Three family favourites
Pie, beef stew and sweet spring rolls… no one would grumble if you served up any of these dishes for dinner, says NZ House & Garden’s Sally Butters.
Potato & feta galette
Using sheets of ready-rolled pastry makes this a pie that can be thrown together very quickly. Dish it up with a winter green salad or steamed green vegetables for a family meal, or cut it into smaller pieces to serve with drinks. Leftovers are excellent for lunch the next day, heated in a panini press.
2 sheets butter puff pastry or
1 sheet Paneton flaky puff pastry 3 large potatoes (about 500g), peeled 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2-3 tbsp olive oil
100g feta (goat or cow), crumbled 1 egg, beaten with a little water
Heat oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Roll out pastry a little more thinly if needed (you want it to be no more than 4mm). If using 2 sheets of pastry, press one edge of each sheet together to join them and make a single large sheet – it may need trimming to fit your tray. Score with a sharp knife 1cm in all the way around the outside edge.
Thinly slice potatoes – use a mandolin if you have one, otherwise use a sharp knife to slice them as thinly as you can. Place in a bowl with garlic, thyme and oil. Toss well then spread over the pastry, being careful not to go over the scored edges.
Sprinkle over the cheese and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Brush the edges with egg wash, place in the oven and bake 30-40 minutes or until the base of the pastry is very crisp and the topping is golden. Cool for a few minutes before slicing. Serves 8
Beef & bean braise
A moderate amount of meat goes a long way in this stew, thanks to the addition of vegetable protein in the form of beans and chickpeas. Serve with mash or bread to soak up the delicious juices.
150g dried chickpeas
200g dried white beans (we used
cannellini)
3 tbsp olive oil
500g beef chuck steak, diced into
3-4cm pieces
1 onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 cup black olives
3 x 5cm pieces orange peel with
no pith
1 tbsp tomato paste
500ml red wine
500ml well-flavoured beef stock 1 tsp salt
3 sprigs thyme, plus extra to garnish
3 bay leaves
300g button mushrooms
11⁄2 cups
2cm cubes peeled, deseeded
pumpkin
Mashed potatoes or bread, to serve
Soak the chickpeas and beans in water overnight. Drain. Heat oven to 160C. Heat oil in a large casserole over moderate heat. Add the steak, brown all over then remove and set aside.
Add the onion, garlic, spices, olives and peel and stir-fry for 5 minutes over medium heat until the onion is soft.
Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add beans, chickpeas, wine, stock, salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaves and bring to the boil.
Add beef, mushrooms and pumpkin, cover and put in the oven for 3 hours, or until the beans are tender, stirring after the first half hour. Remove the cinnamon, cloves (if you can find them) and bay leaves and serve. Serves 4-6
Banana spring rolls with coconut caramel sauce
These yummy banana rolls are surprisingly quick to make and dangerously good to eat.
3 bananas (try to find the straightest ones you can) 12 sheets filo pastry 150g brown sugar
1 egg white, beaten 300ml flavourless oil for
deep-frying Vanilla icecream, to serve
Garnish (optional)
3 kaffir lime leaves, cut into
super-thin strips
4 tbsp black sesame seeds
Sauce
200g palm sugar, grated or chopped 2 tbsp water
200ml coconut cream
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt Peel bananas and cut each one into 4 by cutting in half first width-ways then lengthways. Place a banana quarter in the bottom corner of a sheet of filo pastry and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Fold over the bottom corner, fold in the sides then roll up towards the top corner. Brush with egg white and seal closed. Repeat with remaining bananas.
Heat oil in a saucepan to the point where a small piece of bread turns golden brown in 60 seconds. Fry the spring rolls in batches of 2 or 3 until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Serve the rolls warm with icecream and coconut sauce, garnished if desired with lime leaves and sesame seeds. Serves 6 Sauce: Heat palm sugar with water in a saucepan over low heat until melted, tilting pan to assist even melting, then cook without stirring until the mixture starts to caramelise – it will start to darken and smell like toffee.
Carefully add coconut cream (the hot mixture will splutter) and stir until incorporated.
Pour into a jar and mix in the yoghurt once cooled. Makes 11⁄2 cups