Spinach and lamb pides

Spinach and lamb pides

• 31/3 cup plain flour
• 2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast
• 1 tsp caster sugar1 tsp salt
• 11/4 cups (310ml) warm water
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp nigella seeds
  Lemon wedges, to serve

Spinach and lamb filling

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander500g lamb mince
• 1 bunch English spinach, stems trimmed, washed, finely shredded100g toasted pine nuts1 egg, lightly whisked

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in water and oil and stir to combine. Turn on to a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Return to bowl and cover. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

2. To make the spinach and lamb filling, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add cumin and coriander and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add lamb and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from heat.

Pomegranate jellies with cardamom-pistachio cream

Pomegranate jellies with cardamom-pistachio cream

• 4 large pomegranates, seeds removed
• 2/3 cup (140g) caster sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) cold water
• 5 tsp (16g) powdered gelatine

Cardamom-pistachio creamSeeds from:

• 3 cardamom pods, finely crushed
• 3/4 cup (185ml) thin cream
• 1/3 cup (50g) chopped pistachio kernels
  

1. To make cardamom-pistachio cream, whisk cardamom and cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Stir in pistachios.

2. Reserve 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds. Use a food processor to process remaining pomegranate seeds until a coarse puree forms. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with back of a spoon to extract juice. Discard solids. Line a sieve with muslin and place over a bowl. Strain juice through sieve. Measure juice. Add enough water to make 600ml of liquid.

3. Place pomegranate mixture and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, place cold water in a heatproof cup. Sprinkle with gelatine and set aside until gelatine softens. Place cup in a saucepan of barely simmering water and heat for 2-3 minutes or until gelatine dissolves. Add gelatine to pomegranate mixture and stir until well combined. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Berries & nuts

Berries & nuts
Sweet berries and crunchy nuts are a delicious combination, and great for your health, too.

Berries and nuts are a match made in heaven, and while not often thought of in the same vein, both are fruits. A berry is a small flesh fruit with its entire ovary wall encasing seeds; blueberries, red currants, gooseberries and grapes are included.
Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries do not fit this botanical definition, and are actually aggregate fruits consisting of many ‘drupelets’ (flesh surrounding a hard case of seeds). Nuts are generally a dry fruit encased in a shell, with the exception of the brazil nut (a seed) and the peanut (a legume).

Tips & facts
• Almonds belong to the same family as apricots, plums, cherries and peaches.
• Traces of almonds were found in the tomb of Egyptian pharoah Tutankhamen.
• In China, hazelnuts have been cultivated for almost 5,000 years.
• You can judge freshness of pistachios by colour: young kernels are bright green and turn yellow/brown as they age.
• In England, it was once believed that eating the first blackberry spotted growing each year would banish warts.

White chocolate mousse and pistachio mille-feuille

White chocolate mousse and pistachio mille-feuille

• 50g butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (60ml) honey
• 10 sheets filo pastry
• 1/4 cup (40g) pistachio kernels, thinly slicedFresh raspberries and blackberries, to serveFresh figs,
• cut into thin wedges, to serve
• White chocolate mousse: 180g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 egg yolks300ml thickened cream
• 1 egg white 1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Combine butter and honey in a bowl. Place filo on work surface. Cover with a damp tea towel to prevent drying out. Brush 1 filo sheet with butter mixture. Top with another filo sheet and brush with butter mixture. Continue layering with remaining filo and butter mixture. Sprinkle with two-thirds pistachios.

2. Use a large knife to trim edges. Cut filo sheet lengthways into thirds. Cut each filo strip into 6 even rectangles (you should have 18 rectangles). Arrange on prepared trays. Bake in oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 15 minutes or until lightly golden and crisp. Cool on trays.

3. Meanwhile, to make chocolate mousse, stir chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water until melted. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Whisk in egg yolks until well combined.

Soft polenta with mushroom ragout

Soft polenta with mushroom ragout

• ¼ cup (about 5g) dried porcini
• ½ cup (125ml) boiling water
• 1¾ cups (435ml) milk
• 1¾ cups (435ml) chicken stock
• ¼ tsp salt2/3 cup (110g) polenta80g (1 cup) finely grated parmesan
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced widthways
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced widthways100g butter200g king brown mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 200g chestnut mushrooms
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms
• ½ cup (125ml) dry white wine
• 6 sprigs thyme
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Place dried porcini mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside to soak.

2. Combine milk, chicken stock and salt in a medium heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, then while whisking, add polenta in a slow, steady stream until incorporated. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 30 minutes or until polenta is tender. Stir through ½ cup (50g) parmesan. Remove from heat and keep in a warm place until required.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large casserole pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Increase heat to high. Add butter, mushrooms, wine, thyme, porcini and porcini water, and cook, covered, for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mushrooms soften.

Sopa de tortilla

Sopa de tortilla

You will need to start this recipe one day in advance.

• 1 cup (200g) dried kidney beans
• 6 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 long fresh red chilli, seeded,
• coarsely chopped
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1L (4 cups) chicken stock
• 2 corn cobs, husk and silks removed
• 2 tbs lime juice
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 corn tortillas, cut into 2cm-thick strips
• 50g feta, crumbled
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, stoned, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• Lime wedges, to serve

1. Place kidney beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Set aside overnight to soak.

2. Drain beans and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Bring to the boil. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain well.

3. Meanwhile, use a small knife to cut a shallow cross in the base of each tomato. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl of cold water to cool. Remove skins. Coarsely chop and place in a food processor with chilli and onion and process until almost smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for a further 10 minutes or until soup thickens slightly.

Roast pork with macadamia and sage stuffing with roasted pears

Roast pork with macadamia and sage stuffing with roasted pears

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 4 slices pancetta, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup (80g) macadamias, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup (45g) toasted pine nuts
• 1 cup (70g) dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tbs finely shredded sage
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 1 (about 1.5kg) boned rolled loin or leg pork
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 4 Williams pears, halved lengthways
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• Steamed asparagus, to serve
• Baby rocket leaves, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add macadamias and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until nuts are lightly golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the pine nuts, breadcrumbs, sage and egg and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Place the pork loin, rind-side up, on a clean surface. Pat dry with paper towel. Turn pork over and use a small, sharp knife to make a 5cm-deep cut under the eye of the meat to make a cavity for the stuffing. Place the stuffing across the centre of the pork. Roll pork to enclose the filling. Secure with kitchen string, tying at 2cm intervals. Place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with remaining oil and sprinkle with fennel seeds and salt. Use your hands to rub into the rind. Place the pears around the pork and drizzle with maple syrup. Roast in oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C and roast for a further 45 minutes or until pork is tender and pears caramelise. Remove from heat and cover with foil. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest.