This recipe builds on the original to make something a little more special than your regular pea and ham soup.

Ingredients

• 1 large ham hock (about 1kg, cut into 3 or 4 pieces)
• 3 brown onions (diced)
• 6 cloves garlic (finely diced)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots (roughly chopped)
• 2 celery stalks (roughly chopped)
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoon all spice
• 1 heaped tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large red chili (split down the centre)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 410g tin of crushed tomatoes
• 200g Pearle Bailey
• 100g split peas (green or yellow)
• 2 ½ litres hot water

Method

Place hock into large pot, cover with cold water and Bring to the simmer. Once water is simmering, remove pot from heat, drain water and place hock pieces in a bowl to the side.

Return pot to stove, using a medium heat, add onion, garlic and olive oil and cook for 2-3min.

Add the carrot and celery to the pot and cook for 10min.

Add bay leaves, all spice, thyme, brown sugar, salt and pepper and red wine vinegar to the pot. Stir everything together, making sure you scrape all the caramelised bits from the bottom.

Add crushed tomatoes, pearle barley, split peas and 2 1/2 litres of hot water. Bring to the simmer then reduce to a low heat. Cook for 90min, stirring every so often, or until ham falls off the bone.

Simple yet full of flavour. If you are looking for a good pickle recipe, this is it!

Ingredients

• 750 ml bottle vinegar (white gives the best presentation)
• 3kg (6lb) green tomatoes
• 1kg (2lb) onions
• small handful of salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1kg (2lb) sugar
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 3 tablespoons mustard powder

Method

Roughly dice the onion and tomatoes and place in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and mix well. Cover and leave to stand overnight.

The next day, drain off the liquid. Place drained tomato and onion in a large pot, add three quarters of the vinegar and boil for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, while stirring bring back to the boil, then boil for one hour, stirring often.

Mix the remaining vinegar with the curry and mustard powder. Add mixture to the pot and stir until well combined. Boil a further 5 minutes.

Bottle and seal.

(Source: abc.net.au)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups crushed digestive biscuits
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 (396g) can sweetened condensed milk
• 130g dark chocolate chips
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (170°C if fan forced). Spray a 23cm x 23cm slice tin with cooking spray.

Combine crushed digestive biscuits and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared tin. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over biscuit mixture.

Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well; place evenly over condensed milk in tin; press down firmly with a fork.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds.

For perfectly cut bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up by edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into individual bars.

This sauce is so simple yet tastes heaps better than the one you get from your local Chinese take-away.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce/ketchup (ketchup tastes better)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Method

Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot.

Mix the cornstarch and water together, add to the pot and stir to thicken.

(If desired, after the sauce has thickend you can add 1 green capsicum/pepper, cut into chunks and pineapple pieces.)

When you taste a new dish and think to yourself ‘holy crap that’s friggin awesome!’ you know you have a winner. This dish not only made me think it but I said it out loud, I will definitely be making it again. Enjoy.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 birds eye chilli (chopped finely, if you like it hotter add more)
• 1tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1tsp finely diced preserved lemon
• 25g butter
• 1tbls olive oil
• 2 large chicken breasts

Couscous

• 1/2 brown onion (chopped super fine)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• olive oil
• 375 ml chicken stock
• salt & pepper
• 300g couscous
• 3tsp finely diced preserved lemon
• chopped parsley

Method

Chicken

Preheat oven to 160oC

On a medium heat put oil and butter in a large heavy, oven proof, frypan and allow butter to melt.

Add chilli, garlic, preserved lemon and ginger to the pan and fry for a couple minutes.

Place chicken in pan, shiny side down, and cook for 3min, baste the top of the chicken breast with the butter mixture as the chicken cooks. Turn chicken over, add 1tbls of water to the pan and place in the oven.

Cook for 20min

Couscous

Place onion and garlic into saucepan, add a touch of oil, do not colour, and make transparent.

Add stock, simmer for 3 minutes.

Bring to boil, add a little salt and pepper.

Place couscous in bowl, when stock comes to simmer pour over couscous, leave for 10 minutes to absorb.

Dice preserved lemon, add to couscous, and mix through parsley.

Once chicken is cooked, remove it from pan and allow to rest. While chicken is resting reduce the pan juices slightly.

Place couscous on plate, slice chicken and place on top of the couscous then put pan juices over chicken.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 500g Pork spare ribs (cubed)
• 1 Brown onion (finely sliced)
• 1 Red capsicum (sliced)
• 1 Tomato (diced)
• 1 Cucumber (diced)

• 2tbls Vegetable oil
• 2tbls Cornflour
• 2tbls Soy Sauce
• 1tbls Ketjap Manis / Light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp chinese five spice
• 1tbls White vinegar
• 1tbls Oyster sauce
• 2tbls Sweet chilli sauce

Method

Place cubed pork, cornflour, chinese five space and soy sauce into a boil and mix until the pork is coated evenly. If the coating is too runny, add a little more cornflour.

In a small bowl combine the Ketjap Manis, white vinagar, oyster sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Mix until combined.

Heat a Wok / Large frypan until hot, add 1tbls of vegetable oil and leave until it just starts to smoke.

Put Onion and Capsicum into Wok, stirfry until onion starts to turn translucent.

Remove Onion and Capsicum from Wok and place into a bowl.

Add remainder of Vegetable oil and leave until it just starts to smoke.

Place Pork into the Wok and stirfry until it has a golden brown crust.

Replace Onion and Capsicum back into the pan with the Pork.

Add the Sauce mixture to the Pork, onion and capsicum and mix until combined.

Turn heat off and stir through Tomato and Cucumber.

Serve stirfry on rice.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 4 large lamb shanks (about 2-2.5Kg)

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large white onion, cut into 4cm pieces
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 celery stalks, cut crosswise into 4cm pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled, cut crosswise into 4cm pieces
• 1 small leek
• 3 cups ruby Port
• 4 cups low-salt chicken stock
• 4 cups beef stock

• 6 whole cloves
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Method

Mix coriander, fennel, and peppercorns in heavy small skillet. Toast on medium-high heat until aromatic and slightly darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder; process until finely ground. Rub each shank with 1 rounded teaspoon spice blend. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add shanks to pot. Cook until brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same pot. Add onion and next 4 ingredients; sauté over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add remaining spice blend and stir 1 minute. Add Port and simmer until liquid is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 15 minutes. Add both broths; boil until liquid is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C (170°C for fan forced ovens). Return shanks to pot. Add cloves, star anise, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper. Cover pot with foil, then lid. Place pot in oven and braise lamb until tender, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Uncover and cool slightly. Place in refrigerator until cool, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm in 180°C (170°C for fan forced ovens) oven for 20 minutes before serving.)

Place 1 lamb shank on each of 4 plates. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce and vegetables over lamb and serve.

(Source: epicurious.com)

Ingredients

• 200g green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small green onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, torn

Method

Cook beans in a small saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Make dressing: Place olive oil, green onion and red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, into a screw-top jar. Shake well to combine.

Place beans, chickpeas, tomatoes and basil into a large bowl. Add dressing. Toss gently.

Chicken skewers

Ingredients

• 1 lemongrass stem, trimmed, outer layers removed, chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbs ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbs finely grated palm sugar (see note)
• 2 tbs peanut oil, plus extra for basting
• 600g chicken breast, cut into 2cm cubes
• Peanut sauce (see related recipe) and cucumber wedges, to serve

Method

Pound lemongrass to a paste with a mortar and pestle. Mix well with spices sugar and oil. Place chicken in a glass or ceramic dish, rub with paste, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, soak about 18 wooden skewers in boiling water for 10 minutes. Thread 5 chicken pieces onto each one.

Heat a barbecue or large chargrill on medium-high heat and cook skewers, in batches, turning and constantly basting with extra oil, for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked and slightly charred.

Peanut sauce

• 150g unsalted peanuts, dry-roasted in the oven until dark
• 2 tbs peanut oil
• 2 eschalots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp chilli paste or sambal oelek
• 2 tsp finely grated palm sugar (see note) or raw sugar, plus extra to taste
• 2 tbs tamarind concentrate (see note)
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 2 tsp shrimp paste (see note) or 4 anchovy fillets
• 270ml can coconut milk
• 250ml water

Method

Finely grind peanuts in a food processor.

Heat oil in a deep frypan over medium-low heat. Add eschalots and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until onion is soft. Stir in peanuts, chilli and shrimp pastes, sugar, tamarind, lime, coconut milk and 250ml water until well combined. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Adjust salt and sugar to taste.

Serve skewers with sauce and cucumber. Serves 6.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC

Sweet Pastry

You can make these a day before, make sure you store them in a air tight container.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/2c caster sugar
• 125g butter, softened
• 1c flour, plus a little for kneading
• pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)

Method

In a food processor, blend the egg and the sugar.

Add the softened butter and pulse until smooth.

Gradually incorporate the sieved flour and salt then pulse until the mixture comes together in a ball. (If the mixture does not form a ball with the 1c of flour keep adding flour, a little at a time, until it does.)

Remove the dough from the processor and knead a little so it is well combined and has a glossy appearance.

Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll pastry to approx 4mm thick. If you do not have round cutters to make the tart shells use a glass with a thin lip. It may take a few tries to find the right size glass for your tin. I make the dough large enough to go a third of the way up the muffin tin when placed inside.

Lightly grease a muffin tin then line with pastry rounds. Refrigerate the pastry shells (in the tin) for a further 30mins or in the freezer for 10mins.

Blind bake the tart shells for 15 minutes.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks, separate the yolks from the whites and keep the whites for the meringue
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• 2 lemons, juice and rind

Method

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl.

Add the lemon zest and juice.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie) and gradually add the butter whilst stirring the curd. The curd will thicken after approximately 20 minutes; remove the bowl from the bain-marie and set aside to cool.

Fill the tarts with the lemon curd and bake for a further 5 minutes at 160ºC (if the oven is too hot the lemon curd will boil over).

Meringue (prepare once the lemon tarts are cooked)

If you don’t want meringue on your tarts skip this step, you could dust some icing sugar on them instead.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites, at room temperature (The egg whites need to be at room temperature to meringue well.)
• 100g caster sugar
• pinch of cream of tartar

Method

Beat the whites in an electric beater until stiff. Add the cream of tartar, beat, then gradually add the sugar and continue beating for 5 minutes.

Pipe the meringue mix onto the lemon tarts and finish in a hot oven (200ºC) to colour the meringue.

Original recipe sourced from: http://ourkitchen.fisherpaykel.com/2009/06/little-lemon-meringue-tarts/