The dish magazine editor and food editor bring together recipes from the magazine, developed to get food on the table double-quick.
There are recipes for nibbles, one-pot dinners and desserts using easily found ingredients and seasonal produce.
Juicy pork chops served with a crisp slaw make for the perfect pairing. Use an apple if pears are not available.
Serves 4
Dressing
¼ cup each good-quality egg mayonnaise and plain yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Slaw
¼ small white cabbage, finely shredded
1 large pear, halved, cored and thinly sliced
¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted
½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
small handful fresh mint or parsley, roughly chopped
Pork
olive oil and butter for cooking
4 pork chops
sea salt and ground pepper
Dressing: Whisk everything together in a bowl and season generously.
Slaw: Place the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat lightly. Reserve the remaining dressing.
Pork: Heat a frying pan with a little oil and butter. Season the chops and cook for about 3 minutes each side, or until just cooked through. Drain on kitchen towels.
To serve: Serve the chops and slaw topped with an extra grating of parmesan. Serve the extra dressing alongside.
Grilled eggplant, roasted tomatoes and burrata salad
Three of my favourite ingredients combine to make a stunning salad worthy of the Christmas table or simply served outside on the deck with crusty bread and something tasty off the barbecue.
Serves 4-6
2 medium eggplants, each cut into 4 wedges
olive oil
sea salt and ground pepper
2 stems vine tomatoes
1-2 balls burrata, mozzarella or stracciatella
Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tsp runny honey
To serve
Crispy gremolata crumbs (see recipe below)
oregano or small basil leaves, to garnish
Equipment: Two baking trays lined with baking paper.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180degC fan bake.
Place the eggplant on one tray. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Put the tomatoes on the second tray and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Roast the eggplant for about 25 minutes until tender and roast the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Set both aside to cool.
Dressing: Whisk everything together and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the eggplant and tomatoes on a platter. Break the burrata over a bowl to catch the liquid, then dot among the vegetables.
Drizzle over the dressing, then scatter over some of the breadcrumbs and the herbs. Serve the extra breadcrumbs separately.
CRISPY GREMOLATA CRUMBS
Makes 1½ cups
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
finely grated zest 1 lemon
¼ cup pine nuts
1½ cups coarse, fresh breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped parsley
sea salt and ground pepper
Method
Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Add all the other ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, until golden.
Season with salt and pepper. The crumbs will crisp up as they cool.
Molten dark chocolate and hazelnut pudding
A quick stir-together pudding that bakes to gorgeous soft and pillowy deliciousness. Serve with lashings of ice cream or cream or both!
Serves 6
180g butter
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
3 large eggs
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp plain flour
¼ tsp sea salt
1 cup roughly chopped hazelnuts
icing sugar for dusting (optional)
Equipment: 5-cup capacity baking dish.
Method
Preheat the oven to 160degC fan bake.
Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water to melt. Don't let the base of the bowl touch the water. Set aside to cool.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until pale and thick.
Stir in the melted chocolate, then use a large metal spoon to fold in the flour and salt. Stir in half the hazelnuts and tip the mixture into the baking dish.
Scatter over the remaining hazelnuts and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the pudding is set but still with a little wobble in the centre.
To serve: Dust with icing sugar, if desired, and serve immediately with ice cream or cream.
