Greek Lamb Kebabs with Greek Salad

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Creamy Tomato Pasta

Serves 4 - 6

500g cooked pasta
1 Tbs olive oil
3 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1 small green capsicum, chopped
4 cups passata-style tomato sauce
2 Tbs household tomato sauce
300 ml cream
parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat oil in frypan , fry capsicum, garlic and chicken until cooked through. Set aside.

 Meanwhile, heat passata-style tomato sauce in a large sauvcepan, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and household tomato sauce. Add pasta and chicken mixture, cook 3 minutes or until pasta is heated through.

Divide pasta mixture among bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve.

Crunchy Asian Chicken Noodle Salad

Serves 4



½ wombok cabbage
2 large shallots, sliced
1/2 packet Chang’s Fried Noodles

Dressing
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
3 Tbs castor sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbs olive oil

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Stir well until sugar is dissolved and place in microwave for 30 seconds. Meanwhile, combine the cabbage, shallots and noodles in a large bowl. Add dressing and mix well. Serve immediately.

Char Kway Teow

After a spending spree at a local Asian supermarket, I've finally been able to get my hands on some Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage).

What do I do with Lap Cheong? Nothing more than whip up a Char Kway Teow, of course!

600g fresh rice noodles
1 chicken breast, sliced
300g prawns
5 fish cakes, sliced
3 small Lap Cheong, thinly sliced
2 cups beansprouts
3 eggs, whisked

3 tsps minced garlic
1 Tbs Sambal chilli paste
2 Tbs fish sauce
4 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs kecap manis (or adjust to taste)
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
 2 Tbs water
6 Tbs peanut/vegetable oil

 Optional: Chives, cut into 2 inch lengths

Heat wok with 3 tablespoons of oil. Add garlic, chicken, Lap Cheong and fry until glossy. Add fish cake and prawns, fry until cooked. Reduce heat, move ingredients to one side.

Add chilli paste, noodles and water. Fry until all ingredients in wok are combined. Add fish sauce and soy sauce, combine. Add rest of oil, crack eggs into wok and stir. Add kecap manis, wine and bean sprouts and combine. Serve hot!

Moroccan Sausage Couscous

 

Serves 4 - 6

3 sausages

2 cups couscous

6 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning

2 cups boiling water
1 Tbs olive oil
420g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
70g baby spinach
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 bunch chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Cook sausages, turning occasionally until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Thinly slice.
   
2. Meanwhile, combine couscous and seasoning in a large heatproof bowl. Add boiling water and oil. Cover. Stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a fork to separate grains. Add sausage, chickpeas, spinach, onion, lemon juice and coriander to couscous. Toss to combine and serve.

Super Almond Muffins

Double the almonds. Makes 12 muffins.

1 medium egg, beaten
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of oil

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

3/4 cup of almonds, chopped

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 tsp of cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl mix together egg, milk and oil.
2. In a larger bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and chopped almonds.
3. Make a small well in the centre of the large bowl and add the egg mixture. Mix gently until the flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Bake at 200C (fan-forced) for 15 minutes.

Pork and Mushroom Lasagne

Serves 6 -8

cooking spray

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

2 tsp crushed garlic

1 Chorizo sausage, finely chopped

500 grams pork mince

500 grams veal mince

1/4 cup fortified wine

1 cup chicken stock

freshly ground black pepper

6 fresh lasagne sheets

100 grams grated cheese

2 tsps ground sage

 

Mushroom Mixture

cooking spray

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

200 grams button mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp ground sage

salt

freshly ground black pepper

 

Bechamal Sauce

30 grams margarine

8 tablespoons plain flour

4 cups skim milk

1 teaspoon mustard

Heat a large frying pan coated with cooking spray, add onion, garlic and chorizo,  Cook, stirring, until onion softens. Add mince, stirring until browned. Add fortified wine and stock, bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer for about 20 - 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray, add onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Add mushrooms, cook stirring until mushrooms are browned. Add sage, season to taste. Remove from heat.

To make the bechamal sauce, melt butter in a non-stick saucepan. Add the flour, cook stirring, until mixture bubbles. Gradually stir in the milk, stirring until mixture boils and thickens. Stir through dijon mustard and simmer for 2 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Spray a large ovenproof dish and mix 2 cups of white sauce with mushroom mixture in a seperate bowl. Place a third of the meat mixture in the base of dish. Top with half of the mushroom mixture. Top with two sheets of lasagne. Repeat using another third of meat mixture and remaining mushroom mixture. Top with two sheets of lasagne. Spread remaining meat mixture and top with third layer of lasagne sheets.

Spread white sauce over lasagne sheets. top with and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes.  Let stand for five minutes before serving with salad.

Tamarind Chicken

The refreshing and hearty taste of lime!

2 Tbs lemongrass, sliced        
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic
1 Tbs pickled ginger, sliced    
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs chilli paste
½ tsp turmeric
4 Tbs tamarind juice
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs caster sugar
4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly       
500g chicken breasts, chopped
100ml water
140ml coconut cream
steamed rice, to serve

1. Combine lemongrass, garlic and ginger. Set aside.

2. Combine the chilli paste, turmeric powder, tamarind juice, salt, sugar and kaffir lime leaves. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pan, add the lemongrass mixture and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until aromatic. Add the chilli mixture and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the oil starts to separate from the rest of the mixture.

 

3. Add the chicken and pour in some of the water. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, adding the remaining water a little at a time, until the chicken is cooked through.

 

4. Add the coconut cream, stirring well. Bring to the boil and continue to cook for a further 4-5 minutes, or until the curry has thickened. Serve with jasmine rice.

 

Red Honeyed Chicken

Sweet and spicy!

4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs, trimmed
2 onions, roughly diced
2 tomatoes, quartered
5 cloves garlic - chopped

Seasoning
2 tbsp sambal oelek
2  tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
2 1/2 tbsp honey
Salt, to taste

Marinade for chicken
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder

Mix together the chicken with all the marinade ingredients and let stand for at least 2 hours.

In a large pot or wok, heat up some oil and fry chicken until just browned. Remove chicken and return wok/pot to medium high heat. Add onions and garlic. Stirfry until fragrant. Add in tomato paste, tomatoes and sambal oelek. Cook until it softens.

Add in the sweet chilli sauce, honey and a few tablespoon of water (if needed). Mix well and add in some salt. Add in the chicken and stir thoroughly to coat with the sauce. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes, check seasoning. Serve with steamed rice.

Marinating chicken.

Pierogies

Pierogies are dumplings of unleavened dough traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit. Of central and eastern European provenance, they are usually semicircular (Wikipedia).

In this instance, we boiled and then fried some sauerkraut and mushroom pierogies, and potato pierogies. They were one of the most delicious and simple dumplings I've tried, possibly my new fav meal! We also served these with some fried Polish sausage, which was extremely lean and beautifully smokey.

Polish sausage - served with the pierogies.

Frying the onion, boiling the pierogies.

The addition of dried herbs......

...whole peppercorns....

...browning the pierogies.

Traditionally served with sour cream.