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.

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.

Spinach, yoghurt & chickpea salad

For 4 serves:

3/4 cup Greek yoghurt

1/4 cup EVO oil

1/2 small red onion, finely sliced

1/2 clove garlic, grated

Zest & juice of a lemon

Pinch salt

2 tins chickpeas, washed & drained

Bag of baby spinach

2 handfuls flaked almonds, toasted

Mix yoghurt, oil, garlic, onion, lemon juice & zest, pinch of salt. Stir in chickpeas. Lay onto spinach bed, sprinkle with almonds & drizzle with extra EVO oil.

Jeff's Middle Eastern lentils

Serves 4:
6 tbsp olive oil
6 onions, halved and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
5 cups water or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, washed and drained
1 cup rice, washed and drained
1 cup plain yoghurt
Fresh mint sprigs, to garnish

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat.

Add one onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and allspice and saute for four minutes until onion is softened and lightly coloured.

Add water (or stock) and lentils and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in rice, return to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook until liquid has been absorbed and rice and lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in pan and cook remaining onions until soft, well coloured and beginning to caramelise and blacken at the edges, about 30 minutes.

Arrange rice and lentils on a platter and sprinkle with caramelised onion. Serve with yoghurt and mint.

Vietnamese chicken salad

For 4 serves:

1 crappy (or 1/2 good) Chinese cabbage, sliced

2 carrots, grated

2 big handfuls coriander, chopped

1 big handful mint, chopped

Handful toasted peanuts, chopped

4 spring onions, chopped & fried

Poached chicken

Blitz:

1 chilli

3 cloves garlic

Small knob of ginger

2 spring onions

2 Tbsp (15ml) brown sugar

3 Tbsp EVO oil

Stir through:

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp lemon or lime juice

Jeff's margaritas!

2 parts tequila (Patron silver)
1 part Cointreau
1 part lemon juice
ice
salt

Warm bacon, lentil & mushroom thingo

For two meals:
2 rashes of bacon
3 cloves of garlic
2 big mushrooms
fresh red chilli (optional)
1 tin lentils
cup of frozen peas
1 Tbsp (20ml) apple cidar vinegar
salt
pepper
EVO oil

Roasted broccoli

1 head of broccoli

3 cloves garlic, minced

ginger (optional) minced

red chili, chopped (or dried)

Olive oil

1 Tbsp tahini
1/2 tin chickpeas (optional)

Slivered almonds

Oven at 200C.

Toss broccoli in remaining ingredients (except almonds) & roast 15 minutes. Add almonds in last 7 minutes.

Awesome dressing for tuna salad

For 2 big plates of salad:
2 Tbsp (15ml) capers, chopped finely
2 cornichons, chopped finely
grated rind of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp (15ml) lemon juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp (15ml) EVO oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper

(Salad:
About 180g tinned tuna
a cos lettuice or 1/2 a radicchio
basil
parsley
1/2 a red onion, blanched
1/2 punnet of cherry tomatoes)

North african pumpkin & chickpea stew

2 large onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stick celery, diced
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
8 saffron threads, toasted
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed
500ml passata
bunch coriander
300g butternut pumpkin
1L veg stock
1/4 cup risoni

From HFW's "River Cottage, Veg everyday"

AMAZING millet mash

Make 2 BIG serves:
1/2 cup millet
1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion
1/2 small head cauliflower
1 Tbsp cold pressed olive oil
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup arame, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes
Sea salt to taste

1. Rinse millet well.
2. Chop cauliflower and onion into chunks.
3. Put rinsed millet and water in a large pot and cover with chopped vegetables and salt. Bring to a rapid boil, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the millet is cooked.
4. Remove from heat, add the cold pressed oil and arame. Mash with a large fork.

Great with spring onion & sardines.

You can use any type of veg: carrots, broccoli, kale, spinach, beetroot.

Pumpkin, zucchini & bacon bubble & squeak

For 1:
1 chunk Kent pumpkin
2 rashers bacon
1 purple shallot
1 clove garlic
1 zucchini

Heat oven to 200, chop & oil pumpkin. Bake for 20 minutes.

Slice bacon & start frying. Chop shallot & add, frying for 5 minutes. Roughly chop garlic & add. Grate in zucchini.

Add pumpkin & oil. Salt & lots of pepper.

Vietnamese beef curry with lemongrass and star anise

For 6 people:

Peanut, sesame and shallot dust:

6 tbsp unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

4 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan (watch carefully, they burn quickly)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt flakes

2 tbsp crispy fried shallots

1.2kg beef chuck, in 2cm-3cm dice

Salt flakes

2 generous pinches saffron

Coconut oil

4 sticks lemongrass, white part only

4 long red chillies

4 small red chillies

8cm piece ginger

5 purple eschalots

6 garlic cloves

3 star anise

1 tsp five-spice powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tin tomatoes, drained and crushed

4 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp sugar

1 large daikon (white radish), peeled and cut in 4cm rounds

Rice, to serve

Coriander leaves, to serve

Limes, to serve

1. Season the beef and toss with the saffron and a little oil.

2. Roughly chop the lemongrass, chillies, ginger, eschalots and garlic, add to a food processor and process to a paste.

3. In a large pot, fry the paste in a little oil about 3 minutes or till fragrant, add the beef and stir. Seal the meat, add the star anise, five spice, cinnamon, tomatoes, fish sauce, sugar and half a teaspoon of salt. Stir. Add two litres of water.

4. Simmer gently for about two hours or until the beef is tender. Add the daikon and cook for a further 30 minutes, until the daikon is tender and the sauce reduced.

5. To make the dust, in a mortar and pestle or small food processor, grind the peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar and salt together, then stir through the crispy shallots.

6. Serve with rice, coriander and lime. Sprinkle with crispy shallot and peanut dust.

Eat with lager

Crispy cornmeal sweet potato chips

For 2 big serves or 4 small:
1 large sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp oil
4 Tbsp. polenta
1 tsp. sea salt (more to taste, if desired)

extra flavour options:
ground cumin
smoked paprika
cayenne










1. Scrub the sweet potatoes well under running water. Slice them into long sticks 1cm thick. Place them in a bowl of water, swish around a few times, then drain (this step helps remove some of the starch from the potato). Place potatoes on a clean tea towel and dry thoroughly. Let them air dry while you prepare everything else.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C. On low heat, melt coconut oil or ghee in a small saucepan. Place cut potatoes in a plastic bag, seal and shake bag vigorously to coat (this process can also be done on a cookie sheet, drizzle the oil over and toss very well to coat). Add cornmeal and salt to the bag and toss well to coat.

3. Place fries on a lined baking sheet, making sure that they are not touching. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and crisp (no need to flip them halfway through cooking).

(Served with steak and salad.)

Garlicky kale and white bean stew

Serves 3-4:
Knob ghee
2 medium onions
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
5 bay leaves
Pinch chili flakes
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
1 tin white beans
2 cups packed shredded kale leaves
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can (400g) tomatoes
Cold-pressed olive oil to garnish

Directions:
1. Heat a knob of oil in a large stockpot. Slice onions and add to the pot with a couple pinches sea salt, chili, bay leaves and paprika. Cook for a few minutes until the onions have softened, then add sliced garlic.
2. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, season to taste, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil (since everything is cooked, you don’t need to heat it long).

Spaghetti bolognese

• 1 Tbsp ghee
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 75g pancetta, diced
• 600g minced pork & veal
• 2Tbsp tomato paste
• 800g chopped tinned tomato
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Splosh red wine
• Pinch of salt

Melt ghee and cook onion on low, add garlic and pancetta and fry. Increase heat and add mince to brown.
Stir in remaining ingredients, reduce heat & simmer uncovered, 1 hr plus - adding water if needs be.