Thai mince curry with eggplant

Enough for: 2
Takes: 20 minutes

1 red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, sliced

2 tsp Thai red curry paste
400g minced chicken, turkey or pork
3 long baby eggplant, sliced into bit sized pieces
2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 tin coconut milk
1 bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked

Heat a little oil in a large pot. Cook the onion, then garlic, then meat, stirring often until browned and no longer pink.

Add the curry paste and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until everything smells amazing.

Add the eggplant, coconut milk and the fish sauce. Bring to a simmer.

Cook, covered for 5-10 minutes or until eggplant is very tender. Taste, season and serve with coriander leaves on top.

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

Anchovy mustard dressing for broccoli salad

Fry 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 red chilli & 4 decent sized anchovy fillets in O oil then mix into 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard & 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar.

Served with steamed broccoli, salad leaves & soft boiled egg.

Shepherds' pie

Brown:

1 onion

1 carrot

1 clove garlic

500g mince lamb

Sprig rosemary

Spring oregano

2 Tbsp soy

2 Tbsp balsamic

400g tinned tomato

Topping:

Microwave 1/2 head caulk till soft.

Blitz with knob of butter & pinch of salt or some grated Parmesan till creamy.

Oven to 180C. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbling hot. Serve with a green salad.

Roast carrot pizza sauce

450g carrots, diced

1 red onion, cut into 8ths

1 Tbsp Harissa

Roast salted carrots & onion till soft. Blend with Harissa & 1/4 cup water (or more) till paste forms.

Used on cauliflower pizza with mushrooms and haloumi.

White beans with lemon, spinach & hazelnuts.

2 people:

2 tins cannelinni beans

Zest of 1 lemon, juice of half

2 big handfuls baby spinach

3 Tbsp sour cream

2 handfuls hazelnuts

Toast hazelnuts at 180 (about 10 minutes).

Put beans, lemon & spinach in saucepan over low heat. Stir to heat through & wilt spinach. Stir in sour cream, salt & lots of pepper. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.

Chipotle chicken

400g chicken breast, diced

1 red onion, diced

1/2 tsp cumin

400g tin tomato

Pinch brown sugar

1 Tbsp chipotle in adobe

Salt

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and quickly fry your chicken pieces until they turn golden. Set aside.

In the same pan, add another small splash of olive oil and fry your onion until it softens.

Add your tomatoes, cumin, sugar and chipotle and simmer for around 15 - 25 minutes until the tomato sauce starts to thicken around the edges of the pan.

Add the chicken back into the sauce and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

Give the chicken a good spritz of lime juice. This freshens things up and amplifies the flavours.

Eggplant & oregano pasta

2ppl:
1 large eggplant
1/2 tsp chili flakes
2 cloves garlic
2 anchovy fillet
Handful fresh oregano
15 ml capers
1/2 cup white wine
40ml balsamic vinegar
40g parmesan, grated
150g fresh ricotta (or cottage cheese)
250g dried pasta (like orecchiette)

1. Cook the eggplant in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain well, gently pressing out any excess moisture.

2. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until just al dente.

3. Meanwhile, in a wide-based pot over medium heat, heat 2 Tbsp O oil for two minutes. Add the garlic, chilli, capers, anchovies and oregano and cook for two minutes. Add the eggplant, stir through, add the wine and cook until almost dry. Drizzle over the balsamic and cook out for a couple of minutes.

4. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add to the pot. Stir through the pasta, adding a little of the cooking water and/or oil if needed. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, and stir through half the parmesan.

5. Serve in shallow bowls with the ricotta crumbled over the pasta and the remaining parmesan on the side.

Served with green beans.

Beetroot & trout salad

Roast beetroot, (2 or 3 pp)
Drizzle with balsamic & EVO oil
Top with smoke trout (1/4 fish pp) & dollop with sour cream mixed with horseradish.
Chives and black pepper to finish.

Spiced lamb with hummus

ENOUGH FOR 3
2 onions, peeled & diced
500g minced beef
2 teaspoons baharat
handful pine nuts
8 large tablespoons hummus

1. Heat a generous glug of oil in a large frying pan. Cook onion over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until starting to soften but not brown.

2. Add beef and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring often until the beef is well browned all over.

3. Add the baharat and stir fry for another minute or so. Taste, season.

4. Served on a bed of hummus, with a piece of barley wrap underneath and pine nuts & chilli oil sprinkled over the top, with a lemony green salad.

Baked chicken with tomato, olive & caper salsa

2 people:
4 skinless chicken thigh fillets
1 T olive oil
salsa:
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives (used garlic & herb marinated)
3/4 cups cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T capers
1 t caper juice
2 T good quality olive oil
1/4 large red onion, diced
1 to 2 T chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper


Pre heat the oven to 180C.
Heat he olive oil in a frying pan, and when hot, pan fry the chicken breasts on each side until golden. Remove and set aside in a medium size roasting tray.
Mix all the salsa ingredients together and spread over the chicken breasts and in the tray.
Roast for 25 minutes until cooked through.

Served with cauliflower rice.

Broccoli & parmesan soup

2 heads broccoli, chopped including tender stalks
1 small piece of parmesan rind, optional, + shaved parmesan to serve
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Add broccoli, parmesan rind, if using and soy sauce.
3. Cover and simmer rapidly for about 8 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
4. Puree in the saucepan with a stick blender until smoothish.
5. Taste and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve with extra parmesan sprinkled over the top or stir through & pop a fried egg on top.

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.

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.

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.

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).