Spoilers below on Episode 3 of Food Rescue Kitchen! Make sure to watch on 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. Naomi chats with Lola Reti on a food rescue run, collecting select ingredients for Chef Mike Van de Elzen to prepare for hungry diners. 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

ROASTED BEETROOT & LENTIL HUMMUS, PICKED CUCUMBER & CRISPY SALAMI WITH WHITE ONION JAM FOCCACIA

Roasted Beetroot & Lentil Hummus

Ingredients
2 cups red lentils
4 beetroot
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp tahini
Sea salt

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 *c
Individually wrap the beetroot in tin foil, drizzle over a little oil and sprinkle over a touch of salt before wrapping
Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes before testing. Test by inserting a small knife to see if the beetroot is cooked. Once cooked allow to cool before removing skin.
While the beetroot is cooking, place the lentils into a small pot, cover with cold water and add a touch of salt. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Once cooked drain.
Place the beetroot into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add the lentils and blitz until smooth. Add the tahini and sea salt and blitz until all mixed in.

White Onion Jam Focaccia

Ingredients
500 grams plain flour
455 ml tepid water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup pitted olives halved
1 cup white onion jam

Method
In a bowl mix together flour, salt and the rosemary. Add water and yeast and combine until you have a dough, and all the flour is mixed in.
Place into an oiled container with the lid on and place in a warm spot.

Every 20 minutes over 1.5 hours, fold the dough four times on to itself with wet hands. After the 4th fold, tip onto a well -oiled tray and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Stretch and dimple and then put on the olives
Leave for another 10 – 15 minutes before spreading over the onion jam.
Bake at 220*c for 20 minutes, but watch it. You want it nice and crispy.

White Onion Jam

Ingredients
2 onions finely sliced lengthways
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 tbsp white sugar
pinch salt

Method
Place all ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan. Cook on a medium heat for about 12 minutes or until thick and syrupy. Stir every couple of minutes.

Main

CHERMOULA SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN WITH TOMATO CHARRED ONION SALSA

Serves 6

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients
1 x size 14 chicken

Chermoula Paste

Ingredients
2 onions peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 cup coriander leaves
sea salt to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method
Place all the chermoula ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 180*c. Using some kitchen scissors cut the chicken down both sides of the back bone. Open the chicken up and push down firmly on the breast spreading the chicken flat.
Rub all over with the chermoula paste, drizzle over the oil and sprinkle and place into a roasting tray, then into the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken and allow to rest, cut into 8 pieces and serve.

TOMATO ONION SALSA

Ingredients
6-8 mixed tomatoes
1 small onion peeled & diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cabernet or red wine vinegar
1 tsp flaky salt
20 grinds black pepper
4 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped.

Method
Dice tomatoes into small squares
Remove small connection to stalk
Place in bowl with onions
On wooden chopping board sprinkle garlic with salt and mash into a paste
Add to the tomatoes & onion
Pour over olive oil, freshly ground pepper and vinegar
Place in fridge to marinate
Drain excess liquid from tomatoes before serving

ROASTED UGLY CARROTS WITH MANDARIN GREMOLATA

Serves 12

Ingredients
20 carrots cut
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Flaky Sea salt

Method
Pre heat the oven to 180*c
Cut the carrots in half lengthwise and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with some salt.
Place into the oven and roast for 35 minutes or until coloured and tender.
Place into a large bowl.

MANDARIN GREMOLATA

Ingredients
3 mandarin
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 cup parsley chopped
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper

Method
Zest the mandarins and then juice into a bowl.
Add the oil, crushed garlic and chopped parsley.
Season with a pinch of flaky salt and cracked pepper.
Pour over the carrots and toss

SAUTEED BROCCOLI WITH WHITE CABBAGE & SMOKED GARLIC BUTTER

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 large white cabbage cut into small wedges
2 heads of broccoli cut into long florets
150gm butter
cracked pepper
¼ cup curly parsley
2 cloves garlic
smoked sea salt
2 tbsp oil

Method

If you have access to a cold smoker cut the butter into cubes and lay out on a tray. Place into a cold smoker and smoke for 30 minutes. If no access use smoked sea salt.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and season with a good amount of salt.
Place the broccoli in the boiling water and leave for 1 minute before removing and dropping in iced water as quickly as possible to stop the cooking.
Make up the butter – crush garlic cloves to a paste, add the softened butter, fiely chopped curly pasta, sea salt and cracked pepper – se aside.
Pre heat cast iron or heavy based pan and break the cabbage into smaller pieces and saute in a touch of oil until slightly coloured. Add a tsp of water to help the steaming. Once just cooked place in a large bowl and repeat until broccoli and cabbage is sauteed.
Add butter to the bowl and toss until broccoli and cabbage is well coated.
Serve straightaway

Dessert

BASQUE CHEESECAKE WITH RAISIN CRUMBS

Serves 6-8

Basque Cheesecake

Ingredients
Batter:
1 kg cream cheese
7 free range eggs
2 cups caster sugar (400gm)
1 tbsp flour
zest of 1 lemon

Method
Pre heat your oven on bake to 210* and set the rack towards the bottom of the oven.
Using a whisk, mixer or blender combine all the batter ingredients until smooth.
Take a 25cm springform tin and line well with baking paper. Ensure the paper comes up at least 5cm past the top of the edges of the tin. The mixture will rise up when the cake is cooking, but don’t worry it will sink back down.
Pour the batter in the tin and place it into the oven on the lower rack setting – checking after 35 minutes. You want the centre to be a little wobbly but not runny.
The cheesecake should have a slightly burnt top. If it’s still too light and wobbly, turn the heat up and cook for another couple of minutes. Be careful as it will turn black very quickly!
After this time ,turn the oven off. Leave the oven door slightly open for a further 30 minutes before removing to a bench for one hour, before placing into the fridge to chill completely. Overnight is best.
Serve with the raisin crumbs, fresh strawberries and the roasted mandarin syrup.

Raisin Crumb

Ingredients
200gm butter
200gm plain flour
200gm soft brown sugar
1 cup raisins

Method
Pre-heat your oven on bake to 180*c
Place the butter, flour and brown sugar into a food processor and blitz until smooth
Spread out onto a lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. After this time stir the crumb mixture and sprinkle over the raisins.
Place back into the oven for a further 10 minutes.
After this time, remove the crumbs, stir again and allow to cool.

Roasted Mandarin Syrup

Ingredients
10 mandarin cut in half horizontally
3 tbsp soft brown sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon

Method
Pre heat oven or pizza oven to 180*c
Place half mandarins onto a baking tray cut side up
Sprinkle over brown sugar and cinnamon
Place tray into oven for 15 mins
Remove and test mandarins. They need to be soft but still holding shape
Allow to cool before squeezing through a sieve to remove any seeds.
Pour juice into a small pan and then put on a low heat to reduce
Reduce syrup by ¾
Allow to cool before use.

Assembly
Slice the cheesecake into small pieces
Place the raisin crumb on one side of the cake and sliced strawberries on the other
Drizzle the roasted mandarin syrup over the top of the cheesecake.

TIPS

Make a raisin pickle

This is great to add to a cheese platter

Ingredients
2 cups raisins

Pickling mixture:
1 tsp fennel seeds
1tsp coriander seeds
2 chilli
2 bay leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup sugar

Method
Place the picking mixture ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil. Whilst still hot pour over the top of the raisins and allow to cool

Butterfly a chicken

Cut through the backbone. Nick into the breast bone as this helps keep it flat.

Frozen Meat

Meat that has been frozen a long time can dry out . Soaking in a salt brine (salt + water) adds water back. Place water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tbsp of cooking salt for every cup of water you use and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt. Soak for at least an hour.

Revive Vegetables

By blanching them. Cook your vegetables in a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and cooldown quickly in ice cold water – this keeps them crisp.
Blanching also helps lock in the nutrients and the vegetable colour remains in tact.
Once blanched you can use later and cook as normal

Reviving citrus fruit (e.g. Mandarins)

Lay mandarins on a baking tray and sprinkle with brown sugar. Put in a hot oven and bake until brown and soft. Set aside to cool then blitz in a blender