Nor'West News: September 14, 2023

10
Thursday September 14 2023
Lighter bites for warmer days
Herby chicken dippers
This is the perfect recipe to make
when zucchini is in season. Serve
with a fresh green salad for dinner
or make smaller dippers to share
as nibbles at a party or barbecue.
Dippers - makes 24
2 medium zucchini
500g chicken mince
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp finely chopped mint
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh
parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
Minty dipping sauce
¾ cup Greek yoghurt
1 handful fresh mint, finely
chopped
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
Method
• Coarsely grate the zucchini on
to a clean tea towel. Pull up the
edges and wring out as much
liquid as possible.
• Transfer to a large mixing
bowl. Add all the remaining
ingredients and mix until
combined.
• Roll the mixture into about 24
balls about the size of golf balls.
Place on a plate, flatten slightly
with the palm of your hand and
chill for 10 minutes to firm up.
• To make the minty dipping
sauce, combine the ingredients
in a bowl and chill until needed.
• Cook the chicken dippers on a
hot barbecue for 15-20 minutes
until nicely browned and cooked
through.
• Serve with the sauce on the
side, and garnish with extra
mint.
Notes
This mixture could also be made
into chicken burger patties.
To save time I use a pull chopper
to finely chop my herbs and
spring onion together.
Lemon and blueberry loaf
This is a lovely, light loaf, perfect
for morning tea that just looks so
pretty when glazed.
Loaf
150g butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
½ cup lemon juice
2 eggs, whisked
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ cup frozen blueberries, thawed
Lemon glaze
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Method
• Preheat the oven to 170°C fan
bake. Line a 27 x 13 cm loaf tin
with baking paper.
• Mix together the butter and
sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the
lemon zest and juice. Add the
eggs and mix again.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder
and soda. Fold together until just
combined.
• Pour one-third of the batter
into the lined tin. Scatter half of
the blueberries on top. Repeat
with one-third more of the
mixture and the remaining
blueberries. Finish with the
remaining loaf mixture and
smooth the top.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, until
a skewer inserted into the centre
comes out clean. Allow to cool.
• To make the lemon glaze, mix
the icing sugar, lemon zest and
juice. Add the boiling water a
little at a time until a drizzling
consistency is achieved.
• Drizzle the lemon glaze over
the cooled loaf. Allow to set
before slicing and serving. Store
in an airtight container in the
pantry.
Notes
Use fresh blueberries if they are
in season.
RECIPES: VANYA INSULL
PHOTOS: MELANIE JENKINS
New look Valentines open now
Hornby restaurant offers more choices and familiar favourites
Thousands of Christchurch families will
have fond memories of enjoying the tasty
food and friendly vibe of Valentines buffet
restaurant, which was located for many
years in the central city.
A New Zealand-wide franchise
operation, the business went through many
changes over the years, then with new
owners taking over the company six years
ago, it gained a new momentum.
A third franchise was set up in Auckland,
its Rotorua restaurant reopened, and in July
2019, Valentines Christchurch opened at a
new location – Chalmers Street, Hornby.
As company director Ron Lal explains,
Valentines has a rich history in Kiwi culture
and they wanted to retain that feeling of
nostalgia, but with some new concepts
added to the mix.
“We wanted to offer our customers a new
experience that’s up with the times, and
with a modern twist on hospitality.
“Customers have a lot more choice of
food now,” he says, “for example you can
choose your own meat, which will be
cooked individually for you. We offer a big
selection of dishes, seafood and desserts,
and of course there are the familiar
favourites that the children love, like the
chocolate fountain and an endless supply of
ice-cream.
“We want to wow the customers and
at the same time we want to create that
nostalgic Valentines feel.”
The Valentines tradition of a free meal
for a customer on their birthday has been
upgraded to a celebratory birthday treat
and, of course, with the famous birthday
song being sung by staff, too. Families are
also invited to take advantage of the school
holiday special from time to time. During
the holidays, one child under the age of
eight gets a free lunch if accompanied by a
full paying adult. (T’s & C’s apply.)
Valentines has always been seen as a
100 per cent family restaurant, a tradition
that the new Valentines team is keen to
continue, but Valentines is also a restaurant
for everyone, from families to couples,
to friends getting together to celebrate a
special occasion.
Situated in the heart of the Hornby
shopping precinct, not only is Valentines
the ideal place for people from the Hornby
community to enjoy tasty food and a warm,
friendly vibe, it also employs local staff,
who are treated well and therefore enjoy
working there and giving their customers
the best possible service.
Valentines is open seven days a week,
from 10am till late. Outside the buffet
times they also do the popular Valentines
Shareboxes, which offer a range of
amazing dishes.
7/11 Chalmers Street, Hornby, Christchurch
0800 VAL BUFFET valentines.co.nz