A Pretend Chef

This is based on a Jill Dupleix recipe (The Sydney Morning Herald August 19 2011). This is easy to make, requires about 45 minutes effort and an hour's baking.  For the sausages, I prefer a spicy pork based Italian sausage or pork and fennel sausages. This can be served with a side of roast potatoes or a green salad. Ingredients 1 cup dried bread crumbs 600 gm silverbeet, washed and chopped 12 cherry bocconcini balls 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 500 gm minced beef 500 gm filling from Italian pork sausages 1 tbs tomato paste 1 tbs capers 2 tbs olive oil 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 egg 200 ml red wine salt and pepper For the tomato sauce 2 tins chopped tomatoes 1 large brown onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tbs olive oil 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil Salt & pepper to taste Method Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 200C. In a large bowl, add the beef, sausage ...

5 minutes of work, some time in the oven and you are left with a delicious, healthy snack. Perfect with a cold beer. I love chilli so you may want to turn down the volume a little and use half the amount of chilli and cayenne pepper. Ingredients 1 x 400gm tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 tbs dried chilli flakes 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Method Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 170C. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Pour out onto a flat oven baking tray, onto some baking paper. Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.

I found the recipe for this Italian crowd pleaser in an edition of Australian Gourmet Traveller and since then I've prepared it every year, usually during winter. It feeds a small army and is perfect for a family gathering washed down with a nice Chianti. It's a labour of love but well worth the effort. If serving for a dinner party I start prep in the morning. This recipe is re-written directly from the one published in the May 2006 Australian Gourmet Traveller (p. 107) and I have slightly tweaked it to my preference. Serves 8-12 people. Ingredients 500 gm bucatini or spagetti pasta, cooked 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled 2 cups cooked green peas 2 cacciatore sausages thinly sliced 2 balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced 150 gm grated parmesan cheese 1 cup of tomato passata  1 beaten egg with a tbs of milk added For the pastry 500 gm strong plain white flour 125 gm cold unsalted butter, chopped 2 tbs caster sugar 1 tbs extra virgin olive oi...