6 minute read
Family dinners
THE DREADED QUESTION WAS TOP OF MIND WHEN SALLY OBERMEDER AND SISTER MAHA CORBETT SET OUT TO CREATE A COOKING SYSTEM THAT WOULD ANSWER IT ONCE AND FOR ALL
WORDS ANNA BRAIN
“Maha and I used to have the same conversation about cooking all the time. It was always with a groan, and even though we love to cook we were finding it so tedious,” Sally Obermeder says. “We thought there has to be a better way to do this.”
Sally, 48, says their new book, Dinner’s Done, lays out a plan to cook once, providing ready-meals for the week. Their solution includes seasonal meal plans, with four weeks of recipes for each season.
“We give you a shopping list, because that’s part of the hassle,” Sally says. “It’s easy, it’s just a foolproof system. You don’t have to be a talented chef and the best part is it’s incredibly delicious.”
While working on the recipes,
Sally’s daughters Annabelle, 9, and Elyssa, 4, were happy to be guinea pigs in the trials. “The girls ate everything. It was a good barometer for us to make sure the meals were family friendly, that you could feed them to fussy eaters.”
Maha Corbett, 42, will be able to test it on her own family, as she and husband Matthew are expecting their first child this year. Sally says she cannot wait to become an aunt.
“Oh my god, I’m beside myself,” she says. “My girls are really excited, we’re all very happy. The baby smells and baby cuddles.”
Sally, who appears on The House of Wellness TV and radio shows, is famously close with sister Maha, living streets apart in Sydney’s Bondi. They co-founded and run the Swiish wellness and fashion brand and have written several cookbooks including Super Green Smoothies.
Sally says their differences are the secret to their success.
“I like things quite spicy, whereas she’ll say, ‘that’s far too spicy, far too sweet, let’s do it again’. She loves a lot of fresh ingredients,” Sally says.
“We work well together. We’re average people, juggling kids, jobs, business, families. We understand the normal pressures that people are under.”
Monday
CHILLI CON
CARNE SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK 40 MINUTES ● ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil ● 2 medium brown onions, finely chopped ● 3 garlic cloves, crushed ● 1 medium red capsicum, finely chopped ● 2 medium carrots, finely chopped ● 500g beef mince ● 3 tsp ground cumin ● 3 tsp smoked paprika ● ¼ tsp ground chilli powder ● 400g can chopped tomatoes ● 1 cup (250ml) beef stock ● 400g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed Serve with corn chips, sour cream, sliced fresh jalapenos, fresh coriander sprigs and bought guacamole
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, capsicum and carrot. Cook for 8 minutes or until softened. Add the remaining olive oil and beef to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cumin, paprika, chilli powder, tomatoes and beef stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the kidney beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste. To serve: Place corn chips into a large serving bowl. Top with the chilli con carne, sour cream, jalapenos and coriander. Serve with guacamole on the side.
Tuesday
EASY FAST FRITTATA SERVES 4
PREP AND COOK 35 MINUTES ● 8 eggs ● ⅓ cup (80ml) full-cream milk ● 1 medium red onion, sliced ● 1 cup (120g) pitted black olives, halved ● 1 cup (190g) drained roasted red peppers (capsicum) ● 200g Danish feta, broken into pieces ● 260g cherry truss tomatoes or cherry tomatoes Serve with fresh basil leaves, cracked black pepper and olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200C. Whisk the eggs and milk in a bowl until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the onion, olives, red peppers and feta between the bases of two small non-stick, ovenproof frying pans. Pour the egg mixture evenly between pans. Top with the tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. To serve: Sprinkle with basil leaves and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
*To test if the frittata is cooked through, insert a skewer into the centre. If the skewer comes out clean, the frittata is ready. If you don’t have two small frying pans, you can cook the frittata in a medium non-stick, ovenproof frying pan for 25 minutes.
Wednesday Thursday
CHICKEN TERIYAKI SERVES 4 MONSTER FETA CAULI SALAD SERVES 4
PREP AND FORGET 4 HOURS 30 MINUTES ● 2 tbsp olive oil ● 8 (1.36kg) chicken thigh fillets, thickly sliced ● ½ cup (125ml) soy sauce or tamari ● ½ cup (125ml) hoisin sauce ● 4 garlic cloves, crushed ● 1½ tbsp honey ● 2 tbsp cornflour ● 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted ● 2 spring onions, thinly sliced Serve with green tea soba noodles (or rice noodles) and steamed baby bok choy PREP AND COOK 10 MINUTES ● 300g packet cauliflower rice ● 400g mixed cherry tomatoes, halved ● 2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced ● ½ medium red onion, finely chopped ● ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped ● ½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped ● ½ cup (75g) golden raisins ● 200g Danish feta, crumbled
Place the olive oil, chicken thighs, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic and honey into a 6-litre (24-cup) capacity slow cooker. Mix to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours, or until chicken is tender. Stir in the cornflour and cook for a further 30 minutes or until thickened. To serve: Spoon chicken and sauce over noodles. Top with sesame seeds and spring onions. Serve with baby bok choy and any extra sauce on the side.
DRESSING ● ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil ● 2 garlic cloves, crushed Serve with canned tuna, lemon wedges and flatbread
*Can be frozen for up to 3 months. Make this recipe gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce, using wheat-free hoisin sauce and serving with rice noodles instead of green tea soba noodles.
Place the cauliflower rice, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, onion, parsley, mint and raisins in a bowl. Toss to combine. To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil and garlic together until combined. Season to taste. Set aside until ready to serve. To serve: Add the dressing to the salad and mix until combined. Top with feta and tuna. Serve with lemon wedges and flatbread on the side. Friday TAKE A BREAK, ORDER TAKEAWAY OR DINE OUT.
Sally on
Feeding fussy eaters
“I’m a big believer in hiding the things they don’t want to eat. But hide it in the things they love. And I think it’s great if you can get other people around them eating it ... kids just want to mimic other kids.”
Snacks before dinner, yay or nay?
“Yay! I make a big batch of snacks at the weekend and I don’t mind because it’s still good food and it hits the spot. Often I find it just takes the edge off and they’re less hangry.”
Bribery, that is no dessert until you eat your veg
“100 per cent, how else do you think I survived?”
Edited recipes from Dinner’s Done by Sally Obermeder and Maha Corbett, published by Bauer Books, RRP $29.99
