A Pretend Chef

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...

This is a favourite of my kids, great for school lunches and a general crowd pleaser. You can make one or two large loaves, or six to eight small ones. I prefer to leave the dough overnight in my fridge to prove, however you can just let it rest for 2 hours if you don't want to wait. Leaving it overnight improves the flavour and adds a degree of light chewiness to the finished bread, almost like an Italian ciabatta. These can be frozen and consumed at a later time, reheated or at room temperature.  Ingredients For the dough 600gms strong plain white flour 2 x 7gm packets dried yeast 400ml warm water 20ml extra virgin olive oil 30ml milk extra flour on hand for kneading and dusting For the stuffing 2 x Chorizo sausages, diced 4 onions, roughly chopped 2 Tbs fresh thyme leaves 1 Tbs olive oil (not extra virgin) for frying Salt and pepper to taste Method Pour the warm water into a small bowl or jug and add the yea...

Serves 6 As the name suggests, it's not pretty, but it tastes damn good. Originating from a Jamie Oliver recipe, you can experiment with different ingredients such as adding pitted olives or cooked onions. It's great served hot or at room temperature, so ideal for picnics. Best eaten with your hands! The finished product! Ingredients For the dough 600gms strong flour 2 x 7gm packets dried yeast 400ml warm water 30ml extra virgin olive oil 20ml milk 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp sea salt extra flour on hand for kneading and dusting For the stuffing 12 slices prosciutto 12 slices mild salami 4 hard boiled eggs 1 handful washed basil leaves 1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved 8 baby bocconcini 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 1 cup grated provolone cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese Method Pour 100ml of the warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Stir thoroughly and allow to stand for 30 minutes. Place flour...