Veal involtini with roasted kale and creamy polenta
PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINS COOKING TIME: 35 MINS SERVES 4 (AS A MAIN)
4 x 100g veal leg steaks (schnitzel) 45g (¼ cup) semi-dried tomatoes,
finely chopped
30g thinly sliced prosciutto,
finely chopped
60g bocconcini, chopped
40g (1½ cups) baby spinach leaves 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 400g can no-added-salt
chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp no-added-salt tomato paste 1 tsp Massel Salt Reduced Chicken
Style Stock Powder
250ml (1 cup) water
Roasted kale
1 bunch kale (200g), inner core
removed, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
Creamy polenta
750ml (3 cups) water
500ml (2 cups) skim milk
170g (1 cup) polenta (cornmeal) 20g finely grated parmesan
1 Using a meat mallet, pound the veal steaks between 2 pieces of baking paper until very thin. Lay out flat on a clean board or piece of baking paper. Combine semi-dried tomatoes, prosciutto and bocconcini in a bowl. Lay spinach leaves evenly over the veal. Top with the tomato mixture. Roll up each piece of veal and secure with a toothpick.
2 Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high. Add the veal and cook (turning occasionally) for 2-3 minutes, or until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3 Heat remaining oil in the frying pan over medium. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and combined stock powder and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. 4 Meanwhile, to make roasted kale, preheat oven to 170°C (fanforced). Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Arrange kale on tray in a single layer. Spray with oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until kale is crisp. Set aside.
5 To make polenta, meanwhile, put the water and milk in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in the polenta and cook, over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until polenta is thick and creamy (but not too thick). Remove pan from heat and stir in parmesan.
6 Add the veal to the pan of simmering tomato sauce mixture and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the veal is cooked through. Spoon the polenta onto serving plates. Remove the toothpicks from the veal and slice, if you like. Place veal over the polenta. Spoon over tomato sauce and serve with the roasted kale.
COOK’S TIP
Try replacing the prosciutto with salt-reduced shaved ham and the spinach leaves with rocket.
Sweet potato gnocchi with crispy sage
PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINS
(+ 30 MINS COOLING) COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR 35 MINS SERVES 6 (AS A LIGHT MEAL)
500g orange sweet potato,
unpeeled
500g Carisma potatoes, unpeeled Freshly ground black pepper
110g (2⁄3 cup) wholemeal
plain flour
75g (½ cup) plain flour
2 Tbsp light margarine
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 bunch sage, leaves picked 2 garlic cloves, crushed
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 30g piece parmesan, finely grated
Italian salad
6 radicchio leaves, torn
½ head baby cos, leaves torn 10 pitted kalamata olives, halved 3 small Roma tomatoes, quartered Balsamic vinegar or glaze, to serve
1 Preheat oven to 200°C (fanforced). Wrap the sweet potato and potatoes in foil. Place on a baking tray. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft when pierced with a skewer. Set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, to make salad, combine radicchio, cos, olives and tomatoes in a bowl. Drizzle with the vinegar just before serving. 3 Peel potatoes and place flesh in a bowl. Mash and push through a sieve (in 2-3 batches) into a bowl. Season with black pepper.
4 Add the flours to the mashed potato. Mix to form a firm but slightly sticky dough. If the dough is a little too sticky, you can add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough into 4 even portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion to form a log 2cm thick. Line a baking tray with baking paper and dust lightly with flour.
5 Using a lightly floured knife, slice logs into 2cm-wide pieces. Roll each into a ball then press with the back of a fork. (The ridges in the gnocchi help the sauce to cling.) Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add about onequarter of the gnocchi to the pan. Cook until pieces have risen to the surface. Using a slotted spoon transfer to prepared baking tray. Repeat until all gnocchi is cooked.
6 Meanwhile, heat the margarine and oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high. Add the sage. Cook, stirring often, for
2-3 minutes or until sage is crispy. Using a slotted spoon transfer to a plate. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the lemon zest and juice.
7 Add cooked gnocchi to the pan and toss to combine. Place the gnocchi and any pan juices on a serving platter. Sprinkle over crispy sage and parmesan. Serve with Italian salad, drizzled with vinegar.
COOK’S TIP
Try replacing the lemon zest and juice with lime, and the sage leaves with flat-leaf parsley leaves.
Minestrone with capsicum and parsley pesto
PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINS COOKING TIME: 30 MINS SERVES 6 (AS A LIGHT MEAL)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 small brown onions, chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 4 tomatoes, chopped
3 tsp Massel Salt Reduced
Chicken-Style Stock Powder 1.5L (6 cups) boiling water
40g parmesan, coarsely grated 120g (2⁄3 cup) pearl couscous 2 zucchinis, chopped
75g (3 cups) baby spinach leaves 6 x 30g slices sourdough
bread, to serve
Fresh basil, to garnish (optional)
Roasted capsicum and parsley pesto
1 large red capsicum Cooking spray
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Juice of half a lemon
Freshly ground black pepper 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves,
chopped
1 To make the roasted capsicum and parsley pesto, preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Line a small baking tray with baking paper. Place capsicum on tray and spray➤
with cooking spray. Roast for 30 minutes or until skin blisters and turns black. Wrap in foil then set aside to cool.
2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 7-8 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. Add the tomatoes, combined stock powder and water, and parmesan. Cover and bring to the boil. Add the couscous and simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes.
3 Add the zucchinis to the pan and simmer, partially covered, for 5-10 minutes or until couscous is tender. Stir in spinach leaves until they just start to wilt.
4 Meanwhile, peel capsicum and discard skin and seeds. Place in a small food processor with the garlic, oil, lemon juice and pepper. Blend until well combined. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the parsley.
5 Divide the soup between serving bowls. Top with the roasted capsicum and parsley pesto and serve with the bread. Garnish with basil, if you like.
COOK’S TIP
Try replacing parsley with fresh basil and the onions with a leek, thinly sliced.
Roasted vegetable lasagne
PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINS COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR 20 MINS SERVES 6 (AS A MAIN)
2 large capsicums
600g sweet potatoes, peeled, cut
lengthways into 1cm-thick slices 450g (2) eggplants, cut lengthways
into 1cm-thick slices
Extra virgin olive oil cooking spray 3 zucchinis, cut lengthways into
1cm-thick slices
500g low-fat ricotta
30g finely grated parmesan
2 x 60g eggs
160ml (2⁄3 cup) skim milk
Freshly ground black pepper
700g jar Val Verde Passata
16 (200g) sheets dried lasagne 1 cup small basil leaves
40g (½ cup) grated
reduced-fat cheese
Mixed salad leaves, to serve
(optional)
1 Preheat oven to 200°C (fanforced). Wrap capsicums in foil. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Spray sweet potatoes and eggplants with oil. Place on trays. Roast all the vegies together for 20 minutes or until the eggplants and potatoes are tender and capsicum skin is soft. Transfer to a wire rack. Allow the capsicums to cool slightly then peel, cut into quarters and discard the skin and seeds. 2 Spray zucchinis with oil and place on 1 of the trays. Roast for 15 minutes or until just tender. Transfer to wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C.
3 Meanwhile, whisk ricotta, parmesan, eggs and milk in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Set aside.
4 Spray a 3L (12 cup) rectangular ovenproof dish with oil. Pour some passata over the base of the dish. Top with a layer of pasta followed by capsicum and eggplant. Pour over half of the remaining passata. Top with another layer of pasta and half the ricotta mixture. Layer the zucchini and sweet potato. Pour over remaining passata. Top with basil and final layer of pasta. Spoon over remaining ricotta mixture and top with cheese.
5 Place lasagne on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Cover with baking paper and foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender when tested with a small, sharp knife. Serve with salad, if you like.