Caribbean Lamb with Pineapple

This is a fiery, hot, vibrant stir fry with a Caribbean flavour. Its really quick and easy and would be great with pork. The recipe came about late one night when me and a friend were craving something spicy and looking through the fridge to see what we could make with the few random items we had.

Ingredients

500g lamb or pork
4 cloves of garlic
10 allspice berries(pimento)
chillies (green and red, as much as you like)
a sprig of thyme
1 capsicum (1/2 green 1/2 red)
1/2 a spanish onion
1/3 of a fresh pineapple
2 spring onions
1/2 a zucchini
coriander
mint
1 lime
splash of soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
sea salt
olive oil

Method

Grind garlic, thyme, allspice and chillies in a mortar and pestle. Heat oil in a pan and add the lamb or pork and the ground paste. Fry until browned on all sides then remove from the pan, add a little more oil and the onion, capsicum and more chilli. Fry for a few minutes then add the pineapple, zucchini, spring onions, soy sauce. brown sugar and a squeeze of fresh lime. Add the lamb back to the pan and simmer for a few minutes. Season to taste. Remove from heat and sprinkle with coriander and mint.

Pico de gallo

Fresh tomato salsa

Ingredients

2 tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 a Spanish onion, finely diced
1/4 bunch coriander, chopped
fresh chilli, finely diced
squeeze of lime
pinch of salt


Method

Add the ingredients together and stir to combine.
Eat with corn chips or quesadillas

Pink Margarita

I love margaritas in summer and these pink ones are really refreshing, perfect with yummy quesadillas!

Ingredients

1 part cointreau
1 part tequila
1 part fresh lime juice
splash of cranberry juice
sea salt
lime wedge
ice

Method

Blend the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and serve in a salt rimmed glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Quesadillas

Quesadillas (pronounced 'kaysa diya') is a delicious Mexican snack food of different fillings and cheese in a tortilla folded in half and cooked until the cheese melts.

I made mine with three different fillings, one with chicken seasoned with Mexican oregano, chilli and herbs, fried capsicum and onion, one with seasoned chicken, avacado and pinto beans, and the other one with seasoned chicken and pinto beans and of course lots of cheese in all of them.

Ingredients

soft tortillas
grated cheese

Fillings

seasoned chicken/beef
pinto or refried beans
avocado
capsicum
onion
salsa
sour cream
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato/onion

Method

Heat a frying pan to a medium heat. Cover half your tortilla with grated cheese and then a light layer of the fillings of your choice. Top with more cheese and fold the empty half over and press down firmly. Cook until the tortilla is toasted on both sides and lightly brown. Remove from pan and cut in half. Serve with salsas or chilli con carne or just eat by themselves.

Date Milkshake

This is a very popular drink in California USA. Its really refreshing on a hot day and the sweet flavour of the dates is delicious.

Ingredients

6 medjool or other high quality soft dates, pitted
1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of cream
8 ice cubes
cinnamon

Method

Put the dates, cream, half the milk and ice in a blender with a pinch of cinnamon. Blend on high for 1 minute then add the rest of the milk and blend for another few seconds. Pour into a chilled glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Italian Ham and Spinach Tart

This is another recipe adapted from 'Jamie at Home' by Jamie Oliver.

Ingredients
1 recipe of savoury shortcrust pastry recipe
a knob of butter
olive oil
3 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
350g spinach, swiss chard, nettles or borage, washed and thick stems removed
a few sprigs of fresh oregano or marjoram, leaves picked and chopped
sea salt and cracked black pepper
500g crème fraîche or cream
150g fresh parmesan cheese, plus extra for grating
3 large free-range or organic eggs
200g of cooked smoked ham, torn into shreds or chopped

Method

Make the pastry and leave in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour. Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the pastry into a rectangle about 1/2 cm thick.

Grease a tray with butter and line it with the pastry. Trim off any excess leaving a 1 cm border. Pinch the border to give a rim to the pastry. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190°. Blind bake the pastry in the preheated oven for 6 - 8 minutes until lightly golden. This stops the pastry going soggy when you add the filling. Next heat olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions on a low heat for 10 minutes until they're soft and sweet but dont let them colour. Turn up the heat, add the garlic, spinach and most of the marjoram or oregano. Season lightly and stir. Take of the heat when the spinach has wilted - only a couple of minutes.

To make the filling, put the crème fraîche or cream into a bowl and stir in the parmesan, eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the spinach mixture over the pastry, sprinkle over the ham and spoon the cream mixture evenly over the top. Grate over a generous helping of parmesan, sprinkle over the rest of the herbs and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling and the filling has set. Serve with watercress dressed in olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Chorizo

This pasta dish is perfect on a hot summer day. I know its not exactly authentic but the chorizo goes beautifully with it.

Ingredients

1/2 packet of spaghetti
1 chorizo sausage
3 - 4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 - 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 spanish onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
olive oil
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh parmesan, grated
sea salt and cracked pepper

Method

Cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water until al dente. In a heavy based pan heat the oil and fry the chorizo for a few minutes on a high heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for a further minute. Turn the heat off and add the tomatoes, lots of olive oil and the pasta so that the tomatoes are warmed through without being cooked. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper and a good handful of parmesan.

Butternut Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients

1/2 butternut pumpkin, chopped into small cubes
40ml dry white wine
1/2 cup of arborio rice
500ml organic chicken stock
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
handful of grated parmesan
10 sprigs of chives, chopped
1 tablespoon mascarpone
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
olive oil
sea salt and cracked pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon

Method

Warm the stock in a saucepan. Fry the pumpkin in olive oil until it is browned and just cooked. In a new pan fry the garlic and onion in butter until it is translucent then add the rice and stir until glossy. Add the wine, stir well and simmer until it has all be absorbed. Add the pumpkin and start adding the stock, 1 ladleful at a time. Simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed before adding the next. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly until the rice is tender. If you run out of stock use a little hot water. Take of the heat and stir in the mascarpone and parmesan. Season to taste and add the chives and a squeeze of lemon to freshen it up.

Couscous with Vegetables

Kesksou Bil Laymoun

Ingredients

couscous
carrot
turnip
cabbage
zucchini
pumpkin
onion
tomato
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of saffron
coriander and parsley
olive oil
sea salt and cracked pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and cook the onions for a minute. Add the herbs and the hard vegetables. Cook until tender then add the saffron, ginger and the rest of the vegetables. Stir to coat in the oil. Pour enough boiling water over the couscous to cover and leave for about 30 seconds. Then pour the couscous over the vegetables and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover with a lid for five minutes so the steam cooks the couscous. The couscous should be light and fluffy, not soggy at all and there should be no liquid left in the pan.