Sun-dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Zucchini Rolls

what you need
2 large zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or substitute domestic parmesan)
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped thyme

what to do
Preheat a grill pan. Brush both sides of the zucchini slices with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on the hot grill pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until the grill marks show.If you do not have a grill pan, brush zucchini slices with olive oil, salt and pepper and sauté in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned and just tender (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the goat cheese wih the Parmigiano, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and set aside.Remove the zucchini slices from the grill, and set aside to cool slightly. Spread goat cheese mixture over one side of the zucchini slices, roll up, and arrange on a platter. Serve cold or at room temperature.

pepperoni calzone

what you need
2 x 250gr pizza dough balls
1/2 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

what to do
Punch dough down.On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 14" circle .Place one circle on a greased baking sheet. Spread spaghetti sauce in a strip down the center. Sprinkle with oregano, pepperoni,and mozzarella cheese.Fold over dough and seal edges; repeat for other circle

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.Bake at 350° F. for 30 minutes or until golden brown in a traditional oven.

For party food make the circles about 4"round and fill as above. fillings can be varied like spinach & cheese, ham & mushroom or what ever you like to try.

chicken marsala

what you need

3 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 tbls unsalted butter

2 cups fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbls olive oil

1 cup marsala wine

1/2 cup fresh cream

Preparation:
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place the breasts between layers of plastic wrap, and pound until thin. . Clean and slice the mushrooms.

Dust the chicken with the flour. Shake off excess flour.

Heat the oil and butter to medium-high temperature in a large saute pan. Add the chicken, and brown on one side. Turn over, and add the mushrooms.

Pour in the wine, and reduce to half the volume, add cream and cook till reduced and thickened

Great served on mash with fresh steamed beans with the sauce poured over.

rigatoni with Italian sausage

what you need

500gr rigatoni pasta

1/2 onion finaly diced

1 glove garlic chopped

500gr Italian sausage (with fennel if possible)

2 tbs olive oil

1 cup tomato passata or canned tomatoes

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly grounded black pepper

freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley leaves

what to do
Place the sausage in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water. Cover, bring to a boil and turn heat down to low. Simmer, covered for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sausage cool to room temperature. Remove casings from sausage and chop finely.

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic, turn heat to low and cook till softened, Stir in tomato passata, sausage, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.

Cook pasta in a large volume of boiling water with 1 tbsp salt until al dente. Drain in a colander, transfer to a bowl . Mix 3/4 of the sauce with the pasta and spoon remaining sauce and sausage on top.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with freshly grated Parmigiano cheese.

spaghetti carbonara

what you need
4 ounces spaghetti (or other pasta like fettuccini, linguine, or tortellini)
4 ounces pancetta, cut into thin strips

3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 green onions, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/8 to 1/4 cup pasta cooking water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

what to do
Add olive oil to a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add diced pancetta and cook, stirring frequently until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and onion and continue cooking and stirring until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (just tender).
In a small bowl mix together egg yolks, cream, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Just before the pasta is finished cooking, remove 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water and slowly whisk into the egg yolk mixture (to temper eggs), beating vigorously to prevent eggs from scrambling.
Quickly drain the pasta in a colander and return to pot. Immediately toss in the egg and pancetta mixtures, stirring the spaghetti continuously to both cook the eggs and coat the pasta. Serve immediately in heated bowls with a healthy grind of black pepper and season with salt to taste.

Top with grated Pecorino Romano, if desired

sun dried tomato pesto

what you need

1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted whole almonds
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 generous packed cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup grated parmigianno regianno
1 cup olive oil

what to do

Drain your sun dried tomatoes, lightly rinse them, and then pat them dry with a paper towel.
Toast your almonds in a dry shallow pan or hot oven. They will take about 10 minutes, and you will smell when they are done.
In a large food processor, combine the basil, toasted almonds, garlic, lemon zest, and salt. Process until coarsely chopped.
Add the sun dried tomatoes and parmigianno cheese and process until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped.
Now stream in the olive oil slowly and process until the pesto comes together.
Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.

marinated mushrooms

This recipe for marinated mushrooms is so easy, it keeps for weeks and can be done in large volumes. So now you can serve homemade marinated mushrooms and not have to pay the high price from the gourmet deli , perfect to serve as part of a antipasto platter.

What you'll need
500 grams (1 lb) Swiss Brown or button Mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup of red wine
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

fresh rosemary sprig
Sea salt flakes
Pepper mill

What to do
Grate or finely chop the garlic
Add the garlic to the mushrooms
Place a large pot on medium high heat
Add 4-5 tablespoons oil
Add mushrooms & garlic
Stir for about 1 minute
Add the red wine
Increase the heat to high, stir and cook for 1 minute
Add the vinegar and stir through
Season with salt & pepper
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes
Allow to cool
Drain & serve (reserve the liquid)
Can be served whole as part of antipasto platter, in salads or even sliced on bruschetta

Store remaining mushrooms covered in the marinade in fridge

beef goulash

what you need
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.25kg boneless veal shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes
2 brown onions, halved, sliced
1 large red capsicum, sliced
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
3/4 cup dry white wine
690g bottle Italian tomato passata sauce
3 dried bay leaves
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 small desiree potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces
cooked pasta (such as spaghetti or fettuccine), to serve

what to do
Preheat oven to 130°C. Heat oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the veal. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Remove to a bowl. Repeat in 2 batches with remaining veal.
Reduce heat to low. Add onions and capsicum to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until soft. Add paprika and caraway seeds. Cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Return veal to pan. Add passata, bay leaves, stock and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until veal and potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaves.

Spoon goulash over pasta or try serving with polenta or gnocchi

basil pesto

what you need
45g (1/4 cup) pine nuts
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 small garlic cloves, halved
60g (3/4 cup) shredded parmesan
5 tbs olive oil

what to do
Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread the pine nuts over a baking tray. Bake in oven for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
Place the pine nuts, basil, garlic and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin steady stream until well combined.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore literally means 'hunter's style chicken'. This stew originates in central Italy and dates to the 15th Century when only the affluent could afford poultry and the sport of hunting.

what you need
8 chicken thigh fillets
plain flour, for dusting
salt and cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2/3 cup (160ml) chicken stock
1/2 cup (125ml) white wine
400g can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives
2 tablespoons oregano leaves
steamed vegetables, to serve

what to do
Dust chicken thigh fillets in combined flour, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in batches, for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in stock, wine and tomatoes, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir through olives and oregano, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve with steamed vegetables.

Or try with chicken pieces and braise slowly in a covered dish in the oven for 90 minutes for a more full flavoured dish

eggplant rolls

what you need

3 eggplants
250 g cottage cheese or soft cheese
1-2 garlic cloves
rosemary, thyme, parsley,
salt to taste

cracked pepper
olive oil for frying

what to do
Wash the eggplants, trim off the ends and cut them along in thin slices.
Pour olive oil into a frying pan and fry eggplant slices on both sides until they get soft, for about 2 minutes each side.
Chop herbs finely. Mash garlic cloves.
Mix the herbs and the garlic with cottage cheese or any soft cheese. Salt slightly if needed and cracked pepper to taste.
Then put cottage cheese on the warm eggplant slices and fold them into rolls.

Serve the rolls cold, drizzle with good olive oil light squeeze of lemon

chilli spiced polenta cakes

what you need
1 1/2 cups polenta

1/2 cup diced roasted green chilies

1 small onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

what to do
Sweat the onion and garlic in a dash of oil. Add the green chilies and the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the polenta and keep stirring until the spoon stands up-right without falling over, about ten minutes.

Spoon polents mixture into well greased muffin trays, and bake for 25-30 minutes at 180c or until golden brown.

Serve warm with crisp salad and red pepper sauce or tomato salsa

lamb kofta with garlic & lemon yoghurt

what you need

8 garlic cloves
200g plain natural yoghurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
700g lean lamb mince
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
olive oil cooking spray
lemon wedges, to serve

what to do
Preheat oven to 200°C. Wrap 7 garlic cloves in foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until garlic softens. Remove from oven. Carefully remove from foil. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Squeeze garlic from skin into a food processor. Discard skins. Add yoghurt, fresh coriander, lemon rind and lemon juice. Process until combined. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl.
Peel and crush remaining garlic clove. Place lamb, onion, cumin, ground coriander, garlic and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Using clean hands, mix to combine. Divide mixture into eight oval shapes. Thread onto skewers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Preheat a barbecue plate or chargrill on medium-high heat. Spray skewers with oil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, or until cooked through.
Arrange koftas on a platter. Serve with mixed greens yoghurt mixture and lemon wedges.

italian braised pork

what you need
2 tablespoons olive oil

1.5kg pork shoulder, rolled and tied

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped coarsely

½ small fennel bulb (100g), chopped coarsely

8 slices hot pancetta (120g), chopped coarsely

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup (125ml) dry white wine

400g can whole tomatoes

1 cup (250ml) chicken stock

1 cup (250ml) water

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 large fennel bulbs (1kg), halved, sliced thickly

spice rub

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon sea salt2 teaspoons olive oil

what to do

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Heat oil in large flameproof casserole dish on stove top; cook pork, uncovered, until browned all over.Meanwhile, combine ingredients for spice rub in small bowl.Remove pork from dish; reserve 1 tablespoon of the oil in dish; discard remainder. Cook garlic, onion, chopped fennel and pancetta in same heated dish, stirring, until onion softens. Add paste; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.Meanwhile, rub pork with spice rub. Return pork to dish with wine, undrained tomatoes, stock, the water and rosemary; bring to the boil; cover. Transfer dish to oven; cook 1 hour. Add sliced fennel to dish; cover. Return dish to oven; cook 1 hour. Remove pork from dish; discard pork rind. Cover pork to keep warm.Meanwhile, cook braising liquid in dish, uncovered, over medium heat on stove top until thickened slightly. Serve sliced pork with sauce, and warm ciabatta bread, if desired

date and chocolate torrone

what you need

1/3 cup (55g) currants

¼ cup (60ml) brandy

200g unsalted butter, chopped

300g dark chocolate, chopped

2 eggs

½ cup (110g) caster sugar

225g shortbread biscuits, broken into chunks

2/3 cup (110g) finely chopped mixed peel

½ cup (70g) pitted dates, chopped
1/3 cup (55g) roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

cocoa, to dust

what to do
Line base and long sides of two 8 by 26cm bar cake pans with baking paper. Combine currants and brandy in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 1 hour. Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Stir over simmering water until melted and smooth. Using an electric beater, beat eggs and sugar together until pale and thick. Stir in chocolate mixture, currants and brandy. Gently fold in remaining ingredients until just combined.Spoon into prepared pans and spread out. Cover surface with plastic wrap and smooth out. Refrigerate overnight, until set. Remove plastic wrap, turn out onto a board and dust with cocoa.

Slice and serve, or cut in half lengthways and wrap to give as a gift.

bread and butter pudding

As the winter settles in and the temperature falls this is a great winter dessert and good way to warm up, make sure you use day old bread, or try using old croissants for something a little richer and more indulgent.

85 gm (½ cup) sultanas
2 tbsp brandy, warmed
5 eggs
300 ml pouring cream
300 ml milk
55 gm (¼ cup) caster sugar
1orange, finely grated rind only
1vanilla bean, seeds only
½ tsp ground cinnamon
8 1.5cm-thick slices of day-old white bread
60 gm soft butter, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp demerara sugar
To serve: icing sugar and vanilla bean ice-cream or double cream

Combine sultanas and brandy in a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Combine eggs, cream, milk, caster sugar, orange rind, vanilla seeds and cinnamon in a jug. Whisk vigorously to combine and set aside.
Spread both sides of bread slices with butter and halve lengthways. Scatter one third of the brandied sultanas into a lightly greased 1-litre capacity ovenproof dish. Trim bread slices to fit dish and layer, scattering remaining brandied sultanas between each layer. Pour cream mixture evenly over bread slices and stand until bread has completely absorbed cream mixture (about 1 hour).
Preheat oven to 180C. Scatter demerara sugar over pudding and bake until golden and custard is firm (30-40 minutes). Serve immediately or at room temperature, lightly dusted with icing sugar, and with scoops of vanilla ice-cream or cream to the side, if desired

mixed berry & frangellico trifle

This well presented, simple mixed berry trifle individually served is a perfect dessert for any dinner party.

what you need

2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
250gr mascarpone
8 x 1cm-thick slices panettone
300g fresh or frozen mixed berries

what to do

Use a balloon whisk to whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoonful of the Frangelico and whisk until smooth. Add the mascarpone and use a metal spoon to gently fold until just combined.Use an round pastry cutter to cut discs from the panettone slices. Brush four discs with a little of the remaining Frangelico. Place in the base of four 1-cup (250ml) capacity serving glasses. Spoon half the berries evenly among serving glasses. Top with half the mascarpone mixture.Continue layering with remaining berries, mascarpone mixture, panettone and Frangelico, finishing with a layer of mascarpone. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill before serving

potato doughnuts

what you need

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup shortening, melted
1 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

what to do

Sift flour with baking powder, salt, nutmeg, soda. Set aside.
Beat eggs with sugar, shortening; stir in mashed potatoes, lemon rind. Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Turn dough onto lightly floured board. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with doughnut cutter. Drop 4 or 5 doughnuts at a time into deep hot fat preheated to 360°. Cook until doughnuts are brown and rise to surface; turn to brown on both sides. Drain.

Roll in mixture of cinnamon and sugar

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms

what you need

2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds assorted wild or cultivated mushrooms (such as oyster, porcini, cremini, portobello and stemmed shiitake), trimmed, large mushrooms cut into same size as smaller mushrooms
2 small onions, quartered lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
Sea salt
1 small bunch fresh chives, snipped
500gr (1lb) fresh pappardelle

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Generous pinch of sea salt

what to do

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute until juices form, about 4 minutes. Add onion and saute until mushrooms are tender and liquid has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Season to taste with sea salt. Keep warm over very low heat.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring often, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain.

Toss mushroom mixture through pasta, divide equally. Sprinkle with picked parsey and serve with a good parmesan

orange and polenta cake

what you need
200g butter, melted
½ cup polenta
1 cup cake flour, plain
1 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Zest of one orange
3 eggs
½ cup milk
3 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons castor sugar (extra)

what to do
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Melt butter.
Combine all dry ingredients with orange zest and put aside.
In a mixer, whisk eggs until light and fluffy (approx 5 minutes).
Slowly pour in melted butter and continue whisking for 1-2 minutes.
Turn whisk to low and gradually pour in dry ingredients and zest.
When just combined add milk and orange juice and fold with spatula. Once combined, pour the mixture into a springform cake tin that has been greased well.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack.
While cooling add remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice and extra sugar in a small saucepan, sir on high heat and bring to the boil, boil for 2 minutes then remove and brush syrup over orange cake.

marinated stawberries

what you need

2 punnets of strawberries

juice of 1 orange

15mls cointreau

1 dessertspoon icing sugar

what to do

Rinse and hull all but ten strawberries.
Mash the remaining berries, add orange juice, cointreau and sugar.
Tip sauce over whole berries, and marinate for about an hour.

To serve

Dust cake with icing sugar and spoon over marinated strawberies

Chicken Pizziola

This isa fool proof, quick and simple chicken dish that you can just top and pop in the oven with out lots of fussy cooking that will be ready in forty minutes.

what you need
4 x 125g flattened skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup lean ham, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup capsicum, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped shallots or thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup tomato, diced
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
cooking spray
4 dsp tomato paste
1 cup tasty cheese, grated



what to do
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan forced. Flatten chicken breasts with a meat mallet. In a medium sized bowl, mix together ham, mushroom, capsicum, shallots, tomato, garlic and basil. Coat a baking tray with cooking spray and place all four flattened chicken breasts on it. Spread one dessertspoon of tomato paste over each breast, then spread pizza topping evenly over each breast. Sprinkle a quarter cup of cheese over each piece. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked and topping is golden brown.

now how easy is that

beef & red wine casserole

what you need

500g diced beef (use chuck or topside)

2 tbsp olive oil

6 small onions, peeled and left whole

2 carrots, thickly sliced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup beef stock

1 cup red wine

200g button mushrooms

what to do

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Coat the beef in one tablespoon of the oil and brown in small batches in a large preheated fry-pan over a medium-high heat. Set beef aside. Reduce heat in pan and add remaining oil, onions, carrots and tomato paste, and cook, stirring for one minute. Add the stock and wine, scraping up the meat residue from the bottom of the pan. Heat until the mixture boils, then pour into a large casserole dish. Add the beef to the casserole dish, mix well. Cover the casserole dish tightly and cook in the preheated oven for one hour. Add the mushrooms.

Cover and cook for a further 20-30 minutes.

Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas.

pumpkin & pinenut ravioli

pasta dough 1/2 recipe from my blog

what you need for the filling
500g pumpkin, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cloves organic garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg white
what you need for the sauce
2 cans organic tomatoes
250g butter
1 large onion

what to do for the filling
Rub salt and olive oil onto pumpkin and roast until soft. Roast pine nuts in a dry skillet. Combine pine nuts with chopped garlic and olive oil in a mortar and pestle to make a rough paste. Add to the cooked pumpkin. The mixture should be rough in texture, juicy and gooey.

what to do for the sauce
Add tomatoes to a deep pan with butter and halved onions.
Simmer for 40 minutes, then remove onions. To assemble ravioli Push fist-sized chunks of dough through a pasta machine to make sheets. Cut pasta sheets into 6cm circles and fill with a tablespoon of stuffing, paint edges of pasta with egg white, and top with another circle and press around edges to seal, ensure you remove all the air or the raviloi will burst when cooking.

Cook ravioli in boiling water until it floats to the surface.
To serve drain then serve with sauce.

spaghetti con cozze

what you need
1/2 extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
2 pounds small mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 cups basic tomato sauce
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

what to do
Bring 4 litres of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.
In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until light golden brown, about a minute. Add the wine, raise the heat, and bring to a boil, then add the mussels. Cook, stirring and tossing, until all of the mussels have opened, about 4 minutes, remove mussels from the pan and add the tomato sauce, when sauce is hot add mussels back in to warm through.
Meanwhile, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente; drain well.
Add the fresh parsley parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. serve on top fresh spaghetti

rustic vegetable soup with italian sausage

With the weather starting to change her in australia and temperatue dropping, nothing warms you up like a good soup, this rustic vegetable soup is a meal in it self, with winter vegetables, pasta, beans and good italian sausage, it will sure fill you up, enjoy it with crusty bread.. why not make double, and enjoy it for days to come. You'll be amazed how much better it tastes the second day.

what you need
1 tablespoon olive oil
500 gr (1lb) mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups drained and rinsed canned white beans, preferably cannellini

10 cups water
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with their juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 cup pasta shapes
1/2 bunch spinach, stems removed and leaves washed well
Grated Parmesan, for serving

what to do
In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon.
Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine 2 cups of the beans and 2 cups of the water in a blender and puree until smooth.
Add the tomatoes, the bean puree, the remaining 8 cups water, the salt, and the pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the surface., add the pasta and cook further 6 minutes, Ssir in the sausage, the remaining 2 cups beans, and the spinach. Simmer until the spinach wilts, or about 3 minutes.

Serve the soup with grated Parmesan and a good spoon ful of basil pesto and lots of crusty bread.

creamy garlic prawns

what you need
250 grams green (raw) prawns
2 cloves of garlic
50 grams butter

table spoon olive oil
30-mls brandy or white wine
Chopped shallots
Cup of thickened cream

what to do
Melt butter with olive oil in fry pan.
Add prawns and cook for about 30 secs
Put crushed garlic in fry pan
add the Brandy or white wine
Reduce liquid until nearly all gone
add the shallots and cream
Boil until cream thickens and reduces slightly.

Serve with rice to soak up all that lovely garlic and cream

braised lamb shanks

what you need

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound onions, chopped

2 carrots sliced

2 stalks celery chooped
5 large shallots, sliced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
6 3/4- to 1-pound lamb shanks
all purpose flour (plain)
2 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves

what to do
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions , carrots, celeryand shallots and sautee until brown, about 20 minutes. Mix in 2 tbs chopped rosemary. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt and pepper; coat lamb with flour. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy roasting tray over high heat. Working in batches, all lamb shanks to roasting tray and cook until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes per batch.

Using tongs, transfer lamb shanks to plate. Add 1 cup dry red wine to theraosting tray and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour into Dutch oven with onion mixture. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups red wine, beef stock, tomato paste and 2 bay leaves to dutch oven. Bring to boil, stirring until tomato paste dissolves. Add lamb shanks, turning to coat with liquid.
Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lamb is almost tender, turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Uncover Dutch oven and boil until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, stirring and turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

chilli mussels

Chilli mussels are one of those dishes that everybody loves, and we sold so many in my restaurant, but get them wrong and people will let you know. One of my pet hates is a watery and tastless sauce, One of the main reasons for a watery sauce is the water that comes from the mussels themselves. The fresher the mussel the more water they contain, a mussel can filter up to 38litres of water a day (10 gallons) and while there is nothing better than the tase of fresh seawater, to much can lead to a very watered down sauce.

Ingredients
2 kg cleaned and de-bearded mussels
1 litre good tomato sugo (sauce)
75 mls dry white wine (Riesling, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc)
1 lemon - zest and juice
½ bunch fresh Italian parsley - roughly chopped
100mls extra virgin olive oil
2 gloves garlic crushed
2 small chillies choped (add to taste)

what to do
In a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid, add the mussels and steam till the mussels just open.
Discard 1/2 the water that is in the pot. (otherwise you will ahve avery watery sauce).
Add the white, garlic, chilli wine, and tomato sugo stir well and replace lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat or until all of the mussels shells are open and sauce is hot.
Remove from heat, Stir well so all mussels are coated in sauce.
Serve in large bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley.

Serve a finger bowl and a bowl to put empty shells into, and lots of crusty bread to saok up the thick rich sauce.

chocolate walnut brownies

what you need

150 gm walnut halves, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
250 gm good-quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
200 gm dark brown sugar
125 ml vegetable oil
50 ml coffee liqueur (Kahlua / Tia Maria)
3 free range eggs
1 tsp natural vanilla essence
150 gm plain flour
30 gm cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

what to do
Preheat oven to 170°C. Spray a shallow 23cm square cake pan with spray oil to lightly grease. Line the base with non-stick baking paper.
Melt the chocolate in a medium heat-resistant bowl (glass/ceramic) over a saucepan of simmering water and mix until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.
Beat sugar, oil, eggs, liqueur and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl until well combined and paler in colour. Add the melted chocolate and beat until well combined.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder over chocolate mixture and use a large metal spoon to fold in until combined. Fold in walnut pieces. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre. Remove from oven and cool completely in pan.
When cool, turn onto a board, remove paper and cut into pieces.

For a great easy dessert, lightly warm a brownie, top with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream, pour over a bix berry coulis and serve with fresh berries.

warm lemon and herb olives

what you need

500 grams of a variety of whole olive in brine that are different sizes, colours and varieties - drained and rinsed (eg. Kalamata, Manzanillo)
1 clove fresh garlic - sliced
100 mls redisland extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary stripped from the stalk
3 sprigs fresh thyme or lemon thyme stripped from the stalk
4 small red chillies - whole
Zest of 1 lemon - pith removed and cut into matchstick strips
Freshly cracked black pepper
Fresh crunchy bread to dip in the oil - sliced

what to do
Heat oil up to low - medium heat in fry pan and gently cook garlic without colour
Turn to a low heat and add rosemary, thyme, lemon zest and whole chilli
Toss in the pan for 1 minute and then add olives. Warm through for 2 minutes on low heat.
Season with pepper and serve warm with crusty bread to dip into the oil.

chef's tips
Serve a small bowl to put the unwanted olive pips
If you require olives with more chilli flavouring, slice the chilli or add more.
Pitted olives can be used instead of whole olives