Tabouleh
Serves 4

Ingredients:

75gm bulgur, washed
3 cups of curly parsley, stalks removed and roughly chopped
4 Grosse Lisse tomatoes, diced
6 spring onions, chopped
¼ cup of mint, chopped
2 lemons juiced
4 tbsp. olive oil

Method:

Place bulgur into a sieve and rinse well. Cover with hot water and leave to soak for 20 minutes.

Drain well. Place bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, mint, and spring onions in to a bowl and mix well.

Combine olive oil and lemon juice, and add to the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with grilled fish or chicken.

Linguine, Sea Scallops, Burnt Butter, Garlic and Parsley
Serves 4

Ingredients:

400gm linguine pasta
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1kg (roughly 30) scallops
100gm unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped curly parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook pasta until al’ dente in a large pan of salted boiling water. Drain well. Cook scallops 2 to 3 minutes on each side set aside and keep warm. In a large frying pan add butter and cook for 4 minutes until butter starts to turn a deep nut-brown colour. Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Add linguine and curly parsley toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Chilli Stir-Fried Vegetables
Serves 4

Ingredients:

Oil for cooking
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 Jalapeno or Birdseye chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 capsicum Californian Wonder, thinly sliced
2 bunches Chinese broccoli, chopped
200ml vegetable stock
Soy sauce to taste
Fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

Place wok over a high heat; add oils, garlic, ginger, chilli and spring onions sauté until fragrant. Add capsicum, carrot and stock. Cook for 2-3 minutes, add Chinese broccoli and cook for a further minute. Add soy sauce to taste. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Served with steamed rice or toss through hokkien noodles.

Brown Sugar Chilli Jam
Makes 1½ cups

Ingredients:

6 Jalapeno or Birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
½ cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. fish sauce

Method:

Place chillies, onion, garlic and water into a food processor until finely chopped. Place into a saucepan and add sugar, vinegar, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring jam to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour into hot sterilised jars.

Serve with crispy chicken strips and wraps.

Tomato and Bean Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:

100gm cannellini beans, drained
3 ripe tomatoes (Apollo, Grosse Lisse, Mighty Red or Trussty), diced
2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced
2 spring onions, diced
½ yellow capsicum, diced
1 tbsp. mint leaves, chopped
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Method:

Whisk lemon and olive oil together. Toss with other ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with BBQ meat, chicken and fish.

Cherry Tomato and Feta Frittata
Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 tbsp. mint leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
125gm Greek feta, crumbled
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 spring onions, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, crushed
250gm Sweetbite, Pink Pearl™ or Truss Sweet tomatoes halved

Method:

Whisk eggs and mint together. Season with salt and pepper. Add feta cheese and stir to combine.

Add oil and heat frying pan and cook spring onions and garlic over a medium heat. Stir in tomato halves. Cook for 1 minute.

Pour egg mixture over, cook for 4-5 minutes until the egg is almost set. Place under hot grill until golden.

Serve with crispy green salad.

Cherry Tomato and Zucchini Risotto
Serves 4

Ingredients:

250gm Sweetbite, Pink Pearl™ or Truss Sweet tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp. olive oil
250ml white wine
1 red onion, finely diced
550gm Arborio rice
1.5 litre hot chicken stock
1 zucchini, finely diced
90gm butter
½ cup shredded Basil Sweet
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion, garlic cook for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add rice, coat with oil and then add white wine stirring until absorbed. Add hot stock, one ladle at a time as the stock absorbs, stirring well.

Continue cooking until rice is still slightly firm in the centre (20 minutes). Add cherry tomatoes and zucchini, and warm through. Remove from the heat stir through butter and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with crusty bread and a crispy lettuce salad.

Grilled Lemon Thyme Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh lemon thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Method:

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, lemon thyme and garlic. Place chicken in a deep tray and cover with marinade. Leave to marinate for 1 hour. Pre-heat BBQ and cook for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Serve with salad.

Slow Cooked Atlantic Salmon Fillets
Serves 4

Ingredients:

½ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 lemons juiced and zested
2 tbsp. capers, chopped
¼ cup dill, finely chopped
¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
¼ cup lemon thyme, roughly chopped
Salt
4 Atlantic salmon fillets
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
Snow peas

Method:

Combine olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice, capers, dill, Italian parsley and lemon thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Place salmon in a single layer in a deep baking tray and cover with marinade. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Pre-heat BBQ to medium-high, and cook skin side down for 4-6 minutes. Remove the tip of the snow peas, sauté in wok with olive oil and garlic until tender. Place snow peas on the plate and top with salmon.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Roast Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2kg leg of lamb
3 cloves garlic, sliced thick
2 tbsp. rosemary
¼ cup olive oil
1kg coliban potatoes cut in half
1kg butternut pumpkin roughly cut with the skin left on
300gm baby peas
20gm salted butter
2 tbsp. mint leaves shredded

Method:

Pre heat oven to 200ºC. Cut 2cm slits into the lamb. Insert slice of garlic and rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and place seasoned potatoes and pumpkin in a single layer around the lamb. Return to the oven and cook for a further 1-1½ hours.

Remove from oven, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cook peas in a saucepan of boiling water until just tender. Drain and toss with butter and fresh mint.

Homemade Gravy:

2 tbsp. plain flour
375ml beef stock
125ml red wine

Place roasting pan over a high heat, add flour to beef stock and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add wine and cook until mixture thickens.