
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
ricotta gnocchi with eggplant sauce
What you need
1 large eggplant, cut into 1.5cm dice
2 tablespoons table salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
400g can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
What to do
Season eggplant with salt and set to one side.
what to do
heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add garlic, tomatoes, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes or until thickened. Stir in basil.
Heat remaining olive oil in a medium frying pan. Wash salted eggplant and pat dry. Panfry eggplant for 5 – 6 minutes until golden brown. Remove and place onto a paper towel-lined plate.
Stir egglant into sauce mixture
Ricotta Gnocchi
what you need
250g fresh ricotta
200g romano cheese, grated, plus extra to serve
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup plain flour, plus extra for dusting
what to do
For gnocchi, combine ricotta, romano cheese, egg, nutmeg and ½ cup of the flour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using your hand, mix ingredients together to form dough like consistency. Add remaining flour and mix to form a stiff dough.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and roll into 4 cylinders. Cut and roll into 1cm balls. Using the back of a fork, pull along ball of dough to make gnocchi shape.
Place gnocchi into a large pot of boiling water. As gnocchi rises to the top, remove and place in a colander to drain.
Toss gently in the eggplant sauce, serve with freshly greated parmesan.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
lamb risotto

what you need
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb lamb, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
2oz feta (about 1/4 cup), crumbled
what to do
Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat, add lamb, salt, pepper and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes Use a slotted spoon to remove lamb, set aside.
Bring stock to a boil in a medium sized pot then simmer and maintain over low heat.
In separate large saucepan heat oil over medium heat, add onion and sauté until onions are soft. Add rice, stir until each grain is well coated with oil and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine, stir until absorbed.
Add stock one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after each addition. After about 4 cups of stock, check to see if the risotto is done. If it’s still firm add another 1/2 cup broth and check again. Continue until risotto is tender. When done remove from heat and add lamb and Feta. Mix well.
Garnish with crumbled feta if desired.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Lemon Semifreddo
what you need
Oil, to brush
4 savoiardi sponge-finger biscuits
80ml Vin Santo or dry marsala*
4 eggs, separated
2 lemons, rind grated
110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
500ml (2 cups) thickened cream, whipped
Candied lemons
2 lemons, sliced
110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
what to do
Lightly brush a 24 x 10cm terrine with oil and line with plastic wrap.
Roughly break up the sponge fingers and place in a bowl with the Vin Santo. Beat egg yolks, lemon rind and sugar until pale. In a separate bowl, beat the eggwhites until soft peaks form. Fold together sponge fingers, egg yolk mixture, eggwhites and cream, then pour into prepared terrine. Freeze overnight.
To make the candied lemons, place lemon slices in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, cook for 1 minute then drain. Discard the water and set the lemons aside.
Place the sugar and 425ml cold water in the saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the lemon slices and simmer for about 30 minutes (the lemons should be translucent and the liquid well-reduced). Drain the lemons on a rack over a tray until cool.
Allow the terrine to soften in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. To serve, slice the semifreddo and serve with the candied lemons and cream, if desired.
chef’s note
* Vin Santo is Italian wine and is available either sweet or dry. If unavailable, use a good-quality dry marsala
Monday, March 7, 2011
Spinach Pesto

Spinach Pesto a wonderful fresh variant on the more traditional basil pesto, and is a combination of spinach, garlic and with a hint of basil that is great as a topping for bruschetta, stirred through pasta or with grilled chicken
8 cups fresh spinach
1 cup fresh basil
½ cup toasted pine nuts
1 garlic clove
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
what to do
Put small amounts of spinach, basil, pine nuts and garlic into a food processor or blender. Pulse and continue to add the remaining ingredients until all of them are able to fit in the blender.
Add olive oil and continue to process until the mixture is creamy.
Transfer to a bowl.
beetroot risotto
what you need
3 large fresh beetroot
1 tbs olive oil
30g butter
1 onion, diced
2 cups arborio rice
4 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
100grs grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
what to do
Peel the beetroot and cut into julienne strips. Wash the beetroot tops and chop into 7cm pieces.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy saucepan, saute the onion for 3 mins or until soft. Add the beetroot and cook stirring over a moderate heat for 2 mins. Add rice and stir until translucent.
Add a ladle of stock at a time to rice and stir until absorbed. Continue stirring in the stock, gradually, until the rice is just cooked. This process should take around 20 mins.
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Stir in butter and parmesan. let stand for 5 minutes. Then serve topped with diced beetroot and shaved parmesan.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
chilli and chive baked ricotta
what you need
Olive oil, to grease
500g fresh ricotta
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chilli flakes
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
what to do
Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush two 250ml capacity ramekins with oil to lightly grease.
place ricotta in a clean cloth and suspend over a bowl to drain four at least an hour.
Combine ricotta, egg, chives and chilli in a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon ricotta mixture among ramekins and smooth the surface.
Place on a baking tray.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden and set. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
Turn onto a cheese board. Serve with a fresh crusty baguette
Or refrigerate then slice and use as required
dried feta stuffed olives
what you need
1/3 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbs milk
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/3 cups finely grated parmesan cheese
Pinch of cayenne pepper
400 gr Spanish feta stuffed olives, rinsed, drained *
Extra-light olive oil, to deep-fry
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place the flour on a plate. Combine the egg and milk in a bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and cayenne pepper in a bowl.
Dip olives in flour and shake off excess. Dip in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to coat. Place on lined tray. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
Add enough oil to a large saucepan to reach a depth of 5cm. Heat to 190°C over medium-high heat (when oil is ready a cube of bread will turn golden brown in 10 seconds). Add one-fifth of the olives to the oil and cook for 30 seconds or until golden. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 4 more batches, with the remaining olives, reheating oil between batches. Place in a serving bowl and serve.
*feta stuffed olives are available from most continental delis
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
chocolate tart

1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons cold water
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Chocolate shavings (optional)
To make the crust, thoroughly mix flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Cut butter in chunks and add to bowl. With two knives or pastry blender, cut butter into flour, tossing to coat with flour until largest pieces are the size of pine nuts and remaining pieces resemble coarse breadcrumbs.
As you work, scrape flour up from bottom of bowl, and scrape butter from knives or pastry blender. Do not let butter melt or blend completely into flour. Drizzle 1-1/2 tablespoons cold water over flour mixture while tossing and mixing, until just moist enough to hold together when pressed.
Add remaining water if needed. Turn out on plastic wrap. Gather into a flat disc, pressing together any loose bits. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
Position rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (200 degrees celsius). Let dough stand 30 minutes at room temperature, or until pliable enough to roll without cracking.
On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 14- by 9-inch (35cm - 23cm) oval, about 1/8-inch thick (3mm), rotating and dusting with flour to prevent sticking.
Brush excess flour from dough; fold in half to transfer to a piece of parchment slightly larger than dough. Unfold dough. Loosely fold and roll edge, without pressing, to form rimmed crust. Place parchment with pastry on baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until light golden brown (crust edge will be a little raw inside).
Meanwhile, for filling, melt chocolate in microwave on 50 per cent power (medium) about 2 minutes. Stir frequently until chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from microwave. Stir until melted; set aside.
In bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Beat until whites are stiff but not dry. Pour pecans and melted chocolate over whites; fold with spatula until batter is uniform colour.
Remove crust from oven. Reduce oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees celsius). Dollop filling on crust. Spread to 1/2-inch (1.2cm) thick. Bake 10 minutes, or until surface looks dry and slightly cracked (fudgy inside).
Cool on baking sheet on rack. Serve warm or cool. Cover and refrigerate after two hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, top with chocolate shavings.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
peasant style chicken, potatoes & chorizo
chilli crab

- Nothing like fresh crabs, Paul and the boys decided on a quiet Friday night to drag the boat down to the swan river. After may hours, with all the nets down they pulled up 8 monster blue swimmer crabs, and what better way to cook them than in a thick hot chilli sauce.
- what you need
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 4 green (uncooked) blue swimmer crabs
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 fresh long red chillies finely chopped
- 1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tbs dry sherry
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 6 spring onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
- 1/4 cup fresh coriander
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Crab linguine with chilli, lemon and garlic

what you need
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3 pared strips of lemon zest, finely chopped
- 450g linguine - fresh if possible
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
- 225g freshly cooked white crab meat
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
what to do
- Put the olive oil, chilli, garlic and lemon zest into a small pan and put over a gentle heat until it begins to fry. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
- Tip the chilli and lemon mixture into the pan the pasta was in, then add the lemon juice and season. Heat until sizzling, then add the linguine and crab meat to the pan and toss gently over a medium heat to warm the crab through.
- Add the parsley, season, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Monday, January 3, 2011
baked gorgonzola figs with macadamia, honey, balsamic dressing
what you need
8 fresh ripe figs
50gr gorgonzola cheese
1/3 cup toasted, finely chopped macadamia nuts
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Fresh dressed mixed greens
2 tablespoons full flavoured honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Trim off the stem end of the figs, and using a sharp knife cut an X into the top of the fig 3/4 of the way down leaving the bottom of the fig attached.
Roll some of the gorgonzola into small balls about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in size, then roll the balls into the macadamia nuts gently pressing them into the cheese balls. Place the figs on a baking sheet, then place a cheese ball into each fig. Gently squeeze the fig to enclose the cheese inside. Brush the figs lightly with a little olive oil and place the figs in a preheated oven, until the figs are heated through and the cheese is just beginning to melt.
While the figs are heating, divide the greens on top of each of four plates. Mix together the honey, balsamic, and olive oil. Place the figs on top of the greens and drizzle the figs with a little of the honey, balsamic dressing. Serve immediately.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Risotto Milanese
what you need
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced finely
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1 large pinch saffron threads
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
what to do
Bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Lower heat, keep warm.
In the risotto pan, add the olive oil and onion. Cook the onion slowly for several minutes, until soft but do not brown. Add the rice and cook the rice for a couple of minutes. Add the saffron. Add the white wine and cook for a couple of minutes until the liquid has cooked off.
Start adding the stock. Add a couple of ladles initially and stir. Use a rubber spatula instead of a spoon. This really is the best tool - you can really lift the rice off the bottom of the pan. When you begin adding the stock, start timing the risotto. It should take between 20-25 minutes. You should stir the rice as much as you can, not allowing it to stick to the bottom of the pan. Do not boil the rice, just keep it on a simmer. As soon as the liquid has cooked off, keeping adding the stock by the ladleful.
After about 20 minutes, taste the rice. It should be soft, but still retain a little firmness (bite). When you think it is done, do not add any more liquid. Four cups of stock is usually just right. When the rice has absorbed the liquid, turn off the heat and add the parmesan. Serve hot and add more grated parmesan to the top if you like.
Sicilian stuffed arancini
5 cups chicken broth
pinch of saffron
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cups Arborio, Carnaroli or Aquerello rice
a rind of Parmigianno Reggiano cheese (if you have it) or 2 tablespoons grated cheese
2-3 egg whites
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (you can also use panko)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup (approximately) of meat sauce, bolognese, or ragu
vegetable oil (I used Canola) to give you about 4 inches of oil in your pot for frying
Make the risotto:
Heat the broth, add the saffron to it and keep it warm in a pot next to the pot in which you want to make your risotto.
In a medium size heavy pot, heat the olive oil and butter. Saute the onion with a pinch of salt gently for a few minutes. Do not let it brown. Add the rice, raise the heat a little and toast the rice for a couple of minutes. Add a couple of ladlefuls of broth and stir the risotto. Add the cheese rind. Lower the heat a little - you do not want the mixture to boil, but just to simmer gently. When the rice has absorbed the broth, add two more ladlefuls. You can tell when to add the broth by running your spoon through the mixture. If the liquid immediately fills in the crevice you make, let it cook some more. If it remains clear, it is time to add more broth (see photo in post for an example). Keep adding broth and stirring, repeating until rice is tender, about 25 minutes. You may not use all the broth. If you don't have enough broth, continue with plain water. If you don't have a cheese rind, at this point add the grated cheese and mix. Pour the risotto onto a baking sheet and let cool. You can refrigerate it to let it cool.
Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Place the egg whites in a small bowl and beat a little with a fork. Place the bread crumbs in a small bowl. Place the meat sauce into a small bowl.
Scrape the cooled risotto into a bowl and add the whole beaten egg. Mound some risotto into your hand using a quantity a little smaller than what size you want the finished arancini. With a spoon or your hand, make an indentation in the risotto. Place about a tablespoon of meat sauce in the indentation, add some risotto over the top and gently mold the whole thing into a ball. Roll the arancini in the egg whites and then in the bread crumbs. Place the arancini onto the wax paper. After they are all done, place them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Heat about 4 inches of oil in a small pot or use a fryer if you have one. When the oil becomes hot enough to fry, lower the arancini one at a time into the oil with a handled strainer. Let fry for a few minutes, checking the color so they do not burn and gently rotating them with the strainer. When they are golden brown, remove with the strainer and place on paper towels to drain.
Italian stuffed mushrooms

18 large (about 2 lbs.) white mushrooms
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups, fresh bread crumbs (can substitute with gluten free crumbs!)
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
2 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
Aged balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove stems and coarsely chop them, reserving the caps. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped mushrooms to the heated oil, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally. Cook until mushroom mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Slowly add Marsala. Cook until Marsala has evaporated, about 2 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the bread crumbs. Set aside the bread crumb mixture to let cool, and then add Pecorino Romano, parsley, and garlic. Mix thoroughly.
Place mushroom caps in a single layer (rounded side down) on a greased cookie sheet. Spoon mushroom filling into caps, drizzle with olive oil, season with pepper, and bake until golden brown, about 30-45 minutes. Arrange mushrooms on serving platter and drizzle with a little aged balsamic vinegar
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Italian sausage and three-cheese calzone
what you need
400g plain flour
100g semolina
1½ cups warm water
60ml olive oil
7g sachet dried yeast
1 Tbsp salt flakes
Extra 1 Tbsp olive oil
300g spicy pork sausages, out of their skins
2 large brown onions, sliced
¼ bunch oregano, leaves picked
Extra salt flakes and pepper, to season
400g ricotta
200g cherry bocconcini
150g parmesan, grated
what to do
Preheat oven to 200ºC. Put flour and semolina in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Attach dough hook. In a jug whisk together water, oil and yeast.
Turn mixer on low and pour in yeast mixture. Once all liquid has been added, increase speed to high, add salt and mix for 5 minutes until dough is soft and silky. Remove dough hook and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Put bowl in a warm place and allow dough to prove for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
Heat extra oil in a frypan. Add sausages and cook over a high heat for 5 minutes or until brown. Add onion, reduce heat to low and cook for 25 minutes. Add oregano and season with extra salt and pepper.
Divide dough into 4 portions and roll out into rounds. Divide ricotta between rounds, tear over cherry bocconcini and drizzle with a little oil. Season with salt flakes and pepper. Sprinkle over parmesan and top with sausage mixture.
Fold over dough rounds to form half-moon shapes, then rope-twist the edges or press with a fork to seal. Put calzones on a heavy tray or preheated pizza stone and bake for 30 minutes.
Stand for 10 minutes, before serving.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
corn and coriander fritters

what you need
1.5 cups corn kernels
2 spring onions finely chopped
½ onion finely diced
1 knob of ginger finely chopped
1/3 bunch of coriander leaves chopped
½ red capsicum finely diced
1 tsp dried cumin
½ cup of water (if you’re using tinned corn, use the water it comes in)
2 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
Sea salt flakes
Cracked lack pepper
Olive oil
what to do
Preheat oven to 180 degrees (350 fahrenheit).
Sauté the onion and ginger in a little oil until soft and translucent.
Place the flour, 1 cup of the corn kernels, onion, ginger, cumin, water and eggs into a food processor and process until well combined.
Place mixture into a large mixing bowl and stir through the remaining corn, shallots, capsicum, and coriander and season the mixture with sea salt and black pepper.
In a non-stick fry pan place a little oil and set over high heat.
Using a 30 ml (1 oz) ladle cook fritters 2 at a time, approx 1 minute per side or until golden.
Transfer to an oven proof rack and tray and cook for a further 3-4 minutes in the oven.
cajun spiced nuts

These are great to serve at a party or when friends come over for drinks you can also toss a few into a salad to give some extra bite and crunch.
What you'll need
1 kg mixed nuts
Good pinch Sea Salt flakes
Cajun Spices 50gms
2 Egg Whites Lightly whisked
What to do
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, rub the mixture together with your hands to get a good coating over the nuts
Place on a lightly greased tray and dry at 120C (250F) for 40 minutes
Sunday, November 14, 2010
new york style pizza dough
What you'll need
½ teaspoon active dry yeast
350ml warm water
2 ½ teaspoons sugar
2 ½ teaspoons) salt
15 ml olive oil
4 ½ cups) OO flour
What to do
Set the yeast in the warm water for 5 minutes, or until it starts to ‘bloom’
Add the remaining ingredients until they are just combined
Place a wet cloth over the bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. This step allows the starches to hydrate and better develop the dough as you proceed
Knead the dough for at least ten minutes, or until the dough is stretchy and does not rip when your finger pushes down on it
Put the dough in a warm area and let sit until it doubles in size
Punch it down, knead for three minutes, and let it rise until again doubled
Punch down again and shape in to 300gr balls.
let stand for 10 minutes, roll out and top as required.
Mango-Chili Salsa
What you need
200gr diced mango flesh
100 g (5 oz) mango puree, you may prepare this with the remaining flesh around the seed and the trimmings of the mango fillets when cutting the dice
90 g ( 3 oz) red or green bell peppers, diced
50 g (1 2/3 oz) red onions
10 g coriander leaves, chopped roughly
salt to taste
white pepper from the mill
1 piece lime, juice only
2 piece red finger chili, chopped
30ml (1 fl oz) virgin olive oil
What to do
In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the coriander leaves. Season well and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Add the coriander just before serving
Monday, November 8, 2010
raspberry friands
what you need
- 190g unsalted butter
- 60g plain flour
- 1 1/3 cups (200g) icing sugar, plus extra to dust
- 120g almond meal
- 5 eggwhites
- 100gr raspberries