Under the gooseberry bush

When one develops a block of bare land, there are so many things that one does wrong – at least that is true for us.  We have planted many things that have been planted and shifted, and in the case of some things, planted and shifted, planted and shifted, and planted and shifted again.  The elders and the gooseberries are a case in point. 

When we first took possession in early 2006, it seemed easier and sensible to start putting in the garden in the only part of the property that we could drive to – beside the barn.  We planted gooseberries (the green prickly sort) in a small semi-circular garden next to the barn.  It was very stony and there was no water supply close by.  Since then they have been grazed by rabbits, cows and sheep.  More recently they have been sprayed with weed spray!  This is really not good for them, and I fear that we have no gooseberry plants left.  Fortunately we know people in Greytown and Masterton who do grow them and who do not graze stock nearby, so this year we’ll be buying in the fruit.

Gooseberries are a much forgotten fruit – in earlier times there were large plantings in the Wairarapa, as they do well here.  Preparation is a little tedious as the flower and stalk ends need to be flicked off with a sharp knife.  It is much easier to do this when the fruit is frozen, something I found out the hard way when I carefully thawed some to make a batch of Cashmere Chutney.

The quickest dessert to make is:

Gooseberry Fool

Cover a quantity of gooseberries with a small amount of water and poach until they “explode’.  Mash the fruit and add sugar to taste.  When cold, fold through lightly sweetened whipped cream, or a mix of whipped cream and yoghurt.

Gooseberries are also very useful in meat cooking, and in many cases, can be used to replace tomatoes in a recipe, where the tomatoes are not the main event, but are providing the acidity, and where only a small amount is called for.  Inn earlier times it was commonplace to serve gooseberries with veal, as the sharpness offset some of the fattiness of the veal.  Our own veal is indeed slightly fatty, and this recipe was stunning with it.

Ossi buchi (serves 6)

6 slices of veal at least 2.5cm thick, cut from the hind shank.

seasoned flour

butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, julienned

1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped

300 ml dry white wine

200 ml beef stock

250g gooseberries, topped and tailed

Gremolata:

3T chopped parsley

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Risotto all Milanese:

60g butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1.5L beef stock

500g Arborio rice

Generous pinch saffron (Wairarapa Gold is wonderful)

an extra lump of butter

grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Choose a lidded frying pan or Dutch oven (le Creuset are brilliant) that will fit all the veal in a single layer.  Toss the slices in flour and then sauté them in butter until they are golden brown on both sides.  Remove from the pan, and keep warm.  Add the onion and the carrot to the frying pan and fry until they are lightly coloured.  Return the veal to the pan with the vegetables, and add the garlic and the wine.  Raise the heat and boil; until the wine is reduced by half.  Add the stock and half the gooseberries.  Lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.  Turn the meat over cover again and cook for a further 20 minutes.  Season the sauce to taste.  Add a pinch of sugar to enhance the flavour of the gooseberries without making it sweet.  If you think that the flavour is sharp enough, then don’t add the remaining gooseberries.  If it seems too mild, add the remaining gooseberries.  Cook for another 20 minutes or so until the veal is tender.  If the sauce is too thin, do not over the pan for this last cooking, and leave the sauce to reduce down.

Mix the parsley and the lemon zest for the gremolata and sprinkle over the top of the ossi buchi.

While the veal is cooking, make the risotto.

Melt the butter and cook the onion until it is transparent.  Bring the stock to the boil in a separate pot.

Stir the rice into the onion and butter, stirring until all grains are coated with butter.  Do not rush this step – it will take about 2 minutes.  Pour in a ladle of stock, stir and as the stock disappears, add more.  Continue doing this until the rice is creamy.

Dissolve the saffron in a bowl with some hot stock and leave it to infuse while the rice cooks.

When the rice is almost tender, pour in the saffron stock and finish the cooking.  Stir in the extra lump of butter, parmesan to taste, and salt and pepper.