Chicken, fennel, leek and mushroom pie

Ingredients:

• 1.5 breasts of chicken (3 halves)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 fennel bulb chopped
• 3 or 4 leeks finely chopped
• 300 grammes of button mushrooms sliced (swiss brown if you can get them)
• 100 grammes butter
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup cream
• 2 sheets of puff pastry

Method:

1. Poach chicken breasts in a heavy pan covered on low heat for about 20 minutes or until cooked through
2. Saute onion, leek, fennel, garlic and mushrooms until soft
3. Meanwhile chop butter into 1cm chunks and cook with plain flour until combined
4. Slowly add chicken stock until sauce thickens, then stir through cream to thin a little
5. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces and add to onion mix, stir to combine
6. Place chicken mix into pie dish and slowly pour sauce in until covered. Gently stir to combine
7. Cover with 2 sheets of puff pastry, cutting the pastry to fit dish and fold over and in to seal
8. Prick pastry with fork and brush with melted butter
9. Bake in a moderate oven 180 degrees until the pie has risen and pastry is golden approx 45 minutes

Lamb Moussaka

This recipe is delicious and really easy to make. Reheats well too. I just added in whatever veges I had in the fridge and whatever fresh herbs I had so no need to include everything I have listed... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants
• 1 sweet potato
• olive oil
• 800g-1kg lamb mince
• 1 onion, chopped
• garlic, chopped
• 1 zucchini, grated
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 2x 400g tinned tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• 1 small tin tomato paste
• Salt and pepper
• 50g butter
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• nutmeg
• 1 egg
• grated cheese

Method:

1. Thinly slice and cook the eggplant and sweet potato in the pan with oil until golden (or grill in the oven).
2. Brown lamb with the onion and garlic.
3. Add the allspice, mixed herbs, fresh herbs, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, grated zucchini, salt, pepper and water.
4. Simmer for a while to reduce.
5. Layer the eggplant, mince, potato (repeat and finish with eggplant) in a casserole dish.
6. To make the white sauce, melt butter and whisk in the flour until mixed. Slowly add milk and stir until the sauce thickens. Add a pinch or so of nutmeg and one egg and continue whisking to mix. Pour over the eggplant in the casserole dish and sprinkle the cheese on top.
7. Bake in the oven for around 30mins or until the cheese is melted and golden.

Chris's Lemon Prawn Linguine

This is a favourite standby when prawns are on special and lemons are plentiful

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh green king prawns
• 2 lemons
• 200g of linguine or any flat pasta (there is fresh pasta at the Currumbin markets 500g for $4.00!)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 150g of button mushrooms quartered or swiss brown button mushrooms if you can get them
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 3 dessert spoons of light sour cream
• fresh herbs

Method:

• Shell and de-vein prawns
• Fry onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent
• Add wine, the zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1 lemon
• Add the prawns and allow to simmer until the prawns are just pink
• Stir through the sour cream and add the mushrooms
• Cook pasta in lots of salty boiling water
• Stir through fresh herbs, chopped parsley and thyme are a good mix
• Simmer until sauce reduces and thickens
• Place cooked pasta in bowls and spoon over the prawns and sauce
• Grate parmesan or pecorino cheese over the top and lots of freshly ground salt and pepper

Serves 2 or cook 1 kilo of prawns and 375g of pasta for 4, increase sauce as necessary

Japanese Salmon with Orzo

This is the yummiest way I've ever cooked salmon fillet! Will post a pic next time I make it! (note T = tablespoon)

Serves 4
1/2 C soy sauce
1/2 C Mirin
2 T grated ginger
4 T brown sugar
4 salmon fillets
(Marinate in oven proof dish for 10 mins while preparing the rest of the ingredients, salmon skin side up)

1 500gm bag of risone or orzo cooked in salted boiling water

handful of toasted pine nuts (optional)
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
1 packet frozen spinach (or use fresh if you prefer)

Sautee the onion and garlic in some butter. Stir through the spinach until cooked.
Bake the salmon at 250 degrees for 15 mins or until cooked to your liking (I like mine cooked through so cook for less if you like it rare in the middle).

When salmon is cooked, stir orzo through the spinach and onion mixture and reheat. Plate with the fillet served on a pile of orzo, scatter with pine nuts and tip some of the hot marinade mixture over the top. Enjoy!

Roast pears with a passionfruit caramel sauce

This is a super simple dessert with fantastic flavours. Easy to make quickly for an after work dinner party or a weekend treat. Enjoy! Tash x

Ingredients:

• Ripe pears (one per person)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• A few slithers of ginger
• Couple of star anise
• One small tin passionfruit pulp

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
• Place the pears with sugar, water, star anise and ginger in small dish. Cover and bake for an hour.
• When pears are soft, add passionfruit to the sauce.
• Serve the pear with lashings of passionfruit sauce and a small amount of yoghurt or cream.

Chris's Lemon Yoghurt Chicken

This is an easy tasty dinner good for both summer and winter that can be served on it's own or with a nice wild rocket salad.

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thigh fillets
• 300g natural yoghurt
• 2 lemons
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground tumeric
• 1 pack of slivered almonds
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped

Method:

Mix chopped garlic and spices with the yoghurt. Zest the skin of the lemons and squeeze the juice into the yoghurt mix. Stir it all together and spoon over the chicken fillets which are arranged in a baking dish. Sprinkle slivered almonds over the mix and season with pepper and salt. Squeeze remaining lemon juice over the top and bake at 150 for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked and almonds are crunchy.

Beef Curry

Rach sent this recipe through me and I have rudely made it my own. I have made it a couple of times now and have, so far, had rave reviews...

Ingredients:

• 2-3 onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• oil (for the pan)
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 3 tablespoon curry powder (Keen's works well)
• 800g beef (I use rump)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 pot of tomato paste (the more the better)
• mango chutney
• cucumber slices

Method:

• Slice onions and chop garlic and saute for a few minutes until soft.
• Add ginger and curry powder to the pan and cook for a minute or so longer and then transfer to the slow cooker.
• Cut the fat from the beef and chop up. Pop in a bag filled with the flour and black pepper. Shake to mix.
• Add to the slow cooker.
• Add the soy sauce, beef stock and tomato paste and stir in.
• Put the lid on and cook for 5 hours on high or for 8-10 hours on low, stirring every now and then.
• Serve with rice and top the beef curry with mango chutney and cucumber slices. I also like to see some veges on my plate so maybe add some green beans to the side.