Beef Thai Green Curry - slow cooker

With beef that litterally falls apart, pumpkin, beans, and a rich aromatic sauce this is the ultimate mid-week comfort food that you will roll out time and time again. Perfect for busy working people, it takes hardly any time to throw together and is the perfect end to a chilly winters day. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg of stewing steak cut into 2cm chunks, fat trimmed
• 1 Brown onion, finely diced
• 2 Tblsp Thai Green Curry Paste
• 1 Tblsp Crushed garlic
• 1 Tblsp Minced Ginger
• 1 Tblsp Lemongrass paste or fresh chopped lemongrass
• 1 Red chilli - finely diced or 1 tsp of chilli flakes
• 1 Tblsp Fish sauce
• 1 Tblsp Raw honey
• ¾ cup Coconut milk
• ¾ cup Beef stock/broth
• 4 fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 1 cup diced Pumpkin - 1cm x1cm
• 20 long Green beans - chopped
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 cups Jasmine rice

METHOD:

Brown the meat in a pan, once browned put in slow cooker. Int othe same pan, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and lemongrass. Stir through for 2-3 minutes until it smells delicious. Add to the slow cooker and stir through the meat to combine. Add all of the remining ingredients and stir to combine.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Once its cooked, stir through the baby spinach.

Cook the rice and serve. 

TIPS:

• Curry Paste: 2 Tblsp Thai Green Curry Paste makes a mild curry. To make it medium, add another tblsp of paste. I use the Valcom brand.
• Lemongrass paste: I use the tubes that you find in the fresh food section by the fresh herbs.
• Kaffir Lime leaves: Find them in the vege department or in a bottle in the specialty food section. You can swap it out for lime peel or leave it out altogether.

Gran's Chicken & Vege All-in-one Lasagne

 

Gran was amazing at looking in the pantry and emerging with something to feed our family- I swear that lady could turn flour and water into a banquet at the drop of a hat. I'm still honing this skill and doubt very much that I will ever come close to her amazing home cooking. She did however leave this gem in her recipe book which is the perfect comfort food as well as for freezing in small portions for your little people. I think she would have been pretty thrilled to think her recipe is feeding little tummies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tin Tomatoes
• 1/3 Tin of Water
• 250g Spinach- chopped
• 100g Mixed Frozen Vege
• 2 Carrots- grated or finely chopped
• 1 Head of Broccolli -stalk included (chop finely or pop in the food processor)
• 400g Chicken- diced
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 50g Butter
• 2 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1 Cup Cream
• 150g Spaghetti Noodles broken into 3cm pieces

METHOD:

Make a Bechamel sauce with the flour, butter and milk. In a slow cooker, put all of the veges, water, pasta and chicken. Stir through the Bechamel sauce and add the cream. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve with grated cheese and lots of cracked pepper.

TIPS:

• You can make this and freeze in portions for little people meals.
• Change up the veges depending on what is in season or you have in the fridge.

Enjoy xx 

Roast Chicken & Noodle Soup

If you have a roast chicken for dinner, there is always a bit left over and of course you have the bones. This recipe is a great way to get another meal from those leftover bits and get the satisfaction of making something rich, warming and delicious from scratch for your family.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Stock (this is the base of your soup):

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 chicken carcass picked clean of meat and cut into pieces
• 10 cups water
• 1 large carrots roughly chopped
• 1 celery sticks roughly chopped (use the twiggy bits from the top- not the leaves)
• 1/2 large onion roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Roast Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 large carrots chopped
• 2 celery ribs chopped
• 1/2 onion diced
• ½ tsp dried mixed herbs
• ½ cup risoni or orzo pasta
• 1 200g pack of Vermicelli Rice noodles
• 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
• Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Use a large pot – I use my big cast iron casserole dish. Heat oil over medium-high heat and add chicken carcass pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until bones and any remaining skin are browned. There will be bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. These are the yummy tasty bits!

Add a splash of the water to deglaze the pan and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom. Add the vegetables, water, and salt. Bring to barely a simmer (watch closely to make sure it never comes to a boil as that can make your soup cloudy).

Simmer for 90 minutes, scraping fat off the top occasionally, and checking to make sure your broth has not started to boil.

Discard large pieces of bone and vegetable before straining broth through a strainer. Rinse your pot to remove any chicken or vegetable remnants (there is often gritty bits left behind) and return broth to pot. Bring to a simmer and add carrots, celery, onion, risoni pasta and herbs. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in the Vermicelli Rice noodles and chicken last (these don’t need cooking, they will soak up the broth and be ready in 5 mins).

Add more salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute to make sure the chicken is heated through.

Enjoy xx

Chicken Pan Pie

I threw this together last night for tea, I had forgotten how much i used to love Gran's pan pies full of creamy deliciousness. Using ingredients that most of us have in the house all the time, this is a great way to fill up the farmer and the family. Great served with seasonal veges and new potatoes or on its own, chicken pan pie is an easy dinner option and it can be adapted to make several smaller pies too. 

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil for the pan
• 1 large brown onion
• 6-8 chicken thighs trimmed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons of plain flour
• 400gm button mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup cream 
• If you don't have cream, substitute with 1/2 cup of sour cream or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/4 cup of mayonaise
• 2 Tblsp lemon juice
• 1 Tblesp chopped tarragon 
• salt and black pepper
• 2 sheets of store bought rolled puff pastry
• can substitute with filo sheets (as I did in the photo)

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Heat the oil in a deep oven proof frying pan (I use my big old cast iron pan for this recipe) over high heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until golden. Toss the chopped chicken through the flour to coat, add it to the pan and cook, turning for 5-6 minutes or until brown on the outside. Add the mushroms and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the stock, cream, salt and pepper, lemon and tarragon and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to become thick. Lay the sheets of pastry on top of each other and cut a circle that will fit neatly inside the rim of the pan, or use 4x 2 cup ramekins. Place the pastry on top of the chicken, transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden. SERVES 4

Enjoy xx

Hot Summer Vege and Bacon Salad

This time of year there is so much growing and coming ready for the table. It is a time of dining outdoors and throwing everything on the BBQ, it is also a really busy time on the farm so we are all about things that are healthy and yum but mainly that are fast to make!

Most of these ingredients can be grown yourself or picked up at a roadside stall at this time of year, eating seasonally is a healthy option but it is also easy on the pocket!

INGREDIENTS:

• Fresh Asparagus (a bunch is about 300gm)
• A handful of new peas or whole snowpeas- whichever you have
• 2 Kumara cubed
• 2 rashers bacon
• 1/2 red onion chopped
• 12 Cherry Tomatoes
• A sprig of rosemary
• Olive oil
• Cracked pepper and rocksalt to season

METHOD:

Wash your asparagus and snap the bottoms off the stalks and chop in half. Steam the asparagus for about 3 minutes and then plunge into cold water.
Take your cubed kumara and toss in a little olive oil and finely chop and add your rosemary. Roast on 180 degrees for approx. 20 minutes. About 5 minutes before the kumara is ready put the bacon, red onion and cherry tomatoes in the oven to roast also (I put them all in together on one dish).
In a pan on the stove heat a little olive oil (and/or butter if you choose). Add the asparagus and peas and toss to heat through and brown slightly. Remove your roasted veges and bacon form the oven. Take your bacon and roughly chop into pieces. Now combine everything together, season with salt and pepper and serve either as a main or as a side with something off the BBQ.

TIPS:

• Replace any of the ingredients with what you have in the garden- beans, baby beetroot and baby carrots roasted are all scrummy.
• If you have the BBQ on, you can cook all the veges on there- maybe just par-boil the root veges a little to get them cooked all the way through.
• I haven't used a dressing as I felt that there was enough olive oil in the process but if you love condiments then live little- throw them on there, an aioli would be pretty good i recon!

Enjoy xx
A

Tomato, Olive & Mozzarella meatballs

This recipe is such a favorite in our house- the farmer even asked for it on his birthday! Buffalo Mozzarella bocconcini (which is just the name for small balls of mozzarella) is by far the best to use but sometimes the budget or availability don't make that possible so the packet stuff is fine. I often roll this one out for visitors as it goes really well with a glass of wine and is easy to make double amounts of if you have more than 4.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 c fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/3 c milk
• 750g beef or pork mince
• 1/3 c basil pesto
• 1/3 c chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
• sea salt & cracked pepper
• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 500g cherry tomatoes (slice in half & remove the seeds)
• 1/4 cup oregano sprigs
• 1 c green olives (or whatever olives you like- I often used stuffed)
• 200g baby bocconcini
• 1 cup basil leaves

METHOD:

In a bowl place your bread crumbs and pour over the milk. Stand until the milk has absorbed. Place the mince, pesto, breadcrumb mixture, parsley, salt & pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine. Beat the mixture with a spatula for 2 minutes until smooth. Roll 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture with meatballs.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Heat the oil in a non stick pan and cook the meatballs, in batches, for 2 minutes each side each side or until golden but not cooked through. Transfer the meatballs into a baking dish with the cherry tomatoes, oregano, olives and bocconcini. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the meatballs are cooked through. Sprinkle with the basil leaves and serve with crusty bread.

enjoy xx

A

Chicken, Prawn and tomato paella

This is the best recipe for those that have not tried making paella before. I was a bit scared of making paella the first time because I thought it looked hard to make and that it would take all day but that is not the case, especially with this recipe.
If you can get some devine seafood and have the time to potter and make the sauce etc, then seafood paella is to die for (and is not as hard as you  might think) but on a weeknight when the troops need fed- this is a great option. This paella is full of flavour, makes the kitchen smell AMAZING and all in half an hour (which includes 20 minutes to enjoy your wine while it simmers away).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ Tblsp olive oil
• 1 x 200g chicken breast fillet, trimmed and chopped
• 200g green (raw) prawns (shrimp), tails intact
• 2 Chorizo sliced 
• 1 small brown onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ½ tsp moked paprika
• ¾ c (150g) medium-grain rice
• 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 ¼ c (310ml) chicken stock
• flat-leaf parsley leaves and lemon wedges, to serve

METHOD:

Heat 1 Tblsp of the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken, chorizo and prawns and cook for 4–5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Set aside and keep warm. Add the remaining oil to the pan with the onion, garlic, chilli and paprika and cook for 2 minutes or until softened. Add the rice, tomato and stock, stir through and reduce heat to low. Cover. Cook for 20–25 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Stir through the chicken, chorizo and prawns and cook for a further 1 minute. Top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 2.

Enjoy xx
A

Beef and Bacon Ciabatta Sliders

I made these one Saturday for the farmer and some friends (more farmers) and the were good, really good. They took about 5 minutes to throw together, and in terms of taste I am calling this a success. A yummy success.
This recipe makes 8 little sliders but it could easily be stretched or shrunk depending on your audience.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 standard size pieces of beef schnitzel or minute steak cut into 4 small pieces
• 4 rashers streaky bacon cut in half
• either 8 small buns or 16 slices of ciabatta 
• 8 tsp tomato relish 
• 8 slices tasty cheddar cheese
• 1 tomato sliced
• lettuce
• sprouts
• mayonnaise
• salt and pepper

METHOD:
Take the base of each slider and spread 1 tsp of tomato relish, place a slice of cheese on each. Grill this in the oven until the cheese is melted.
In a fry pan, cook your bacon rashers and beef.
Now build your slider; take the bases with grilled cheese and then add one piece of bacon, a piece of beef and your salad. Add mayonnaise and top with the other half of your bun.
Serve and enjoy!

xxA

All-in-one pasta bolognese

Anyone that lives on a farm will know what it means to get down to the last of the cattle beast in the freezer- it means mince. No matter how good you are at balancing the good cuts with the mince, sausages and stewing cuts, you always seem to end up with mince at the end. So over the years I have found ways of using these last bags up. This is one of our favourites, it is great for a night when you don't have a lot of time or motivation, also a good one if you are catering for men/shepherds/teenagers/unexpected visitors.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic chopped/crushed
• 1 onion diced
• 1 carrot finely diced
• 1 stick of celery, finely diced
• handful of green beans finely diced
• 500g beef mince
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato puree or pasta sauce
• 2 cups chicken stock or water
• 2-3 cups penne pasta
• salt and pepper
• fresh basil or parsley to garnish
• Grated tasty or parmesan cheese (optional)

METHOD:
Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, add oil, garlic, onion, carrot, celery and beans and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add mince and cook for a further 5 to 7 minutes to lightly brown, break up the mince as it cooks.
Stir in tinned tomatoes, puree and stock or water, and bring to the boil.
Add pasta and simmer for 15 minutes, until pasta is cooked and sauce has thickened. You will have to stir it every few minutes so the pasta doesn't stick together.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with basil or parsley.
Add some grated cheese on top if you want to.

Easy, delicious and one bag closer to emptying the freezer!
A

Chicken, mushroom and thyme pies

Even the word pie is comforting, this is a great meal on the run because it can be on the table in half an hour, it is also well received in mini version for lunch.
I think the idea behind Gran's recipe was to make it faster by cooking the chicken and making the sauce all in one pan, making it a great one-pan wonder for the busy people of the world. I concede that although home-made pastry is amazing with its rich buttery fluffyness, it is not the fastest way to get tea on the table, So I bought the ready to roll stuff from the supermarket and don't feel guilty at all (mainly because I have pie to make me feel better).
This recipe always makes me think of the Cromwell gorge in the summertime when the thyme flowers are blooming and the valley is swathed in a rich purple carpet of flowers that keep the bees happy for weeks.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 rashers streaky bacon (cut or scissored into 2.5cm strips)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic chopped finely or crushed
• 125g mushrooms (sliced)
• 250g chicken thighs cut into 2cm pieces
• 25g plain flour
• 2 tsp thyme
• 15g butter
• 375g puff pastry
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 Tblsp sesame seeds

METHOD:
 Preheat your oven to 200°C. In a heavy-based frying pan (I prefer cast iron but whatever you have is fine), fry the bacon and garlic in the oil until beginning to crisp, then add the sliced mushrooms and soften them in the pan with the bacon.

Toss the chicken in the flour and thyme (you could toss them about in a freezer bag). Put the butter in the bacon-and-mushroom pan before adding the floury chicken and all the flour left in the bag. Stir that up while cooking the chicken until it begins to brown slightly. Pour in the hot stock and stir to create a gravy. Simmer that for about 5 minutes, it will thicken.

Now you can choose how you make these pies into pies; you can take a large muffin pan and have bases and lids or you can take large ramekins or pie pots (most kiwis wouldn't own a pie pot, gran said they were very English!?) and just have lids. I tend to make muffin tray ones for lunches and just lids if I am serving directly for dinner.

In a muffin pan cut out your circles larger than the pan holes and place in (make sure you grease your muffin tin well or line with muffin papers). Divide your mixture between the cases. Make lids for each and place on top and press down the edges to seal. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

In pie pots make pastry rim (a 1cm strip around the top of the pot), use water to make it stick to the side if needed. Divide the mixture between the pots. Make the circles for lids larger than the pots, pop them on and seal them around the edges . Sprinkle the tops with the sesame seeds.

Cook the pies for about 15-20 minutes turning them around halfway through cooking. Once cooked, they should have puffed up magnificently.

TIPS:

•  As you can see in my picture you can just pop the lids on the muffin sized ones without sealing but I think I lost a bit of gravy that bubbled out doing it this way

Roasted Rack of Venison

Venison is a must have on the menu at our house- not just because the farmer is a deer farmer either. These Balmoral Estate venison racks are about to change your life. Sam used one word to describe the experience as I ran the knife through the rack like butter-boom.

Venison is really easy to cook, tastes spectacular and packs a punch nutritionally as well. If venison is not on your shopping list then get out your pen and put it on there!

INGREDIENTS

• x1 8 rib venison frenched rack
• 1 dozen cherry tomatoes
• pinch of salt
• ground peppercorn
• dash of oil
• 500g button or assorted field mushrooms

METHOD:
Wash cherry tomatoes. Season the rack with salt and ground peppercorns
Sear the venison on a hot plate (really hot!) and roast in the oven at a moderate temperature (160 ̊C) for 20-25mins (less if it is small but the Balmoral ones I use are big fat juicy ones so need a few more minutes!). Add the tomatoes for the last 5 minutes.
Remove meat from the roasting pan and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes- 15 would be better (but you may not be able to wait that long because the smell is going to make you want to eat it straight away!)
Heat the oil in a pan. Slice mushrooms, then sauté until cooked.
Serve with the mushrooms, tomatoes and seasonal vegetables.

You can see here that I should have rested it a bit longer because the juices are coming out

TIPS ON VENISON:

The three keys to success are:

• Serve medium rare. This is the most juicy, tender way to have the meat.
• Rest meat after cooking for at least half as long as you cooked it for, this will make your meat juicy and delicious
• Don't be restricted by traditional or preconceived notions of venison dishes, farm raised venison is extremely versatile and can be used in a variety of culinary styles.
  -Though seasoning with salt and plenty of pepper, hot pan, quick cooking, straight off the pan and into the mouth is the best in my view!

And remember: 

•  Always pre-heat the oven, pan or grill before cooking – hot pan is essential
• Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking, not straight from the fridge
• When barbecuing, grilling or pan frying, brush the venison on each side with a light cooking oil or spray. Less is more when it comes to oil and venison.
• Sear the meat quickly over a high heat on each side, to seal in its natural juices
• As there's so little fat, there's little shrinkage when cooking and it's best served medium-rare
• When roasting, quickly sear the venison first then roast in a hot, pre-heated oven
• Resting venison in a warm place for a few minutes, covered loosely, allows its natural juices to disperse evenly, enhancing its succulence.
• Don't reheat venison unless it's in a casserole (it is so good, it seems a crime to have any leftovers anyway)
• Thaw frozen venison in a fridge, slowly. If you use a microwave I will kick you.

Bacon egg rolls

This is my version of egg rolls for a lazy dinner when there isn't much in the cupboard or no one can really be bothered with tea. You can add your own twist to what you put in them and they are ready in about two minutes.

INGREDIENTS: (per roll)

• 1 rasher bacon (or 2 strips)
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tblsp water
• Salt & pepper
• mozzarella cheese
• tomato relish
• 2-3 basil leaves 

METHOD:

Put two eggs and the water in a bowl and whisk until fluffy. Add your salt and pepper. Heat either a large non stick frying pan or your crepe maker. Pour the egg mixture into your pan a swirl to coat the pan (depending on the size of your pan you may have to swirl a few times until the egg has created a layer and there is none running any-more). Cook for about 1 minute until the egg is just cooked. Turn out onto a plate and top with cheese, tomato relish and bacon. Roll up to complete and put your basil leaves on the top.
Repeat for as many people you are feeding (or at least twice for the farmer who always wants more than one!).

TIPS:

• You can replace the water for cream for a lovely velvety egg roll
• You can add the grated mozzarella while the egg is still in the pan and it melts and goes all creamy.
• Oven roasted cheery tomatoes are yummy to put in when they are in season also.

Enjoy xx
A

Cheesy onion potato bake

Potato bake is a great side for any meal, this one has no cream so not so bad for the size of your bum- just don't think about all that cheese! Oh who cares anyway- potato bake is so yum, just don't put it on the menu every night of the week.
This version of potato bake was made up because of a lack of cream in the house, however it still has all of the characteristics of a traditional potato bake- rich, creamy and very morish!

INGREDIENTS:

• cooking spray
• 1 kg potatoes (about 6 potatoes)
• 1 large brown onion, sliced
• 1 c grated cheese
• 1 c milk
• 2 tsp chicken stock powder
• 2 Tblsp fresh chopped parsley
• freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spray a 20 x 20cm casserole dish or similar with cooking spray.
Peel potatoes and evenly thinly slice. Place 1/4 of the potatoes in a layer at the bottom of the baking tray. Cover with 1/3 of the onion slices and then sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese. Repeat layers of potato, onion and cheese. The last layer should be potato and cheese.
Combine milk, stock powder, parsley and pepper, mixing well. Pour evenly over potato layers.
Cover with foil and bake in oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and potatoes tender.

Enjoy xx
A

Scotch eggs

Scotch eggs are something that I tend to forget about when I am pondering what to feed the farmer for dinner. But they are so good and pretty easy to make too. This is not glamour food, this is comfort food- the kind that reminds you of Grandma and school holidays.  Great for lunch boxes, picnics, boating trips, hangovers and surprise lunch guests, Scotch eggs are underrated in my book. You can serve them cold with some sauce to dip them in or have them hot with mashed potato on a cold winter night- either way you should put these on the menu.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 eggs
• 500g sausage meat (or 250g beef mince/250g sausage meat- I prefer the mix of the two)
• 1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp of dried mixed herbs or 1 handful of freshly chopped parsley & 1 tsp fresh thyme
• salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Breadcrumbs

METHOD:
Hard boil your eggs and peel the shell off them (see my blog of how to perfectly boil an egg). While your eggs are boiling prepare the meat.
In a large bowl, mix together sausage meat, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and herbs (if you are using just beef mince because you forgot to buy sausage meat, then you will have to add an egg and 1/2cup of breadcrumbs to bind it all together).
Divide meat mixture into six equal portions & wrap the meat around each hard-boiled egg.  Coat each meat-wrapped egg with breadcrumbs.
Now there are two ways you can cook scotch eggs;

1. Deep fry them. Fill a saucepan about 1/3 with oil and heat till it bubbles. Deep fry Scotch eggs for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
2. Place eggs in a large non stick muffin pan, bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 15-20mins.

TIPS:

• wet your hands before you wrap the meat around the egg and then it won't stick to you as badly.
• these are great to serve cold. You cut them into quarters and serve with a dipping sauce, the best is Glass Eye creek wild meat sauce-yum!

Enjoy xx
A

Quick Chicken, Pesto and Ricotta Ravioli with Basil Butter

 

Sent from the gods of convenience, wonton wrappers are great and really affordable- about $3.50 for 100 of them!

I love to cook but I also love it when cooking isn't hard. I should be able to drink too much red wine when I am preparing a meal for friends. That is why I love this recipe. This is a great one to pull out if you are having people for a dinner party because it is really, really easy. Wonton wrappers are awesome for heaps of things- cheating at making Italian food is one of them. You can vary the fillings but this classic combo is my favourite.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 c smoked chicken
• 1/2 c basil pesto
• 1/4 c ricotta
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper
• 50 wonton wrappers (the steaming kind)
• Parmesan to grate
• 6 Tblsp butter
• 1/2 c fresh basil leaves (about 15-20)

METHOD:

In a food processor, pulse the chicken until it is chunky mush, then add pesto, ricotta and lemon zest. Pulse together until you have a nice chunky mixture. Add lemon juice and season to taste.

On a floured surface, lay 25 wonton wrappers out and put about one heaped teaspoon of chicken mixture in the centre of each wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrappers with water using a pastry brush. Take one of your remaining 25 wrappers and place over the filling and stick together to make a parcel, ensure you remove any trapped air by working your way around the filling to seal the two wrappers together (taking out the air means they don't explode and split when you cook them). Repeat for all 25. Use a cookie cutter to cut out a perfect circle. Set aside on a floured surface and cover with a damp cloth so they don't dry out.

Fill a large saucepan with water (about 2-3 Litres), add salt and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, add the ravioli and give the water a stir (stir carefully, this will stop them sticking together or to the pot). Cook for 2-3 minutes. They will float to the top once they are cooked. Remove from the pan and drain using a slotted spoon or egg drainer.

To make the basil butter, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it goes golden, then add the fresh basil leaves and toss them in the butter. Remove from heat.

Divide the ravioli between bowls (5-7 pieces each) and spoon the basil butter over the top. Grate the parmesan over the top and season with fresh ground black pepper.

Bloody hell that's good!!
xxA

TIPS:

• These are great to freeze, I always have a stock for an easy tea when the farmer is away. All you do to freeze them is lay them (uncooked) on a baking tray and put the tray into the freezer. Once they are frozen take them off the tray and put them into snaplock bags. When cooking from frozen just add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.
• Spinach, pinenuts and ricotta is nice vegetarian version of these

If you fold the wraps this way you only use one wrapper per parcel. You put the filling in the centre and fold into a triangle. Then fold the corners together. These are then called Capalletti, which means 'little hats' in Italian.

Balmoral Estate Merino French rack

It is with great pleasure that I cook Balmoral estate Merino in my kitchen. Sam has been a friend for many years and I know the farmer thinks of him as a brother, so when he teamed up with Kelvin and started Balmoral Merino, I was pretty darn excited about what they had set out to produce. Their product is of the highest quality and flavour and they are so proud of the standard as well as the story. Balmoral is one of the most beautiful places in the world and many happy memories of mine are there.My only piece of advice with this dish is DO NOT overcook it!The middle should be pink and juicy, this is how you get the best flavour.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 Tblsp minced garlic
• 2 Tblsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (optional) 
• 2 tsp salt
• ground black pepper
• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 Balmoral Estate French rack
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Move oven rack to the centre of your oven.
In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Toss in the olive oil to moisten mixture. Mix together and set aside.
Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Heat some more olive oil in a large heavy, oven proof pan (cast iron is the best) over high heat. Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes. Brush rack of lamb with the mustard. Roll in the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. You can cover the ends of the bones with foil to prevent charring, but to be honest I always forget and I’m not that worried about it.
Arrange the rack bone side down in the pan that you seared them in, or a shallow roasting dish. Roast the lamb in your preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the degree you want your lamb cooked to. 15mins will give you rare, 20 will be med and 25 will be cooked all the way through. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered, before carving between the ribs.

Serve with vegetables and share with friends.

TIPS:

• It would also be rude not to open a good bottle of Central Otago Pinot Noir with this one, a nice 2009 Maude would be my choice. 

Chicken and Broccoli casserole

This recipe is from the book "A spoonful of country" and has been replicated umpteen times by anyone that knows me. It can be thrown together in a matter of minutes if you use precooked chicken and is a favourite of all those that try it.
I was telling a dinner guest one night about how much they should be looking forward to dinner because I was making this 'famous chicken casserole' and I must admit they were looking pretty sceptical. However, with timing that you couldn't pay for, my friend George came through the door with his nose into the scents from the kitchen and proclaimed "oh yum, are you making that awesome chicken casserole?!" Perfect. Thanks for the backup mate, dinner guest came to their own opinion of greatness about this recipe, but it was appreciated none the less!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium sized chicken
• 1 440g tin of cream of chicken soup, diluted with 1/2 tin of water
• 1/4 c mayonaise
• 1 Tblsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 250g broccoli, cut into small florets
• 125g grated cheese
• 1/4 c chopped parsley
• 1 c breadcrumbs
• butter

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Remove chicken flesh from from the bones. Combine the soup, water, mayonaise, lemon juice and curry powder in a small bowl. Put the broccoli on the bottom of a shallow casserole dish and layer the chicken pieces on top. Pour sauce over top.
Mix the cheese, breadcrumbs and parsley together and spread over the top. Dot with small pieces of butter and bake for about 30minutes.

TIPS:

• you can add extras to this recipe- I often put in onions and mushrooms
• you can make the recipe with raw chicken breast or thighs, just cook it a bit longer.

Enjoy xx
A