Tortellini With Tomato And Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, very finely chopped
- 400mL tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon caster sugar
- 150mL crème fraiche
- Salt and black pepper
- 600g fresh spinach and ricotta tortellini
- Freshly grated Parmesan to serve
Method:
1. Place the butter, onion, celery, tomato puree and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the vegetables have softened and the sauce thickened.
2. Spoon in the crème fraiche, season and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 1 minute, then add more salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes or until just firm in the centre (al dente), then drain. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and pour over the sauce. Serve with Parmesan.
Tomato, Mustard And Brie Tart
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 175g plain white flour
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 75g butter, diced
- ½ cup milk
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
- 50g aged Cheddar, grated
- 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 125g Dutch Brie, thinly sliced
For The Herb Oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely shredded
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Sift the flour and a pinch of sea salt into a bowl, then rub the butter in, using your fingertips, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix to a dough. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Use the pastry to line a deep 20cm metal flan tin and chill for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans, then bake blind for 10-12 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and beans and bake the pastry for a further 5 minutes. Set aside, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.
3. In a jug, beat together the milk, egg yolks and garlic and season to taste. Spread the mustard over the base of the pastry and sprinkle over the Cheddar. Arrange the tomatoes and Brie on top and pour over the egg mixture. Cook for 30-35 minutes, until just set and golden. For the herb oil, mix all the ingredients together and drizzle over the tart. Serve warm.
Stir-Fried Vegetables
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5cm piece root ginger, peeled, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 yellow capsicum, deseeded and chopped into 2.5cm pieces
- 1 red capsicum, deseeded and chopped into 25mm pieces
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 350g broccoli, cut into 25mm florets and stalks thinly sliced
- 300g brown cap mushrooms, wiped and thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 8 spring onions, cut into 1cm diagonal slices
Method:
1. Heat a large wok or heavy-based frying pan over high heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and rotate the wok or pan to coat the base and lower sides.
2. Add the ginger and garlic and fry, stirring, for 30 second. Add the sherry and cook for a further 15 seconds. Add the capsicum and carrots and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.
3. Add the broccoli, mushrooms and soy sauce and fry, stirring, for3 minutes or until all the vegetables are just tender. Add the spring onions and stir-fry for 1 minute. Serve straight away.
Spinach Soufflé
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 450g fresh spinach
- 25g butter
- 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan
- 25g plain flour
- 1 cup milk
- 4 medium eggs, separated, plus 1 extra egg white
- 100g aged Cheddar, finely grated black pepper
- Large pinch of ground nutmeg
Method:
1. Rinse the spinach, remove any coarse stalks or leaves and place in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes or until it has wilted. Drain and squeeze out any excess water. Chop roughly and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Butter a 1 ½ litre, 18cm souffle dish, sprinkle with Parmesan and set aside. Gently heat the butter, flour and milk in a pan, whisking continuously, until the sauce boils. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring. Transfer to a large bowl, add the spinach and mix well. Gradually beat in the egg yolks and 75g of the Cheddar, then season with pepper and nutmeg. Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry bowl unti stiff (this is easiest with an electric whisk), then fold into spinach mixture.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle with the remaining Cheddar. Bake for 30 minutes or until well risen and lightly set.
Rice And Apricot Pilaf
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons oil or butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups rice
- 3 ½ cups hot water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 200g dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons seedless raisins
- 50g almonds, blanched and toasted
Method:
1. In a large saucepan heat oil or butter and fry the onion until pale golden in colour. Add the rice and stir 30 seconds to coat with oil.
2. Add the hot water, salt, pepper, parsley and lemon juice. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the apricots (whole), raisins and almonds and simmer for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot with a side salad.
Penne With Capsicum And Mascarpone
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green capsicum, deseeded and cut into 1cm pieces
- 275g dried penne
- 200g mascarpone
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Black pepper
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the garlic, onions and capsicum for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the vegetables have softened. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pasts and cook for 8 minutes or until just firm in the centre (al dente). Drain, set aside and keep warm.
2. Stir half the mascarpone, the lemon juice, parsley and seasoning into the capsicum mixture. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mascarpone melts.
3. Stir the remaining mascarpone into the pasta, then add to the capsicum mixture, tossing together well. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Mushroom Pizza
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 400g canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 240g mushrooms, wiped and thinly sliced
- 2 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 x 23cm pizza bases
- 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
- 150g mozzarella, roughly chopped
Method:
1. Put the tomatoes into a saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sauce has reduced and thickened
2. Put the oil into a frying pan and heat over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano and cook, stirring from time to time, for 7 – 10 minutes, until tender.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to the highest setting – usually 240°C. Lay the pizza bases side by side on a large baking tray. Pour half of the tomato sauce onto each base and spread to the edges, using the back of a spoon.
4. Scatter half of the cooked mushroom mixture evenly over each pizza. Sprinkle over the Parmesan and scatter the mozzarella on top. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the mozzarella is golden and the topping is bubbling.
Old Banger
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 large potato, cut into 1cm slices
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 4 vegetarian sausages, halved crosswise
- 1 small parsnip, sliced
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 small carrot, sliced
- 1 small zucchini, sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 200mL vegetable stock
- 100mL apple juice
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon milk
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Boil the potato slices for 10-15 minutes, until just tender, then drain. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the onion and sausages and fry for 5 minutes or until the onion has softened and the sausages have browned.
2. Add the parsnip, apple, carrot, zucchini, tomato puree, vegetable stock and apple juice, then stir well. Season, then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Arrange the potato slices over the top and brush with milk. Cook, covered, for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 220°C, then uncover and cook for another 20 minutes to brown the potato.
Mushroom And Black Olive Risotto
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 25g dried porcini mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 225g large open mushrooms, chopped
- 1 ½ cup Arborio rice
- 450mL vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons black olive paste
- Fresh Parmesan to serve
Method:
1. Cover the porcini with 200mL boiling water, then leave to soak for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the water, and set aside. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, add the onion and fresh mushrooms and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the porcini and the reserved liquid to the rice with 225mL of the vegetable stock and the olives. Simmer, covered but stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Stir in 100mL of the stock and cook for 5 minutes, covered, until absorbed. Add the rest of the stock, the seasoning and the olive paste and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and leave to rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Shave over the Parmesan, using a vegetable peeler, then serve.
Mixed Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 500g mixed mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, flat, enoki, Swiss), sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- ½ cup white wine
- Rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
- ½ cup pecorino cheese, grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Method:
1. In a pan, heat the butter, add the mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, add the garlic and leek, and cook for 5-6 minutes. Meanwhile, place stock in a saucepan and simmer gently.
3. Add the rice to leek and garlic and stir for 1 minute, to coat the rice. Add white wine, and cook, until liquid is absorbed. Start adding stock, a ladle at a time, stirring continuously, until liquid has absorbed. Continue adding stock a ladle at a time until stock is used and rice is cooked.
4. Stir in mushrooms, lemon zest, cheese and parsley, and serve immediately.
