Julie’s Chili Chicken

This midweek dish is quick, easy and healthy – thanks Julie!

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, medium diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small red chilli, seeded and small diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 large carrot, peeled and small diced
• 1 large celery stalk, medium diced
• 1 small yellow capsicum, seeded and medium dice
• 400g chicken mince
• 4 medium size ripe tomatoes, medium diced
• 1 can cooked white or black beans
• 4 cups baby spinach, torn
• 1/2 – 1 cup of chopped fresh coriander
• Freshly ground black pepper
• plain Greek style yogurt, to serve
• chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Method:

Place a large saute pan over medium high heat, then drizzle with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and red chili and sauté for 2 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle the cumin over the onion mix and stir well, then add the carrot, celery, and capsicum and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables begin to get tender.

In a separate saute pan, brown the turkey in the remaining oil over medium high heat, then transfer to the vegetable mix. Add the tomatoes and the beans and cook for a further 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the tomatoes have broken down and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Stir in the spinach and first measure of fresh coriander and remove from the heat. Season the chili to taste with freshly ground black pepper and tabasco (depending on your heat preference). Spoon the chili into serving dishes and top with yogurt and fresh coriander.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Parfait

Directly from Annabel Langbein’s Great Food for Busy Lives we took this to a dinner party it disappeared pretty quickly. It pays to have a good freezer for this one and just watch because it does melt pretty quickly once you have taken it out!

Ingredients:

• 250g white chocolate
• 1/2 cup cream
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/3 cup castor sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups raspberries frozen (extra to serve, thawed)

Method:

Line a 6 cup laf tin with gladwrap, leaving an overhang so that the frozen mixture can be lifted out. Place chocolate and cream in a pot and gently warm for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate has softened. Stir until smooth, remove from the heat and cool. Using an electric beater, beat the egg whites while slowly adding sugar. Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks – don’t worry if the eggs whites look bigger than your tine they will reduce in volume when the remaining ingredients are added.

Fold in chocolate mixture along with vanilla and lemon juice. At the very last minute add the frozen raspberries and add to the tin and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Serve with thawed berries.

Cream Cheese Icing

There is nothing quite like cream cheese icing on an excellent carrot cake.

Ingredients:

• 75g soft butter
• 250g cream cheese
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 4 cups icing sugar

Method:

Mix ingredients in a bowl or food processor until smooth … its that easy!

An Excellent Carrot Cake

Based on Annabel Langbein’s Great Foor for Busy Lives we have added a few nuts and seeds for texture and depth – dont forget to  coat with cream cheese icing!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 small eggs
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp mixed spice
• 1tsp ground ginger
• 70g (one bag) chopped walnuts
• 35g (1/2 a bag) pumpkin seeds
• 35g almonds (chopped or  slithered)
• 3 cups grated carrot
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp orange juice

Method:

In a bowl (or food processor) beat oil, sugar and eggs. Sift flour, salt and spices and mix until combined. Add seeds, nuts and carrot and mix through. Fold in baking soda and orange juice mixture.

Bake in a lined 23-25 cm cake tinat 160 degrees for around 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. Ice with Cream Cheese Icing and decorate with nuts and seeds.

Crockpot Potato and Chickpea Curry

Largely based on a recipe from Robyn Martin’s Crockpots & Slow Cookers with a bit more kick this is a wonderful smell to come home to at the end of the day. Cook up some rice and serve with some unsweetened yogurt for a vegetarian curry.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium onions, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 4 medium potatoes, diced finely to ensure cooking
• 4 tomatos (or 1 can of whole tomatoes mashed lightly)
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/4 cup ginger, grated
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 tbsp minced chilli (or sambal)
• 1 tbsp hot chili sauce
• a few drops of tabasco

Method:

Place onions and garlic in small whiz or magic bullet and blitz into small dice. Rince the chickpeas and place along with the onion mixture, potatoes, tomato, ginger, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds and turmeric. Pour in boiling water and cook on high for 8 hours.

Notes:

• If you are worried that the potatoes will not be cooked you can par boil them in a microwave and add to crockpot 20 minutes before serving
• If the curry is too thin use a mixture of arrowroot and water to thicken

Chermoulla

There are many variations on this and here is one from The Complete Books of Modern Classics from Women’s Weekly.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

Combine ingredients in pestle and motar or food processor.

Vanilla Semi Freddo

A great alternative to ice cream that is even easier to make!

Ingredients:

• 500ml cream
• 4 large free range eggs, separated
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• small pinch of salt

Method:

Whisk the vanilla seeds and sugar with the egg yolks in a large bowl until pale. In a second bowl whip the cream until soft peaks form (make sure you do not over ship!). Then in a third bowl whisk the egg whites with the small pinch of salt until they form very stiff peaks (you can move the bowl in all directions and they do not move).

Fold the yolks and the cream into the egg whites and then scoop into a serving dish, cover with glad wrap and freeze until you are ready to serve.

 

Jamie’s Chocolate Tart

Tastes best when you make your own tart shells this no bake tart is delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 tart shell
• 300 ml thickened cream
• 2 teaspoons caster sugar
• small pinch of salt
• 115g softened butter
• 450g dark chocolate (use Whittakers 72% Dark Ghana if you can)
• 100ml milk

Method:

Place cream, sugar and salt in a pan and bring to the boil. As soon as the mixture has boiled, remove from the heat and add the butter and chocolate. Stir until it has completely melted. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and stir in the milk until smooth and shiny. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.

Dust with cocoa power and some fresh berry coulis to cut through the richness.

Short Crust Sweet Pastry – Tart Shells

From one of Jamie Oliver’s earlier books, The Naked Chef, this makes makes enough for 2 30 cm tart moulds. Why not try this chocolate tart recipe.

Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 200g icing sugar
• pinch of salt
• 500g flour
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 Tbsp cold milk

Method:

Cream butter, sugar and salt and then rub in the flour and egg yolks. When the mixture has come together, looking like corse breadcrumbs, add the cold milk. Gently work together to form a dough ball and roll into a fat sausage, wrap in gladwrap and rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

Cut pastry sausage into 5mm rounds and line the tart mould (cut them in half again to line the sides). Smooth out and fill out the gaps and set aside for a further hour in the fridge.

Add mould to a 180 degree pre heated oven for around 12 minutes. You may like to use pastry weights but if you take out the tart midway and prick a few holes in the middle you can achieve the same effect.

Minced Tandoori Lamb

Taken from Taste this is a delicious recipe and makes great use of lean mince lamb. If you have the time make your own Tandoori Paste.

Ingredients:

• 500g minced lamb
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 tbsp tandoori paste
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped
• 5cm piece of cucumber
• squeeze of lemon

Method:

Fry onion until soft and add tandoori paste until fragrant. Remove from heat and mix in a bowl with lamb mice. Roll mixture into balls, heat a heavy based frypan and then squash balls into patties and fry until cooked – a few minutes on each side. While cooking the patties grate the cucumber and mix through with the yogurt, fresh coriander and the lemon.

This is great served with blanched green beans, paprika roasted potatoes or even plain rice.