Recipes - Italy's Finest

I had this amazing combination of flavours on a pizza years ago and it has always stuck with me.  The salty anchovy, spicy pepperoni, creamy bocconcini and sweet fresh basil create a flavour explosion that will have you thanking Italy for their food genius! 

Ingredients

1 pizza base

1-2 tbs pizza sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated

12-16 thin slices spicy pepperoni

12-16 bambini bocconcini

8-12 anchovy fillets

basil leaves, to serve

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 230°C.

Step 2 - Place pizza base on a lightly greased pizza tray. Spread pizza sauce over base and sprinkle mozzarella. Distribute pepperoni, boccincini and anchovies on top.  

Step 3 - Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until base is crisp. Top with basil leaves and serve with a simple, lightly dressed green salad.

Notes:

Amounts of pizza sauce and cheese can be increased or reduced, depending on how saucy or cheesy you like your pizza.

Recipes - Chorizo and Prawn Paella

Paella is known as being the national dish of Spain, however it is actually exclusively Valencian.  Mine is in no way traditional, just something I threw together after limited research that seemed to work pretty well. 

Ingredients

2 chorizo sausages, sliced

500g green prawns

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 spanish onion, diced

1 red capsicum, sliced

1 green capsicum, sliced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground chilli powder

3 cups chicken stock

1 quantity roast capsicum dip

2 cups rice

fresh coriander and sliced red chilli to serve

Step 1 - Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.  When hot, add garlic, onion and chorizo.  Fry off until golden then add the sliced capsicum. Fry for 1-2 minutes, until just tender then add the paprika, cumin, corriander and chilli.  Stir constantly for about 1 minute until toasted and fragrant.  
Step 2 - Add rice and toss to coat, then add capsicum dip and chicken stock and season well with salt. Stir well, reduce heat to low and seal pan with a tight fitting lid.  Cook, without stirring, for 25-30 minutes.
Step 3 - With 15 minutes to go, lift lid and quickly distribute prawns over top of rice.  Work quickly as you do not want to lose too much steam.  Replace lid and continue cooking for reaming time.  After the 25-30 minutes, check rice is cooked and if necessary, add a little more water, replace lid, and check again after 5 minutes.  
Step 4 - To serve, sprinkle with fresh corriander and chilli. Place pan on a wooden board and place in the centre of the table.  Enjoy!

Recipes - Crispy Skinned Salmon w Dill and Lemon Butter

If you have never tried Crispy Skinned Salmon, you are missing out!  It is very quick to cook and deceptively simple.  Perfect for a quick summer dinner or light lunch, when entertaining or whip it up for yourself!  

Ingredients - serves 4
4 salmon fillets, skin on, pin bones removed
1/2 cup green olive tapenade
40g butter, softened
1/2 tbs dill, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
80g mixed mesclun 
olive oil
salt, to season 

Step 1 - Mix butter, lemon zest and dill in a small bowl.  Season with salt.  Use spoon to form a sausage shape with the butter, place on a piece of cling wrap and roll up tightly.  Twist sides to secure and place in freezer.
Step 2 - Heat a grill pan over high heat.  Drizzle salmon skin with olive oil and rub in with fingertips.  Place salmon, skin side down, in the grill pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, until just starting the blacken.  Turn and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside to rest.
Step 3 - Place mesclun in a large bowl and squeeze lemon juice over. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season lightly with salt.  Toss gently.
Step 4 - To serve, distribute the tapenade between the plates and use the back of a spoon to smear it.  Place salmon on top of tapenade with a mound of dressed mesclun next to it.  Remove butter from freezer and slice off 4 thin rounds.  Place a butter round on top of salmon and serve immediately.  

Recipes - Poached Salmon

Salmon is a delicious fish and very healthy.  Poaching is a great cooking method for salmon as it upholds the integrity of the fish through the gentle cooking and doesn't add any fats or oils. Through poaching you can either enhance the natural flavour of the salmon by adding simple flavourings or complement the flavour by adding more punchy ingredients.  This recipe enhances the natural flavour and can be served with an assortment of sides.

Ingredients

2 x salmon fillet pieces

1 cup dry white wine

1 brown onion, peeled and quartered

1 large carrot, cut into chunks

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

1 lemon, sliced

a few sprigs of dill

a few sprigs of parsley

water

Pictured w Jamie Oliver's Potato Salad

Step 1 - Place onion, carrot, peppercorns, bay leaves, dill and parsley in a large deep frying pan.  Pour wine into pan and gently lower salmon pieces in, skin side down.  Distribute lemon slices over the top and pour in enough water to just cover the salmon fillets.

Step 2 - Cover pan and place on high heat.  Bring to boil and once boiling immediately reduce heat to a slow simmer.  Simmer, covered for 4-5 minutes.

Step 3 - Remove salmon fillets from pan and set aside to rest for 2 minutes.  If flaking, use a fork to flake flesh from skin.  If serving as a fillet, carefully transfer fillets to serving plates.

Top 5 - Atlantic Salmon Recipes

I was chatting with a friend recently and she mentioned that she loves Atlantic Salmon, but always prepares it the same way and wanted some new ideas.  I am a HUGE salmon fan but realised that I had very few salmon recipes on here.  So this Top 5 is changing that as it will encourage me to make these tasty recipes as soon as possible.

• Crispy Skinned Salmon w Dill and Lemon Butter
• Poached Salmon w Jamie Oliver's Potato Salad
• Sesame and Ginger Salmon w Hokkein Noodles and Asian Greens
• Creamy Salmon Fettuccine 
• Dukkah-crusted Salmon w Roast Fennel Potatoes, Honey-hazelnut Carrots and Salsa Verde

Recipes - The Super Club

When I was a kid, I begged my parents to let me make a double-decker sandwich every day and every now and then they even let me do it.  I've always been fascinated by the double-decker sandwich, it just seems so incredibly decadent! The club sandwich is probably the most well know layered sandwich and my SUPER club just adds an extra amount of indulgence! 

Ingredients

1 small chicken breast or 3-4 chicken tenderloins

2 rashers short cut bacon

6 green prawns, peeled and deveined

1 egg

1/2 avocado, sliced

1 tbs aioli

1 tomato, sliced

15g lettuce

2 slices jarlsberg cheese

2 slices white bread

1 slice wholemeal bread

1 tsp butter

Step 1 - Drizzle a little olive oil in a grill pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Place chicken, bacon and prawns in the pan.  Cook prawns for 20-30 seconds each side, bacon for 1 minute each side and chicken for 2-3 minutes each side depending on thickness, until cooked through.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 2 - Place butter in a small teflon pan and heat over medium-low.  When butter has melted, gently crack egg into pan.  Hold the egg as close to the pan as possible and open the shell slowly and gently.  Cook for 1 minute, then carefully and gently flip the egg and cook on the other side for a further 30 seconds.

Step 3 - Spread each piece of white bread with 1/2 tbs of aioli.  Place one piece on a serving plate and top with lettuce, bacon and prawns.  Place wholemeal bread on top of prawns and layer tomato, cheese, avocado and chicken.  Place white slice, aioli side down to close sandwich.  Pop the egg on top and serve immediately.  

Recipes - Kim's Green Salad

Over the last few years I have created heaps of recipes but there have only been about one or two recipes per year that are so mind boggling amazing that I surprise myself.  This salad represents one of those moments of genius!  A friend asked me to make her something with asparagus and after a little brainstorming and research I had a lightbulb moment that resulted in the following.  Enjoy.

Ingredients - serves two

12 green prawns

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

50g Persian fetta

10g (approx 16) pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

30g rocket

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves

1 cucumber, peeled

1 lime, juiced

3 tbs olive oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper to season

Step 1 - Peel and devein prawns, leaving tails intact and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2 - Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil.  Cook asparagus for 2 minutes.

Step 3 - When asparagus is almost cooked, heat a grill pan over high heat. Drizzle with a little oil.

Step 4 - Transfer asparagus from pot to grill pan.  Add prawns to grill pan and cook for about 1 minute, turning prawns and asparagus halfway through. Set aside to cool slightly then halve asparagus stalks.

Step 5 - Using a vegetable peeler, peel long strips off the cucumber, avoiding the seeds.

Step 6 - To make dressing, add lime juice, oil and mustard to a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk until combined.

Step 7 - To construct salad, distribute rocket, flat leaf parsley and cucumber between two plates.  Drizzle with a little dressing then scatter asparagus over and top with prawns.  Gently crumble fetta over salad and sprinkle with pistachio nuts.  Drizzle with a little more dressing and serve immediately    

Notes:

If you cannot find Persian fetta, Danish fetta is a good substitute. Danish fetta is pictured above.

Recipes - Lemon Pepper Prawns

Lemon and pepper work really well with seafood, so what better way to flavour prawns! Prawns are quite a delicate meat and can be marinaded, but in this recipe the lemon and pepper flavours are transferred during the cooking.

Ingredients

16 green prawns, peeled with tails intact

1/2 lemon, juiced

black pepper, fresh cracked

Pictured here w Mango Avocado Salsa

Step 1 - Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  

Step 2 - Season prawns well on both sides with pepper.  Grill prawns for about 30 seconds on each side, squeezing lemon juice over each side as they cook.  Serve immediately. 

Recipes - Smoked Salmon Wrapped Asparagus w Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce

This is a delicious breakfast perfect for this time of year when asparagus has just come into season and therefore is at its peak.  Preparing the hollandaise sauce is the most difficult and time consuming part of the recipe so the rest is quite simple and able to be fully prepared in 5 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to let your hollandaise sauce sit and thicken slightly before serving.

Ingredients - serves two

2 eggs

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

100g smoked salmon

1 bread roll, sourdough or turkish, halved

hollandaise sauce

Step 1 - Prepare hollandaise sauce as per recipe.

Step 2 - Fill two medium saucepans with water and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer add vinegar to one and use this to poach eggs.

Step 3 - Salt the water in the other sauce pan and cook asparagus on a fast simmer for 1 minute, or until just tender.  The time will vary slightly depending on thickness of asparagus spears.  When tender drain in a colander and pour a cup of cold water over to stop cooking process.

Step 4 - To ensure you have the same number of smoked salmon slices and asparagus spears, halve larger pieces of salmon if required. Wrap a piece of smoked salmon around each asparagus spear.  

Step 5 - To serve, toast bread if required and place a half on each plate, top with a poached egg and divide the smoked salmon wrapped asparagus between plates.  Drizzle with hollandaise sauce and serve with freshly cracked pepper. 

Notes:

As always, timing is essential in preparing this dish.  When making the hollandaise sauce, use a saucepan that the asparagus will fit in, if possible.  When the sauce is finished, set the bowl aside, salt the water and cook asparagus in that pan.  This will save time and washing up!  Also, have the second pan for the eggs filled with water and vinegar and turn this on to heat while you are cooking the hollandaise so as soon it is ready you can poach your eggs immediately without having to wait for the water to heat.

Recipes - Sushi

Sushi.

Ingredients
2 cups arborio rice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbs sugar
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp soy sauce, plus extra to serve
fresh salmon fillet approx. 250-300g
1 pkt nori sheets
1 cucumber, cut into thin strips
1 avocado, peeled and cut into thin slices
wasabi, plus extra to serve
pickled ginger, to serve

Step 1 - To make sushi vinegar place rice vinegar, sugar, salt and soy sauce in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar and salt have dissolved. Set aside.

Step 2 - Cook rice. Spread cooked rice in a baking dish and pour sushi vinegar over rice.  Use a spatula to fold together, spread into a single layer and leave to cool.

Step 3 - Remove bones and skin from salmon and cut into thin strips.

Step 4 - Place a nori sheet, shiny side down, on a board or bamboo mat.  Spread a thin layer of rice over nori, leaving a 1/2cm at top.  Spread a very thin layer of wasabi about 1.5cm from the bottom and layer salmon, avocado and cucumber. Roll firmly.

Step 5 - Repeat until you have used all the rice.  Rolls can be cut in half or into 1cm rounds.

Step 6 - Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

Notes:

For a variation, cut a chicken breast into strips and marinade in teriyaki sauce.  Cook in a grill pan and allow to cool before making sushi.  


As the rice is sticky, make extra sushi vinegar and use it to dip your fingers into before working with the rice.


This recipe makes about six rolls.

Recipes - Hobz biz-zejt

Hobz biz-zejt literally translates to Bread with Oil.  It is a traditional Maltese lunch, similar to the ploughman's lunch that originated in the UK and is more construction than cooking.  The mere thought of this dish sends me back to my ten year old self, sitting in my grandmothers kitchen with my sister and my cousins, fighting over the best tomatoes (straight from the vine) and the best cuts of bread (fresh from the oven).  Top quality ingredients are essential for this dish.

Ingredients

olive oil

sourdough bread

ripe tomatoes. halved

tomato paste

tuna

salt and pepper, to season

Optional

anchovies

olives

capers/caperberries 

Step 1 - Place tuna, tomatos, tomato paste and optional ingredients on a plate.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Step 2 - Rip off pieces of bread, dip in oil, rub with tomato then use to scoop other ingredients.  Enjoy. 

Recipes - King Prawn Puttanesca

This is one of my favourite pasta dishes as it contains some of my favourite things; olives, capers, anchovies, tomatoes, pasta, chili - need I say more?  It takes five minutes to throw together and can be left to simmer for a few hours.  I served this as the main of my Vegetarian Feast. 

Ingredients

300g Green Prawns, peeled

2 x 400g tin tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 small red chilies, seeds & pith removed & finely sliced

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 cup capers, drained & rinsed

12 anchovy fillets 

Step 1 - Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Add garlic, chili, olives, capers and anchovies.  Fry until garlic is cooked but do not allow to colour. 

Step 2 - Add prawns and fry for 1 minutes, then add tomato paste and sugar.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Step 3 - Add tin tomatoes and 1 cup water and stir well. Season with freshly ground black pepper, put lid on pan and simmer slowly for 1-4 hours.

Step 4 - Serve on spaghetti with parmesan cheese on the side.

Notes:

If you like some heat to your chili, do not remove seeds and pith. 

The anchovies are really important in this dish and they 'melt' into the sauce so you won't be eating chunks of anchovy.  The flavour they provide adds a great depth of flavour.  As anchovies are salty, do not season with salt to start with.  Towards the end of the simmering time, taste sauce for seasoning and adjust as required.

For those who cannot eat prawns, omit them from the sauce.  To please everyone, prawns can be fried in a grill pan just before serving and placed on top of the dishes for those who can eat them.