10 minute read
Midweek Meals
RECIPES VICKI RAVLICH-HORAN | IMAGES BRYDIE THOMPSON
The perfect midweek meal should be quick to put together. Just as importantly as speed of preparation is a quick clean up, so a great midweek meal should also create only a minimum of dishes. Here are a few recipes that tick both these boxes.
STICKY HOISIN MEATBALLS WITH NOODLES AND BROCCOLI
If your family love spaghetti and meatballs try this Asian inspired twist. I love meatballs, as you can hide a bunch of veg in them, and while they are a little bit of work (with this recipe the forming of the meatballs is the most work), the noodles and broccoli are cooked in one pot in a matter of minutes.
500g chicken mince 2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated 3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 spring onions, chopped 1 zucchini, grated 1 egg 1 cup crushed water/Snax crackers or breadcrumbs ½ tsp salt ½ cup hoisin sauce 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 2 tbsp soy sauce 350g fresh egg noodles 1 head broccoli, cut into florets or bunch of broccolini 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Combine the mince, ginger, garlic, 1 of the spring onions, zucchini, egg, crushed crackers, salt and 1 tbsp of the hoisin sauce in a mixing bowl. Form into 24–26 meatballs and place on the tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. While the meatballs are baking, put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
Mix the sweet chilli and soy sauce with the remaining hoisin, and after the initial 15 minute baking time, brush the mix over each meatball and bake for a further 5 minutes.
The water should be boiling now, so plunge the noodles in along with the broccoli and cook for around 3 minutes. Drain, and then toss with the meatballs, coating the noodles with the sauce. Scatter over the remaining spring onion and sesame seeds and serve.
PORK, FENNEL AND CABBAGE PASTA
I love this seriously quick pasta. Who would think that cabbage would work in pasta? But it does! If you can’t find pork and fennel sausages, a good quality pork sausage will work, just double the amount of fennel seeds added when sautéing the onions.
250g dried pasta 1 tbsp olive oil ½ onion, thinly sliced 1½ tsp fennel seeds 4 pork and fennel sausages (I used L'Authentique sausages from Vetro) ½ cabbage, finley sliced 1 cup mascarpone Parmesan
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. When boiling, add the pasta. Meanwhile, in a large pan heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, fennel seeds and sausage meat squeezed out of their casings, stirring often to break up the meat. When the onion is soft, add the cabbage and cook for a further five minutes. If things start to stick, add a tbsp of water. Finally, add the mascarpone, mix and heat through. When the pasta is cooked, drain and mix with the sauce. Serve immediately topped with grated Parmesan.
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The perfect meat-free meal the whole family will love. This dish uses ready-made gnocchi, something I always have on hand ever since discovering the shelf-stable Granoro brand available from Vetro. Trust me, I was sceptical at first too, as store bought gnocchi is usually just hard little bullets, but the Granoro variety is not only convenient it’s in no way a compromise. If you don’t have gnocchi on hand, pasta will work just as well.
1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 2 capsicums, thinly sliced 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp brown sugar 1 tin cherry tomatoes ¼ cup water ½ tsp salt large handful of fresh basil 1 packet of ready-made gnocchi 1 150g pottle of cherry mozzarella
Heat the oil in a large oven proof pan, add the onions and capsicum and cook over a low heat for 20–25 minutes until they are soft. Splash in the vinegar and allow this to cook off before adding the sugar and cherry tomatoes, water, salt and basil. Bring the sauce back up to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the gnocchi, arrange the cherry mozzarella on top and bake at 180°C for 15 minutes.
To serve, scatter on more basil leaves.
WHAT’S FOR PUDDING?
We definitely don’t have pudding every night of the week in our house. For one, who has the time?
But when we do have pudding, I always try to include some fruit, so having some tinned fruit on hand is always a good idea.
CHOCOLATE AND PEAR PUDDINGS
Pear and chocolate—always a winning combination! This easy pudding is quick to whip together and the fudgy centre is very decadent for a midweek pud you can whip up in a few minutes.
125g butter, softened ½ cup sugar 2 eggs ½ tsp baking soda ½ cup milk 1 cup self-raising flour 100g dark chocolate, chopped 1 tin pear quarters Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk. Fold the flour and chocolate into the butter mixture along with the milk. Grease 6 tea cups and divide the cake mixture between them. Place two to three pear quarters in each and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Serve warm with a dollop of cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream.
APRICOT AND ALMOND PUDDING
The addition of ground almonds to this super simple pudding adds a delicious dimension which pairs beautifully with the tart apricots. No ground almonds, no problem, you can replace it with flour. You can also swap the apricots for tinned peaches or plums, even frozen berries would work!
100g butter ¾ cup sugar 3 eggs 2 tsp baking powder ¾ cup flour ¾ cup ground almonds 1 large jar/tin apricots (I used Greek apricots from Vetro) ¼ cup slivered almonds Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Fold in the flour, almonds and baking powder. Drain the apricots and layer on the bottom of a greased 1-1.5 litre baking dish. Pour the cake batter on top, then scatter on the slivered almonds.
Bake at 170°C for 45–50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
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Homegrown Happiness
WORDS VICKI RAVLICH-HORAN
Growing up, my father always had a vegetable garden bursting with fresh veg. One year the tomatoes reached the roof of the house! They were probably fed by his compost, which he made not to divert food from landfill but to provide nutrients for his garden. He learnt these, what he would call, basic skills, from his mother.
I’d like to say I have followed in his footsteps, but if you saw the state of my lemon tree in the last edition, you will know my gardening forays are more stumbles than strides. And I am sure I am not alone, which is why a book like Homegrown Happiness is the perfect addition to the coffee table. Elien Lewis is a blogger with an Instagram following north of 27,000, which goes to prove I’m not the only one who didn’t pick up those gardening skills from my parents. An advocate for low-maintenance, no-dig gardening, Elien says, “This book is everything I am passionate about—food, gardening, foraging and low waste.” With an ever increasing population and booming property prices, Elien admits sections are getting smaller and can be far from ideal for gardening, hers being no exception. “My own garden,” Elien says, “is small and terraced. The majority of it is south-east facing and it is obstructed by hills and trees, which limit sunlight.” Even with a far from ideal section, Elien manages to grow or forage something fresh for her table. The key to success, Elien believes, is getting stuck in and experimenting. “The process of trial and error,” Elien says, “is a positive thing.” Thankfully her book gives you a good base to start from, including how to compost among other things. Interspersed with the gardening tips are Elien’s favourite seasonal recipes that draw on her ‘root to tip’ philosophy, resulting in a low carbon footprint and minimal waste. These recipes include family dishes like Kumara Gnocchi and Pumpkin and Potato Gratin with Crispy-Fried Sage as well as interesting recipes like LactoFermented Nasturtium Seeds and Beetroot Powder. This is the perfect book for anyone wanting to connect more with their food, especially if this includes learning to grow more of it.
Homegrown Happiness: A Kiwi Guide to Living off the Suburban Land by Elien Lewis, photography and recipes by Elien Lewis, published by Bateman Books, RRP$39.99, available now.
STICKY GINGER CAULIFLOWER
This moreish dish is sticky, sweet and spicy. The cauliflower pieces are dipped in batter then baked in the oven until crispy. They are then smothered in a flavour-packed, sweet and sticky sauce and baked again. I serve this dish with sautéed cauliflower greens, fried in a bit of sesame oil and garlic, and rice. It’s fingerlicking good. This dish can be made gluten free by using a gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
SERVES 4 / VEGETARIAN / NUT FREE
800g whole cauliflower, stalk and leaves included ¾ cup/100g rice flour 2 tablespoons cornflour 1 teaspoon turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons sesame oil ½ tablespoon olive oil ¾ cup/190ml water
STICKY SAUCE
1 tablespoon sesame oil 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes or chopped fresh chilli 1½ tablespoons cornflour ½ cup/125ml water 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 3 tablespoons honey or brown sugar 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
TO SERVE
sesame seeds spring onion or onion weed, sliced steamed rice
Preheat the oven to 220°C (or 200°C fan bake).
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. From each leaf, strip the greenery off the leaf stalk then shred into small pieces and set aside. Chop the cauliflower head and the large middle stem into small pieces. In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, cornflour, turmeric, salt and pepper. Add the water and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Mix together to make a slurry. Tip in the chopped cauliflower head and stem. Mix well so all the cauliflower pieces are coated. Lightly grease a flat oven tray with ½ tablespoon olive oil and lay out the coated cauliflower in a single layer. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cauliflower has crisped up. While the cauliflower is baking start on the sauce.
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chilli and sauté for 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the cornflour into the water.
To the saucepan, add the soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar and cornflour. Whisk it well. It will thicken up as it boils. Once thick, remove from the heat and set aside.
When the cauliflower has finished baking, remove it from the oven. Tip the sauce over all the cauliflower pieces, ensuring they’re all covered.
Bake the cauliflower with the sauce for another 6–8 minutes.
While the cauliflower is baking, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add in the shredded cauliflower greens and 1 teaspoon of water. Once the leaves have turned bright green and the water has evaporated, add in the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil and fry the greens for a further minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the cauliflower and greens over rice with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and chopped spring onion or onion weed.
