Five Wellington chefs used donated food to create a gourmet three-course meal at this year's Everybody Eats Cook-Off.
Kahlivia Russell is a chef at Wellington restaurant Rita.
She says growing up on a farm gave her an early connection with how food is produced and an early awareness of food wastage.
After a really tough couple of years for hospitality, it's fun to do something adventurous like a charity cooking competition, Kahlivia says.
"It seems like a nice opportunity to bring a bunch of different people together from the industry. We've all had a really hard time. It's nice to do something really positive and give back."
It takes a massive crew to pull off a meal for a crowd with a mystery box of food, she says, and it's exciting to work with a new group of people, including Everybody Eats volunteers who don't work in hospitality.
To Kahlivia, Everybody Eats represents inclusivity and community.
"Everyone deserves a table. No matter what your background is… you deserve a seat at the table."
The Everybody Eats Cook-Off was held at Wellington's LTD. event space as part of the 2022 Visa Wellington On a Plate festival.
Three nights a week, Everybody Eats serves up a cooked meal for a koha donation in Wellington and Onehunga.
Kahlivia Russell served...
Entree: Potato and Beetroot Tartare with Horseradish Cream
Main: Lamb Barbacoa with Kumara, Rice Salad and Handmade Tortillas (the recipe is here)
Dessert: Kulfi with Ginger Doughnuts and Caramelised Apple
Lamb Barbacoa
Feeds 4-6
Ingredients
- 1.5kg lamb shoulder
- 3 tsp salt (for initial seasoning)
- 3 tbsp coriander
- 3 tbsp cumin
- 5 cloves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 100g can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 dried poblano chillies
- 1 tsp cinnamon / 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp brown sugar/Honey
- juice of 2 oranges
- 2 oranges sliced thinly
- 2 onions sliced
- 4 cups beef stock
Method
Season lamb the day before, with 1 teaspoon of salt for every 500g of meat. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove from fridge 2 hours before cooking and allow to come to room temperature, then sear the lamb whole in a pan until well caramelised.
Toast coriander and cumin if using whole spices. Blend together coriander, cumin, cloves, salt, chilli powder, garlic and a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Rub the mixture all over the meat before adding all the remanding ingredients in an oven-safe dish with a tight lid or cover tightly in tin foil.
Place in oven at 140C for 4-5 hours or until meat is very tender.
Remove any bones, they should slide right out when the meat is ready and orange slices, then shred the meat.
Strain out half of the liquid making sure the shredded meat is still covered in juice to avoid it drying out.
Reduce strained liquid to a thick consistency before introducing the meat into the reduced sauce.
Check seasoning, adding salt or orange/lime if too salty.
Serve with tortillas, salsa verde and fresh coriander.
