Dazz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

Many people long for the taste of real ginger beer.

This age-old fermented drink is made with ginger, water, sugar and lemon juice.

Besides quenching your thirst on a hot day, the ginger provides huge health benefits. For centuries in folk medicine it has been used to help alleviate symptoms associated with digestion problems and supposedly cure morning sickness and hangovers.

My own clinical trials kind of proved this. While suffering from several hangovers in the Ionian islands of Greece, I drank the local brew called Tsitsibira, a really cloudy and tasty ginger beer.

Now when visiting the Tauranga Farmers' Market you can buy real ginger beer, made locally, from Mr Parker.

With summer coming and barbecues being dusted off to make use of those extra daylight hours, I thought over the next few weeks I would share some salad and meat recipes perfect for the barbecue season. Something easy and tasty that you can do with pork mince and ginger beer for the barbecue is the recipe for this week.

Pork and Halloumi Rissoles

Makes about eight rissoles

Ingredients

500g pork mince

150g halloumi cheese, diced

1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed in mortal and pestle

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped mint

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2-3 tablespoons fine polenta

Salt and pepper

200ml Mr Parker's ginger beer

Method

Marinate the pork mince in the ginger beer, crushed fennel seeds and the minced garlic for two to three hours, covered in the fridge.

Drain well in a colander then add the diced halloumi, salt and pepper and chopped mint, parsley and polenta. Mix and form into rissole shapes and they are ready for the barbecue.

Serve with micro greens and homemade chutney.