Oven baked sausage and tomato risotto

What you need

1 tablespoon olive oil

400g chorizo sausages sliced thick

1 red onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

2 celery stalks, diagonally sliced

400g can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf

parsley, to serve

what to do

Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat oil in a 12-cup flameproof casserole or ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Fry sausages for 10 minutes, turning until browned and almost cooked. Remove from pan.

Add onion to saucepan, and more oil if needed. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until soft.

Slice sausages into bite-sized pieces.

Add rice and celery to saucepan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Add sausages, tomatoes, stock and water. Stir. Remove from heat. Cover with the lid or foil.

Transfer dish to the oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, but firm to the bite. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

chocolate lava cake

These individual chocolate lava cakes are great for dinner parties because they can be completely made the day before and then quickly baked before serving, for the all-important "ooze" factor. Makes 6.

180gr unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter, set aside. Spray six 6-ounce ramekins or muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and salt. Slowly stir the melted chocolate into the egg mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture evenly into the ramekins. Cover the ramekins and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. bake for15 to 20 minutes. They will be done when the outside has risen slightly above the sides of the ramekins and the center is still soft. Unmold the cakes. Place each cake on a plate and serve with fresh berries, vanilla ice cream or a dollop of double cream.

olive and garlic bread

This olive & garlic bread is a foccacia based bread roll, and is ideal for a mediteranean style meal, or simply for dipping on olive oil.

What you'll need

Olive oil

2 gloves garlic

21gms Yeast

3 tsp Sugar

1650gms Plain flour

480gms Kalamata Olives

150gms Extra flour

3 tsp Sea sal

What to do

Roughly chop the olives and finely chop/crush the garlic.

Combine yeast, sugar and 3 cups of luke warm water. Rest in a warm area until it becomes frothy.

Combine flour, sea salt, chopped olives & thyme in a bowl, make a well in the center and then pour in the yeast mixture, add 2 tbsps oil and mix to a firm dough.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.

Vigorously knead the dough until it is soft and silky (add more flour if too wet) coat the dough in oil and let it stand in a bowl for 2 hrs in a warm area( or until it has risen to twice it's size).

Cut the dough into 160 gm (6 oz) pieces and shape into small bread rolls, place on an oiled tray and stand in a warm area for 30 minutes.

Bake the bread for 30 minutes on 180*c (350 F) or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped

spiced coffee rub

If your after something different in terms of flavour on your next roast or barbecue meats, why not try a coffee rub, its not as strange as it sounds. the coffee combined with the sugar, chilli and spices give a great taste, and enhance the meats natural flavour.

what you need

5 tblsp espresso coffee powder

2 tblsp chili powder

3 tblsp dark brown sugar

2 tblsp paprika

2 tsp cumin powder

1 ½ tblsp coarse salt

1tsp onion powder

½ tblsp dry English mustard

½ tblsp cracked black pepper

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp cayenne

½ tsp red chili flakes

½ tsp ginger powder

½ tsp garlic powder

What to do

Combine all seasonings well.

Lightly oil the pork chop, then sprinkle generously with the spiced coffee rub.

Rub into the meat evenly and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Grill to your liking.

chef's note:

If roasting a large piece of meat, rub the spiced coffee rub generously all over the meat and allow to marinated for at least 6-8 hours or overnight before roasting. This recipe is fantastic for BBQs and Grill parties.
Store left of spice rub in an airtight jar, for your next BBQ.

beer bread

This easy to make beer bread can be made using either whole meal flour or white self raising flours.


What you'll need

3 cups of white self raising flour

3/4 cup of wholemeal self raising flour

2 teaspoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

1 x 375 ml stubby of beer. Stout will give a darker brown colour.

Milk for glazing

Sesame seeds

What to do

For white flour only version use just 3¾ cups of white self raising flour.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees centigrade (425 degrees Fahrenheit).

Sift the dry ingredients without the sugar.

Stir in the sugar followed by the beer.

Mixing thoroughly and make into a loaf.

Brush with milk across the top and sprinkle on sesame seeds.

Place into a bread tin & bake for fifty minutes. To test if bread is cooked, tap on bread and it should give a hollow sharp sound.

sweet chilli jam

This fiery yet sweet chilli jam is great with roasted vegetables and goes well with all meat dishes especially on barbeque chicken.

What you'll need
500 grams (1 lb) roma (egg) tomatoes

1 small onion julienned

3-4 small red chillis (chopped)

6 garlic cloves (chopped)

1 small knob of ginger (chopped)

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tbsp mustard seed

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt flakes

Cracked black pepper

What to do
Preheat oven to 180 degrees (350 fahrenheit)

Cut tomatoes in half and drizzle them with olive oil and roast in the oven until skins start to blister.

Sweat the onions in a pot in a touch of oil on low flame until they turn soft and translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients to the onions and sweat a few more minutes.

Add the roasted tomatoes to the pot, reduce the heat to very low, cook out for 1-2 hours season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once all the ingredients are cooked out, allow to cool and puree in a food processor, refrigerate and use as needed

zucchini and feta tart

What you need

6 medium zucchini,thinly sliced

2 Tbsp sea salt

6 eggs

2 Tbsp cornflour

½ cup finely chopped dill

80g fetta cheese, crumbled

Sea salt and white pepper

¹⁄³ cup finely grated parmesan

What to do

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the base and sides of a deep 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Put half the zucchini slices in a colander. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Top with the remaining zucchini slices and salt. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, then rinse zucchini under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside on a large baking tray.

Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add cornflour and whisk to combine. Add dill, crumbled feta cheese and salt and pepper to egg mixture and stir to combine. Put zucchini slices in prepared cake tin.

Pour the egg mixture over the zucchini. Sprinkle parmesan over the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cooked in the centre when tested with a skewer.

Stand tart for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Serve warm or cold, cut into wedges.