dinner

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INDIAN SPICED CHICKPEA BURGERS WITH CAULIFLOWER RAITA + MANGO CHUTNEY: Joe’s Family Food – Joe Wicks

Joe’s Family Food – Joe Wicks, Bluebird, Macmillan Australia

INDIAN SPICED CHICKPEA BURGERS WITH CAULIFLOWER RAITA + MANGO CHUTNEY

SERVES 4 – PREP 20MINS – COOK 10MINS

Ingredients

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 tsp shop-bought curry paste (korma works well)

grated zest of 1 lemon

10g coriander, stems finely

chopped and leaves roughly chopped

½ red onion, finely chopped

80g breadcrumbs

1 tbsp coconut oil

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER RAITA

300g cauliflower

150g natural yoghurt

juice of ½ lemon

10g mint leaves, finely chopped

salt and pepper

TO SERVE

4 burger buns, toasted

4 tbsp mango chutney

4 lettuce leaves

4 tbsp shop-bought crispy fried onions

To make the burger mixture, place the chickpeas, curry paste, lemon zest and fresh coriander in a food processor and blitz until the mixture comes together. If you don’t have a food processor you can mash the mixture with a fork instead.

Mix the red onion and breadcrumbs into the chickpeas and shape into 4 patties.

To make the raita, shave the raw cauliflower with a mandoline or sharp knife into thin slices and place in a bowl. Mix together the yoghurt in a bowl with the lemon juice and mint, season to taste with salt and pepper and fold into the cauliflower.

Heat the coconut oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the burgers and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on both sides.

Assemble the burgers by spreading the base of the toasted buns with mango chutney, then topping with the lettuce followed by the chickpea patties. Pile the cauliflower raita on top of each burger and sprinkle with the crispy fried onions. Place the bun lids on top and squash down a little with the palm of your hand to serve.

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Grilled Chicken, Mango & Avocado Salad: Food for the Soul – Lucy Lord

https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008421106/food-for-the-soul-over-80-delicious-recipes-to-help-you-fall-back-in-love-with-cooking/https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008421106/food-for-the-soul-over-80-delicious-recipes-to-help-you-fall-back-in-love-with-cooking/

Grilled chicken, mango and avocado salad with cashews and chilli lime dressing

Serves 2

2 skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

Pinch of chilli powder or cayenne pepper

Pinch of salt

Large handful of soft leafy greens, such as lamb’s lettuce and baby spinach

1 mango, peeled, stoned and sliced

1 avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced

Handful of basil, roughly torn

30g cashews, roughly chopped

Lime wedges, to serve

FOR THE DRESSING

2 tbsp olive oil

Zest and juice of ½ lime

½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

½ tbsp honey

Pinch of chilli flakes

Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the grill to high and line a baking tray with foil.

2. In a mug or small jar, whisk the dressing ingredients

together with a fork.

3. Butterfly the chicken breasts in half lengthways and use your hands to rub the olive oil over each one. Place

on the baking tray and sprinkle over the garlic, chilli powder or cayenne pepper and salt, gently rubbing

the seasoning on to both sides of the breast. Grill the chicken for 4–5 minutes on each side, turning halfway,

until golden brown.

4. Meanwhile, assemble the salad leaves and top with the mango, avocado and basil.

5. Once the chicken is cooked, thinly slice into strips and add to the salad along with the cashews. Drizzle over

the dressing and serve with lime wedges.

NOTE

• This salad is best enjoyed fresh but you can cook the chicken and make the dressing in advance and keep

in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days, just add the fresh fruits and assemble when

you’re ready to enjoy.

Recipes and images taken from Food for the Soul by Lucy Lord, published by HarperCollins.

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#MeatFreeMonday Summer Vibes Lasagne – Zucchini, Pea and Pumpkin Lasagne: Family Food and Feelings – Kate Berry

Family Food and Feelings

Kate Berry

Pan Macmillan

Plum

ISBN: 978176078-180-4

RRP 39.99

 

This is a fabulous book  – it is a book where you can feel the joy the inspired the food on these pages.

In the next few weeks I will be sharing with you a sample of the goodies these pages hold, starting with Summer Vibes Lasagne.

‘Family, Food and Feelings by Kate Berry, Published by Plum, RRP $39.99, Photography by Kate Berry’ 

“Sometimes I get a little over-enthusiastic at the fruit and veg store, and by the end of the week I’m left with a fridge full of stuff I’m not quite sure what to do with. Pumpkins are the main culprit in our house – I’m always wooed by their reasonable price per kilo. And there’s ALWAYS a sad half-empty bag of peas lurking in the back of the freezer. This is an excellent way to turn those fridge/freezer nuisances into a tasty meal.” p24

200 g (1 1/3 cups) fresh or frozen peas
500 g (2 cups) fresh ricotta, well drained
200 g (2 cups) finely grated parmesan
large handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
salt and pepper
½ butternut pumpkin, seeds removed, halved and peeled
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 baby zucchini (a mix of green and yellow is prettiest)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced).

Blanch the peas in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 1–2 minutes or until just tender. Drain.

Place the ricotta, parmesan, peas, basil, lemon zest and
chilli flakes in a food processor and blitz to roughly combine.
Season with salt and pepper, then cover and pop in the fridge
until needed.

Using a mandoline (be careful!) or a very sharp knife, thinly
slice the pumpkin into 3–5 mm thick slices.

Combine 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of olive
oil in a bowl.

Place a single layer of pumpkin in the bottom of a 22 cm
square (or similar) baking dish and drizzle with about one third
of the honey mixture. Spread with one-third of the ricotta
mixture. Repeat this process twice more, finishing with a layer
of the ricotta mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is golden. Set aside to
cool slightly.

While the lasagne is cooking, thinly slice the zucchini with a mandoline or sharp knife into 3–5 mm thick ribbons. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, lemon juice and remaining honey and oil.
Top the lasagne with the zucchini, drizzle with the honey dressing and serve.

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Cheat’s Chicken Paella: The CSIRO Healthy Gut Diet – Dr Tony Bird, Dr Michael Conlon and Pennie Taylor

CSIRO Healthy Gut Diet

Recipes extracted from The CSIRO Healthy Gut Diet by Dr Tony Bird, Dr Michael Conlon and Pennie Taylor. Available now, Macmillan Australia, RRP $34.99.

p138 THE CSIRO HEALTHY GUT DIET
11 G FIBRE PER SERVE GOOD SOURCE OF RESISTANT STARCH

Cheat’s chicken paella

SERVES 4
PREPARATION 20 minutes, plus standing time
COOKING 45 minutes, plus rice cooking time

 

Cheats Chicken Paella

olive oil spray, for cooking
600 g chicken breast or thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 large red capsicum, seeded, 1/2 finely chopped and 1/2 thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 1⁄ 2 cups (375 ml) salt-reduced tomato passata
pinch of saff€ron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons boiling water for 10 minutes
150 g broad beans
1 1/2 cups (180 g) frozen peas
150 g green beans, trimmed
1 cup (185 g) cooked basmati rice (see page 41)

2 cups mixed salad leaves, lemon wedges, to serve

Heat a heavy-based frying pan with a lid over medium heat and spray with olive oil. Add the chicken and cook, stirring for 4–5 minutes until browned all over. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Spray the pan with a little more olive oil, then add the onion, chopped capsicum and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the paprika and cook for 30 seconds. Add the passata and bring to a simmer. Stir in the saffron mixture, chicken and 1/2 cup (125 ml) water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Preheat the oven grill to high. Line a baking tray with foil, top with the sliced capsicum and grill for 5 minutes or until softened and the skin is slightly charred.

Cook the broad beans in a small saucepan of simmering water for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon, run under cold water and double-peel. Add the peas to the pan of simmering water and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cook the beans in a saucepan of simmering water for 4 minutes or until tender but a little crisp. Add the capsicum, broad beans, peas and beans to the chicken mixture.

Divide the rice among 4 plates or bowls, top each bowl with one quarter of the chicken and vegetable mixture and serve immediately with the salad leaves and lemon wedges to the side.

 

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Meat Free Monday: Gnocchi with Mixed Greens and Cave-Ripened Cheese – Adriatico – Paola Bacchia

Adriatico_cover

 

From Adriatico: Stories and recipes from Italy’s Adriatic Coast by Paola Bacchia

(Smith Street Books, September 2018 – AU$ 55, NZ$ 65)

Photography (c)  Paola Bacchia

 

Gnocchi with mixed greens and cave-ripened cheese

Gnocchi con erbe e formaggio di fossa

 

Gnocchi with mixed greens and cave-ripened cheese

SERVES 4

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mixed greens (such as silverbeet/Swiss chard, spinach and witlof/chicory)

iced water, to refresh

200 g (7 oz) fresh ricotta, drained

100 g (3½  oz) parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve

100 g (3½ oz) formaggio di fossa or a crumbly pecorino, grated

2 eggs, lightly beaten

100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) dried breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon chopped dill

finely grated zest of ½ lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter

 

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Wash and trim the greens, then plunge them into the boiling water. Once it comes to boil again, let the greens cook for a few minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water (to help retain their colour), then roughly chop and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, place the ricotta, grated cheeses and egg in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Add the cooled greens, breadcrumbs, dill, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste and combine well – the mixture will be quite thick. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls. Ideally the gnocchi should be cooked as soon as you make them – don’t let them rest too long.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Before you add the gnocchi to the water, melt the butter in a large deep frying pan over low heat. (You may need to do this in two pans or batches if you don’t have a very large pan.) Once the water is at a rolling boil, carefully drop in the gnocchi in batches, using a slotted spoon. Once they rise to the surface, lift them out with the slotted spoon and carefully drop them into the melted butter. Allow the gnocchi to cook for a few minutes on each side until nicely golden. Spoon onto warmed serving places and drizzle over some of the deep-golden butter.

 

Scatter with extra grated parmesan and serve immediately.

 

Authors note:

In Solignano al Rubicone in Emilia-Romagna, just north of Le Marche, they make cheese that is buried in the ground while it ages. It is called ‘formaggio di fossa’, literally, ‘cheese of the pit’. The cheese is made with sheep or cow’s milk (or a combination of both). It is wrapped in muslin and buried in a straw-lined rocky pit – typically of volcanic ash – three to four metres (about three yards) deep, and matured for a period of up to three months. During this time the cheese develops a distinctive woody flavour.

 

The cheese vendor at the weekly market in Cervia encouraged me to have a taste; it was crumbly, pungent and intense – what I would have called a ‘smelly cheese’ as a child. These days this sort of cheese is right up my alley; a worthy companion to softer milder cheeses on a platter, and a sharp-tasting addition to gnocchi or risotto.

 

These gnocchi are a bit like gnudi; ‘naked’ filling for ravioli without their pasta coat. Adding the ‘pit cheese’ makes them more flavoursome, and works well if you add some bitter greens to the mix and coat them in melted butter at the end. I am lucky that my local specialised deli in Melbourne sells imported formaggio di fossa, but if you can’t find it, use a crumbly strong-tasting sheep’s milk cheese that has been aged no more than 12 months, such as pecorino sardo.

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Cabbage Risotto: Adriatico – Paola Bacchia

Adriatico_cover

From Adriatico: Stories and recipes from Italy’s Adriatic Coast by Paola Bacchia

(Smith Street Books, September 2018 – AU$ 55, NZ$ 65)

 

Cabbage risotto

Risi e verza

 

Cabbage risotto

SERVES 4

750 ml (25½ fl oz/3 cups) chicken stock, preferably homemade

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter

½ brown onion, finely diced

½ cabbage, thick spines removed, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled, bruised and left whole

200 g (7 oz/1 cup) carnaroli, vialone nano or arborio rice

sea salt and ground white pepper

50 g (1¾ oz) parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve

 

Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and keep it simmering.

 

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium– low heat until the butter has melted. Add the onion, then reduce the heat to low and sauté for about 7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the cabbage and garlic clove and stir well, then add about 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) of the hot stock. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until the cabbage has softened, stirring occasionally so the cabbage doesn’t stick to the base.

 

Add the rice to the pan and stir so the rice warms through and is coated with the buttery cabbage. Add a ladleful of hot stock and stir well, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid. When all the liquid has been absorbed, add another ladleful of stock and continue cooking the rice as described – you want to keep it quite soupy. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes, adding stock as needed (or boiling water if you run out of stock) until the rice is cooked but still has a bit of bite. Remove the pan from the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and remove the garlic clove (if you can find it!). Stir in the grated parmesan, then cover and let the risotto rest for a few minutes.

 

Serve on warmed plates, with extra parmesan on the side.

 

Authors note:

Rice was introduced into Italian cooking from the East, probably arriving in northern Italy via Venice. It is a staple in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy and widely used in the Veneto. Around the Venetian lagoons, simple dishes such as ‘risi e bisi’ (rice and peas) abound in spring. Somewhere between a soup and a risotto, it is traditionally made ‘all’onda’, meaning it is ‘wavy’ or ‘runny’, much like the waves on the sea (or on the lagoon when the boats pass).

 

A similar dish eaten in autumn is ‘risi e verza’ (rice and cabbage). Surprisingly sweet and velvety, the addition of butter and salty parmesan at the end of cooking produces a soupy risotto that is well balanced and delicious.

 

You can use vegetable stock to make this dish vegetarian, but I like the depth of flavour you get from using homemade chicken stock. I generally use everyday green cabbage but feel free to experiment with other varieties.

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Southern Indian Fish Curry – Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food

 

Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

Photographer Jamie Orlando Smith

Ultimate Fit Food

Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

Photographer Jamie Orlando Smith

 

SOUTHERN INDIAN FISH CURRY

SERVES 6

“This is a lightly spiced, creamy curry with a delicately sweet-and-sour flavour that is popular in the southern regions of India. Serve it with boiled basmati or brown rice for a perfectly balanced pre-exercise meal. Coconut is rich in a certain type of saturated fat which is metabolized more rapidly than that from animal sources – this means that coconut makes a useful energy source for endurance sport and competitions.” p. 230

Southern Indian Fish Curry

½ tbsp flavourless oil, e.g. groundnut, for frying

2 onions, peeled and finely sliced

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

1–2 long red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped, to taste

1 x 400ml tin reduced fat coconut milk

1–2 tbsp tamarind paste or watered-down tamarind block

1 small aubergine, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 carrots, chopped into bite-sized rounds

200g green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

600g meaty white fish (e.g. cod, pollock, haddock or coley), cut into bite-sized pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

TO SERVE

Coconut and Ginger Brown Rice (see next post)

2 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted (optional)

 

 

 1.Place a large, shallow saucepan or a high-sided frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and saute for 8–10 minutes, until completely soft.

2. Add the spices and continue to cook for a further minute or until you can really smell them, then add the ginger and chillies and stir over the heat for a further minute.

3. Pour in the coconut milk, tamarind paste and 400ml of water (use the empty coconut milk tin to measure the 400ml). Season with salt and pepper, stir well and bring to a simmer.

4. Once the sauce is simmering, add the aubergine and continue to cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrots and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the carrots and aubergine are tender and the sauce has thickened a little.

5. Add the green beans and cook for a further 3 minutes, then add the fish. Stir well to coat, then cook for 3–4 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

6. Serve the curry with rice in warmed serving bowls, sprinkled with toasted desiccated coconut, if using.

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Stuffed Eggplant – Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook – Julie Goodwin

 

Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

Stuffed Eggplant
Serves 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

2 eggplants
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup olive oil
500 g lamb mince
3 brown onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin seed

½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon pepper
4 slices bread, processed to
a coarse crumb
1⅓ cups grated tasty cheese

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2 Cut the eggplants in half lengthways and scoop the flesh out of each half,
leaving a thin layer of flesh in the skins. Cut the removed flesh into 2 cm
cubes and sprinkle with half the salt.
3 Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat and fry the mince
until brown and cooked through. Rinse the eggplant cubes and squeeze dry
then add to the mince, along with the onion, garlic, spices, remaining salt and pepper. Stir until the onion and garlic are fragrant and translucent. Stir through the crumbed bread.
4 Pile the mixture into the eggplant halves and top each half with ⅓ cup
cheese. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until the
cheese is golden and bubbling.

Stuffed eggplant p.47

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My Spaghetti Bolognese: More Please! – Manu Feildel with Clarissa Weerasena

more-please

Images and recipes from More Please! By Manu Feildel with Clarissa Weerasena (Murdoch Books) $39.99

My Spaghetti bolognese

“This is probably every kid’s favourite meal and it’s no different for my son Jonti –
he just loooves it. It does take a long time to cook but I think that is the secret to its success: the longer you cook it, the better it will taste. I usually make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for an easy weeknight meal.” p.47

 

my bolognese

 

Serves 4

90 ml (3 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

250 g (9 oz) minced (ground) beef

250 g (9 oz) minced (ground) pork

150 ml (5 fl oz) white wine

100 g (3½ oz) speck bacon or pancetta, finely diced

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 x 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes

400 ml (14 fl oz) Beef stock (see page 198)

150 ml (5 fl oz) milk

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

400 g (14 oz) spaghetti or other pasta

grilled bread, to serve (optional)

 

Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. When the oil is hot, add the beef and pork and stir with a wooden spatula; at the same time, press down on the meat to break up any lumps. Keep stirring the meat until it is nicely caramelised, about 3–5 minutes, then pour in the white wine. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the wine has almost evaporated.

Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over medium–high heat and pour in the remaining oil. When hot, add the speck or pancetta and fry for 1–2 minutes, then add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Now add the vegetable mixture to the meat and pour in the tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and cook for another hour, or until the liquid has thickened and reduced by one-third.

Stir in the milk, then taste and season if necessary. Simmer for 10–15 minutes (or longer if you have time, as it will only get tastier with long, slow cooking).

Cook the pasta following the packet directions until al dente. Drain and serve with a generous helping of bolognese sauce and some grilled bread, if you like.