Not far from our place is the best greengrocer I’ve ever come across. It’s just off highway 29 about 1km south of Katikati called The Onion + Veggie Place. More affectionally known to us as, The Onion Man. This place has a loyal following from all over the Bay of Plenty and they even have an online ordering system and delivery service. They grow a lot of what they sell on the farm next-door, however what they don’t grow, they source locally. Most of the produce they stock is spray free, which gets a big thumbs up from us. The staff are very helpful and always have the insider tip on what’s hot in the garden right now! But when you see 5 pallets of pumpkins lined up in the shed you get a sense all on your own that they’re bang in season. As we’ve said before, when you buy in season you pay peanuts for it. We got about 10kg of pumpkin for $10, now that’s a bargain.
prep 10 minutes // cooking time 45 minutes
Cut up the pumpkin and toss in olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper, with a handful of black olives. Roast in a 200 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Put into a serving dish and add the feta with a bit of the oil on top. We served with with lamb chops and a green salad.
the feta
We had the most successful feta making session to date a couple of weeks ago and still had a bit left over that needed some attention. We agreed that marinating it would be the way to go. They sell marinated feta for a ridiculous amount of $$$$ at the supermarket, it’s easy to buy plain feta and marinate it yourself. Try out this combo, but you could use an any ingredients to suit your taste.
Cut the feta into cubes and toss with minced garlic, bruised rosemary, bay leaves, lemon zest + juice, bruised thyme, salt and crushed mixed pepper corns – make sure there are some pink ones in there. Place into a sterilised jar and fill with olive oil, until all the cheese has been covered. Store in the fridge.