Foodie gifts from Shared Kitchen

Edible Gifts from Shared Kitchen

Shared Kitchen has several culinary delights on offer

Remo’s Marinated Olives and Feta are legendary, and have great heritage (we supplied them to Air New Zealand’s Auckland Koru Lounge for several years back in the day). They are both fabulous products. The feta is totally addictive and the olives are plump and firm and not excessively salty. The two together, along with some good bread and maybe a few slices of cucumber and tomato, and even a piece of hot-smoked salmon, will give you superior antipasto nibbles with drinks – in a flash! They also make a great gift for Mother’s Day, or to take to a friend’s place for a gathering instead of the usual bottle of wine. Much more styley!

The olives can be kept at room temperature after opening. The feta can also be kept at room temperature for short-term storage, although is better transferred to the fridge if keeping it on the go for several weeks (bet it won’t last that long though once you taste it). Both products are in extra virgin olive oil.

The Preserved Lemons are so pretty to give as a gift, but they shouldn’t just be a show-pony. Use them up! They’re a much-loved condiment in Moroccan and other North African cuisines. It is more common to use the rind rather than the flesh, although both rind and flesh can be added to stews or long-cooking dishes.

Use clean tongs to remove pieces of preserved lemon from the jar, rather than your fingers (to prevent introducing bugs). Rinse away the salty brine and pat dry, dislodging and discarding the flesh if it’s not called for. Slice, chop or blend and away you go …

Use in dishes to give a citrus boost and salty hit, or a citrusy salty-pickle element. Preserved lemon is especially good in bland dishes like couscous, and salads made with lentils, barley, burghul and the like. Add to tabbouleh, to shellfish sauces for pasta, and to risottos. To finish off fried fish, pan-fry floured fish fillets in butter, transfer to a plate add a little more butter to pan, then add sliced preserved lemon and cook until the butter turns brown. Pour over fish and serve. This is soooooo good!

A little chopped preserved lemon added to vinaigrettes, creamy lemon dressings and yoghurt or feta dressings gives a fresh lemony zip. And a few slivers mixed in with stuffings and meatball mixtures, or added to a spicy tomato sauce, adds a fresh pop of flavour.

Preserved lemons will keep a year or two but once they’re opened, transfer to the fridge because as the level of lemons in the jar drops, some of them can be left exposed to the air. Covering the surface with olive oil is another option, and how they do it in Middle Eastern countries where preserved lemons are an everyday flavouring.

Remo’s Olives and the Preserved Lemons $15.50 a jar

Remo’s Marinated Feta $17.50 a jar

Chocolate & Walnut Truffles I’ve been making these for 30 years and they never fail to please. A rich and nutty sweet treat, with a good whack of dark rum and a surprising crunchy exterior, they are based on a recipe given to me by a Czech woman 33 years ago. They are packed in cellophane with red ribbon, and will they keep for weeks and weeks, but I’ve never known anyone who has been able to resist them that long. $13.50 a bag

To order: email [email protected]

Free delivery to central Waiheke and inner city Auckland on orders over $100.00. A delivery fee will apply to other locations, but it will be kept to a minimum with considerate packaging. Sorry, offer applies to New Zealand only.

Also check out my cookbook Julie Biuso At Home $45.00 (RRP $60.00). I’m happy to sign a dedication in the book. Postage $7.50, although free postage will apply to central Waiheke and inner city Auckland if added to other items which total $100 or more. Check it out here Cookbook

And FURI knives. These are the knives I use and have done for more than 15 years. Easy to sharpen (they have their own sharpening device which is the EASIEST knife sharpener on the planet), easy to keep clean (no place for bacteria to build up), no bits to fall off (made from one piece of metal with no rivets or attached handle) and ergonomically designed. Fabulous knives … and at an affordable price. See here FURI knives