Lemon, Garlic & Thyme Roast Chicken

Serves 4.
Prep & Cook = 1hr + 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 1.8kg Whole Chicken
• 3 Lemons
• 1 Bulb Garlic, halved crossways
• 1/2 Bunch Fresh Thyme
• 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• Serve with small potatoes and veggies. There will be some delicious sauce available.

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200C. Line a roasting rack with aluminum foil.
• Wash chicken (including cavity) under cold running water.
• Pat dry with paper towel.
• Place chicken, breast side down in a roasting pan (so that the juices can flow out of the bird while roasting).
• Cut 1 lemon into quarters. Place in cavity.
• Cut remaining lemons in half. Arrange lemon, garlic and half the thyme sprigs around the chicken.
• Add stock to the pan.
• Place remaining thyme on chicken. Drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roast chicken for 1 hour 15 mins. Turn chicken over, to breast-side up. Roast for 15 more mins or until golden and juices run clear when thigh is pierced.
• Remove from oven. Place a sheet of foil on top of the chicken (do not tuck the sheet around the chicken, just place it on top). Let stand for 5-10 mins.
• Serve chicken with roasted lemon halves and garlic.

Roasted Fish in a Lemon-Nut Crust

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Pecans or Hazelnuts
• 1/2 Cup Unseasoned Dried Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup Minced Fresh Thyme
• 1 tbs Minced Fresh Lemon Zest
• 1 Cup Milk
• 2 Lbs Fish Fillet (ensure there are no bones)
• 1/2 Cup Butter
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
• Toast the nuts on a baking sheet. Chop finely and set aside.
• Position racks so that the fish will roast in the upper third of the oven and increase the oven temperature to 550 degrees.
• In a shallow bowl, combine the chopped nuts, bread crumbs, minced or crumbled thyme, and minced or grated lemon zest. Pour the milk into a second shallow bowl. Set the two mixtures aside.
• Quickly rinse the fish under cold running water and pat dry with paper toweling. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dip each piece into the milk and then the bread crumb mixture to cover completely.
• Set a rack in a shallow baking or roasting pan and lightly brush the rack with oil or coat with spray. Arrange the fish without touching on the rack and drizzle the butter or oil over the fish. Roast until golden on the outside and the flesh is just opaque when cut into at the thickest part with a small, sharp knife, about 10 mins per inch of thickness.
• Serve with lemon zest garnish.

LambChops with Herbs and Mushroom Sauce

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs Olive Oil
• 4 Trimmed Lamb Shoulders (1 cm thick)
• 3/4 Cup Concentrated Consomme
• 1/4 Cup Diced Celery
• 1/4 Cup Diced Green Onion
• 2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Light Sour Cream
• 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme or Dill Weed
• 1 tbs All Purpose Flour

Instructions:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chops on both sides; drain off excess fat.
• Stir in consomme, celery, onion, mushrooms and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10-20 mins or until meat is tender.
• Remove chops to a warm plate; cover. Skim fat from liquid in pan; boil to reduce liquid to about 1/2 cup.
• In a small bowl, mix sour cream, thyme or dill weed, and flour until smooth; stir into hot liquids, stirring constantly until thickened.
• Pour over chops or pass sauce separately.

Red Wine Braised Beef Cheeks

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp Oliver Oil
• 4 (12 ounce) Beef Cheeks, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, finely chopped
• 1 Celery Rib, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 Cups Red Wine (Preferably a dry red wine)
• 1 x 28-32 ounce Can of Diced Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions:

• In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium-high until hot but not yet smoking.
• Meanwhile, pat beef cheeks dry with a paper towel. Season with salt.
• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Brown beef cheeks on all sides, in batches, so as not to overcrowd. Transfer to a bowl.
• Pour fat off from pot, then add remaining 2 tbsp oil and cook onion, carrot and celery over medium-low heat, stirring until softened, for about 10 mins.
• Stir cocoa powder into vegetable mixture, then add wine and scrape up any brown bits. Increase heat to high and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 mins.
• Return cheeks (with any juices) to pot and add tomatoes with juice, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, then pour into a deep ceramic dish for the oven.
• Braise covered, in the middle of the oven until very tender, about 3 hours. Let rest for 10 mins.
• Before serving, dice pork cheeks into small cubes 1cm x 1cm and return to the pan.

Braised Lentils and Sausages

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 4 Thick Pork and Red Wine Sausages
• 2 Bacon Rashers, finely chopped
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, finely chopped
• 1 Celery Stick, finely chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 500ml Chicken Stock
• 250g Small Green Lentils
• 1/2 Cup Continental Parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Sage, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Instructions:

• In a deep sauce pan, heat oil over medium-high. Then add in the sausages and brown for 3-4 mins. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.
• Add chopped bacon, carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Saute until tender and translucent.
• Add stock, lentils and 500ml water.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 mins.
• Return the sausages to the pan with the braising lentils and continue to cook for another 5-10 mins until the lentils are just tender.
• Then stir in the parsley, sage and vinegar. Remove from heat and season to taste.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Pears & Shallots

Serves 4.
Prep & Cook 35mins.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme + extra for garnish
• 625g Pork Tenderloin
• 3 Large Shallots, peeled and cut into small wedges
• 3 Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, quartered
• 4 tsp Butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp Plain Flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth, salt-reduced
• 3/4 cup Pear Nectar

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 235C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• In a small bowl, mix oil, garlic and chopped thyme.
• Rub mixture over pork, shallots and pears.
• Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add pork and shallots to hot skillet. Brown on all sides, about 7 mins.
• Transfer pork to prepared baking tray. Transfer shallots to a large serving platter (or across 4 plates).
• Roast pork for about 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, add pears to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat until brown on cut side, turning one or twice, about 4 mins. Transfer pears to platter.
• To prepare the sauce, mix butter and flour in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Add, to the skillet, broth, pear nectar and butter mixture. Boil until sauce thickens, mix thoroughly scraping up brown bits, about 7 mins.
• To serve, arrange pork on the platter. Surround with pears and shallots. Drizzle sauce over pork. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

Pork Loin with Balsamic and Bay Leaves

Ingredients:

• 2-2.5kg Pork Loin, skin scored criss-cross
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Sprig Rosemary, leaves finely chopped
• 8 Fresh Bay Leaves
• 150ml Balsamic Vinegar
• 3+1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Instructions:

• Prepare marinade by combining, in a small bowl, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, vinegar, oil and pepper.
• Place pork in a large dish and pour marinade over the pork. Marinate for 2-3 hours.
• In a large saucepan, on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil and add pork when hot. Sear on one side for 5 mins, the 3-5 on the other side.
• Drop heat to low and cook, covered for 25 mins with a little marinade.
• Separately, heat remaining marinade in a small saucepan on medium-high heat until thickened slightly.
• Serve warm topped with extra sauce.

Duck a l'Orange (with Blood Oranges)

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients (Duck & Assembly):

• 1 Whole Duck

Ingredients (Blood Orange Salt Rub):

• 2 tbsp Flaked Salt
• 2 Blood Oranges Zested
• 1 Sprig Rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Ingredients (Blood Orange Sauce):

• 2 Blood Oranges, juiced
• 2 Blood Oranges, with skin, thinly slices
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Duck or Chicken Stock
• 2 tbsp VerJuice
• 1 tsp Cornflour
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1 tbsp Butter, cubed

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a roasting rack with aluminum foil.
• Rinse the whole duck under running water, including the cavity. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towel inside and out..
• In a small bowl, combine the orange salt rub ingredients. Use the back of a spoon to blend.
• Place the duck on a roasting rack, breast side down (to let the juices run out), inside the roasting pan and rub half the flavoured salt onto the top of the duck.
• Roast the duck for 30mins per KG and until golden.
• Meanwhile prepare the sauce, by placing in a medium sized saucepan, the blood orange juice, slices, sugar, stock and verjuice into the saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 8 mins. Whisk in the combined cornflour and water and stir until the liquid boils. Remove from heat and cool for 2 mins. Then mix in the cubed butter. Keep warm.
• Flip the duck to breast side up and sprinkle the top with the remaining salt rub mixture. Then cook for another 15mins per KG, until the juices run clear and the bottom is golden.
• Remove duck from the oven and flip it again breast side down for presentation. Place a sheet of foil very loosely on top and allow to rest for 10-15 mins.

Crispy & Succulent Southern Fried Chicken

Serves 4.
Prep & Cook = 40 mins + 6 hours brining & overnight marinading.
Definitely worth it!

Ingredients:

• 75g Sea Salt Flakes
• 2.5L (10 Cups) Water
• 4 Chicken Legs & 4 Thighs
• 500ml (2 cups) Buttermilk
• 3 Eggs
• 60ml (1/4 cup) Water
• 300g (2 cups) Plain Flour
• 2 tsp Sea Salt Flakes, extra
• Canola Oil for deep frying
• Lime & Lemon Wedges, to serve

Instructions:

• To make the brine, combine salt and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 mins until salt dissolves. Then remove from heat. Set aside to cool completely.
• Place chicken pieces in a glass or ceramic dish.
• Pour over cooled salt mixture. Cover. Leave in fridge for 6 hours to brine.
• Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
• Discard brine, clean and dry bowl and then return the chicken to the empty bowl. Pour over buttermilk. Cover. Leave in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight to marinate.
• Remove chicken from buttermilk and pat dry.
• Boil a large sauce pan of simmering water and poach chicken for 10mins or until just cooked through. Drain. Set chicken aside to cool completely.
• Lightly beat the eggs and water in a medium sized bowl, big enough for a piece of chicken to fit.
• In a separate medium sized bowl, combine flour and sea salt. Season with pepper.
• Prepare a deep fryer with canola oil. Heat to 180C over medium-high heat.
• Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat in flour, shaking off excess. I found that the best results were from double coated chicken, where I returned the chicken in the egg mixture and back in the flour for a second coating.
• Deep fry the chicken pieces in batches, for 3-4 mins or until crisp and golden.
• When ready, place fried chicken on a prepare wire rack, ontop of a baking tray or paper towels to catch the drippings.
• Add salt to the fried chicken immediately after it is placed on the rack for maximum salt absorbtion.
• Serve immediately with the lime wedges.

North American Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken Thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
• 250g Bread Crumbs
• 1.5 Cups Parmesan, grated
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1L Vegetable or Canola Oil
• Dipping Sauces, for serving (Sweet chilli sauce, BBQ sauce, Pesto, Aioli, etc)
• Lemon Wedges, for serving

Instructions:

• Prepare 3 small bowls. In the first, place the flour, salt and pepper.
• In the second, whisk 2 eggs.
• In the third, combine bread crumbs and grated parmesan.
• Prepare a deep large saucepan with the oil. Heat until it reaches 190C.
• Meanwhile, prepare the chicken by dipping each piece of chicken in the flour dish first, ensure it is well coated.
• Then dip it into the whisked egg.
• And lastly, cover with the bread crumb mixture.
• Cook each chicken piece for 3-4 mins until cooked through then place on a plate lined with 2 paper towels to drain.
• Serve with dipping sauces and lemon wedges.

Lobster Tail with Mango & Lime

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4 Cooked Lobster Tails
• 1/3 Cup Dry White Wine
• 1 Cup Pure Cream
• 1 Small Mango, peeled, pitted and cut into small 1cm cubes
• 1 Lime, zest grated and juice
• 1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

• Preset the oven to 220C.
• Cut away the softer underside of the lobster tail shell with a pair of kitchen scissors, being careful to not damage the meat.
• Once the underside cover has been removed, gently lift out the lobster meat in one piece.
• Optional : Cut the lobster meat in half, lengthwise.
• Return the lobster meat to the shell and set aside inside a baking dish.
• In a small saucepan, over med-high heat, boil the wine until reduced to half, about 2 tbsps.
• Add the cream to the saucepan and continue to reduce to a coating consistency.
• Stir in the mango, lime juice and zest.
• Spoon the mango & cream mixture over the lobster tails in the baking dish.
• Sprinkle the parmesan cheese overtop.
• Bake for 20 mins. Serve warm.

Air Fry Frozen Prawns

Cook time = 5-10 mins (closer to 10 mins)

Ingredients:

• Frozen Prawns
• Spray Oil
• Spices

Instructions:

• Cooking prawns this way is so fast, so easy and so delicious, it has replaced both sautéing and broiling as my favourite prawn-cooking method (at least when I’m cooking for just myself, or myself and my partner).
• There’s no flipping, only a little basket shaking, and they come out hot, plump, and juicy.
• Set your air fryer to 200°C and, while it’s heating, grab the amount of (frozen) prawns you want and place them in a big mixing bowl. (Peeled, or at least deveined prawns work best, as you cannot devein a frozen prawn.)
• Drizzle on enough oil to coat, then shake on your favourite seasoning (or a blend of your favourites).
• Once your air fryer is heated to 200°C, dump the prawns in there.
• I always add a few extra “test prawns” to the air fryer so I can slice them open and take a peek to check for doneness.
• The amount of time they need to cook will depend on the size of your prawn and the amount you have crammed into your air fryer basket (try to keep them in a single layer). I was able to cook eight medium-sized peeled and deveined prawns from frozen in a mere 5-10 minutes, so start checking around the three-minute mark and give the prawn a little shake to make sure the seasonings are evenly dispersed.
• Cook your prawns until they are just firm and opaque.
• Check one of the extra “test prawns” for doneness, slice them open and take a peek.
• Once they reach that point, take them out and consume happily.

Source : https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2022/09/air-fry-your-frozen-prawns-without-thawing-them-first/ Recipe not amended.

Soft Shell Crab with Green Onion Aioli

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (100g) Rice Flour
• 1/2 cup (100g) Cornflour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 8 Uncooked Small Shelf Crabs
• Vegetable Oil, for deep frying
• Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions:

• Start by prepping the soft shell crabs. Handle the crabs carefully as the legs break easily.
• Cut the eyes and mouth (as they are bitter tasting). Cut the flap under the belly. Lift the top skin on both sides and cut out the gills. Don't worry about the yellow matter.
• Pat the crabs dry with a paper towel.
• In a small bowl, mix the rice flour, corn flour, salt and chinese five spice powder. Set aside.
• In another small bowl, lightly beat the two eggs. Set aside.
• Place a wok over medium heat with 2 inches deep of peanut or vegetable oil.
• Dip first the crab carefully into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture and back into the flour mixture. Set the breaded crabs aside.
• Once the oil registers 160C, slide the breaded crab into the wok to fry. If you have the room, fry 2 crabs at a time.
• Flip the crabs over after a couple minutes to fry on the other side until golden.
• Once done, transfer the crab to a wire rack to drain. Sprinkle a bit of salt immediately on top.
• Serve hot with lime wedges.

Source: https://www.foodtolove.co.nz/recipes/soft-shell-crab-with-green-onion-aioli-31147

Garlic Squid with Tomato & Parmesan

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 350g Squid Tubes (1 or 2 tubes), cleaned
• 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Flatleaf Parsley, chopped finely
• 1 Tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• 25g (1/4 cup) Parmesan Cheese, grated

Instructions:

• Cut the squid tubes in half lengthwise. Pat them dry.
• Lay them flat with the soft underside facing upwards.
• Cut the skin into 2.5cm x 6cm rectangles.
• Honeycomb the underside finely by scoring it very lightly with diagonal strips one way and then the other way to form diamond shape cuts without cutting through the skin. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the garlic, oil, half the parsley, salt and pepper.
• Toss in the squid to coat and let marinate in the fridge for 10 mins.
• In a large frying pan, over high heat and in one batch or two so as not to crowd the squid, add a tbsp oil and once hot cook the squid tossing regularly until it just turns white and opaque.
• Quickly, add the chopped tomatoes and toss through just to heat them up.
• Transfer the squid and tomatoes to a serving plate. Scatter with the grated parmesan and remaining chopped parsley.

Source: https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/garlic-squid-with-parmesan-20130805-2r9mv

Tender Slow-braised Octopus Leg

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Fennel Bulb, sliced
• 1/2 Red Onion, sliced
• 1 Chorizo Sausage, sliced
• 1 Large Octopus Leg, about 350g
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 500ml Dark Beer
• 3 Long Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
• 8 Cherry Tomatoes
• Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

Instructions:

• In a baking dish, place the fennel, onion and chorizo.
• Then put the octopus leg on top. Drizzle with the olive oil, then pour in the beer.
• Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and add the rosemary.
• Note : Do not salt the octopus as it will be salty anyway (and added salt may toughen it during cooking).
• Mix with your hands so that everything gets nicely combined and well coated.
• Using a sharp knife, make a small cross in the bottom of each cherry tomato and scatter them around the dish.
• Cover the dish and marinate for a couple of hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 170C.
• Remove the dish from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
• Cover the dish tightly with foil, then prick the foil once to allow steam to escape.
• Bake until the octopus is fork tender - this should take about 45 mins, or up to 1 hour at the most.
• When serving, cut thin slices from the octopus leg and arrange on a plate.
• Dress with the fennel, onion, chorizo and tomatoes from the dish. And spoon some of the cooking juices over.
• Garnish with the parsley and serve.

Source : Cooking with Beer Cookbook. No alterations.

Australian Crispy Skin Rosemary Pork Belly

Start this recipe the day before you serve.

Ingredients:

• 1.6kg Pork Belly, rind scored
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Sea Salt Flakes
• 2 tsp Rosemary, leaves picked and chopped

Instructions:

• Day before, place pork belly on a rack, score rind criss-crossed.
• Mix salt and rosemary until combined.
• Rub scored rind with oil, then cover thickly with rosemary salt mixture. Let sit in the fridge overnight.
• Preheat oven to 230C (or 210-215C fan-forced).
• Place pork belly on a the oven rack and roast for 30 mins until the crackling has popped.
• Reduce heat to 180C with fan and continue roasting for another 30 mins. Cover with foil if the skin starts burning.

Airfryer Crispy Pork Belly

Ingredients:

• 500-700g Pork Belly
• Rock Salt
• 1 tbsp Spice (eg. Cumin, Chinese Five Spice or Fennel)

Instructions:

• Make sure the pork skin is very dry (place it in the fridge overnight, uncovered, skin only scored slightly and with rock salt on top).
• Dry with a paper towel. Reserve the salt.
• Rub oil across the top of the skin.
• Rub in a spice as well such as cumin, chinese five spice or fennel.
• Lastly, sprinkle rock salt overtop again.
• Spray a little oil in the bottom of your air fryer.
• It is ideal if you can raise the pork belly a little for better crackling. We placed it a bit higher by placing two ramekins underneath it.
• Cook for 30-40 mins at 200C (Internal temperature for the pork should be around 145F).
• Let sit for 5 mins, then slice up and enjoy!

Source : https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/pork-belly-in-your-air-fryer-is-australias-hottest-new-food-trend-c-1032561 (Recipe Adapted)

Airfryer Chinese 5-Spice Marinated Crispy Pork Belly

Serves 4
Note, you'll need to start this recipe one day you plan on serving it. And also this recipe was tailored to our 3.5L airfryer, so you can adjust yours accordingly if/as needed.

Ingredients:

• 1-2kg Pork Belly
• 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Shaoxing Wine (Chinese Cooking Wine)
• 1 tbsp Chinese Five Spice
• 1 tsp White Pepper
• 1/2 tbsp Rock Salt

Instructions:

• Score pork belly skin in criss-cross diagonals 2cm apart.
• In a dish that will fit with no more than 1cm around the pork if possible, combine all ingredients apart from the pork and the salt.
• Add in the pork being careful not to submerge the skin as it needs to stay dry.
• Using a disposable paper towel, dry the skin.
• Then place the dish with the marinade and then pork, in the fridge with no cover.
• Let it marinate and dry out overnight.
• When ready to cook, bring the pork dish out until it reaches room temperature.
• Pat skin dry with a paper towel once again.
• Prepare an airfryer with 2-3 small ceramic ramekins placed upside down on the airfryer tray to go underneath the pork belly and bring it closer to the heating element.
• Place the pork belly ontop of the upside down ramekins. Sprinkle the pork skin with the rock salt.
• Reserve the marinade.
• Set the airfryer to 200C for 40 mins.
• The skin will crackle and pop right from the beginning. Keep an eye on it as you want to ensure the popping fat doesn't catch on fire.
• Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small pot on low to reduce to a 1/4 cup, until it becomes a thick sauce, while the pork belly is cooking.
• After 20 mins, the skin should be beautifully crispened up. At that point, once the skin is to your liking and before it burns, carefully remove the hot ceramic ramekins and return the pork belly to the airfryer basket and keep cooking for the remaining 20 mins.
• Once cooked through (you can check with a thermometer - pork should be ready when it reaches 63C), remove the pork belly and let it sit, loosely covered with foil paper, for 10 mins.
• Dust off any remaining rock salt - It has done its job.
• Then slice the pork with a sharp and strong knife to get through the crackling. This bit does get a little tricky as the crackling can be pretty tough.
• Also note that once it is sliced, the pork will still let out a lot of juice that has been stewing inside it. So have some paper towels at the ready in case it starts spilling over.
• Enjoy hot, with the thickened marinade sauce (a little goes a long way). Next day the pork is also delicious cold esp with a pinch of salt, though the crackling will start to be less crispy.

Source : Kate Gibbs (adapted for the airfryer, plus turned the marinade into sauce and no additional star anise outside of the chinese five spice)

Garlic-Infused Lamb Roast

(Easy to cook. Tastes good both rare and well done. This recipe is for rare meat.)

Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients:

• 1 small leg of lamb, about 6-7 pounds
• 4 Cloves garlic, peeled and cut into 6 slivers each
• 1 Bunch Rosemary
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

• Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 1 hour before starting so that the core of the lamb is at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Make 8 small slits in the lamb on each side, and place a sliver of garlic and a leaf of rosemary in each slit.
• Massage the olive oil into the meat, and season with salt and pepper.
• If you have a rack, place the lamb on the rack on top of the remaining rosemary and garlic.
• If you don't, simply put the meat on top of the rosemary and garlic in the roasting pan.
• Cook uncovered for a bout 1.5 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted away from the bone registers 125F.
• Remove the lamb from the oven and let it rest for 20 mins before carving.

Herb-Roasted Leg of Lamb with sweet & hot apricot chutney

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients (Lamb):

• 1 Leg of Lamb, bone-in, 2.7-3.6kg
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 tbsp Fresh Oregano or Marjoram, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp Garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Lemon Zest, finely zested
• 2 tbsp Fennel Seeds
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Ingredients (Chutney):

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Red Onion, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp Ginger, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tsp Chilli Pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp Ground Coriander
• 175g Dried Apricots, cut into thin strips
• 120ml Red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp Dark brown sugar

Instructions:

• Preheat BBQ Grill to medium-hot.
• In a mortar bowl, use a pestle to mash together the oil, oregano, garlic, lemon zest and fennel seeds to form a loose paste.
• Preheat BBQ Grill to medium-hot.
• In a mortar bowl, use a pestle to mash together the sage, fennel seeds, garlic and oil to form a loose paste.
• Dry the lamb well with kitchen paper, season it generously with salt and pepper.
• With the point of a paring knife, cut 8-10 x 5cm deep slits across the lamb, then coat the meat with the oregano paste, pushing some of the herb paste into each of the slits as well.
• On your BBQ, turn on the fire burners next to the area where you will grill your meat. Be careful that the meat is not directly over the coals.
• Put the lid on the grill and cook for about 90-120 mins all up for medium-rare.
• To check for doneness, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the roast, staying clear of the bone, and let sitfor 5 seconds before reading the temperature.
• For medium-rare it's 52C (126F); medium 57C (134F); medium-well done 65C (150F); or 71C (160F) for well-done.
• Take the meat off the grill when it reaches a few degrees before the target temperature as it will keep cooking a little off the heat.
• Remove the roast from the grill, cover it loosely with foil and let rest for 15-20 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the apricot chutney.
• In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium high until hot. Add the onion and cook until transparent (7-9 mins).
• Stir in the ginger, chilli pepper flakes and coriander until fragrant (about 1 min).
• Add the apricots, vinegar and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer gently for about 5 mins until the apricots are tender. Set aside.
• To serve, cut lamb into slices, placing some apricot chutney alongside for a little balance in flavour.

Sticky Honey-Glazed Roast Lamb

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
• 1 1/2 tbsp Honey or Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
• 1 + 1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1.5kg Leg of Lamb
• 1 Bunch Baby carrots, peeled
• 2 Red Delight Potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 Turnip, peeled and cubed

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Combine honey, garlic, mustard, thymes, 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Place leg of lamb on a lined baking tray.
• Brush with honey mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roast for 30 mins.
• Combine carrots, potatoes and turnip in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil. Toss to coat evenly.
• Place vegetables around lamb. Roast for 45 mins for medium.
• Transfer lamb to a plate. Cover with foil. Rest for 15 mins.
• Continue to roast the vegetables for another 15 mins or until cooked through.

Marinated Lamb Racks with Blood Plum and Balsamic Onion Relish

Serves 4.

Ingredients (Ribs) :

• 2 tbsp Ground White Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Rosemary Leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Sea Salt
• 2 x 450g Lamb Racks, cut individually

Ingredients (Relish) :

• 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 Red Onions, finely sliced
• 6 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 1 tbsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 Cup White Sugar + Extra if needed
• 2/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar + Extra if needed
• 6 Ripe Blood Plums, halved and seeds removed

Instructions:

• In a large shallow dish, combine white pepper, oil rosemary and salt
• Add lamb to the marinade, rubbing it into the meat.
• Cover and refrigerate for 2 hrs.
• Meanwhile, make the relish. Heat oil in a medium sized heavy-based pan over medium heat.
• Braise onions, garlic and salt, while stirring occasionally, for about 20 mins, or until onions are soft.
• Lower heat, add sugar and cook, stirring often to prevent burning, for a further 10 mins.
• Pour in vinegar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 30 mins, or until onions are very soft and sweet.
• Add plums, simmer for a further 15 mins, or until plums are just tender.
• Remove pan from the stove, stir in lemon juice and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Transfer to a roasting tin and pour any remaining marinade over the lamb.
• Roast, uncovered, for about 1 hour, until cooked as desired.
• Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 mins. Reserve pan juices.
• To serve, drizzle the lamb with reserved pan juices and a bowl of relish on the side.

Source : Kylie Kwong Heart & Soul Cookbook

Marinated Rack of Lamb with Coriander and Honey

Serves 4

Ingredients :

• 1kg Rack of Lamb, french trimmed and cut into portions of 2-3 cutlets
• 20g Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
• 30g Mint, chopped
• 30g Coriander, chopped
• 4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
• 15g Ginger, grated
• 3 Chillies, seeded
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 50ml Lemon Juice
• 60ml Soy Sauce
• 120ml Vegetable Oil
• 3 tbsp Honey
• 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 4 tbsp Water

Instructions:

• Place lamb in a glass or plastic container.
• In a food processor, blitz together the remaining ingredients and then pour it over the lamb to coat it all over with the mixture.
• Cover the container and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 200C
• Heat up a heavy cast iron pan, preferably a griddle pan. Remove the meat from the marinade and shake off the excess. Sear well on all sides, about 4 mins in total. Transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven for about 15 mins, depending on the size of the racks and how well you want them cooked.
• Meanwhile, heat the marinade in a small saucepan and simmer for 5 mins. Put the cutlets on serving plates and serve the sauce in a separate vowel. Both cutlets and sauce can be served hot or at room temperature.

Source : Unknown cookbook

Slow-Roast Balsamic Lamb Shoulder

Prep Time 20m + Cook Time 3h = Total Time 3h 20m
6 servings.

Ingredients :

• 2kg Coles Australian Lamb Shoulder Roast
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 brown onions, cut into wedges
• 2 x 400g canned cherry tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock
• 1/2 cup (125ml) dry red wine
• 1/4 cup (60ml) balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 160C. Use a small sharp knife to make slits all over the lamb. Insert 1 slice of garlic in each slit. Season lamb. Place in a large roasting pan. Arrange onion around the lamb. Add tomatoes, stock, wine and vinegar. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Roast for 2 1/2 hours or until lamb is very tender.
• Increase heat to 200C. Uncover and roast for a further 30 mins or until lamb is golden brown and cooked through. Set aside for 10 mins to rest.
• Sprinkle lamb with parsley.

Source : Taste Recipes

Traditional Roast Leg of Lamb with Olive Sauce

Serves 4.
Prep + cooking time is 90 mins.

Ingredients (Lamb Roast):

• Half a Leg of Lamb (1 kg)
• 2 Small Garlic Cloves
• 1 Rosemary sprig, leaves stripped
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil

Ingredients (Olive Sauce):

• 1 Cup Mixed Pitted Olives
• 100ml Extra Virgin Oil
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, finely Sliced
• 20g Anchovy Fillets, chopped
• 1 tbsp Baby Capers, rinsed
• 100m Pure Cream
• 1 tbsp Each of Mint and Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
• 1 Lemon, juiced

Instructions (Lamb Roast):

• Preheat ocen to 200C.
• Trim excess fat from lamb. Spike lamb ten times to depth of 3mm each time. Insert a slice of garlic and rosemary leaves in each opening.
• Rub one tablespoon of oil across the lamb leg. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place on roasting rack and cook for 20 mins at 200C. Then reduce heat to 170C for a further 30-40 mins.
• Rest lamb for 15 mins under a loose sheet of aluminium foil. Carve meat from the bone when ready to serve.

Instructions (Olive Sauce):

• While the lamb is resting, prepare the sauce.
• Gently fry olives in oil, at a medium-low heat in a large fryng pan for 1-2 mins, until fragrant.
• Add garlic, anchovies and capers, and fry for a further 1-2 mins.
• Add cream, remove from heat and stir well. Add chopped herbs and lemon juice.
• Top slices of lamb with two or three tablespoons of the olive sauce.

Lemon & Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

Serves 4
Prep Time 20 mins + Cooking Time 1 hr

Ingredients:

• 6 Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
• Plain flour to dust
• 2 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Leek, white part only, thinly sliced
• 4 Cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Lemon, zested, juiced plus extra wedges to serve
• 2 Cups Chicken Stock
• 200g Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
• Steamed Rice, to serve

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Cover the chicken pieces all over with flour.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a fying pan over medium-high heat.
• Cook the chicken, in 2 batches, for 1-2 mins each side or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce heat to low. Add remaining 2 tsp oil, leek and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 mins or until soft.
• Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon zest and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Then mix in the chicken stock.
• In a casserole dish, place the chicken and cover with the stock mixture.
• Cover the casserole, transfer to the oven, and cook for 40 mins or until chicken is cooked through.
• Stir through beans, cover, then cook for a further 10 mins until tender. Then stir through chopped parsley.
• Divide rice, chicken and beans among bowls. Serve with lemon wedges.

Sticky Apple-Glazed Chicken

Serves 4 with a side.

Ingredients:

• 750ml Apple Juice
• 4 Chicken Maryland Thighs
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a deep wide saucepan, over medium heat, reduce apple juice until there is only 1/2 cup remaining (took 2.5 hrs for the juice to reduce).
• Pour juice into a glass bowl and then wipe the saucepan clean.
• Heat the pan over high and add the olive oil.
• Brown the chicken on both sides, then reduce to medium-low and add the reduced apple juice.
• Turn the chicken to keep moist in the juice. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce becomes a sticky glaze, about 15-20 mins.
• Keep a close eye to ensure that the glaze doesn't burn... if it starts to do so, just add a couple tbsp of water.
• The dish is done once the chicken is cooked and the sauce has the consistency of honey.

https://www.oatmealwithafork.com/3-ingredient-apple-juice-chicken/ (Recipe Adapted)

Crispy Chicken Stew with Lemon, Artichokes, Capers and Olives

Serves 4-5.

Ingredients:

• 900g Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on (about 7 or 8)
• 1 tbsp Granulated Garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Red Onion, finely diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed and minced
• 1/4 Cup Capers with Brine
• 1/2 Lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/4 Cup White Wine
• 3 Cups Chicken Broth
• 2 Cups Artichoke Hearts
• 1 Cup Kalamata Olives
• 1.5 tsp Fresh Oregano, chopped
• Rice and/or Roast potatoes, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

• In a large flatened bowl for marinating, combine the granulated garlic, 1/2 tsp sea salt and the dried oregano.
• Add the chicken thighs and rub the seasoning into the chicken until it is evenly coated. Set aside.
• Remove chicken thighs from the marinate and dry the thighs, using paper towels.
• In a large frying pan, add oil, then once hot, the chicken, skin-side down, spacing them evenly. Cook for 6-8 mins until the skin begins to brown.
• Turn the chicken thighs and brown the opposite side for 5 mins. Remove from the pan and set aside the partially cooked chicken on a plate.
• Back to the frying pan, set heat to medium and stir in the onion, garlic, capers and remaining 1/2 tsp sea salt. Cook for 5 mins.
• Then add the lemon slices.
• Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, stirring to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 mins.
• Add the chicken broth and return the chicken to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 mins.
• Add the artichoke hearts and olives. Continue simmering for 5-10 more mins.
• Serve warm with rice and/or roast potatoes.

Simple BBQ Roasted Whole Chicken

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 2 Whole Chickens, 1.35 each
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp Garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Rosemary, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Black Pepper, freshly cracked
• 2 Lemons, quatered, for serving

Instructions:

• Preheat BBQ Grill to medium-hot.
• In a mortar bowl, use a pestle to mash together the oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper to form a loose paste.
• Dry the chickens well with kitchen paper.
• With the chickens breast-side up, push down to flatten them as much as possible.
• Rub both all over with oil, then coat evenly with the rosemary paste, pressing to ensure it adheres to the chicken.
• On your BBQ, turn on the fire burners next to the area where you will grill your meat.
• Place the chicken breast side down being careful that the meat is not directly over the coals.
• Put the lid on the grill and cook for about 30 mins (rotating halfway when using a 4 burner grill), then turn the chicken breast-side up and continue cooking for another 30-45 mins (rotating halfway when using a 4 burner grill).
• To check for doneness, make a cut into the thickest part of the thigh to check for any pink flesh. If you see any, let the chicken cook for a little longer until cooked through. Final temperature should be 71C (160F).
• Take the meat off the grill when it reaches a few degrees before the target temperature as it will keep cooking a little off the heat.
• Remove the roast from the grill, cover it loosely with foil and let rest for 10 mins.
• Carve each chicken into 6 pieces. Serve with a little squeeze of lemon over it.

BBQ Chicken Thighs with Sultana Vinaigrette and Roasted Apples

Serves 4

Ingredients (Chicken):

• 4 Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Ingredients (Apples):

• 2 Granny Smith Apples, cored and peeled
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Ingredients (Sultana Vinaigrette):

• 5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 4 tbsp Sultanas, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Sage Leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Dark Brown Sugar

Instructions:

• Preheat BBQ Grill to medium-hot.
• Dry the chicken well with kitchen paper, season it generously with vegetable oil, salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken skin-side down on the hottest part of the grill to crisp the skin up (about 4 mins each side).
• Once the chicken has been browned and sealed, move them to the cooler side of the grill, skin-side down and cook, lid down, for about 10-12 mins, until cooked through.
• While the chicken is cooking, make the vinaigrette by combining, in a medium-sized bowl, the olive oil, vinegar, sultanas, sage and brown sugar. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
• Then start preparing the apples. Core, peel then halve them. Coat these lightly with the vegetable oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
• Arrange them next to the chicken over the low heat until they are golden brown (about 5 mins)
• As the chicken breasts are done (for the ones you want to eat right away), dunk them one at a time in the vinaigrette.
• Dress the serving plates with the apples first, then the vinaigrette-soaked chicken. Drizzle some remaining vinaigrete over the plate, as desired, and serve warm.

Peanut Butter PorkChops

Suggested Sides: Dot Noodles are very yummy with this tasty meal.

Ingredients:

• 4 porkchops
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

• Mix mushroom soup, peanut butter and worcestershire sauce (until blended)in a large sauce pan
• Add porkchops and set heat to medium-high to cook (stir occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn't burn)
• Serve when ready

Chicken in Orange Marmalade Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken Thighs
• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 Cup of Marmalade (any kind)
• 1 Cup of Chicken Stock
• 2 tbsp Sriracha Chilli Garlic Sauce
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Brown Onion, chopped finely

Instructions:

• In a frying pan, with 1 tbsp oil and over medium heat, cook onion until softened. Transfer onion to a large bowl and set aside.
• Increase the heat to high, brown the chicken thighs and transfer the chicken to the same bowl as the onions.
• In the frying pan, reduce to medium heat, cook the sauce by combining the marmalade, stock, sriracha and soy sauce.
• Stir until smooth. Leave sauce to simmer and reduce until slightly thickened.
• Return chicken and onions to the sauce and finish cooking for 15-20 mins until just done.

Salmon with Lime & Ginger Glaze

Serves 6
Time : 10 mins Prep + 10 min Cooking

Ingredients:

• 6 x 120g Deboned Salmon Fillets
• 1/2 Cup Lime Marmalade
• 2 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Lime Juice
• 1 Spring Onions, to serve
• 1/4 Cup Coriander Leaves, chopped
• 1 Lime, cut into wedges for serving (optional)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine glaze ingredients (marmalade, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice). Cook until
• marmalade is fully dissolved.
• Place salmon skin-side down onto an oven tray lined with baking paper.
• Brush 2/3rds of the glaze over the salmon fillets.
• Bake for 5 mins. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan with vegetable oil on high. When the salmon comes out of the oven, add salt to the pan and place salmon over it, skin-side down still, for 3-5 mins to finish cooking and crispen up the skin.
• Remove the salmon from the pan and place on warmed serving plates.
• Brush immediately with remaining glaze and sprinkle with spring onions, coriander and lime wedges.

Chicken, Cider and Apples Casserole

Serves 4
Prep time : 20 mins
Cook time : 45 min

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken Marylands, separated or kept intact
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 50g Butter
• 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced thickly into 1cm wedges
• 2 Brown Onions, diced
• 2 tbsp Brandy
• 5 Sprigs Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 300ml Dry Apple Cider
• 150ml Cream (optional)
• Potatoes or rice, as an accompaniement (optional)

Instructions:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
• In a large and deep frying pan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and, once hot, fry the chicken until the skin is golden brown.
• Then add butter, onions, apples, brandy, thyme, salt, pepper and cider.
• Brng to a low simmar and cook, covered, for 15 mins, then uncovered for another 20 mins.
• If a creamy sauce is desired, stir in the cream and combine well.
• Season to taste and serve warm with potatoes or rice.

Barbecued Chicken Hearts

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 500g chicken hearts, outside arteries trimmed
• Side salad, for serving

Ingredients:

• 25g Ginger (about 5cm), peeled and finely diced
• 1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
• 50-80ml Oil
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• Dash of chilli powder

Instructions:

• To brine chicken hearts, combine 1L cold water, salt, sugar and whisk until dissolved. Add chicken hearts, cover and chill for 2hrs.
• Meanwhile, soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 mins to prevent them from burning on the bbq.
• Drain hearts, then thread onto skewers, leaving about 1cm between each heart. Set aside on a plate.
• Then make the dressing by combining in a medium sized bowl, all the dressing ingredients.
• Heat a bbq to high.
• Baste chicken hearts with half the dressing and sprinkle with a little salt.
• Grill skewers, basting with the remaining dressing and turning occasionally, until caramelised and cooked through (4-6 mins).

Source : Gourmet Traveller, Jan 2020.

Penne with Peppered Beef

Ingredients:

• 375g Penne Pasta
• 1 tbsp Black Peppercorn, cracked / ground
• 1.5 tbsp Salt, divided
• 500g Sirloin Steak
• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 4 Cloves Garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 Red Onion, chopped
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
• 3 tbsp Flour
• 1.5 Cups (375ml) Milk (possibly less? Just 1/2 cup?)
• 1 Cup (250ml) Beef Stock (possibly less? Just 1/2 cup?)
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• Fresh parsley, to serve (optional)

Instructions:

• Boil the pasta until al dente then drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, rub pepper and 1/2 tsp of the salt over both sides of the steak.
• In a large frying pan, over high heat, heat up 1/2 tbsp oil.
• Cook the steak for about 3 mins on each side, or until done to your desired level.
• Remove the steak from the pan and set aside, loosely covered with foil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1/2 tbsp oil to the pan.
• Once the oil is hot, add in chopped onion, garlic, paprika, and thyme, until the onion has softened (about 5-10 mins). Add a tbsp water if needed to prevent burning.
• Stir in flour and cook for 1 min.
• Add milk, beef stock, mustard and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer for about 5 mins until thickened.
• Add pasta and toss to coat.
• Spoon coated pasta into serving plates. Slice steak thinly across the grain and arrange over pasta.
• Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Source: https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/canadian-goodness/recipes/penne-peppered-beef

Braised Beef Cheeks with Olives

Goes deliciously with Nutmeg-Spiced Eggplant Puree.
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Beef Cheeks
• 1 Onion, finely diced
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed and finely chopped
• 3 Tomatoes, diced
• 2 tbsp + 100ml Olive Oil
• 50g Cumin Seeds
• 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1L Beef Stock
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
• 250ml Dry Red Wine
• 200g Green Olives, pitted

Special Equipment:

• Pressure Cooker

Instructions:

• In a large pressure-cooker, over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil.
• Once hot, brown the beef cheeks until fully sealed. Remove beef cheeks and set aside.
• Add in the 100ml Olive oil. When hot, stir in diced onion and cumin seeds. Brown for 4 mins.
• Then add chopped garlic and cook for 2 more mins.
• Add the fresh diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
• Add the beef stock, salt, pepper and red wine.
• Add the beef cheeks, bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer.
• Cover and cook under-pressure for 20 mins.
• Gradually release the pressure before removing the lid.
• Add the olives and cook on low for 5 more mins.
• Remove from heat.
• Extract 250ml of the liquid from the soup pot and place in a small sauce pan. Add the remaining 20g of butter and boil for 5 mins over medium heat to reduce it to a thickened gravy.

French Canadian Tourtiere Meat Pie

Ingredients:

• Savoury shortcrust for a 9 inch diameter pie (ensure you have enough dough for a base and top)
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 Boiled Potato, mashed (+1/2 cup of the starchy water from boiling the potato)
• 400g Pork Mince
• 1 Medium Onion, chopped finely
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed and minced
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tbsp Thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 Cup Celery, finely chopped
• 1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten to make an egg wash for the crust
• Ketchup, for serving (true french canadian style!)

Instructions:

• Prepare the pie crust dough and use 2/3rds to make the base for the pie shell (blind bake the base). Set aside to cool completely.
• In a deep braising pan, over med-high heat, add oil.
• Once hot, cook onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, for about 5 mins or so.
• Add in the pork mince, mushrooms and spices. Cook until pork has browned.
• Stir in the chopped celery, mashed potato and potato water. Turn heat to med-low.
• Cook for 25 mins, stirring occasionally, until the water has been absorbed.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Heat the oven to 190C (170C with fan).
• Roll out the remaining pie top. It should be about 1-2cms larger than the pie tin diameter.
• Fill the pie shortcrust base with the cooled meat & potato mixture.
• Place the pie dough top overtop it all, tucking in the dough in just before the edge and then over top the edges of the base shell.
• Make a few stylish cuts in the top of the pie shell to let the steam out while baking.
• Brush the top of the shell with lightly beaten egg to give it some shine when it bakes.
• Bake for 10 mins at 190C, then drop the oven temperature to 170C (150C with fan) and bake for a further 15-20 mins until it is golden.
• Serve warm with some ketchup on the side.

Canadian Sheppard's Pie

Suggested Sides: Garden Salad, if needed.

Ingredients:

• 2 package of Ground Beef
• 2 small can of creamed corn (1 cream of corn, 1 corn kernels drained)
• 5 large potatoes
• Ketchup or Gravy is good to pour on this dish!!

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F (check that there are no pots already in the oven!!)
• Boil potatoes in a deep pot, rinse and mash when ready
• Meanwhile, cook ground beef in a not so deep pan until brown -- season with spices as desired (salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, etc.)
• In a deep casserole dish, spread ground beef to fill the bottom of the pan
• Then pour the two cans of corn evenly on top, and then the mashed potatoes
• Bake casserole for 30 minutes, and serve (with Ketchup or Gravy!)

Quebec-style Duck with Apples & Maple Syrup

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 4 Duck Breast
• 2 Granny Smith Apples, cored and cut into slices
• 3 Golden Eshallots, chopped finely
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1.5 Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
• 1 tbsp Butter

Instructions:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until just before its smoking point.
• Fry the duck breasts, skin side down first, then the under both sides are browned (about 5 mins in total).
• Remove from the pan and set aside.
• In the hot empty pan, stir in the eshallots, bay leaf, thyme, salt & pepper and apples. Stir for 3 minutes.
• Then add the cider vinegar and cook until the liquid has been absorbed.
• Add the stock and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the duck breasts and its juices.
• Braise slowly for about 10-12 mins, turning once, until just cooked through.
• Remove the duck and apples. Discard the bay leaf.
• Turn the heat up to medium-high to reduce the sauce for about 10 mins. Then mix in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice the duck breast diagonally into 2 cm thick slices.
• Plate by placing the apples on the dish first, then the duck slices, and lasty top with some sauce.

Maple & Orange Pork Loins

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds Pork Tenderloin
• 1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Tomato Sauce or Ketchup
• 1 tbsp Mustard Powder or French Mustard or Dijon
• 2 tsp Grated Orange Zest
• 1.5 tsp Curry Powder
• 1.5 tsp Ground Coriander
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced

Instructions:

• In a large glass mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients, apart from the pork. Blend well.
• Add pork and mix around so each piece is covered with the marinade.
• Seal bowl with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least an hour to marinate.
• Return pork to room temperature, prep the oven to 350F and place pork on a deep roasting tray.
• Roast uncovered for 40 mins. Pork should still be slightly pink in the middle.
• Let pork stand for ten mins with a sheet of foil loosely placed on top.
• Slice thinly and serve with with extra sauce drizzled on top.

Maple Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 Long Filet of Salmon
• 1 Clove of Garlic, minced
• Olive Oil
• Maple Syrup
• Black Pepper, freshly cracked

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 230C.
• Wash the salmon and place it, skin side down, in a shallow baking or roasting pan.
• Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and rub it into the flesh.
• Next, rub the garlic into the flesh. Next, the cracked black pepper.
• Finally, drizzle the salmon with maple syrup and rub it in the flesh.
• Bake the salmon fillet in the centre of the oven for 14 mins. (8-10mins for a 1” thick piece.)
• Remove from the oven and serve with a further light drizzle of maple syrup overtop.

Source : The Maple Syrup Book

Roast Chicken with Maple Macadamia Stuffing & Roast Carrots

Serves 6
Total time = 2.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Chicken
• 1.5 tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1.5cm slices
• 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
• 400g Fresh Small Tomatoes
• 200g Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths
• 1 tbsp Thyme

Ingredients (Stuffing):

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Brown Onion, finely diced
• 2 Bacon Rashers, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed and minced
• 50g Macadamia or Cashew Nuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
• 2 Cups Bread, diced into 2cm cubes
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp Thyme leaves, stems removed

Instructions:

• Dry out the bread cubes by preheating the oven to 150C and lining up the bread along the tray. Leave in the oven for 10-20 mins until the bread turns golden, then flip pieces to the other side. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Start with the stuffing. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add oil and cook onions until softened.
• Add bacon bits and minced garlic. Cook for another 4-5 mins until bacon has cooked.
• Add chopped macadamias and cook for another minute.
• Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss in the bread cubes, maple syrup, thyme, onion mixture and, while tossing quickly, the egg. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In the roasting pan, place a roasting rack to elevate the chicken during roasting.
• Place the chicken on top and spoon the stuffing into the cavity. Close up the skin around the opening with a toothpick.
• Optional : Tie the legs together with kitchen string so it looks a bit nicer when presented.
• Drizzle the chicken with half the oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roast for 30 mins.
• Reduce temp to 180C. Flip chicken. Baste chicken with juices and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp maple syrup.
• Coat carrot slices with a bit of olive oil and salt, and place them at the bottom of the pan below the chicken.
• Roast for 45 mins.
• Turn carrots. Add tomatoes. Flip chicken back. Drizzle 1 tbsp maple syrup over the chicken.
• Roast for 15 mins or until the juices run clear when the chicken thigh is pierced with a skewer.
• Meanwhile, part-steam beans for 5-7 mins. Add to the roasting pan with some extra thyme leaves in the last 5 mins.
• Remove string around legs. Serve warm with vegetables and spoon for the stuffing.

Seared Scallops with Garlic Herb-Butter Sauce

Serves 3.

Ingredients (Scallops):

• 1 lb. Large Sea Scallops, patted dry with a paper towel
• 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients (Sauce):

• 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 2 tbsp Shallot, finely diced
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
• 1/4 Cup Dry White Wine or Vermouth
• 1/4 Cup Mixed Fresh Herbs (Parsley, Chives, etc), Finely Chopped
• 1/4 tsp Lemon Zest, finely grated
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 - 3 Lemon Wedges and toasted bread slices for serving

Instructions:

• Be sure you have all your ingredients prepped for the sauce (eg. herbs chopped) before you begin as this is a fast dish.
• Remove the tough muscle from the side of each scallop, if not already done.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 mins. Add the oil and butter, if using, and heat until quite hot.
• Pat the scallops dry once more (moisture inhibits browning) and put them in the pan in an uncrowded layer.
• Season with salt and pepper and let sear undisturbed until one side is brown and crisp, 2-4 mins.
• Using tongs, turn the scallops and sear until the second side is well browned and the scallops are almost firm to the touch, 2-4 mins more.
• Take the pan off the heat, transfer the scallops to a plate and let them rest in a warm spot.
• Let the pan cool a min before you start the sauce.
• Then return the pan to medium heat, add a piece of butter, the diced shallots and garlic, and saute until they begin to soften, about 1 min.
• Add the vermouth or dry wine, and simmer until reduced by half, another 1-2 mins. Add the herbs and lemon zest.
• Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining butter and whisk constantly until the butter melt into the sauce.
• Return scallops and any accumulated scallop juices in the pan with the sauce.
• Gently roll the scallops in the sauce to warm them through. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve immediately with lemon wedges and toasted bread to soak up the sauce.

BBQ Cumin Salmon with Cucumber Chilli Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients (Salmon):

• 4 Salmon fillets, skin-on, about 225g each
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 tbsp Cumin Seeds, freshly cracked in a mortar & pestle
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Ingredients (Cucumber Chilli Salsa):

• 1/2 Cucumber, diced 0.5cm cubes
• 1 Green Chilli Pepper, chopped finely
• 4 tbsp Coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 Limes, juiced
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Ground Coriander
• 1 tsp Chilli Powder
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat BBQ to medium.
• Prepare the salsa by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside in the fridge to chill.
• Rub salmon fillets with oil, cumin, salt and pepper - coat on both sides.
• Place the fillets on the BBQ, skin-side down, and cook for 3-5 mins per side until they are just opaque throughout.
• Transfer the fillet to a serving plate. Top each fillet with a generous spoonful of the salsa. Place some more salsa on the side of the fillet.

Steamed mussels with saffron, chilli, coriander and ginger

Serves 1

Ingredients :

• Pinch saffron threads
• 2 tsp thai fish sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 12 fresh black mussels, cleaned and beards removed
• 1 large knob fresh ginger, peeled and shredded
• 1 red chilli, sliced into fine rings
• 1 slice ciabatta bread
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves
• 1/2 lime

Instructions:

• In a small glass bowl, combine saffron, fish sauce and wine, and allow to infuse over at least 2 hours.
• Heat a heavy-based saucepan (large enough to hold mussels comfortably) over high heat.
• Once the pan is very hot, add peanut oil, then the mussels.
• Stir through the ginger and chilli. Cover and cook for 30-60 seconds.
• Keeping heat high, add saffron mixture, cover and cook a further 2-3 mins or until mussels open. Discard any mussels which do not open.
• Meanwhile, drizzle bread with a little extra-virgin olive oil and grill both sides.
• To serve, spoon mussels into a bowl, scatter fresh coriander on top and pour pan juices over. Garnish with lime and serve with grilled ciabatta.

Source : e'cco cookbook. No alterations.

BBQ Clams in Chili, Wine & Butter Sauce

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 115g Unsalted Butter, softened
• 120ml Dry White Wine
• 1 tbsp Garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Chilli pepper flakes
• 32 Clams, scrubbed
• 1 Small Half-length Bagette (about 4 slices x 2.5cm thick)
• 4 tbsp Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 shallow foil trays (large enough to hold all the clams in a single layer)

Instructions

• Preheat your grill so the temperature is hot but without flames.
• In the shallow foi tray, combine the butter, wine, garlic and red pepper flakes.
• Place the tray near the fire, not directly over it. Cook for about 2 mins, stirring a few times until fragrant.
• Let it come to a simmer then set aside, off the heat.
• In the second shallow foil tray, add the clams and then place the tray directly over the heat. Cook them for 8-10 mins, until they pop open.
• While clams are cooking, lightly toast the bread slices around the perimeter of the fire, about 2 mins each side.
• Transfer the open clams to the sauce tray, add parsley, salt & pepper, and toss to coat with the sauce. Discard any clams that dont open.
• Serve them immediately with the toasted bread to soak up the juices.

Feta stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients (Meatballs):

• 500g Minced Beef
• 3 tbsp Pesto
• Juice of 1/4 of a Lemon
• 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
• 1/2 Cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 Packet of Soft Feta Cheese, diced into small 1cm cubes
• Oil for Frying

Ingredients: (Sauce & Pasta)

• 1 Onion, diced finely
• 2 Clove Garlic, chopped finely
• 1 400g Can Diced Tomato
• 1/2 Can Tomato Puree
• 1/2 Cup of White Wine
• 1/2 Cup of Beef Stock
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Bay Leaves

Instructions:

• Mix all the meatball ingredients together, except the feta cheese.
• Roll some of the meat mixture into a 1" ball, flatten it and place a piece of feta in the middle. Wrap the meat mixture around it to form an enclosed meatball.
• Repeat with remaining meat mixture.
• In a large frying pan, heat oil on medium-high.
• Cook meatball in batches to just brown the meat, careful not to break them. Set meatballs aside.
• In the empty saucepan, cook onion until soft, then add garlic.
• Deglaze with the wine and add the tomatoes, pureed tomatoes, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, lemon juice and lemon zest.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer sauce for 15-20 mins to thicken.
• Add meatballs, tossing gently to coat with the sauce and simmer for a further 15 min.
• Top cooked pasta with meatballs, sauce and extra parmesan.

Sausage, Fennel & Apple Roast

Serves 4-6.
Prep 15 mins + Cook 55 mins = Just over an hour total

Ingredients:

• 8 Baby White Potatoes
• 500g Pork Sausages
• 2 Small Fennel, quartered, fronds reserved
• 2 Red Apples, thickly sliced crossways
• 1/3 Cup (80ml) Plum Sauce

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• In a plate, lined with baking paper, place the potatoes on top and then prick them all over with a fork.
• Sprinkle a bit of water overtop and cover with a paper towel.
• Microwave the potatoes on high for 5 mins until just tender.
• Meanwhile, line a roasting pan with baking paper.
• In a large frying pan, over medium heat, add a couple tsp of oil and once hot, fry sausages until they are brown all over, for about 5 mins. They don't need to be fully cooked yet.
• Add the potatoes to the roasting pan, using a potato masher to gently crush.
• Add the fennel. Spray the fennel and potatoes with oil.
• Bake the two for 20 mins until golden.
• Meanwhile add the apples and the sausages to the roasting pan with the sausages. Cook for 10 mins.
• Then turn the apples over to cook for another 10 mins.
• Drizzle plum sauce overtop and bake for a further 5-7 mins until the sausages are cooked through.
• Sprinkle with the reserved fennel fronds.

Source: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/sausage-fennel-apple-tray-bake-recipe/cyu0g5j8

Lamb Meatballs with Tomatoes & Braised Fennel

Prep 15 mins + Cook 1hr 15 mins = 1hr 30mins
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 Small Fennel Bulbs
• 500g Lamb Mince
• 30g Fresh White Breadcrumbs
• 1 Small Onion, blitzed
• 20g Parsley Leaves, finely chopped
• 5 Anchovy Fillets, drained and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds, lightly toasted
• 40g Currants
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 200ml White Vermouth or Dry White Wine
• 6 Tomatoes, diced (or 1 Can Diced Tomatoes)
• Zest of 1 Lemon + a squeeze of lemon juice
• 20g Pine Nuts, lightly toasted

Instructions:

• Trim the fennel, discarding the stalks but reserving the fronds to garnish.
• Cut each bulb in half lengthways, then cut into 2cm-wide wedges.
• In a large bowl, combine the lamb mince with the breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, dill, anchovies, fennel seeds, currants, 1/2 tsp salt, grind of pepper.
• With the mixture, make about 30 x single tbsp balls (should be about the size of a walnut).
• In a large braising pan, for which you have a lid, and over medium-high flames, fry the meatballs in batches until browned all over.
• Transfer to a plate and set aside until all done.
• Then, in the same pan, fry the fennel wedges for 4 mins until browned as well.
• Add vermouth and once hot, the tomatoes, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
• Once the mixture has come to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 mins until the fennel starts to soften.
• Return the meatballs to the pan, stirring them through to coat them well.
• Cover and continue to simmer for 30 mins until the fennel is soft and meatballs are cooked.
• Remove the lid, increase the heat to thicken the sauce, stirring constantly to coat the meatballs.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, reserved fennel fronds and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Chicken with Sage & Orange

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 6 Boneless Chicken Breast Halves with the skin left on
• 1 tbsp Flour
• Orange Sections and Fresh Sage leaves to garnish

  
  Marinade:

• 1 1/2 Cups Orange Juice
• 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Make the marinade : combine all marinade ingredients. Toss the chicken in the marinade and let sit for 20-30 mins.
• Arrange the chicken, skin side up, in a large roasting pan. Keep the marinade for later.
• Bake the chicken in a 375F (190C) oven for about 20 mins. Pour the reserved marinade over the chicken and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.
• Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, and arrange on a warmed platter. Cover and keep warm.
• Pour all but 2 tbsp of the marinade out of the roasting pan in a bowl and set aside. Add the flour to the marinade remaining in the roasting pan and mix to a smooth paste.
• Put the roasting pan on top of the stove, and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 mins and taste for seasoning. Strain, pour a litle of the sauce around the chicken breasts and garnish with the orange portions and fresh sage. Serve the rest of the sauce separately.

Chilli Crusted Lamb Cutlets

Serves 4
Prep: 20 mins
Cooking : 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 5 Long Red Chillis
• 2 Cups Japanese Panko Bread Crumbs (Regular Bread Crumbs are just fine too!)
• 1/4 Cup Plain Flour
• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 12 Lamb Cutlets
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/3 Cup Whole Egg Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Lime Juice, plus wedges for serving

Instructions:

• Finely chop 4 of the chillis. (Wash hands thoroughly right after)
• Blend chopped chillis and breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl.
• Add a separate bowl with the flour.
• Add a third separate bowl with the eggs. Order of bowls should be flour #1, egg #2, and breadcrumbs #3.
• Coat each cutlet in flour (shaking off excess), then egg, then the breadcrumb mixture, pressing down on the last one to coat evenly.
• Refrigerate coated cutlets for 10 mins.
• Thinly slice remaining chilli and mix with mayonnaise and lime juice. Set aside in the fridge.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium. Cook cutlets for 4 mins each side, for medium-rare, or longer as needed.
• Serve with chilli mayonnaise and extra lime wedges. Also good with Minted Pea Mash.

Herb & Parmesan Breaded Lamb Cutlets

Serves 4
Prep Time 35m + Cook Time 20m = Total Time ~1hr

Ingredients:

• 10 (500g) lamb cutlets, trimmed
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1 egg
• Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• Salad leaves, to serve

Instructions:

• Using your hand, gently flatten meat on each cutlet.
• Combine breadcrumbs, parsley and cheese on a plate. Place flour on a plate. Whisk egg in a shallow bowl.
• Coat 1 cutlet in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg. Coat in breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining cutlets, flour, egg and breadcrumb mixture. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Pour oil into a large frying pan until the base is covered. Heat over medium heat. Cook cutlets, in batches, for 3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Place on a wire rack to drain.
• Serve cutlets with salad leaves.

Source : Super Food Ideas Magazine

Beef Ribs with Cab Shiraz Wine

Prep time 30 mins + Cook time 3hrs 35mins (or 30 mins with a pressure cooker) = Total time 4 hrs
Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Olive Oil
• 6 Beef Short Ribs (about 500g each)
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, finely chopped into small cubes
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed and minced
• 250ml Red Wine
• 400g Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 500ml Beef Stock
• 2 thyme sprigs

Ingredients (Rosemary Chimmichurri Sauce):

• 1/2 cup Flat-leaf Parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Rosemary, finely chopped
• Rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
• 1/2 Garlic Clove, crushed and minced
• 1/4 Cup (60ml) Olive Oil

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 150C (or you can use a pressure cooker).
• In a frying pan over medium high heat, heat oil then add ribs and cook until browned on all sides. Set ribs aside.
• Reduce heat to low, add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring until tender, for about 10 mins.
• Add wine, bring to a simmer then add tomato and beef stock.
• Return to a simmer and stir in the ribs and the thyme sprigs.
• Braise for 2.5-3 hours until ribs are very tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare the rosemary chimmichurri sauce by pounding herbs, garlic, salt and lemon rind in a mortar and pestle until a coarse paste forms. Then stir in the oil. Place in a serving bowl and set aside.
• Once the ribs are tender, remove them from the oven and set ribs aside (cover loosely to keep warm).
• Then strain the liquid out into a saucepan (discarding solids).
• Reduce the liquid over medium heat, until thickened (about 15-20 mins).
• Before serving, reheat the ribs (if cold) and toss them in the sauce to coat them thoroughly.
• Serve warm, topped with a spoonful of the rosemary chimmichurri sauce.

Source: https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/browse-all/braised-short-ribs-with-gratin-14314

Smoky Beef with Cheesy Herb Twists

Serves 8.

Ingredients (Smoky Beef) :

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1kg Beef Chuck Steak, cut into 3cm cubes
• 300g Speck, rind removed and diced
• 2 Onions, chopped finely
• 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed and minced
• 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 375ml (1.5 cup) Beef Stock
• 250ml (1 cup) Pale Ale Beer
• 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 Stalks Rosemary
• 500g Mushrooms, cut into 3 slices
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten

Ingredients (Cheesy Twists) :

• 130g Mozzarella, grated finely
• 1/3 cup Flatleaf Parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Chives, finely chopped
• 1 Eggs
• 2 Sheets Puff Pastry, just thawed

Instructions:

• In a pressure cooker, add 1 tbsp oil and brown the beef. Set the beef aside in a large heatproof bowl.
• Add another tbsp oil to the empty pressure cooker and cook the onion and speck for 5 mins until the onion softens.
• Add the garlic and paprika. Cook, while stirring, for 30 seconds until aromatic.
• Add the stock, ale, tomato paste and rosemary.
• Cover and bring to boil. Add the beef back into the pan.
• Reduce the heat to simmer and pressure cook the meat stew for 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the cheese twists by combining in a small bowl, the cheese, parsley, chives, egg, salt and pepper.
• Place one sheet of pastry on a sheet of baking paper. If not 30cm square, use a rolling pin to roll it out to that size.
• Spread the cheese mixture across the sheet. Take a second sheet of puff pastry, roll it out to match the same size and place it on top of the cheese mixture.
• Roll the rolling pin over top gently to help seal it.
• Cut the pastry into fourteen 2cm wide strips. Separate them and place them on another lined baking tray. Place the baking tray in the freezer to chill for 20 mins.
• Preheat the oven to 210C.
• Stir in the mushrooms and pressure cook for another 20 mins.
• Remove the chilled pastry from the freezer. Take one strip and twist it then coil it into a circle. Place it back on the lined tray. Repeat with the remaining strips.
• Place the tray back in the freezer until the meat is tender in the stew.
• The meat should be very tender by this point (otherwise, pressure cook it for another 10-20 mins)
• Transfer the stew to a large ovenproof casserole dish.
• Place pastry twists across the top of the stew in the casserole dish until the stew is completely covered.
• Brush the pastry twists with an egg wash made by lightly beating an egg in a small bowl.
• Bake for 25-35 mins, uncovered, until pastry is golden and crisp. If pastry starts browning too fast, loosely place a sheet of foil overtop the casserole dish.
• Check that the pastry is fully cooked through prior to removing it fully from the oven.

Source: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/slow-cooked-smoky-beef-cheesy-herb-twists/86831c9a-9fda-4150-ac38-109cead9e26a (Recipe Adapted)

Zesty Steak Rub

Ingredients :

• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Sumac
• 2 tsp Rosemary
• 1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper
• 2 Porterhouse / Sirloin Steaks

Instructions:

• Combine the spices in a small bowl.
• Rub them over the steaks just before grilling.

Source : themainmeal.com.au (adapted significantly)

Risotto with Chorizo and Herb Crumb

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients :

• 25g Unsalted Butter
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/3 cup (80ml) Dry White Wine
• Pinch Sea Salt
• Grind of Black Pepper
• 2 cups (400g) Arborio Rice
• 1.5L Chicken Stock, heated up
• 1 cup (100g) Fontina or Mozzarella, grated
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil + extra for drizzling
• 2 Raw Chorizo, skins removed and crumbled or sliced in small 1cm cubes
• 1 cup (70g) Sourdough Breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp Thyme Leaves, chopped + extra to serve

Instructions:

• In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the onions for about 4-5 mins until transparent.
• Add the garlic and cook until golden.
• Stir in the wine, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 more mins.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2-3 mins.
• Add the stock, 1 large ladle at a time, adding more once absorbed.
• Cook for 20-25 mins until the rice is al dente, stirring frequently while adding the stock as directed above.
• Remove from the heat and stir through the cheese.
• While the rice is cooking, fry the crumbled or diced chorizo for 5-6 mins until crispy. Set aside in a bowl.
• Then using the same frying pan, add 1 tbsp oil, the breadcrumbs and thyme leaves. Cook stirring for 4-5 mins until crisp and golden.
• Once the risotto is done, stir half the chorizo into the risotto.
• Serve in warmed bowls topped with chorizo, the herb crumb and a drizzle of olive oil.

Source: Donna Hay Magazine (Recipe Adapted)

Pork Fillet on Kumara & Fennel Mash with Roasted Grapes

Ingredients :

• 2 x 400g Round Pork Fillets
• 2 tbsp Thyme, finely chopped
• 4 Cloves Garlic, crushed and minced
• 6 Rashers Streaky Bacon
• Olive Oil
• 400g Seedless Red Grapes
• 1 cup Chicken Stock
• 1/3 cup Marsala Fortified Cooking Wine
• 2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 2 tsp Sugar
• Zest of 1 Orange
• 1kg Kumara, peeled, diced and boiled
• 25g Butter
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 tbsp Roasted Caraway Seeds
• Salt & Pepper, to season

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 200C.
• Start with boiling the kumara for 10-15 mins until tender.
• In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine stock, marsala, molasses, butter, sugar and orange zest. Boil and reduce to a simmer until the mixture has reduced to a third of its original volume.
• Meanwhile, cut grapes into small bunches with about 5 grapes per bunch. Place these in a baking dish. Pour the glaze over grapes and rest the grapes in the oven until the syrup becomes a thickish glaze and the grapes are plump. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine thyme, pepper and minced garlic. Sprinkle it on a chopping board. Roll pork on the board to coat all sides.
• Wrap bacon rashes around the pork and tie up altogether with kitchen string.
• Place an ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. Sear pork on all sides.
• Place pan in the oven for 15 mins. Cover with foil and rest for 10-15 mins until cooked as needed (may need more time). Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mash boiled kumara, butter, milk, roasted fennel seeds, salt and pepper together.
• Warm grapes again before serving.
• Serve plates with mash, slices of the pork and warmed grapes on top. Drizzle juices from the grapes over the pork.

Source: Unknown Cookbook (Recipe Adapted)

Roast Wild Boar or Pork Rib Cutlets

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients :

• 1kg Wild Boar or Pork Rib Cutlets

Instructions:

• Heat oven at 180C.
• Cover cutlets in a deep dish with a bit of water and place in the oven for an hour.
• Then remove cover, sprinkle over salt or any spices you'd like for added flavour.
• Turn up heat to max (220C) to crispen them for about 10 mins or so (with the oven door open to avoid it from cooking inside further vs grilling).
• Note : Wild Boar did not taste very gamey (just a very slight different taste) but it was beautifully lean with only a bit of fat on top.

Recipe created by AboutNatia.com

Camel Roast

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients :

• 1kg Piece of Camel for roasting
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1 Bay Leaf (optional)

Instructions:

• Sear Camel until brown all over.
• Then pressure cooked for 30 mins with just water, bit of salt, pepper and a bay leaf only.
• Afterwards, grill te roast for a bit of caramelisation.
• Note: Taste was a cross between lamb and beef, flavourwise. Delish!

Recipe created by AboutNatia.com

Dee's Apricot Chicken

Serves 2.

Ingredients :

• 2 Chicken Marylands (or 3-4 thighs)
• 1 x 400g Can of Apricot Nector
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Packet Dried Onion Soup
• 1/2 cup Dried Apricot, chopped
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

• Over high heat, use a large frying pan to heat 1 tbs oil until hot.
• Then brown the chicken marylands until brown all over. Remove chicken and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 more tbsp oil and cook onions until translucent.
• Add apricot nector and powdered onion soup. Stir until completely mixed together.
• Stir in the dried apricot and the chicken.
• Cook for 15-20 mins until chicken is cooked through.

Fijian Kokonda Seafood Cured in Citrus & Coconut Milk

Serves 4.

Ingredients :

• 350g Skinless Fillet of Blue Eyed Cod or Trevally (Snapper unfortunately has lots of bones which were tough to remove)
• 4-6 Limes, juiced
• 1 Small Red Shallot, finely diced or half circles
• 1-2 Long Green Chillies, deseeded and chopped finely
• 2 Truss Tomatoes, diced into 1cm cubes
• 250ml (1 cup) Coconut Cream
• 1.5 cup Coriander Leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp Black Pepper, ground
• Salt, to taste

Instructions:

• Soak chopped shallots in a small bowl of water and salt for 10 mins. Then drain and set aside.
• Cut the fish into 1cm cubes, being sure to remove all bones.
• In a large bowl, add the fish pieces and the lime juice. Toss to coat, then stand, in the fridge for 30 mins until the fish turns opaque.
• Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
• When the fish is ready, stir in the red shallot, tomatoes and green chillies.
• Then stir in the coconut cream, salt and pepper.
• Top with coriander leaves and serve immediately while nice and cool.

Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/kokonda (Recipe Adapted)

Duck Braised in Quince & Walnut Gravy

Serves 4
(Best tasting gravy ever!)

Ingredients:

• 4 Duck Legs or Breasts
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt
• 2 Large Golden Shallots, diced
• 100ml Dry Sherry
• 500ml Chicken Stock
• 80g Quince Paste
• 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 40g Walnuts

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 160C.
• Lightly salt the duck.
• In a frying pan, over medium heat, add oil and gently cook the duck until golden all over. Then transfer the duck to a small baking dish just big enough to fit all the pieces and set aside.
• Back to the frying pan, cook the shallots until golden.
• Transfer cooked shallots to ducks.
• Pour off excess fat apart from 1 tbsp. Add sherry, scraping the pan to mix the pan juices with the sherry.
• Add chicken stock, quince paste, vinegar, bay leaf and 500ml water.
• Bring to a simmer, pour over the duck.
• Place the duck dish in the oven, covered, and bake for 1 hour until the duck is cooked.
• Meanwhile, lightly toast the walnuts. Let cool. Then blend roasted walnuts until it becomes a wet paste.
• Remove the duck from the oven.
• Strain braising liquid and place it in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by half.
• Add the walnut page to the braising liquid and cook for another 15 mins.
• Serve the duck sliced in diagonal pieces with the quince walnut gravy.

Classic & Easy Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:

• 4 Lamb Shanks
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Finely chopped Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Tin Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Sprigs of fresh Rosemary or Thyme
• Option to add thick slices of carrots

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 160C.
• In a heavy casserole dish, place 4 lamb shanks, chopped onion, chopped garlic, tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, and rosemary/thyme. (Optional : Carrots)
• Bring mixture to a boil on the stove.
• Put the dish in the oven, covered, and cook for 1 hour.
• The meat is ready when it is falling off the bone. If the meat requires further cooking, ensure there is enough liquid in the casserole (otherwise mix in 1/2 - 1 cup of water and return to the oven).

Meatloaf

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup Raw Brown Rice
• 3 Slices Multigrain Bread
• 1/3 Cup Skim Milk
• 1 Cup Carrots Grated
• 1/2 Cup Capsicum finely diced
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 500g very lean beef mince
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 1 Sachet Garden Harvest creamy mushroom cup-a-soup (Continental)
• 2 tsp salt reduced chicken-style stock powder
• Pepper to taste
• Cooking spray

  
  Topping

• 1/4 Cup Ketchup
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

Instructions:

• Preheat oven 180C (350C) fan forced. Follow cooking instructions on rice packet, rinse and drain well, leave to one side.
• In a small bowl soak break with milk, leave to one side.
• Place vegetables into a large mixing bowl then add all remaining ingredients into bowl including cooked rice and bread, mix well. Use your hands to achieve a good consistency with mixture.
• Coat a large loaf tin with cooking spray, press mixture into tin, flatten top.
• Mix Topping mixture until smooth and then spread on top of the raw loaf.
• Put loaf in the oven and bake 60 minutes.

Meatloaf - Alt Recipe

Prep time 20 mins + Cook time 70 mins - Total time 90 mins
Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 onions, pureed
• 1 rib celery, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup + 1/3 cup ketchup or katsu sauce or korean spice paste
• 650g ground beef
• 2 Italian sausages
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350째F with a rack in the middle of the oven.
• Melt the butter, cook the vegetables, season, add Worcestershire and 1/3 cup of ketchup.
• Melt the butter in a large, thick-bottomed skillet, on medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the finely chopped onions, celery, carrot, green onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender, stirring every so often.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup ketchup. Cook for another minute and remove from heat to cool.
• To cool the vegetables more quickly, remove them from the pan and spread them on a plate.
• Once the vegetables have cooled to the touch, place them in a large bowl with the ground beef, Italian sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs and parsley.
• Use your (very clean) hands to mix them together until everything is evenly distributed.
• Place the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan (either 4-x 8-inch or 5- x 9-inch) and press to make compact in the pan. Or you can form a free-standing loaf onto a rimmed baking pan.
• Cover the meatloaf mixture with the rest of the ketchup.
• Bake for 1 hour at 350째F, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf reads 155째F.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to gently lift the meatloaf out of the loaf pan to a serving plate.
• Cut into thick slices to serve.

Source : Inspired by this recipe https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/classic_meatloaf/

Sticky & Tender Texan-Style Beef Short Ribs

Serves 6.
Takes 3.5 hours.

Ingredients (Ribs):

• 2.5kg Beef Short Ribs
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Salt Flakes
• 1 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Ingredients (Sauce):

• 1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbsp American Mustard
• 1 tsp Ground Paprika

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 150C.
• Place ribs in a shallow roasting pan.
• Combine, in a bowl, cumin, paprika, salt, mustard powder, fennel and pepper. Mix well.
• Sprinkle spice mixture over top and bottom of the ribs.
• Cover pan with foil. Roast for 3 hours until ribs are very tender.
• Meanwhile, make the rib sauce by combining in a small saucepan, all rib sauce ingredients over medium heat for 5 mins until the sauce boils. Remove from heat.
• When ribs are ready and neary falling off the bone, take the ribs out of the oven and brush the rib sauce across the ribs.
• Then bbq the ribs at a low temperature to caramelize the sauce until the ribs become sticky and are falling off the bone.
• Enjoy warm!

Memphis Pork Ribs with Smokey 'n Sweet BBQ Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 x 1.3kg Pork Spareribs

Ingredients (Memphis BBQ Rub - Works well with pork and chicken too):

• 5 tbsp Salt
• 5 tbsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
• 4 tbsp Soft Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Paprika
• 2 tbsp Chilli Powder
• 2 tbsp Ground Cumin
• 2 tbsp Ground Coriander
• 1-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tbsp Ground Ginger

Ingredients (Memphis BBQ Sauce):

• 240ml Tomato Ketchup
• 5 tbsp Cider Vinegar
• 4 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
• 4 tbsp Orange Juice
• 2 tbsp Mustard Powder
• 1/2 tsp "Liquid Smoke" (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Make the traditional rub

• In a small bowl, combine all the rub ingredients and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 100C. Coat the ribs thoroughly with the BBQ rub, then set them on baking sheets and roast them for about 3 hours until the meat is tender and pulls easily from the bone.

Make the smokey BBQ sauce

• In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

Assembly

• Preheat the BBQ on low.
• Once the ribs are done in the oven, put them on the grill for about 10-20 mins until a light crust has formed. The longer the ribs cook on the BBQ, the better they taste.
• Brush them with the sauce during the last minute of cooking.
• Remove them from the grill. Transfer them to a cutting board and cut the racks into individual ribs.
• Serv them hot with the remaining sauce on the side.

Cajun-style BBQ Pork Ribs

Prep 15 mins + Cooking 1hr 45 mins = 2 hours Total Time
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 Rack of Pork Ribs (approx 700-800g), cut into 1-2 rib segments
• 2 tbsp Cajun Spice mix
• 2 tsp Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 Small Onion, peeled and blitzed
• 1 Garlic Clove, peeled, crushed and blitzed
• 1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Beef Stock
• 1.5 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1.5 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 150C (130C with fan).
• Coat the ribs in the cajun spice mix.
• Place the coated ribs in a deep baking pan. Cover with foil and cook for 1.5 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce by heating oil in a small saucepan.
• Cook the onion and garlic mixture for about 3 mins.
• Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for another 5 mins until thickened. Set aside.
• Remove baking pan from the oven and increase the temperature to 200C (180C with fan).
• Remove the foil cover and brush the ribs generously with the sauce.
• Return ribs to the oven. Cook for 5 mins until the sauce has caramelized.
• Add another layer of sauce and return the ribs to the oven. Repeat 2-3 times more.
• Serve warm with extra sauce on the side.

Cajun Blackened Red Snapper

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Paprika
• 2 tbsp Ground Coriander
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Mustard Powder
• 1 tbsp Black Pepper, Freshly Ground
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 4 Fish Fillets (Red Snapper, Grouper or Sea Bass)
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• Tartar sauce, to serve (optional)
• Lemon, to serve (optional)

Instructions:

• Pre-oil the bbq grill and pre-heat the BBQ for at least 10 mins at med heat.
• In a small bowl, combine the paprika, coriander, salt, mustard powder, black pepper and cayenne.
• Check the fish for bones - remove any remaining.
• Rub the fish fillets with olive oil and coat it generously on all sides with the spice mixture, pressing gently to make sure it all adheres.
• Put the fish on the grill, directly over the coals and cook it until it is just opaque throughout. (6-8 mins per side)
• Transfer the fish to a serving plate and serve with tartar sauce and lemon.

Source : BBQ Recipes Techniques Tools by Chris Schlesinger

BBQ Pork Chops

Overnight marinating needed.

Ingredients:

• 4 Pork Chops
• 1/3 Cup Orange Juice
• 3 tbsp Honey
• 3 tbsp Ketchup
• 3 tbsp Mango Chutney (or other chutney)
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1-2 tsp Chilli Powder
• 3/4 tsp Ground Cumin

Instructions:

• Make the marinade by combining all ingredients (apart from the pork) into a small bowl and stir until smooth.
• In an non-metal oven dish, arrange pork chops into a single layer.
• Pour the marinade over the pork and turn pieces of pork over to coat marinade on both sides.
• Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.
• Preheat your BBQ grill and cook pork chops over heat for 6-7 mins per side, intermittently basting with leftover marinade as you go.
• For ovens, hmm, maybe preheat at 200C and cooked only the pork for 10 mins each side (basting with marinade as you go).

Source: Crazy Plates Cookbook

Mountain-Style Mac and Cheese (aka Adult Mac and Cheese)

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 400g Dried Macaroni
• 80ml (1/3 Cup) Olive Oil
• 80g Pancetta, finely chopped
• 5 Golden Shallots, finely diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tsp Thyme, finely chopped
• 150ml Dry White Wine
• 400ml Pouring Cream
• 150g Taleggio, Coarsely Crumbled
• 150g Asiago (or Parmesan), Coarsely Grated

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Boil pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until almost al dente (5-10 mins). Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and shallots, stir occasionally until tender (4-6mins).
• Add garlic and thyme, cook for 1 min, then add white wine and reduce by half (3-5mins).
• Remove from heat, stir in cream, cheeses and pasta. Season to taste.
• Transfer to a 2-L baking dish and bake until golden and bubbling (20-25 mins). Serve hot.

Roast Duck with Orange-flavoured Gravy & Stuffing

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

For the Duck :

• 1 Duck
• 2 tbsp Butter at room temperature
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

For the Gravy :

• 3 tbsp Plain Flour (For the Gravy)
• 1 Cup Chicken Broth (For the Gravy)
• 1/4 Cup Marmalade (For the Gravy)
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

For the Hazelnut & Orange Stuffing :

• 2 Cups Coarse Soft Bread Crumbs (or Diced Bread)
• 1 Cup chopped peeled tart apple (such as Granny Smith Green Apples)
• 1 Cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 Cup chopped celery
• 1/2 Cup chopped onion
• 1/4 Cup orange juice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/8 cup butter, melted
• 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp grated orange peel
• 0.5 tsp grated lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions:

For the Duck :

• Preheat oven to 190C. Line the roasting dish with aluminum foil to simplify cleanup after roasting.
• Remove neck and trim wings to 2nd joint.
• Open the vent at the leg and drain any liquid from the cavity.
• Use a paper towel to pat dry outside and inside.
• Prick the duck skin several times and then season the duck skin with salt and pepper. Wait ten minutes then brush with butter.
• Place favourite herbs in the cavity, including a little salt.
• Place the duck on an oven rack in a roasting dish, so it is elevated above the roasting dish, and with the breast side up.
• When the duck is almost done, brush it with butter, sprinkle some sugar on it and put it under the broiler until the skin bubbles and browns.
• Roast in the preheated oven until brown all over and juices run clear.
• Approximate roasting time is 45mins per KG or until meat thermometer reads 180C for the duck (if you have stuffing, it needs to be 165C). Allow to rest for 20 mins before serving.

For the Gravy :

• For gravy, combine 3 tbsp pan drippings, flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in a saucepan; stir until smooth.
• Heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil;
• Cook for 1-2 mins, stirring constantly.
• Add marmalade; stir until smooth. Keep warm to serve.

For the Stuffing (Make alongside or inside roasting duck):

• Preheat oven to 190C.
• Combine all ingredients together and mix well.
• Either spoon into duck before baking and remove when it reaches 165C via a meat thermometer. Or put it in a separate roasting dish and halfway through roasting extract juices from roasting duck and add to the stuffing dish for flavour.

Mexican Tamales

16 Tamales, with 2-3 tamales per serving

Ingredients (Dough):

• 2 Cups Masa Harina - Try to find PAN brand and avoid the usual white corn flour/starch from the grocery store
• 1/2 Cup Duck Fat or Crisco Shortening, at room temperature
• 1/2-1 tsp Ground Chilli Peppers
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1-2 tsp Salt
• 2/3 Cup Chicken Stock

Ingredients (Filling):

• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 Cup Onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Garlic, minced
• 2 Cups Chicken Thighs, cooked and pulled apart into strands
• 1/4 Cup Sauce (Mole or Salsa) + 1/2 - 1 Cup extra for serving
• 3 tbsp Fresh Coriander, chopped finely
• Freshly made tomato, onion & coriander salsa, for serving (optional but damn tasty)

Instructions:

• Place the corn husks in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Put a plate on top to hold the husks under the water and let them soak for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• To make the dough, place masa harina in a medium-sized bowl. Gradually, pour in, while stirring, 1 1/3 cup warm water up to the point where the dough just forms together. Cover and set aside to cool completely.
• In a separate large bowl, combine the fat or shortening with the ground chilli, baking powder and salt. Beat together until light and smooth. Gradually blend in the wet masa harina mixture.
• Then gradually mix in the stock until the dough is light and fluffy (and a little sticky).
• Cover and set aside while you prepare the filling.
• In a deep and wide saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft and translucent, about 8 mins.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 more min.
• Stir in the cooked chicken, sauce and coriander. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool slightly.
• To assemble the tamales, remove the husks from the water to drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Place the first large moistened husk (or overlap 2 smaller ones), smooth side up, on a flat surface.
• With moistened hands, scoop about 3 tbsp of the dough and make a flat rectangle shape in the middle of the husk, being sure to leave at least 2 inches of uncovered husk at each end of the rectangle and 1 inch from both sides.
• Spoon and spread about 2 tbsp of filling down the center of the dough rectangle.
• Fold the husks sides up and overlap loosely to allow for expansion during cooking.
• Tie each end tightly with kitchen string or long thin strips of corn husk.
• Repeat with remaining husks to make about 16 tamales.
• Meanwhile, prepare 2 soup pots each with 2 inches of boiling water and a plate inside its base. You can boil or steam them. To steam them, carefully stack the tamales on top of one another to make up to 3 layers, leaving a space to see the bottom to keep an eye on the water levels. Don't overcrowd. Cover the tamales with 2 or 3 extra layers of corn husks.
• Place the lid on top of the pots, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until the dough easily comes off the corn wrapper. Add boiling water every 15 mins or as needed to maintain the water level.
• Separately, and just before serving, reheat the extra sauce to be used as a topping.
• Prep the salsa also for serving.
• To serve, transfer 1-2 unopened tamales per plate. Guests to open tamales at the table, topping the dough with salsa and sauce as desired.
• Alternate tasty fillings include cheese, mushroom or other meats such as pulled pork.

Chorizo & Haloumi Stuffed Polenta Crepes

Makes 10 crepes.
Prep and cook time : 50 mins

Ingredients:

• 2/3 Cups Instant Polenta
• 1/4 Cup Plain Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 Lightly Beaten Eggs
• 1 Cup Water
• 150g Baby Spinach, chopped
• 150g Chorizo, 1cm dice
• 100g Haloumi Cheese, 1cm dice
• 1/2 - 1 Jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 Cup Tomato Salsa
• 3/4 Cup Cheddar or Tasty Cheese
• Spray or liquid vegetable oil

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Lightly grease a large baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, combine polenta, flour and salt.
• Make a well in the centre and pour in combined eggs and water. Stir batter until just combined.
• Lightly spray oil on a frying pan.
• Heat pan over medium-high. Pour a quarter cup of batter into the pan. Tilt the pan and use a scapula to cover the base.
• Cook 1 min then flip and cook a further 30 secs.
• Slide onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter.
• Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, combine chopped chorizo, haloumi, spinach and jalapeno.
• Set aside a deep baking pan (no need to grease it).
• Take a crepe, add 1-3 tbsp of the chorizo mixture, then roll up the crepe, leaving the ends open.
• Place it seam side down in the baking dish.
• Repeat with remaining crepes.
• Pour salsa across the top of the crepe rolls and sprinkle with tasty cheese.

Ecuadorian Ceviche Seafood Cured in Citrus

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 200g Skinless Fillet of Blue Eyed Cod or Trevally (Snapper unfortunately has lots of bones which were tough to remove)
• 150g Prawns, deshelled, deveined, butterflied, cooked and cooled
• 4 Limes, juiced
• 1 Orange, juiced
• 1 Small Red Shallot, finely diced or half circles
• 1-2 Long Green Chillies, deseeded and chopped finely
• 1/2 Red, Orange or Yellow Capsicum, diced
• 2 Truss Tomatoes, diced into 1cm cubes
• 1.5 cup Coriander Leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp Black Pepper, ground
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup Popcorn, cooked, for garnish
• Salprieta or Chifles, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

• Soak chopped shallots in a small bowl of water and salt for 10 mins. Then drain and set aside.
• Cut the fish into 1cm cubes, being sure to remove all bones.
• In a large bowl, add the fish pieces and the lime juice. Toss to coat, then stand, in the fridge for 30 mins until the fish turns opaque.
• Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
• When the fish is ready, stir in the red shallot, tomatoes and green chillies.
• Then stir in the coconut cream, salt and pepper.
• Top with coriander leaves and serve immediately while nice and cool.

Source: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/ceviche-camaron-shrimp-ceviche/ (Recipe Adapted)

Peruvian "Lomo Saltado" Beef Stirfry

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Fermented Black Bean Paste
• 500-600g Rib Eye or Sirloin, sliced into medium strip
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed and pressed
• 1 Onion, finely diced
• 1 Yellow or Red Capsicum, deseeded and juliennes
• 2 Ripe Tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
• Coarse Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

Instructions:

• In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar and black beans paste.
• Place the beef and marinade in a glass bowl. Toss to coat. Set aside to marinate for up to 1 hr.
• In a deep skillet, heat the oil. Browns all sides a few slices of meat at a time. Set aside.
• Add the onion and cook for 5 mins until softened. Stir until garlic until cooked.
• Toss in the chopped bell peppers and cook for a few more mins
• Add the tomatoes. Cook for 2 more mins.
• Toss in the beef stirring until the beef is med-rare.

Source: Unknown Cookbook (from Madhuri)

Peruvian Coconut & Aji Amarillo Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 4 Chicken Thighs
• Salt
• 1 Onion, chopped finely
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 400ml Coconut Milk
• 1/4 Cup Aji Amarillo Paste
• 2 Carrots, peeled and sliced into 2cm thick half moons
• 100g (3/4 cup) Frozen Peas
• 1/2 cup (30g) Fresh Coriander + extra for garnish
• Cooked rice or boiled yuca, to serve

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• In an ovenproof dish, over med-high heat, add coconut oil.
• Season chicken with salt.
• Once the oil is hot, brown all sides of the chicken (about 4 mins).
• Remove chicken from the dish and set it aside.
• Lower heat to medium and cook onion for about 5 mins until translucent.
• Add minced garlic and cook for a few more mins.
• Increase heat to high and add coconut milk, aji amarillo, carrot and a pinch of salt. Bring it all to a simmer.
• Return the chicken and its juices to the dish, placing it skin side up, on top of the carrot pieces so that it remains above the surface of the liquid.
• Transfer the dish to the oven and bake uncovered until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, for about 30-45 mins.
• Remove from the oven and stir in peas and coriander.
• Serve hot with rice or boiled yuca.

Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/12/braised-chicken-aji-amarillo-coconut-milk-recipe.html

Peruvian Spiced Beef Brisket with Pecans

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 750g Beef Brisket, cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 500ml (2 cups) Beef Stock
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 tsp Aji Amarillo Paste (or alternatively another hot chilli paste)
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 100g (2/3 cup) raisins, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 500ml (2 cups) Water
• 90g (3/4 cup) pecans, toasted and chopped
• Roasted or Mash potatoes, to serve

Instructions:

• In a pressure cooker, heat a tbsp oil, sear the beef and set aside.
• Then stir together all the ingredients apart from pecans in the pot and pressure cook for 30 mins until the beef is starting to fall apart.
• Stir in toasted and chopped pecans.
• Cool for 10 mins then shred beef using two forks, then toss with the juices from the stew.
• Serve warm with roasted or mashed potatoes.

Source : https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/crisp-potatoes-stuffed-spiced-beef-and-pecans (Recipe Adapted)

Venezuelan Arepas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups arepa flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 2.5 cups water

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, combine the arepa flour and salt. Add the water and stir until combined.
• Knead until a smooth dough forms and let it rest for a couple of minutes to let the arepa flour hydrate and thicken.
• Separate the dough into eight portions and roll them into balls. Flatten each ball into 3.5in/10cm disks. Cook on a griddle or skillet over medium heat until golden on both sides, about 5-7min per side.
• Take the arepas off the heat and slice them. Fill with as much filling as you like.

Source : https://www.aimadeitforyou.com/reina-pepiada/#recipe

Venezuelan Shredded Beef for Arepas

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lb (500 – 1000 g) skirt steak or flank steak
• 6-8 cups (1 1/2 – 2 l) beef broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons ( 60 ml) olive oil
• 1 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 cup green pepper, chopped into small cubes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (6oz) tomato paste
• 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions:

• Cut the meat into 4 pieces.
• Place beef broth in a large pot over medium-high heat. At first boil, add the meat and cook for 15 minutes. Taste the broth and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and let it cook for about 2 – 3 hours, or until the meat is fully cooked and tender. As the meat cooks, check the broth levels and add more if needed (the broth should always cover meat). When the meat is tender and fully cooked, carefully removed it from the pot, place it on a plate, and let it cool. Reserve broth (about 3-4 cups).
• Once the meat is cool enough, sheared using two forks or your hands, remove and discard big pieces of fat, if any.
• Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and pepper and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Then add garlic and let it cook for 1 more minute.
• Stir in shredded beef and mix to combine well.
• In a medium bowl, combine tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, oregano, and reserved beef broth; mix well until everything is well combined. Add this mixture to the meat. Add the bay leaves, cover, and cook for 20 -25 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been consumed. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper, if necessary.
• Serve hot with white rice, black beans, and fried plantains if desired.

Source : https://mommyshomecooking.com/venezuelan-shredded-beef/

Chicken Avocado Filling for Arepas

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken breast
• 1 small onion, sliced
• pinch of salt
• pinch of black pepper
• water
• 2 1/2 ripe avocados
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of cilantro, minced
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
• salt
• black pepper

Instructions:

• If poaching the chicken, add the chicken breast, sliced onion, salt, and black pepper to a pot and cover with water by an inch or two. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, mash the avocados and add the garlic, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, mayonnaise, and lime juice. Shred the chicken and add it to the bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and keep it in the fridge.

Source : https://www.aimadeitforyou.com/reina-pepiada/#recipe

Tex-Mex Beef, Bean and Potato Chimichangas

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Red Onion, chopped finely
• 1 Small Baby Gem Lettuce, chopped finely
• 1 Sweet Potato, peeled, diced in 1cm pieces
• 1 tbsp Ground Cumin
• 3 tsp Ground Coriander
• 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/4 tsp Ground Chilli Powder
• 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed and minced
• 500g Beef Mince
• 400g Diced Tomatoes
• 2 Smoked Chipotle Peppers, chopped finely
• 300g Refried beans
• Salt and pepper for seasoning, as needed
• 6 Large Tortillas
• Jalapeno Salsa (see below), guacamole and sour cream, to serve

Ingredients (Jalapeno Salsa):

• 2 Large Truss Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Green Shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Fresh jalapeno chilli, deseeded and chopped finely
• 1/3 Cup Fresh Coriander leaves, Chopped
• 1 tsp Lime Zest, finely grated
• 3 tsp Lime Juice

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 210C. Line a baking dish with baking paper.
• In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, then cook onion for 3 mins.
• Add diced sweet potato for a few mins until just lightly softened.
• Stir in cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, chilli powder and garlic. Cook for a min until aromatic. Set vegetables aside in a bowl.
• On the still hot pan, increasing the heat to high, cook ground beef until just browned.
• Add the tomato, chipotle peppers and return the spiced vegetables to the mix.
• Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 5 mins.
• Mix in the refried beans and 1/2 cup of water.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed.
• Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
• Place a tortilla on a plate or clean countertop. In the middle of the tortilla, place 2-3 large tablespoons of the mixture 1 inch away from the one of the edges.
• Fold in the sides, then fold over the top and roll to the bottom to enclose the filling.
• Repeat with remaining tortillas and beef mixture.
• Place tortillas, seam-side down, in the large baking dish.
• Brush tortillas with remaining oil. Bake for 12-14 mins until lightly browned.
• Meanwhile, prepare the salsa by mixing together all the ingredients. Taste and season as needed.
• Serve chimichangas hot, topped with sour cream / guac, plus jalapeno salsa.

Burritos

Makes 10 Burritos

Ingredients:

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 Cup Rice, Cooked

1 Reg. Size Can Refried Beans

10 Burritos Soft Shells

1.5 Cans Pasta Tomato Sauce

1 Clove Garlic

Chilly Powder

1 Large White Onion

1 Pack of Burrito Mix

1 Package of Cheddar Cheese

2 Jalapeno

Black pepper and salt to taste

Instructions:

• Preset oven to 350 F.
• In a sauce pan, cook chopped onion, beef, chopped jalapeno, chilly powder, black pepper and salt, until beef is browned. Drain. Then add a cup of water and the burrito mix. Mix well. Let simmer at low heat for 20 mins or until water has evaporated.
• In another pan, mix 1/2 tomato sauce with 1/2 cup of water and all the rice. Cook rice until fluffy.
• Let rice and meat mix cool.
• One each shell, spread refried beans first, then rice, then beef, then some tomato sauce (save about 1 - 1 1/2 cup) and finally cheese. Wrap tight.
• Put complete burritos in a deep dish. Pour tomato sauce and then cheese over the burritos.
• Bake for 30 mins. Take cover off for last 5 mins.

Chipotle Tacos with Pineapple

Ingredients (Marinade) :

• 2 cups Fresh Pineapple, chopped in small bite sizes
• 3/4 cup Red Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
• 2 tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 tbsp Chilli Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper

Ingredients (Assembly & Garnishes) :

• 2 pounds Pork Shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 10 or so Corn Tortillas
• 1/2 cups Fresh Pineapple, chopped in small bite sizes
• 1/4 cup Red Onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup Lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream (mixed with a tbsp water for easy pouring on tacos)

Instructions:

• In a food processor, blend together the marinade ingredients until smooth.
• Place some of the marinade in the base of a glass container, add cubed pork, then add the remaining marinade. Toss to coat.
• Cover and let sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours (no more than 8 hours).
• Place pork and marinade in a pressure cooker and cook for 30-45 mins.
• Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
• Once the pork is very tender, shred the pork and let it sit for 10 mins before serving.
• Serve the shredded pork on warmed up corn tortillas with sour cream, chopped lettuce, diced pineapple, red onions and coriander leaves.

Source : https://www.evolvingtable.com/instant-pot-tacos-al-pastor/

Chicken Enchilada Bake

Serves 4.
Total time to make : 1hr 10mins (incl 35 mins to bake)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tbsp Olive Oil
• 500g Chicken Thigh fillets, chopped
• 1 Brown Onion, diced finely
• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed and chopped
• 2 tsp ground Coriander
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/4 tsp Ground Chilli Powder
• 2 x 410g Cans Diced Tomatoes
• 125g Can Corn Kernels, drained
• 125g Can Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Coriander
• 6 Tortillas
• 1/3 Cup Plain Yoghurt or Sour Cream
• 3/4 Cup Tasty Cheese, grated
• 1/2 Cup Coriander Leaves, to serve

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 180C (160C with fan)
• Line a deep 20cm x 30cm baking pan.
• In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over med-high heat.
• Add chicken. Cook stirring until browned, about 5 mins.
• Transfer to a bowl. Heat remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in pan.
• Cook onion until softened, about 3 mins.
• Add garlic, ground coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, until fragrant.
• Return chicken to the pan, along with 1 can of diced tomatoes, corn and kydney beans.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 mins until sauce thickens.
• Season with salt and pepper as desired. Stir in some of the chopped coriander. Set aside off the heat.
• Take 1 tortilla and spoon 1/2 cup of the mixture towards one end. Roll the tortilla from that end until done.
• Place the filled tortilla in the lined baking pan.
• Repeat with the remaining tortilla until you have filled the baking dish.
• Spoon remaining mixture (and as needed the other can of diced tomatoes) around the edges and over the center of the enchiladas.
• Spoon yoghurt or sour cream over the tomato mixture in the middle.
• Sprinkle with the tasty cheese over the middle as well.
• Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and heated through.
• Serve warm topped with coriander leaves.

Source : https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/recipes/chicken-enchiladas-9513 (Recipe Adapted)

Jamaican Goat Curry

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 Onion, quartered
• 10 Garlic Cloves
• 100g Ginger, chopped roughly and skin removed
• 100ml Vegetable Oil
• 2 Scotch Bonnet Chillies, chopped finely
• 1/4 Cup Curry Leaves
• 3 Thyme Sprigs
• 4 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
• 700g Goat Leg or Shoulder, diced in large pieces (alternatively can use mutton instead)
• 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
• 300ml Beef Stock
• 410g Can Kidney Beans
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• Small Bunch of Coriander, chopped roughly
• Rice, to serve (optional)
• Warmed Jamaican Roti, to serve (optional)

Instructions:

• In a food processor, puree the onion, garlic and ginger.
• In a large soup pot, heat the oil, then add the onion mixture and cook for 5 mins until softened.
• Add the chopped chillies, curry leaves, thyme, curry powder and 2 tsp salt. Cook for 2-3 mins more until fragrant.
• Add the goat to the pan and brown the meat over medium-high heat, for about 5 mins.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and stock.
• Increase the heat, bring to a boil and cook on high for 10 mins.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and leave to simmer gently for 2 1/2 hours - remove the lid for the final 30 mins of cooking.
• Add beans to heat through, plus more chilli if you want it spicier. Cook for 5 mins and then remove from heat.
• Mix in lemon juice and coriander. Serve warm with rice and roti.

Jamaican Goat Curry - Alt Jamaican technique

This has an unusual cooking technique that we use a lot in the Caribbean: steaming and frying at the same time.

Serves 4
Total Cooking Time : 3-4 hrs + 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 1kg Lean Goat Meat, cubed
• Juice of 1/2 Lime
• 2 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
• 2 tbsp Ground Allspice
• 6 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 425ml Vegetable Stock
• 1 Onion, dice
• 2 cm Fresh Ginger, grated
• 1 Hot Red Chilli (Scotch bonnet if possible), chopped finely
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Red Pepper, deseeded and cubed
• 2 tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley
• 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 2 Waxy Potatoes, cubed
• Boiled Rice, to serve

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, stir together the cubed goat, lime juice, curry powder and ground allspice. Leave to marinate for 4 hours in the fridge.
• Heat a large non-stick casserole saucepan until very hot. Add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, put in the goat meat and immediately turn the meat over with a wooden spoon to coat the meat in the oil. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down to very low. Leave it to just simmer for 45 mins.
• Note : The goat will sweat in its own gravy, locking in all the juices with none of the usual browning or boiling - This is the way it’s done.
• Keep checking the pot to make sure the meat isn’t getting scorched on the bottom.
• Afterwards, add 150ml of the stock, bring to the boil, turn the heat right down, cover and leave again to just simmer.
• After another 45mins, repeat this with another 150ml of stock.
• Cook for another 45 mins.
• Add the onion, ginger, chilli and garlic, stirring gently.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, except the potato and rice, but include the rest of the stock, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down again, cover and cook for another 1 hr, stirring from time to time.
• Keep an eye on it to prevent it from drying, add a bit of stock if needed.
• Twenty mins before the end of cooking time, add the potatoes and gently stir them in. Once potatoes are soft, check the curry for seasoning and serve with boiled rice.
• Note : Watch out for small bones.

Source : Caribbean Food Made Easy Cookbook by Levi Roots. Some alterations made.

Jamaican Beef Patties

Serves 4

Ingredients:

FILLING:

• 1/2 Large White Onion
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 250 ml Ground Beef
• 1 tsp Ground Pepper
• 2 tsp Salt
• 50 ml Bread Crumbs
• 2 tsp Curry Powder
• 125 ml Water
• If you like spicy food, you may want to add chopped fresh chili peppers

PASTRY:

• 250 ml All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 5 tsp Baking Powder
• 75 ml Shortening
• 2 tsp Curry Powder
• 25 ml Butter
• 1 tsp Salt
• 75 ml Cold Water

Instructions:

• Peel and chop the onion into small pieces. Cook with the ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat until meat is browned (5-10 mins). Stir the meat frequently.
• Add salt, curry powder, thyme and pepper. Cook and stir for another minute.
• Add bread crumbs and stir; then add the water. Cook over low heat for another 2-3 mins. The mixture should not be watery. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, curry poder, salt, and turmeric.
• Add the shortening and butter into the mixture. Mix well until it resembles course crumbs.
• Add the cold water, stirring with a fork until you have a ball of dough formed. Divide it into 8 equal portions and set aside.
• Set the oven to 350F.
• Sprinkle a little flour on a wooden board and on the rolling pin. Take one portion of the dough and flatten it between your hands; then roll it out to a thin circle about 16 cm in diameter.
• Space a scoop of the meat mixture on the pastry circle.
• Dip your fingers into a small glass of water and moisten the edges of the dough. Fold the circle in half, covering the meat, and press the edges together with a fork.
• You now have a half moon shape that can be trimmed cleanly with a knife if the edges are a little ragged. Prick through the top crust of the patty with a fork and place the patty on a baking sheet. Make the rest of the patties.
• Bake for 25-30 mins until the crust is cooked and lightly browned. Serve warm.

Trinidadian Mango Curry

(Curry and mango are a delicious flavour combo. And this recipe is fantastic!)

Ingredients:

MAIN:

• 5 Green Mangoes, peeled and cut into 1” strips, seeds reserved
• 2 tsp Salt
• 4 cups Water

CURRY PASTE:

• 2 tbsp Curry Powder
• 1 tbsp Anchar Masala Spice Mix*
• 1 Onion, peeled and quartered
• 6 Large Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 Hot Pepper
• 10 Curry Leaves
• 10 Chadon Beni / Bandhania / Coriander
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 1 tbsp Oil

* ANCHAR MASALA Spice Mix (Makes 2-3 tbsp):

• 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Fenugreek Powder

Instructions:

• Start by making the Anchar Masala spice spice mix. Dry roast in a small pan, over med-low heat, the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, fennel seeds and brown mustard seeds. Remove them from the pan, let them return to room temperature. In a spice grinder, blender or mortar & pestle, blend into a fine powder.
• In a large soup pot of salted boiling water, add mango strips & seeds, and then return the water to boiling. Let cook for 5-10 mins until tender. Remove mango from the water and set aside to drain and cool. Reserve some of the water for later.
• Then prepare the curry paste. In a blender, place the onion, garlic, hot pepper, coriander stems and leaves, and curry leaves. Blitz to make a smooth puree.
• Add puree to a medium sized bowl and stir in curry powder, 1 tbsp anchar masala, and 1/4 cup water to make a paste.
• In a heavy saucepan, over med-high heat, heat oil and add curry paste. Fry until dry. Wash the curry paste bowl out with a little of the boiled mango water and add it to the saucepan.
• Cook for 1 min more and then add drained mango strips & seeds to the curry sauce, tossing the mango so it is coated with the curry sauce. Add sugar and boiled mango water if/as needed.
• Boil until the curry has thickened from the mango pulp and the mango seed is separated from the skin.

Source : The Culinary Heritage of Trinbago by Jassie Singh (Trinidad Cookbook). Recipe amended slightly.

Trinidadian Geera/Jeera Pork

Adding extra jeera/cumin to curried meats is a technique used to enhance the flavour of the dish. In trinbago, jeera is used as a ‘cutter’ or finger food, when alcoholic drinks are served.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Pork Shoulder, cubed
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Hot pepper
• 2-4 Pimiento peppers, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp Curry Powder
• 4-6 Leaves Chandon Beni / Bandhania / Coriander
• 1 tbsp Whole Jeera / Cumin Seeds
• 1-2 tsp Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1-2 tbsp Trinidadian Green Seasoning
• 3-4 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1.5 tbsp Jeera / Cumin Powder
• 1-2 tbsp Oil
• 3-4 Cups Water

Instructions:

• Squeeze lime juice over pork and mix well. Wash meat and squeeze out as much water as possible.
• Then, in a glass bowl, add salt, black pepper, hot pepper, green seasoning, pimientos, garlic, curry powder, cumin powder and chopped coriander to the meat.
• Mix well and allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant and light brown. Add the seasoned pork and stir well.
• Cover the pot and cook for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally.
• When the juices have dried up, add 3 cups water and cook on low heat for approximately 1 hr, or until the pork is very tender, adding more water as needed. You may cut the pepper during the cooking process and add a portion to the pot, reserving the rest for the intrepid few.
• Geera Pork may be served alone as finger food or with Hops Bread.

Source : The Culinary Heritage of Trinbago by Jassie Singh (Trinidad Cookbook). Recipe not altered.

Trinidadian Curried Goat

2hrs to marinate (or overnight) + 20 mins initial cooking time + 1.5-2hrs simmering

Ingredients:

• 1kg Goat Meat, cubed
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp Green seasoning
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 8-10 Carrapeelay / Curry Leaves, minced
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 6-8 Cups Water
• 3 Heaped tsp of Trinidadian Amchar Curry Powder (or regular curry powder) - Note: This is not the dried green mango powder.
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• 0.5-1 Hot pepper, to taste
• 5-6 Blades of chadon beni / coriander leaves, minced
• 8-10 Cloves
• Dalpuri roti, to serve with curried goat
• Optional : 1tbsp Corn starch + 1 tbsp water slurry to thicken the remaining sauce at the end to make a thick gravy.

Instructions:

• Clean meat by removing bits of bone where possible. Pour lime juice over meat, mix well, and then wash the lime juice off. Squeeze any excess water from meat.
• To make the curry paste, in a large bowl, combine the minced coriander, minced curry leaves, hot pepper (chopped or left whole), meat, curry powder, salt, black pepper and green seasoning. Mix well into meat and set aside in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to marinate (or it can be cooked immediately too).
• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat.
• Add cloves and heat until cloves start to swell.
• Transfer the meat carefully to the hot pot, and allow to cook until the liquids dry up (bhoonjay), turning regularly to prevent burning, and turning the heat down to med-low.
• Then add about 5-6 cups of water, bring to boil and cook for approx 1.5-2 hrs, checking on water level and turning meat regularly. Add more water as needed. You want to have a rich gravy when the meat is done.
• Check for doneness by cutting the meat with a spoon to see if it cuts easily. Taste a piece to ensure it is tender enough to eat.
• Remove as many bones as possible. Remove the meat and strain the gravy to get rid of the smaller bones. Reduce sauce to thicken and concentrate the flavours. Then add the cornstarch + water slurry and cook on low to thicken the gravy. Return the meat to the gravy and toss to coat with the now thicker gravy.
• Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with Dalpuri roti.

Source : The Culinary Heritage of Trinbago by Jassie Singh (Trinidad Cookbook). Ingredients not altered. Instructions very slightly altered.

Trinidadian Callaloo Taro/Spinach Leaf Stew

Serves 6-8. Delicious partnered with Coo Coo.
Callaloo originated in West Africa. Original word means ‘hotchpotch’ which is a mix of a range of ingredients to make a stew.
Need to ensure there are crunchy bits added at the end.

Ingredients:

• 2 bundles of Dasheen/Taro Leaves or Spinach Leaves, chopped roughly
• 6-8 Ochroes / Okras, sliced in 1 inch pieces (if you don’t mind the sliminess) or chopped finely
• 2 cups Coconut Milk
• 1 bundle / 2-3 stalks of Chives or Green Spring Onions, chopped finely
• 5-6 Garlic Cloves
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Whole Green Pepper
• 1 + 1 Stalk Celery, chopped into small pieces
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 4-5 Pimiento Peppers, chopped (or 2 long peppers chopped finely)
• 1 Red pepper, diced
• 1 Carrot (or the equivalent in Pumpkin), cubed in 1cm pieces
• Handful of coriander leaves
• 1/2 Lime
• 1 cup Water
• 2-3 Prawns FOR EACH person (or Crabs which is more traditionally Trinadadian) - Optional

Instructions:

• If making callaloo with crab or prawns, remove shells (keep just the tails on for prawns), sprinkle salt and pepper over the seafood, toss to coat and set aside in the fridge until needed.
• Cook the aromatics - In a deep soup pot, over med-high heat, cook onion until softened, then add chopped garlic, 1 stalk of celery chopped, spring onions, chives, pimiento peppers, ochroes and green hot pepper. Cook until garlic is golden and the aromatics have been released.
• Add the liquids & leaves - Next, add the coconut milk, 1 cup of water and salt.
• Bring to the boil and cook until the ingredients have started to soften.
• Blitz half of the mixture to keep some texture still in the soup.
• Cook in some crunch and prawns to finish - Add the cubed carrot / pumpkin and cook for 5 mins.
• Stir in the red capsicum and second stalk of celery chopped, and cook for a few more mins.
• And finally toss in the prawns and cook until they are cooked through.
• Top off with some lime for extra flavour and coriander leaves for extra crunch, and serve hot.

Source : The Culinary Heritage of Trinbago: Our Seasonal and Traditional Food. Recipe altered.

Trinidadian Coo Coo (Savoury Cornmeal Squares)

Goes delightfully well with Callaloo.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Coconut Milk
• 1 Cup Water
• 5-8 Ochroes, sliced
• 2 tsp Chicken or Veg Stock Powder
• 1 Cup Cornmeal (Soaked with 1 cup of water)
• 1 Long Red Pepper
• 1 Short Hot Pepper
• 3 tbp Green Seasoning
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Carrot, grated
• 1 tbsp Butter
• Callaloo to serve with (optional)

Instructions:

• Prep a square pan, lined with parchment paper, for setting the cornmeal. Set aside.
• In a deep pan or soup pot, fry aromatics (peppers, green seasoning, ochroes, grated carrots).
• Then add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water, salt, pepper and stock powder,
• Once the ochroes have softened add the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk.
• Then use a whisk to quickly stir in the cornmeal.
• Continue whisking until all the liquid is absorbed.
• Cook for 5 mins more until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot.
• Add butter at the last minute.
• Pour the mixture in the prepared lined square pan. Set aside in the fridge to set.
• Prior to serving, place squares of the Coo Coo on a baking sheet, spray with oil and place in a hot grill oven (200-220C) for 10 mins to caramelise the edges to give it a bit of texture.
• Serve on top of a delicious callaloo plate.

Source : The Culinary Heritage of Trinbago: Our Seasonal and Traditional Food. Recipe altered.

Trinidadian Green Seasoning

Prepared weekly in Trinidad for home cooking. It stays refrigerated and used for seasoning meats and dishes.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 stalks Chives / green spring onions, roughly chopped
• 1 stalk Parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 Head of Garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 stalk Celery, roughly chopped
• 2 Onions, roughly chopped
• 0.5 cup or less Water, only as needed for a smooth puree

Instructions:

• Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz.
• Add water to puree into a smooth paste.
• Transfer to a lidded glass jar and keep refrigerated.
• (Or freeze into ice cubes to use as and when needed.)

Source : The Culinary Heritage of Trinbago: Our Seasonal and Traditional Food. Unaltered recipe.

Amchar Masala Curry (Trinidadian Spice Blend)

Makes 8 tablespoons.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coriander seeds
• 4 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder

Instructions:

• Place all the spices (apart from fenugreek powder) in a skillet. Turn heat to medium low and toast the spices, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the spices are very aromatic. The coriander seeds should have turned a couple of shades darker.
• Stir in the fenugreek powder about 10 seconds before it’s ready to toast it a little as well.
• Remove the spices to a bowl or plate and let them cool to room temperature. Place the spices in a spice grinder or blender and blend into a fine powder.
• Storage instructions : Store the amchar masala in an airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard. You can also store the spice blend in the fridge or the freezer. Use within a year. This recipe makes about half a cup or 8 tablespoons.

Source : https://holycowvegan.net/amchar-masala-trinidadian-spice-blend/. Recipe unaltered. Note from source website : Recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.