Some tasty, light meals to get you through these hot days...

Beetroot, Chickpea & Tuna Salad

Serves 4

1x 450g can baby beetroot, drained & halved
2x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed & drained
8 bocconcini, halved
2 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 cup basil leaves
40g baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp lemon zest
2x 185g cans tuna, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp harissa paste or Moroccan spice blend
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp caster sugar

Place beetroot, chickpeas, bocconcini, tomato, basil, spinach, lemon zest & tuna in bowl & mix to combine.
Place oil, paste, juice & sugar in bowl & whisk to combine.
Spoon over salad to serve.

Pan-fried Lemon & Garlic Chicken

Serves 4

4x chicken breast fillets, trimmed
2 tbsp lemon-flavoured olive oil (or 2 tbsp olive oil & 1 tsp lemon juice)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt & cracked black pepper
2 bunches broccolini, blanched
2x 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp lemon-flavoured olive oil, extra
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Place chicken in bowl with oil, garlic, salt & pepper & toss to combine.
Heat large non-stick frypan over medium-high heat.
Add chicken & cook for 5 min each side or until cooked through.
Set aside & keep warm.
Add broccolini & beans to pan & cook for 1-2 min or until warmed through.
Place parsley, onion, extra oil & vinegar in bowl & toss to combine.
Arrange chicken, broccolini & beans on plate & top with parsley mixture to serve.

Char-grilled Chilli Jam Steak

Serves 2

2x 180g sirloin steaks, trimmed
1 brown onion, thickly sliced
olive oil, for brushing
sea salt flakes
2 tbsp chilli jam
1/2 cup whole-egg mayonnaise
1 tbsp chilli jam, extra
baby spinach leaves & thick chips, to serve

Heat char-grill pan or BBQ over high heat.
Brush steaks & onion with oil & sprinkle with salt.
Cook for 4 min each side.
Brush steak & onions with chilli jam & cook for further 30 sec for medium or until steak is cooked to your liking & onion is caramelised.
Combine mayonnaise & extra chilli jam & serve with steak, onion, baby spinach & chips.

Spicy Indian Chicken & Mango Curry

A fresh curry perfect for summer.

Serves 4

2 medium mangoes, peeled, sliced
400ml can coconut milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon hot curry paste*
500g chicken breast fillets, cut into 3cm pieces
4 medium shallots, sliced
1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced

Place half of mango slices into bowl of blender with coconut milk.
Blend until smooth.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Cook curry paste, stirring, for 2 min or until fragrant.
Add chicken & shallots & cook for 5-7 min or until chicken is just cooked through.
Pour in the mango puree & cook until heated through.
To serve, stir in remaining mango slices & cucumber.

*If you can't get ready-made paste, use the whole recipe below:

Curry Paste

1 tsp cumin seeds
12 red chillies, chopped (or to taste)
6 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp turmeric
2 inches ginger, chopped, or 4 tsp minced ginger

Grind all ingredients in together in a mortar & pestle.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Serves 12

300g butter, chopped
3 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup hazelnut meal or almond meal
1 cup milk
2 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup cocoa powder
fresh berries to serve
chocolate icing
1 cup (single) cream
1/2 cup cocoa powder, extra, sifted
400g dark chocolate, chopped
150g butter

Preheat oven to 160°C.
Place butter & sugar in bowl of electric mixer & beat until light & creamy.
Add eggs & beat well.
Add hazelnut meal & milk, sift over flour, baking powder & cocoa & mix until combined.
Spoon mixture into 2x 20cm round greased & lined cake tins & bake for 55 min or until cooked when tested with skewer.
Allow cakes to cool.
To make chocolate icing, place the cream & extra cocoa in saucepan over low heat & stir until smooth.
Add chocolate & butter & stir till smooth.
Place mixture in bowl & refrigerate until cold.
Beat icing with electric mixer until light & fluffy.
Spread icing over tops of both cakes & place one cake on top of the other.
Keep cool until serving.
Serve with berries.
Also good for cupcakes - makes about 24; only cook for about 30 min.

A Vegetarian Feast for Four!

Garlic & Sage Marinated Antipasto

6 artichoke hearts, halved & well drained
200g green & black olives
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp fruity olive oil
15 sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, sliced
cracked black pepper
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
150g fetta cheese, sliced
crispbread biscuits or crusty bread, to serve

Combine artichokes, olives & tomatoes.
Place oil & sage in small saucepan over medium heat & cook for 1 min.
Add garlic & pepper & cook for further 2 min or until sage is crisp.
Remove from heat & stir through vinegar.
Pour over artichoke mixture & stand for 5 min before serving with fetta & bread.

Simple Leek & Ricotta Tarts

500g fresh ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
600g ready-prepared puff pastry
1 leek, trimmmed & finely sliced
45g butter, melted
2 tsp thyme leaves
sea salt & cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place ricotta, parmesan & eggs in bowl & whisk until smooth.
Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface until 3mm thick.
Alternatively, defrost pastry sheets & use lightly beaten egg to "stick" sheets together to get required thickness.
Cut into 4 x 15cm squares & place on baking trays lined with non-stick paper.
Spread ricotta mixture over pastry squares leaving 2cm border.
Place leek on top of ricotta mixture & brush with butter.
Sprinkle with thyme, salt & pepper & bake for 25-30 min or until leek is golden.
Serve with fennel & parsley salad (below).

Fennel & Parsley Salad

4 baby fennel, trimmed & thinly sliced
2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp seeded mustard
sea salt & cracked black pepper

Place fennel & parsley in serving bowl & toss to combine.
Place orange juice, oil, mustard, salt & pepper in another bowl & whisk to combine.
Pour over salad & serve with tarts (above).

Raspberry-Spiked Chocolate Brownies

Makes 16

200g dark chocolate, chopped
250g butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa, sifted
1 1/2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen (no need to defrost)

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place chocolate & butter in small saucepan over low heat & stir until melted & smooth.
Place in bowl with sugar & eggs.
Sift over flour, baking powder & cocoa & mix to combine.
Pour into 23cm greased square cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper.
Top mixture with raspberries & bake for 30-35 min or until set.
Serve warm or cold with thick cream or vanilla ice cream.

And a good breakfast smoothie...

Raspberry Yoghurt Smoothie

Makes 4

2 cups cranberry juice
2 cups vanilla yoghurt
2 cups frozen raspberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp honey

Roughly blend all ingredients together & serve in chilled glasses. Too easy!

Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat

For fluffy roast potatoes use Maris Piper or King Edwards. For firmer fleshed spuds use red-skinned Desiree. You can buy duck fat in a can from the Essential Ingredient or any good deli (or use fat from ducks if already cooking).

1.5-2kg potatoes (depending on appetites)
about 300ml duck fat
2-3 thyme sprigs or 1 large rosemary sprig, stripped & chopped
sea salt & cracked black pepper

Peel potatoes & cut into similar sized chunks, about 4-5cm.
Boil in lightly salted water for about 5 minutes, timing from when the water comes to the boil.
Drain & shake in the colander to rough up the surfaces a bit.
Meanwhile, heat fat in a large roasting pan at 190°C until it has a slight haze coming from it.
Remove the pan & carefully tip in the potatoes, turning them in the hot fat to coat. Season nicely & scatter over the herb leaves.
Roast for 25-30 minutes, turning once when they should be golden & crispy.
Spoon into warm serving dish, but don’t cover or they will go soft.

Fresh Tuna & Green Bean Stir-fry

Serves 4

300g green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp oil
600g piece of tuna, cut into small cubes
250g punnet small cherry tomatoes
16 small black olives
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 anchovy fillets, rinsed, dried & finely chopped
sea salt & cracked black pepper
3 tbsp small basil leaves

Blanch beans in small saucepan of boiling water for 2 min.
Drain & refresh under cold water, then set aside.
Heat wok until very hot, add oil & swirl around to coat side.
Stir-fry tuna in batches for about 5 min each batch, or until cooked on the outside but still a little pink on the inside.
Add cherry tomatoes, olives & beans to wok, then gently toss until heated through.
Add lemon juice, garlic, anchovies & tuna & stir well.
Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Serve scattered with basil leaves.

Stewed Rhubarb & Apple with Roasted Chestnuts

Serves 6

1kg (1 bunch) rhubarb, trimmed & coarsely chopped
500g (about 3) golden delicious apples, peeled, cored & coarsely chopped
220g (1 cup) granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
500g chestnuts
20g unsalted butter
1 cup double cream


Place rhubarb, apples, sugar & ¼ cup water in a large saucepan & bring to the boil, cover & cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until tender.
Add cinnamon & cook, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until well combined.
Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut a cross in the end of each chestnut & place in a roasting pan.
Roast at 220°C for 5 minutes or until skin has softened, cool slightly, then carefully peel chestnuts while still warm.
Heat butter in a large frying pan until foamy, add chestnuts & stir over medium-high heat, for 5 minutes or until golden.
Serve stewed rhubarb & apple warm or at room temperature, with warm roasted chestnuts & spoonfuls of cream.

Especially for Linda:

Pumpkin Soup

The flavour of this soup will vary depending on what kind of pumpkin you use - jap, butternut, golden nugget - so try them all!

Serves 4-6

30g unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp favourite spice, like curry powder, coriander or cumin (optional)
750g peeled pumpkin, seeded
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
sea salt & cracked black pepper
cream (optional)
snipped chives & other herbs to garnish

Melt butter in large saucepan & sauté onion & garlic until soft, without colouring.
If adding spice, add now & fry very gently for 1 min or so.
Add pumpkin, stock & water.
Bring slowly to boil & simmer, covered, for about 15 min until pumpkin is tender.
Cool slightly & purée mixture in several batches using food processor or blender (hand blender works well).
Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Add little more stock or water if necessary to make good consistency, depending on pumpkin.
Swirl in little cream, if liked.
Reheat gently & ladle soup into bowls.
Garnish with chives & chopped parsley or coriander leaves, if liked.

Some winter warmers:

Tomato, Chicken & Bean Soup

Serves 6

2 tbsp olive oil
3 rashers bacon, rind removed, chopped
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
400g can chopped tomatoes
100g macaroni or other small pasta
sea salt & cracked black pepper
2 x 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
250g green beans, trimmed & sliced
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
chicken stock*
1.5kg whole chicken
1 brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled & chopped
4 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
2.5L water or enough to cover

To make stock, place chicken stock ingredients in large saucepan over high heat.
Bring to boil, cover & reduce heat to low.
Cook for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through.
Use large metal spoon to occasionally skim foam from surface.
Remove chicken & allow to cool slightly.
Remove skin & discard.
Shred chicken meat from bones & set aside.
Strain stock, discarding vegetables.
Heat oil in large saucepan over high heat.
Add bacon & chilli & cook for 2-3 min or until browned.
Add strained stock, tomatoes, pasta, shredded chicken, salt & pepper & cook for 8-10 min or until pasta is al dente.
Add cannellini beans & green beans & cook for 1 min.
Top with parmesan to serve.
*Alternatively, use about 600g chicken breast fillets, poached & shredded, & 2L good quality chicken stock (like Campbell's).

Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Pan Pie

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
6 x 150g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed & chopped
250g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
1 cup single cream
200g feta, chopped
1 sheet store-bought puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in ovenproof 24cm frypan* over high heat.
Add chicken & cook for 5 min or until browned & cooked through.
Remove from pan.
Add remaining oil, mushrooms, garlic & rosemary & cook fro 5 min or until browned.
Add cream & chicken & cook for 1-2 min or until thickened slightly.
Stir through feta.
Place pastry over pan & trim edges.
Brush with egg & bake for 20 min or until puffed & golden.
*Alternatively, cook in a non-stick frypan & transfer to a pie dish when adding feta.

Beef & Haloumi Burgers

Serves 2

200g beef mince
1/2 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped oregano leaves
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
sea salt & cracked black pepper
olive oil, for shallow frying
100g store-bought roasted & marinated capsicum
100g haloumi cheese, sliced
2 wood-fired bread rolls
2 tbsp store-bought baba ghanoush

Combine mince, oregano, worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper.
Divide mixture into 2 & shape into patties.
Heat non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Add oil & patties & cook for 6 min each side or until cooked to your liking.
Remove & keep warm.
Add capsicum & haloumi & cook for 1-2 min each side or until cheese is golden/
To assemble, spread rolls with baba ghanoush.
Top with haloumi, capsicum & patties.
Serve with salad &/or chips of your choice.

The proposal dinner:

Beef, Bocconcini & Basil Salad

Serves 2

2 tsp vegetable oil
2 x 150g fillet steaks (or whichever cut you prefer)
4 bocconcini, sliced
1 cup small basil leaves
2 small vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 tbsp chives, cut into 3cm lengths
sea salt & cracked black pepper
dressing
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard

To make dressing, whisk vinegar, oil & mustard until combined.
Heat frypan over medium-high heat.
Add oil & steaks & cook for 3 min each side or until cooked to your liking.
Set aside to rest for 5 min.
Slice steaks & place in bowl along with bocconcini, basil, tomatoes, chives, salt & pepper.
Drizzle with dressing & serve warm or at room temperature with a nice red.

And for dessert, a simple dish of blueberries with King Island Honey & Cinnamon Yoghurt served with dessert wine. (We had Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora.)

Steak with Café de Paris Butter

This is also great with kangaroo steak because of its strong flavour.

250g butter, softened
1/2 tsp hot English mustard
1/2 tsp tomato paste
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp salted capers, rinsed, drained, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 tsp paprika
sea salt & cracked black pepper
onglet (skirt) steaks, to serve

Put butter, mustard, tomato paste, garlic, capers, parsley, paprika, salt & pepper in a bowl & stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Wrap in plastic wrap, roll into cylinder shape & refrigerate until firm.
Cook steaks to your liking.
Slice butter & serve on top of steaks (or any grilled meats) with French fries & green beans.
Leftover butter will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Lime Tart

You can make this tart up to 1 day ahead & store in an airtight container in fridge.

Serves 8

5 eggs, lightly whisked
250ml (1 cup) thin cream
155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
2 tbs finely grated lime rind
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lime juice
2-3 drops green food colouring
1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry
Plain flour, to dust
Fresh or thawed frozen raspberries, to serve
Double cream, to serve

Combine eggs, cream, sugar, lime rind & juice, & food colouring in bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap & place in fridge for 1 hour to develop flavours.
Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 3mm-thick disc.
Line round 23cm (base measurement) fluted tart tin, with removable base, with pastry & trim any excess.
Place in fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Cover pastry base with baking paper & fill with pastry weights, rice or dried beans.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove paper & weights.
Bake for further 8 minutes or until golden.
Remove from oven & reduce oven to 160°C.
Strain lime mixture through fine sieve into jug.
Pour into pastry case.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until just set.
Remove from oven & set aside to cool completely.
Place in fridge for 1 hour to chill.
Sprinkle tart with raspberries.
Cut into wedges & serve with cream.

Homemade Instant Pancake Mix with Blueberry Syrup

Makes 15

dry pancake mix
600g plain flour
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
40g caster sugar
pancakes (amounts per 150g dry mixture)
1 egg, lightly beaten
250ml milk
1 tbsp melted butter
blueberry syrup
125ml maple syrup
200g blueberries

For dry pancake mix, place all dry ingredients into bowl & mix well.
Transfer to airtight container, seal & store until needed.
To make pancakes, add appropriate quantity of egg, milk & melted butter per 150g (about 1 cup) of dry mixture.
Mix well to form smooth batter.
Heat flat griddle or non-stick frypan without adding oil.
Spoon drops of 1½-2 tablespoons of batter onto hot griddle & when bubbles appear on surface of pancakes, flip over & cook until golden-brown on both sides (about 1 minute per side).
Meanwhile, for blueberry syrup, place maple syrup & blueberries into pan & bring to boil.
Reduce heat & simmer for 2-3 minutes, until blueberries have broken down slightly.
To serve, pour blueberry syrup over pancakes.
If you have any of the syrup left over, you will notice that it sets into a kind of glossy jam.
This will keep for a few days decanted into a jar & put in the fridge, & is good in yoghurt or spread on bread.