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...

A very easy side salad that can be served with or without the cheese. An ideal accompaniment to a BBQ.  Ingredients 2 to 3 bunches of asparagus (approximately 20 to 30) 100gm baby spinach 1tbs olive oil (for grilling) 50gm to 70gm shaved parmasen cheese (my preference is reggiano) 2tbs extra virgin olive oil 1tbs good quality balsamic vinegar salt & pepper to taste Method After washing the asparagus, gently bend each piece till they snap and discard the woody base segment. Mix the asparagus in a large mixing bowl with the olive oil and cook over a high heat BBQ grill for 2-3 minutes then turnover and cook for another 2-3 minutes until they are lightly grilled, being careful not to burn them. Transfer the cooked asparagus pieces back to the mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly for a couple of minutes. Arrange the spinach on a large flat serving platter then layer the cooked asparagus pieces over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese. Drizzle over the extra vi...

I tried something similar to this at Barbuto's in New York. I'm now officially addicted to it. This salad recipe is from a website I found whilst trying to discover the recipe for Barbuto's kale salad. I gave this one a try and didn't go any further. I've tweaked it ever so slightly to suit my taste.  You'll enjoy this Caesar salad if you don't like anchovies - it's an anchovy free zone! The original recipe can be found here:  CoolCookStyle.com Ingredients 1 bunch kale, washed thoroughly, stems removed and cut into thin 1/2 cm wide ribbons 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs 2 tbs  olive oil (for sauteing the breadcrumbs) 1 clove garlic sliced 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (Reggiano) grated 4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional) Pepper to taste Method Place the garlic, cheese (leaving a little left aside to sprinkle over the finished salad) extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and chilli flakes i...

It's not winter yet, however I've just returned to a cold wet Sydney after a week on Koh Samui in Thailand and it feels like winter. So what's one of the best things to eat on an unusually cool and wet Summer's night that feels like winter? A hearty, chunky bowl of Italian inspired soup. The great thing about this style of soup is you don't need to be exact. You can add various vegetables you happen to have sitting around in the fridge. I serve this sprinkled with some freshly grated parmesan and sometimes some chilli. It's also nice with some squeezed lemon juice over the top. Ingredients 1 medium sized onion, roughly chopped 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 stalk of celery, de-strung and diced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 large red chilli, halved and de-seeded 1 fresh bay leaf 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (good waxy potatoes that won't disintegrate such as desiree are perfect) 1 cup of p...

I've been doing oysters in the oven with a horseradish, butter and Parmesan topping for some time now, however I've recently adjusted the recipe for the topping after acquiring a copy of Pete Evans' cookbook, FISH ( http://www.peterevans.com.au/ ). I've tweaked his recipe to suit my taste, but the beauty of it is that you don't need to be exact with this one and it takes less than 20 minutes from start to table! 1 dozen oysters (I prefer larger Pacifics as they maintain their size when cooked) 60 gms unsalted butter 40 to 50 gms freshly grated Parmesan A 5-6 cm length of fresh horseradish finely grated 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley Pepper to taste Method Turn your oven grill on high. Place oysters in a large flat oven tray for grilling. Cut the butter into small cubes and place in a mixing bowl with cheese, lemon zest and horseradish. Work thoroughly with a...