Charcoal chicken with piri piri sauce

1 large chicken
8 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lemons, juiced
1 tsp bay leaf powder
2 tsp sweet paprika
80 ml (⅓ cup) scotch whisky (we used Bourbon)
2 tbsp butter, softened
rock salt
Piri piri sauce:
10 small red chillies, finely chopped (or less to taste)
pinch of salt
½ lemon, juiced
100 ml olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic powder (we used fresh garlic but made the sauce too runny)

Trim the chicken of excess fat. Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut the chicken through the breastbone. Open the chicken out, turn over and flatten it by pressing down on the backbone. Make a small cut under each wing to help the chicken flatten further. Make several slashes in the flesh with a sharp knife to allow the flavours of the marinade to get in and the fat to drain out. Prick the chicken all over with a fork.

Combine the garlic, lemon juice, bay leaf powder, paprika, whisky and butter, mixing well. Brush the chicken on both sides with the mixture and sprinkle with rock salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes.

Mix the piri piri ingredients into a thickish sauce.

Cook the chicken on a hot barbecue, turning frequently and basting continuously with the leftover marinade, for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut the chicken into pieces and brush with the piri piri sauce.

Tetsuya scrambled eggs

2 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp creamed corn

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Large handful of grated Parmesan

4 Tbsp fresh ricotta

Melt butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
Add eggs, corn and parmesan and cook stirring almost constantly until the eggs are clumpy and still a bit fluid or until cooked to your liking.
Stir through ricotta and serve with toast and a green salad.

Cumulus eggs

1/2 jar passata
1-2 teaspoons ground coriander
4 big handfuls baby spinach leaves
4 eggs
4 Tbsp cottage cheese

Jeff's herbed BBQ lamb leg

Leg of lamb, roughly 2.75kg (6lbs)

For the herb oil:
150ml olive oil
2tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1tsp ground cumin
Few sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary and marjoram leaves
2tbsp chilli powder (optional)

For the baste:
2tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2tbsp honey
Small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the dressing:
6tbsp olive oil
Small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
Score the top side of the lamb leg in a criss-cross pattern at 1cm (½in) intervals, 1cm (½in) deep.
Mix and crush the herb oil ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the meat and leave for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Prepare the barbecue for indirect cooking: food should be away from the heat source and the temperature, if your barbecue has a thermometer, should be a steady medium heat of 150°C-160°C.
Put the meat on the well-oiled heated grill and cook, covered, for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, combine the baste ingredients. Baste the meat every 15 minutes, cooking for a further 30 for blushing meat, or until done to your liking.
Combine the dressing on a board. Turn the lamb in it to coat and rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Maple apple pie with spiced crust

Spiced Pastry

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

 

Directions

Mix the flour, spices, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter, and pinch with the fingers to make fine crumbs. 

 

Make a well in the middle.  Stir together egg and sugar, and pour into the well. Swiftly mix in with the fingertips until the mixture forms a dough.  Do not over mix. 

 

Divide into 2 disks, one slightly larger, and wrap in plastic. Chill in fridge for at least an hour.

 

 

Maple Apple Pie 

Ingredients

6-8 apples (I prefer Gala, but any ol' apples will do here), peeled, cored, and cubed

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 218C.

In a medium bowl, toss the apple cubes with the syrup, spices, and flour. Set aside.

Remove the pie dough from the fridge, and roll out, on a slightly floured surface, the larger half into a circle large enough to cover the bottom of your pie dish. Pierce the bottom several times with a fork, and bake for 5-8 minutes. (This - a blind bake - will help the crust from getting all soggy from the filling. You can absolutely skip this step, but I prefer it). Fill will the apple mixture, mounded slightly.

Roll out the smaller half of dough, and cut out star shapes with a cookie cutter. Place them, overlapping, on top of the pie. You can re-roll the dough to get more stars.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the apples are soft. If the pie begins to brown too much, tent with foil.

Onion & white bean bake

For 4 as a side:
3 brown onions, sliced
2 tins cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
90g cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chicken/veg stock (optional)

Oven at 200C. Slice onions and fry in oil until soft & golden brown. Stir through thyme leaves & layer in casserole with beans and cheese, finishing with cheese. Pour over stock (if remembered.) Bake about 25 minutes, until golden.

Neil's fiery meatballs

Meatballs:
300g beef mince
300g pork mince
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
 sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
1 tbsp milk
extra virgin olive oil
manchego or pecorino cheese, to serve

Sauce:
4 ripe tomatoes or 400g tin
2 chillies from can of chipotle in adobo sauce, strained, plus 1 tsp of sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup chicken stock

To make the sauce, blend the tomatoes, chillies plus 1 tsp of their sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt. Add the chicken stock and process until quite smooth.

To make the meatballs, place the beef, pork, cumin, garlic, 1 tsp salt and a grind of pepper in a bowl. Mix well, then stir in the breadcrumbs, eggs and milk. Form the mince mixture into small balls about the diameter of a 20-cent piece.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Add the meatballs and brown gently for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce and cook gently for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to thicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced to about half its original volume and coats the meatballs.

(Made it with print error - 2 whole tins chipotle. It was unbearably hot.)

8 hour baked beans

400g dried cannellini, haricot or northern beans (about 2 generous cups)
2 onions, peeled & chopped
800g tinned tomato
3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 ham hock (skin off)
2.5 cups water

In slow-cooker on low for 8 hours. Season well & serve.