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Private Notes
Annabel prepares her all time favourite Bacon & Egg pie for a cherry picking adventure with young friends George & Evie.
Every Sunday in summer Annabel visits the farmers' market in Old Cromwell Town. Today she's buying lamb racks to serve with Salsa Verde - a velvety fresh herb sauce.
Annabel is fascinated with honey and so visits her local apiarist for a lesson in beekeeping. Returning home with a jar of just-harvested honey she sets about making Vanilla Honey Panna Cotta served with a fruit topping. This follows crispy pork belly served with roasted pepper pesto.
Having collected fresh eggs from a local poultry breeder, Annabel heads home to whip up homemade mayonnaise and sweet Coconut Pavlovas to follow Thai-style Beef Salad.
Annabel and a group of friends travel into remote Dusky Sound in the South Island of New Zealand for a weekend fishing trip – and crayfish is on the menu.
Garlic is one of Annabel’s indispensable ingredients, and she’s off to help harvest the new season’s bulbs at a neighbour’s farm. So Annabel's garlic-growing neighbours are coming for dinner to share great food, wine and conversation. On the menu tonight are zucchini, feta and mint fritters; sizzling beef and salsa; and grilled summer fruit for dessert.
Annabel visits her local vineyard across lake Wanaka and prepares a vintner’s dinner. Starting with sesame lavosh, and then baked olives with chilli and rosemary, and soy roasted almonds. The main course is roast pork with fennel, onions and apple, served with creamy polenta bake and braised red cabbage. To finish a verjuice nectarine jelly.
Annabel travels to Oamaru to source the perfect cheese for her Caramelised Onion and Feta Tart. Along the way she stops to cook up some cheesy treats in the spectacular limestone landscape.
After a spot of fishing on the lake, Annabel shows how to home smoke salmon for a deliciously easy starter platter or lunch.
Annabel travels to Arrowtown, to source the best cooking beer to make a batch of morish vegetable pakoras; she also demonstrates how to make the easiest South East Asian curry base.
Annabel heads to her local country show to guest judge entries in the homemade preserves competition. After the fun of the fair she heads back to her cabin to whip up her own harvest tomato sauce. Annabel harvests her sunflowers for seeds to put in her home made ‘busy people’s bread’ and takes it to the country show. For dinner tonight she’s making roasted beef and rocket salad. Followed by a tender beef steak with double mushroom sauce, and a side of tasty potato gruyere gratin, and a vegetable medley. For desert, sticky date pudding.
Annabel travels to the wild west coast of the South Island in New Zealand to net a feed of the tiny delicacy - whitebait. Along the way she learns the secret to cooking the perfect whitebait fritter. Cooked in an old cast iron pot, over a gas ring on the stony riverbed, whitebait fritters have never tasted this good. So it's only fitting Annabel should return the hospitality and invite the hosts of her whitebait expedition to a dinner featuring a double-baked whitebait soufflé. This episode: Twice Baked Whitebait Souffles, Spicy Garlic Croutons, Mixed Leaf Salad, Strawberry Cloudcake, Berry Syrup, the Ultimate Chocolate Cake.
Annabel cooks outdoors using her outdoor oven and barbeque. She makes some sticky buns to take up as morning tea to the sheep muster. Then she makes couscous with roasted vegetables, juicy barbequed lamb with a spicy rub, with a fresh pear and walnut salad. And for desert, honey lemon cream pudding.
The grape harvest: Annabel returns to her idyllic lakeside cabin in Wanaka for a brand new season of Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook. Features Turkish Bread, Turkish Bride Soup, Spicy Beef with Harvest Vegetables, Nutty Cumin Dukkah, Corn and Israeli Couscous Salad, Orange Lightning Cake, Vin d'Orange.
High-country deer muster: Annabel flies high into the Southern Alps to an isolated deer farm, and she creates a no-fuss dinner party menu. Features Moroccan Tomato Sauce, Moroccan Eggs, Cowboy Hash, Venison Tataki, Duck Confit, Fragrant Lentils, Crispy Parsnip Peels, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Coulis.
Fishing for crabs: Annabel Langbein jet boats to a secret crab-catching spot in the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park. Features Onion and Herb Frittata, Frittata Sandwiches, Birdseed Bar, Aromatic Steamed Mussels, Watermelon and Avocado Salad, Beachside Paella, Poached Peaches, Flambeed Peaches, Sparkling Sangria.
The saffron harvest: Annabel Langbein visits friend and actor Sam Neill at his Central Otago vineyard, and creates a simple yet delicious dinner party menu from fresh ingredients. Features Choconut Slice, Balsamic Glaze, Beetroot, Fennel and Goat Cheese Salad, Osso Bucco, Gremolata, Saffron Spinach Risotto, Pear and Prune Custard Cream, Coffee Liqueur, Extra-Special Coffees.
Catching trout: Annabel Langbein tries her hand at fly fishing and invites the neighbourhood over for a barbecue that takes outdoor cooking to a new level. Features Vegetable Samosas, Minty Yoghurt Dipping Sauce, Salt-Crusted Fish, Speedy Mayo, Dill and Caper Mayo, Mango Salsa, Sesame Beef Patties, Help-Yourself Hamburgers, Holiday Crepes, Blueberry Sauce, Retro Fruit Punch.
Mustering Merino sheep: Annabel Langbein combines lavender and merino lamb to make a roast dinner with a difference. Features Cookie Sampler, Chevre-Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, Roast Lamb with Herb Crust, Vegetable Tian, Green Beans with Olives and Garlic, Maple and Apple Tarte Tatin, Lavender Soup.
Gathering mushrooms: Annabel harvests mushrooms after consulting a funghi expert and shares her recipe for super-simple lemon and ginger ice cream. Features Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Pine Nuts, Lahmacun Flatbread, Salted Edamame, Teriyaki Sauce, Teriyaki Fish and Mushroom Bake, Japanese-Style Rice, Gingered Bok Choy, Lemon and Ginger Ice Cream, Ginger Biscotti, Fresh Flower Tea.
Picking heritage apples: Annabel Langbein picks heritage apples, before returning to her cabin to cook a Mexican-style feast of succulent slow-cooked pork. Features Cinnamon Apple Fritters, Garden Gazpacho, Mexican Rub, Mexican Pulled Pork, Smoky Chilli Beans, Chunky Guacamole, Fresh Flour Tortillas, Apple and Berry Sorbets.
Gathering nuts: Annabel Langbein visits her neighbour's hazelnut orchard for the autumn harvest. Features Rib-Sticking Pea and Ham Soup, One-Pot Spiced Apple Cake, Artichokes with Vinaigrette, Provencal Crust, Chicken and Leek Gratin, Garlicky Vegetable Toss, Hazelnut Butter, Individual Pear and Hazelnut Tarts.
Netting flounder: Always up for an adventure, Annabel Langbein nets flounder on a Nelson beach. Her haul is the starting point for a Mediterranean-themed feast. Features The Ultimate Chocolate Brownie, Sunshine Carrot Dip, Roasted Pepper Boats, Tapenade, Mediterranean Baked Fish, Parsley Mashed Potatoes, Crisp Cos Salad, Vanilla Citrus Terrine, Honeyed Oranges.
The apricot orchard: Annabel and her daughter Rose head to an apricot orchard where they make the most of the humble fruit. Features Sausage, Tomato and Olive Pissaladiere, Really Useful Apricot Chilli Glaze, Pork and Coriander Spring Rolls, Aromatic Poached Chicken, Bang Bang Chicken Salad, Speedy Peanut Sauce, Apricots with Macaroon Topping, Lemon Syllabub, Ginger Mule.
Milking goats to make cheese: Annabel Langbein milks goats at her neighbour's farm and makes haloumi to grill on skewers with prawns and zucchini. Features Home-Made Haloumi, Prawn, Haloumi and Zucchini Skewers, Summer Basil Pesto, Flash-Roasted Pesto Salmon, Potato Rosti, Braised Fennel with Lemon, Molten Chocolate Pots, Limoncello.
Picking raspberries: Annabel Langbein jetboats across Lake Wanaka to pick luscious raspberries, then returns to her cabin to cook a glorious dinner of barbecued chicken and vegetables from her garden. Features Love-Me-Tender Sponge, Ten-Minute Raspberry Jam, Raspberry Vinegar, Brined and Barbecued Butterfly Chicken, New Potatoes with Hazelnut Pesto, Grilled Broccoli Salad, Char-Grilled Corn on the Cob, Silky Lemon Tart, Tropical Sundowners.
In the depths of winter Annabel heads high into the stunning snow-capped Southern Alps to try her hand at dog sledding and cook up a warming Chicken Noodle Soup to share with her skiing companions. Back at her cabin by the lake in Wanaka, she gives the French classic coq au vin her own clever twist by topping it with a peppered rosemary crumb and serving it with pesto-infused mashed potato. Her Pineapple Upside-Down Puddings and sticky caramel sauce are the perfect finish to a cosy winter dinner by the fire.
Annabel pulls on her gumboots to visit a high-country sheep station, where the farmer has mustered his flock for their annual mid-winter shearing. While the shearing crew works up an appetite in the shearing shed, Annabel makes them a hearty lunch of Piadini Steak Sandwiches with Beetroot and Horseradish Relish. Returning to her Wanaka cabin, she cooks up a Tender Lamb and Chickpea Tagine, then caps off her Middle-Eastern menu with a show-stopping recipe for sizzling Toffeed Oranges.
Nothing sings spring like strawberries, so Annabel is keen to get her hands on the first berries of the new season. She ventures north to a Hawkes Bay strawberry farm bearing a gift of Buttery Shortbread to share with the farmer.
On the hunt for a special ingredient for a festive roast dinner, Annabel meets a couple who have managed to grow the French delicacy truffles on their South Island farm. As a specially trained sniffer dog hunts out these gourmet treats, Annabel cooks classic Croque Monsieur toasted sandwiches for a picnic lunch – adding her own secret ingredient. That evening she invites her truffling neighbours to her lakeside cabin for a traditional Roast Turkey with Apricot Stuffing and all the trimmings. For dessert, what else but Annabel’s take on a Kiwi favourite – Brown Sugar Pavolvas?
Annabel heads north to sunny Hawkes Bay to meet a farmer who specialises in tender, grass-fed wagyu beef. After stopping at a local organic asparagus farm along the way, she has all the ingredients she needs for a special spring celebration meal. She barbecues the beef over vine clippings on the banks of the scenic Tukituki River, then shows how to cook perfect asparagus. Finishing this special meal are simple but spectacular individual Rhubarb Tarts.
Always up for an adventure, Annabel treks north to a buffalo farm to meet a couple making sublime buffalo yoghurt and cheeses. She arrives armed with an intensely rich Black Velvet Cake, the perfect companion to creamy buffalo yoghurt and blackberries foraged from the farm. Returning to her cabin she pairs some buffalo mozzarella with sweet, ripe figs from her tree. It’s the perfect starter for a lakeside meal of Seared Chilli Lemon Tuna, nicoise salad and slow-baked summer stonefruit.
Annabel loves to forage, and spring is the perfect time of year to gather tender watercress. She is in her element visiting a sustainable farm, where she also collects fresh eggs to use in a hearty and healthy meal she whips up on the back of her flat-bed truck for the hungry farm workers. As well as Chermoula Stuffed Eggs and a peppery watercress salad, Annabel’s menu features Turkish Lentil Kofte, a creamy fish and scallop risotto, and the easiest-ever Strawberry Friands.
Spring has sprung in Annabel's Wanaka garden and she’s already picking the first crisp snow peas of the season to use in a zingy Thai Carrot Salad. She heads off in her trusty yellow truck to meet an artisan chocolate maker, then invites her new friend back for an Asian-inspired dinner of caramelised pork belly with ginger miso greens and sticky rice. And what could be better for dessert than silky chocolate and orange pots made using artisan chocolate and oranges from Annabel’s courtyard garden?
Annabel is up early, roasting a chicken to take on a fishing expedition. She’s in her element as she helps the local fishermen bait their kontiki raft and then prepares roast chicken rolls for lunch. The catch safely ashore, Annabel shows how easy it is to fillet fresh fish, then transform it into a dinner of Beachside Ceviche followed by Fragrant Fish Curry. As the sun sets, she and her new friends enjoy the fruits of their labours with a picnic on the sand.
Back in spring, Annabel planted a traditional Mexican three-sisters garden of corn, beans and zucchini, and now it’s time to harvest her fresh produce and transform it into a delicious Tex-Mex style meal. She combines the corn, beans and zucchini in a salad with the fashionable gluten-free grain quinoa and whizzes her homegrown tomatoes and chillies into a fat-free salsa. A smoked chipotle pepper dressing transforms a classic Caesar salad into something special and fresh-picked organic blueberries star in a stunning mille-feuille dessert.
Annabel celebrates autumn’s bountiful natural harvests with a foraging expedition to a neighbour’s prolific walnut tree. In return she invites him and his family for dinner and treats them to an Indian-inspired meal featuring her homemade Paratha Bread, spicy kasundi and slow-roasted lamb shoulder with a crunchy Walnut Salad – followed by a simple but spectacular Caramel and Pistachio Ice Cream.
It’s autumn and Annabel is making the most of her seasonal harvests, cooking up a big batch of a versatile tomato passata to use as the base for winter recipes. She takes a jar with her when she ventures out to visit a local winemaker who is becoming as famous for his prosciutto as his pinot noir, and cooks up a meal of Chicken Prosciutto Parcels and Savoury Polenta on the back of her trusty yellow truck. Plus, for dessert, a deliciously rich date lumberjack cake, finished with a crunchy coconut topping.
Annabel enjoys a bike ride and a riverside picnic with a Wanaka breadmaker who delivers organic artisanal breads to her customers on an electric cargo bicycle. She takes home a loaf of sourdough to make crunchy bruschetta to toss into a Panzanella Salad with sun-ripened tomatoes from her garden. It’s the perfect starter for an autumnal meal of Slow-Cooked Beef Ragu and Pasta with Roast Pumpkin, followed by her no-fail recipe for Spiced Orange Crème Caramels.
