Alaskan King crab with fresh spaghetti
18 August 2011

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp saffron threads
  • 1 clove garlic minced (use the back of your knife with a pince of salt)
  • 2 tsp hot water
  • 200g 00 plain flour (see note)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
  • 250g fresh crab meat (3 good legs of king crab boiled in lemon water and maet picked)
  • 2 shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbs coarsely chopped dill
Instructions
Fresh pasta:
Combine the saffron and water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to infuse. Place the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, oil, salt and saffron mixture and gradually bring together, whisking and then kneading.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Use a pasta machine or rolling pin to roll pasta to about 1mm thick. Roll the pasta sheet into a log and use a sharp knife to thinly slice the log crossways. Alternatively, use the pasta machine to cut pasta into spaghetti.
 
Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain well.

Use a zester to remove rind from lemon. (Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to peel rind from lemon. Use a small, sharp knife to remove white pith from rind. Cut rind into very thin strips.) Juice the lemon.
 
Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic cream and crab and gently toss for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

Add the pasta, shallots and dill and gently toss to combine. Divide evenly among serving bowls and serve 

 

 

 

Banana pancakes with honeycomb cream
12 August 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250g mashed banana
  • 100ml milk
  • 1 banana cut into four 
  • 75g flour
  • .5 tsp baking powder
  •  2 eggs, separated
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 3 Drops vanilla extract

Honeycomb cream

  • 4 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
  • 200ml whipped cream

 

Instructions

Honeycomb cream:

 

Grease a 20 cm square cake tin or slice tray.
In a large saucepan, heat the golden syrup and sugar together, bring to a boil then simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Cooking time will vary but test it by dropping a little syrup into water-it should become brittle when ready. Watch it doesn't burn.
 
Remove pot from heat and add the bicarb soda. Quickly mix it in because the mixture will foam up instantly. Pour immediately into the cake tin. Leave to set then break into bite size chunks.
Whip the cream and add the broken honeycomb to it, set aside.

 

Pancakes
Make the batter by whizzing the banana with the rest of the batter ingredients, except the butter, in a food processor until it makes a smooth batter. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Melt a little butter in a non-stick frying pan, drop in spoonfuls of batter and cook in batches, about 4 at a time, until golden. Turn and cook the other side. If you have been clever and kept the batter light, you may need to place them in an oven to cook right through.It is always a good idea to under cook them and let them finish in the oven. This way you willl have a stack rather than serving as you cook them.

Set it for 140 degrees add as you cook them, no more than 10 minutes though.

Finish with remaining banana and serve with honeycomb cream.

 

Broccoli with Toasted Almonds and Chilli
12 August 2011

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 head brocoli, trimmed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1  large clove garlic, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp black olive tapenade
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 or 2 long red or green chillies, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 50g almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions

Steam broccoli (trimmed) for 6-8 minutes or until tender, then remove from heat. Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over low heat and cook 1 large clove garlic (finely sliced) until golden.

Add black olive tapenade, balsamic vinegar, long green or red chillies (finely sliced) and water and whisk well. Place broccolini in a large bowl. Add garlic mixture, almonds (toasted and coarsely chopped), salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.

Broccolini with Toasted Almonds and Chilli
12 August 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Bunch broccolini, trimmed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1  large clove garlic, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp black olive tapenade
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 or 2 long red or green chillies, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 50g almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions

Steam broccolini (trimmed) for 6-8 minutes or until tender, then remove from heat. Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over low heat and cook 1 large clove garlic (finely sliced) until golden.

Add black olive tapenade, balsamic vinegar, long green or red chillies (finely sliced) and water and whisk well. Place broccolini in a large bowl. Add garlic mixture, almonds (toasted and coarsely chopped), salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.

Asparagus & Bean Bundles
05 August 2011

Serves: 3-4 as a starter or side dish

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 200g Beans
  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
  • 5 strips of pancetta, cut into strips and cooked
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1/4  balsamic dressing

Instructions

Toast pine nuts in a dry pan and set aside.

Fry pancetta until nice and crispy, set aside in a warm place.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook beans and asparagus 'al dente'. Drain and allow to dry.

Toss the beans and asparagus in the dressing and arrange on plates in neat bundles.

Sprinkle with pine nuts and the pancetta.