Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

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This is a very simple but tasty and impressive side dish that can be served with fish, chicken, steak or even lamb. I recently served it with a lamb roast and cooked it over the top of my other roast veggies which made them extra tasty, as all the fat from the prosciutto drips out onto the other vegetables, giving them a real flavour boost!

• 12 thin slices of prosciutto
• 36 spears of asparagus, washed, dried & trimmed of woody ends
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

1. Lay the prosciutto slices out flat on your work surface. Take 3 spears of the prepared asparagus and roll tightly in the prosciutto.
2. Place on a baking tray (or over your other vegetables if you are doing it this way) and drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt & pepper.
3. Roast in preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius until prosciutto is crisp and asparagus is tender.

Sticky Date Pudding

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If I had to choose only three desserts I could eat for the rest of my life, sticky date pudding would definitely be one of them. In my eyes, there are few things in life that can come close to a good sticky date pudding; there is something so comforting about that moist yet fluffy square of cake packed with chunks of gooey date floating in the warm sticky butterscotch sauce that just causes all my cares to disappear. It’s hard to find a good sticky date pudding these days though. Many are too dense, others are too dry and some seem to be lacking any dates at all! This recipe, for me, is just perfect. Just enough chunks of date to stumble upon one in every mouthful, not too heavy and definitely not dry and accompanied by the most heavenly butterscotch sauce in the world …

I like to serve this with the best quality clotted cream I can find and garnish with a fresh strawberry and sprig of mint for some colour.

Sticky Date Pudding

• 2 cups water
• 300 grams pitted dates, very roughly chopped (you want some decent sized chunks in there)
• 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
• 100 grams butter, at room temperature
• 250 grams brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 300 grams plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 100 grams dark chocolate, finely grated

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a square cake tin.
2. Combine the water, dates and bi-carb soda in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes. Stir and then remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. In the bowl of your kitchen mixer, beat the brown sugar and butter together until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring to beat well between each addition.
4. Add the vanilla and beat for a further 30 seconds.
5. Fold in the grated chocolate and date mixture and then gently fold in the flour. Do not overwork the mixture, but ensure the flour is fully incorporated into the batter.
6. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 45 – 60 minutes, depending on the size of your tin. Test that the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake; if it comes out clean, it is done.
7. Allow to cool in tin for 15 minutes.
8. While the cake is cooling, prepare the butterscotch sauce (recipe follows).
9. When the cake has cooled, use a skewer to poke holes into the cake. Make sure that the skewer does not touch the bottom of the tin though! Spoon 2 tablespoons of the butterscotch sauce over the cake and allow the holes to soak up the sauce.
10. Slice and serve with extra butterscotch sauce, clotted cream and fresh strawberries.

Butterscotch Sauce

• 200 grams brown sugar
• 1 cup pouring cream
• 200 grams cold butter

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and allow the sauce to reduce for 2 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

*NOTE – to reheat and serve, put a slice of the cake topped with extra butterscotch sauce in the microwave for 40 seconds.

Spicy Chicken & Chorizo Lasagne

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If you’re looking for a change from the standard old beef mince lasagne, this should do the trick. Flavourful, spicy and surprisingly light, this version forgoes the traditional bechamel sauce layer and instead just uses fresh buffalo mozzarella and grated pecorino on top. Serve this with some lightly steamed vegies and a glass of red for a beautiful autumn Sunday supper. Yum yum!

• 1 kg chorizo sausage meat removed from casing
• 750 grams chicken thigh fillet, diced
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 800 grams diced tomatoes
• 600 ml tomato passata
• Chopped fresh red chilli, to taste
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• ½ tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
• Fresh lasagne sheets
• 350 grams buffalo mozzarella, torn
• ¼ cup grated pecorino cheese

1. Heat a little olive oil in a large heavy fry pan and brown the sausage meat, breaking it up with your spatula as you go. When the meat is browned, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the chicken to the pan and brown for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from pan and add to the sausage meat.
3. Add the onion, garlic and thyme to the pan and reduce heat to medium high. You may need to add a little olive oil at this stage if the chicken has soaked up all the oil left behind from the chorizo. Season with salt & pepper and then add the chilli.
4. Return the chicken and sausage meat to the pan and bring the heat back to high. Add the wine and allow the alcohol to burn off before adding the tomatoes and passata.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
6. To assemble the lasagne, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish and then top with a lasagne sheet.
7. Repeat this process until all the sauce has been used, making sure the last layer is sauce. Top with the cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until pasta is cooked through and the cheese is golden brown.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

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I made a batch of these gorgeous little treats for my sister-in-law-to-be’s baby shower today. She had requested I make her favourite red velvet cake in the form of cupcakes, which I was more than happy to do, but I wanted to make them extra special so decided to make my own fondant booties to decorate them with. I really wish I had of gotten a good shot of all the cupcakes plated up as they looked absolutely adorable all lined up together, but unfortunately I forgot in all the excitement!

I used my regular red velvet cake recipe for the cupcakes and just tinted the cream cheese frosting before decorating with the fondant booties. To make the booties just follow the steps below:

1. Tint the fondant with a few drops of rose pink food colouring. Knead until the fondant is soft and pliable and then roll into 48 marble sized balls and 48 pea sized balls.
2. Take one of the marble sized balls and flatten into a thick oval shape resembling the base of the bootie. Take one pea sized ball and place on top of the end of the flattened oval. Use the end of a paintbrush or chopstick to make a hole in the small ball.
3. Holding the paintbrush/chopstick  upright in the hole, use a toothpick to make the ribbed pattern around the edge of the smaller ball.
4. Spin the paintbrush/chopstick around inside the hole to widen it a bit more and form the sock part of the bootie.
5. Repeat with remaining fondant balls.

Penne Carbonara

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This is a great dish to master for those last minute dinner guests. It can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and requires just a few simple ingredients. If you can’t find mascarpone cheese, you can substitute with thickened cream instead, although using cream will mean the sauce is a lot looser.

• 450 grams dried penne pasta
• 1 cup diced pancetta
• Olive oil
• 4 egg yolks
• 250 grams mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
2. While pasta is cooking, fry the pancetta in a little olive oil until it turns golden brown and crispy. Remove pan from heat.
3. In a large bowl combine the egg yolks, mascarpone and half the parmesan. Use electric beaters to whip until smooth and fully combined.
4. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and immediately add to the bowl with the mascarpone mixture. Add the pancetta and toss until the pasta is thoroughly coated in the carbonara sauce.
5. Serve immediately topped with the remaining parmesan.

Easter Bread & Butter Pudding

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If you’re looking for a way to use up all those leftover choc-chip hot cross buns, just stop right now because this is IT! This dessert is so decadently wicked that you’ll be begging your local bakery to make choc-chip hot cross buns all year round. Luckily they won’t, otherwise your hips (and bathroom scales!) would never forgive you …

• 1 1/2 cups thickened cream
• 1 1/2 cups full cream milk
• 125 grams chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 choc-chip hot cross buns, each one sliced into 3 pieces

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.
2. Bring the cream and milk to a boil. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk over medium heat for 3 – 4 minutes or until everything has dissolved to form a creamy chocolate milk. Allow to cool slightly.
3. While cream mixture is cooling, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy and the sugar has dissolved.
4. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate cream mixture over a medium heat to form a custard of medium consistency.
5. In a greased baking dish, spread a layer of custard across the bottom. Top with hot cross bun slices and then cover in custard. Repeat until dish is full, ensuring the top layer is custard.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 – 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with extra thick cream or ice-cream.

Wagyu Steak & Mushroom Pie

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I absolutely love a good meat pie and I have to say that this one is exceptionally good. Unlike the mystery meat you find in your local service station pie, this one is decadently filled with wagyu steak which is slow cooked with onions, mushrooms and thyme in a white wine gravy resulting in the most delicious tender pie filling you will ever eat! My local butcher sells wagyu casserole steak, which is basically the offcuts from the prime steak, for $20 a kilo so whilst wagyu pie may sound horribly extravagant, it is actually quite economical! This recipe makes enough for one super size family pie or one regular size family pie as well as six regular bakery size pies.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1kg diced wagyu casserole steak
• 2 large brown onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
• 250g sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon cornflour dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, lightly whisked

1. Heat half the oil and butter in a large heavy based fry pan over medium-high heat. Toss the steak with the salt, pepper & flour in a large bowl and then brown in batches before transferring to a slow cooker.
2. Add the remaining oil & butter and then brown the sliced onions and mushrooms for 2 – 3 minutes before adding the garlic and thyme leaves. Cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes and then add the white wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate and then transfer to the slow cooker.
3. Add the tomatoes and beef stock to the slow cooker, stir to combine and cook on low for 5 hours.
4. Add the cornflour and stir well and then cook for a further hour.
5. Allow to cool thoroughly before assembling the pie.
6. When the filling is cool, grease a family sized pie dish and line with the shortcrust pastry. Add the filling and then cover with the puff pastry. Crimp the edges, poke some vent holes in the top, brush with beaten egg and then cook in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius until golden brown and warm through.
7. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and braised peas with pancetta for a hearty, filling meal!

Braised Peas w/ Pancetta & Parmesan

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This is a very simple side dish guaranteed to jazz up any number of meals. I have served this with lamb shanks, wagyu steak & mushroom pie, roast chicken and steak so far and it has been consistently delicious every time!

Braised Peas w/ Pancetta & Parmesan

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup diced pancetta
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 500 grams frozen peas
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan. Add the pancetta and cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the pancetta is brown and crispy.
2. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, allowing the alcohol to burn off before adding the peas.
3. Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the peas are tender and cooked through.
4. Transfer to a serving dish, add half the parmesan and toss through. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top and serve.

Italian Lamb Shanks

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As regular readers of this blog will know, I absolutely love lamb shanks! I never tire of experimenting with different ways to use lamb shanks, especially in my slow cooker, as I just love coming home to the scent of a delicious ready made dinner! Yum yum. These ones have an Italian flair to them and would be great served with a creamy polenta, which is what I would have served them with had I had any semolina in the pantry. I made do with mash which was equally as delicious.

• 4 x frenched lamb shanks
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• Salt & pepper to season
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• 1 x 800 gram tin of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup good red wine
• 1 cup beef stock

1. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and toss in flour to coat. Heat olive oil in a large fry pan and brown the shanks over high heat. When brown all over, remove shanks from pan.
2. Add the onions and garlic, ensuring to add some salt to prevent garlic from burning. Add the oregano and rosemary and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove onions from pan and add to the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange the lamb shanks with bone facing up on top of the onions. Make sure you leave the fry pan on the heat while you do this.
4. Add the red whine to the hot fry pan, and allow the alcohol to cook off before adding the beef stock. Scrape the sides and bottom of the pan to soak up all the flavour left behind from the lamb and onions.
5. When the stock is warm, pour over the top of the lamb shanks along with the tinned tomatoes, stir to combine and cook in the slow cooker for 6 hours on low.
6. Before serving, remove the shanks and place on a tray in the oven to keep warm. Transfer the sauce from the slow cooker to a saucepan and allow to reduce over high heat until the sauce has thickened.
7. To serve, place the shanks on a bed of mashed potatoes or creamy polenta and spoon the tomato sauce over the top.

Salmon & Mascarpone Lasagne

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This very tasty alternative to the traditional beef lasagne is sooooooo good that even the most avid carnivore will love it. Ok granted, the recipe includes bacon so it’s not completely meat free, but the flavour that the bacon brings to the dish is so good that I just could not bear to make it without! The moist flakes of salmon combined with the flavour of the white wine and the tender vegetables make the perfect filling for the lasagne sheets while the use of mascarpone instead of bechamel makes it a lot lighter on the palette (as well as the hips)! Serve this as an entree or pair it with some steamed spinach and a garden salad for a filling meal.

• Olive oil
• ½ cup diced bacon
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery with leaves, diced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• ½ teaspoon dry thyme leaves
• 600 grams salmon fillet
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup chicken stock
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 packet dry instant lasagne sheets
• 500 grams mascarpone cheese
• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1. Heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frypan. Add the bacon and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes. Add the diced vegetables and thyme and continue cooking for another 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the salmon, cooking for 2 minutes on each side.
4. Add the wine to the pan and allow the alcohol to evaporate before adding the chicken stock.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the salmon until it is just cooked through.
6. Remove the salmon from the pan and allow to cool. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender.
7. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, combine mascarpone, eggs and half the parmesan in a bowl and beat until combined.
8. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked vegetables from the pan (reserve the cooking liquid) and add to the mascarpone mixture. Flake the cooked salmon into the mascarpone mixture and combine.
9. Spoon half the cooking liquid into the base of the lasagne dish and then top with one layer of lasagne sheets.
10. Spread with a layer of the salmon mascarpone mixture and then top with another layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of lasagne sheets.
11. Top with the grated mozzarella and remaining parmesan and then spoon over the leftover cooking liquid.
12. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes or until the cheese has turned golden brown.