Dazz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

There has been a few birthdays lately. September seems to be a popular month for them – including my own, my son's – and just 30 minutes ago one of my hens surprisingly hatched a smoky grey chick.

A parting gift from the last rooster, to retire out at Wairoa Bridge, is the tiny chick, which to me brings the promise of spring and hope for all mankind.
Well maybe not…but it sure brought a smile to my day. In the meantime, I am going to celebrate life and delve into my party recipes for a pork side dish that I can make ahead of time and cook at the last minute. Koftas are a Middle Eastern meat ball, usually made with minced beef cooked on a skewer over hot embers. They are usually not served on the skewer, only cooked on them, but by making one long finger of minced meat and baking it onto the skewer they make ideal
party food.
Pork mince is ideal for this, as it has unique binding abilities and takes on the flavour of seasonings readily. But for this mixture I have avoided garlic in favour of a combination of herbs, capsicum, cashew and halloumi. By using a chunky mince and coarse dice of ingredients the koftas have a rustic appeal.

Party Pork Koftas
Gluten free
Makes 12-16 skewers

500g minced pork
1 red onion, diced
1 red capsicum, diced
1 Tbsp marjoram
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp olive oil
150g toasted cashew nut
100g halloumi cheese, diced
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup chopped coriander
2 Tbsp sea salt
2 Tbsp freshly cracked pepper

Method
Drain pork well, roast off the diced red onion and capsicum in the olive oil in a medium oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Cool, then add to the rest of the ingredients and squeeze onto soaked bamboo skewers. Place onto baking tray lined with baking paper. Rest in the fridge to set for an hour or until required. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Serve with yoghurt or pesto.