Spicy Pork Mince

1 bunch of Bok sliced thinly
500gms pork mince
80mls peanut oil
2 sliced chillies
4cm sliced ginger
1 cup chicken stock
Shaoxing rice wine
Black Vinegar Choy
2 tsp ground Sichuan Pepper
Fried shallots
Peanuts
Sliced spring onions
Palm sugar

Stir fry onion, chillies, ginger, Bok Choy stems in peanut oil

Add and brown Pork mince

Add in vinegar, wine and sichuan pepper.

Stir rice through and garnish with spring onions, shallots and peanuts.

Welsh Rarebit

This is my take on this classic supper dish.

I know some will say this is more like a either a hot brown or buck, but I don't care its just quick and tasty.

Cook two pieces of toast
Fry 2 pieces of lean bacon
Place the bacon on the toast
Top with generous slices of cheddar
Grill until cheese melts
Top with a fried or poached egg

Kumara and Lentil Soup

Cut 2 kg of kumara in half, drizzle olive and bake at 180c for approx. 30 mins
Dice 4 onions and saute in olive oil
Add 5-6 sliced garlic cloves
Add 3 finely sliced stems of celery
When the vegetables have softened add 2 tbs Thai red curry paste
When the paste becomes fragrant add 2 ltrs chicken stock 400 mls coconut cream
Remove the baked kumara and scoop out the flesh either blend or mash and add to the pot
At this point I add legumes to the dish I use 1 cup yellow split peas and red lentils
Add palm sugar (or brown sugar) 2tbs fish sauce and 400mls more of coconut cream

When serving you can dress the soup with:
*Crispy bacon
*Cooked prawns
*Coriander
*Chopped fresh chilli


This makes about 3 ltrs of soup

Lamb Shank Navarin

A classic slow cooked winter dish.

Flour and Brown 2 lamb shanks

Add 2 sliced brown onion
2 Sliced garlic cloves
Deglaze with 1 glass of white wine
Add 500mls chicken consume
700mls passata
3 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
6 diced potatoes
2 bunches of Dutch carrots
1 peeled and cubed turnip

Simmer for 2 1/2 hours serve with crunchy bread

Masterchef

What is about Masterchef? I watched the U.K original and I still enjoy it a lot. New series just around the corner. A group of people cooking off against each other to find who is the best amateur cook.

I would never have predicted the huge success a version of this show would have here in Australia. The first season in 2009 was good, it certainly got better as it went along. This second series has done the unthinkable, it has improved on the ratings over the entire series.

Partly it is because they have listened to feedback and adjusted the program to develop the format. Why in a country where Four Ingredients was a best seller? If you don't know it basically makes putting food on the table a thing to be done by taking every short cut in the book. Have we changed so much so quickly?
Certainly sales of the ingredients for the recipes from the show have been used for the sponsoring supermarket.

Now I hear that Gordon Ramsay has presented a version of the program in the US.

I really want to know why this show has such appeal, what do you the readers think?

Anyway good luck to Adam and yes I am hanging out for next years program.

Wrapped Chicken in Mascarpone Sauce

Rub 2 chicken Maryland with olive oil and pepper, wrap in prosciutto
Oven bake for 40 mins

I also roasted assorted vegetables as an accompaniment.

For the sauce slice up some prosciutto
Dice 1 shallot
Dice 2 cloves of garlic
Saute until translucent
Add one class white wine
250 gms mascarpone

Serve covering the chicken with the sauce and two sage leaves

NB: I did not add salt as prosciutto is a very salty meat.

Middle Eastern Lamb Pizza

I miss masterchef after the final last week it's like what do I watch now? This recipe comes in the latest addition of the masterchef magazine and made a very nice meal.

I make my own pizza bases in my bread machine because they are better tasting than bought ones.

I cover the base with tomato sauce.

Simmer a finely diced onion, 2 finely diced cloves of garlic and 500gms minced lamb

Add to this mix 2 tsps of ground cumin and 2 tsps ground cinnamon

Place the mixture atop your pizza base and top with cooked chickpeas

Oven bake at 180c for 15 mins or until the crust is cooked.

Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt and coriander leaf.