Lavender Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg white

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 drop high-quality Lavender essential oil

1/2 cup full fat milk

Cream Cheese Frosting

450 grams of cream cheese

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

fresh non treated lavender springs or flowers for topping

purple or pink food colouring, if desired

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

Fill a cupcake tin with liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set it aside.

Put the butter into another bowl and with an electric mixer, beat it until creamy.

Add the sugar and beat with the butter on high speed until fluffy for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add in the egg and egg white, mixing well on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

Add in the oil, vanilla and lavender essential oil, beating on medium speed for another minute.

With the mixer on low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk. Add in the other half of the dry ingredients and mix them on medium speed until the batter is combined.

Fill each liner about 2/3 of the way full. Bake until the tops are set, about 18 to 22 minutes.

Let cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy.

Beat in the sugar until combined.

Beat in the vanilla extract.

Ice the cooled cupcakes. Before serving, top with fresh lavender springs or flowers. If desired, you can add a drop of food colouring in (pink or purple) to colour the frosting!

Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs

Serves 4

500g boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts)

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup olive oil
4 lemons juiced, plus zest from one of the lemons
4-5 cloves garlic pressed or minced
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 red onion quartered into 3cm pieces
1 small zucchini sliced into 1cm thick coins
1 red capsicum seeded and cut into 3cm pieces

Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise into thirds, and then slice again into about 3cm pieces. Place the chicken pieces in a freezer bag or bowl and set aside.

Add the Greek yogurt and olive oil to a medium size bowl. Zest one of the lemons into the bowl then juice that lemon with the remaining three lemons and add to the bowl. Add the minced garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper and stir. Pour half of the marinade into the freezer bag or the bowl with the chicken pieces and reserve the other half of the marinade for basting. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

When ready to grill, prepare the grill by lightly oiling the grate with vegetable oil or cooking spray and set to medium high heat.

If using wooden skewers, prepare them by soaking in warm water for 10 minutes. If using metal skewers, no prep is necessary.

Thread the chicken on the skewers alternating with the red onion, zucchini and red capsicum until you've reached the end of the skewer, ending with chicken. Repeat with the remaining skewers. Discard any of the remaining marinade that had the chicken in it.

Grill the chicken, basting the kebabs with the reserved marinade and turning often so each side browns and has light grill marks, until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

Pie Maker Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pies

Makes 8 pies

1 tablespoon olive oil
600g chicken thigh fillets, fat trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces 
150g smoked rindless bacon rashers, coarsely chopped
150g button mushrooms, thickly sliced
40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
185ml (3/4 cup) thickened cream
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 green shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
4 sheets (25 x 25cm) frozen shortcrust pastry, just thawed
1 egg, whisked
Sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add half the chicken. Cook, turning halfway, for 5 minutes or until golden. Use tongs to transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the bacon to the pan. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until light golden. Add the mushroom. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until the mushroom softens. Sprinkle with the flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Slowly add the stock to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth. Add the cream, chicken and thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until mixture is thick. Season and stir through the shallot. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.

Use the pie-maker cutter to cut 8 large and 8 small pastry rounds from the pastry sheets.

Gently ease 4 large pieces of pastry into the pie maker. Spoon chicken mixture into pie bases to fill. Top with the 4 smaller pieces of pastry. Brush with egg. Turn the pie maker on. Close and cook for 8 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cook for a further 2 minutes or until pies are golden.

Repeat with the remaining pastry, chicken mixture, egg and sesame seeds.

Note: You can substitute any vegetables for the mushrooms, if you wish. I use a mix of chopped carrot, frozen peas and cooked corn off the cob.

Matt Preston's ball-ognaise

Serves 4

6 thick sausages of your choice 
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
500g pkt dried pasta of your choice
250ml (1 cup) cold water
1 lemon
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small bunch fresh continental parsley, stems and leaves separated
140g tub plain tomato paste
700ml btl plain passata
20g (1/4 cup) finely grated parmesan
220g tub cherry bocconcini, drained on paper towel or a clean tea towel

Pour enough water into a large saucepan or stockpot to fill one-third full. Cover and bring to the boil over high heat. Put the kettle on. Pour a little warm water and a dash of oil into a small bowl. Line a dinner plate with non-stick baking paper. Slit the ends of the sausages and squeeze out small pieces of mince from the casing onto the prepared plate. Dip your hands in the oiled water and shape mince pieces into balls.
Pour the boiling water from the kettle into the saucepan of hot water. Season well with salt. Cover and bring back to the boil.
Heat the oil in a deep large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, tossing occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned.
Add the pasta to the saucepan and stir. Add the cold water and stir again (this stops the pasta sticking together). Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet directions or until just al dente.
Meanwhile, use a peeler to peel 2 wide strips of rind from the lemon, reserving the remaining lemon.
Add the garlic to the frying pan and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Use scissors to snip the parsley stalks into the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until it darkens slightly. Add the passata and lemon rind strips. Reduce heat to medium and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 4 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
Finely chop the parsley leaves and place in a bowl. Finely grate the remaining lemon rind into the bowl along with the parmesan. Toss to combine. Place serving bowls in the sink. Reserve 125ml (1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking liquid then place the colander on top of the bowls. Drain the pasta (this will warm the bowls).
Add 1-2 spoonfuls of the meatball sauce to the saucepan. Return the pasta to the pan and toss to combine. Drain the water from the warmed bowls and divide the pasta mixture among the bowls. Stir some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid into the remaining meatball sauce if it is a little thick. Stir in the bocconcini and stir gently until warmed through and starting to melt a little. Spoon the meatball sauce on top of the pasta mixture and sprinkle with the parsley mixture to serve.

Devonshire Honey Cake

250g clear honey, plus about 2 tbsp extra to glaze
225g unsalted butter
100g dark muscovado sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
300g self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3.
Butter and line a 20cm round loosebottomed cake tin.
Cut the butter into pieces and drop into a medium pan with the honey and sugar.
Melt slowly over a low heat.
When the mixture looks quite liquid, increase the heat under the pan and boil for about one minute.
Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes, to prevent the eggs cooking when they are mixed in.
Beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture using a wooden spoon.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture, beating until you have a smooth, quite runny batter.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour until the cake is well-risen, golden brown and springs back when pressed. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
Turn the cake out on a wire rack.
Warm 2 tbsp honey in a small pan and brush over the top of the cake to give a sticky glaze, then leave to cool.
Keeps for 4-5 days wrapped, in an airtight tin.

Marion Grasby's quick ragu noodles with lemon pangrattato

Serves 4 generously

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to serve
500g mince of your choice
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans plain whole peeled tomatoes
75g (1/4 cup) shiro miso paste (I used white)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons plain tomato paste
2 whole star anise
400g fresh Chinese egg noodles
Finely grated parmesan, to serve

LEMON PANGRATTATO
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
25g (1/2 cup) panko breadcrumbs
1 lemon, rind finely grated
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh continental parsley leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Place a large saucepan of water over a high heat. Cover and bring to the boil.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. Add the mince and spread it out in the pan. Season with salt and allow to sear for 3-4 minutes or until a deep colour on the bottom of the mince. Use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to break up the mince.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the tomatoes, miso, soy sauce, tomato paste and star anise. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove the star anise and discard. Taste and season with salt, if desired. Cover to keep the ragu warm.
Meanwhile, to make the lemon pangrattato, heat the oil in a small frying pan over high heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook, tossing, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat and stir through the lemon rind, parsley and sea salt flakes.
Cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until just al dente. Reserve 125ml (1/2 cup) of the noodle cooking water then drain the noodles.
Return the noodles to the saucepan with a large spoonful of ragu. Drizzle over some extra oil and a little of the reserved noodle cooking water. Toss the noodles over medium heat until well combined and the sauce is glossy.
Divide the noodle mixture among serving bowls. Spoon over the remaining ragu. Top with parmesan and a generous sprinkle of the lemon pangrattato.

Baked Salmon with Garlic and Dijon

Serves 4

4 salmon fillets
2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
2 Tbsp light olive oil not extra virgin
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves pressed
1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt we use sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 Lemon sliced into 4 rings

Preheat oven to 220˚C and line a rimmed baking sheet with baking paper.
Arrange salmon on a lined baking sheet, skin-side-down.
In a small bowl, combine parsley, garlic, oil, lemon juice, Dijon, salt and pepper.
Generously spread the marinade over the top and sides of the salmon then top each piece with a slice of lemon.
Bake for 12-15 min or until just cooked through and flaky; don't over-cook.
Serve with mashed potato and steamed vegetables of your choice.

Pumpkin Soup

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1kg peeled pumpkin, diced
1 large potato, peeled, diced
1L Massel chicken style liquid stock or vegetable liquid stock
1/2 cup (125ml) thin cream

Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat, add onion and leek and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened but not coloured.
Add garlic and spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add pumpkin, potato and stock and bring to the boil.
Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, then blend in batches.
Return soup to pan, stir through cream and reheat gently.
Season and add a little more nutmeg if desired.

Nina’s Sloppy Joes

Favourite of my kids!

Makes 6-8 burgers

500g lean beef mince

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp mustard

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Burger buns of your choice

Coleslaw of your choice

Brown beef over medium heat in a deep frypan or saucepan with a little oil. 

Drain if liquid has accumulated. 

Add brown sugar, mustard and ketchup, stirring to combine

Allow to simmer for 5 min on low heat. 

Serve on buns topped with ‘slaw. 

Arroz Con Leche (Peruvian Rice Pudding)

200 g rice (1 cup)
650 ml water
juice of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 tin evaporated milk (400 ml)
1 tin sweetened condensed milk (400 g)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
cinnamon powder, to serve

 Pour the water into a heavy saucepan.
Add the juice of one orange, the cinnamon stick and the cloves.
Bring to a boil.
Wash the rice thoroughly and add to the boiling water.
Bring to a boil again.
Then reduce heat and let simmer without lid until the water is gone and the rice is soft (about 15 – 20 minutes).
Remove the cloves and the cinnamon stick.
Add the evaporated milk.
Constantly stirring, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer continuing stirring until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes).
Then add the sweetened condensed milk.
Without stopping stirring, continue cooking over low heat until your rice pudding gets creamy (about 10 minutes).
Stir in the vanilla essence.
Put the rice pudding in a bowl or small glasses, sprinkle with cinnamon powder and serve hot or cold.