Gourmet fast
Midweek meals made in no time.
1 Spiced lamb chops with silverbeet, chickpeas and yoghurt 2 T-bone steaks with garlic buttered mushrooms and mash 3 Big pork and prosciutto meatballs with polenta
4 Harissa chicken, carrot, rice and quinoa pilaf
5 Linguine with walnut-parsley pesto
6 Cauliflower, leek and cheddar soup
7 Roast mulloway with white beans, fennel and lemon
8 Lime and buttermilk sponge pudding
1 Spiced lamb chops with silverbeet, chickpeas and yoghurt
Serves 4
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp garam masala
8 lamb cutlets
1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 long green chilli, thinly sliced
400 (about ½ bunch) silverbeet, half the stalks
thinly sliced, leaves coarsely chopped
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
400 gm canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed 400 gm canned chopped tomatoes
50 gm thick plain Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to serve
Juice of 1 lime, plus extra wedges to serve Coriander, to serve
1 Preheat oven to 200C. Combine spices and ½ tsp salt in a bowl, then rub generously all over lamb to coat well. Heat half the ghee in a large frying pan, add lamb and fry, turning once, until well browned on both sides (1-2 minutes each side). Transfer to a baking tray and roast until cooked to your liking (2-3 minutes for medium-rare). Rest for 5 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, heat remaining ghee in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add ginger, garlic, chilli and silverbeet stalks and fry until fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute). Stir in mustard seeds and when they begin to pop, add silverbeet and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted (3-4 minutes). Add chickpeas and tomatoes, season to taste and simmer until warmed through, then stir in yoghurt and lime juice and return to a simmer. Serve hot with spiced lamb cutlets, extra yoghurt, and lime wedges, and scatter with coriander.
2 T-bone steaks with garlic buttered mushrooms and mash
Midweek mash is a rustic affair – there’s certainly no time for pushing it through a moulis or a sieve. Instead, we embrace a bit of texture and add plenty of butter and cream. If pine mushrooms aren’t available, use Swiss browns in their place.
Serves 4
1 kg floury potatoes, such as sebago, peeled
and chopped into rough 3cm pieces
80 ml ( 1/ cup) pouring cream, warmed
3
130 gm butter, diced
Olive oil, for frying
4 T-bone steaks (about 300gm each),
at room temperature
4 large flat mushrooms
8 pine mushrooms
8 garlic cloves, unpeeled, crushed with the
flat of a knife
8 thyme sprigs
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon Splash of balsamic vinegar
1 Preheat oven to 200C. Cover potato with cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook until tender when pierced (10-15 minutes). Drain well, mash roughly, then mix in cream and 50gm butter. Season generously to taste.
2 Meanwhile, heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over high heat, add steaks and brown well (1-2 minutes each side). Season to taste, transfer to a baking tray and roast until cooked to your liking (1-2 minutes for medium-rare). Rest for 5 minutes.
3 Add remaining butter to pan and when it foams, add mushrooms cap-side down. Add garlic and fry until mushrooms begin to soften
(1-2 minutes). Turn mushrooms, spoon over a little of the butter from the pan and add thyme. Fry until mushrooms are just tender (1-2 minutes), then remove from heat, and add lemon rind and juice, and vinegar to the pan. Serve steaks with mash, mushrooms, garlic and pan juices.
3 Big pork and prosciutto meatballs with polenta
We love meatballs, big and small. Here, we’ve opted for a single large meatball per serve – it’s much less fuss than rolling smaller ones.
Serves 4
800 gm canned chopped tomatoes
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs, such as thyme,
sage and oregano, plus extra to serve
150 ml red wine
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
400 ml milk
150 gm instant polenta 50 gm parmesan, finely grated plus extra to serve
40 gm butter, diced
Torn mozzarella (optional), to serve
Meatballs
500 gm minced pork
80 gm parmesan, finely grated
60 gm coarse fresh breadcrumbs
½ onion, coarsely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 egg
1½ tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs, such as thyme, sage and oregano
4 thin prosciutto slices
1 tbsp olive oil
1 Blend tomato, onion, garlic and herbs in a blender until smooth. Tip mixture into a large saucepan, add wine and oil, season to taste and bring to the boil, then simmer while you make the meatballs.
2 For meatballs, mix all the ingredients except prosciutto and oil in a bowl and season to taste. Divide into quarters, roll each into a ball, then wrap each ball with a slice of prosciutto. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add meatballs and brown well all over (1-2 minutes).
3 Transfer meatballs to sauce, half-cover saucepan with a lid and simmer until just cooked through (12-15 minutes).
4 When meatballs are almost cooked, bring milk and 450ml water to the boil in a large saucepan, rain in polenta, whisking continuously, then reduce heat to low-medium and whisk until smooth and no longer grainy (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat, add parmesan and butter, season generously and whisk to combine. Serve polenta topped with meatballs and sauce, mozzarella and extra parmesan and herbs.
4 Harissa chicken with carrot, rice and quinoa pilaf
Serves 4
6 skinless chicken thigh fillets, halved
2 tsp harissa, or to taste
Juice of ½ lemon
50 ml olive oil
20 gm butter, diced
1 Spanish onion, coarsely grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tsp coarsely crushed coriander seeds 2 carrots, coarsely grated
200 gm (1 cup) basmati rice
90 gm ( 1/ cup) quinoa
2
500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
Finely grated rind of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve
Mint leaves, to serve
1 Combine chicken, harissa, lemon juice and 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl, season, toss to combine and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
2 Heat butter and remaining oil in a wide casserole over medium-high heat, add chicken skin-side down and brown well (2-3 minutes).>