter, a splash of water and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Plated, with more Parmesan.
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Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Grand Reserve. Like a narcissistic show off grape, who finally comes to terms with life. Nothing flashy, no raw cats p*e on a gooseberry bush. Just a beautiful gentle creature, green gold, and yes the gooseberries are still there but now more subtle, refined, elegant. For someone who would normally say “I can’t stand Sav,” this one changes minds. It was, frankly delicious. Aged Sauvignon Blanc is not to be underestimated. 🌞🌞🌞
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A lovely meal - risotto comforting and incredibly flavoursome. The little tart asparagus a foil for the gaminess of the pheasant. The Sav a perfect partner. I do not like food where every fork/spoonful is identical to the last, especially in risotto, hence the large pieces of pheasant and the occasional asparagus.

25/10/2024

NZ Symposium of Gastronomy:

November 23/24, Napier.

Registration at www.aristologist.com

Dinners at and

Wine tasting

Papers:

Elizabeth Brown Miller /   Claire Miller

Manaakitanga and rural hospitality: Some reflections on the rural kitchen in Aotearoa /   Katie Cooper

Food for Flatters /   Dave Veart

“Your Hut Your Home”- a Railway Hut Cookbook /   Alison McKee

Miss Fiddler’s Dainty Dishes in Napier /   John Webster

An industry characteristic of Singapore: Pineapples   /   Nicki Tarulevic

Cooking for Dad; Keeping home style Cantonese cooking alive /   Jennifer Collinson

At dinner with the ancients; Did the ancient Greeks eat Greek salad or souvlaki?   /   Gina Salapata

Funerals and Food / Max Di**le

‘Nothing lasts forever’: Bates Milk Bar, Bondi Beach, Australia 1951–2001 / Donna Lee Brien

Tracing the History of Indian Food in New Zealand /   Leanne Miranda

Kedgeree / Khichri; an analysis of 250 recipes /   Duncan Galletly

Damn wine advertising and other lies: From ‘Russian Jack’ to GI fictions and faux vineyards   /   Peter Howland

Supernatural Theft: Folklore and Modern Dairy Crimes /   Giedrius Jankauskas

Australian Cookbooks: the circulation of culinary literature in Australia 1860s to 1980    /   Alison Vincent

Engastration (animals stuffed with animals) / Kate King

Towards a Bibliography of the New Zealand Cookbook /   Duncan Galletly

25/10/2024

Roast pheasant, “bread” sauce, potatoes and beans; Strawberries and ice cream: Elena Walch Lagrein 2021, Suditrol. Italy.
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A foodie guest for dinner and fortunately I’d had the thought to take out and brine a pheasant for dinner. Then to Mangatahi, where I embarked up a) a battle with bronze beetles who were hell bent on decimating fruit trees and b) a water supply that had packed up in the face of 28degC temperatures and no rain for ages. It was 4.30 when I arrived home with hungry dogs and an hour till guest arrived. So the dogs came first then..
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Pheasant rinsed, trussed and coloured on sides and back in a hot pan. No time to faff around with potatoes, so three were mandolined, mixed with creme fraiche and layered under the pheasant. A cup of chicken stock. Into oven at 160C for 50min then rested.
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French beans, 2 min in boiling water, chilled and awaiting the moment.
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Was going to make bread sauce but not enough time, so mixed a cup of yesterday’s macaroni cheese with stock and crème fraiche. Blitzed to a puree.
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Beans tossed in hot butter to warm - had run out of garlic.
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Plated. Extremely delicious - the sauce was packed with umami and some heat from spice. Pheasant nicely cooked, potatoes delicious in their creamy, pheasanty juices. Very pleased … considering.
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Elena Walch Lagrein - northern Italy - deep reddy garnet and packed with bramble flavours, smooth as an eyeball and with the lightest fairy floss tannins. Gorgeous, perfect with pheasant, and reasonably affordable. Bought from

Alls well that ends well. The water issue was resolved and the bloody beetles will get a good dose of thought.

The Aristologist

10/01/2025

08/01/2025

06/01/2025

04/01/2025

04/01/2025

19/12/2024

17/12/2024

13/12/2024

30/11/2024

27/11/2024

26/11/2024

26/11/2024

18/11/2024

08/11/2024

06/11/2024

27/10/2024

25/10/2024

25/10/2024

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