Recipes: Chris Fortune  

Chef Chris Fortune (featured in issue 5) is well known in the Marlborough region for his cooking skills both in restaurants and in the Marlborough farmers market.

He runs cooking classes in Blenheim including one on making pasta. He says everyone should dig out their pasta machine to give this recipe a whirl as it makes the job easier. He suggests adding flavour and colour to pasta with squid ink, tomato paste, saffron or spinach.

•  400g bread
• flour or high-gluten flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Mix all the ingredients and knead for 4 minutes until smooth. Rest for 20 minutes. Roll out in a pasta machine as thinly as possible as it will double in thickness when cooked. Cut into circles when ready to use.

• 200g seafood, eg white fish, salmon or smoked fish, flaked
• 200g quark or ricotta
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• salt and ground black pepper

Garnish: infused lemon oil, finely chopped chives.

Mix all the ingredients and place a teaspoon of the mixture on the centre of each pasta circle. Use egg yolk thinned with a little water to stick sides together and make into ravioli shapes. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds and chill in iced water if they are not going to be used immediately. Reheat in boiling water then toss with lemon oil and chives.

Serves 6

Recipes: Chris Fortune

• 3-4 shallots or 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• juice and finely chopped rind of 1 lemon
• 3 heirloom tomatoes or large ripe field tomatoes
• 16 live green-lipped mussels (Chris uses mussels from the Hairy Mussel Company)
• 16 caper berries (the pod from the caper tree, available at good supermarkets)

Garnish: lemon slices.

Chop shallots and garlic finely and sweat in 1 tablespoon butter without browning for 5 minutes. Add vinegar and reduce to 3 tablespoons. Add olive oil and parsley, lemon juice and rind. Remove seeds from tomatoes, chop finely and add.

In a medium-sized pan with a tight-fitting lid, place washed and debearded mussels and cook on a high heat, shaking until all are open. Add salsa and serve on a large platter with sliced lemons, caper berries and white bread.

Serves 8

 

Chef Chris Fortune is mad about Marlborough produce, particularly its seafood. His philosophy is honest, local, fresh cuisine – great ingredients used simply.

Recipes: Chris Fortune

These succulent little creatures from d’Urville Island are new to the market.

• 2 shallots, slivered
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• 2 small leeks, thinly sliced
• 100ml sauvignon blanc
• 100ml fish stock
• 100ml cream
• 6 d’Urville abalone, removed from shell and cleaned, lightly beaten to tenderize
• flour
• Marlborough Flaky Sea Salt and ground black pepper
• grapeseed oil
• Sweat shallots, garlic and leeks in 1 tablespoon of butter for 8 minutes without browning. Add wine and fish stock and reduce to 4 tablespoons; add cream and reduce by half. Season and keep warm until needed.

Dredge abalone in flour and season well with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot pan in a little grapeseed oil for 10 seconds each side. Place leek fondue in abalone shells with abalone on top.

Serves 6 as a taster