taste
Dinner Queen smashes decision fatigue Canberra mum Katie Middlemiss, of House Rules renown, has pivoted her savvy for juggling ‘to do’ lists into a recipe subscription service that aims to demolish decision fatigue. Read on for two of her nutritional one-pot/one-tray weeknight warmers for the chilly season. WITH TASTE EDITOR, ANJA DE ROZARIO Recipes and images supplied by Katie Middlemiss on behalf of The Dinner Queen - your new answer to “what’s for dinner?”
Lazy lentil lasagne
Prawn couscous paella
Serves 4 | Prep 10 mins | Cooking 20 mins
Serves 5 | Prep 10 mins | Cooking 20 mins
1 brown onion
1 bunch of basil
1 garlic clove
2 x fresh lasange sheets (or dried)
400g can lentils
200g smooth ricotta
1 zucchini
1.5 cups grated cheese (mozzarella, Tasty or Colby)
1 carrot 1 400g tin diced tomatoes 100g baby spinach
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar Olive oil
Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Dice the small brown onion, mince the garlic, drain, and rinse the lentils, grate the zucchini and carrot, and pick the basil leaves (discard the stalks). In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat the olive oil on the stove-top and fry the onion until soft. Add in the garlic and stir through (1 minute) then add the lentils and grated vegetables and stir through. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and ¼ cup of water before bringing to a simmer for 5 minutes. Next break the lasagne sheet into big pieces, add them to the pan and spoon sauce over them. Place the spinach and basil on top, then drop tablespoon size dollops of ricotta all over the spinach.
30
2 cups pearl couscous
2 tsp ground coriander
2.5 cups chicken stock
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 brown onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced 1 chorizo sausage, diced 4 tomatoes, diced 2 tsp smoked paprika
500g green tiger prawns 1 cup of frozen peas 1 lemon, cut into wedges to serve Parsley, to serve
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and sauté the onions until soft – about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and chorizo, stirring often to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer until they collapse. Add spices and stir through for one minute. Next add the couscous, capsicum, peas and stock. Mix it through well, bring to the boil and then turn the heat right down and leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes. While the couscous cooks, peel and de-vein the prawns leaving only the tail for presentation if you wish.
To finish, cover the top with the grated cheese. Place the whole pan into the pre-heated oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.
When the couscous is al dente, stir in the prawns and leave to cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes or until the flesh turns white.
Serve straight from the pan.
Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges and parsley.
canberraweekly.com.au
