Venison & Mushroom Pie

We were blessed to have some really good quality wild venison to cook this week. The first night we cooked a truly fabulous Annabel Langbein recipe, serving the fillets on ginger mashed kumara, with a sweet red wine and balsamic sauce. It really was sensational, partly down to the tender quality and flavour of the meat, as well as the accompaniments of course. 

But tonight I had the challenge of using the rest of the meat to create a pie (Hubby's orders. But who doesn't like pie right?). The challenge was, that the meat was from the eye fillet, so exceptionally tender and only requiring quick cooking. 

Pies are traditionally a dish that are suited to a tougher cut of meat. This recipe explains how to cook it using a high quality cut of meat. However if you had stewing steak then you'd simply rearrange the order, brown the meat first, and simmer it in the gravy for at least 40 minutes till it's tender, before cooling and using as a pie filling. 

One of my tips with pies is to cool the filling first. It doesn't have to be fridge cold (though you could prepare the filling a day in advance), but you certainly do not want it hot. It would cause the pastry to melt a little which you don't want to happen prior to going into the oven. Also, a HOT oven, so make sure to preheat first. 

Ingredients (Serves 4-6 with sides): 

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 400g venison fillets, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp flour 
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 c red wine  
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g butter
• 200g mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 cup diced pumpkin
• 1 tbsp dried thyme (or 1/4c of fresh thyme) 
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 sheets of butter puff pastry*
• 1/2 cup frozen peas

Toss the chopped meat in the first measure of flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Lightly brown the meat in batches and set aside in a bowl. 

Once the meat is browned, reduce the heat to low and use the wine to de-glaze the pan. Stirring until all of the bits have been removed from the bottom of the pan, and the wine has significantly reduced. Pour this over top of the meat and set aside. 

Heat the oil and half of the butter in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms and pumpkin and saute for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are softened. 

Add the garlic, additional butter, and thyme, and stir till the butter has melted. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat. 

Gradually add the hot beef stock to the pan (if using a cheaper cut of meat return it to the pan now to stew in the gravy), stirring constantly and allow the sauce to thicken. 

Once thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature (if using a fillet cut of meat stir it into the gravy once cooled). 

Preheat the oven to 190*C fanbake (210*C bake). 

Butter a 22cm pie dish and line the base with the thawed pastry. Cutting to fit. 

Spoon the cooled filling into the base and sprinkle with 1/2 a cup of frozen peas. 

Use the remaining pastry to cover the top. If you don't have enough a rustic lattice top will do the trick (I like my pies to be rustic and somewhat freeform). If you do fully cover the top, be sure to prick a few holes in the top to allow it to steam. 

Bake for 40 minutes till the centre is hot.  

Remove from the oven and sit for 10 mins before cutting. 

Serve with roasted potatoes and steamed veggies or salads. 

* Many store bought pastries are made with vegetable fat (often palm oil), check the ingredients and if possible it's worth spending the few extra dollars for butter puff pastry. 

Devilled Sausages

My friend and I were reminiscing over this dish recently. What better way to enjoy your favourite sausage then simmered in a tangy, sweet and spicy sauce served over mash or rice. Now that the weather is finally cooling off, this is the perfectly lovely warming comfort food type of dish to start thinking about cooking.

Whether this was a childhood staple, or like me, your go to flat dinner when a poor university student, it's still just as tasty and satisfying. I historically always made it using the classic Maggi mix, but trust me, it's so much more satisfying (and surprisingly easy) making it from scratch. In fact you've probably already got most, if not all, of the ingredients at home.

You could just as easily cook this in slow cooker, brown the sausages (or not), and put in all other ingredients and leave on low for 4-6 hours. You could easily double this recipe to feed a crowd, or freeze leftovers to reheat on another day.



Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 6-8 good quality pork or beef sausages - I used Freedom Farms Pork & Fennel Sausage
• 2 small brown onions, sliced
• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthways and sliced thinly
• 1 1/2 cups boiled water
• 2 tsp beef or chicken stock powder (use beef for beef sausages/ chicken for pork) 
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder, or 1 tbsp prepared mustard
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce 
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tbsp cornflour (mixed with 1 tbsp water to form a smooth paste) 
• mashed potato or steamed rice, to serve

In a large saucepan with a lid, lightly brown the sausages in oil over a low heat. Once lightly browned, slice the sausages lengthways, or into smaller slices (which may be more suitable for children). 

Add the onion, apple, carrot, stir, then add the water, stock powder, soy sauce, curry powder, mustard, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Stir to combine, cover and reduce heat to as low as possible. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes till vegetables are softened and sausages are cooked through.

Add the frozen peas, and cornflour mix, simmer for another 3-5 minutes to thicken the sauce. 

Serve upon a bed of rice or mashed potato and tuck in!

Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Balls

Chicken and Broccoli Bites or Broccoli and Cheese Bites have been trending on food blogs for a while now, and I have been wanting to try them for a while. 

Mr 11 months dinner platter.
The chicken broccoli and quinoa
balls were demolished!

However my 'fussy eater' is weird about meat (unless it's pulverised into a puree, masked with pumpkin or kumara), and is not a big fan of cheese. He'll eat his ham and cheese sammies okay, but won't eat cheese on it's own, and didn't seem too pleased with the cheese and veggie fritters that I made (but he loves my Lasagne and Tuna Pasta Bake, go figure?). Regardless, I was hesitant to try something, which was too 'meaty' or 'cheesy', but I am wanting to introduce more finger food, so I came up with these tasty morsels: Which he devoured, and completely ignored everything else which was on his plate. Luckily these are basically a complete meal in one, so he can just eat these for the rest of his life for all I care and I know he'll be getting a balanced diet. 

Best of all, they're a hit with adults as well as children! Little ones can enjoy them plain or with a little tomato sauce, and for adults, add a teaspoon of chilli sauce to the tomato sauce for a flavour kick. Alternatively, you could serve them with spaghetti and a tomato sauce. 

Ingredients (makes 40 balls): 

• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 cups of roughly chopped broccoli (florets and stalk - just remove the skin of the stalk) 
• 400 grams skinless boneless free range chicken 
• 100 grams haloumi cheese 
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (1/2 cup dried + 1 cup water, simmer for 10-15 mins) 
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp dried thyme 
• 1 tsp paprika 

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius, and line two baking trays with grease proof paper. 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor (depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do a few ingredients at a time, then finish up the mixing in a large bowl. 

Using wet hands, shape ping-pong sized balls of the mixture and drop them onto the lined trays. 

Bake for 25 minutes, swapping the trays around halfway to ensure even cooking. 

Cool and serve: with a tomato sauce (chilli optional), or with spaghetti and a cooked tomato sauce. 

Chicken and Olive Tagine

I'm a big fan of aromatic foods, particularly Moroccan dishes. Technically a tagine is a curry, but more aromatic (cinnamon, cloves, ginger) than heat like you would get from an Indian curry. In saying that, this number does have a little chilli which can be increased or decreased to taste. If you don't have a tagine to cook this in, don't worry. A large saucepan with a lid will do the same job. Just when you pop the lid on, be sure to tilt it a little so a small amount of steam can escape, but effectively it keeps most of the steam circling inside. 

I serve this with a simple couscous and some harissa spiced yogurt, but it would be equally nice served with rice, roasted or mashed potatoes. You could also serve it with plain yogurt, or coconut yogurt, or simply eat it as is. I just love the sweet and spicy kick that you get from adding the Julie Le Clerc Spicy Harissa paste to the yogurt. 

Ingredients (serves 4): 

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp crushed ginger
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 400 grams of free range skinless chicken thighs
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced on a diagonal
• 1/2 cup of green or black olives - I've used pitted black olives this time
• rind of 1 lemon
• 1 cup of chicken stock

Couscous

• 300 grams couscous
• 450 mls boiling water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley - mint or coriander would work if you don't have parsley
• 1/3 cup of dried dates or apricots, finely chopped

To Serve

• 1/2 cup of plain unsweetened yogurt 
• 1-2 tbsp of Julie Le Clerc Harissa paste
• Steamed green beans - or other greens - to serve

In a dry frying pan, heat the cumin seeds, cloves and peppercorns till toasted and aromatic. Remove from the pan and crush with a mortar and pestle. Place in a non-metallic bowl with the remaining spices: paprika, ginger, garlic, chilli, bay leaves, salt and olive oil, mix well, then add the chicken thighs. Stir to coat and set aside for at least 30 minutes, or alternatively overnight. 

Heat the base of the tagine, or a large saucepan and add the chicken pieces, browning each side for a couple of minutes. Add the onions and carrots and stir so the onion begins to soften. Finally add the chicken stock, lemon rind and olives. Use the addition of the liquid to lift any flavoursome sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Place the lid on top, and simmer on a low heat for 20 - 35 minutes till the chicken is cooked through - cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken pieces.

Meanwhile prepare the couscous. Mix the boiling water and olive oil with the couscous. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes to absorb. Add the lemon juice, parsley and dried fruit. Stir to combine. 

Mix the yogurt with the harissa paste and serve in a small bowl alongside the tagine. 

Once the chicken is cooked, remove to a serving plate, spooning the onions, olives and juices over the top of the pieces of chicken. Serve with couscous, spiced yogurt and green beans.

If you liked this recipe you could also try my Lamb Tagine with Cranberry and Almond Couscous

Pea and Ham Soup

I'm pretty sure that every family has a pea and ham soup recipe that's been handed down through the generations. Except mine... It's something I never ate as a child and for years couldn't work out what all the fuss was about. In the last few years however I've become quite a fan of the humble bacon hock and the powerful flavour hit is delivers when gently simmered away in this hearty warming soup. Despite never having it as a child, I know my children and their children will definitely be familiar with this recipe. Finally, I think I've perfected it! Let me know what you think. 

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp dried sage
• 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 400 grams of dried green split peas
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 bacon hock, or leftover ham bone - make sure it still has some meat on it though! I use freedom farms bacon hock, they're about $8 each and it has a decent amount of meat still on the bone. 
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• salt and pepper to taste
• buttered bread or toast to serve. 

In a large soup pot heat oil on a medium heat. Add onions, garlic and sage, saute gently for 3-5 minutes. Add the leek and carrots and continue cooking on a medium heat for another couple of minutes. 

Add the dried green split peas, peppercorns, bacon hock and cover with 2 Litres of water. Bring to a gentle boil before reducing heat to low and covering. 

Simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours stirring occasionally. You may need to top up the water if it starts to reduce too much. After 2 - 2.5 hours you'll notice the peas have begun to disintegrate. Perfect! 

Use tongs to remove the bacon bone from the soup and set aside to cool a little. Ladle about a third of the soup into a blender to whizz till smooth, return to the rest of the chunky soup before adding the cup of frozen peas. 

Simmer for another 3 - 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the pork bone and shred with a fork. 

Finally taste the soup, and if necessary add a little salt and pepper. Remember the bacon bone is already very salty, so it shouldn't need more than a teaspoon extra. 

Ladle soup into bowls and top with shredded meat. Serve with buttered bread or toast. Or if you're like me, add a smear of marmite to your toast as well, for an extra salty kick! 

TP's Hawaiian Chicken Burgers

As a lover of the BK [Burger King] Hawaiian Chicken burger, who's actively trying to 'be healthy' and avoid fast food, this was the perfect home made indulgence. 

The man of the house, who shall be known as TP, created these delicious mouth watering temptations on a whim, but they will be on household repeat for sure. 

Burger

• 2 - 3 large free range chicken breasts (500 grams) 
• 3/4 c flour
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp turmeric
• oil for cooking - rice bran works well as it has a high heat temperature
• 6 rashers of rindless free range bacon 
• Can of pineapple rings, drained 
• 6 pack of burger buns, sliced

Preheat oven to 220•C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange 6 rashers of bacon on tray, and bake for 15 - 20 mins till at your preferred crispiness. * You can also bake the chips while the bacon is cooking.

Place the chicken between two pieces of cling film and pound with a rolling pin to flatten out.

Remove cling film and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 6 roughly equally sized pieces.
Combine flour, cayenne, chilli flakes, mixed herbs and turmeric in a bowl. Coat each chicken piece liberally in this mix.

Heat 1/2cm of cooking oil in a frying pan. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, till cooked through. You should be able to fit three pieces of chicken in the pan at the same time. Once the chicken is cooked, reduce heat to low and arrange the pineapple rings in the same pan, turning once.

I also like to flick the oven onto grill for a few minutes at the end of cooking, to toast the buns - cut side up - just be careful that they don't burn.

Slaw 

• 1/2 green cabbage, finely shredded
• 4 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1/3 cup whole egg mayonnaise - I go for full fat, but low sugar variety. 
• 2 pineapple rings, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients using two large spoons to incorporate the mayonnaise well. This does take a little time, so be patient. Taste and season with a little salt if required.

To serve: 

• Sweet Chilli sauce - optional - for the burgers
• Sliced tomatoes
• Thick cut oven roasted potato chips. We bought Pam's thick cut, which are just potato and canola oil, no added flavourings or salt. * Bake while the bacon is cooking
• Tomato Sauce - for the chips 

To assemble 

Smear a little chilli sauce on the bottom half of the burger bun, and smear some mayo on the top half. Layer on top of the chilli sauce, cheese, followed by chicken, bacon, pineapple, tomato and a large spoonful of slaw on top. Top with the bun lid and serve alongside extra slaw, chunky fries and tomato sauce. 

Fresh Chicken Noodle Soup

Seriously easy, seriously nutritious, and seriously fast way to get your chicken soup fix. 


I've used a whole chicken, skinned, jointed and breasts removed. I find this is the most cost effective way to make this soup, plus boiling all the bones means that all that goodness is added to the broth. I don't bother using the chicken breast meat in this soup, as it can get tough when poached, and is far more valuable to use for another meal - like my tasty chicken Hawaiian Chicken Burgers, or Chicken Burrito Bowl with Mango Salsa for example. 


Also, DO NOT throw the skin away... I never like wasting anything! Check out this tasty way to make the most of it...  

What to do with #leftover #chicken skin? Salt and bake on a tray at 180•C for 20-30 mins till golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and devour.... Reserve the fat in a container in the fridge for next time you're roasting potatoes #chickenskin #lard #chickenfriedpotatoes #naughtytreats #youknowyouwantsome

A photo posted by Stef Parker (@sparkmypantry) on Aug 13, 2016 at 11:22pm PDT

Make sure you drain off the fat before it cools. Store in a glass container in the fridge to use the next time you are roasting potatoes. Plus the chicken crackle makes a tasty snack while the soup simmers. 

Ingredients (serves 4): 
Soup 

• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1/4 c sliced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
• bunch of coriander - wash and pick the leaves off. Set them aside and use the roots and stalks in the soup
• 1 whole free range chicken, jointed, skin and breast meat removed. 
• 300 grams dried egg noodles 

For the bowls

• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 cabbage, finely shredded
• 6 mushrooms, finely sliced or quartered
• 2 carrots, grated or julienned
• coriander leaves

Joint the chicken, and remove the skin and breast meat. 

Simmer all of the soup ingredients - except the noodles - in a large soup pot for 20 minutes, till the meat is cooked through. 

Meanwhile shred the cabbage - a food processor works well here - grate the carrots, slice the mushrooms and spring onion. Divide the vegetables and coriander leaves, among four large soup bowls. Set aside. 

Remove the chicken - bones and all - from the soup pot, and set aside till cool enough to handle. Now add the noodles and continue boiling for 3 - 10 minutes (according to the packet directions). 

Remove the meat from the chicken bones and divide among the serving bowls. Use tongs to serve the noodles on top, then ladle the boiling broth over it all. Stir, leave for a few minutes to poach the vegetables, and make it cool enough to eat. Serve with soup spoons and chopsticks. 

Chicken Burrito Bowl with Mango Salsa

Burrito bowls seem to be all the craze now, they are low G.I. and provide a gluten free option, plus the brown rice adds extra nutrition. I also find that bowl food is sometimes easier to eat than a wrap, which can get a bit messy!

Even though this is spicy, there is a subtle sweetness added by the mango. Feel free to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to taste, this amount provides a medium spice level. Serving the creamy avocado alongside with the shredded lettuce and tomato makes this a perfectly balanced meal, which also makes fantastic leftovers hot or cold. Also, if you can, use lime juice rather than lemon, it adds a much more authentic zing. 

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 cups of brown rice
• 500g chicken thigh, trimmed and diced
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp oil
• oil for cooking
• 1 mango
• 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional) 
• 1 red onion
• 1 tbsp lime/lemon juice
• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1 tbsp lime/lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

to serve

• tomato, diced
• iceberg lettuce, shredded

Cook rice according to packet directions. 

Meanwhile, toss the diced chicken in the paprika, cumin, cayenne and 2 tbsp of oil. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the salsa and avocado. 

Peel and slice half of the red onion into rings. Slice the capsicum into strips. Set both aside. 

Prepare the salsa, dice the flesh of the mango cheeks (skin removed). 

Dice the remaining half onion, and stir with mango and chilli flakes. Add lime/lemon juice and set aside in the fridge. 

Prepare the avocado by mashing the flesh and stirring in lime/lemon juice with the salt and pepper. Set aside to chill while you cook the chicken.  

Heat a little more oil in a large frying pan and cook the chicken, stirring, for 5 minutes, if necessary add a little more oil to the pan before adding the sliced onion and capsicum, cook, stirring for another 5 minutes till onion is softened and chicken is cooked through. 

Dish warm rice up into four bowls. Serve topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, chicken, mango salsa, and a generous dollop of avocado. Provecho!!

Creamy Green Chicken Pie

Despite the name of this pie it's relatively light, using sour cream instead of full cream. The 'green' part comes from the fact that the pie is packed with greens. 

The filling is best made the day before, or at least early enough so that it has enough time to chill before putting into the pastry. 

The pastry is an adaptation of my tart pastry, however I've added sunflower seeds as I wanted to add a little texture to it. 

Filling (serves 4-6): 

• 2 tbsp oil
• 500 grams chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp cornflour 
• 1 leek, thinly sliced - white and light green parts only) 
• 1/2 bunch of silverbeet - about 6 large leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1/2 tsp salt

Heat 1 tbsp of oil a large pan and add the chicken, cook for a few minutes each side till lightly browned, but not cooked right through. Remove chicken from the pan, cover and set aside. 

Wash the silverbeet and separate the stalks and green leaves. Finely slice the silverbeet stalks and leek. Using the chicken pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and saute the stalks and leek for a few minutes till softened. Meanwhile slice the leaves finely and roughly chop the reserved chicken. 

Combine the vegetable stock and cornflour. Add to the pan with silverbeet leaves, peas, sour cream, milk, pesto and salt. Stir well, reduce heat to low, cover and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes till the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce is quite runny, remove the lid for the last 5 minutes so that it reduces more. 

Once cooked, remove from the pan, cool to room temperature, then chill. 

Pastry: 

• 1 cup flour 
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds - other nuts or seeds would also work. 
• 90 grams cold butter, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 - 6 tbsp chilled water

In a food processor, place the flour, salt and diced butter. Blitz on high till the butter is combined and it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sunflower seeds and blitz on high again. The seeds will stay a little chunky which is good. 

Slowly add the iced water 1 tbsp at a time while the motor is running. The pastry will combine and become a soft sticky ball of dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, or 180 degrees on fan bake and grease a pie dish. 

On a floured surface roll 2/3 of the the pastry out to line the pie dish, allow a little overhang. Roll the remaining pastry to make the lid. 

Spoon your chilled chicken filling into the pie dish and place the pastry lid on top. Wet the edges a little before pressing together with a floured fork. Prick the top of the pie before placing into the hot oven for 40 minutes. 

Once golden and heated through, remove from the oven and allow 5-10 minutes before slicing in and devouring. 

Have you tried Bargain Box yet?

You might have noticed I haven't been sharing many recipes lately. Part of the reason is that I haven't been cooking my own recipes for dinner. Instead our family has been enjoying the new dinner box craze with Bargain Box. 

Every Sunday afternoon (or fortnightly if you prefer), boxes of fresh delicious food is delivered along with recipe cards to make 3 to 5 healthy meals for the week. 

Here are the 9 things that I am loving about Bargain Box: 

• Cost effective $$$ - works out to be about $6 per serve*
• Free Range Meat - all of the chicken and pork is free range, and the seafood ethically caught. 
• Loads of veggies - means that I know I'm getting the best for me and my family. 
• Measured quantities of herbs and spices - makes rummaging through the draw for the measuring spoons, or realising you've forgotten one of the crucial spices a thing of the past. 
• Variety! - forget about Meatloaf Monday and Taco Tuesday, Bargain Box delivers variety to your door, without you having to even think about it. 
• Delivery - they text you when it arrives, just in case you're out and about, and means that I am making less trips to the dreaded supermarket. 
• Builds confidence in the kitchen - if you want to encourage your other half, your children, or just build more confidence in your own cooking skills, this will most certainly help you as everything you need is at your fingertips with easy to follow recipes. 
• Recipe cards - so we can recreate the favourites. 
• Delicious! - These meals are family friendly, flavour packed and live up to my personal motto Delicious and Nutritious. 

There are options to suit most families, you can choose between "Feeds 4" or "Feeds 6". The Feeds 4 makes enough food to happily feed 4 hungry adults (or as we have been doing: dinner for 2, plus leftovers for lunch), or 2 adults and 2 - 4 children, depending on how much your little ones eat. 

Also if you're like us and have loads of evening things that pop up and aren't likely to be cooking 5 nights a week, there is a "3 Meals" option as well as the "5 Meals". Plus you can choose to only get your Bargain Box once a fortnight, instead of every week. 

Last weeks menu included:

• Beef Burgers with Roasties 
• Chicken Pesto Pasta 
• Lamb Sausages with Kumara Mash 
• Sweet and Sour Pork
• and Fancy Fish and Chips. 

The delivery included almost everything we needed to create all 5 meals (Yes, the bread, potato, pasta, rice, spices, all included with the meat and veggies). The only things I needed in my pantry was salt, pepper, mayonnaise, soy sauce, milk, butter and oil. But don't worry, you get an email on the Wednesday before delivery to tell you the upcoming menu, along with any required pantry staples, so you have plenty of time to pick up something if you don't already have it on hand. 

Above: Chicken Pesto Pasta 

* $6 per serve based on the Feed 4, 5 Meals per week Bargain Box 

Crunchy Coconut Chicken and Slaw

Everybody loves fried chicken right? Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside. This week I've come up with a healthier version. One that adults and children love. Once the chicken is crumbed you can pop it in the oven and leave it, or if you want it extra crunchy you could pan fry it for a few minutes each side before finishing it in the oven. We just oven baked, and it was perfect, not to mention easier. Cayenne pepper adds a real kick, so if you're making it for (or with) kids, maybe leave that out. 

Coconut Chicken 
1/2 cup plain flour 
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp each of dried coriander, dried parsley or cayenne pepper 
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko crumbs 
3/4 cup dried desiccated coconut
500g chicken tenderloins or breasts, cut into wide strips 
Olive Oil spray - or drizzle over

Coconut Slaw 
1/4 plain white cabbage, shredded 
2 carrots, grated 
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
1/4 red capsicum, diced small
1/2 fresh coconut, grated - 1/2 a cup of dried coconut would also work, but wouldn't taste quite the same
juice of 1 lime 
1/4 cup mayonnaise 

To serve
Mayonnaise, and if you like it spicy, stir in some of your favourite chilli sauce. 


First prepare your chicken. Get three bowls or plates ready. Fill the first with the flour, salt and pepper. Fill the second with the egg, then the third with the mix of panko, herbs, and coconut. 

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. 

Dab the chicken dry with paper towels. Take a piece of chicken and dredge it in the flour mix, shake off any excess, then dunk it in the egg. Again, allow the excess to drip off, before dredging it in the panko and coconut mixture. You may need to press the crumbs on to coat it evenly. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the baking dish, and repeat with remaining pieces. 

When all the chicken is coated, place in a hot oven for 15 - 20 minutes, turning once. 
While the chicken is cooking, prepare your slaw. 

Shred the cabbage (a food processor works wonders here), grate the carrots, fresh coconut, and finely slice the spring onion, coriander, and dice capsicum. Toss together in a large bowl with salt and lime juice. Stir through 1/4 cup of mayonnaise. Chill till required. 

In a small bowl, mix more mayonnaise with some hot chilli sauce. 
Serve the chicken on a bed of slaw. Serve the spiced mayo on the side. 

Chicken Chickpea Chorizo Casserole

 After an easy, delicious, protein packed, crowd pleasing, dinner in a hurry? This is the answer. If you're not feeding a crowd, don't worry, it tastes just as good, if not better the next day, and freezes well. Even better. It's all cooked in the same pan, so less dishes! You can serve it with any type of carb, mash, bread, rice or pasta. I like it with bread so that you can soak up all the delicious juices. 



Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil (rice bran or olive oil) 
• 400-500grams of free-range chicken
• 50grams chorizo sausage 
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika 
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup diced green capsicum 
• 1 onion, lyonnaise sliced*
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup of thickly sliced button mushrooms
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste
• carbs to serve: Italian bread, mash, pasta or rice. Personally, I like the way that bread and mash mop up the juices. 

Method

Slice chicken and dice chorizo. 

Heat a large deep frying pan that has a lid. Add oil, and cook chicken and chorizo, stirring, for a few minutes till beginning to brown. 

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Add to pan with balsamic, oregano, basil, and smoked paprika (if you don't have smoked, regular will be fine). Stir and cook a few more minutes. 

Add onions, mushrooms, capsicum and garlic. Stir for a few more minutes before adding tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Reduce heat, season with salt and pepper, cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. Check and stir occasionally during this time. If you're cooking mash, rice or pasta, get these on now. Finally, remove the lid and increase heat for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a little before serving. 

Serve with carbs and dig in. 

*To lyonnaise onion, watch this short video, basically you top and tail each half and slice on an angle along the lines that naturally form in the onion. 

Chicken Liver Pate

I've always wanted to make chicken liver pate, but always put it into the too hard box for some reason. However when I spotted free range chicken livers at the supermarket the other day I couldn't help myself. I've often seen brandy being used in chicken liver pate, but not having any I decided to use cointreau instead. This recipe was unbelievably easy to make, though you would need a food processor. The recipe I adapted recommended pushing the blitzed meat through a sieve before adding the butter cubes, however Im not sure that this part of the process was entirely worthwhile, though probably did add to the smoothness. 

Ingredients: 

• 120g butter - room temperature
• 250g free range chicken livers
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp cointreau 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary 
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper 
• 1 tsp salt (or more to taste) 

Melt 20 grams of the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add livers and fry 1 minute each side, then turning occasionally for about 4 minutes till cooked through and browned. Remove from pan. 

Add onion and garlic to same pan, cooking slowly till softened, return livers to the pan and add cointreau. Stir for a minute, then  pour all ingredients into the food processor. 

Once mixed, remove from processor and push through a course sieve (this is the part that is optional - if you are pushed for time or patience you could probably omit it for a slightly more textured pate), before returning back to the food processor bowl.

Set aside 20g of the remaining butter, and cube the rest. Add the rosemary, pepper and salt to the food processor. Turn back on and drop cubes of butter in allowing each to incorporate. 

Now that it is all mixed in and you have a smooth creamy pate spoon into a ceramic serving dish. 

Melt the remaining 20g of butter and pour over the top of the pate. 

Allow to chill overnight. Serve with crackers or french stick, chutney and cornachons. 

This recipe makes about a cup of pate. 

You could easily double the quantity and freeze portions of it in an airtight container for up to three months. 

To thaw, just remove from freezer and serve once at room temperature - great for those unexpected guests.