The local dish

Ah, those saucy Argentinians

This week Northstar Restaurant head chef Pablo Tacchini whips up an Argentinian barbecue - perfect for the New Zealand summer.

During the weekend, I tried some dishes for my new menu as the weather is getting warmer and the variety of produce is getting bigger.

This time, for the beef, I chose to use tomatoes. You can get them at a reasonable price now and the Jersey bennies from Oamaru are beautiful.

My problem was which sauce to use, so I decided to go for chimichurri sauce. In Argentina, we are crazy about it - if you don't have chimichurri for the barbecue, you don't have a real barbecue.

We use it basically for red meat, especially for beef. The version that I'm using today is milder than the one I use at the restaurant or at home.

You can adjust the flavours the way you like, by adding more or less paprika or chilli flakes.

At home, I have a chimichurri base that I made as soon as I came to New Zealand and, from time-to-time, I add more herbs and spices, oil and vinegar, because this sauce gets better over time, as long as you keep it in the fridge.

The baked ricotta cheesecake is a family recipe, which I adjusted a little for a New Zealand version. We have it for afternoon tea with a coffee or as a dessert with ice cream. I hope you enjoy my recipes.

Asparagus, lemon and fresh herb risotto with mascarpone cheese

60g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

300g Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1 lt hot chicken or vegetable stock

100g grated Parmesan

2 cups asparagus, finely sliced

1 lemon juice and rind

6 tbsp mascarpone cheese

1 cup fresh herbs, chopped

Salt, pepper

Olive oil

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 40g butter and cook the onion and garlic until softened for about four minutes. Add the rice and stir constantly for 30 seconds and pour in the wine. Cook for two minutes, add the stock one cup at a time, adding more once the rice absorbs the stock. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently and add the asparagus. Cook for another five minutes until the rice is al dente. Remove from heat and add the parmesan, 20g butter, lemon juice, rind and 2 tbsp of mascarpone cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Pan seared ribeye with semi-dried tomatoes, buttered Jersey bennes and chimichurri sauce

For the steaks:

4 ribeye steaks

4 tbsp canola oil

salt and pepper

For the chimichurri:

1 cup parsley, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried rosemary

cup canola oil

2 tbsp white vinegar

Salt, pepper

For the tomatoes:

4 ripe tomatoes

1 handful of fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, chopped

olive oil

For the buttered potatoes:

1kg Jersey bennies

50g butter

1 handful of parsley, chopped

3 tbsp water

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 130c

In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the chimichurri sauce and leave it soaking for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a lined oven tray. Pour over a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle over the chopped garlic, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a pot with boiling water for about 15 minutes, strain and set aside.

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of canola oil and cook the steaks for two minutes each side (2cm thick steaks) for medium rare and let them rest for three minutes.

While the steaks are resting, melt the butter in a pot over medium-high heat and add the cooked potatoes. When the butter is very hot, pour in the water and mix well. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Baked ricotta cheesecake

100g plain flour

40g ground almonds

50g caster sugar

90g unsalted butter

550g ricotta

300g cream cheese

4 eggs

290g caster sugar

60ml lemon juice

1 lemon rind, grated

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 & 1/2 tbsp cornflour

1 & 1/2 tbsp water

Preheat the oven to 150c.

Place the flour, ground almonds, 50g sugar and butter in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until it forms a crumbly dough. Transfer to a lined and greased 20cm round cake tin. Press the dough into the base and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside. Place the cream cheese, ricotta, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, rind and vanilla in the food processor. Combine the cornflour and water in a small bowl until smooth and add to the cheese mixture. Process again until smooth. Grease the sides of the cake tin with butter and pour the filling over the base. Bake for one hour. Turn the oven off and allow the cake to cool in the oven with the door closed. Refrigerate until cold.