Garlic and Spice Lamb

Apologies to anyone checking this blog regularly for updates (fingers crossed there may be at least one of you...) I have been very slack lately. We had Mark's 30th last weekend, and that event seemed to take up the majority of my time and effort for the last few weeks. The party was fabulous though (more about that later when I post the party menu).

But I have been doing a bit of cooking and will with any luck over the next few days post my most recent recipes. I'm also doing a bit of entertaining in August so those menus will be posted. I'm very excited that next weekend I am cooking for my friend Rochelle and her sister Lani - I have some really interesting fresh pasta ideas for that menu.

And thank you to Renee who after cooking my last post 'Chicken, Cherry Tomato, Mint and Danish Feta Pasta' noticed that the picture shows pine nuts but the recipe does not. I have rectified this now.

A word of warning about this one - it is not for the faint hearted when it comes to garlic. I absolutely loved it, but it may not be for everyone. Of course, you can simply reduce the amount of garlic to suit your tastes, but as it is not cooked for long, it still remains quite pungent. To reduce the pungency you could roast the garlic before adding it to the spices.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

4 cloves garlic

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 lamb fillets

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Bash the ingredients together and add the olive oil to form a paste.

Cook the lamb in a very hot pan until seared on one side. Turn the lamb over and spread the garlic and spice paste on the lamb. Place the lamb in the oven to finish cooking to your liking (normally about 4-6 minutes). Slice and serve with roasted tomatoes and potatoes - recipes to come.

Chicken, Cherry Tomato, Mint and Danish Feta Pasta

I go through phases with pasta. Sometimes I want it all the time. Other times I can happily not eat it for a while. I think because it is so heavy at night I find that I want something lighter.

Having said that, I went through bit of a pasta phase recently (probably due to it being cold outside), and this dish was one that I made at that time. What I love about it is that it is so fresh - and has all my favourite ingredients - tomatoes, mint, garlic, danish feta...

Ingredients (serves 2)

300-350g long pasta (spaghetti / fettuccini)

1 chicken breast trimmed

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic (or as much as you like)

250g cherry tomatoes halved

1 bunch mint roughly chopped

2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1-2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted

Danish feta (as much or as little as you like) crumbled

Salt and pepper

Method

Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Meanwhile, grill the chicken and set aside to keep warm.

Heat the olive oil in a fry pan. Add the garlic and fry gently and then add the tomatoes and cook until soft. Add the cooked pasta to the tomato mixture. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking liquid.

Stir to combine, adding red wine vinegar as you go. Slice chicken and add to the pasta. Stir though a little of the reserved cooking water if the pasta is a bit dry. Season with salt and pepper and mix through mint. Serve topped with pine nuts and danish feta.

Baked Meatballs with Fragrant Tomato Sauce

It has been a while since I posted something, I have about 6 recipes ready to post, but finding the time lately has not be that easy...

We're currently (still) trying to get the new house in order, and seem to almost be there. It seems to completely consume our eveings and weekends. But I am loving the kitchen in our new house - so much bench space!! And I recently purchased a new 10 piece Scanpan saucepan set (reduced from $1000 to $449 - how could I refuse, especially after one of my saucepans broke). Absolutely loving my new toys. And we're also planning a party for Mark's 30th, which I decided to cater - all finger food and noodle boxes. I've put a lot into the preparation so hopefully it all comes off well. I'll be sure to post that menu after this coming weekend.

For this particular dish I was inspired by a Donna Hay recipe that was in one of the Sunday paper magazines this week, but I made mine a little differently. Very easy, and even easier if you are able to make the meatballs in advance. I have my leftovers stored in the freezer. I just served it with a green salad, and if I had any, I would have also served with crusty bread to mop up the juices

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 brown onion finely diced

Olive oil (to fry and to drizzle over meatballs)

500g beef mince

300g pork mince

3-4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 cup parsley finely chopped

2 eggs

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

3 tins tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Splash white wine (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup)

1 teaspoon allspice

Basil leaves and parmesan cheese to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a small fry pan and fry the onion until soft. Set aside.

Meanwhile combine the mince, garlic, oregano, parsley, egg and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Use your hands to combine well. Season with salt and pepper. Roll into balls a little smaller in size than a golf ball. Place in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the tinned tomatoes and tomato paste in a bowl with the all spice and white wine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the tomato mixture over the meatballs and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Serve topped with basil leaves and parmesan.

Lemon Chorizo Pasta

As you are probably gathering by now, I really like chorizo. And I think lemon and spinach compliment it beautifully.

This dish is quick and easy to make and takes delicious. It is a favourite of mine. It is beautiful with a crisp white wine!

I've been working on a lot of recipes lately that are different to my usual dishes. As a result, not all of them are working out exactly as I hoped. For example, tonight I made a chicken dish simmered in soy, star anise and ginger. But it was not quite right, so I am refining it and hope to put it up soon. But I am hoping to add a lot more soon.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

300g fettuccini

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 chorizo sausages

2 cloves garlic crushed (add less or no garlic if you are not a garlic fan)
2 spring onions finely chopped

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

150g spinach (either baby spinach or English spinach)

1 bunch parsley finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Grated parmesan to serve

Method

Cook pasta in boiling salted water in accordance with packet instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large fry pan. Cook the chorizo until crispy (tends to take 5-10 minutes). Add garlic and spring onions and cook for 1-2 minutes being careful not to burn.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and add to the pan with the chorizo. Put pan on low heat. Add lemon juice and zest, baby spinach and parsley. Stir to combine (add some of the pasta cooking water or olive oil if it is a little dry). Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.