WINTER FOOD: Recipes from Local Celebrities

Winter Food Inspiration from our own MasterChef

Growing up in Browns Bay, would you be familiar with Patti Pans? No, most likely not. In fact, a majority of people reading this themselves won’t know what a Patti Pan is – don’t worry, neither did I. But, if you are Michael Lee, former contestant on MasterChef New Zealand, then this is just a typical day in the kitchen because a Patti Pan is a rare type of delish squash, and cooking it is just another experimental day in the kitchen.

From early years, Michael Lee - our own North Shore MasterChef - absorbed new food experiences like a sponge as his father travelled for work quite often bringing home to his family on the Shore exotic spices and ingredients not available in New Zealand. From Brazil to India, Michael describes the excitement these gifts created, “I used to want to taste and smell everything. My family knew, I just couldn’t help myself from tasting and exploring the new flavours.”

And the rest is history. Fast forward 18 years, and you have a food-obsessed young man who is still exploring and tasting all that he can. “One of the great things about the Shore, “ Michael explains, “is its farmers markets.” From Takapuna’s Sunday markets to the picturesque scene of Matakana Farmer’s Markets, Michael visits them all on a regular basis. “I don’t go looking for particular ingredients, I go to see what I can see – and you can find some great stuff.” In recent trips to the Takapuna Sunday Markets, he has found patti pans, fresh sugar cane, courgettes with their flowers attached and fresh figs. All delightful rare treats. Michael’s mantra is to find the great, in-season ingredients and then decide what flavours will go best in order to cook with them – not a recipe book!

You may be asking yourself, how did this MasterChef aka the “Food Ninja” become so knowledgeable and confident. He watched the Food Channel. No in-depth classes, no on the job experience – simply watching food on television and creating a mental database of ingredients, combinations and techniques. And this is probably the reason why Michael sailed ahead of his MasterChef pack in actual culinary knowledge. That combined with his early discovery of a range of Asian flavours made him, according to Ray McVinnie, the show’s Pan Pacific chef.

So, how did the Food Ninja get eliminated? Michael describes his elimination challenge as an uninspiring one, “I didn’t get to cook what I wanted to cook. I had to follow an exact recipe, and that just isn’t me.” The experience of being on MasterChef New Zealand was quite a gruelling one for Michael with most days starting before 6am and ending at 11pm, and the time to regroup after a challenge was just not enough. “It was trying both mentally and physically. Looking back, I wish the show would have focused more on developing us as cooks and constructive feedback in order to inspire and help us grow. In the end, I was just tired.”

The show was a great experience in itself for Michael. A unique experience that not many get to have, “There are some dishes that I made that I am proud of, but more than anything it was a kick into reality and now I am ready to learn as much as I can.”

Where does that leave Michael today? For starters, this passionate foodie is still thinking about one thing – and that is food. And, with winter around the corner, Michael can’t help but talk about his favourite winter warmers including chestnuts, “casseroley type stuff served with rich, velvety mashed potatoes”, slow-braised meats and pickled limes.

“Chestnuts are brilliant boiled, steamed, baked, roasted, in stuffing, in desserts, pickled eaten super fresh raw – they remind me of that Christmas song and snow falling.”

And, be sure to check out the Ludbrook House pickled limes Michael speaks of! They won Cuisine magazine’s Artisan Awards this year, and he described a very clever way of using them in a tagine to provide a whole different type of flavour.

Michael Lee is immersing himself in food – surprise! – a journey he will be on his entire life. Currently, Michael is gaining experience at Sky City’s The Terrace restaurant. And, with the freedom to test and explore his own flavours for the team, he plans to gain skills and experience for the next few years before heading to New York City for culinary school. At the end of the day, Michael Lee won’t be a chef forever.

He will simply do whatever it is that continues to let him explore, learn and experience his passion – food.