Ruth Pretty's Spicy Chicken and Pumpkin Cakes

A pity that the barbecue season has finished in these parts because The Spouse is fired up with enthusiasm and keen to get back on the business end of a pair of tongs.

A few days ago we went with friends to caterer Ruth Pretty's for one of her cooking demonstrations. There were about 30 of us there seeking culinary inspiration and we weren't disappointed.

Ruth has a large commercial kitchen in a lovely rural setting north of Wellington - an ideal place for a barbecue and a surprisingly mild day for early winter.

We started off inside and sat along the benches while Ruth took up her station at the front and, with the help of overhead mirrors, we were able to get a good look at the preparation for a wide range of recipes.

I think it may have been something of a surprise for the men in the class to learn that there's quite a bit of work involved in preparing the dishes that we sous chefs hand over to them for the final exposure to the grill.

The menu began with a tasty variation on the Greek dish, skordalia. This is a garlicky dip usually made with cooked potatoes. However, Ruth used golden kumera - our sweet potato and the dips was served with crudités and crusty bread wedges.

Next came toasted focaccia, tomato and halloumi cheese skewers. The focaccia was halved horizontally and cut into dice then bread bottom, half cherry tomato, halloumi (a traditional white cheese originally from Crete) and bread top were threaded on skewers, two lots per skewer, brushed with tarragon oil then barbecued. Light, crispy bread, juicy tomato and soft warm cheese - delicious!

Another appetizer followed - spicy chicken and pumpkin cakes with tamarillo chutney. The tamarillo, formerly called tree tomato, is a fruit grown here in the warmer parts of the country. It's shaped like an egg and is a deep red in colour. It is generally spooned out of the skin for eating. The skin is bitter and is always discarded. You can see a picture on the front page of Cuisine magazine's website: http://www.cuisine.co.nz/.

Next came barbecued groper (below). This fish was served with a tomato basil salad with a sherry vinegar butter sauce .

Throughout the class Ruth had us tasting ingredients. First up were some olive oils from various parts of the country and it was interesting to note the differences. Then there was the sherry vinegar. I like to use this in the kitchen for a change and Ruth had a nice Spanish one on hand for the groper dish. A number of us thought it would be great sprinkled sparingly on freshly shucked oysters. Mmmm.

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