Loaded Hasselback Potatoes

Please a crowd with these fully loaded baked potatoes topped with beef mince, cheese, sour cream and spring onion.

Ingredients

• 8 Red Royale potatoes
• 300g Coles Australian 4 Star Beef Mince
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 2/3 cups (80g) Coles Australian Shredded Tasty Cheddar
• 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Place 1 potato on a clean work surface. Place a chopstick on the board along each side of the potato. Use a large sharp knife to thinly slice the potato down to the level of the chopsticks (this stops you from cutting all the way through). Repeat with remaining potatoes. 
2. Place potatoes cut-side up on a baking tray. Season. Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender
3. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook mince, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up lumps, for 5 mins or until cooked through. Add taco seasoning and 1/4 cup (60ml) water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins or until mixture thickens.
4. Spoon the mince mixture onto the potatoes, pushing into the cuts. Sprinkle with the cheddar. Bake for a further 10-15 mins or until cheddar melts and is golden brown. 
5. Top with sour cream and sprinkle with spring onion.

Recipe: http://www.taste.com.au

Crumbed Fish with Steamed Zucchini

Ingredients

• 400g zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1cm discs
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 8 or so flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten with milk for egg wash
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 800g ocean fish fillets (about 100-200g each)
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Steam the zucchini in a steamer over boiling water for 20 minutes or until very soft. Place it in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix with a fork to mash or partially puree the zucchini. Set aside.


2. Place the flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs in 3 bowls lined up left to right. Add a clean plate for your crumbed fish. Coat a fish fillet in flour and shake off the excess, then dip it in egg wash, then in the breadcrumbs to coat all over. Shake off the excess. Repeat with the remaining fish.


3. Place the vegetable oil in a saucepan large enough to take 3-4 fish fillets at a time or a deep-fryer, and heat the oil to 180°C. (It must stay at that temperature during the entire process, so don’t overcrowd the fryer during cooking.) Line a plate large enough for all the fish with paper towels to soak up excess oil.


4. Deep-fry 3-4 fish fillets for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Place on the prepared plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining fish.


5. Meanwhile, reheat the braised zucchini gently in a saucepan.


6. Divide the zucchini among 4 plates. Place 2 fish fillets on each plate, sprinkle with sea salt and give a good grind of pepper. Place a lemon wedge on each plate and serve immediately.

Accompaniments

Baked potatoes.

Serves: 4
Recipe: Neil Perry

Steamed snapper with shitake, proscuitto and bamboo shoots

Ingredients

• 400g skinless snapper fillet
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 4 thin slices prosciutto, each piece cut in half
• 80g tinned whole bamboo shoots, cut into julienne strips
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, stalks removed, caps cut in half
• 2 green (spring) onions, cut into julienne strips
• freshly ground white pepper
• Seasoning
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Method

1. Cut the snapper fillet into 8 equal portions. Mix all the seasoning ingredients together.


2. Brush the peanut oil over 2 round plates, each large enough to hold 4 pieces of fish. Alternatively, lay a piece of parchment paper on the base of both baskets of a double-decker steamer, with the paper big enough to come a little up the sides so the liquid won't run off. Place the fish on the plates or paper, allowing space between each piece. Layer the prosciutto, bamboo shoots and mushrooms over the top of each piece. Pour the seasoning over. If using plates, place in a steamer basket.


3. Place the steamer baskets over a pot or wok of rapidly boiling water. Cover with the lid and steam for 6 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. You may want to swap the steamer baskets around after 3 minutes. Carefully remove the plates or paper from the steamer and sprinkle with green onions and a pinch of white pepper.

Serves: 4
Recipe: Neil Perry

---

Stir-fried snapper, shiitake, pancetta and bamboo shoots 

 This stir-fry is lovely, just be careful not to overcook the fish.

Ingredients

• 400g skinless snapper fillet
• 4 tbsp peanut oil
• 100g pancetta
• 80g tinned whole bamboo shoots, cut into julienne strips
• 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 3 green (spring) onions, cut into julienne strips
• freshly ground white pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ knob ginger, finely chopped
• 1 de-seeded red chili, finely chopped
• Seasoning
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Cut the snapper fillet into 2cm strips. Cut the pancetta and bamboo into 5mm thick matchsticks. Cut 2 spring onions in pieces about the same size, keeping the white and green parts separate. Finely slice the remaining spring onion and reserve to use as a garnish. Finely chop the ginger garlic and chilli and slice the mushooms.


2. Heat a wok until smoking. Add half the peanut oil and when hot, quickly stir-fry the fish in two batches until golden, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Remove and drain on a paper towel.


3. Wipe the wok clean. Heat remaining peanut oil until just smoking. Stir-fry the pancetta, ginger, garlic, chilli, mushrooms, bamboo and the white spring onion pieces until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Return snapper to the wok with chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Stir-fry together until the sauces are combined (about 1 minute), then fold through the green pieces of spring onion.


4. Remove from heat, add pepper to taste and check seasoning. Spoon into a large share bowl, scatter with finely sliced spring onions and serve.

Serves: 4
Recipe: Neil Perry

King prawn and white bean salad with lemon anchovy dressing

Ingredients

• 32 cooked king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 radicchio hearts, leaves separated and torn
• 2 x 400g tins white beans, drained and rinsed
• lemon anchovy dressing
• 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 200ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsps lemon juice
• 2 handfuls basil leaves, torn
• 2 handfuls mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1 large handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Method

1. To make the dressing, mash the anchovies, garlic and a little white pepper in a mortar with a pestle. Slowly pound in the olive oil, lemon juice and then, finally, the herbs until you have a thick green slush. Check the seasoning.


2. In a bowl, gently toss the radicchio with one-third of the dressing then arrange the leaves in the centre of a large platter or eight plates.


3. Place the beans, prawns and remaining dressing in the bowl and toss gently. Pile onto the platter or divide among the plates and sprinkle with sea salt and a grind of white pepper. 

Notes
This salad would go nicely with a wonderful aromatic wine — a very dry riesling works well.

Add blanched green beans, peas or asparagus, or braised artichokes when they’re in season.

This salad is also fantastic with lobster, crab or scallops. Instead of the beans, try chickpeas, lentils or any other pulse.

Serves: 8
Recipe: Neil Perry

BBQ Morwong

This meal is based on a fusion of Australian and Chinese cooking.It consists of:

BBQ Morwong
Fresh Morwong, marinated in lime juice, sesame oil, salt & pepper and then slow BBQ'd.

Vegetables
Stir-fried seasonal Asian vegetables
Boiled potatoes lightly fried in reduced vegetable juices

Accompaniments
Salsa verde - parsley, garlic, egg, anchovies, vinegar, oil and salt
Chinese pickled vegetables

Spinach Rice, Potatoes & Sausage, Potato, Egg & Bean Salad

This meal is based on Dutch recipes. It consists of:

Spinach Rice

Steamed rice mixed with steamed and lightly dressed spinach.

Potatoes & Sausage

roast potatoes sprinkled with fried sausage.

Egg & Bean Salad

A salad consisting of boiled eggs, steamed potatoes, steamed snow peas and cooked (or canned) borlotti beans with a vinaigrette dressing.

Fish with Dukkah, Spicy Beans and Chinese Cabbage

This is predominantly a Chinese style meal with some Middle-Eastern touches.  It consists of:

BBQ Fish
BBQ Fish dressed with a Dukkah seasoning. For a more Asian style, the fish can be dressed with a chili-oil mix while barbequeing.

Spicy Beans
String or snake beans cooked slowly with onions, tomato and a little chili.

Vegetables
Braised Chinese cabbage and zucchini, with onions, garlic and a little chicken stock.

Accompaniment
Steamed rice.

Stir-Fry Beef and Vegetables Pasta

This is a quick and easy recipe that allows for variations based on what's available in the kitchen. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 200-400g quality beef
• 1 bunch of broccoli or Chinese broccoli
• Half an onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 400g spirali pasta
• Additional ingredients can be: tomatoes, bacon, prosciutto, mushrooms.

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta
2. Slice the beef into strips -if you have time, marinate in red wine, soy sauce, garlic & pepper
3. Stir-fry the onion, garlic, broccoli and any other ingredients on medium heat and set aside.
4. Stir-fry the beef on high heat for 30-60 seconds and set aside.
5. When the pasta is ready, add the meat to the vegetables with some mixed herbs, pepper & salt to taste.
6. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

Alternatives
You can use the same basic recipe for braised beef, BBQ eggplant and baby spinach.

Version with braised beef, BBQ eggplant and baby spinach

Savoury Mince with Potatoes and Broccoli

This is a quick and simple meal based on a Bolognaise sauce.

Ingredients

• 800g Bolognaise sauce - ideally home-made, but from supermarket is OK
• 8 large potatoes
• 1 bunch Chinese broccoli or 2 bunches of asparagus
• Shredded cheese - Mozzarella, Pizza, Tasty, etc or a combination of all.

Method

1. Boil or steam the potatoes - 20 mins
2. Steam the broccoli or asparagus - 10-15 mins
3. Heat the Bolognaise sauce - 10-15 mins
4. When everything is ready, mash 2 potatoes on each plate spread the sauce over the potatoes and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Heat in a microwave for 1 min or under a grill for 5 mins - basically until the cheese melts.
6. Garnish with the broccoli or asparagus

Serve: 4

Warm Beef Salad

This is a summertime favourite, and makes use of the BBQ and Japanese Teppanyaki style cooking.

Ingredients

• 800g lean top-quality beef - diced into approximately 2cm cubes
• 1 large (or 2 medium) kumera (sweet potato) sliced about 1cm thick
• 200g mixed leaf salad leaves
• Half cup vinaigrette salad dressing (1 part olive oil, 2 parts red wine vinegar, pepper & salt to taste)

Method

1. Marinate the beef in a combination of soy sauce, red wine, garlic and pepper for 2-8 hours before cooking.
2. Pre-heat the BBQ (or large fry-pan) and cook the kumera slowly on both sides using the hotplate with a little oil .
3. When the kumera is ready remove and set aside but keep warm.
4. Turn the BBQ hotplate to high and stir-fry the cubed beef for 30-60 seconds so the outside is seared, and the inside is lightly cooked or a bit rare.
5. Put the mixed leaf salad leaves into a large bowl, add the kumera and beef.
6. Dress with the vinaigrette salad dressing and toss lightly.
7. Serve with crusty bread.

An individual serve

Homeburger

Photo by kalleboo on Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons

You can easily make hamburgers at home and it's a healthy and filling meal. This recipe, as with any hamburger recipe, is best when you have access to a barbecue or a grill, but you can use a frying or grill pan on a cook-top.

Ingredients

• 4 beef patties - either from the supermarket, or make you own with 800g ground beef mixed with some fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley. A bit of Worcestershire sauce is recommended, and a bit of salt and pepper.
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices  cheese (optional)
• 4 hamburger buns, or bread rolls
• 1 large tomato - sliced thinly
• 1 can sliced beetroot
• 4 lettuce leaves
• Tomato or other tasty sauce
• You can also add cucumber or pickled vegetables if you like

Method

1. Cook the beef patties on medium to high heat and cook 5-7 mins each side until browned. Avoid 'stewing' the patties by removing any liquid that comes out.
2. Crack the four eggs into a large pan, pierce the yolks and cook on low heat with a lid for 5-7 mins.
3. Serve the patties with all of the other ingredients.

Prawn and Rice Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1dried chorizo, finely chopped
• 1 red capsicum, seeded, chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• 500g green prawns, peeled, tails intact
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• micro herbs, lemon wedges, rocket salad, to serve

Method

1. Steam cauliflower for 4-5 minutes until just tender. Set aside.
2. Heat a 30cm ovenproof frying pan on medium. Saute chorizo 4-5 minutes until browned and oil is released. Add capsicum, onion and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Mix in paprika, cook for minute. Stir in rice to combine.
3. Preheat oven grill to high.
4. Scatter prawns and cauliflower over rice mixture in pan. Pour over eggs and cook on low for 8-10 minutes until starting to set around edges. Transfer to grill, cook 4-5 minutes until frittata is set and prawns are cooked. 
5. Scatter with micro herbs and serve with lemon and salad.

Recipe: Australian Woman's Day