What’s good for you

This one is an awesome tasty dish for when you’re busy – and its really simple. The preparation is quick and most of the cooking can happen simultaneously. If you haven’t got a nice cast iron frying pan, you might as well go get some KFC now and save yourself some culinary heartache – no wait – oh never mind.

What you’ll need for serving 2 (or even three for a light meal):

2 Scotch Fillet Steaks
2-3 heads of Bok Choy (The smaller Shanghai variety is the best)
A handful of pinenuts, or a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, or crushed peanuts, or some chili cashews
Seasalt, Pepper and preferably garlic flakes (or fresh garlic)
A glug of oil (for cooking, I use grapeseed or olive oil)
A drizzle of good quality olive oil

Method:

• Preheat your frying pan (hopefully you have a nice thick bottom cast-iron frying pan or skillet, there is no guarantee your steak will be very nice if you use one of those horrible non-stick aluminum ones, yuk!) and prepare a large pot of salted water to boil the Bok Choy.
• Season the steaks evenly on both sides with the salt, pepper and garlic flakes. Then thinly coat with oil and let sit until the pan is hot hot.
• When the pan is hot hot, add the oiled steaks. You won’t need more oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or you’ll suck the life out of your heat and end up with something tough.
• Cook quickly for a few minutes on each side according to your preference (but turn it only once!). We like ours medium-rare, so it stays nice and tender.
• Pull the Bok Choy leaves apart and wash. Slice down the middle, so they become long bite-size-esque slivers, and add to the boiling water. Cook for about 2 minutes, then drain in a colander.
• Remove the steaks and let rest on a warm plate until you’re ready to carve.
• Thow the pinenuts or mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds into the still hot pan and wiggle around in the juices and oils left from the steak. Careful not to burn them. If you’re using crushed peanuts or chili cashews, they’re okay not heated.
• Place a lump (there is no better word!) of Bok Choy, heaped, in the middle of each plate.
• Slice the steaks into thin strips (hopefully the outside is nice and brown and the inside has a nice strip of red) and arrange over the top of the Bok Choy.
• Sprinkle with the seeds or nuts, a smidge of freshly ground pepper and a little dribble of good quality olive oil and serve.

The juices from the steak will mix into the Bok Choy as you eat it, and the seeds add a little bit of texture to the dish. It’s soooo good.

350 grams split red lentils (organic ones are the yummiest)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1cm piece root ginger
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 Tablespoon butter
Pinch of ground cumin
1 small onion

1. Rinse lentils under cold running water and drain.
2. Put the lentils into a saucepan and cover with 4-5 cups of boiling water.
3. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and bring to the boil.
4. Peel and cut the ginger into thin slices and crush garlic. Add both to the pan.
5. Cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the lentils are soft and nearly all of the liquid has been absorbed.
6. Stir in the garam masala and salt to taste.
7. Cook uncovered for a further 5 minutes or so.
8. Meanwhile heat the butter and cumin in a small frying pan. Add diced onion and fry gently until soft.
9. Stir the onion into the dhal and serve with curry and rice.

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
5cm piece root ginger
2 Tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
400 grams prawns
200mls coconut cream
Small bunch coriander

1. Heat oil in pan, add onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes until softened.
2. Add the ginger and ground coriander, cumin and turmeric. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the prawns and coconut cream and season with salt and black pepper.
4. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Scatter chopped coriander through.
6. Serve immediately with rice and garnish with coriander sprigs.

Is lovely served with my favourite, Dhal.

This is a really mild, creamy curry that we love served with rice and Dhal.

2 Tablespoons of oil
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
About 1cm piece of root ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ – ½ teaspoon ground chilli
¼ teaspoon garam masala
2 ripe tomatoes
800 grams boneless chicken (breast/thigh, cut into chunks)
150mls thick cream
200 grams baby spinach (I use a bag of pre-washed baby spinach)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Fry the chopped onion then add the crushed garlic and finely chopped ginger. Add the spices and cook for a further minute.
2. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the saucepan. Fry over a gently heat for about 7 minutes, or until cooked down to a pulp.
3. Increase the heat to high and add the chicken. Fry until pieces turn white.
4. Season with salt and black pepper, pour in the cream and simmer for about 6 minutes.
5. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.
6. Serve with rice.

This salad is a random invention where we had too many Feijoas and needed to make our cous-cous more interesting and tastalising.

What we used:

2 bags of “boil in the bag” cous cous
4 feijoas (skinned and diced)
½ small red onion (sliced)
1 lime (zest and juice)
knob of butter
bunch of fresh coriander
good quality olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Prepare couscous as per packet instructions (usually boil in the bag in lots of salted water for 1.5 minutes, then drain excess water).
2. In a small frying pan, gently sweat the onion in a little butter or oil until soft. Try not to brown them.
3. While the cous cous is still out, place in a bowl and season well (don’t be scared now, season it damnit!), a knob of butter and fork through until combined.
4. Add onion, finely grated zest of the lime, and coriander and loosely combine.
5. Add the fejoas – be careful not to squish them – and loosely combine.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
7. Toss a few more coriander leaves on top as a garnish
8. Mix lime juice and good quality olive oil (1:1 ratio) and drizzel over the salad to suit your tastes.

Serve with marinated chicken thighs or wings from Sam’s Kitchen and mesclun side salad dressed with olive oil (and lime juice if you have some left over).

Enjoy.

At school I was learning about cooking and these are the delicious Pikelets we made. I think you might like them too.

20 grams of Butter
1 Cup of Flour
30 grams of Sugar
2 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon of Golden Syrup
About 250mls of milk

Method

1. Melt Butter
2. Mix the Flour, Sugar, Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda in a bowl.
3. Make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the Golden Syrup and Egg.
4. Gradually add the milk and mix carefully.
5. Add melted Butter and stir gently.
6. Cook in spoonfuls in a hot greased pan.
7. When cold, add your favourite Jam.

I hope you enjoy eating!!

Serves 6

1.5kg of chicken thighs (bone in)
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1.5cm piece of ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
3 strips lemon rind or 3 Kaffir lime leaves
1 x 400ml can coconut cream (We prefer Samoan)
1 cup water
2 teaspoons soft brown sugar (I use light brown muscovado)

1. Wash the chicken under cold water and pat dry. Trim off excess fat.
2. Roughly chop the onion, garlic and ginger and place in food processor. Process until smooth, adding a little water, if necessary.
3. Place the chicken, onion mixture and remaining ingredients in a large pan and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.
4. Remove chicken from pan, and place on cold oven tray.
5. Discard lemon rind/Kaffir leaves and bring sauce to the boil. Cook uncovered until sauce reduces and is quite thick.
6. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides under grill.
7. Serve chicken pieces and sauce with rice and garnish with fresh coriander.