Gourmet on a Shoestring

Makes 1 Standard Size Bowl

Guacamole, a dip made from avocados, is originally from Mexico. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words – ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce). This recipe has been improved time and time again to perfection! It’s a delicious, fresh and healthy dip or pita bread spread.

Ingredients

2 ripe Avocados
1/3 small Red Onion, minced
¼ teaspoon of Chilli
¼ teaspoon of Garlic
1 teaspoon of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
Sprinkle of ground Black Pepper
3/4 ripe Tomato

Method

No need to pre-chop any ingredients if you have a blender. Simply put all ingredients into the blender and spin! Otherwise, pre-chop as directed in ingredients list and mash thoroughly.

Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, pita bread or nachos.

Top Guacamole Tips:

• Guacamole can last 4-5 days if you store correctly. Put the avocado seed in the bowl of guacamole, don’t ask why this works – it just does! Then cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation (turning brown) as a result of the air reaching it, and keep in the fridge.
• To extend a limited supply of avocados, add either sour cream or cream (cottage) cheese to your guacamole. Guacamole purists may be horrified, but it’s great!

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My current favourite cake – so quick and easy, with delicious crunchy edges and warm moist filling. It’s also equally yummy cold!

Ingredients

For the caramelised pears:

• 3 small Pears, peeled, quartered with centres and stalks removed (reasonably firm, but not rock hard)
• 25g unsalted Butter
• 1 tbsp granulated Sugar

For the cake:

• 150g unsalted Butter, softened
• 125g Caster Sugar
• 2 medium Eggs
• 75g wholemeal Flour
• 75g Almond Meal
• Pinch of Cinnamon
• teaspoon of Almond Essence

Method

Preheat oven to 170oC. Prepare a spring-form tin (20cm) with a greaseproof paper bottom and sides.

First caramelise the pears, add the butter to a frying pan under a medium-high heat, as it starts to froth add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved then add the pears. Move them around the pan so they go equally caramelised all over. This should take between 5 and 10 minutes. Once ready leave them to cool.

Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and beat until fluffy. Add an egg at a time, while beating the mixture, with each egg add a tablespoon of flour. Once both eggs have been beaten in, add the remaining flour, sugar, almonds, almond essence and cinnamon and fold in.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, then add the pears on top evenly, leaving them sitting on top of the cake. Pour the buttery pan juices on top of the cake. Put in the oven for 40-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool for another 5 minutes, either eat warm with ice cream or eat cold later on.

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Chicken & Mushroom Risotto

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Serves 6

Adapted from a basic risotto recipe from Jamie Oliver.

“I think this is the best basic risotto recipe you will come across – you will find it really easy. I assure you that once you’ve got the knack you’ll carry on making it all the time and it won’t let you down. You can so easily enhance it by adding different seasonal ingredients. So here’s the basic risotto, which will give you an amazingly creamy base, followed by some simple recipes to take the dish in completely different directions.”

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken Breast, sliced in thin bite-sized strips
• 1 bag of Button Mushrooms, chopped
• Approx. 1 litre Stock (chicken, fish or vegetable as appropriate)
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 medium Onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 head Celery, finely chopped
• 400g Arborio Rice
• Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
• 2 glasses dry White Wine
• 70g Butter
• 100g freshly grated Parmesan, omit for the prawn recipe
• Basil for garnish

Method

1. Heat stock. Cook chicken and mushrooms in a frypan whilst cooking the risotto and leave aside until Stage 3. In a separate large frypan heat the olive oil, add the onion, garlic and celery and slowly fry for about 3 minutes. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice, season with salt and pepper and turn up the heat.
2. The rice will now begin to fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent having absorbed all the flavors from the vegetables. Add the wine and keep stirring — it will smell fantastic as it sizzles around the rice.
3. Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt, but be careful not too make it too salty. Turn down the heat to a highish simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladles of stock, stirring and allowing each ladle of liquid to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the rice — is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Add chicken and mushrooms when the rice is half cooked.
4. Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan, if using. Stir gently. Place lid on pan and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. This is the most important part of making the risotto as this is when it becomes really creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat as soon as possible while the risotto retains its perfect texture.

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Prep time: 30min Cooking time: 35min
Makes approx. 30 pieces

I learnt this recipe from my friend Michelle. I had never craved cakes or biscuits until I made this beautiful stuff! Very easy, very yummy, and makes enough to sustain your coffee breaks for weeks!

Ingredients

250g unsalted Butter
125g Dark Cooking Chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1 cup Flour
¼ cup Cocoa
½ teaspoon Salt
125g pecans, chopped (use walnuts if cheaper)
Optional: Icing sugar on top

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 24cm square cake tin with grease-proof paper.
2. Heating the butter in a saucepan over low heat. When half melted add chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until all melted and combined.
3. Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixture is shiny.
5. Stir in vanilla.
6. Sift in dry ingredients and nuts and mix well.
7. Pour into baking tin and bake for 35mins. Cool completely in pan, sift a little icing sugar over the top and cut into small rectangles.

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Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 6 mins Serves 2

This is an easy, beautifully creamy dish. Great for boosting the immune system! A glass (or bottle) of white wine like Riesling goes really well with this meal – essential.

Ingredients

10 Large Green Peeled Tiger Prawns
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons crushed Garlic
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
3/4 cup of thickened cream
1 cup rice

Alternative: You can also use frozen raw peeled prawns from the supermarket.

Method

1. Rinse the rice and allow to cook while completing the remaining steps.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the prawns in the oil until they’re just cooked.
3. Add the butter, garlic, parsley and the cream (you may only need 1/2 cup of cream).
4. Simmer, reducing the garlic cream sauce just a little.
5. Serve on spooned over a bed of rice.

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Cooking time: 30mins     Serves 6

This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s easy and basic polenta recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 litre Water
• 250g Polenta
• 240g Butter
• 2 handfuls Parmesan, grated

Method

1. Bring the water to boil in a large pan, then slowly add the polenta, whisking continuously.
2. Once it’s mixed, continue to stir over the heat for 15-20 minutes.
3. Stir in the butter and parmesan.
4. You can add a little more water to make it the right consistency.
5. Season and serve straight away.

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Ingredients

• 4 Beetroots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 3 ripe Pears, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 200g Feta
• Small bunch of Mint
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 ½ tablespoons Lemon Juice (approx 1 lemon)
• 10 tablespoons Olive Oil

Method

1. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small container and shake well.
2. Place the beetroot and pear into a bowl and mix with salad dressing to taste.
3. Mix mint leaves into salad and crumble the feta over the top.

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Fried rice is so easy, its one of those meals you can  cook up when it looks like you have nothing to eat in the fridge. AND the kids love it! This recipe has the perfect amount of flavour, I find if I start getting generous with the sauces it becomes too strong.

Ingredients

• 5 cups cooked long grain White Rice (1.5 cups uncooked)
• 2 tablespoons Peanut Oil
• 4 large Free Range Eggs beaten
• 4 Garlic Cloves diced
• 1 medium brown onion finely diced
• ½ cup roughly chopped rindless Bacon rashes or other meat
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons shao hsing wine
• 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce
• 3 teaspoons Soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 3 small eschallots, sliced
• 1 cup peas, cooked
• Any other vegies of your choice, such as spinach, spouts etc.

Method

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a hot wok, pour beaten eggs into wok and cook for about 1 minute, lightly scrambling them and rotating the wok to ensure even cooking. Set aside
• Add extra oil and stir-fry and onion for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender.
• Add bacon and garlic and stir-fry for a further minute, or until lightly browned.
• Stir in sugar and wine, then stir-fry for 30 seconds.
• Finally, add rice, reserved omelette, peas, oyster sauce, spring onions, soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until rice is heated through.
• Roughly chop omelette into smaller pieces as you stir.
• Divide rice between individual bowls and garnish with extra spring onions.

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Makes approx. 25 squares

I received this recipe from a friend and modified it slightly – I have lowered the sugar content hugely so the resulting muesli ‘bars’ are sweet enough but won’t send the kids over the edge!

Note: for the dried berries I used a pre-packaged mix of  cranberries, blueberries, and cherries from the supermarket, and handful of goji berries and sultanas, but if you are on a real budget you can simply use just sultanas.

Ingredients

• 30g Butter
• shredded coconut 125g
• dried berries and sultanas 250g
• rolled oats 90g
• whole almonds 200g
• sunflower seeds 125g
• wheat germ/oat bran 80g
• brown sugar 100g
• honey 100ml
• vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
• ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 23 cm square tin with baking paper.
2. On a baking tray combine oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. Bake until toasted and fragrant, 5-10 mins at 180.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine coconut, cherries, blueberries and set aside.
4. Add hot oat mixture to the fruit mixture and stir till combined.
5. In saucepan over medium heat melt butter, add sugar, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir till sugar dissolves, bring to boil then remove from heat and pour over fruit mixture.
6. Using a large spoon gently stir together until well combined.
7. Scoop the mixture into tin, and using a spoon firmly press making compact and even layer.
8. Let set in pan for 10 mins or until cool. Invert onto cutting board, lift off tin and cut into squares.

These will keep for over a week in an airtight container in the cupboard. Great for snacks or lunch boxes!

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Makes 1 1/2 cups

This very lemony lemon curd is beautiful with meringues (see my receipe for meringues) and ice cream, or in a lemon meringue pie, or on toast, I could go on….

I make a lot of this when our lemon trees are in season!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
• 80g chilled unsalted butter
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons

Method

1. Whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat.
2. Add the butter, juice and zest and whisk continuously until thickened (this will take 10 minutes or so, so turn up the heat to speed it up).
3. Strain through a sieve into a sterilised jar. Lemon curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for 2 weeks.

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