Delicious New Zealand

“A Taste of New Zealand”: the event organised at Identità Golose Milano by the consulate of New Zealand to present the best local products was a true tasting of excellences. Cloudy Bay Clams, New Zealand King Salmon, Te Mana Lamb (a new breed of lamb), Pure South venison and fine wines on top of already famous products like Zespri kiwis and the typical Manuka honey, with an intense flavour and extraordinary therapeutical properties.

These are the best raw materials from the islands, that were concentrated in a four-handed menu thanks to the creativity of Peter Gordon, New Zealander chef from The Providores in London and Andrea Ribaldone, who coordinates the kitchen at the international hub of gastronomy. 

Unique and finely selected ingredients that gourmands appreciate and Italian chefs transform into refined dishes, as stressed by Ann Clifford, Consul General of New Zealand in Italy, after a warm greeting to the guests in Maori, pointing out how the country is a leader in terms of animal wellbeing standards, safety and attention to sustainability.

«In New Zealand cattle is mostly bred outdoors and fed with forage. The result is a unique profile of nutrients, different from cattle fed with cereals», said Gordon. Not only pastures, but sea and fields too are the source of products grown with passion, and prepared and preserved with attention, 80% of which are then exported to over 100 countries across the world. Indeed, there are strict rules for sustainable fishery, and the wine industry is also appreciated for its attention to the environment, with over 98% wines certified as sustainable.

New Zealand is a careful and respectful land, «used to looking after people and places», the consul explains, still untouched, shaped by endless fields and wild coasts overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A young country, with only 5 million inhabitants in a land as large as Italy, from which it is 30 hours of flight away, but only on the map: «the beauty of the landscape, the charming untouched coast, the friendliness of the inhabitants are only some of the features that New Zealand and Italy have in common», Ann Clifford said.

Distances become shorter, the journey of discovery of New Zealander flavours begins. So here come the Storm Shell Clams from Cloudy Bay Clams, with black garlic and potatoes, from Ribaldone and the Tua Tua Clams and Diamond Shell from Cloudy Clams, dashi, edamane, barley, hijki seaweed, buckwheat, from Gordon.

Distributed by Longino & Cardenal, these are wild clams produced (and served in four different varieties) by Cloudy Bay Clams, a family business established in 1990, leader in the industry thanks to its avantgarde technology and its the “Friends of the Sea” certificate of sustainability. They were paired with 2017 Black Label Sauvignon Blanc, fresh and citrusy, produced by Babich for 40 years now, and considered among the best in the world.

The King Salmon from New Zealand, bred for 40 years now in a natural way, with no antibiotics and distributed by Selecta was the protagonist of the next two dishes, Raviolo stuffed with Ora King salmon in a broth of vegetables from Ribaldone, and Ora King Salmon marinated with miso with ginger, sago starch with beetroot, agretti, crispy shallot from the New Zealander chef, who served it on ice to enhance its flavours. 

Finally, a dish that Ribaldone has also in the menu at Osteria Arborina, Tagliolini with sea urchins, artichokes and Pure South venison fillet and Te Mana roasted lamb with chilli pepper from Aleppo, aubergine with mint and cumin relish, harissa, and freekeh green wheat from Gordon, made with a new breed of lamb called Te Mana Lamb, richer in Omega 3 and with a marbled meat, like Wagyu, produced by Alliance which will be distributed by Selecta, like the Pure South venison, which grows outdoors, and for this reason has a more delicate meat.

They were paired with Black Label Pinot Noir 2017 also from Babich, an elegant and fine wine, with complex aromas of mushrooms and dry leaves. Dulcis in fundo, the Baby pavlova, with Manuka Health honey cream, Zespri kiwi, a typical cake of New Zealand, a tribute to a land that is no longer that distant.