Recognising that dining at dine by Peter Gordon or Bellota every night is not an option for most of us, Peter has teamed up with the team at the foodie heaven store Sabato to offer his favourite relishes and sauces. The collection is something of a walk down Peter's culinary history, starting with his early days at The Sugar Clubs in Wellington and London, then later at Providores and The Tapa Room.
His Chunky Fig, Walnut and Whisky Chutney could be described as Peter's squirrelling at its best: a stack of dried figs in his The Providores Restaurant larder prompted him to create this chutney for a cheese platter. But it could be rolled out with any cold meats, a chicken pie or pate. He instructed us to try it mixed through the final minutes of roast kumara (our favourite) and when the baby beetroots finally come to market, we'll try his spring idea of spooning it through roasted beets.
And for hot food lovers (that's us) the earthiness of his Fiery Red Chilli Relish is hard to beat as a dip for samosas, spring rolls or wontons. But the Irish in us love Peter's idea of stirring this through mashed potatoes - fusion without being pretentious. This summer we'll be using it as a barbecue marinade for meat and fish (Peter recommends the oily ones like salmon or tuna). Or notch up the sweetness with Peter's Famous Sweet Chilli Sauce, created first for his Notting Hill Sugar Club in London in 1995. Perfect for the pub favourite of crunchy deep-fried potatoes with sour cream that was all the rage back then, but Peter was a little more sophisticated, pairing it with Scottish scallops, watercress and creme fraiche - a signature dish. Try it as a glaze for roast chicken (smear on in the last 10 minutes of cooking) or with grilled pork chops or seared salmon.
Peter has always loved the purity of Spanish cuisine, so the Moorish Moroccan Relish brings out the best of those Northern Africa flavours. Traditionalists can mix it with roast, braised or stewed lamb, poached chicken and couscous, or try a fusion of this in a cheese and ham sandwich. You'll never go back to just mustard.
Peter loves layering flavours, and the sweet and sour pomegranate molasses, rice vinegar and luscious rich New Zealand avocado oil of his Sunny Avocado Oil and Pomegranate Molasses dressing has been around for a decade at The Providores Restaurant. It has dressed his salad of puy lentils, avocado and baby cos lettuce at dine but try it too on steamed broccoli, green beans or peas or use the sweet and sour flavour as a marinade for fish, lamb chops or chicken kebabs.
