Cured Sardines & Chicory Salad
15 July 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup sea salt
  • 2 cups white-wine vinegar
  • 1 dozen sardines, scaled and filleted (ask your fishmonger to do it for you if you like)
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
  • 1 lemons, zested, plus juice
  • 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoons ground white pepper
  • 1/2 bunch  chicory
  • 1 blood orange, segmented

To cure the sardines: Pour salt into one medium bowl, vinegar into another.

Coat the sardines with salt and let them sit on a large plate or tray for 10 minutes. Remove any excess salt from sardines and dip them in the vinegar,then lay them on another large plate for 15 minutes.

For the marinade: In a medium casserole dish or bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, half the lemon juice, parsley, and white pepper.

Add the sardines to the marinade so that they’re completely covered. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove from refrigerator, and on a serving platter, combine the cured sardines with chicory and blood-orange segments.

Dress the salad with remaining lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the marinade, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and season with salt and white pepper.

Serve with warm crusty bread. (I like to warm the sardines with the bread and then add to the salad).

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Lamb shanks with beans and herbs
15 July 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large French-trimmed lamb shanks
  • 1/4 cup plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes
  • 1 lemon, finely grated rind and 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme rosemary, oregano or parsley are all great.
  • 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 400g sugar snap peas, to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly coat the lamb shanks with flour. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based casserole dish over a medium high heat.
 
Add 2 shanks at a time and cook for 4-5 minutes until well browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining shanks and transfer to plate. Reduce heat to medium.
 
Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the tomatoes, lemon rind, lemon juice and white wine to the pan. Stir until well combined.
 
Return the shanks to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the thyme sprigs. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in oven. Bake for 1 hour.
 
Remove the casserole from the oven. Add the beans and stir until well combined. Cover and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes or until the meat is very tender.
 
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1-2 minutes or until bright green in colour and just tender. Drain.

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Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower
08 July 2011

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
  • Lemon juice (from 1/2 or a whole lemon)
  • Olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions

 Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish.

Toss in the garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 180 degrees yet, set aside until it has.

Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower.

Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

 

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Steamed ginger pudding with ginger caramel sauce
07 July 2011

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp butter, for greasing
  • 4 tsp golden syrup
  • 125g butter, diced
  • 125g soft brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 125g self-raising flour, sifted
  • 60ml milk
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tblsp preserved or crystallised ginger, finely diced
 
Sauce
  • 60g butter
  • 85g brown sugar
  • 2 tblsp preserved or crystallised ginger, finely diced
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) cream

Instructions

Heat oven to 180C.  Lightly butter a 600ml ovenproof dish and place the golden syrup in the bottom.  Or you could use smaller (4 x 150ml) dishes.

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy.
 
Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
 
Fold in the sifted flour and milk alternately, to make a smooth batter. If the batter is very stiff, add a bit more milk.
 
Fold in the ground ginger, cinnamon and crystallised ginger.
 
Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and cover tightly with a sheet of buttered foil.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until the pudding springs back to the touch.  If using smaller dishes, put the dishes in a baking tray half-filled with boiling water before baking (hence 'steaming' them).
 
To make the sauce, melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan with the ginger and simmer for 3 minutes.  Then pour in the cream and simmer for another 3 minutes.
 
To serve, pour the sauce over a spoonful of pudding on a plate.  Serve with cream or ice cream.

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Bread & butter pudding
30 June 2011

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 12 slices white bread
  • 50g sultanas
  • 4 eggs plus 4 egg yolks
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 300ml thin cream
  • 300ml thickened cream
  • 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped
  • 3 tbs thin-cut marmalade

Instructions

Lightly butter a 2-litre baking dish. Butter the bread, remove the crusts, then cut each slice into 2 triangles. Arrange triangles in layers in the dish, then sprinkle the sultanas in between layers. Don't put any sultanas on the top layer as they will burn.
 
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar. Place both creams in a saucepan with the vanilla pod and seeds and bring to scalding point. Pour cream over the egg mixture and whisk lightly to combine. Strain mixture over bread slices, making sure not to dislodge them. Set pudding aside for at least 30 minutes - this ensures that the pudding will be light and not stodgy.
 
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
 
Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
 
Cover the dish loosely with foil, place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the pudding uncovered for a further 15 minutes or until golden.
 
Heat the marmalade in the microwave for about 40 seconds or in a small saucepan over low heat for 1-2 minutes until spreadable.
 
Remove pudding from oven and use a pastry brush to spread marmalade over top. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes, then serve immediately.

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