Teriyaki beef

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 600g beef mince
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 150g snow peas, trimmed, sliced
• 3 green onions, thickly sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds and steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add brown onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion has softened. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

2. Add flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add teriyaki sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add snow peas and green onion. Cook for 2 minutes or until snow peas are tender. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

Notes

• Tip: For extra flavour, you could add 115g fresh baby corn,

Baked lamb and apricot couscous

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 500g lamb fillets, sinew trimmed
• 1 tbs ras el hanout* or Moroccan spices
• 2 cinnamon quills
• 1 1/4 cups (250g) couscous
• 300ml chicken stock or water
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves, plus extra whole leaves to serve
• 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place onion in a shallow baking dish, toss with oil and bake for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cut each lamb fillet into 2cm cubes, season with sea salt and pepper. Add the lamb, ras el hanout and cinnamon to the dish, toss together, then return to the oven for 20 minutes.

3. Remove from oven, sprinkle couscous over and add stock, then stir to combine. Cover with foil and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Stir in apricot, chopped coriander and chickpeas, then cover loosely with foil and stand for 5 minutes to warm through. Scatter with extra coriander and serve with lemon wedges.

Spaghetti with garlic butter, bacon and prawns

• 60g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped basil, plus extra to serve
• 400g spaghetti
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 bacon rashers, chopped
• 500g green prawn meat, roughly chopped

Method

1. Pound butter, garlic, lemon and basil in a mortar and pestle (or mash with a fork in a bowl) to combine well. Set aside.
2. Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water to packet instructions.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, deep frypan over medium heat. Cook bacon, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until starting to crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel.
4. Return pan to heat and melt half the butter. Add prawns and stir for 2-3 minutes until just cooked. Drain pasta, then add to frypan with bacon and remaining butter. Toss, season and serve with extra basil.

Lamb & rosemary pies

Makes

4

Ingredients

• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 600g diced lamb leg, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 carrot, peeled, diced
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• olive oil cooking spray
• 2 sheets frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, partially thawed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Remove leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs. Cut remaining sprig into 4. Set aside. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add lamb. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove to a plate.
2. Add onion, garlic, carrot and rosemary leaves to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Combine tomato paste, wine and stock in a jug. Add to pan. Cook, stirring, until sauce comes to the boil. Return lamb to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until lamb is tender. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Spray four 3/4-cup capacity Texas muffin holes with oil. Cut two 15cm rounds and two 9cm rounds from each pastry sheet. Use large rounds to line muffin holes. Fill with lamb mixture. Brush edges with water. Top with remaining pastry rounds. Press edges to seal. Brush tops with egg. Press in rosemary sprigs.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around pie edges to loosen. Remove from pan. Serve.

Notes & tips

• To freeze: Allow to cool for 30 minutes. Place, in a single layer, in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks.

Mongolian style stir fry

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Cooking Time

20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1kg lamb eye of loin (backstraps), thinly sliced across the grain
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs black bean sauce
• 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
• 2 tbs peanut oil
• 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced crossways
• 125ml (1/2 cup) beef stock
• 1 tbs soy sauce, extra
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp water
• 4 green shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
• Steamed long-grain rice, to serve

Method

1. Combine lamb, soy sauce, black bean sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger and Chinese five spice in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours to marinate. (To freeze, see below.)
2. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat. Add one-quarter of the lamb mixture and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until brown. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining lamb mixture, in 3 more batches, adding 1 tsp of oil and reheating between batches.
3. Heat remaining oil in the wok. Add the spring onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until soft. Add lamb, stock, extra soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring to the boil.
4. Combine the cornflour and water in a bowl. Add to the lamb mixture and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Stir through half the shallots.
5. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining shallots. Serve with steamed long-grain rice, if desired.

Notes & tips

• To freeze (for up to 3 months): Place lamb mixture in an airtight container. Label, date and freeze.
• To thaw: Place in the fridge for 8 hours.

Traditional lasagne

Made with traditional bolognese, this lasagne is as authentic as it gets.

Preparation Time

45 - 70 minutes

Cooking Time

85 minutes

Ingredients (serves 10)

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large celery stick, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 450g veal mince
• 450g pork mince
• 125ml (1/2 cup) white wine
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1 x 700g btl passata (tomato pasta sauce)
• 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 sprig fresh continental parsley
• 1 dried or fresh bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 100g (1 cup) coarsely grated mozzarella
• 70g (1 cup) coarsely grated parmesan
• 1 x 250g pkt Barilla La Collezione dried lasagne sheets
• 1 egg, lightly whisked

• Besciamella (bechamel sauce)

• 1L (4 cups) milk
• 1/2 brown onion
• 2 sprigs fresh continental parsley
• 2 dried or fresh bay leaves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 50g butter
• 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
• 40g (1/2 cup) coarsely grated parmesan
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• White pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft.
2. Increase heat to high. Add the combined mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.
3. Add the wine and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the passata, tomato, stock cube, parsley, bay leaf and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
4. Meanwhile, to make the besciamella, place the milk, onion, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a simmer. Set aside for 10 minutes to infuse. Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large heatproof jug. Discard the onion, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns.
5. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until mixture bubbles and begins to come away from the side of pan. Remove from heat. Gradually pour in half the milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking until smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Stir in the parmesan. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 200°C. Combine the mozzarella and parmesan in a small bowl. Spread 3/4 cup of mince mixture over the base of a 2.5L (10-cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Top with one-fifth of the lasagne sheets, 3/4 cup of mince mixture and 1/2 cup of besciamella. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of mozzarella mixture and 1 tablespoon of egg. Top with one-quarter of the remaining lasagne sheets and press down gently. Continue layering with remaining mince mixture, besciamella, mozzarella mixture, egg and lasagne sheets, finishing with mozzarella mixture.
7. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 15 minutes to stand. Cut into portions and serve.

Family mince pie

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 sheets frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, partially thawed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 100g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• 600g beef mince
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons beef gravy powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Grease a 3cm-deep, 20cm (base) round glass or ceramic pie dish. Line base and side with 1 pastry sheet. Trim excess. Place dish on a baking tray. Line pastry case with baking paper. Fill with ceramic pie weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are light golden. Remove weights and paper.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add mushroom and herbs. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mushroom has softened. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add wine. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until liquid has almost evaporated.
3. Combine gravy powder and 1 1/2 cups cold water in a jug. Add to pan. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Spoon into pastry case. Top with remaining pastry. Press edges to seal. Trim excess. Cut a small cross in the centre of pie top. Brush top with egg. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Stand for 5 minutes. Serve.

Notes & tips

• To freeze: Set aside to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 1 month.
• To cook: Thaw in fridge overnight. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Remove plastic wrap. Cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through.