We loved Episode 4 of Food Rescue Kitchen! If you missed it, head on over to ThreeNow and Stream Free. We'll be sharing behind the scenes shots and recipes from the episode below.

In this episode, host Naomi is visiting our friends at KiwiHarvest and Rescued Kitchen. Naomi chats with Angela Calver, collecting select ingredients for Chef Chantelle Nicholson to prepare for eager guests. Chantelle manages to rescue every part of the food that was rescued to create a gourmet vegan meal. Every month KiwiHarvest rescues 170,000 - 200,000Kg of good quality surplus food, and diverts this back to people who are struggling across New Zealand. Visit their website to find out more: https://www.kiwiharvest.org.nz/

Check out the recipes below and some tips to rescue food at home.

Recipes

Starter

Serves 6

AUBERGINE, HOMEMADE CHILLI PEANUT BUTTER, GREEN SAUCE, CRISPY LEEKS

Ingredients
2-3 aubergine
150g toasted peanuts
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 handful basil
1 handful coriander
1 handful parsley
100ml olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, roasted
1 leek, finely sliced into 3mm rounds
Vegetable oil
Salt
Mint leaves to garnish

Method
Pop 100g of the peanuts into a blender with the chilli flakes, a good pinch of salt, and a good glug of oil. Blend until a loose paste forms. Add the rest of the peanuts and pulse until you have a textured peanut butter. Set aside.
Pop the herbs, olive oil, vinegar, roast garlic & sugar into a blender (or use a stick blender & a beaker) with a good pinch of salt. Blitz until a semi-smooth paste. Taste, adding more salt if needed, and a splash of water.
For the leeks, heat the oil in your fryer or wok to 165 degrees. When hot, add the leek and cook until just golden. Remove & season well with salt.
Cut each into 6-8 wedges, depending on the size. Drizzle liberally with oil & season with salt. Heat a large frying pan until hot. Brown each side of the wedges of aubergine until golden brown & cooked through. Note, don’t cram into the pan too much - you will need to do it in batches!

To serve, place a good dollop of the peanut butter on the plate. Pop the cooked aubergine wedges onto a plate. Spoon over the green sauce then finish with the crispy leeks and mint leaves.

Main

ROASTED & CARAMALISED CAULIFLOWER, CHICKPEAS, CRISPY LEAVES, PICKLED STEMS, ROAST GARLIC AIOLI

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 large cauliflower (leaves and all)
8 tbsp vegetable oil
250ml non-dairy milk
1 tin chickpeas
½ leek, finely chopped and rinsed under cold water
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
100ml apple cider vinegar
35g sugar

For the aioli

Ingredients
6-8 garlic cloves, roasted
200g vegetable oil
50g olive oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Method
Take the leaves off the cauliflower & set aside. Cut each cauliflower into 8 wedges. Finely chop up 4 of the wedges, and the stem, so you are left with 12 nice wedges.
Finely slice the stems of the cauliflower. Bring the 100ml of apple cider vinegar to the boil with 100ml of water and the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved pour this over the chopped stems and leave to sit.
Place 2 tablespoons of oil into a large pan. Add the finely chopped cauli and season well with salt. Cook over a medium heat until the cauliflower is a deep golden colour. Add the milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend until semi smooth.
For the aioli, pop 80g of the chickpea liquid into a beaker. Add the roasted garlic and mustard. Blend with a stick blender then slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil, and the olive oil. Add the vinegar and season well with salt.
Heat your oven to 200℃. Brush the cauliflower wedges with the oil then season well with salt. Pop onto a baking tray and roast for 16-20 minutes until dark golden.
Mix the chickpeas with the chopped leeks and cumin seeds. Add a splash of the pickling liquor and the olive oil. Season with salt.
Fry off the cauliflower leaves in a deep fryer, or brush with vegetable oil and bake in the oven at 140℃ until crispy.

Asssemble
Place a large dollop of the hot cauliflower purée onto each plate. Top with the chickpea salad and two wedges of the roasted cauliflower. Garnish with the pickled stems, a good dollop of the aioli then the crispy leaves.

Dessert

APRICOT & ROSEMARY ALMOND PUDDINGS,BLACKBERRIES, ROAST ALMOND CRÈME

Serves 6

Ingredients
120g roasted almonds (skin on), roughly chopped
400ml non-dairy milk
100g aquafaba (the juice from the tin of chickpeas)
½ 390g packet of Rescued Kitchen vanilla cake mix
55g vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
6 apricots
1 tsp brown sugar
1 sprig rosemary
1 punnet blackberries
1 tbsp white or brown sugar

Method
Grease 6 ramekins or dariole moulds. Pop two apricot halves in each, and the sticky syrup too.
Whip the aquafaba until stiff peaks form. Mix together the ground almonds that were left from straining the milk, chopped almonds, cake mix, vegetable oil and 100 ml of water. When smooth, gently fold in the whipped aquafaba.
Spoon the mix on top of the apricots into the ramekins. Bake for 12-15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Whilst they are cooking, pop the last measure of sugar into a small saucepan with the blackberries. Add a couple of tablespoons of warm water and pop onto a medium heat. Gently cook until the sugar has dissolved, for approximately 6 minutes.

Assemble
Pour the almond creme into 6 bowls. Loosen the puddings in their moulds then tip out into the bowls. Finish by topping with the blackberry compote.

TIPS

Reviving Bread

Splash with water, wrap in foil and heat in the oven for 10 minutes @ 200*C

Reviving Nuts

Roast ‘old’ nuts to revive the flavour. Put in a single layer on a roasting tin and bake for 10 – 15 minutes until brown and crispy – Oven 180*C

Aquafaba Meringue (vegan)

Use the juice from a tin of chickpeas to make meringue instead of egg whites.
Ingredients:
½ cup Aquafaba
½ cup sugar (granulated)
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat the oven to 210* and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper
Whip the aquafaba and a tsp cream of tartar on medium speed until it forms soft peaks.
Gradually add the sugar and whip until stiff peaks. Don’t overbeat or can turn runny.
Check the sugar is dissolved (test rubbing between fingers to check it’s not a grainy feel).
Add tsp vanilla extract and mix through.
Line oven trays with baking paper. Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag and pipe small meringues onto prepared baking sheets
Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes (periodically changing the position of the trays) until they are crisp on the outside.
Once they are done baking, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven for another hour or until they cool completely.
Best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Aquafaba Mayonnaise

Ingredients
1/4 cup aquafaba (the liquid/brine in a can of cooked chickpeas)
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-3 tsp brown rice syrup, cane sugar, or maple syrup
3/4-1 cup sunflower oil* (a neutral oil is important here for flavour - (avocado or canola oil works well too)

Method
Add aquafaba to an immersion blender with ground mustard, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, and brown rice syrup. Blend on high.
Measure the oil in a liquid measuring cup that has a spout. Then, with the immersion blender on its highest speed, begin slowly dripping in the oil. Increase the drips to a very small stream (about the width of a toothpick), adding the oil very slowly over the course of 1-2 minutes. Adding slowly supports the immersion process.
Move the immersion blender up and down to incorporate a little air toward the end. If it’s looking too thin, add more oil. The more oil you add, the creamier, thicker, and denser the texture will become. You shouldn’t need more than the recommended amount.
Taste and adjust flavour as needed, adding more sweetener of choice for sweetness (keeping in mind maple syrup will make it less thick + fluffy), vinegar for tanginess, salt for saltiness, or ground mustard for mustard flavour. I added a bit more of each.
Use immediately or transfer to a sealed container in the refrigerator until cold – about 4 hours. It will thicken even more in the fridge! Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks (sometimes longer). You’ll know it’s gone bad when mould has formed. Not freezer friendly.

Soft Citrus fruit

Roast whole fruit (lemons or oranges) in the oven until fully browned. Blend with some olive oil and water and pinch of salt. Makes a great jam you can stir through mayonnaise.