Birthday Salad

Handful of cos lettuce
Handful of roquette
One pear sliced
Crumbled/cubed blue cheese
Caramelised pecans (put a dessert spoon of sugar and a cup of pecans in a dry saucepan – when sugar starts to melt give the pecans a toss – leave for about a minute on the heat and then allow to cool)
Avocado
Your favourite version of a classic French dressing

Jill would add smoked chicken (shredded) if this was a meal rather than a side salad. Smoked chickens can be bought from any good supermarket. They are usually in an airtight packet and the meat can just be cut off the bone).

The salad is pretty versatile – you could add spinach or basil or cucumber as well if you like however I like to keep it looking very green (no carrot, tomatoes or red capsicum).

Grublover comment
Jessica made me this delicious salad for my birthday yesterday. The caramelised pecans are a winner - so sweet, going perfectly with the bite of the blue cheese. Yum!

Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6



80ml olive oil
2 large onions, grated
4 garlic cloves, garted
3 carrots, peeled and grated
1kg minced lamb
100g mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Tb tomato puree
250mL chicken stock
100mL red wine
large dash worcestershire sauce
1 Tb thyme, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped

For the mashed potato topping:
1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled
150g butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 egg yolks
50g parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil

Pre- heat the oven to 200°C.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onions, garlic carrots until golden. Season then add the rosemary, cook for approx 5 minutes. In a separate pan cook the minced meat until browned, add the thyme leaves, stirring constantly to break up the meat and ensure it cooks evenly. When the mince is browned, remove from the pan and place on a lined plate to remove excess fat, add the mushrooms to this pan and sauté for approx 5 minutes or until lightly golden.

Add the tomato puree and the cooked mince to the carrots and onions pour over the red wine and reduce by approx half. Season with a little salt and pepper then add the stock and a good dash of Worcestershire sauce. Gently simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the meat is cooked and the mixture has thickened. Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof serving dish.

Boil the potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes until softened. Drain and cover with a lid to steam ‘dry’ and reduce any excess moisture. Add the butter and egg yolks and mash thoroughly, grate half the parmesan into the potato and mix well. Don’t allow the potato to become too wet or they won’t crisp up nicely in the oven. Season.

Spoon the potato mixture over the meat, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden.

Grublover comment
Last night I got into Gordon Ramsay’s show ‘the F Word’ and he made a few really quick, simple recipes that looked delicious. I love cooking where quantities and time doesn’t matter so much so I can quickly knock something up without thinking and measuring.

Grilled Veges

Grilled veges are a great way to beat hunger pains - especially in the winter months when you are craving something warm, comforting and delicious.

I like to heat up my Le Creusset griddle pan, slice some eggplant, zucchini, tomato and all of those other meaty vegetables, brush them with a yummy olive oil and grill them until they are soft and marked by the charcoal stains of the pan.
Mmmmmmmmm! So delicious and really good for you.

Serve with freshly ground seasalt and some cracked pepper, and even some chopped fresh herbs.

Grublover comment
This is a fabulous snack, or side dish, especially if you are watching your weight.
Most vegetables have little or no fat - my favourites - eggplant, zucchini and tomato are all virtually fat free. Use your imagination and use other veges like squash or fennel, and pour some capers over the top to sizzle with the veges for some extra flavour.
You won't need a lot of oil but it's worth it for that extra flavour.

Susy's Sensational Salad

Rocket
Asparagus
Avocado
Macadamia nuts

Dressing
Macadamia nut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Wholegrain mustard
Sugar

Put rocket in salad bowl.

Cook asparagus until crunchy. Cool and place on top of rocket, slice avocado on top of asparagus and then scatter with macadamia nuts.

Dress with vinaigrette made with macadamia nut oil, balsamic vinegar, little bit grainy mustard, little bit sugar - all to taste.

Grublover comment
This salad is, as the name suggests, sensational. You can have it as a snack, for lunch or serve it with some nice roast meat for a dinner that will surely impress.

Gnocchi

I have always been a big fan of gnocchi. That texture yum yum yum.

Check out this post at The Age

I’ll keep you posted when I try this out.

Potato and Pea Curry

Serves 4-6

3 Tb corn or peanut oil
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp whole, dried, hot red chillies
generous pinch of asafetida
450g boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 /4 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp sugar
285g frozen peas, defrosted
1.5 tsp salt
3 medium tomatoes, grated on the coarse side of the grater

Pour the oil into a medium, lidded pan and set over a medium-high heat.

When the oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chillies and asafetida.
As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, add the potatoes.
Stir and fry until the potatoes brown a little.

Now add the cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, tumeric and sugar.

Stir once or twice and put in the peas. Stir a few times, then add 250ml water and 1 tsp salt.

Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 15 minutes.
Stir in the grated tomatoes and remaining salt.
Simmer gently, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes.

Grublover comment
Jess, Eve and I made this the other day but 10x the recipe for a party. It was a great success and tasted delicious but it was a bit watery - I would suggest adding 1/4 cup water and see how it goes, then add more if needed. It is not a dry curry, but you don’t want it to be watery either.

Three-Cheese Pumpkin Pie

Serves 4-6

1 Tbspn olive oil
25g unsalted butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ butternut pumpkin (450g) peeled, cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 Tbspn brown sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 eggs, lightly beaten, plus 2 lightly beaten egg to brush
100ml pure (thin) cream
120g gruyere, grated
2 Tbsn grated parmesan
Fried sage leaves to serve

Pastry
2 cups (300g) plain flour
30 g cheddar grated
150g chilled unsalted butter, chopped

Pastry: place flour, cheddar and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt. Process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add 1/3 cup (80ml) chilled water and process until mixture comes together to form a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the oil and butter in a large frypan over low heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the pumpkin and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add ½ cup (125ml) water and bring to a simmer. Cover, return to low heat and cook for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is soft. Stir in the sugar and balsamic vinegar, then allow to cool. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured board to a 30cm disc and place on prepared tray. Place the cooled pumpkin mixture in a large bowl. Add the eggs and cream, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in half the gruyere, then sprinkle the remaining gruyere over the pastry, leaving a 2cm border. Fill the centre of the pastry with the pumpkin mixture, then fold over the 2cm border and roughly pleat. Brush the pastry edge with the beaten egg and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Serve the pie warm, garnished with fried sage leaves.

Recipe by Genni Wilson

Susy's Sensational Salad

Rocket
Asparagus
Avocado
Macadamia nuts

Dressing
Macadamia nut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Wholegrain mustard
Sugar

Put rocket in salad bowl first, cook asparagus until crunchy, cool and place on top of rocket, slice avocado on top of asparagus and then scatter with macadamia nuts.

Dress with vinaigrette made with macadamia nut oil, balsamic vinegar, little bit grainy mustard, little bit sugar - all to taste.

Susy's Sensational Salad

Rocket
Asparagus
Avocado
Macadamia nuts

Dressing
Macadamia nut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Wholegrain mustard
Sugar

Put rocket in salad bowl first, cook asparagus until crunchy, cool and place on top of rocket, slice avocado on top of asparagus and then scatter with macadamia nuts.

Dress with vinaigrette made with macadamia nut oil, balsamic vinegar, little bit grainy mustard, little bit sugar - all to taste.

Sweet Potato Thai Green Curry Pastry Puffs…recipe by Jill Anderson

1 small red onion
Olive oil
1-2 tablespoons Thai Green Curry paste
1 large diced sweet potato
Coconut milk or coconut cream
6 sheets Puff pastry - each sheet cut into 9 squares

Egg wash - 1 egg, 1 tablespoon water

Yoghurt Mint Dip
Plain Greek Yoghurt
1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
black pepper
a large bunch of fresh mint leaves finely chopped

Dice a small red onion and fry in a small amount of olive oil.
Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of Thai green Curry Paste (start with 1 tablespoon and add more depending on how hot you like it)

Add a large diced sweet potato. Coat and fry gently for a few minutes to absorb flavours.

Add enough coconut milk or coconut cream to cook the potatoes until soft, then mash gently with a fork.

Add about 1 teaspoon of cooled mixture to the centre of each pastry square.
Fold into triangles, fork the edges and coat in egg wash.

Bake in fan forced oven 180 C, or normal oven 200 C until golden brown.

Serve warm with Yoghurt Mint Dip.
Plain Greek Yoghurt, 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon, black pepper and a large bunch of fresh mint leaves finely chopped.

Could also be good with a Chilli sauce, fresh lime juice and chopped fresh coriander dip!

Enjoy - and we’ll come to help you eat them!

Jill’s Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese Tart

Shortcrust pastry (you can make this yourself of use the frozen stuff)
5-6 brown onions
2 Tb balsamic vinegar
thyme
1 packet goats cheese
3 eggs
small packet whipping cream

Press shortcrust pastry into tart tin and blind bake.
Fry onions in 1 Tb olive oil until they start sticking. Add balsamic vinegar and thyme and cook a little more.
Pour onions over tart base.
Crumble goats cheese over the top (ok to have big clumps).
Whisk up eggs and cream until combined and pour over the top.
Season and bake until ready (around 10-15 minutes).

Grublover comment
Jill made this for us while celebrating Jessie’s graduation in gtown. It is a really simple recipe that always works and always tastes delicious. Serve with a fresh, crisp salad of rocket and balsamic. Great for entertaining because it is equally nice cold.

Vegetable Filo for One…recipe by Margaret McVey

Chopped Mixed vegetables - spinach, mushrooms, olives, dried tomatoes, dried capsicum (enough for 1 person)
125 g feta - cubed
5 sheets of filo (phyllo) pastry

1. Mix vegetables and feta cheese together in a bowl
2. Grease the sheets of pastry with olive oil and layer together
3. Put the vegetable and cheese mixture at the end of the pastry and roll up. You may need to oil the join. Spread some more oil on top if it is dry.
4. Bake in a moderate oven for 30 mins

I usually cook some potatoes in the oven at the same time and serve with tomato chutney.

Grublover comment
Margaret says: This is a variation on spinach and feta pie and just about any vegetable can be used -

Aubergine à la Simon…recipe by Simon Clarkson

1 large Aubergine (or a few smaller ones)
Olive Oil; Sesame Oil for frying
3 medium ripe tomatoes
1 large clove garlic
I small eschalot (or a very small Spanish onion)
2cm finely sliced fresh ginger
1 tsp garam masala




In mortar and pestle or appliance of choice process garlic, ginger and eschalot to a paste.
Separately blend tomatoes to a pulp.
Fry garlic/ginger/eschalot paste in some olive oil until oil starts separating and add Garam Masala then add tomato pulp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes – then set aside….

Prepare aubergine by slicing into 1.5 cm slices and brush with sesame and olive oil and fry in non-stick frypan to colour slightly.

Place Aubergine slices in shallow casserole and pour over reserved marinade.

Bake in medium-hot oven for 15 minutes…

Serve with Bok Choy stir fried with chilli marinated Tofu.

Tim’s Lentil Soup…recipe by Tim Hollingsworth

2 Cans of Whole Tomatoes
1 Can Lentils (or 1/2 cup dry lentils)
1 Large Onion (peeled)
5 Cloves Garlic (peeled
1 Cup Water
Salt + Pepper
Olive Oil
Parmesan



1. Combine in a Large Pot: Tomatoes, Lentils, Whole Onion, Whole Garlic Cloves, Water.
2. Let simmer for about 45 min. When the middle of the Onion “pops” out or is very soft, the soup is ready.
3. Serve in Bowls, then… Drizzle Olive Oil and Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese on each serving.
4. Enjoy!

Grublover comment
This is the perfect meal for a night that you are tired and just want a hearty meal without doing much work! You don’t even have to chop anything. Tim learned this from an Italian chef while staying in a hostel in France. We always double the recipe and have enough for 4. We like to use a high quality olive oil and parmesan as they can really add to the soup.

Hollis’ Wild Rice

Serves 6

4 cups beef broth
1 medium sized onion chopped
½ cup wild rice
1 cup long grain rice
mushrooms, sauteed in butter
cashews, warmed
parsley, chopped

Make up beef broth, add chopped onion, bring to boil, add wild rice. Turn down and simmer for 40 minutes

Saute mushrooms in butter.

Turn up to high, add rice, stir. Turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes
Remove from heat and add mushrooms and cashews, garnish with parsley.

Danny's Sunday Night Tuna Pasta

Serves 4 (or 2 with some leftover for monday’s lunch)








1/2 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small chilli (adjust to taste)
1 large tin sirena tuna (best flavour: chilli in oil)
1/2 jar passata or 1 tin tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper

Put the pasta on to boil.
Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Don’t let the onions brown - cook them just before they are brown, that way you get a great tang.
Add the tuna and cook for 1 minute.
Pour the passata in and season to taste. Add about 1 Tbsp dried oregano.
Turn heat down and simmer until pasta is ready.
Serve garnished with freshly chopped parsley (or some other herbs e.g. oregano) and some shaved parmesan.

Grublover comment
This is a delicious pasta and I am not even a huge tuna fan. Danny always makes it for me when I am tired and grumpy on a Sunday night after a big weekend and it always always hits the spot. It’s great becuase it’s quick and easy and you can have all the supplies on hand. Make sure you use a really good quality tuna - dan won’t use anything but sirena - otherwise the flavour is not right.
Bon appetit!

Spaghetti alla Norma

Serves 4

2 large firm aubergines
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a large bunch of fresh basil, stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved
1 teaspoon good herb or white wine vinegar
2 x 400g tins of good-quality chopped plum tomatoes, or 565ml/1 pint passata
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g dried spaghetti
150g salted ricotta, pecorino or Parmesan cheese, grated

• optional: 1 dried red chilli, crumbled

First of all, get your nice firm aubergines and cut them into quarters lengthways. If they’ve got seedy fluffy centres, remove them and chuck them away. Then cut the aubergines across the length, into finger-sized pieces. Get a large non-stick pan nice and hot and add a little oil. Fry the aubergines in two batches, adding a little extra oil if you need to (but you don’t want to make it too greasy). Give the aubergines a toss so the oil coats every single piece and then sprinkle with some of the dried oregano – this will make them taste fantastic. Using a pair of tongs, turn the pieces of aubergine until golden on all sides. Don’t undercook them because this is where all the flavour comes from - they should be coloured all over. Once you’ve done the first batch, remove to a plate and do the same with the second batch.

When the aubergines are all cooked, add the first batch back to the pan – at this point I sometimes add a sneaky dried red chilli, but that’s my addiction coming through so feel free to ignore this! Turn the heat down to medium and add a little oil, the garlic and the basil stalks. Stir so everything gets evenly cooked, then add a swig of herb vinegar and the tins of tomatoes, which you can chop or whiz up so they’re not too chunky. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Tear up half the basil leaves, add to the sauce and toss around.

Cook your spaghetti, Get your spaghetti into a pan of salted boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. When it’s al dente, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, and put it back into the pan. Add the Norma sauce and a little of the reserved cooking water and toss together back on the heat. Taste the pasta and adjust the seasoning, then divide between your plates by twizzling the pasta into a ladle for each portion. Any sauce left in the pan can be spooned over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining basil leaves and crumble the ricotta over the top and drizzle with olive oil.

Grublover comment
At least one person ordered this everytime we dined in Sicily - it is their specialty or national dish and is absolutely delicious.
This recipe is another Jamie classic - you can see I am a big fan of his - his recipes are just always winners! This is from his book ‘Jamie’s Italy’.
For two of us I used 1.5 eggplants (I like extra because that is where all the flavour comes from), 1 jar of passata and 2 cloves garlic. I served it with Rigatoni which was delicious because it is such a robust pasta, perfect for this kind of chunky sauce.

Spaghetti alla Vongole

Serves 4










200g Spaghetti (I like to use a linguine or a spaghetti - don’t use a larger one as they are delicate flavours)
500g vongole (clams) washed and cleaned
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
3 large red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 hot birds eye chilly (optional) crumbled
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Bottle of white wine 100 mls for the pot the rest for the chef
100 mls extra virgin olive oil

Bring a pot of water to the boil.
Place spaghetti in to cook (only as long as the directions 7 minute spaghetti is a good option)
In a hot pan add half the oil followed by the chilies and garlic cook till garlic is opaque (not brown) Add the clams and 100 mls of white wine. Once the clams are opened toss in parsley.
Drain the cooked spaghetti and add to the clams toss with the remaining oil add a pinch of salt and serve.
Serve with the remaining wine.

Grublover comment
This is a quick and delicious dish and just happens to be my all time favourite. So simple yet so scrumptuous, I cannot avoid ordering it if I see it on a menu.

Chicken and pumpkin stir fry

Serves 4

2 Tb peanut oil
2 onions, sliced
2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 chicken breast fillets, sliced
600g pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tb fish sauce
1/4 cup small basil leaves

Heat the oil in a preheated fry pan or wok over medium to high heat.
Add the onions, chillies and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes or until browned.
Add the pumpkin and fish sauce, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is just soft.
Stir through the basil and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Grublover comment
This is taken from Donna Hay’s ‘Off the Shelf’. It is a great book full of recipes like these where you are likely to have the ingredients on hand.
We added about 1-2 cups of frozen peas right at the end and it was a great addition (but maybe cut the amount of pumpkin if you’re going to do this).

Easy Beef and Bacon Burgers

Time: 10 minutes prep, 5 minutes cooking
Makes: 4 burgers








400g beef mince
1/2 a brown onion very finely chopped
2 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup fresh soft bread crumbs
1 egg
fresh herbs - I used a handful of parsley and chives, but any herb will do. Oregano would be nice.
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
Combine mince, onion, bacon, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, egg, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Mix with hands until blended.
Shape into 4 burgers and coat lightly with the flour.
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and fry those babies.
Fry, or grill the burgers for 7 to 10 minutes on each side, or until cooked to desired doneness. Serve in toasted buns.

Grublover comment
This recipe took me about 10 minutes to prepare, and all the ingredients are on-hand, or very cheap at the supermarket. I like to serve it with some mushrooms fried in some butter, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and some tomato sauce and mustard. YUM!

If you want to make them really really special, get some white castello cheese and take a small cube of it and squeeze it into the middle of the burger when you are making them. As it cooks the cheese melts and it is absolutely delicious! I didn’t have any white castello on hand so I just added some cheddar and it worked just as well.