Christmas Archives - freespiritfood

Delicious Roast Pig on the Spit #xmas #rarotonga #arcadiaretreat

We’ve been looking forward to joining our friends Neil and Maxine for Christmas at their beautiful Arcadia Retreat holiday property all year.

Neil had also suggested that we cook a whole pig on the spit for our special Cook Island Christmas lunch. Having Neil and Ben on hand, both trained Chefs made the idea a lot less daunting…Neil had also previously (successfully) roasted a pig over charcoal before – so had good credentials!

Neil procured a 27kg local pig from Wigmores – known for it’s high quality produce. He also hired a huge rotisserie barbecue from TOA Gas in Avarua. Both essential items were delivered in timely fashion on the 23rd of December, allowing the pig to be snugly stored in a spare fridge with the shelves removed and the rotisserie bbq to be set up.

Ensuring your spit or rotisserie can manage the weight of your pig is a key consideration for success.

Ben and Neil up at 6am Christmas Day 2023

In his book Taste, Stanley Tucci tells a highly entertaining story about his first attempt at roasting a whole pig on spit, where they had to chop off it’s head to fit it on and then the rotisserie spit breaks because the pig was too heavy! I’d been reading same book in the lead up to Christmas so shared this tale with the chefs😆

Anyway needless to say, Neil and Ben did a fabulous job and our beautiful roast pork with shiny, crispy crackling was served up on time for Christmas lunch. The pig took about an hour to prepare and get onto the spit. They had it all set to roast at 7am on Christmas morning and it was ready to feast on by 12.30 after resting for an hour. They did of course check on it along the way but report that little needed to be done during the cooking time.

They also extracted fat from the rotisserie tray to bake while potatoes in a seperate bbq which were decadently delicious!

We also had accompaniments featuring locally grown fruit and vegetables including pineapple and young coconut salsa, a vegetable pilaf and a Zuchinni, tomato and capsicum ratatouille all washed down with beautiful NZ white wine.

Neil and Ben’s special roast pig made for a very special Christmas lunch by the pool in the Cook Islands. Thanks guys!

Ingredients:

1 whole pig
Handfuls of Texan hot spice rub mix
Lots of Olive Oil
Handfuls of Sea salt

Method

1. Prepare your pig for the spit e.g remove the tail. Liberally rub the inside of the pig with large handfuls of rub

2. Put the pig on the spit

3. Rub the pig liberally with olive oil and large handfuls of sea salt

4. Put the rotisserie on high (200 degrees Celsius) for 40 minutes or so until skin begins to crisp up. Cover the pig’s ears in foil to avoid burning.

5. Lower heat to 150 degree Celsius and cook for a total of 4 hours, then allow to rest for 1 hour before carving and serving.

December 27, 2022

ShanthiniLeave a comment

Heirloom tomato and Burrata Salad

A beautiful salad for lazy summer days which is an excellent accompaniment to Christmas leftovers like ham, turkey, barbecued meats and roast pork.

The success of this salad lies in getting the best quality tomatoes and a good Burrata. I used a mix of one large heirloom tomato with gold and red grape and cherry tomatoes.

Burrata is a delicious cheese, a mixture of mozzarella, soft cheese curds and cream…when you burst it open the gooey inside and texture of the cheese case are excellent combination with the fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 good quality Burrata (now easily found in Australian supermarkets)
1 or 2 large heirloom tomatoes cut into thick slices
200g red grape tomatoes cut in halves
200g gold cherry tomatoes cut in halves
200g red cherry tomatoes cut in halves
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Slice and cut tomatoes

2. Strain and place Burrata in the middle of a platter

3. Arrange tomatoes around the Burrata, season with salt and cracked black pepper, scatter basil leaves, sprinkle generously with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

4. Crack open the Burrata and enjoy with crusty bread.

December 26, 2022

Shanthini2 Comments

#Ikamata, A Merry Cook Islands Christmas

After a long and busy year of not much blogging , this Christmas with time on my hands during our Cook Islands holiday, I’m getting back on my blogging “bike”. This setting is perfect for a free spirited foodie!

This week we travelled to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands from Sydney via some excellent meals in Auckland at Giraffe Restaurant and Italian stalwart Baduzzi.

The Cook Islands are made up of 15 islands in the time zone as Hawaii, 21 hours “behind” Australia and across the international dateline, but only 3.5 hours flight from Auckland. (Direct flights from Sydney will recommence in June 2023) ….it’s still Christmas Eve here!

Arriving in Rarotonga really lives up to the description of South Pacific Paradise, and the warm tropical air makes you instantly relax. We are staying with friends Neil and Maxine who have relocated here and are running the beautiful property Arcadia Retreat – 3 private homes available for rent – which is just across the road from the beach and with stunning views of the hills around which the small population is scattered.

Neil whipped up his delicious Ika Mata salad for our welcome lunch which was so good we had to request it the next day as well! Ika Mata is the traditional raw fish salad of the Cook Islands which can be served as an entree or main course.

Here’s the recipe which is perfect for any summer’s day across the globe….you just need the freshest tuna/fish you can find …which of course is in abundance here.

Iki Mata lunch on the deck at Arcadia Retreat, Rarotonga

Ingredients

400g fresh tuna cut into small cubes (the smaller the cubes, the faster your fish will cure)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup orange juice
3-4 tablespoons fresh passionfruit juice (seeds removed) *if you don’t have passionfruit then just add the same quantity of additional lime juice
2 birds eye chillies thinly sliced (you can deseed or make this optional)
3 teaspoons table salt
1 cup of coconut milk (ours was fresh but tinned is fine)
Salad items like: finely diced tomatoes, spring onions, peeled and deseeded cucumber, capsicum, and onion

Method:

1. Cube tuna and place in a glass or ceramic bowl

2. Mix thinly sliced chilli, salt, orange, lime and passionfruit juice and then pour over the fish and gently mix to cover the fish in the marinade.

3. Place in the fridge to marinate for 20 minutes – half an hour depending on how “cooked through” you’d like your fish.

4. Pour off the liquid from the fish so just the fish and chilli remain in the bowl.

5. Add the salad ingredients, mix through gently and pour over coconut milk and serve.

Eat and enjoy with a crisp white wine, lettuce leaves and some toasted Turkish bread or baguette!

Crispy lettuce leaves and toasted Turkish are delicious accompaniments for Ika Mata

December 25, 2022December 26, 2022

ShanthiniLeave a comment

#Christmassy #canapes

Made these delicious canapés for Christmas Day but would be lovely anytime.

Bought these delicious Pastry shells from Simon Johnson, purveyors of fine foods in Sydney and filled them with a mixture of soft goats cheese, marscapone and sour cream with some finely chopped spring onion to give it a savoury zing.

The pastry shells are flaky and light, unlike many store-bought versions. Highly recommended for savoury or sweet fillings.

Topped with yummy gravalax from Peninsula Seafoods who are the best seafood suppliers on the Mornington Peninsula and topped with red “caviar” and finely sliced green tops of the spring onion.

Looked great and tasted great

Savoury gravalax and red caviar pastry shells

December 26, 2021

ShanthiniLeave a comment

#Christmas #pavlova

In my book, the best pavlova has a crispy, crunchy outer and a pillowy soft marshmallows centre.

Our Christmas Pavlova this year ticked all those boxes and more with delicious ripe mango, berries, juicy passionfruit, and a topping made of sweet whipped cream and marscapone .

Absolutely delicious, thank you Ashley!