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 ...

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...

I usually serve these dishes along with the Balinese Tamarind Chicken (see my post from November 7, 2009 - http://apretendchef.blogspot.com/2009/10/balinese-tamarind-chicken-ayam-panggang.html ) and always with some jasmine or basmati rice. You can prepare the shredded chicken and salad dishes in advance, earlier on the day (refrigerating the chicken dish up until a 1/2 hour before serving). The satay beef dish is a recipe I picked up from a local restaurant that use to be situated down a side street in Seminyak in the 90's before it became the bustling tourist precinct it is today. I was able to talk the restaurant's owner, Enda, into letting me into his kitchen for 1-on-1 classes over a few days. The shredded Chicken and vegetable salad are both traditional Balinese dishes that were taught to me at the Hotel Tugu along with the Tamarind Chicken dish. The amount of chilli used in each dish is up to your personal taste. The amounts noted in these recipes are mild to ...