Details:
Saturday 29th May
11.00am — 1.00pm
Space on Crummer — 12 Crummer Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland
To find tickets:
Visit our Facebook Events page or eventbrite
If you have any questions, email Mel on catering@juk.co.nz.
See you there!
A sneak peek from our Pink Ribbon Brunch in 2019!
Trudi Nelson was our MC in 2019 and will be back this year, too!
Expect a gorgeous brunch spread... Pink Ribbon style!
]]>After what was quite a year in 2020, we thought our wonderful stockists needed a proper 'cheers-to-you' for their steadfast support they gave us. Aside from supporting JUK, they’ve all got a multitude of other beautiful products to offer, too — from local produce to gelato, fresh blooms to organic wine. They’re all worth a visit! Read on to find out more.
North:
Matakana — Charlie's Gelato (the best in town)
Charlie’s Gelato in Matakana is a great stop-in. It’s an institution and all their gelato, sorbetto and seasonal fresh produce is made and grown locally. Their woodfired pizzas, (available in summer), are worth making the trip in their own right. A delivery of their fresh berries to our team in Morningside in the summer goes down an absolute treat!
Auckland — Speciality Grocery Stores
Looking for a lovely neighbourhood food market? Simply Fresh is one of our favourites and worth a visit to Northcote. They stock locally sourced, speciality food delights (think pickles, deli items and more) plus the hottest seasonal produce. Farro is a wonderful, long-term stockist of ours and they’ve got a tonne of delicious international and local products available (JUK included!). The General in Epsom is another one of our stockists — find coffee and freshly baked goods.
Taupo — The Merchant
The Merchant in Taupo is a great spot for Taupo locals and those passing through to get your hands on speciality food goodies and a delicious drop.
Wellington Delights — Moore Wilsons
For locals and out-of-towners alike, Moore Wilsons is a must visit! Their in-store tastings will have you filling your basket in less than a few minutes.
South:
Nelson — Connings Market
Nelson hosts a great neighbourhood, family owned and operated, boutique grocery store called Connings. They specialise in fresh paddock to plate produce, mainly grown on their home farm. Seasonal salads, baking and sandwiches are also there to be devoured. Exceptional products come out of sunny Nelson and this is the perfect store to find them. Proper Crisps and Little Beauties (think freeze dried boysenberries dipped in white chocolate) are just the start.
Our online friends — Foodbox and The Market
Check out our online stockists Foodbox and The Market — delivery to your door of JUK. Thanks for your support.
So, make sure you make a visit to our wonderful stockists — shopping local is more important than ever now, too! We can’t wait to work with you all again in 2021.
From all the team at JUK.
X
]]>Whether you’ve got half a loaf or a baguette, there's so many ways to re-invent a stale loaf and create something delicious.
To simply freshen it up again, run the bread under cold water for a few seconds and then place in a hot oven for 3-4 minutes — it’ll come out fresh as new! This is perfect for refreshing leftover bread while shops are closed over the stat days this summer.
To truly re-invent your stale bread, here are a few of our favourite recipes at JUK to do so. Taking notes from the Italians, who are masters at using up their stale loaves of bread, (not a crumb goes to waste), these are my twists on their classics.
Pangritata
Pangritata, translates as 'Poor Man's Parmesan', in Italian. So, use this instead of the actual cheese, don't be tempted to add it before you've tasted your pasta with the Pangritata – it's delicious.
Making Pangritata:
Simply, perhaps inventively, make some breadcrumbs from the stale loaf you have. If it's a hard, crusty baguette you can knock it with a wine bottle and it will crumble. Or, pull a larger soft-ish loaf into pieces and freeze – you can then crumble it or pop it in your food processor. Just use the pulse setting so you can get it to the crumb size you're after. If it's already hard, yet breakable, cut or tear it into medium size bits, and pulse these in a good food processor, too.
With your breadcrumbs ready, heat a skillet or frying pan. Drizzle a touch of olive oil. Add the crumbs and stir over low heat until very crispy and golden. Allow to cool and store to sprinkle over your pasta dishes for an added texture and flavour. Store these in the freezer for the best effect. You could add dried oregano or another herb of choice, into the pan too, if you'd like. Enjoy.
Crostini Three Ways
Crostini have but one key role in life, and that is to be the toast for all the delicious toppings. At JUK we have a few firm favourites, these three being among them.
So make your next party a crostini party!
Making crostini
Preheat your oven to 160°C. Slice a stale baguette or loaf of bread into slices around half a centimetre wide. Toss slices in a few generous glugs of olive oil, and season with a little salt. Spread out on an oven tray and bake for 15–20 minutes, until crispy and lightly golden. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Tomato & basil bruschetta
Rub crostini with half a garlic clove. In a bowl mix together quartered cherry tomatoes, shredded basil leaves and finely diced red onion. Add a splash of red wine vinegar and a dash of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato mixture plus some of the juices onto crostini, and serve straight away.
Smashed pea, avocado & feta crostini
In a small bowl, roughly mash half a cup of cooked peas, half a cup of cooked edamame beans, half an avocado and 50g of crumbled feta. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, half a teaspoon of toasted fennel seeds and plenty of salt and pepper to season. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Top with pea tendrils and thin slices of radish for a pop of contrasting colour.
Marinated courgette & cream cheese crostini
Thinly ribbon lengths of courgette, and place in a small bowl with the zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus salt and pepper to season. Slather your crostini with cream cheese, top with coils of courgette and garnish with finely sliced fresh mint.
Tomato & Summer-fruit Panzanella
This is my twist on an Italian bread salad — a great way to use up that stale loaf. Traditionally the bread would be added fresh and left to soak up all of the juices, but I find this far too soggy for my liking. Instead, I prefer to toast the bread into croutons and add them at the last minute to deliver some crunch.
Ingredients
1 stale baguette, ripped into small chunks
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 preserved lemon
500g mixed heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped into different shapes
250g strawberries,
hulled & halved
¼ watermelon, peeled and roughly chopped
1 red onion, finely diced
Small handful basil leaves, chopped
Small handful parsley leaves
Salt & pepper
Dressing
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
4 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Makes 4 serves
Takes 20 minutes
Dairy-free
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Toss baguette, olive oil and garlic together on a baking tray, and season with salt and pepper. Spread into an even layer and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
Remove the flesh from preserved lemon and discard. Finely slice the rind into thin ribbons.
To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the remaining ingredients to a large bowl and drizzle over the dressing, tossing gently to coat. Add the crispy croutons just before serving, allowing them to soak up some of the tomato juices and dressing.
]]>#1. Leftover Christmas ham?
Store it properly and it’ll last for weeks! Take an old, clean pillowcase or tea towel and soak in a mixture of 4 cups cold water to 2 tbsp white vinegar. Wring out and wrap around your ham. Repeat every couple of days as the bag dries out.
#2. Turkey or chicken carcasses?
Don’t throw out your turkey or chicken carcasses, stash them in a bag in the freezer to make a delicious homemade stock next time you’re craving ramen — because soup can be a summer food, too! See below and find the recipe here.
#3. Salmon?
Make a simple omelette and top with capers and dill. Or, whip up some crostini and top with salmon, cream cheese and dill on leftover toasted and sliced bread. To make your crostini, and for more topping ideas, visit our blog post here.
#4. Leftover lamb?
Re-invent these into either mouthwatering Mediterranean Lamb Wraps or Middle Eastern Lamb Filo Pies.
Middle Eastern Lamb Filo Hand Pies
#5. Leftover potatoes?
Whip up Patates Bravas for a delicious breakfast or lunch side. Simply, heat oil in a pan and fry chopped onion for about 5 mins until softened. Add a few cloves of crushed garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, sweet paprika, chilli powder, sugar and a pinch of salt, then bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Lower to a simmer and cook for 10 mins until pulpy. You can omit the tomato and onion and just fry the potatoes up until crisp for a dry version.
#6. Stale bread?
There is so much you can do with stale bread! From Panzanella Salad, Pangritata and Crostini. They're worth it! Visit our blog post for all the recipes here.
A cookbook is truly a gift that keeps on giving. Whether it’s for Christmas, a birthday or a house-warming present – who doesn't love a new cookbook to inspire one to get back into the kitchen. With hundreds of recipes in each of my three cookbooks, there's something for everyone. Our food at JUK is fuss-free, designed for the home cook and importantly, tastes delicious.
As we all scramble to finish this year's Christmas shopping, why not grab a JUK cookbook, or two. My Underground Kitchen is my first book – one that reflects my clear food philosophy – healthy, home-cooked meals that test new combinations of modern ingredients. My Underground Deli is my second labour of love and is a journal of life behind our buzzing Herne Bay deli. We have a great special that includes these two – to shop online, visit our website here.
For a teaser of what's inside my latest book, My Underground Everyday, I've shared a few of my favourite recipes below. Just in time for Christmas, I've included a delicious recipe for Dukkah-Rubbed Christmas Lamb. My Underground Everyday is packed full of the dishes I cook at home, with interesting flavours and recipes packed with inspiration for the home cook.
So, go on...get your loved ones cooking!
Dukkah-Rubbed Christmas Lamb
Is there anything more quintessentially Kiwi on Christmas Day than a roast lamb? The traditional leg gets a modern refresh with a Middle Eastern-inspired almond dukkah rub — baste when you remember for maximum tenderness. This is great to have in the fridge for Boxing Day leftovers, too!
Ingredients
¼ cup whole almonds
3 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried mint
1 whole leg of lamb, approximately 1.6–1.8kg
3 tbsp olive oil
Makes 6–8 serves as a main dish
Takes 1 ½ hours
Gluten-free | Dairy-free
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
In a food processor, combine almonds, coriander, cumin, sesame, fennel and mint. Pulse until a coarse spice mix forms. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pat lamb dry, drizzle with olive oil and dress with the dukkah rub, pushing it onto the lamb as you go. Place in a roasting tray and bake for 1¼ hours for medium, or 1½ –2 hours for well done. Baste with juices 2–3 times during cooking. Remove the lamb from the oven, cover and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Tip To barbecue your lamb, preheat a lidded barbecue to 200°C. Place lamb in the centre of the barbecue and turn the burners directly under the lamb off, so just the side burners are going. Close the lid and cook for 2½ –3 hours, until cooked to your liking. Remember to rest your lamb before serving, as above.
Pear Frangipane Tart
This classic baked tart is perfect for when you want to throw something together quickly, with minimal fuss. I found some pears at the market but you could use apples, stone fruit or even frozen berries to get delicious results. Serve warm with yoghurt for dessert or even breakfast!
Ingredients
5 medium pears
½ cup plain flour
½ cup almond flour
Pinch of salt
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
2 eggs
¼ cup natural yoghurt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup honey, or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
Makes 1 large pie
Takes 55 minutes
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease a 20cm round baking dish or skillet pan.
Core the pears. Dice two of the pears finely, and thinly slice the remaining three pears to arrange on the top of the cake.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom.
In another bowl, beat the eggs and add the yoghurt, olive oil, honey, vanilla essence and diced pears, mixing to combine. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and fold together until just mixed. Pour the batter into the pre-greased baking dish. Arrange the sliced pairs over the top of the cake.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 10–15 minutes. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
]]>
I joined Jesse Mulligan this afternoon on Radio New Zealand National and shared my delicious recipe for Negroni-glazed Ham. The Negroni glaze is also the perfect home-made Christmas gift and is a delicious treat to add to your weekend breakfast. Find the recipe in my latest cookbook, too – My Underground Everyday. To listen, follow the link here.
Ham is the star of the show on Christmas Day, and a large leg of ham will keep you happily fed for at least a week post-Christmas. You can serve it hot, straight out of the oven, or glaze your ham a day or two in advance to leave oven space for other dishes.
Gluten-free | Dairy-free
Makes: 12 serves
Takes: 1 ½ hours
Ingredients
2 cups Negroni marmalade, or orange marmalade
1 thumb fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 star anise
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp seeded mustard, plus extra for serving
1 whole ham on the bone, cooked
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place a medium saucepan over medium heat, and add the marmalade, ginger, garlic, star anise, brown sugar, mustard and 3 cups of water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until sticky and slightly reduced. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Carefully remove the skin from your ham (the easiest way to do this is by running your fingers gently under the skin) so you’re left with a nice layer of fat. Score the fat with a knife, and brush with half the glaze.
Place ham on a greased wire rack sitting inside a large roasting tray. Pour two cups of water around the base of the ham. Cook for up to an hour on the bottom shelf of your oven, brushing with extra glaze every 15 minutes, until golden brown and sticky.
Serve ham with remaining glaze and extra seeded mustard.
Tip
To stop your leftover ham from drying out, keep it in a ham-bag, old pillowcase or wrap it in a clean tea-towel in the fridge. Before using the bag, soak in a mix of 1 litre of water and 2 tbsp white vinegar. Wring out the excess liquid to leave the bag damp. Repeat every few days and your bone-in ham will last for up to two weeks.
Negroni Marmalade
If you're in need of an early morning tipple, reach no further than this orange & grapefruit Campari-spiked spread to slosh over your toast. Jokes aside, the addition of Campari to this negroni-inspired marmalade adds a delicious bitter-sweetness and while the alcohol is cooked off during the process, it’s a super fun edible gift and one of my favourite weekend breakfast treats! I love it on a cheese platter with a ripe brie and a funky blue, too.
Makes 8 cups
Takes 1 hour, plus overnight
Gluten-free + Dairy-free + Vegan
Ingredients
4 oranges
2 grapefruit
1.5 cups Campari
3 cups white sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 vanilla pod, sliced in half and seeds scraped out
Method
Remove the ends from the oranges and grapefruit, plus any visible seeds or excess pith. Quarter and slice into thin slices.
Place in a large bowl along with any excess juice and fill with cold water until the citrus is just covered. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge overnight.
Place the citrus and water in a large saucepan and add the sugar, Campari, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture is reduced by half. Remove cinnamon stick, star anise and vanilla pod.
Pour marmalade into clean, sterilised jars and allow to cool completely before lidding and storing.
Better yet, you can buy all these treats online and we'll deliver direct to your doorstep. You can also add a note to that special someone. Make Christmas shopping stress–free this year!
My Underground Everyday – Jess' latest cookbook
Chocolate Chilli Jess Ball Mix
Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Cookie Dough
JUK Gift Voucher – purchase in store or online!
Happy stress-free Christmas shopping!
]]>
Today at The Food Show I shared two of my favourite summer recipes — Vietnamese Caramel Salmon & Roast Duck Lettuce Cups. Both fresh and full of flavour – they're real crowd pleasers! Follow the recipes below to cook them at home.
The salty-sweet South-East Asian caramel flavour pairs beautifully with the richness of the salmon and the sourness of the lime in this quick and easy noodle dish. Add freshness with seasonal greens and you’ve got yourself a winning everyday meal — any leftovers will be great for lunch the following day, too. Serve with steamed jasmine rice as an alternative to rice noodles.
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 tbsp fish sauce
100g broccolini, or other seasonal greens
¼ cup cracked black pepper
400g fresh salmon, skin-on and pin-boned, cut into
4 even-sized fillets
2 tbsp sesame oil
300g wide rice noodles
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
Handful coriander leaves
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
Lime wedges, to serve
Makes 4 serves
Takes 25 minutes
Gluten-free | Dairy-free
Method
To make the Vietnamese caramel, place the sugar and water in
a small saucepan over medium heat, Boil, without stirring, until
it turns a light golden brown, swirling the pan every once in a
while to ensure the colour is even. Remove from the heat and add 2 more tablespoons of water and the fish sauce (it’ll bubble furiously and darken in colour). Once the caramel has stopped bubbling, mix well and allow to cool.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Trim broccolini and add to the pot with a pinch of salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes until just blanched. Drain and refresh in ice-cold water. Put to one side.
Place the pepper on a plate and press the salmon flesh-side down into the pepper to coat the flesh.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and place the salmon fillets pepper-side down in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes before turning skin-side down and cook for 5 more minutes or until just cooked through.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of boiling water to the boil. Cook rice noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and toss with remaining sesame oil.
Divide the noodles between 4 bowls and top each bowl with a piece of salmon, some broccolini and a generous drizzle of caramel. Scatter over kaffir lime, coriander, spring onion, fresh chilli and serve with lime wedges.
Asian duck ‘tacos’? Yes, please! These wraps are an easy way to get the taste of Peking duck we all crave, without the hassle. And the lettuce cups are a healthy addition. Serve these up as a main meal, or as a fresh and healthy nibble at your next gathering.
Ingredients
Marinade
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled & grated
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp Chinese five spice
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rice bran oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
4 duck legs
1 spring onion
100g vermicelli noodles, cooked
½ cucumber, cut into matchsticks
2 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated
2–3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds,
Small handful coriander leaves
Makes 4 serves
Takes 50 minutes plus marinating time
Method
Place all of the marinade ingredients in a sealable bag, and rub to combine. Add duck legs to the bag, seal it and place it in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour.
Thinly slice spring onions into long strips and place in a small bowl of iced water for 30 minutes, until curly. Drain and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Place duck legs and marinade in a roasting tray. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the heat up to 200°C and cook for a further 10 minutes, until skin is crispy and duck is cooked through. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Once they’re cool enough to handle, shred the meat off the duck.
To serve, divide noodles, duck, cucumber and spring onion evenly between lettuce cups and drizzle with second amount of hoisin sauce. Scatter over sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Alternatively, serve up
all of the components in small bowls and let people help themselves!
Christmas is a special time of year – one to be celebrated! But, with any celebration, a lot of waste (including food waste) can really pile up! So, let’s turn it on its head this year and tread a little lighter on the planet.
Read on for tips how you can reduce, reuse and recycle this Christmas.
]]>Christmas is a special time of year – one to be celebrated! But, with any celebration, a lot of waste (including food waste) can really pile up! So, let’s turn it on its head this year and tread a little lighter on the planet.
Read on for tips how you can reduce, reuse and recycle this Christmas.
Packaging & Wrapping:
Food waste:
Packaging:
Any online or in-store shopping, food included, is commonly excessively wrapped and shipped in oversized boxes (not ours!). Cardboard and glass are easy to recycle but plastic is a minefield for most people. Read on.
Packaging:
For any Christmas packaging that is not possible to recycle in your area, think about how you could use it in other ways. Lots of jars and containers are perfect for storing left-over soup or stock in the freezer.
Food:
Hopefully we’ve provided some great tips for you and your family to reduce, reuse and recycle this Christmas. If you need more information on JUK packaging or have any other queries please email us on hello@juk.co.nz – we’ll be happy to help!
]]>Whether you’re planning your office Christmas party or have found yourself in charge of the family pre–Christmas do – JUK can help take care of the food. Our festive catering arm is in full swing and we’re ecstatic to be able to do so!
We’re so lucky here in New Zealand that we can now spend time with our wider family and friends. So, why not grab a glass of bubbles and host a celebratory gathering with colleagues or your loved ones. The weather is continuing to warm up – this means al fresco dining and mingling!
Catering for your own event can be a daunting task and most of us prefer to be an honoured guest (let’s not kid ourselves!). So, we’ve created a range of catering packages and offer bespoke menus that’ll make organising your event stress-free. Weddings are back on our catering calendars and everyone is happy they’ve returned! However, we’re also somewhat experts at catering for corporate and private Christmas parties. If you’ve got a vision let us help create a menu that’ll delight your crowd. If you’re hosting at home, off-site or in the office we can deliver catering to suit your event. Our walk and fork menu is the perfect form of catering for a stand-up event, or our large gourmet platters and grazing tables look beautiful and can feed a crowd. Talk to our expert team about what kind of dining is suitable for your party size and style.
To help take all the pressure off you on the day, JUK staff can also help with as much or as little of the set up and pack down of your event as required (an event management fee may apply). Our Wait Staff can be available not just for food but can run the bar and perform drinks service, too. We have licensed Bar Managers on staff to manage the safe service of alcohol if your venue requires it.
So, let’s all enjoy fine wine, delicious food and some good quality socialising. Get in touch with our team to organise your Christmas party catering – catering@juk.co.nz
]]>As always you'll be able to pick your own proteins which will be complemented with scrumptious sides and condiments.
Keep an eye out for more details on our 2019 JUK Christmas Hampers, online for ordering from mid-October!
]]>Pros
No subscription – order what you want, when you want, so you never end up with a meal you don't like.
Menu changes every day – always fresh and seasonal, and published weekly so you can decide what looks delicious.
No cooking – we slave away over a hot stove so you don't have to.
No dishes – forget about scrubbing a blackened pot, you an even eat right out of the bowl if you want!
Inspired by home cooking – you get to eat what I want to eat, every night of the week. No mass production, no machines. Just honest home cooking with quality ingredients.
More time for you – bypass the supermarket and have dinner delivered directly to your door. Forget about meal prep, our homemade dinners are ready to heat & eat. Go to the gym, spend extra time with family, catch up with a friend after work – the choice is yours!
Environmentally friendly – 95% our packaging is compostable and what can't be composted is 100% recyclable.
Small business – support local and join the JUK community today!
Cons
You have to cook for yourself on Saturday & Sunday...
...or stock up on JUK frozen meals and let Jess feed you every night of the week!
Champagne Pops
makes 6 | to prep 15 minutes plus freezing time | gluten-free & dairy-free
Ingredients
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup water
750ml Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
8 strawberries, sliced
Small handful edible flowers
6 wooden popsicle sticks
Method
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water and heat gently until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Gently mix Champagne into the sugar syrup – mix just enough to combine as you don't want to lose the Champagne bubbles.
Divide strawberries and flowers between popsicle moulds. Top with champagne syrup. insert the popsicle sticks, moving the strawberries and flowers around if necessary to ensure they're evenly dispersed.
Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.
]]>
Here's one of my favourite ways to dress up the humble cob – doused in heavily-spiced butter, freshly grated parmesan and a squeeze of lime.
Mexican Street Corn
serves 4 | to prep 5 minutes | to cook 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 ears fresh corn, in their husks
50g butter, softened
juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
small handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
extra fresh coriander leaves to garnish
lemon or lime wedges to serve
Method
Heat a barbecue grill plate to hot.
Run the corn ears under cold water and place in a microwave-proof dish. Microwave on high for 5 minutes — this steams the corn inside the husks, so it’s nice and juicy. If you don’t own a microwave, steam the ears of corn over a saucepan of simmering water for 5–6 minutes.
When the ears of corn are cool enough to handle, remove the husks and place the corn cobs on the grill plate for 8–10 minutes, turning frequently, until nicely charred.
Mix together the butter, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, chilli flakes, cumin and chopped coriander. Brush the cobs liberally with the butter mix. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan and extra coriander leaves.
Serve immediately with chunky wedges of lemon or lime.
]]>So make your next party a crostini party!
Making crostini
Preheat your oven to 160°C. Slice a stale baguette or loaf of bread into slices around half a centimetre wide. Toss slices in a few generous glugs of olive oil, and season with a little salt. Spread out on an oven tray and bake for 15–20 minutes, until crispy and lightly golden. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Tomato & basil bruschetta
Rub crostini with half a garlic clove. In a bowl mix together quartered cherry tomatoes, shredded basil leaves and finely diced red onion. Add a splash of red wine vinegar and a dash of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato mixture plus some of the juices onto crostini, and serve straight away.
Smashed pea, avocado & feta crostini
In a small bowl, roughly mash half a cup of cooked peas, half a cup of cooked edamame beans, half an avocado and 50g of crumbled feta. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, half a teaspoon of toasted fennel seeds and plenty of salt and pepper to season. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Top with pea tendrils and thin slices of radish for a pop of contrasting colour.
Marinated courgette & cream cheese crostini
Thinly ribbon lengths of courgette, and place in a small bowl with the zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus salt and pepper to season. Slather your crostini with cream cheese, top with coils of courgette and garnish with finely sliced fresh mint.
]]>At JUK we are constantly amazed by how many meals we deliver around town every week on behalf of generous friends and businesses who want to look after the people who are important to them.
Whether it’s to celebrate a new baby or offer condolences to someone going through a more challenging time, we’re always honoured to know that our meals are helping make someone’s day a little easier – with a guaranteed fresh, easy and delicious dinner on the table.
]]>Whether it’s to celebrate a new baby or offer condolences to someone going through a more challenging time, we’re always honoured to know that our meals are helping make someone’s day a little easier – with a guaranteed fresh, easy and delicious dinner on the table.
From gift vouchers to meal hampers, we’re always happy to include personalised messages with any delivery.
Choose from our range of hampers here to place your orders and we can have your gift hampers out for delivery the very next day!
]]>
NELLY – OPERATIONS MANAGER
Recently moved back from living in London, Nelly buzzes around from store to store and keeps our team one big happy family. We love her OCD-list-keeping and positive vibes.
FLOYD – BARISTA
Floyd is one of our star players who's based mainly in our Remuera store. Floyd makes you feel at home as soon as you walk through the door, with a super-chill attitude and a warm smile. If he's not drinking coffee he's enjoying a craft beer, and cruising the sweet streets of Kingsland on his skateboard. Say kia ora next time you see him!
KARAM – CHEF
Karam is in charge of our delicious daily meals! He loves a backwards cap, a kitchen singalong and a destination wedding. Karam's looking forward to exploring more Middle Eastern dishes this year in line with his heritage – we hope you are, too!
WENCY – CHEF
Wency is one of our happy chefs (although we might lose him to Mexico... he’s just been on holiday and won’t stop banging on about how great it was!) always making a mess (but those are the best cooks — anyone who knows me, knows I’m not a tidy cook either!) can whip up a mighty fine dressing out of nothing and always uses too much chicken in his sandwiches.
From one of his fellow chefs: "When it comes to our house-made JUK chutneys and dressings Wency is our secret ingredient!" We love ya, Wence!
JESS B – ACCOUNTS
You might not believe it, but it takes three Jess' to keep JUK running! Jess B is our in-house accountant, she keeps things ticking with an impressive filing system, and makes sure we all break for a healthy lunch. Charming and gentle, Jess B is the glue that holds our office team together!
MACY – JUK MASCOT
Macy has been around since almost the start of JUK – some of you may remember her being tied up outside La Boulange in the early days! Black and white = very on-brand. She is cuddly, loves hanging out in the office and is always on the lookout for crumbs.
HARRIET – CHEF
Harriet has been with us for 2 years and is an integral part of the JUK kitchen team! Originally from the UK and worked in Queenstown before she found us. A salad queen, my right-hand woman at weddings and events, and one of the hardest workers I know.
MATT – DELIVERIES
Have you met Matt, our friendly and conscientious delivery driver? He’s so switched on and has changed our lives for the better! And currently only one parking ticket under his belt.
LILA – CATERING
As our Events Manager, Lila spends her week meeting with clients, planning menus and is a bit of a champ behind the bar at any event! And if that wasn’t enough, Lila is also a customer service superstar and manages our in-store and online product inventory!
]]>We have a range of options to suit every budget, so start picturing show-stopping grazing tables, delicious canapés and gorgeous spreads of salads and barbecued meats. We can offer front of house staff to ensure all your guests are well looked after – with a topped-up drink in their hand and a tray of food never far away.
Local venues we love working with include Pocket Bar, Sapphire Room, Shed 10, The Chancery Chambers and Orams. But we’re also just as happy heading to the bowling club, the beach, a forest or even a tepee in the middle of your office carpark!
Every event is unique and there is definitely no “one size fits all”. Pre-Christmas is a busy time at JUK, so it pays to book in early. Talk to us today about celebrating the end of the year with your staff, the JUK way. Drop us a line at catering@juk.co.nz
]]>See roles we currently have available, and email your CV and cover letter to hello@juk.co.nz today!
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Ingredients
4 sheets filo pastry
50g butter, melted
100g soft goats’ cheese
2 Tbsp honey
8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
Honeycomb
Extra fresh thyme leaves, to garnish
Makes 4 as a dessert, 6–8 as an entrée
Takes 35 minutes
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Unroll your first sheet of filo pastry. Brush it generously with butter, and place another sheet of filo on top.
Crumble half the goats’ cheese along the horizontal length of the pastry, approximately 2cm from the bottom edge. Drizzle goats’ cheese with half the honey. Top with a sprinkling of thyme leaves.
Starting from the bottom, roll the pastry up and over the goats’ cheese, and continue rolling until you have a long cigar. Brush with a little extra butter to seal.
Repeat with the 2 remaining sheets of pastry and the remaining goats’ cheese, honey and thyme.
Cut both cigars to your desired length, and place them on the lined baking tray. Brush with the remaining butter and bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden-brown and crispy.
Serve immediately, with a drizzle of honeycomb and a sprinkling of extra thyme leaves to garnish.
Filo 101 Filo sheets tend to dry out quickly, so store them under a damp tea towel while you’re not working with them.
Tip Substitute the thyme for your favourite herb or spice — fennel seeds, cinnamon and lavender all work well.
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Ingredients
800g Portobello mushrooms, washed & ends trimmed
10 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 onion, peeled & roughly cut into wedges
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1–2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup cream
1 lemon, zest & juice
Parmesan, to serve
Salt & pepper
Makes 4 serves
Takes 40 minutes
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Arrange mushrooms, bottom sides facing up, on the tray, along with garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary and fennel seeds. Drizzle with oil and vinegar and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 25–30 minutes, tossing several times during cooking, until mushrooms are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Remove thyme stems and squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin. Add the entire tray of mushrooms, onions, garlic and herbs to the bowl of your food processor, including all of the juices. Add vegetable stock and blitz until smooth. Add cream, lemon zest and juice and blend until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Serve hot with an extra drizzle of cream, some shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of good-quality, extra-virgin olive oil.
]]>Free nationwide shipping on cookbooks! Offer only available while stocks last.
]]>Feijoas are quintessentially Kiwi, and thanks to this tasty condiment (which only gets better as it ages) you can enjoy them year round.
makes 6 cups | to prep 10 minutes | to cook 1 1⁄2 hours
1kg feijoas, topped and tailed
500g onions, diced
300g golden raisins
500g chopped dates
500g brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons salt
4 cups cider (or malt) vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
Halve your feijoas; the bigger your halves, the chunkier your chutney, so cut them in quarters if you prefer a finer texture. Add all of the ingredients except the pepper to a heavy-based saucepan and cook over a low heat for 1–11⁄2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thick. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
Decant into sterilised jars (see below), making sure there are no air pockets. This chutney is best if you leave it to mature for 1–2 months, but i can never wait that long! Store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
To be extra certain your jar is only going to preserve chutney, and not something else funky, it’s best to sterilise them before filling. Sterilising is pretty easy. Wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water and then place in the oven at 150°c for 15 minutes. Take care when handling hot jars. Put hot contents in hot jars, or wait for hot jars to cool before you fill them with ingredients at room temperature.
]]>For their current class assignment, the students have been asked to create a selection of recipe cards to accompany food relief parcels in the Pacific. These parcels must feed a family of four at $2 a head, over five nights.
Working out how to be smart with leftovers; thinking about how to use of grains and carbohydrates for comfort and full tummies; being culturally sensitive when it comes to herbs and spices; purchasing in-season produce and then putting everything through a system so you can track costings; making sure you're charging for labour and utilities; these were all important points I covered with the students. It made me think about the costing structure we have in place at JUK and how systems can be put in place to make the daily grind so much easier to manage and track.
It's so important to keep all of your ducks in a row... making sure the numbers are accurate and in the right place, as well as making sure all accounts are filed on time. This sounds like quite a daunting task but I think the key is keeping up to date throughout the year, something I learnt quickly when my dinner numbers boosted from 2 to 200!
The software we use day-in and day-out with Xero has made regular reconciling, monthly accounts and up-to-date reports easy to manage and, with the end of financial year fast approaching, having these sorted makes the process much faster (and easier!). As we all know, I barely have enough time in the day to check my emails let alone sort through accounts for the end of financial year.
From talking to the students about being smart around in-season produce, planning and processing costs, I not only (hopefully) taught them a thing or two but I was able to kick into gear what needs to happen for our own end of financial year - which luckily isn't too much of a headache when you have a great system like Xero supporting you!
]]>As a small, growing business it can be such a juggle to stay on top of every aspect, from ordering the right quantities of ingredients for our daily fresh meals and keeping the delis running smoothly to managing inventory and admin - which is somewhat of a daunting task. Anyone else out there struggling to balance life around their business?!
Following the Women in Business event last year, I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time with a Xero expert (their offices are just down the road from JUK office), which has helped me so much. Who knew you could pay all of your bills in one batch payment with two clicks of a button... Even though I've been a Xero user for 3 years now, I was only using 1% of the software capabilities!
A busy shift in the kitchen can be pretty exhausting (we call it Kitchen Crossfit!) and the last thing I want at the end of a long hot slog is to be processing and reconciling accounts. Xero saves my bacon, quite literally. For a foodie like me trying to wear an accounting hat, it's easy to use, it's intuitive and self-explanatory and it saves me so much money in unnecessary accounting costs.
Using Xero allows me to focus on being creative in the kitchen, which we all know is the part I love the most. If you've been sticking your head in the sand about accounting (like I did for the first couple of years of running a business), maybe Xero could be your life-saver, too!
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I hope you're feeling as relaxed and refreshed as I am after the Christmas break! We've been busy drumming up some exciting new ideas that I'm sure you're going to love, and now it's time to share them with you all.
A big thank you to everyone who participated in our end-of-year survey – your thoughts and feedback were so useful and have led us to make some great decisions for JUK 2018, so let's start from the top...
As you know, we love creating fresh and healthy home-cooked meals for all of our customers to enjoy. With this in mind we realise we need to cater for all of our customers, big and small. We are introducing junior serves – with less spice and packed full of all the nutrition and yumminess a kid needs in their daily dinner to make feeding the family even easier. Feeding the whole crew? Grab one of our new family-sized dinners that will suit a family with two adults and two school aged kids or similar equivalent. Again, these will be more family-friendly with lower spice levels and less of that infamous Jess-kick.
In order to provide you with the best possible service, and ensure your meal arrives delicious and fresh, we are offering free delivery to all of our customers who order fresh and frozen meals within a 10km radius from both of our stores. Your meals will be delivered during normal business hours, so you can even get them sent to your work!
If you live in Auckland but are outside this radius, we'll still deliver to you for just $10. Because these deliveries come via a third party courier, expect them to arrive between 5-8pm in the evening.
Love coming into our delis and picking up in person? Just remember to check out our new store hours, below.
Our store hours are having a tune-up. Both JUK Herne Bay and JUK Remuera will close at 4pm Monday through Friday. We'll have a supply of fresh meals in store every day for walk-in customers and even better, we'll have them available from 8am every morning, so you can even grab a delicious JUK meal on your way to work.
And we're opening on Sundays so you can get your JUK fix 7 days a week!
Both JUK delis will be open:
Monday – Friday 7am – 4pm
Saturday & Sunday 8am – 3pm
We want to make ordering your JUK meals as easy as possible, and what better way than to access menus, order history and account details via your iPhone! We just missed out on pushing this live before the weekend, so keep an eye out and we'll let you know as soon as you can download from iTunes!
A change we are so excited by – this year we are moving to compostable and biodegradable packaging for all fresh and frozen meals.
Both of our delis are environmentally sustainable with coffee cups, coffee lids, takeaway salad boxes and cutlery being 100% biodegradable and compostable. And although our fresh and frozen meal packaging has always been recyclable, we're taking it one step further with certified carbon-neutral, compostable packaging.
As a business we want to do our part for the planet, and help you help the environment at the same time. If you don't have a compost bin at home or work, leave your meal packaging out on your next delivery and we'll take it away for you and put it in our big compost bins. Or if you're popping into one of the delis for coffee, feel free to bring your used packaging in and dispose of it in-store. Together we can improve waste management, reduce greenhouse gases and protect the environment!
As we prepare to update our frozen meal packaging... we'll be having a sale on all existing frozen meals – $10 each, available in-store only until sold out – come in and stock up before they disappear!
Get ready to kick-start the new year together! Our first menu for this week is all sorts of tasty and delicious. Order online now.
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Simeon Burnett, Makaia Carr, Bridget Coates and myself
All four of us on the panel agreed cohesively (backed by some strong murmurs of agreeance from the crowd) about the importance of work-life balance – something I’ve struggled with and need to focus on this coming year. We also talked about surrounding yourself with a village, and how lucky we are in New Zealand to have incredible networks that celebrate and support small business owners – you never know when a conversation is going to lead – the power of that Kiwi one degree of separation!
Makaia Carr & Craig Hudson
As a woman in business in New Zealand, I feel that there are plenty of female-focussed networking groups that are playing a critical role in supporting and nurturing women entrepreneurs, and for this I applaud them. But, I ask you this: why are we, as women, the first to isolate ourselves as a group? Can you imagine the uproar if there were “men in business” support nights and networking events? Why, we’d be seeing red! Don’t get me wrong: I’m a proud female, through and through. But, at the end of the day, are we not just people in business? Why the need to categorise ourselves as men and women? Can we not support each other? The gender pay gap issue is something I back from an equality perspective; but on the flipside, plenty of my female friends out-rank their partners’ salaries or are “higher” on the career ladder. And in such couplings, they’re both happy! By isolating ourselves as the minority, we’re creating more noise than action, and wouldn’t we be better to remove the labels and just be humans in business, together?
Post-panel, I was discussing this topic with Makaia and a couple of other woman bosses who I know and respect. One thing we all agreed on: as women, we bring so much emotion into our respective businesses – we wear out hearts on our sleeves, we bear every criticism to the point where we forget to stop and pat ourselves on the back when we do something good, and we are so busy comparing ourselves to males that we forget why we’re entrepreneurs in the first place… Because we’ve already backed ourselves!
So ladies (and gentlemen), my advice is this: back yourself, back others around you and let’s empower each other to take risks, push ourselves further than before and continue chasing dreams. Bring on December, the silly season and 2018!
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