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.

Chicken, mushroom and asparagus crepes

Serves 4




Ingredients
Olive oil spray
2 chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
200g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonally into quarters
400g pkt frozen crepes, thawed following packet directions
100g coarsely grated cheddar


Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°. Lightly spray a 20cm x 30cm baking dish with oil. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
2. Spray the pan with oil. Cook the mushroom, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the asparagus and cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender crisp. Stir in the chicken until well combined.
3. Divide the chicken mixture among the crepes. Top with half the cheddar. Roll up the crepes to enclose the filling. Place the crepes, overlapping slightly, in the prepared dish. Top with the remaining cheddar and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.


Pro Points - 12 per serve.

Tartare Sauce

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
½ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup olive oil
2 gherkins, finely chopped
1 ½ tbs capers, chopped
2 tbs fresh continental parsley, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbs lemon juice


Method
1. Whisk egg yolks, Dijon mustard and salt in a bowl to combine.
2. Place grapeseed oil and olive in a jug. Whisk a few drops into egg mixture until well combined. Continue adding oil mixture, 1 drop at a time, until mixture starts to thicken, then add in a steady stream until the mixture is thick.
3. Stir in gherkins, capers, parsley, shallot and lemon juice.
4. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to develop the flavours.


Pro Points - 1 point per tablespoon

Steak Diane with Chive Mash

Serves 4





Ingredients
700g Desiree potatoes, peeled, chopped
Olive oil spray
8 beef eye fillet steaks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs no-added-salt tomato paste
125ml salt-reduced beef stock
1½ tbs worcestershire sauce
1 tbs Philadelphia Light cream for cooking
2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
80ml low-fat milk, warmed
2 tbs chopped fresh chives
Pinch of white pepper
Broccolini, halved crossways, steamed
Chopped fresh continental parsley, extra, to serve


Method
1. Cook the potato in a large saucepan of boiling water for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to the pan.
2. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Spray with oil. Cook steaks for 2-3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest.
3. Heat pan over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring, for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the stock and worcestershire sauce, and simmer for 2 minutes or until mixture reduces slightly. Add cream. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the parsley.
4. Add the milk to the potato and mash until smooth. Stir in the chives. Season with white pepper. Divide the mash, steaks and broccolini among serving plates. Pour over the sauce and top with extra parsley.


Pro Points - 8 per serve.

Minestrone

Serves 8



Ingredients

• 300g dried Italian beans (such as borlotti and cannellini beans)
• 100g pancetta or bacon
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs finely chopped rosemary
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled, finely diced
• 2 tbs tomato puree
• 700ml tomato passata
• 750ml (3 cups) beef or vegetable stock
• 150g short macaroni
• 150g frozen or fresh peas
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 2 tbs pesto, plus extra to serve
• Parmesan shavings, to serve

Method

1. Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Leave in a cool place to soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans and rinse well under cold running water. Set aside to drain.
2. Remove the rind from the pancetta then cut into small dice. Cut the onion and garlic into similar small dice (this mixture is known as sofrito and is the base of many flavoursome Italian dishes).
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stock pot. Add the sofrito and rosemary and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until everything has started to soften.
4. Add celery, carrot, potato and tomato puree and cook, stirring, for a few minutes (this removes the raw taste of the tomato puree). Add beans, passata and stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. (Check occasionally; if soup is looking too thick, top up with stock or water.)
5. Add the pasta, peas and cabbage (the soup needs to be quite liquid as the pasta will thicken it as it cooks. Add more liquid if required). Simmer, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes. Season the soup well with salt and pepper, then stir in the pesto. Serve in bowls topped with extra pesto and shavings of parmesan.

ProPoints - 6pts per serve