12 Apr Easter, and a change of season at Scarecrow 🐣
This is a favourite time of year for me – I love the change of light as autumn approaches and the sun lowers in the sky, and crispness replaces humidity in the air. New colours appear in the high-street fashion windows and the promise of evenings of theatre, books, film, music or board games played on cooler afternoons in cosy spaces, beckon. All delicious prospects for me! However, it’s also quite a perplexing season. We have adapted many traditions and festivals. such as Christmas, to our southern hemisphere conditions, but Easter remains stubbornly associated with eggs and bunnies… definitely out of tune with our seasons here! Our hens are certainly slowing down on their production cycle, we will have to coax them along until spring brings them back into full laying mode.
So, combining eggs and some vibrant autumn colours, here is a red cabbage recipe you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
1 medium sized red cabbage
1 red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves
2 & 1/2 teaspoons of ground spices, I like to use ground cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom (or use fennel seeds for a change)
1 tbl spoon raw sugar
Salt to taste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or juice of 1 lemon
2 soft boiled eggs per person
1/2 Bunch parsley
Water
Sourdough to serve
Green Salsa
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 bunch coriander (use the whole bunch if you are serving 3 or more people)
1 fresh chilli
1 small onion
1 tomato
1/2 bunch parsley
Method
In a pot soft boil your eggs (or hard boil if you prefer) and set them aside – be sure you’ve stopped the cooking process by putting them in icy water. They’re easier to peel when they are very cold.
Very finely slice the red onion, sprinkle with 1/2 the sugar, set aside on a plate. Cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the ‘core’, then take time to finely slice the rest into long shreds. Finely dice the garlic.
Gently heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the garlic and spices and stir for 2 minutes, then add the cabbage. Sauté and allow cabbage to soften (about 5 minutes), then add the onion (it will be softened by the sugar), and the cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and 1/4 cup of water and the rest of the sugar, cover pan and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so. Test the ingredients are softened and the flavours have melded together – adjust your seasonings to taste.
Whizz the Green Salsa ingredients together with a hand-held blender. Don’t make it too smooth.
To assemble; Nestle the peeled, soft-boiled eggs into the cabbage and warm them up.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve with toasty sourdough and a drizzle of the bright green salsa.
Also delicious when served cold or at room temperature!
This is a great dish to make the day before, so the flavours all blend.
Bon appetit!
Alison
Our New Autumn Menu
The change of season brings a change in menu at Scarecrow! 
Introducing our new autumn menu, with dishes inspired by seasonal produce, to satisfy the comfort-cravings we begin to feel as days shorten and temperatures cool. You’ll find the Scarecrow favourites you know and love as well as many new items we are excited for you to try – all passing the Scarecrow taste test with flying colours! For a breakfast treat, indulge in our French Brioche Toast, with blueberry compote and dark chocolate sauce (what a lovely way to kick off a Sunday!). We have new toastie and bagel options, and a renewed omelette offering. From our Bistro Lunch menu, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a favourite – we certainly can’t pick one! We do recommend one of the new Mediterranean Tarts, Green-lipped Mussels (read more on these below), Roasted Chicken Breast and Warm Hummus Plate. Not forgetting our ever-popular house made Scarecrow Pot Pies.
All in on Chocolate!
Easter is here! For our regular customers, you’ll know our range of quality, NZ made artisan chocolate is something we like to crow about! For good reason. From Bennetto and Hogarths to Ocho and Foundry – and more! – the chocolate you will discover at Scarecrow will open your eyes to quality artisan chocolate. We have strong relationships with our suppliers, whose passion for the art of chocolate-making is truly inspiring. The results? Some of the best chocolate you’ll taste, in the world! This Easter, instead of mass-produced chocolate eggs from big name brands, why not pop into Scarecrow and put together a gift bundle containing some of Aotearoa’s finest chocolate offerings. Add a gorgeous Bee Friendly Enamel Cup and packet of organic Hot Chocolate to round out the theme. Talk to Alison, or any of the team, for our recommended combinations.
Free Range Eggs 
Easter = eggs. Long story! 
But eggs are a fairly current topic, on which there has been a lot in our news latterly. Regulations banning battery-caged eggs were enforced at the beginning of this year, resulting in shortages across the country, and indeed price hikes, as people scramble to get hold of one of our favourite and most-utilised daily pantry staples. A wake-up call for many of us but better for the welfare of our hens. Throughout the ‘egg crisis’, Scarecrow has retained a supply of free range eggs sourced direct from the farm, meaning we always have quality eggs available in store. Pick up some house-smoked salmon from our deli fridges to create an omega and protein rich brunch. Yum!
Now is a good time to think about what we can utilise as an alternative to eggs. Here are some ways you can replace one egg in everyday baking…
- ¼ cup of apple puree
- ¼ cup mashed banana
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed or chia mixed with 3 tbsps water
For mayonnaise or meringue…
- Drain a can of cooked chickpeas and beat the liquid for 3-6 minutes or until thick. We recommend using an electric beater for this!
We’d love to hear your tips and tricks too! In the meantime, do check the Scarecrow shelves for your daily supply of fresh free range farm eggs.
An Easter Sunday Central City Discovery
If you are going to be in Auckland for the long weekend ahead, consider exploring the heart of our beautiful Auckland City. Begin your morning with a nourishing brunch from Scarecrow. From there, hop across the road and take in the beauty of autumn colours in Albert Park. It is a wonderful asset to our bustling city, frequented by workers, students and visitors alike. A calm and invigorating place to sit and enjoy mid-week lunchtimes. Just along from Scarecrow and Albert Park is Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, well worth a visit at any time of the year, but particularly now! On until June, Light from Tate: featuring work from 1700s to contemporary, has been curated from the collections of Tate UK, and presents nearly 100 artworks by artists from across the globe. Enjoy it while it’s here! Then call back into Scarecrow for an organic coffee and slice of cake – or lunch from our Bistro Menu, before exploring the eclectic shops of High Street, down to the ferry building towards Wynyard Quarter. Finish your day people-watching with an ice cream or chilled beverage from one of the many bustling establishments harbour-side. There’s always a fabulous vibe – so come and soak it all up this Easter weekend! Scarecrow will be closed Good Friday and Easter Monday, but open and looking forward to seeing you Easter Saturday and Sunday!
Green-Lipped Mussels
We are so excited to present a brand new green-lipped mussels dish on our new Autumn menu. Not only are they native to New Zealand, a real treat, and utterly delicious, green-lipped mussels come with many health benefits you might not be aware of. Grown in four main areas – Stewart Island, Marlborough, Golden Bay/ Tasman Bay and the Coromandel, Green-lipped mussels are among the most sustainable local seafood products available on the market. Green-lipped mussels are a great source of protein, iron and omega-3. On our new menu you’ll enjoy them in a creamy white wine and miso sauce with buttered toasted sourdough. Trust us, they are gorgeous – affordable and absolutely delicious!
Farewell Aurelien
In sad news for us (and happy news for his family), our wonderful Aurélien is heading back to his homeland of France to spend time with loved ones. The past few years have been a real roller coaster, where so many have been separated from family. Aurélien has been with Scarecrow for several years now and we’re feeling at a loss knowing we won’t see him for a while. As Pastry Chef, Aurélien has created some of the most delicious French tarts, cakes and slices around! More recently, in his role as Head Chef, Aurélien has not only continued to oversee the baking department, he has also introduced outstanding Mediterranean-inspired dishes to our menu and the mouths of so many wonderful Scarecrow customers. So, to Aurélien, we bid au revoir, and we hope à bientôt. We will miss you!