Adding some spice to life

COLIN SMITH

SAYING NOTHING: Kerry and Rose Bray with their smoke and spice stall at the Nelson Market.

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An hour after midnight each Saturday, Rose and Kerry Bray of Christchurch load up their vehicle with bags of exotically spiced salt and manuka-smoked garlic and hit the road for Nelson.

These purveyors of hand-crafted seasonings are the link between the creation of Christchurch chef Marcus Peters and his partner Rowan Jones, and the crowds waiting in Nelson and Motueka for their weekly dash of spice from The Original Smoke & Spice Company.

The Brays, who are semi-retired, arrive in Nelson each Saturday about 6.30am in time to set up their stall at the Nelson Market, and later in the afternoon head to Motueka for a sleep and re-charge ready for the Sunday market.

Each weekend they sell a total of about 30kg of the packaged spice and 5kg of the smoked garlic. A standard $20 pack contains three 80-90g bags of the salt spice, a shaker and bulb of garlic. It is not uncommon for people to buy up to five bags at a time, Mr Bray says.

He believes the secret to the success lies in the quality of the raw product – large "printanor" garlic bulbs from Marlborough and sun-dried salt from Lake Grassmere, near Seddon.

The particular type of garlic is used for its high volatile-oil content and strong flavour, Mr Peters says on the company's website.

It is smoked whole over manuka, bay leaves and rosemary for maximum flavour. The resulting garlic is mild with a slightly nutty, herby flavour along with the expected smokey, woody tones.

Sun dried salt from Lake Grassmere is the basis of the spiced salt. It is smoked on screens, then tumble-roasted with garlic, shallots, coriander, mustard seeds and chilli. The roasting drives the oil deep into the salt to give a "delicious, complex flavour".

Mr Bray says that while it might appear easy enough for anyone to copy, the secret lies in the ratio of spices.

"It's a bit like Colonel Sanders' Kentucky Fried Chicken. We'll tell you nothing."

Mr Peters and Ms Jones own the Original Smoke and Spice Company, and smoke the garlic at their specially designed smokehouse in Lincoln, near Christchurch. The idea emerged from the years Mr Peters spent in east London working as a chef where he often bought supplies directly from stallholders at local produce markets.

Mr Bray says people who tried the spiced salt were hooked from then on, and rarely returned to using standard salt as a seasoning. "You can use it to season roasts, in a crumb mix on schnitzel, on fish and poultry – just about any application you can think of," he said.

Vegetarians used it to "perk up their tofu", and one lady mentioned she once added it to a cake and another used it on nashi pears.

Produce WatchDaikon radish, or Japanese radish, is available at organic vegetable grower Wolfgang Mann's stall at the Nelson Market. Don't be fooled by its gnarly, somewhat ungainly appearance. Its health-giving properties are probably worth trying it.

The daikon radish is a large radish about 5cm in diameter and up to 40cm long. It is used both raw and cooked and may be sliced, chopped, grated or cut into match sticks for salads, dipping sauces, marinades and soups. It can be parboiled and then treated as a turnip, and be pickled or dried. Often it is carved as a decorative garnish. Read more at the Horticulture NZ website, vegetables.co.nz.

• Market Fresh is a weekly column in Fresh, looking at the people and produce at Nelson's markets. Contact Tracy Neal at tracyn@nelsonmail.co.nz, phone 03 546 2837; or Sally Kidson, sallyk@nelsonmail.co.nz, phone 03 546 2885.