Chicken with New Potatoes, Bacon and Herbs

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This recipe is quick to prepare and good when you only have one chicken breast to feed two people.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 large chicken breast or equivalent in tenderloin pieces
200-300g new potatoes
100g chunky bacon, speck or lardons, cut into small thick pieces
1 red onion, halved, then cut into wedges
3 Tbs fresh oregano or marjoram, roughly chopped
A few fresh herbs to garnish

Cut chicken into chunks about 2.5cm (one inch) square. Scrub potatoes, cut into quarters, then cook in boiling salted water. When cooked drain well.

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook bacon and onion, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and potatoes and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes over moderate heat, turning the chicken pieces and the potatoes so they brown evenly. Lastly add the herbs and season to taste. Save a few fresh herbs to garnish.

Serves 2

Lamb with Eggplant and Ginger

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Lamb has become relatively expensive in Australia over the past year or two. A couple of years ago you could buy a leg of lamb for between ten and twenty dollars. You’re now looking at $40 to $50 from a supermarket and more from a butcher’s shop. For many familes lamb has gone from being an everyday staple to a special treat.

This tasty stir-fry recipe can be made using lamb fillets or any lean lamb, cut from the leg or shoulder. Adjust the amount of chilli to suit your taste and serve it with rice to make it go further.

350g boneless lamb cut into thin stir-fry strips
1 tsp cornflour
3 tsp ground cumin
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs rice wine or sherry
2 tsp sugar
2 eggplants, sliced then cut into strips about 1.5cm wide
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs cumin seeds
1-2 small red chillies, finely chopped
2 spring onions finely sliced on the diagonal
Fresh coriander to garnish

Heat the cumin seeds in a small dry frying pan and allow them to lightly toast, being careful not to burn them then put them aside.

Pat the lamb dry then place in a bowl with the cornflour, half the cumin, half the soy sauce, the rice wine or sherry and the sugar. Mix well and put aside for 30 minutes and up to an hour.

Toss the eggplant with the remaining cumin and the salt. Heat half the oil in a wok or large frying pan and cook the eggplant, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until it’s starting to brown.

Add the ginger, remaining soy sauce and continue to stir fry until the eggplant is dark golden brown. Remove from the wok. Add remaining oil to the wok and when it’s hot add the lamb and stir fry for a minute or so, to make sure it’s not sticking together, then leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir fry for another 2 minutes or until golden brown all over. Return the eggplant to the pan with the chillies, spring onions and toasted cumin seeds.

Serve with steamed rice, garnished with the coriander.

Serves 3-4

Salmon with Green Mango Salad

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You can’t buy green mangoes in the two local supermarkets I frequent. When I go to a Middle Eastern shop a bit further afield which sells them I always buy a few when they are in season. Green mangoes are a particular variety, smaller and thinner than the sweet ones. If you can’t find green mangoes, buy some very underripe ordinary ones. You don’t want soft mushy flesh, it needs to have a bite to it.

This salad is perfect without the salmon as part of a buffet. If you don’t like things too hot, leave out the chilli or use less.

Tamari is gluten-free, so it’s a good option for celiacs.

Dressing:
3 Tbs fish sauce
¼ cup lime or lemon juice
1 or 2 Tbs brown sugar, honey or maple syrup, to taste
2 tsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
Salad:
¼ cup dry unsweetened coconut flakes
2-3 firm green mangoes
2-3 cups beansprouts
½ cup coarsely chopped coriander
1/3 cup coarsely chopped basil
3-4 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 small red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
¼ cup peanuts or coarsely chopped cashews
Salmon:
4 salmon pieces
2 Tbs finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
2 Tbs tamari or sweet chilli sauce

Place all ingredients for dressing in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously.

Place coconut in a dry frying pan and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until light golden. Cool. In the same pan stir fry the nuts until starting to colour ,then cool.

Peel the mangoes, cut the flesh into thin slices, then cut these into long thin julienne strips. I used a vegetable peeler to make the strips you can see in the photo. Place in a large bowl with the beansprouts, fresh herbs (saving a few of each to garnish), spring onions and half the coconut. Add enough dressing to moisten, then tip onto a serving plate. Garnish with the reserved herbs and coconut and sprinkle with the nuts.

Meanwhile, arrange salmon pieces on a shallow baking tray lined with baking paper. Preheat oven to 200°C. Mix ginger with tamari or sweet chilli sauce and spread over the top of each piece of salmon. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cooked to your liking. I like it pink in the middle, but if you like it well done cook for 15 minutes.

Serve the salmon with the salad on the side.

Serves 4

Middle Eastern Crispy Rice

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Do you ever have leftover cooked rice and turn it into your own version of Chinese fried rice with some sliced omelette, spring onions and maybe a few frozen peas?

This recipe is the Middle Eastern equivalent. Delicious on its own as a simple Sunday night supper, or as a side dish.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin
4 Tbs dates or raisins, chopped
3-4 cups cooked and cooled long grain rice
2 Tbs coconut flakes or chips
2 Tbs chopped fresh mint
Salt to taste
2 Tbs fresh chopped coriander
Juice of 2 limes or one lemon

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat then add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft. Add the ginger, turmeric and dates or raisins and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove to a bowl.

Add the remaining Tbs of oil to the pan and turn up the heat to medium-high. Mix the cumin into the rice then add to the pan and flatten it all over the base with a spatula. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Keep checking till it’s ready. Turn the rice over in sections (as much as you can fit on the spatula) so you get small clusters sticking together. Cook the other side of the rice until golden brown and crispy. Add the date mixture and the coconut flakes and cook for a minute or so, stirring. Mix in half the mint and season to taste with salt. Tip into a warmed serving dish, garnish with the coriander, the remaining mint and drizzle with the lime or lemon juice.

Serves 4

Note: the cooked and cooled rice is best made the day before and refrigerated, so this recipe is perfect for leftover rice.

 

Fennel, Blood Orange & Goat Cheese Salad

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Blood oranges are only in season for a short time and are hard to find in Canberra where I live. I’ve planted a tree and am waiting patiently to pick some fruit. Our back courtyard is very protected, providing a little mediterranean oasis. We have an olive tree, a lime, a lemon and a cumquat tree, all growing happily and producing lots of fruit.

Every year in late April we pick about 80 kilos of olives. These come from our tree and a friend’s tree. They don’t bother to harvest their olives and are happy for us to pick them. To be perfectly honest, Matthew picks the olives so I can’t claim any credit. He then takes them to a man who produces olive oil commercially. A couple of days later we pick up about seven one-litre bottles of extra virgin olive oil, which is truly amazing and keeps for at least a year. We only use it for dipping, drizzling and making salad dressings. It’s too good to cook with.

Recently I found some blood oranges in a shop called Harris Farm in Bowral, a couple of hours drive from Canberra, when I happened to be passing through. It’s a fabulous shop and I was delighted to learn they are opening a branch in Canberra near IKEA some time this year.

This recipe, pairing citrus with fennel, is light, summery and delicious. If you can’t find blood oranges use ordinary oranges or one pink grapefruit instead.

1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced with a mandoline (save a few fronds for garnish)
2 blood oranges, segments removed, peel and pith discarded
1 handful rocket leaves
100g goat cheese (or creamy feta)
Dressing:
1 Tbs white wine or cider vinegar
2 tsp orange or lemon juice
5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp honey or maple syrup
1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
Garnish:
3 Tbs walnut or pecan halves
1-2 tsp maple syrup
A few mint leaves if available

Place all ingredients for dressing in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously. For the garnish, place nuts in a small frying pan and drizzle with the maple syrup. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, for a couple of minutes or until glazed then cool.

Mix fennel with some of the dressing then divide between two serving plates. Tuck some rocket leaves here and there, then arrange the orange segments and the cheese, broken into small pieces, on top. Garnish with the nuts and the mint leaves. Drizzle remaining dressing around the edge of the salad and arrange a couple of fennel fronds on top.

Serves 2

Toasted Tuna Open Sandwiches

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My dentist has TV you can watch on the ceiling while he’s fixing your teeth. It’s usually tuned in to the food channel and it gives you something to take your mind off all that drilling. Last week I watched a guy on SBS who was making these toasted tuna sandwiches. There was no sound, but it wasn’t a complicated recipe.

Here’s my version of this delicious quick and easy lunch for two. After the excesses of Christmas it might be just what you need. It’s also great for the kids during school holidays.

1 185g can tuna, drained
½ small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced or chopped
2-3 Tbs mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1 cob fresh corn (optional)
Grated cheddar
2 slices bread, lightly toasted

Cut corn kernels off the cob (if using) and place them in a bowl with the tuna, onion, celery and mayonnaise. Divide mixture evenly between the two slices of toast, top with grated cheese, then cook in an air fryer at 200° for 5-7 minutes or place under a grill. When cheese is golden brown serve immediately, garnished with baby tomatoes or some salad.

Serves 2

Delicious Desserts for New Year’s Eve

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I would like to wish all my readers a wonderful holiday season and a safe, happy and healthy New Year. In the old days it was common to wish everyone a prosperous New Year, but since Covid-19 most people have come to the conclusion that there are more important things in life than money.

Whether you’re experiencing freezing cold winter weather in the northern hemisphere or hot, summer days in the southern hemisphere, a New Year gathering calls for some special desserts. Here are a few of my favourites.

If berries are not in season you can make most of these desserts with frozen ones. When using frozen berries to decorate (rather than inside a jelly or trifle) remove them from the freezer and spread them out on a plate about half an hour before serving. This way they will have just thawed when you use them and won’t have had time to go mushy.

See you next year!

Eton Mess.

Layered Fruit Jelly.

Mango and Passionfruit Ice Cream Cake.

Chocolate Fudge Cake with Tim Tams.

Chocolate Fudge Cake with Tim Tams

Raspberry Trifle.

Pavlova.

Labneh with Summer Berries.

Rhubarb Compote with Ginger and Pistachios

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We grow a lot of rhubarb which I usually make into pies and crumbles, or a simple compote for breakfast. We give the rest away to friends.

This recipe is light and refreshing as well as being gluten-free. To make it dairy free, swap the whipped cream for coconut cream or coconut yoghurt. Don’t be put off by the olive oil at the end – give it a try, it’s delicious.

1 kg rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths
½ cup water
2 Tbs or more sugar, honey or maple syrup, to taste
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1 orange
Topping:
Whipped cream (or coconut cream or yoghurt)
Lightly toasted shelled pistachio nuts
Extra Virgin olive oil

Place rhubarb, water and sweetener in a large saucepan and cook, stirring often for 10-15 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft. Add the ginger and orange juice and leave to cool. Keeps in the fridge for several days.

Toast the nuts by stirring them over medium heat in a dry frying pan until lightly toasted. Whip the cream. Serve the compote in individual serving dishes – martini glasses look pretty. Top with the whipped cream, then a few pistachios and a drizzle of oil.

Serves 8

Note: if liked add a little sweetener and/or vanilla essence to the whipped cream or coconut cream.

Pasta with Peas

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This quick and easy vegetarian pasta recipe with its crunchy crumb topping will appeal to fans of frozen peas.

500g pasta of your choice (I used penne)
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
Juice of ½ a lemon
Good pinch of chilli flakes
Small handful of fresh basil (keep a couple of sprigs to serve)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
1 Tbs olive oil or butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs (stale bread blitzed in food processor)
¼ cup pine nuts

Cook pasta until al dente in boiling, salted water, then drain. Cook peas in boiling salted water until tender then drain. Place half the peas, the ricotta, lemon juice, basil, garlic, chilli flakes and seasoning in food processor and process until smooth. Mix into the cooked pasta with the remaining peas, saving a few to garnish.

While pasta and peas are cooking make the topping. Heat the olive oil or butter and add the Panko crumbs and pine nuts. Stir fry until golden. Remove from the heat and mix in the Parmesan.

Serve pasta topped with the crumbs and remaining peas, garnished with a basil sprig. If liked, drizzle with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Serves 4

Variations: use a mixture of ricotta and goat cheese or feta cheese to give the sauce a bit more punch. Add some asparagus spears, cut into lengths and steamed.

Please bring a Plate

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It’s that time of year when there are lots of gatherings where guests are asked to “please bring a plate”. It may not be common in all countries, but here in Australia what we call Pot Luck lunches or dinners, where everybody makes a contribution, are quite normal. Picnics, beach parties, family or work gatherings to celebrate Christmas or New Year, which of course is the height of summer here. It’s hard to get through December and January without being asked to bring a plate.

A Greek friend arrived in Canberra from Athens in the 1960s with very little English. When he and his wife were invited for lunch and asked to bring a plate they were somewhat perplexed. If their hosts didn’t have enough plates, perhaps they were also short of glasses and cutlery. So they brought their own, never imagining they were expected to bring food.

Today’s photo shows a delicious salad which can be put together in no time with 5 ingredients picked up from the supermarket. It’s so easy I’m not even going to write a recipe. Just layer a packet of washed rocket, then a packet of prosciutto or jamon serrano, cut into smaller pieces with scissors, some small chunks of a soft creamy blue cheese (I used Gorgonzola from Aldi) and walnut or pecan halves. Just before serving, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil  and balsamic glaze.

Here are some other recipes you might like to try next time you’re asked to bring a plate.

I’ve taken Spinach Salad with Red Dressing to many Pot Luck lunches and dinners over the past 3 or 4 decades. Even the older kids like it,

Beef Teriyaki can be served hot or at room temperature. Either way it’s delicious.