pumpkin chickpea soup

1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1L veg stock
1kg chopped pumpkin
1 tin chickpeas

Serve hot or chilled with cream.

Peanut butter, tahini & honey biscuits

For a dozen:

1 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp (scant) sea salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

40ml tahini

40ml olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

Oven at 180C. 

Stir dry together. Mix wet together & pour over dry. Stir till just combined. Make balls (small ice cream scoop) and press with a fork.

Bake 10 minutes, turning try around halfway through.

Lemon ricotta pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup ricotta
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 
  
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 30 seconds. Make a well in center of flour mixture and set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, ricotta, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Then, whisk lemon zest with lemon juice and add to milk mixture along with melted butter and blend until combined (it will curdle a little, that's fine, but you'll want to hurry and pour it into the dry mixture). Pour into flour mixture and whisk just to combined (batter should be slightly lumpy).

Baked French toast with caramelised pears

• 2 ripe bosc pears
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 
  
• 5 or 6 slices french or sour dough bread
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed
• 3 eggs
• 1&1/4 cups whole milk
• 1.5 Tbsp maple syrup
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• Zest of 1/2 small orange

Fry sliced pears in butter, add maple syrup & allow to caramelise.

Oven at 175C. Layer bread, nuts & pears in buttered baking dish. Soak with mixture of remaining ingredients. Bake 40 mins or until firm.

Tuscan lemon chicken

6 chicken thighs (bone in)

3 cloves garlic sliced

1 very large lemon, sliced (or two medium)

6 x 1.5" rosemary sprigs

Lots of O oil

Torn stale bread (used pana di casa)

Oven at 200C.

Arrange all ingredients except bread in baking dish, salt and roast for 30 minutes.

Roll torn bread in juices and bake another 20 mins.

Served with green beans.

Basic (everyday) banana bread

For 6 big muffins:

3 ripe bananas
100g butter, melted
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
220g almond meal

Baked at 160C for 35 or 40 minutes(?)

Ginger coconut custard

2 egg yolks

Tbsp rice malt syrup (or sugar)

165ml tin coconut milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Grating of fresh ginger

Oven at 160C. Custards in greased ramekins, in water bath. About 45mins.

Spiced coconut rice

1/2 cup basmati rice

270ml coconut milk

Seeds from 1/2 cardamom pod

1/8 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp black mustard seeds

Put ingredients not saucepan over high heat, bring to boil stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover & cook about 15 or 20 till rice is soft. (May need to stir after 10.)

Slow cooked quinces

2 large quinces, quartered & cored

2/3 cup caster sugar (could reduce quantity)

1/4 cup water

Slow cooker on high, 5 hours.

Orange tomato soup

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

500g tomato (equivalent 1 tin plus two Romas)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed OJ

Couple strips orange peel

1 potato

2 cups chicken stock

Remember to remove peel before puréeing.

Basil (or Thai basil even better!) to finish.

Orange sesame muesli

Ingredients:
250g quinoa flakes
90g unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
35g cashews, roughly chopped
35g whole raw almonds, roughly chopped
35g pumpkin (pepita) seeds
30g sunflower seeds
20g sesame seeds

40ml virgin coconut oil
30ml un-hulled tahini
30ml brown rice syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
the finely grated zest of 1 orange
(1/2 tsp. fine sea salt)

100g natural raisins or sultanas
85g dried cranberries
45g dried apple slices, roughly chopped
40g pitted dried dates, roughly chopped

Oven at 180C. Stir mixed wet ingredients through dry. Spread on baking tray & toast 30 minutes, stirring every 10. Allow to cool then stir in fruit.

Jeff's BBQ pork belly

Stabbed worked belly a whole lot. Stuffed holes with chopped rosemary & thyme. Rubbed with sea salt. Sit at room temp covered with paper towels to absorb any moisture. Rub the bottom with oil & place on a BBQ with lid down on low. After approx an hour, when fat is bubbling out the top, turn heat to high and flip to crackle.

Served with apple & green beans.

Roast pork belly

For 2:
500g pork belly
Fennel seeds

1/2 radicchio (2 quarters)
Balsamic glaze

2 Granny Smiths
4 cloves
Dash of vanilla

Pork belly - oven at highest setting. Slice skin, rub with oil, fennel seeds & salt. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduces to 160C, continue 45 minutes. Rest for 10.

Slice apples. Cook with dash of water, cloves & vanilla with lid on till soft.

Oil radicchio, bbq for a few minutes each side. Drizzle with balsamic.

"Pepperoni" chickpeas

400g can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chilli flakes

Pinch salt

2 Tbsp EVO oil

Bake at 200C for 20 or 25 minutes. Sprinkle on a pizza.

Roast lamb racks with peperonata

2 racks of lamb, each with 8 bones

sea salt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch thyme

1/2 garlic bulb, horizontally cut in half, skin left on

For the peperonata (fried peppers or capsicum)

2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, cut into 1cm slices

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp chopped oregano

2 tsp salted baby capers, rinsed well

2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped

1 red capsicum, cut into 1cm strips

1 yellow capsicum, cut into 1cm strips

200g tinned cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup de-seeded Ligurian olives

1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 90°C. Trim fat from the lamb and season with salt.

For the lamb, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Gently fry the racks until golden brown all over.

Remove from pan and place on a bed of thyme along with the unpeeled garlic cloves in a baking tray. Put in oven for one hour, or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 55°C.

Remove from oven and allow to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes. Check garlic and, if needed, return to the oven and continue to cook until very soft.

For the peperonata, heat 2½ tbsp oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a low flame. Add onion, garlic and oregano, and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often, until onion is soft.

Add capers and anchovy fillets and stir over heat for 2 minutes. Add capsicums and cherry tomatoes and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until capsicum strips are soft and tender. Add olives, vinegar and sugar and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Cut each rack into portions and serve with a large spoonful of the peperonata and slow-cooked garlic.

Tip: You can make peperonata from scratch by blackening whole capsicums on the stove top, then putting them in a bowl and covering with plastic wrap. When cool, they should have steamed to a soft texture. Peel and slice them, then make the sauce without the peppers and fold them through at the end. The result is concentrated flavour and a slight smokiness.

Mocha tofu pie

For a 7inch tin, crust:

100g nuts (hazelnuts)

8 fresh dates

30ml cacao

15ml coconut oil

2 tsp finely ground coffee

Pinch salt

Filling:

300g medium tofu

200g melted dark choc

15ml caster sugar

20ml milk (eg coconut) or liqueur

1 tsp cacao

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch salt

Bloody Mary sauce (for burgers)

For 4 burgers:

1 large red onion

1 red capsicum

1 tsp paprika

200ml tomato juice

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp tobacco

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt & pepper

Soften in frying pan