Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
12 March 2010

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons light olive oil
  • 500g chicken breast fillets, sliced
  • 1 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons chopped ginger or half a tsp powdered.
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan. Cook chicken in batches. Remove and set aside. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan.

Instructions

Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Add chicken, in batches, and cook until browned. Remove and set aside.

Add lemongrass, chilli, ginger and garlic to the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Add sugar and allow to melt. Return chicken to the pan and toss to coat with the sugar. Add fish sauce and simmer for a minute until reduced.

Serve immediately with rice.

 

Pork Chops With A Curry Custard Apple Glaze
06 March 2010

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 medium pork chops, trimmed of fat
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 30g butter

Curry Custard Apple Glaze

  • 30g butter
  • 2 teaspoons hot curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 60g mango or fruit chutney
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup custard apple flesh
  • Juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

Melt 30g butter in a pan. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and cook until golden all over, 3 -4 minutes each side. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Wipe the pan clean with paper towels. Melt 30g butter, stir in the curry powder and ginger and cook for one minute over low heat. 

Add the chutney, mustard and cinnamon. Turn up heat to medium and simmer gently for one minute.

Return the chops to the pan, add the custard apple flesh and lemon juice. Season to taste.

Heat through for 1 -2 minutes, being careful not to overcook the custard apple.

Serve on a bed of wilted spinach with steamed squash

 

Sicilian Eggplant Caponata
06 March 2010

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3-4 finger eggplant
  • 1 x salt 
  • 1 x black pepper 
  • 1 x vegetable oil 
  • 2 medium onions chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 3 each celery stalks 
  • 1 can italian plum (roma) tomatoes 1 pound
  • 10 each green olives pitted and quartered
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts 
  • 1/4 cup capers large
  • 1/4 cup wine vinegar 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Wash eggplant. Do not peel, Cut into 1 inch cubes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Fry in heated oil until tender.

Take out and set aside. Saute onion in the same oil until tender.

Add garlic, celery, tomatoes, and olives.

Cook slowly for 10 minutes.

Add eggplant, pine nuts and capers.

Heat vinegar and stir in sugar.

Add to vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 5 minutes longer.

Mango Butter
21 February 2010

Serves: 10

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400g mango pulp
  • 50ml lemon juice
  • 50ml orange juice
  • 400g caster sugar
     

Instructions

Method
Preheat the oven to 100°C.

Place mango pulp, lemon and orange juice in a large pan over low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Meanwhile, spread the sugar on a large baking tray, place in the oven and warm for five minutes. Blend or sieve the mango mixture, then return to the pan. Stir in the warmed sugar and cook gently over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the

heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent catching, for up to 30 minutes or until mixture is thick.

Spoon the butter into a clean, sterilised jar.

 

Celery and Feta Salad
12 February 2010

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 175 g feta cheese, crumbled
  • 3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
  • 1 pimento, chopped small
  • 2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
  • 2 tablespoon vinaigrette (red wine vinegar & Olive oil or balsamic)
  • 1/2 lettuce, washed and trimmed

Instructions

Mix the feta cheese with the celery, pimento and chopped basil. Sprinkle with the vinaigrette.
Place the lettuce leaves on separate plates, and spoon the feta and celery salad in the centre of each one.