Mt Karioi and chorizo

Mt Karioi and chorizo

 

Over the next few weeks I will be competing in the Jumbo-Holdsworth Race. I see this as a warm up for the Tararua Mountain Race held five weeks later. As part of my training I decided to go to the top of Karioi mountain near Raglan.

 

 

This is an old volcano that is close to the coast and stands dominant in the Raglan landscape at 756 metres above sea level. The route I took was up the Te Toto Gorge. This route follows the ridge on the true left of the gorge. It is not subtle, in fact it just goes straight up - deviations to make the route easier are not part of this track. There are even a couple of ladders provided to get over small rocky bluffs. In a number of spots chains are anchored into the rock, these assist the ascent and descent over a few precipitous points. The route follows the only place in the North Island where bush cover runs from the coast to peak. This bush is not majestic and the trees are not particularly large, maybe three to four metres high, however I was traveling up the ridge and I assume the exposure to the weather stunts the growth of the trees. The track is extremely rugged and gnarly, as I was travelling alone I did not push it too hard as it would be easy to do an ankle over the uneven terrain.

 

Raglan Harbour

 

When I reached the summit the view to Raglan Harbour to the north and Aotea Harbour to the south was well worth the effort of getting to the top. On a rock at the summit; surprise, surprise I found two sausages. Who would have thought? After tasting, and due consideration, I determined one of them was my favourite, chorizo criollo from Park Ave Quality Meats in Lower Hutt. I often mention this snarler and I still consider it is the best sausage available in Wellington. The other snarler was a Spanish chorizo from Top Cut Butchers in Raglan. This chorizo lacks complexity and balance in comparison - it is just hot flavour, too much chilli, pimenton or smoked paprika that dominates the sausage, a quality chorizo has balance with other flavours also present, I was not keen on this snarler.

 

 

On the way down you there were great vantage points looking into the gorge. You could see good bush and even a small flock of keruru or wood pigeons flying down the gorge. From above they did not look like the slow flying lumbering fat birds you see from the ground level when they take off from trees, they gracefully glided down the gorge.

An added extra:

We took a day trip to Kawhia. I had never been there before so we visited Ocean Beach, just to the north of the harbour. On the beach there were a pair of NZ dotterels nesting, signs identified them and their nest site was cordoned off by stakes and rope. Dotterels are endangered, there are less dotterels that there are kiwis. About twenty birds live south of Auckland, so it was a privilege to see this bird and their distinctive run across the sand. Below is a photo of one of the pair.

 

 

For other blog posts about being the hills, see this index.

Another Hard Day at the Beach

Another Hard Day at the Beach

After another enjoyable day at the beach, with sand, boogie boards and large waves, the need to replenish the stomach was high on the agenda. A pre dinner appetiser of a post beach ice cream helped settle the stomach, as dinner was prepared. My wife made a barbecued egg plant smash, a recipe by Annabel Crabb. This dish required the whole egg plant to the roasted on the barbeque on high heat. When it was soft and charred it was removed, chopped roughly, and garlic, spring onions, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper were added. Also served were a chick pea, capsicum, feta, cucumber and celery salad, and some of last night’s coleslaw.

Days at the beach with great weather just call out for a barbecue with salads. This is simple wholesome fresh food and great eating. Of course from my perspective the sausages make the meal. Tonight we had kabonosy from Park Avenue Quality Meats, and a cracked pepper and merlot sausage from Top Cut in Raglan. The smoky kabonosy are a firm family favourite. Here is a link to the very first review I wrote on my blog - it was kabonosy.

 

The cracked pepper and merlot sausages are finely ground. This is a beef sausage, with the flavour of the pepper completed by the merlot. Although the family went for a kabonosy initially they did comment positively about the cracked pepper and merlot snarlers. I would buy these again.

Cost of cracked pepper and merlot snarlers: $15.50 per kilo.

Kase - Griller

Kase – Griller

This is a rather different sausage from those normally made by Park Ave Quality Meats. It is a sausage that has its origins in Germany, with an influence from South Africa, and it has ended up in a butcher’s cabinet in Lower Hutt. It is a mild smoky sausage that has cheese added to the meat - in this case it is maasdam, a soft Dutch cheese. As the boys said, it is like a cheese kransky – and they are correct. This is a mass appeal sausage. Pleasant on the palate, with gooey maasdam cheese to complement the mildly spiced meat.

It is a snarler that will be well liked, easy eating and will be enjoyed by just about everyone. While I enjoyed the sausage, I prefer a snarler that has a bit more bite to it. However I am not your usual punter, if the truth be told I am a bit of a sausage obsessive. You have probably noticed.

But if you are after a mass appeal snarler and are at Park Avenue Quality Meats, this is well worth a try.

Cost per kilo: $24.95

Kaszanka Domowa - Polish Black Pudding

Kaszanka Domowa - Polish Black Pudding

I enjoy black pudding and regular readers of the blog will have read my previous pontifications on this semi maligned style of snarler. I was in Park Ave Quality Meats recently and spied a new variety I had not sampled previously, so of course I had to purchase some. It was called Kaszanka Domowa, a Polish style black pudding – I purchased two sausages to sample at home.

These bangers cooked up nicely and with four people keen to sample and only two sausages it was morsels for savouring all round. I will admit that I expected something quite different to the taste I experienced. When I think of Polish sausages I think of big flavours, while this sausage has a subdued flavour. It lacks the heat and pepper that most black puddings have but the flavour is complex and subtle, lingering on the palate. This was very enjoyable black pudding. If you are looking to sample a pudding that will appeal to wide range, and you prefer a more delicate flavour then this could be the one for you. This is an excellent sausage and I am keen to buy more.

Cost per kilo: $19.99

The Celebratory Breakfast - Whew!

The Celebratory Breakfast – Whew!

We had friends round to watch the final of the Rugby World Cup so the alarm was set for 4.40am. I didn’t think I could stumble out of bed at 4.58am and wander into the lounge in a state of semi undress with guests present, so I wore my lucky All Blacks jersey - the one I wore to the 2011 final. To date this has a 100% strike rate – after today I’ll be wearing it for a while…..

 

 

The tension was high. The tries either side of half time made it feel comfortable before the Aussies put us back on the edges of our seats by coming back from 21-3 down to 21-17. However, as the second half drew to a close, we shut them out, and with a late try to Beauden Barrett the score was 34-17 at the final whistle. There was unrestrained joy in the room.

One of our guests was texting her daughter who was in rehearsals for a theatre production in Pittsburgh, USA. She had half her mind on the production, and half on her NZ heritage.

 

 

 

Soon after the final whistle, I started on the cooking a breakfast of champions. We had black pudding, chorizo criollo and bacon from Park Ave Quality Meats, chicken lemon and sage sausages from Cameron Harrison, hash browns and eggs. For those wanting a cold breakfast there was bircher muesli and yoghurt. Most people washed this down with champagne and orange juice, or a plain juice.

The black pudding, an old English recipe, won a bronze medal at the recent Devro NZ Sausage Awards. It is a mixed texture pudding, very large chunks and finer parts within the casing. It has a soft texture in the mouth - the flavours are pleasant and quite mild. Our daughter is at home for the weekend - she wanted to know if she could take some leftover black pudding back to her flat. Although not everybody sampled it, those who did really enjoyed the taste and flavours.

 

 

The chicken sausage has elements of lemon and sage complementing the chicken. One guest was especially effusive about this snarler. Lemon is not a flavour I particularly like, however this is a quality chicken sausage that will appeal to those who like some lemon tartness to accentuate the chicken.

The guests all enjoyed my favourite sausage, the chorizo criollo. These are always good.

The mood of the breakfast was joyful as we talked over the match, and wondered where to from here? Both my wife and I and another couple mused about the possibility of a trip to Japan in four years’ time…. Somehow I think sausages probably won’t be on the menu for breakfast if we are there.

Cost: Chicken lemon and sage - $21.99kg.

Black Pudding - $16.99 for a tube.

It is not all beer and sausages - Part Twelve

It is not all beer and sausages – Part Twelve

 

Lap one runners begin the steep descent to Governors Bay in Lyttleton Harbour

 

For the third consecutive year the NZ Road Relay championships were held over the Christchurch to Akaroa road course. This 74km, eight lap race is fantastic on a fine spring day, and yesterday was one of those days. The M50s from Scottish Harriers were light in numbers this year so we raced in the M40 grade with a wide array of ages in our team. I ran a flat leg of 9.4km in glorious running conditions, if anything it was too hot. I started off too fast and slowed towards the end kilometres, although I was pleased that I maintained an even pace over the last few kms. I was afraid that I might just run slower and slower, but I managed the last kilometre a tad quicker than the previous pace I had set. Although I had wanted to run faster I was satisfied with my time. I even managed to pass a couple of runners, while the speedy athletic juniors who ran a shorter course steamed past me at a great rate of knots.

Speedy John hands the baton over to me.

As I have identified in previous posts about this event some people turn up hoping for a medal - we turn up to have an enjoyable time. There were 14 teams in our grade and we were a minute off achieving a top ten placing. In relays you compete against teams that are running a comparable race to you. We were particularly keen to beat our club’s Senior Women’s team. Although the lead seesawed as the event progressed we were able to prevail, and arrive before they did at the Akaroa Recreation Ground.

 

Although we did not figure at the sharp end of the event, I have no doubt that we had the best selection of beer and sausages in our van. The sausages were the perennial favourite of kabanosy and a Polish kranksy from Park Avenue Quality Meats. The beer selection in the van was Epic Pale Ale, Founders Pale Ale and Speights. We were able to soak in the sun, enjoy the heat on our backs and even witnessed rams becoming a eunuchs in one the paddocks as we passed. It was a very enjoyable day of camaraderie and bonhomie.

 

 

The kabonosy sausage were very well received - they have a meaty taste and moderate level of smokiness which seem to have universal appeal among sausage eaters. Everyone in the van preferred the kabonosy, which is what I expected. The Polish kranksy with an initial mild garlic taste on the palate, is followed by a hint of pepper. The Epic Pale Ale was refreshing with a mild taste of hops.

It is only on driving back to Christchurch that the distance you have covered is really evident - it is a long way. Next year’s event is in Rotorua and we will look forward to running over a new seven lap course in 2016.  

For other parts of this series, see this index.

The view down to the finish and Akaroa Harbour.

 

Litewska Kielbasa

Litewska Kielbasa

For dinner I cooked our old favourites, snarlers, with the comfort food of mashed potato and a bit of broccoli for colour - a satisfying mid-winter meal. I put a bit of horse radish sauce in the mashed potato during the mashing and this really enhanced the flavour. Delicious was the family judgement. I went with a couple of sausages that I buy that are the old favourites - chorizo criollo and Dutch braadworst. I was in Park Avenue Quality Meats and Gordon, the sausage maker, identified a new product he had made, Litewska kielbasa. It’s a Lithuanian sausage that Gordon made after a Chinese customer brought in a recipe.

There was a migration from Lithuania to China in the early part of the twentieth century. This led to the creation and development of the Harbin Red Sausage from China. Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang province, and the sausage from this area is more eastern European that Chinese. This Lithuanian recipe is similar in style to a Harbin Red.

 

 

 

The meat for this sausage comes from the pig’s head, tongue and heart. It is finely ground and the dominant flavour is smoke. I really enjoy a smoked snarler. The secondary flavours are a slight heat from spice, maybe pepper and paprika. There was also a hint of what I thought was probably cloves. I only had one of these sausages so I sliced the sausage into bite size pieces. They were consumed by the whanau who all rated the sausage highly. The boys gave it a higher rating than my wife but we all agreed it was sausage that was worth buying again.

I may sound like a tried record, or for the younger ones, a sample on loop, however if you are after the best sausages in Wellington that have an eastern European influence then there really is only one place you should go - Park Avenue Quality Meats in the Hutt. They continue their tradition of making fantastic tasty snarlers. There is not another sausage maker in Wellington who gets close to these guys. If you do not live in the Hutt, it is well worth a visit to this little butchers shop. You will not be disappointed. 

Ukrainska Kielbasa - Sausages from the Ukraine

Ukrainska Kielbasa - Sausages from the Ukraine

I was in Park Avenue Quality Meats recently ordering mince to make homemade sausages. While there I purchased some Ukrainian snarlers – Ukrainska Kielbasa, as I am always keen to try a new sausage. They are made with 30% pork and 70% beef. They are a medium to fine grind. They smell nice and taste of smokey garlic. This is another quality sausage from the fine range of European sausages made by the team at Park Avenue. It is a milder garlic flavoured sausage that is meaty and good to eat.

 

 

While I was in the shop there was a large slab of meat on the butcher’s block so I enquired about what it was. It was wild venison, sourced from the South Island. When the deer is killed the heart and lungs must also be taken to establish the deer is not carrying any nasty diseases such as Tb. There are only two suppliers of wild venison in the South Island.

Park Avenue Butchers is great place to go for those who seek to eat sausages with a bit of a complexity in flavour or a bit of a kick.

 

 

 

Cost per kilo: $19.95

Roasted eggplant with chorizo, whipped feta and walnuts

Roast eggplant with chorizo whipped feta and walnuts

I used a recipe that was in the Dominion Post’s Living magazine for roast eggplant with whipped feta and walnuts. This is easy to prepare. The writer in the article described these as the best thing he had made this year. I used by usual tactic of changing the recipe and added a slice of chorizo criollo, if you are adding chorizo this is my favourite.

 

 

I roasted the eggplant in the oven, I then mixed up some crumbly feta, crushed walnuts, lemon juice and parsley and a slice of chorizo. Easy to make and very delicious.

 

 

This was served with snapper fillets, baked with a yoghurt sauce with walnuts and breadcrumbs, and some broccoli and peas. A delectable meal.

 

 

Easter Tramping

Easter Tramping

Over Easter I decided to head for the hills. The weather forecast was not great, but there was a window of about 36 hours which looked promising so I decided to head up onto the tops. During the last couple of times I had been along the ridgeline of the Tararuas I was going at a reasonable clip, either training for an event or participating in a mountain running event. Although I was a bit stuffed during the Tararua Mountain Race in March, I found some parts of the event very peaceful as I moved my way amongst the clouds along the ridgeline. I wanted to go back to the tops and enjoy having time to engage with the environment.

Heading from Field towards Kime

I headed up to Field Hut and then onto the turn off to the track along main range, just before Kime Hut. I had thought I might go all the way to Maungahuka. It was an unusual day, I had hoped the cloud would lift but the opposite happened.  As I made my way along the main range visibility dropped to about 10 metres. There was no wind so I stopped sat and contemplated. I found a few spots where you could hear the silence, almost no wind, no insects and just peaceful, noiseless emptiness, in a swirl of claggy cloud. I could never be a yogi on top of a mountain, and if you tried this in the Tararuas you would get blown off, however I do enjoy the solitude. As the forecast was for gale to severe gales for the following day and I was going solo I retraced my path back and spent the evening in Kime Hut.

Cloud over the Main Range - It got a lot worse than this - taken from above Field Hut

 

This was the first time I have slept in the new hut. It is much brighter and bigger than the previous version but it was cold in the hut. One of the ironies of the new building code is that while new huts have to be double glazed and insulated, they also need to be vented because trampers use gas stoves for cooking. This means a free flow of circulating air in the hut. The internal temperature in the hut is about the same as the external temperature outside in the elements. This meant the temperature in the hut was above zero, but not by too much.

I meet a guy in the hut and I offered him one element of my standard tramping diet, sausages. I have brought my old favourites, kabonosy and chorizo criollo. We got talking and he told me that he makes his own sausages. His dad is Italian and he uses traditional family recipes and also other recipes he has gathered over the years. He was an affable fellow sausage enthusiast. You do not meet too many people who you can have a great sausage conversation with, let alone when on the Tararua mountain tops. This was an unexpected pleasure, and needless to say he appreciated the quality of both the kabonosy and the chorizo criollo.

As the forecast for the next day was severe gales later in the day, I decided to head back to the road end. It was a short enjoyable time in the hills. I liked the solitude and emptiness of being on the main range track. It was great to spend some time in the hills being alone and enjoying the silence of nature.

For other tramping and sausages posts here is an index.

"The best sausages she has ever tasted"

"The best sausages she has ever tasted"

The daughter went back to her flat and cooked some kabonosy with pearl barley and tomato.
Her flatmate said, "These are the best sausages I have ever tasted."

Kabonosy are a sausage that are loved by all, smoky, medium ground pork that taste great. I am pleased that my daughter has the potential to be a great ambassador for the consumption and enjoyment of quality sausages. 

New Zealand thrash West Indies (with saveloys)

New Zealand thrash West Indies (with saveloys)

 

 

The cricket world cup has been heating up as the tournament has progressed. Yesterday in Wellington Martin Guptill exploded in one of the great days in New Zealand sport. With a few mates we headed to the stadium for the quarter final between New Zealand and the West Indies. New Zealand were favourites, but the West Indies had the danger man Chris Gayle.

 

Guptill at the crease

 

Martin Guptill scored a memorable century of 111 balls before he went ballistic and scored another 137 runs off 54 balls. The ball was flying all over the arena in one of the great displays of power cricket. The West Indies in the field lost it as the players appeared to lose cohesion and not agree on the tactics to stop the juggernaut they were facing. Guptill’s final score was 237 not out, the highest score by an individual batsman in any world cup. The stadium atmosphere was electric - I have never been to cricket match where the crowd is chanting the batman’s name as the bowler runs in.

 

 

In the stands were we feasting on snarlers. I had perked some wild venison smoked saveloys. I can not tell you when I last ate a saveloy and I generally regard them as kid food. I boiled these up prior to the match and took them along. A mate at the cricket waxed lyrical about the cold saveloy sandwiches his mother used to make for school lunches, there was nothing but haute cuisine in Upper Hutt in the 1960s! These saveloys are minced to a fine pureed consistency and I would not have picked the meat as venison. They were moderately smoked, which added to the appeal. I regarded these as more of a novelty and although they were nice to eat it does not make me want to eat more saveloys.

 

 

I also took some kabonosy and Argentine chorizo criollo, which remains my favourite sausage. All the snarlers were well received. The couple next to us laughed as I took a photo of the saveloy against the crowd. The photographic art shot of a snarler at a sporting event is clearly still not recognised by all as an important part of social commentary.

 

 

When the West Indies batted they chased the runs but lost regular wickets to be all out. Daniel Vettori took a fantastic one handed catch in front of the section of where we were sitting. While I had thought the match against England was great, this took the cricket to another level.

This morning the voice is hoarse from overuse, chanting and applauding some sublime cricket. Roll on Tuesday when NZ takes on South Africa in the semifinal, dare we dream of a first appearance in a cricket world cup final, or even better a win in the final?

Don's Sausage Blog Awards 2014

Don’s Sausage Blog Awards 2014

Each year I identify those sausages that I have reviewed and that have given me the most pleasure during the year. I have decided to take the less is more approach to these awards. Not too many awards, however the recipients are at the very top end of the sausages I like and enjoy eating. Life it too short to eat bad sausages, so if you are after a great snarler, here are the best ones I ate in 2014.

All the sausages awardees have been reviewed on this blog.

A drum roll please……………….

Don’s Sausage Blog Awards for 2014

The Undisputed Champion:

Pimenton: Zamora, Queenstown. I made an error when I brought some of these snarlers, the mistake was not buying more. This Argentinian style chorizo has layers of flavours and complexity on the palate when you eat it. It is a sausage that remains in the memory and leaves you wanting more. Reviewed May 2014 

A Close Runner Up:

Chicken Rocket and Cashew Sausages: The Fridge, New Plymouth. There are plenty of reasonable chicken sausages around, but to make an exceptional chicken sausages you need to have a great taste of chicken meat (as opposed to chicken flavour). This sausage excels in this. I contend this snarler is the best chicken sausage in the country – certainly the best I have tried that are currently being made. Reviewed June 2014 

Those that were in the mix and gain a worthy mention:

Venison Rost: Park Avenue Quality Meats. This is a venison and pork sausage that will appeal to a wide range of sausages eaters, on the continuum a little spicy with pepper and chilli added for flavour. A great snarler to eat. Reviewed February 2014.

Louisiana Reds: Eastbourne Village Meats. I purchased a few of these when I was out in Eastbourne one day and then went back for more but they did not have any in stock. These Cajun inspired sausages are subtly flavoured and leave you hankering for more. Reviewed June 2014.

it is not al beer and sausages - Part Nine

It is not all beer and sausages – Part Nine

A Misty Southern Crossing

A group of us decided to complete the Southern Crossing as day trip as part of our training for the Tararua Mountain Race in March. It was chance to re familiarise ourselves with the route and spend a day in the hills. I cooked up some sausages for us to eat during the journey.

 

 

We set out from the YMCA camp in Kaitoke, the weather forecast was good, gentle zephyrs on the tops of five kilometres an hour rising to 35 kilometres an hour later in the day. The temperature on the tops was forecast to be slightly above freezing, this was the first day for over a week that summer had arrived above the bush line.

When we were getting ready at the YMCA camp I did a repack of my gear. As this was gentle trip at a leisurely pace, I took extra food and a few items I would not carry if I was aiming to go at a faster pace. I put my sandwiches and a supply of spicy Serbian kobasica I had purchased from Park Avenue Quality Meats on the ground.

A woman came past with a dog. While I was not looking the dog grabbed one of the sarnies and shot off. The woman was embarrassed and managed to retrieve the sandwich, however it was well chewed by the dog, and this sandwich went home with my wife in our car. The good news was the dog had not taken off with the snarlers.

 

 

We has a pleasant trip up Merchant Ridge, I found the section from Bull Mound to Alpha Hut seemed to take a long time. We had a break at Alpha before heading over the tops to Kime. We knew at this stage the weather forecast was not as accurate was we would have liked. As can so often happen in the mountains of New Zealand the weather can change incredibly quickly from fair to really inclement. We put on extra layers, raincoats, over trou, beanies and gloves and headed up to Alpha Peak and the exposed part of trip.

 

 

I had been hoping the weather would have been good, from the top of Mt Hector on a nice day you can see Wellington Harbour to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west and the main range with its rugged peaks stretch to the north. It can very pleasant admiring these vista. However yesterday it was more typical of the Tararuas, misty, rain and wind. Visibility was about 100m or less. The vista was one of mist, mist and more mist. The strength of wind was steadily increasing and the temperature was dropping. I shot ahead and took a photo of the party, it was quipped, "Will this be called Gorillas in the Mist." We kept on chugging along at a steady pace and after a couple of hours we reached the summit of Mt Hector, this is always a good point to reach, if I am travelling at a faster pace it means Kime Hut is half an hour away. We were not going a great rate and forty minutes later we arrived at Kime.

 

 

We went into the hut for a breather and talked to a couple of groups of trampers who were there for the night. At this stage I broke out the spicy Serbian kobasica. These are a relatively small sausage  that are made primarily of pork with a bit of beef, it is coarsely ground, the way I like it, and strongly flavoured with paprika. With the body in a cold and wet state, sausages with a lingering after taste of the heat of paprika were consumed along with chocolate biscuits. It is all hearty comfort food and more importantly fuel for the body as we set of on the journey out to Otaki Forks. The other members of group had varying responses to sausages. The paprika is strong and those with a preference for heat preferred these snarlers.

 

 

 

This was the first time I had been inside the new Kime Hut. It is lighter and brighter than the previous hut.

 

 

When we arrived at the Forks, our transport was waiting, we had taken a little longer than anticipated, but had a memorable trip with variable weather. The legs knew we had travelled nearly 40km and the vertical climb had been over 2200m. Just as hard was the hammering of the knees and quads on the descent. At this stage three of our party are looking to do the Tararua Mountain Race in March, we have three months to do the work required for a successful event.

Alas there was no beer.

For an index to this series see link.

It is not all beer and sausages - Part Eight

It’s not all beer and sausages – Part Eight

In the weekend I competed in the Aorangi Undulator. This is a new event through the Aorangi Forest Park in the southern Wairarapa. It has the tag line: Not for the weak. In the waiver we signed it stated, I understand the race if not for the weak and no sign of weakness will be tolerated. You also signed away liability for loss, injury or death. But more about that later.

 

I had not been into this country before. We started at Mangatoetoe, which is on the coast past Ngawi but before the Cape Palliser lighthouse. The finish was at The Pinnacles. Most sensible people drive along the coast road to traverse between these two points. This run takes the inland route, over a variety of ridges and river valleys. All the climbs are steep and are matched by equally steep descents. Some of the ridges are narrow and precipitous with significant drop offs on either side. The total climb is 2700 vertical metres over the 33k course. If you consider that the first 4 kilometres are up a river valley, and last 6 kilometres come down an undulating ridge, you pack most of the 2700m of climb and descent into a compressed distance.

 

Due to a variety of factors I found this event very tough. For the first time in decades I suffered severe cramp. I got a massive shot of cramp in the calf as I fell on the penultimate descent. With bail out options non-existent I had to continue. By the time I got going again and was hobbling along, the tail end charlies had caught me. One of them said to me, "I am a hunter, I only carry dogs and dead things." I replied, "I weigh about 90 kilos, if you are going to carry me out, I suggest you gut me first to lighten the load." I had treated this run as training run and had not done much extra preparation for the event. I regard the run as the beginning of training for the Tararua Mountain Race in March. I also stopped at various spots to take photos and enjoy the atmosphere of bush.

 

 

The run goes through some nice but steep bush. The tracks are not traversed by a high number of people - they are gnarly, narrow and somewhat ill-defined with lots roots and rocks. It’s challenging technical terrain and a degree of navigation is required. There are lots of river crossings and at one stage you travelled down through a little gorge. The pools in the river were very picturesque and as I waded through another one I thought, isn’t it good that the organisers put ice baths on the course to allow for recovery of the muscles in the legs. Of course that was before the cramp came on.

 

At the start of each climb a sign was at the bottom giving information on the vertical ascent and the height of the top. An encouraging phrase also added to the tag line of the race.

 

 

 

 

The final undulation is the biggest one. My calf was still giving me twinges and tweaks of cramp so I was reluctant to push too hard. I was pleased to finish in a tad over 10 hours, and there were even a couple of competitors behind me. This was a couple of hours slower than I would have liked, however I was contented to have completed the course. I did find it very tough.

Throughout the race the thought of sausages and beer at the finish spurred me on. With a running mate I had arranged for quality sausages to be on the barbecue. Park Avenue Quality Meats were the source of Dutch braadworst and Venison Rost. Tragically the organisers had left these in Wellington and so only inferior snarlers were served. However being the resourceful type I am, I did have a Plan B. A group of us were staying in a bach at Mangatoetoe, and I supplied the sausages for Saturday night’s dinner - Dutch braadworst, kabonosy and chorizo criollo. Two of the people staying had entered the Undulator but pulled out due to injury. They prepared a sumptuous feast for the tired runners.

The beer I washed this down with was a ParrotDog Bloodhound. This is full bodied red coloured malty beer. It is slightly bitter and has a hoppy taste. It was an enjoyable way to relax with friends at the end of a hard rugged day in the hills. Repartee resounded as we talked and told stories about the day, and planned for future runs and adventures.

So I had completed the Undulator, I am not sure if I was weak on the course or not, all I know was that I was very pleased to cross the finish line.

Links to other parts of this series.

Wild Waterfowl Chorizo

Wild Waterfowl Chorizo

I was at Park Avenue Quality Meats buying some sausages to sustain our running team in the Christchurch – Akaroa Relay, see link. Gordon the butcher offered me a sample of a sausage he made for a customer. The customer had brought in duck, geese and swan that they had shot. Gordon had combined this meat into a chorizo using one his recipes.

I am not a regular eater of duck, and cannot remember if I have ever eaten goose or swan before, so the flavours of this combination of meats are new to me. It had a softer meat taste, it was understated or delicate on the palate. The spices of the chorizo where strong, however the subtlety of the meat was not overpowered by the strong spice. There is an art to getting the balance between meat and spice at an appropriate level, and this was achieved in this sausage.

This was a different sausage and one that was pleased to have sampled. The versatility of putting meat into a casing means that a wide variety of culinary tastes can be catered for within the auspices of sausage making. And I am one who is keen to try new and different sausages.

It is not all beer and sausages - Part Seven

It’s not all beer and sausages – Part Seven

It is that time of the year again and the running club I run with was off to the NZ Road Relay Championships. This was held for the second consecutive year over the Christchurch to Akaroa course, a 76km run over eight laps.

I was part of the Scottish M50 (Men over 50, although we did get a bit confused and had a woman in our team this year) team that set a variety of goals. Have a good time, enjoy the beer and sausages in the van, and to run hard as we made our way to Akaroa. With eleven teams in the grade, I am pleased to report that we achieved a top ten placing. Unlike last year, we were not the first M50 team to Akaroa, but we were able to admire the running proficiency of some of the speedier M50 teams as they passed us on the road. These teams had a later start time that our team. However I can confidently assert that yet again we had the best selection of beer and sausages in our van. I selected venison rost bratwurst from Park Avenue Quality Meats, see link, and Harmony Beef and Bacon, purchased from Moore Wilsons. The beer selection included Mata Manuka Golden Ale and DB Export.

 

It will come as no surprise to readers of this series that the sausages and running diet continues to show promise. While this is yet to be picked by any running coach, I can offer positive proof of its effectiveness. The previous day I was a judge at the Devro NZ Sausage Awards, see link. On Friday I sampled nearly 40 sausages at the South Island regional judging. The impact of the intake of this large quantity of protein and fat had a measureable impact the following day.

 

I ran the leg from Hilltop to Duvauchelle, around 4 km of an undulating ridge and then a steep 5km descent of around 460 vertical metres. This descent hammers the legs, the pain in the thighs and quads is directly related to the speed of the descent. I tried to quicken the pace on the descent and this was matched by an increase of pain in thighs. I was very pleased to have run this leg 1.03 quicker than last year. This is incontrovertible proof of the effectiveness of the sausage running diet.

The team had a very enjoyable time on the course; witty repartee, trash talking and quality retorts were evident within our team, and with other teams as we made our way around the course. We raced teams of the similar pace, and were rapidly overtaken by the Senior Teams at the end of the event. We enjoyed the camaraderie of the fellow runners as we ran our way to the finish.

The sausages were well received, in any sausage tasting there will be variety of responses. The team enjoyed the paprika flavour of the venison rost, some considered the sausage could have more paprika. The beef and bacon sausage is very nice tasting meaty sausage, the pork flavour is dominant, this sweetness is counterbalanced with elements of a tang from the beef. The flavour of the bacon comes through, although this is not a constant sensation on the palate.  This sausage is a mixture of a finer ground meat and coarser ground meat. I consider it to be a sausage that will appeal to your traditional kiwi sausage eater, someone who likes the taste of meat. I did strike a lump of gristle in one of these sausages. This detracted from the enjoyment. Both sausages were well received by the team members.

 

The beer that was used to wash down the sausages was a Mata Manuka Golden Ale. This is a sweeter pale ale that has hints of manuka honey on the palate. While I enjoyed this after my run, perhaps I would have preferred an ale with a more a bitter tang to complement the sausages.

 

 

Our speediest runner ran the last lap, in our supportive way we worked together we informed him with a kilometre to go that he needed to do a three minute k so the team to break six hours, it was all up to him. There is a slight hillock in the last kilometre, and we finished in 6.01. The team had met its goals, an enjoyable day, with plenty of banter, sausages and beer, along with some hard running.

 

 

On our way back to Christchurch we stopped at the Hilltop Tavern with other teams from Scottish Harriers, to talk over the day’s effort. Hard, knackering running coupled with bonhomie makes this day the highlight of the harrier season. Undoubtedly we’ll be back next year to ensure another top ten placing, in a van that will have the best beer and sausages in the event.

See links to other parts in this series.  

Mysliwska – A Polish Hunter’s sausage

Mysliwska – A Polish Hunter’s sausage

I was recently at Park Avenue Quality Meats and thought I would buy some mysliwska which I hadn’t previously tried. This sausage is in the kielbasa style, lightly smoked and dried. It is a traditional Polish pork sausage made with pepper, garlic and juniper berries that is often called the hunter’s sausage.  Some sources say this is because it is popular with hunters and fishermen, others say a hunter would use juniper berries to add flavour to a boil up they were cooking in the forest. Juniper berries are evidently very common in the woods in Poland. In the long run they both sound like good explanations, but the key question is what does the mysliwska taste like?

 

I cooked this stew that icluded mysliwska, chicken thighs and vegetables. Yams are now in season, I love cooking yams, I like them well cooked, nice and mushy. So I added yams, mushrooms and carrots to the casserole dish. I did sample a mysliwska prior to cooking the stew. My parents-in-law were present and they liked it. My father-in-law is not keen on highly spiced food, and he made positive comments about the taste. The others in house said they were looking forward to dinner.

 

The mysliwska has both coarsely ground meat and finely ground meat inside the casing. The fine grind is predominant. It has a mild taste and the smokiness comes through, the flavours of garlic, pepper and juniper are present, but subdued. My daughter said she thought it was very good and preferable to chorizo criollo. My sons said they preferred chorizo criollo, see link. I agreed with the boys. However it was a very good stew, a feed that after a day’s hunting you would enjoy. This is another high quality sausage made by Park Avenue Quality Meats. If you visit the shop you are spoilt for choice when it comes to choose your favourite sausage.    

Cost per kilo: $28.99

Brat in a Burger - Wellington on a Plate

Brat in a Burger – Wellington on a Plate

Today we went to Café L’affare for lunch with my wife and one of our sons. This was not a random visit as I wanted to sample their entry in the burger competition as part of Wellington on a Plate. This is a food festival where restaurants, café, breweries, and food producers show off the best of their products.

Café L’affare was very busy and bustling as they handled the end of the Sunday lunch rush. Sausage Boy and I ordered the burger, while my wife ordered chorizo with sautéed potato, rocket and poached eggs. Café L’affare obviously know quality sausages. The chorizo used in this dish is the Argentinian chorizo criollo from Park Avenue, see link. This dish looked appealing and my wife considered it tasted even better. The chorizo is excellent, the potatoes and eggs made for a great lunch dish on a chilly Wellington day. I did have a couple of pieces of the chorizo and recognised the taste of one of my favourite snarlers.

 

The burger was described on the menu as: Park Avenue Quality Meats venison bratwurst with Parrot Dog IPA infused mustard, braised onions, slaw, and Kapiti smoked Havarti on an Arobake bun with caraway salt dusted fries.

 

I really enjoyed the burger and so did Sausage Boy. The sausage used in the burger is a great one, see link. This sausage is described as venison, it is a 50% pork and 50% venison sausage, I consider this reduces the gaminess of the venison and puts more sweetness into the sausage filling. At Park Avenue these sausages sell as venison rost bratwurst. Rost is a German word that means “rust” in English. The paprika that is added to the sausage is the inspiration for the rost name.

The burger is constructed by heating the cheese on the bottom bun, the sausage is then coiled over the cheese, mustard, braised onions and slaw are put on top of the sausage. The bun is placed on top with a skewer that has a gherkin at the top placed through the burger.   

 

This is a great burger. The sausage has a mild paprika taste which is complemented by the smokiness of the cheese. The hops of the Parrot Dog IPA infused the mustard and I enjoyed the flavour of onions. The slaw adds texture and a few vitamins to the burger. This burger works through a combination of flavours that are smoky, hoppy and spicy. They combine to form an excellently balanced burger. Well done to Café L’affare for a very enjoyable lunch meal. I would recommend a visit to College St, and either of these two dishes would make for a great brunch or lunch.

We have tried to bring our kids up with reasonable table etiquette and manners. However these pictures of Sausage Boy’s plate and my own may be indication that more work is required.