06 Jul Much ado about… everything!
Posted at 1:27 PM
in
News
by Scarecrow
Work continues apace outside Scarecrow and down Victoria St East as the foundations (primarily underground works) are put in place for the Te Hā Noa Linear Park. Yes, it is disruptive, but truly this does feel like progress for our city. It’s interesting to observe cities around the world embracing tools to mitigate climate change, a huge but critical investment I believe. One important step is to plant large trees to cool the city, to shade the roads, the pedestrian areas and to help absorb water (and we’ve had so much of that!). Walking through the local parks it’s alarming to see the enormous impact of the rain even in the central city – huge limbs torn off trees, and through the Domain water erosion that has carved out deep channels in the bush walking tracks and is undermining root systems of some giant trees that are now teetering or already fallen. Truly tempestuous times!
As you know, our city is soon to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup and we are excited to welcome the international teams and their supporters. Despite the rather tumultuous and hectic city landscape due to works gorging out the innards of the roads, life in our city goes on and we really depend quite heavily on the activity brought in by events such as this. There is a lot going on in town – rather surprisingly a cruise ship was docked in the harbour over the weekend bringing tourists to a wintery and wet Auckland.
Recently we so enjoyed the ATC King Lear production and the Circa Peepshow, we do feel very lucky to have great homegrown productions and international talent performing in the city! Off to the Opera in Concert with the APO next weekend, what a treat to have all sorts of quality arts and entertainment back after the ravages of Covid. I feel we really need to support our arts community who are still so challenged from the recent bruising years, and now facing the new hurdle of very significant funding cuts. I fear our city is at risk of becoming ‘the dead centre’ of Auckland if we don’t all help out by getting out to arts events. Remember the International Film Festival (Whānau Mārama) launches on the 19th of this month! So much to do and enjoy… including all the great food on offer around August Restaurant Month (see the Scarecrow special events and menu details in this newsletter).
It’s mushroom season, so here is a Mushroom Tart recipe to enjoy for a tasty lunch.
Mushroom Tart
I like to use a variety of mushrooms, such as brown, field, shiitake and porcini (which you need to buy dried). This recipe uses onions as a base, mushrooms layered on top. It will serve 6 for lunch.
I like to make my own pastry, but you can buy flaky pastry for a quick and easy option.
Ingredients:
2 brown onions, finely sliced in rings
400 grams mushrooms, brushed off to clean and chopped to 1/2cm cubes.I like to use a medley of mushrooms – different shapes and sizes.
50 grams chopped dried porcini. I use scissors to chop them quickly, then put them in a small bowl and just cover them with boiling water.
50ml olive oil
1 large clove garlic, grated
Few sprigs of thyme, pull leaves off stems
Black pepper
Nutmeg – freshly ground, 1/2 teaspoon
1 tablespoon medium sherry (optional)
(Cheese can be added to this recipe – such as a gruyere, but it’s equally tasty without!) If you wish to add cheese you will need 150gr shredded cheese.
Salt to taste
Pastry: buy a quality flaky pastry or make your own buttery pastry shell!
Method:
Roll pastry. Line tart pan with pastry (let it pop up a little over the edge of the pan to get a more rustic finish, prick pastry with a fork and put in fridge.
Heat oven to 175C.
Cook onions with fresh thyme in a pan with 30ml of olive oil until they are deeply golden in colour. Remove from pan and set aside. Into the same pan put your chopped mushroom medley for sautéing, add the remaining olive oil. Have pan medium hot and toss the mushrooms around until edges are browning. Lower heat and add the dried porcini mushrooms with their liquid. Continue to cook until liquid is nearly evaporated, add garlic, nutmeg, plenty of black pepper and salt to taste. Continue to stir and cook for a minute, finally add the sherry, toss through and keep it on the heat another minute. Turn off heat. Mix should not be wet. If it is, keep cooking until the liquid has evaporated.
Take pastry from the fridge. Quickly spread the onions over the cold tart base then arrange the mushrooms on top. Sprinkle with cheese if using. Or, sprinkle with 100gr toasted Pine Nuts (use the NZ Pinoli for a real treat). Put tart into middle tray of a hot oven and cook for about 40 minutes (or until pastry is golden and slightly pulling away from the sides of the tart pan).
Serve with a mixed leaf salad (lovely witloof around at the moment!) and some warm fresh sourdough.
Bon appetit!
Alison
There’s a lot going on at Scarecrow!
| First up, our brand new menu… The team has been working behind the scenes to put together the Scarecrow Winter Menu. We’re excited to introduce you to a number of seasonal new dishes, as always, strongly influenced by Mediterranean flavours. These have been tried and tested, and we are thrilled to share that they’ve passed the taste test with flying colours! We will be launching our menu on 10 July, so keep an eye out! Til then, here’s a little eye-candy to tempt those tastebuds! |
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Portuguese Caldeirada
Warming, nourishing and packed full of flavour, you will want to try our Caldeirada. A classic Portuguese fisherman’s stew makes a perfect winter’s meal. If you’re trying this at home you need to select good poaching fish such as Blue Moki, Kahawai or Blue Cod. We finish the dish with Tiger Prawns, Potatoes, Orange, Fennel, Olives & Herbed Garlic Toast – we can easily swap in gluten friendly bread – just let us know!
The Chargrilled Wedge
Deceptively delicious, entirely vegan, here is something quite new to the Scarecrow menu. A gorgeous flame-grilled cabbage wedge accompanied by ‘Ajoblanco’ (Spanish almond sauce) and a house-made chilli jam we absolutely adore, and we’re pretty confident you will too! Of course, there are plenty of other vegan options on the menu for you to explore, and no, we haven’t thrown out your old favourites! |
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Tarte au Citron
There is nothing more delicious than a really good Tarte au Citron in our opinion! It’s the citrus season and we are celebrating all things lemon! Our silky lemon tart is house-made from the bottom to the top (of course!), a classic dish which is a firm favourite of ours. Yum! Ask about our new desserts when you are next in store.
French Brioche Toast
We’ve also put a decadent spin on one of our classic breakfast/ brunch options. Our new Winter French Toast comes with Seared Banana, Seasonal Fruits, Organic Maple syrup and a good sprinkling of Hazelnut Praline. What’s not to love? |
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To Drink…
| We are also bringing in several new organic hot drinks to help fight off winter’s chill – we’re feeling it right now! From indulgent to soothing, we have new teas, hot chocolates and some new refreshing iced blends too! |
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| Celebrating Passage Rock Wines |
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| Our wine list is updated also. As you know, we carefully select the wines we serve at Scarecrow from small, local producers and growers; our very own Waiheke Island paradise is home to many of them. After several particularly tough years in the industry, we were so pleased to see one of our favourites, Passage Rock Winery, take out a haul of top honours at the prestigious 2023 International Wine Challenge. Passage Rock wines, founded by David Evans and his wife Veronika Evans-Gander, were awarded two trophies and four medals at the London event, where thousands of wines from over 40 countries were on show. Check out our latest wine list from 10 July.
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| Restaurant Month incoming! |
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| On the subject of menus, we have finalised our Restaurant Month menu for August. Now in its 13th year, Restaurant Month celebrates the talents of central city establishments, with a range of special menus priced attractively. Scarecrow has been a part of the line-up for many years now, and we’re delighted to be bringing you 2 fabulous menu options, paired with equally fabulous NZ wines. Be sure to book lunch with us in August – we are looking forward to celebrating good food with you! |
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| Sunday Night Sounds at Scarecrow! |
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In more exciting news for the month of August, we will realise a long-held vision… Introducing Sunday Night Sounds with Luke Hurley, live at Scarecrow. From 5.30pm every Sunday evening in August, we’ll be transforming our cosy space into a live music venue, with beautiful meals and wines from our Restaurant Month Menu, and sounds from the very talented guitarist and singer/ songwriter, Auckland local Luke Hurley.
You won’t want to miss these very special live music events. For tickets and reservations please give us a call on 09 377 1333 or send an email to orders@scarecrow.co.nz. Tickets are from $65 for a two-course menu and include an appetiser and glass of Elephant Hill Phant Merlot Blend. Fine food, fine wine, fine company and very fine music – every Sunday evening through August. You are invited!
We’re very keen to make evenings at Scarecrow a regular thing. There is plenty of planning in the pipeline, so do stay tuned for our next newsletter when we will be able to share more! If you want to host a private event ‘chez Scarecrow’ – we would love to discuss that with you too. |
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| Cabinet Treats and Whole Cakes to Go! |
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| Did you know you can order whole cakes from Scarecrow? A good cake is something we think is best outsourced. Save on the time, energy and mess, and have Scarecrow make something to suit your occasion. We make gorgeous moist loaf cakes – great for lunchboxes or with an organic cuppa in the afternoon, and you’ll find something for everyone in our whole cakes selection. For special occasions at home or in the office we can make whole cakes for you – from our fabulous Cheesecake to Vegan Chocolate and Hazelnut, or our longtime favourite and utterly beautiful Persian Love Cake… We have plenty of wonderful recipes, let us know what you would like us to whip up! Or, if you are needing a selection of Petit Fours, just get in touch! Our talented pastry chef is an absolute whizz – just take a peek in our cabinet, any day of the week, to see her talent come to life. Call us on 09 377 1333 to discuss! |
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| Your Coffee Purchases Count |
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| Our long-time friends and partners Kokako Organic Coffee recently sent us through a little snapshot which shows people the impact they can have by choosing to support sustainable businesses. We were delighted to learn that…
 Between July 2020 & June 2022 Scarecrow filled 222 buckets of coffee
Saving 1,314 single-use bags from being used
That’s roughly the weight of 149 kōkako birds!
Pretty fabulous, we think! And we thank you for supporting Scarecrow. You can see, every Kōkako Coffee counts! |
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