Mulligatawny Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large brown onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup mild Indian curry paste
• 500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, chopped
• 3 medium zucchini, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chicken stock powder
• 1/3 cup basmati rice

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add curry paste. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Add zucchini and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables are just tender and chicken browned.
2. Add stock and 6 cups cold water. Bring to the boil. Add rice. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken cooked through. Serve.

Pro Points - 11pts per serve

Moroccan Lamb Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 lamb forequarter chops, trimmed

• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon beef stock powder
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils, rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shanks. Cook, turning, for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add onion, garlic, carrot and celery to pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return shanks to pan with tomato, stock powder and 6 cups cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour. Add lentils. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until lentils and shanks are tender.
3. Remove pan from heat. Remove shanks. Remove and discard bones and fat. Shred meat. Add meat and parsley to pan. Return pan to heat. Simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve.

   
   

   Pro Points - 7 pts per serve

Budget Bolognaise Sauce

8 serves





Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100g diced bacon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 carrot, grated
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 kg regular beef mince
415g can tomato soup
½ cup water
800g can diced tomatoes


Method
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.. Add onion, bacon, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook for 8 minutes.
2. Add beef mince and stir until brown. Add tomato soup, diced tomatoes and water. Stir until combined and mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes until thick and rich.


Pro Points - 8 points per serve

Cherry chutney

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients
3 cups fresh pitted cherries
1 ½ cups cider vinegar
1 cup chopped onions
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup raisins
1 tbsp mustard seeds
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg


Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for one hour.
3. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, for about another 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.
5. Refrigerate in glass jars.


Pro Points - 1 point per tbsp

Pork cutlets with pear relish

Serves 4



Ingredients
4 x 150g lean pork cutlets, fat trimmed
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 x 410g can pear halves in natural juice
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tsp honey wholegrain mustard
Potato wedges
Green beans, steamed
Asparagus, steamed


Method
1. Preheat a barbecue or chargrill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly spray pork with oil and sprinkle with paprika. Cook pork for 4-5 mins each side or until cooked. Remove pork from pan and stand, loosely covered with foil, for 5 mins.
2. Meanwhile, drain pears, reserving 2tbs juice. Cut the pears into 1 cm pieces. Combine pears, reserved juice, onion, vinegar and mustard in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10-12 mins or until liquid evaporates.
3. Serve pork topped with pear relish, wedges, green beans and asparagus.


Pro Points - 9 points per serve

Fortune tuilles

Ingredients
50 unsalted butter, softened
½ cup caster sugar
¼ cup plain flour
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla essence


Method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine butter, sugar, flour, egg whites and vanilla essence. 
3. Spread teaspoonfuls of mixture into 7cm rounds on tray. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until browned.
4. Roll into a cigar shape. Cool.
5. Make pretty notes, then tuck them inside the tuilles.

Empadas de Galinha (chicken pastries)

Makes 24




Ingredients
1 (about 250g) chicken breast fillet
500ml chicken stock
10g butter
80g rindless bacon, coarsely chopped
½ brown onion
¼ cup white wine
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
5 sheets (25cm x 25cm) frozen puff pastry, just thawed
1 egg, whisked lightly


Method
1. Place the chicken in a saucepan and cover with stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Set aside to cool. Reserve two tablespoons of the poaching liquid. Discard the remaining poaching liquid. Finely shred the chicken.
2. Heat the butter in a medium non-stick frying pan until foaming. Cook the bacon and onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Add the chicken and nutmeg. Season with pepper. Stir in the parsley. Transfer to a bowl. Add reserved poaching liquid. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 220°C. Use a 7cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 24 discs from the pastry. Line twenty-four 40ml capacity patty pans with pastry discs. Divide the chicken mixture among pastry cases. Use a 5.5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 24 discs from the remaining pastry. Top each pastry with a pastry disc. Use a fork to press edges to seal. Brush tops with the egg.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden.


Pro Points - 2 points per pastry.