This Week's Recipe: Potato Gnocchi with Lentil Ragu and Hazelnut Sage Butter

Why Gnocchi and Lentil Ragu?

Entertaining at home has gone from being an easy, relatively stress free affair to a at home cooking competition.

An impressive meal doesn't need to be tedious and labour intensive. Instead at home, meals can be stylish and delicious, yet with minimum effort and fuss from you; the host. The best part - you get to sit down with your guests and enjoy the meal.

This recipe uses near to no effort (there isn't even any time consuming chopping), but is sure to impress.

Ingredients
1 onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 rashes rindless bacon, roughly chopped
400g can lentils, drained and rinsed
1 cup (250ml) pureed tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) good quality chicken stock
500g good quality potato gnocchi
40g unsalted butter
1/3 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup sage leaves

Method
Place the onion and garlic in a small food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes, until soft.

Meanwhile place the bacon in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the bacon to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring for 10 minutes.

Add the lentils, tomato puree and stock. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the potato gnocchi in plenty of salted water according to packet instructions or until al dente. Drain and toss through the lentil ragu.

Place a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the butter, hazelnuts and sage leaves and cook, swirling, until the butter has gone a nutty brown colour and the sage leaves are crispy.

To serve divide gnocchi amongst bowls and drizzle over hazelnut sage butter.

Serves 4 as a main
Bon Appetite

This Week's Recipe: Lime and Mint Cordial

Why Cordial?

What better way to quench a summer's thirst than with fresh lime and mint cordial, plenty of ice and sparkling water.

Cordial can be made using flavours including ginger, fresh berries, citrus fruit and flowers. Keep your cordial in the fridge for up to 6 months and enjoy all year round in water, cocktails or as the base for granitas and frozen sherbet.

Ingredients
550g caster sugar
400ml water
2 bunches mint, washed and roughly torn (stems included)
3 limes, paired zest and juice

Method
Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

When the sugar has dissolved add the mint and lime zest. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Take off the heat and add the lime juice.

Leave to cool completely, strain pour into a clean glass bottle.

Makes around 800ml.

Bon Appetite

This Week's Recipe: Braised Spiced Soy Pork Belly

Why braised pork belly?

Time is a gift that many of us forget about. In this recipe, the shopping list maybe long, however the rest is so so simple. The only crucial part is time and patience.

All ingredients are put together in a saucepan and left to create an incredible tasting pork with tender, falling apart meat and an intensely rich and complex sauce.

Ingredients
1 cup dark soy sauce
1 cup shaoxing (Chinese cooking wine)*
½ cup black Chinese vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ firmly packed cup brown sugar
5cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 whole garlic bulb
1 onion, halved
2 whole star anise
6 whole dried chillies

1 ½ kilo boneless pork belly
2 spring onions, thinly sliced, to serve
¼ cup white vinegar, to serve
2 tablespoons chilli sauce, to serve
steamed white rice, to serve
black sesame seeds, to garnish

Method
Combine the soy, shaoxing, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar and aromatics in a large saucepan with 2 litres of water, stir to combine.

Submerge the pork belly in the liquid (adding more water if the pork belly is not covered). Place over a low heat and cover.

Cook for 3-4 hours, until the pork is tender and falling apart (check every so often, the poaching liquid should remain at a gentle simmer).

Turn off the heat and carefully remove the pork. Set aside loosely covered. Strain 500ml of the poaching liquid into a clean saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduce by half.

Serve the pork, sliced on a bed of rice, with a small dish of vinegar, spring onions and chilli on the side. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and spoon over reduced poaching liquid.

Serves 4
Bon Appetite.

* Chinese cooking wine available from selected Asian grocers. Substitute with sherry.

This Week's Recipe: Prawn Linguini with Zucchini and Chilli

Why Prawn and zucchini linguini?

The best thing about an Australian Summer is big bowls full of freshly cooked prawns with lemon wedges, homemade aioli, plenty of napkins.

Prawns, for me are best eaten whole. They should be sweet in flavour, with a subtle salty hint (the flavour of the sea), with a crisp texture.

This pasta celebrates cooked Australian prawns at their best. While there are not big bowls of prawns– the flavours are simple to complement the beauty of prawns in a stylish dish.

Ingredients
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
¾ cup good quality white wine
½ long chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
400g dried linguini
100g unsalted butter, diced
200g baby zucchini or 1 medium zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthways
12 medium cooked, peeled Australian prawns
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon each of finely chopped parsley and chives


Method

Cook pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes until garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the wine, bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Add the butter a piece at a time and whisk to combine. Add the zucchini and cook for 1 minutes, until just tender.

Add the cooked pasta and prawns to the butter sauce and toss to combine. Add lemon juice, zest and herbs and toss again. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide amongst plates and serve.

Serves 4-6
Bon Appetite

Rice Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

Why rice stuffed piquillo peppers?

The entertaining season is just around the corner. Summer, Christmas and the New Year all give us more than enough reasons to through a barbecue, impromptu cocktail party or beachside picnic.

These rice stuffed peppers are an easy antipasti dish that are perfect served with any cocktail, as part of a dinner spread or for a casual bite to share. They can be made a few days ahead which makes them great for entertaining.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked brown rice, cooled
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
8 anchovies chopped
1 tbs good quality sun dried tomato pesto
2 tbs finely grated Parmesan
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 jar of marinated roasted piquillo peppers* or 8-10 very small roasted capsicums

Method

In a bowl mix together the rice, parsley, anchovies, pesto, Parmesan and zest. Season.

Drain the capsicum from any oil and reserve. Gently open each capsicum and fill with rice mixture a tablespoon at a time. Make sure to press the rice gently as to not split the capsicums.

Arrange on a platter and drizzle over the remaining oil from the capsicums and lemon juice.

Serve as part of an antipasti or entree.

Stuffed capsicums will keep refrigerated for up 5 days.

Bon Appetite

*Piquillo peppers are a variety of small mild chillies. They are sold in jars or tins, after being roasted, peeled and seeds removed.

This Week's Recipe: Chocolate and Ducle De Leche Melting Moments

Why Chocolate Melting Moments?

Finding their way into nearly every Sydney cafe in the 90's, these shortbread sandwiches just maybe in time for a makeover.

It is easy to see why melting moments became so popular. Crumbly, buttery shortbread rounds sandwiched between a creamy, buttery sweet icing filling.

My variation swaps the classic vanilla shortbread for a rich chocolate version and is sandwiched between a Spanish milk based caramel; dulce de leche.

A sophisticated looking melting moment with a touch of decadents and full of deliciousness.

Ingredients
3/4 cup plain flour
3 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
125 g unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoon icing sugar
1 cup dulce de leche

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Sift the flour, corn flour and cocoa powder together in a bowl and set aside.

In the meantime place the butter in the bowl of an electric beater. Add the sugar and beat for 5 minutes, (scraping down the sides) until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a log 3-4 cm wide.

Slice the dough into 16x 1 cm slices and arrange on a large lined baking tray 2 cm apart.

Mark each with the back of a fork.

Bake in 180C oven for 10 minutes. Allow biscuits to cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To serve place the dulce de leche in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe a circle of dulce de leche on 8 biscuits and sandwich with remaining biscuits making sure the fork decoration is facing up right.

Makes 8 biscuits.

Bon Appetite

This Week's Recipe: Cavalo Nero salad with Parmesan, Chilli and Anchovies

Why Cavalo Nero Salad?

Spring has arrived – the weather is warmer and soon the days will be longer.

A change of a season brings the end and arrival of fresh produce.

Personally I love the end of season produce. I find by the end of a season, fruit and vegies always tastes their best

Cavalo nero is one of them. Available in Australia from April to September, cavalo nero is an Italian cabbage with dark green wrinkled leaves. Its hearty flavour makes it great for stews and soups when the weather is cold, however it is also great served as a salad.

Its flavour and texture match perfectly with bold ingredients. This is one salad with a big flavour hit.

Ingredients
2 bunches cavalo nero
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
100g grated Parmesan
good quality anchovies, to serve

Method

Finely slice the cavalo nero and place in a large bowl. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil and season well and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Toss with chilli, Parmesan and serve topped with anchovies.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side.

Bon Appetite

This salad is also tasty the next day!