There's comfort and a kick of spice to be found in these dishes, writes Angela Casley.
Greek kumara and lamb sausage rolls
Have the sausage rolls made the day before and place in the fridge ready to cook on the day of your outing.
Wrap them in tinfoil and a clean tea towel to keep them warm, and don’t forget your favourite chutney.
Serve on their own or with a salad.
Makes 8
500g lamb mince
1 cup grated kumara
1 small onion, chopped
100g feta, crumbled
1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg
500g puff pastry
egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp water)
To serve
chutney
Method
1. Heat the oven to 190degC. Line a baking tray with paper.
2. Place the lamb mince, kumara, onion, feta, parsley, cumin, oregano, paprika and egg in a large bowl and combine.
3. On a lightly floured bench, roll the pastry into a 40cm rectangle approximately 5mm thick. Place the mince on the long edge in an even log. Dampen the edges of the pastry with water.
Roll the pastry, finishing with the cut side down. Cut into 8 pieces. Place them on the baking paper. Brush with a little egg wash or milk and sprinkle with a little extra oregano.
4. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
5. Serve with a dollop of chutney.
Roasted tomato pasta with cashews
Make the most of fresh tomatoes while they are in their prime. Gently roasting them brings out the sweetness, making a simple sauce sing.
Any tomatoes will work. Chop bigger ones into quarters and they will all cook around the same time.
Serves 4
2 cups small tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to season
Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
chopped 2 cloves garlic crushed
200g sliced mushrooms
500ml passata
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup basil leaves
300g buckwheat spirals
1/2 cup toasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
Method
1. Heat the oven to 160degC.
2. Place the tomatoes in a roasting dish with the olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast for 40 minutes. Remove.
3. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a medium-sized pot. Add the onion and garlic, cooking to soften. Add the mushrooms, cooking them down for 4 or 5 minutes.
4. Stir through the passata, balsamic vinegar and basil leaves, cooking for 10 minutes until thickened. Gently stir through the roasted tomatoes.
5. Cook the buckwheat pasta as per packet instructions.
6. To serve, stir the sauce through the pasta, then top with toasted cashews and a few extra basil leaves.
Ricotta devilled eggs
To get the perfect boiled eggs, give them a gentle stir as they start to cook. This will help the yolk to move to the centre.
Once they are boiled, run them under cold water to stop the cooking process and make peeling easier.
Makes 12
6 eggs, hard boiled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ricotta
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper
splash of Tabasco greens, to garnish
Method
1. Peel the hard boiled eggs. Cut them in half lengthways, then gently press the yolk out into a bowl without breaking the white.
2. Mash the yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, ricotta, curry powder, parsley, salt and pepper. Add a little Tabasco to your liking.
3. Served garnished with chopped parsley or microgreens.
