Barbecued za'atar chicken and lemon with tahini sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.2kg whole chicken
• 125g butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 cup hulled tahini
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup plain Greek-style yoghurt
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 Lebanese cucumbers, seeded, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 small lemons, halved, charred (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Preheat a barbecue (with hood) hotplate on medium heat, with hood closed.
• Step 2
  Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Place on a chopping board, breast-side down, with the cavity facing you. Using kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone and discard. Open out chicken. Turn over. Press down with the heel of your hand, to flatten.
• Step 3
  Place butter, oregano, sumac, cumin, sesame seeds, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mash with a fork until well combined. Run your finger between chicken skin and flesh on breast and legs to create a pocket. Push 1/2 the butter mixture under skin. Gently rub skin to evenly distribute butter.
• Step 4
  Cook chicken, skin-side down, on greased hotplate for 5 minutes or until skin is golden and crisp. Turn. Dollop with remaining butter mixture. Close hood. Cook for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil. Stand for 10 minutes to rest.
• Step 5
  Meanwhile, place garlic, tahini, 1/4 cup lemon juice, yoghurt, 1/2 the parsley and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Place cucumber, remaining parsley, oil and remaining lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Step 6
  Cut chicken into pieces. Place on a serving platter. Spoon over cucumber mixture and serve with charred lemons and sauce.

Traffic light slushy

INGREDIENTS:

• 800g seedless watermelon, peeled
• 800g honeydew melon, peeled, deseeded
• 800g pineapple, peeled

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Place a large jug under juice extractor nozzle (see note). Juice watermelon. Pour into a 3cm-deep, 18cm x 28cm (base) baking tray. Repeat with honeydew melon and pineapple, pouring juice into 2 more trays. Cover trays with foil. Freeze for 3 hours or until firm.
• Step 2
  Remove trays from freezer. Stand for 10 minutes. Spoon honeydew melon mixture into a blender. Blend until crushed. Divide between four 1 cupcapacity glasses. Repeat with pineapple mixture and watermelon mixture, layering each mixture on top of each other in glasses. Serve.

Healthy chocolate orange truffles

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons black chia seeds
• 60ml (1/4 cup) fresh orange juice
• 85g (1/2 cup) dry-roasted almonds, plus extra 1 tablespoon finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
• 200g medjool dates, pitted, coarsely chopped
• 45g (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 150g dark chocolate (85% cocoa), chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Combine chia seeds and orange juice in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to soak.
• Step 2
  Process the almonds in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the chia mixture, orange rind, date, coconut and cacao powder and process until evenly combined. Roll level tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls.
• Step 3
  Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until melted. Place 1 ball in the chocolate and use a fork to roll the ball around until coated evenly. Use the fork to transfer truffle to prepared tray, draining off excess chocolate over bowl (use another fork to gently push the truffle onto the tray).
• Step 4
  Repeat with remaining balls. Sprinkle with the extra almond. Set aside to set. If it’s warm, place in the fridge to set. Keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in a cool place.

Chicken and chorizo casserole

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.2kg chicken, cut into 4 or 8 pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 x 125g Primo Classic Chorizo, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh curry leaves
• 125ml (1/2 cup) white wine
• 4 (480 g) small red potatoes, quartered
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
• Fresh steamed broccolini, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Heat oil in a large flameproof (cast iron casserole) oven dish with a lid. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes each side until golden. Remove and set aside.
• Step 2
  Add onion, garlic, chorizo and carrot, and cook, stirring often over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned. Add curry leaves and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and deglaze the pan, scraping any bits from the base of the pan. Simmer until reduced by half. Return chicken to the pan. Add potatoes and combined mustard and stock. Remove from heat.
• Step 3
  Cover and transfer to oven. Bake for 1 hour or until chicken and potatoes are tender. Serve with steamed greens

Apple cinnamon custard cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 20g unsalted butter
• 500-550g (about 3) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges, then cut into 1/2 cm thick slices
• 2 tablespoons grand marnier, or other orange liqueur
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour, plus 2 tablespoons extra
• 1 cup caster sugar, plus 1 tablespoon extra
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup full cream milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon icing sugar, sifted
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar, sifted

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180C or 160C fan-forced. Grease a 23cm springform pan with the 20g of butter.
• Step 2
  In a medium bowl, toss the apples with Grand Marnier to coat, and set aside.
• Step 3
  In another medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1 cup of caster sugar, baking powder, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, milk, whole eggs, orange zest and vanilla to blend. Whisk dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to form a smooth batter. Be careful not to over-mix.
• Step 4
  Transfer 1 cup of the batter to a small bowl and mix in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour; set aside. Whisk egg yolks into remaining batter in the large bowl just to blend. Stir in the apples. Transfer the apple batter to prepared pan and, using a crank-handled spatula, spread batter into an even layer and press the apples in to submerge them. Pour the reserved batter evenly over the apple batter. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining caster sugar and cinnamon to blend, and then sprinkle it evenly over the batter.
• Step 5
  Bake for 50 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 15 mins. Run a knife around the sides of the cake and release the pan sides. Cool cake for about 30 mins to serve warm, or cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.
• Step 6
  To make whipped cream, in a medium bowl, whisk cream and icing sugar until thick. To serve, cut cake into wedges and serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Butter chicken with baby spinach

INGREDIENTS:

• 20g butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 750g chicken thigh fillets, excess fat trimmed, chopped
• 110g (2/3 cup) roasted cashews, finely chopped
• 1 x 410g can tomato puree
• 70g (1/4 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
• 50g baby spinach leaves
• Steamed white rice, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until soft. Add the garam masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
• Step 2
  Add the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Step 3
  Stir in the cashew, tomato puree and yoghurt. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the spinach. Divide the rice among serving dishes and top with the curry to serve.

Chicken delicious

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1 red capsicum, deseeded, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 cup (90g) dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup (25g) shredded parmesan
• Large pinch paprika
• 2 chicken breast fillets, halved horizontally
• Plain flour and milk, to coat
• Grated mozzarella

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the onion, garlic, eggplant, capsicum and tomato until softened slightly. Add the sauces and 1/4 cup (60ml) of water. Bring to the boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Step 2
  Combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and paprika. Coat the chicken pieces in flour. Shake off excess. Dip into milk and press into the breadcrumb mixture to coat completely.
• Step 3
  Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the chicken in two batches for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• Step 4
  Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the chicken in a single layer in a large ovenproof dish. Spread the tomato mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and golden. Serve with steamed green vegetables.

Chicken gumbo

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 skinless chicken thigh cutlets
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 Massel chicken style stock cubes
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 150g okra, halved (see note)
• 1 cup white rice
• Salt, to season

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in 2 batches, for 3 minutes each side or until browned all over. Transfer to a plate.
• Step 2
  Heat remaining oil in pan. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• Step 3
  Return chicken to pan. Add 3 cups warm water, crumbled stock cube, thyme and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
• Step 4
  Increase heat to medium. Stir in okra and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until okra and rice are tender. Serve.

Tuscan chicken

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 punnet grape tomatoes
• 1 red capsicum, seeded, sliced
• 3/4 cup pimento-stuffed olives
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 4 small chicken breast fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to moderate, 180C.
• Step 2
  In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, capsicum, olives, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Step 3
  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan. Season chicken to taste, then fry for 2-3 minutes each side, until golden. Transfer to a baking dish.
• Step 4
  Add tomato mixture to same pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then pour over chicken, toss well and season to taste. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until chicken is cooked through.

White chocolate cream cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 180g good-quality white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 250g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 425g can blueberries in syrup, drained
• 4 chocolate dessert cups (see note)
• white chocolate curls, to serve (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Place white chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on medium (50%) for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, until almost melted. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Step 2
  Fold mascarpone and vanilla through chocolate. Spoon into dessert cups. Top with blueberries and chocolate curls. Serve.

Roast pork with warm apple & chestnut salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.6kg rack of pork
• 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 20 fresh chestnuts
• 20 (about 1 bunch) fresh sage leaves
• 20g butter
• 2 (about 135g each) pink lady apples, cored, cut crossways into 1.5cm thick slices
• 1 red onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 185ml (3/4 cup) port

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 220°C. Place pork in roasting pan and drizzle evenly with 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until pork begins to change colour. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C and cook for 1 hour 20 mins or until golden brown.
• Step 2
  Meanwhile, cut a small cross in base of each chestnut. Place on a baking tray and roast, in preheated oven, for 20 minutes or until aromatic. Wrap in a clean tea towel, set aside for 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel away shells and light brown skin. Set aside.
• Step 3
  Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook for 30 seconds or until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
• Step 4
  Heat butter in the same frying pan until foaming. Add the apple slices and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until apples are golden and tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apple slices to a plate. Cover with foil and set aside.
• Step 5
  Add the onion to the frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add apple slices, chestnuts and sage leaves, and gently toss until heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Step 6
  Remove pork from roasting pan. Strain juices from pan into a heatproof jug and use a metal spoon to skim off any excess fat. Place pan over medium heat. Add port and pan juices and simmer, stirring with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces by half. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Step 7
  To serve, place pork on serving plate with apple and chestnut salad. Drizzle with port sauce and serve immediately.

Vegetable fritters

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g packet mixed frozen vegetables
• 1/3 cup self-raising flour
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup grated reduced-fat tasty cheese
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

SPINACH SALAD

• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways, sliced
• 1 medium red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 medium green capsicum, thinly sliced
• 100g snow peas, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 80g baby spinach

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Step 1
  Place mixed vegetables in a large, shallow, microwave-safe dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high (100%) for 2 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
• Step 2
  Combine vegetables, flour and egg in a large bowl. Stir in cheese.
• Step 3
  Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup vegetable mixture to pan. Repeat to make 4 more fritters. Cook for 4 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat with remaining oil and vegetable mixture.
• Step 4
  Make spinach salad: Combine tomato, cucumber, capsicum, snow peas and spinach in a bowl. Serve with fritters.