Takoyaki

for about 50 balls:

Batter:

250g takoyaki mix flour

2 eggs

800ml - 900ml water

Filling:

4 spring onions, chopped

1 packet of tenkasu (tempura flakes)

1 packet pickled red ginger

150g boiled octopus (or prawns)

Topping:

dried bonito flakes

green seaweed powder

takoyaki sauce

japanese mayo

Preheat takoyaki pan & grease the holes

Pour batter in to fill the holes & put some filling in each. Grill balls, flipping with sticks until cooked & brown all over. Sprinkle with toppings and eat.

Gyoza

34 Gyoza:

150g mince pork

90g chives, chopped

3 leaves of Chinese cabbage, sliced

1 Tbsp corn flour

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

34 gyoza (or gow gee) wrappers

Soy sauce, rice vinegar  (1:1) & chilli sauce

Scrunch filling ingredients together for a goog while until it turns sticky.

Take a wrapper and wet one edge with water on your finger.
Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of the wrapper & fold in half, adding 4 pleats to the rim along on side so it curls in.
Heat a lidded frying pan & oil lightly. Add gyozas and 150ml water and cover. Cook until water has mostly gone, about 5 minutes. Remove lid & cook another 3 minutes or until brown.

Roast Beef, Gorgonzola & Horseradish Potato Salad

The potato salad can be made a day ahead of time. Horseradish mayonnaise can be served as a dipping sauce with roasted potatoes and vegetables, or spread onto a steak sandwich or burger.  (Crumbed chicken breast, pan-fried and sliced, goes well with this salad, too.)

600g beef fillet
olive oil, for pan-frying
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
120g gorgonzola, crumbled

Horseradish mayonnaise

1/2 cup whole-egg mayonnaise
2 tbsp quality creamed horseradish
1/2 clove garlic, minced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Potato salad

400g chat potatoes, cooked and halved
1 small Spanish onion, finely sliced and blanched
1/2 bunch of watercress, picked, washed and dried
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
100g horseradish mayonnaise

Serves 4 as a main-course salad

Preheat oven to 200°C. In a large non-stick pan, heat olive oil over a high heat. Season beef fillet, and sear on all sides until golden brown.

Place beef on a baking tray, and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing (slice against the grain).

For the horseradish mayonnaise, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and season to taste.

To make the potato salad, combine the potatoes, onion, watercress, parsley and hazelnuts in a bowl. Add the horseradish mayonnaise and gently toss to combine.

To serve, divide the potato salad among 4 plates. Top with roast beef slices and crumbled gorgonzola to finish.

Rhubarb gingerbread pudding

500g rhubarb

125g castor sugar

1/3 cup golden syrup (or black treacle)

185g plain flour

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

grating of fresh nutmeg

pinch salt

125g butter

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 180C.
Cut the rhubarb into 3cm pieces and put in the bottom of a well-buttered 1-litre ovenproof dish, with the castor sugar.

Measure the golden syrup or treacle and stand measuring cup in hot water so that the syrup will run freely.

Sift the flour, spices, bicarb and salt together.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the syrup. Beat in the egg & milk. Fold in the spiced flour.

Spoon the batter over the rhubarb and bake for about 45 minutes until pudding is well-browned and tests cooked with a fine skewer.

Serve with thick cream or ice cream.

Fennel & anchovy gratin

(Serves 4)

·         50g butter

·         2 medium brown onions, finely sliced

·         4 garlic cloves, sliced

·         6 sprigs thyme

·         Salt and pepper

·         1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced

·         300ml chicken stock

·         60g bread crumbs

·         45g anchovies, chopped

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Melt butter in saucepan and add onion, garlic and thyme. Season and cook until soft.

Remove thyme stalks. Add fennel to onions and stir to combine. Place in four oven-proof gratin dishes. Pour over chicken stock. Mix bread crumbs with anchovies in a small bowl and spread on top of fennel.

Bake for 40 minutes or until breadcrumbs are crisp and golden and fennel is soft. Served with smoked trout, rocket salad and bread.