Pork & Asian Greens Stir-Fry

This is a relatively quick, lightly flavoured stirfy, great for those nights when you don't feel like working too hard!

Ingredients
300g pork fillet, thinly sliced
1 red onion, cut into thick wedges
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tsp peanut oil
1 bunch broccolini, cut into 5cm pieces diagonally
1 bunch baby choy sum, coarsely chopped
1 bunch baby buk choy, washed, dried, quartered
60ml (1/4 cup) oyster sauce

Method
1. Combine the pork, onion, garlic, ginger and Chinese five spice in a bowl. Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat. Add one-third of the pork mixture. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until brown. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with the remaining pork mixture.

2. Heat remaining oil in the wok over high heat. Add the broccolini and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until bright green and tender crisp. Add the pork mixture, choy sum, buk choy and oyster sauce and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until buk choy just wilts.

Serve on rice

Notes
I've made this recipe without the oyster sauce (Completely unintentionally, I just forgot all about it!) and it still tasted great!


Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

A yummy dish, sure to be a hit in your house!

Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil
500g rump steak, cut across the grain into thin strips
1 medium brown onion, cut into thin wedges
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g mushroom flats, sliced
2 tsp cornflour
1 250g carton sour light cream
2 tbs tomato paste
125mls (1/2 cup) beef stock
2 tbs finely chopped fresh continental parsley
400g dried fettuccine pasta

Method
1. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat until just smoking. Add 1/2 the steak and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until just cooked. Remove from wok. Repeat with another 2 tsp of oil and remaining steak. Remove from wok.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to wok. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.

3. Combine cornflour, sour cream and tomato paste in a bowl. Add to wok with stock and stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Return steak to wok and stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until steak is just heated through. Stir in parsley.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in pan of salted boiling water, following packet directions; until al dente. Drain. Serve with beef stroganoff.

Notes
This recipe is slightly more tomato-y then most stroganoff recipes which makes it great for children. My dad used to make stroganoff for us kids and we didn't like it until he started adding more tomato to it! Might just work for your kids :) This also happens to be the only way I'll eat mushrooms!

Also, if serving it for children, you can chop up the pasta (or use a short pasta like a penne) and stir it through before serving.

Enjoy!

Apricot And Sultana Rock Cakes

My mother used to make these little beauties, they're my absolute favourites! (Yep, they even beat triple choc chunk cookies!)

Ingredients
1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1 cup plain self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup caster sugar
90g butter, chilled, chopped
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup sultanas
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup reduced-fat milk

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

2. Sift flours and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in sugar.

3. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in apricots and sultanas. Make a well in the centre.

4. Combine egg and milk in a jug. Add egg mixture to flour. Using a flat-bladed knife, mix to form a soft dough, adding more milk if required.

5. Spoon rounded tablespoons of mixture, 5cm apart, onto prepared trays. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes
This recipe makes about 18 average sized biscuits, or about 20 smaller ones.

Any dried fruit will work in this recipe, I've used dried apple in place of the apricots before.

Enjoy!

Mince and Pea Curry

Tired of the normal savoury mince dishes? Try something with a little bit of spice with this delicious twist on a family favourite!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons madras curry paste

650g beef mince

400g can diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.

2. Add beef and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until browned. Add tomatoes and bring to the boil.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until liquid has almost evaporated.

4. Stir in peas and cook for 1 minute or until peas cooked through.

Serve on rice with papadums.

Notes

You can change the heat of this dish simply by adding more or less of the madras paste. My husband likes it spicier, so I usually add another tablespoon.

Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Chicken Paella

This is simple version of the classic paella. Very hearty and full of flavour, this is a fantastic family dish.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
6 chicken thighs on the bone, skin on, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
250g chorizo sausages, roughly chopped
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 1/2 cups Gravox Chicken Stock
2 cups arborio rice
400g can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup frozen peas

Method
1. Combine paprika and 1 teaspoon of turmeric in a bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over both sides of the chicken. Using your fingertips, rub spices into the chicken.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 26cm (base) paella pan or a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chorizo, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until chorizo is light golden. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add remaining oil to the pan. Cook chicken, skin side down, for 4 minutes or until golden. Turn over and cook for a further 3 minutes. Turn chicken skin side up. Add 1 cup of stock to the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the lid. Boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until almost all liquid has evaporated.

4. Combine 2 cups of remaining stock and remaining turmeric in a jug. Add rice, tomatoes and stock mixture to pan. Stir to combine. Return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed.

5. Add peas, chorizo mixture and remaining 1/2 cup of stock. Simmer for 5 minutes or until stock is just absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

Apple Crumble

A great Aussie favourite. The humble apple pie just got so much better!

Ingredients
150g (1 cup) plain flour
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
100g chilled butter, chopped
50g (1/2 cup) rolled oats
60g (1/2 cup) Sultanas
6-8 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and oats in a bowl.

3. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the walnuts.

4. Layer the apple into a 1.5L (6-cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Scatter the crumble mixture evenly over the apples. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Serve with custard or vanilla ice-cream.

Quiche Lorraine

A yummy light dinner for those days when you want something simple yet satisfying :)

Ingredients
2 sheets ready rolled shortcrust pastry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
4 rashers bacon, rind removed, finely chopped
1 cup grated tasty cheese
3 eggs
1 teaspoon plain flour
300ml cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup corn
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a fluted 3cm deep, 23cm (base), loose-base flan pan.

2. Line base and sides of flan with pastry. Trim excess. Line pastry with baking paper. Half-fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans. Bake a further 10 minutes or until golden.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bacon. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Cool. Sprinkle over pastry. Top with cheese and corn.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C. Whisk remaining ingredients and salt and pepper in a jug. Pour over bacon.

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Stand for 5 minutes