Mixed Peas with Mint and Almonds

 150g snow peas, trimmed

150 sugar snap peas, trimmed

125g snow pea sprouts

150 young peas tendrils

1 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Mustard and Cider dressing

2tbs olive oil

1 tbsp cider vinegar

2tsp wholegrain mustard

Method

Cook snow/sugar snap peas in saucepan boiling water for 2 min, then drain. Rinse under cold running water, drain.

Make dressing.

Add salad and dressing

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Mustard Dressing

 6 small witlof leaves (or spinach leaves)

350g watercress, trimmed

2 small pears, halved, cored sliced thinly

1 cup coarsely chopped roasted walnuts

100g creamy blue cheese

Mustard Dressing

2tsp olive oil

1tbsp red wine vinegar

1tsp dijon mustard

1tsp light brown sugar

Make dressing

Combine ingredients and crumble blue cheese on top

Virginia’s Christmas Nut salad

NUT SALAD

Ingredients

1 c brown rice

250g cashews

250g pine nuts

250g sunflower seeds

1 capsicum (red, green, yellow or equivalent combination of all 3) 

6 shallots, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

6T parsley, finely chopped

6T teriyaki sauce

½ c olive oil

Method

1. Grill nuts separately, one variety at a time, until golden brown.  Watch carefully.  Cool and place in a container.

2.  Finely dice capsicum, shallots, garlic and parsley.  Place these ingredients in a separate container.

3.  Cook brown rice for 30 minutes.  Drain rice and allow to cool.  When cool, rice can be mixed with ingredients in Step 2 (above).

4.  Just before serving, mix all ingredients together, add teriyaki sauce & olive oil and serve in a salad bowl.

Sweet Potato and pea Samosas

Sweet Potato and Pea SamosasIngredients

• 2 mediumsweet potatoes
• ¼ cupfrozen peas, thawed
• 3spring onions, chopped
• ¼ tspgrated ginger
• dashof lemon juice
• 1 tspGaram Masala
• chopped coriander leaves, optional
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 sheetsPampas Shortcrust Pastry, thawed
• 1egg (for egg wash)
• 1 tbsmilk (for egg wash)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200°C.
• Peel sweet potatoes and cut into cubes. Put on a baking tray and sprinkle with oil. Roast in the oven for 20minutes or until cooked. Set aside to cool.
• Mix sweet potato, peas, onions, ginger, lemon and Garam Masala and coriander, if using, in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Lay sheets on baking paper on a workbench and cut twice on the diagonal to get 4 triangles.
• Fill triangles with approx. 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling and fold over pastry to enclose. Pinch edges together to seal. Brush with egg wash and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
• Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with mango or tomato chutney.

Slow cooked Turkish lamb with cucumber salad

 

Thai shredded Chicken Salad

1 handful of coriander

8 Chicken Breasts

1 Ltr Chicken stock

1 wombok lettuce

4 spring onions

2 green chillies

1 bunch mint

200g unsalted peanuts

Dressing

Coriander root

2 garlic cloves

salt

2 tbs fish sauce

juice 3-4 limes

60-75g palm sugar (or caster sugar)

Grilled Peach, pecan and prosciutto salad

Kate's Favourite Coleslaw

C

2 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs fish sauce

1 caster sugar

1 tsp

Sesame oil

2x 300g rump steaks

1 lemongrass, crushed with back of knife and finely sliced

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tbs soft brown sugar

4 tbs fish sauce

4 tbs lime juice

1/2 cabbage

Handful mint leaves

Handful coriander leaves

1/2 cucumber, cut into chunks

1 small re do ion, thinly sliced

Mix together oyster, fish, caster sugar and sesame oil in large bowl.  Add steaks to marinate.

Make dressing by mixing lemongrass, chilli, garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Arrange cabbage, mint, coriander, cucumber and red onion.

Venetia's Brown Rice Salad

• 3 cup brown rice cooked
• 6 shallots sliced
• 1 red capsicum diced
• 1/2 cup currants
• 2 tbs sunflower seeds
• 2 tbs pepitas
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 4 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs lemon juice fresh
• 1 clove garlic crushed

Method

• STEP 1In a large salad bowl, place the rice, sliced shallots, diced capsicum, currants, and seeds.
• STEP 2In a screw-top jar, place the sunflower oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic.
• STEP 3Shake well to mix and pour over the salad, stirring to coat all ingredients.
• 
  

Blue Stilton crumb for soup

1. While the soup is cooking, make the crumb. Place the bacon in a frypan set over high heat and cook until crisp. Transfer to a baking tray. Process bread to a coarse crumb in a food processor. Transfer to the tray with the bacon. Add the stilton and stir to combine. Place in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, tossing thoroughly half way through, until golden and crisp.

2 rashers/ 120g grams bacon, finely chopped

2 slices sourdough bread

50 g stilton cheese, crumbled

stilton cheese, crumbled

Kate's french salad with speck and garlic croutons

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil

250 g speck, rind rmoved, cut into 5mm x 2cm pieces

1/2 baguette, sliced

4 garlic cloves

1 baby frisée (lettuce)

100g walnuts toasted

1 french shallot, finely chopped

1 tbs Dijon mustard

60ml herb vinegar

170ml olive oil

Make vinegarette by wisking together ingredients.

Heat oil in fry pan and cook speck, bread and garlic till crisp. Remove garlic.

Toss ingredients together.

Green beans with walnuts and lemon vinegarette

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup walnut oil or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

PREPARATION

• Remove peel from lemon with vegetable peeler and cut into very fine strips. Cut lemon in half. Squeeze enough juice to measure 2 tablespoons; transfer to small bowl. Whisk in mustard, then oil and shallot. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook green beans in pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain; pat dry.
• Combine beans, walnuts, and lemon peel strands in large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Thai beef salad with rice vermicelli

Goats Cheese Tartlets

Best Salad dressing: Karen Harcombes

Salad dressing for Spinach, feta, roast pumpkin, pine nut, red onion and cherry Tom salad

1/4 cup olive oil
2tbs lemon
2tbs honey
2tbs balsamic vinegar
2tbs wholegrain mustard


Plain Vinaigrette Dressing
1 tsp French Mustard
6 tbs olive oil
1 tap honey
1 1/2 tbs white vinegar

Balsamic Dressing
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
6 tbs olive oil
1 tb white vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Asian Spiced Dressing
2 tsp grated ginger
1 clove chopped garlic
1 tbs sweet Thai chilli sauce
 1 tbs soy sauce
4 tbs oil
1 tbs lemnpon juice
1 tsp brown sugar

Spinach Dip

1 packet frozen spinach
1 bunch shallots
1 small jar mayo
1 tub sour cream
1 packet spring vegetable soup mix
Cob

Sushi

Ingredients for 4 rolls

250g sushi rice (rinsed)

325ml water

1tbs caster sugar

1/2 tsp table salt

2tbs rice wine vinegar

4 seaweed nori sheets

1. Add the rice and water to the pan and cover with a lid.  Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat.

2. Leave the covered rice to stand for 10 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.  Meanwhile, warm the vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved.

3. Line a shallow dish with cling wrap.  Stir the sweetened vinegar mixture into the rice then carefully pack it into the dish.  Leave to cool.

4. De-seed the cucumber, using a teaspoon and then slice it into 4 strips.

5. Place nori sheet, shiny side down, onto bamboo mat.  Dip your hands in water and pat a quarter of the rice so that it covers two-thirds of the nori.

6. Lay a piece of cucumber widthways along the centre of the rice.  Holding the mat, roll the nori over and over, to the edge of the rice.

1. Add the rice and water to the pan and cover with a lid.  Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat.

2. Leave the covered rice to stand for 10 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.  Meanwhile, warm the vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved.

3. Line a shallow dish with cling wrap.  Stir the sweetened vinegar mixture into the rice then carefully pack it into the dish.  Leave to cool.

4. De-seed the cucumber, using a teaspoon and then slice it into 4 strips.

5. Place nori sheet, shiny side down, onto bamboo mat.  Dip your hands in water and pat a quarter of the rice so that it covers two-thirds of the nori.

6. Lay a piece of cucumber widthways along the centre of the rice.  Holding the mat, roll the nori over and over, to the edge of the rice.

7. Tuck the rolled edge of the nori firmly under the filling.  Dampen the remaining nori and roll it up.     Using the mat, pull the sushi roll tightly to seal.

8. Put the rolls onto a plate, cover with cling film and chill for least 1 hour.  When rolls are ready, rinse a sharp knife under cold water and slice into 5 pieces.

9. Serve the sushi with a side dish of soy sauce for dipping

10. EAT and enjoy

Boulangere Potatoes

1kg potatoes
1 large onion
2 tbs parsley, finely chopped
2 cups hot chicken stock
25g butter, cubes

Serves 6

Preheat oven to 180*
Thinly slice potatoes and onion and layer in baking dish, sprinkling parsley, salt and pepper between each layer.
Finish with layer of potato.
Pour stock over top and dot with butter.

Bake, covered with foil on middle shelf for 30 min, then remove foil and lightly press down o. Potatoes to keep submerged in stock.
Bake for another 30 minutes or till potatoes are tender and top golden brown.

From Taste of Italy.