Deli to the Cause

An internationally experienced foodie believes in stopping to smell the locally grown apples.

Angela Redfern, founder of Grey Lynn's Ripe Deli has been serving homemade takeout meals since September 2002. These were the days when the concept was something of a revolution in the food service industry; before fast-food giants offered healthy takeaway alternatives like salads and wraps.

The culinary connoisseur would like to be able to say she woke up one morning, aged 10, with an epiphanous thought of, ‘I’m going to be a chef!’ Lucky for us, the career turned out to be her destiny anyway.

The Taumarunui local immigrated to Britain with her parents at the age of two. She grew up under the tutelage of her mother (also a keen foodie) and, not being an avid academic, cooking school seemed like the natural career choice.

The seeds of her culinary calling were sown during a three-year hotel management course at Bournemouth University. Her time as a commis chef at London's Savoy hotel further amplified her love of cooking.

“The standards, the discipline, the adrenaline, the crazy French chef all cemented my desire to continue in the culinary world,” Angela says.

Then followed a job in designer Tricia Guild's in-house café, where an emphasis on healthy salads and very simple and fresh meals would form the foundation of Angela’s cuisine.
On a trip back to New Zealand, Angela made two life-changing decisions. First, she would permanently relocate here and second, she would use her passion and knowledge to open her own eatery. So, on a whim and a prayer, a shoestring budget, plenty of help from friends and family – and the fact that she simply wanted to make great food – Ripe Deli opened on the site of an old burger joint on Richmond Road in Grey Lynn.

The philosophy of the establishment is simple: fresh, quality, seasonal, healthy food that’s good value for money. Ripe Deli is all about getting back to basics, creating simple, tasty fare and thinking about where your food comes from.

“We live in a world of now where everything is at our fingertips and every option is afforded to us,” Angela says. “The supermarket is adorned with fruit and vegetables of every kind from every country.
“[At Ripe] we say, ‘Slow down, smell the locally grown apples’.”
What’s even more intriguing about Angela’s methods is the fact that she doesn’t work by a set menu. Ripe Deli is a democratic work environment where all the chefs have a great deal of creative freedom in the kitchen.
“Your creativity in the kitchen can flow better if you’re not chained to a menu. You’re given the freedom to make whatever you feel like making that day.”

Every so often on the wall of the deli, you’ll find wanted posters for fresh ingredients like feijoas, which can be exchanged for coffee.
On this particular day, Angela has a friend coming to drop off some vegetables – she couldn’t tell me exactly what type but she was certain her customers would love the end result.
For a deli with such an off-the-cuff approach to its food, it's perhaps unexpected that more than 130 of its dishes have been officially documented in a cookbook titled Ripe Recipes.
Flipping through the pages of this beautiful collaboration, you truly get a sense of purpose. Every recipe has earned its page.

The Rhubarb Butterscotch Layer Cake has been perfected over the years by head baker Lynn Colbert, who has been with the business since day one. The raw energy salad is so popular that it is one of the few dishes that features regularly on the Ripe menu. And the toasted muesli has such an established following that a customer in Paris will often have a batch posted to him.

The book is broken up in seasonal sections, giving you a guide of what foods will taste their best at the cheapest times.
“Knowing how to cook seasonally means you’ll be able to turn all sorts of fresh ingredients into meals when they’re at their best (and cheapest) and you’ll also have a nice well-stocked cupboard of preserves at the end of the year.”

No meat, vegetable or spice seems to have gone amiss, which may be surprising as Ripe Deli makes its food with 100 percent free-range ingredients.
When asked why she decided to open the business in Auckland, rather than her childhood home of England, Angela admits the idea was always put “in the hard basket”.
“When we opened here in New Zealand, I had friends come and help with things like painting and graphic design. England doesn’t have the community spirit like there is here in Auckland.”
Now she has 24 employees, which means she can step out of the kitchen and concentrate on other projects – like her cookbook.
“The book was truly a team effort. [Shop manager] Michelle Ineson did the illustrations, all the chefs and people that used to work for me put the recipes together – it’s a big credit to everyone.”

Nakita Ardern
www.ripedeli.co.nz

Angela’s cooking tips:
Butter and salt (in moderation) are your friends
Fresh herbs make all the difference
Don’t be afraid to try complicated recipes but if you find yourself beating the mashed potato to the point of cardiac arrest – stop!
Share the love and use free-farmed foods


Spiced Eggplant & Peanut Salad
Andrea Saunders says that this is one of her favourite salads that she has created in the Ripe kitchen. The pungent spices with the sweet eggplant and peanuts make this a fabulous accompaniment to BBQ lamb.
Serves 4-6

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
2 medium-sized eggplants, cut in 2cm cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls of baby spinach, washed
1 cup fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped with a few leaves set aside for garnish
¾ cup (125g) roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1-2 cups yoghurt dressing

Preheat oven to 200°C.
With a mortar and pestle, crush together the toasted seeds, smoked paprika, curry powder, chilli flakes, ground cumin and salt. Tip into a large bowl. Add the crushed garlic, oil and the eggplant pieces. Mix well to coat.
Place the seasoned eggplant on an oven tray lined with baking paper and roast for approximately 30 minutes, turning once. Roast until tender and beginning to brown.
Allow to cool. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble the salad: on a large platter, layer half of the spiced eggplant, spinach leaves, a drizzle of yoghurt dressing, fresh coriander leaves and some peanuts. Repeat the sequence with the remaining ingredients and finish with fresh coriander leaves. Finally, add a good squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of the remaining dressing.


Gado Gado
We love the layered look of this traditional Indonesian dressed salad and the spicy peanut sauce makes it taste so good! Use any seasonal vegetables such as grated courgette or thinly sliced beans. It would be delicious served with roast or poached chicken.
Serves 6

Salad
1½ cups (180g) edamame beans, frozen
Oil for frying
300g firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
4 cups spinach leaves, finely shredded
¼ small red cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, peeled and julienned (thin batons)
½ cucumber, thinly sliced
3 eggs, hard boiled and cut in half
¼ cup (35g) pumpkin seeds, toasted
¼ cup (35g) sesame seeds, toasted

Spicy peanut sauce
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 fresh chillies, seeds included, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp peanut oil
1 cup (165g) unsalted peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1 cup (250ml) coconut cream
4 Tbsp smooth or crunchy peanut butter

To prepare the spicy peanut sauce: place the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, Worcestershire and peanut oil into a saucepan. Cook over a high heat for five minutes.
Add the peanuts, coconut cream and peanut butter. Stir until smooth and cook for another five minutes. If it’s too thick, you can add a couple of tablespoons of hot water. Remove from the heat and set the sauce aside until required.
To prepare the salad: blanch the edamame beans in boiling water for approximately two minutes and refresh in iced cold water. Drain well.
In a frying pan over a medium heat, add a dash of oil. When hot, add the tofu and gently fry until golden. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.
Layer the salad ingredients onto a large serving platter in the following order: spinach, red cabbage, carrot, cucumber, edamame, tofu, and eggs. Sprinkle with the toasted seeds.
Generously drizzle over the peanut satay sauce just before serving.


Rocko Slice
A chocoholic’s delight.

300g super wine biscuits, ground into crumbs
⅓ cup (50g) plain flour
½ cup (50g) cocoa
¾ cup (90g) desiccated coconut
300g unsalted butter, melted
1 x 395g tin sweetened condensed milk
½ cup (80g) soft brown sugar
100g unsalted butter
3 Tbsp golden syrup
Topping
200g dark chocolate
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 180°C and move the oven rack to the top position.
Grease a 20cm x 30cm slice tin and line with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs, flour, cocoa, coconut and melted butter until well incorporated.
Empty this into the slice tin and press with the back of a metal spoon to flatten. Cover and refrigerate.
In a saucepan over a low to medium heat, combine the condensed milk, brown sugar, butter and golden syrup. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon as this mixture catches easily. Mix until thickened.
Pour over the chilled base. Bake on the top rack for approximately 20 minutes or until the caramel has bubbled and browned. Chill completely before icing.
To prepare the topping: melt the chocolate and oil together. Pour carefully over the chilled caramel, smoothing with a spatula.
Refrigerate until chocolate has set and slice.


Raspberry & Coconut Slice
In this recipe, raspberries can be substituted with blueberries or blackberries. The berries can be fresh or frozen – both work well.

6 egg whites
2 cups (320g) icing sugar, sieved
2 cups (200g) fine desiccated coconut
½ cup (75g) self-raising flour, sieved
175g unsalted butter, melted
1½ cups (175g) raspberries

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm slice tin.
In a large bowl, mix together the egg whites, icing sugar, coconut and flour until well combined. Fold in the melted butter until just combined.
Pour mixture into the lined tin and sprinkle with berries.
Bake in oven for 35 minutes or until firm to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Slice when cool.

Recipes extracted with permission from Ripe Recipes by Angela Redfern

Photography: Sally Greer. Illustrations: Michelle Ineson

Beatnik Publishing, RRP $59.99