Gourmet fast
Midweek meals made in no time.
Fast, hearty and filling, these recipes from Lisa Featherby make ideal weeknight meals.
1 Prawn and bean salad with preserved lemon dressing
2 Spiced eggs with okra
3 Broccoli soup
4 Chicken braised with cavolo nero and wine
5 Mushroom and mascarpone risotto
6 Fideuà with clams
7 Lamb backstrap with roast pumpkin, anchovy, mint and sesame
8 French toast
1
Prawn and bean salad with preserved lemon dressing
Serves 4 as a light meal 175 gm green beans, trimmed 600 gm canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 tbsp olive oil 12 uncooked prawns, peeled, deveined, heads removed and tails intact
1 tsp coarsely crushed coriander seeds ½ Spanish onion, thinly sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley ½ bunch chives, cut into batons
Preserved lemon dressing
200 ml extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
½ preserved lemon, flesh discarded, rinsed and finely chopped
1 Blanch green beans until bright green and just tender (1-2 minutes), add cannellini beans to warm through (20 seconds), then drain well and keep warm.
2 For preserved lemon dressing, whisk ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.
3 Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Season prawns with coriander seeds and salt and pepper, add to pan and fry until pink and just cooked through (3-5 minutes). Add beans, Spanish onion and preserved lemon dressing, toss to combine, stir in herbs and serve.
2
Spiced eggs with okra
No okra? No problem. Diced eggplant or even stir-fried cucumber would work well here. Serves 4 2 tbsp olive oil 18 okra 2 tbsp ghee 1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp ras el hanout (see note) ¼ tsp ground chilli 1 ripe tomato, finely chopped 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock, or water 8 eggs, at room temperature Coriander, steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges (optional), to serve
1 Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat, add okra and fry until golden brown all over (3-5 minutes). Set aside. 2 Add ghee and onion to pan and fry until onion starts to caramelise (8-10 minutes). Add ras el hanout and ground chilli to pan, stir until fragrant (20 seconds), then add tomato and stir until mixture thickens a little (2 minutes). Add stock, bring to a simmer and cook over high heat until reduced by half (5-7 minutes).
3 Meanwhile, boil eggs in a large saucepan of boiling water until medium-boiled (7 minutes). Cool under cold running water, then peel, halve and add to sauce along with okra. Scatter with coriander and serve with rice and lime wedges. Note Ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend, is available at select delicatessens and online from herbies.com.au.
3
Broccoli soup
Here we’ve reserved the very tops of the florets and sautéed them separately for a garnish, and cooked the stalks for the soup base. By all means use all the broccoli in the soup – the texture will just be a little grainy. Serves 4 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, bruised 2 heads (750gm) broccoli, top of the florets removed, stalks chopped
1 potato (240gm), peeled and chopped
1 litre (4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock 185 ml pouring cream
4 thick slices rye bread
2 tbsp butter, plus extra melted for brushing 125 gm Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 Preheat oven to 200C. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and sauté until tender (5 minutes). Add broccoli stalks, potato and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until stalks and potato are tender (13-15 minutes). Cool briefly, then purée with a hand-held blender, or in an upright blender. Season to taste, stir in cream and bring back to a simmer.
2 Meanwhile, place rye bread on an oven tray and brush with melted butter, then bake in oven until starting to turn golden (4-6 minutes). Top with cheese and bake until cheese melts (3-5 minutes). 3 Heat remaining butter in a frying pan over high heat, add broccoli florets and sauté until tender (3-5 minutes).
4 Top soup with broccoli florets and serve with cheese toasts.
4
Chicken braised with cavolo nero and wine
Serves 4 60 ml ( 1/ cup) olive oil 4 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled, bruised 4 chicken Marylands (about 350gm each) 2 bunches cavolo nero, coarsely chopped 125 ml ( 1/ cup) dry white wine
2
Extra-virgin olive oil and crusty bread, to serve
1 Preheat oven to 240C. Heat a flameproof roasting pan over high heat, add olive oil and garlic, season chicken, place in pan skin-side down and fry until chicken and garlic are golden (3-5 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
2 Add cavolo nero to pan and cook until starting to wilt (2-3 minutes). Place chicken and garlic on top, pour wine over the chicken and season to taste. Roast until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear when pierced with a skewer (25-27 minutes). Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve with crusty bread.>
1
Prawn and bean salad with preserved lemon dressing 3
Broccoli soup SOUP Copper bowl from Beans and Jazz. Plate from Batch Ceramics. Teku teak condiment bowl from Papaya. CHICKEN Plates from Batch Ceramics. TEXT PAGE Salt dish and vase from Funkis. All other props stylist’s own. Stockists p175.
RISOTTO All props stylist’s own. CLAMS
Plate (top of stack) from Batch Ceramics. Trattoria side plate (bottom of stack) from Papaya. All other props stylist’s own. Stockists p175. 5
Mushroom and mascarpone risotto
5
Mushroom and mascarpone risotto
There are several types of risotto rice. The easiest to find is arborio; it needs the least cooking time and tends to break down easily. We’ve used carnaroli here, which is worth seeking out – it holds its shape nicely. Serves 4-6 (pictured p37) 20 gm dried porcini mushrooms 80 gm butter, coarsely chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 300 gm Swiss brown mushrooms, thickly sliced 5-6 sage leaves, coarsely chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 400 gm risotto rice, preferably carnaroli (see head note) 125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine 85 gm ( 1/ cup) mascarpone, plus extra 3 to serve (optional) 35 gm ( 1/ cup) finely grated parmesan, plus 3 extra to serve
1 Soak porcini in a bowl with 700ml boiling water for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, reserving stock. Finely chop mushrooms and reserve. Keep stock warm. 2 Meanwhile, heat half the butter and half the oil in a saucepan over high heat, add fresh mushrooms and sage and sauté until tender and golden brown (3-5 minutes). Set aside.
Add remaining butter and oil to pan along with onion and sauté until golden brown (4-5 minutes). Add rice and stir to coat in oil, then add wine and simmer until evaporated (1 minute). Add reserved stock a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously between additions until most is absorbed before adding the next, until rice is al dente and creamy (13-15 minutes; you may not need all the stock). Season to taste, stir in mascarpone, parmesan and three-quarters of both mushrooms, then serve risotto topped with remaining mushrooms and extra grated parmesan.
6
Fideuà with clams
Fideuà is similar to paella (the dishes share a Valencian origin) but made with pasta in place of rice. It’s typically made with short, thin noodles known as fideos, but we’ve used broken-up spaghettini. Serves 4
1 kg clams, soaked to remove grit 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil 350 gm spaghettini, broken into thirds 1 garlic clove, very thinly sliced 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp sweet paprika ¼ tsp saffron threads 400 ml fino sherry ¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil and aïoli, to serve
1 Bring 1 litre water and 1 tsp sea salt to the boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add clams, cover and cook, shaking occasionally, until clams open (3-5 minutes). Drain, reserving 750ml stock and clams separately (freeze remaining stock for another use).
2 Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a 35cm-diameter paella pan or large frying pan. Add spaghettini and stir over medium heat until lightly toasted (5-7 minutes). Add garlic, paprikas and saffron and cook for a further minute. Add sherry, simmer until almost absorbed (2-3 minutes), then add reserved stock and simmer until liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente (10-12 minutes). Add clams in the last minute of cooking to reheat. 3 Scatter fideuà with parsley, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve with aïoli.
7
Lamb backstrap with roast pumpkin, anchovy, mint and sesame
Backstrap, or eye of loin, is a lovely lean cut of meat, while anchovies and mint are always perfect partners with lamb. Just add pumpkin for an ideal autumn meal. Serves 4
1.2 kg peeled Jap pumpkin cut into 6cm-8cm pieces 2 tbsp olive oil 4 lamb backstraps (200gm each) 1 cup mint, coarsely torn 1 salad onion (optional), thinly sliced ¼ cup tamari pepitas (see note)
Roasted sesame seeds, to serve
Anchovy dressing
8 anchovy fillets
3 small garlic cloves, chopped Juice of 2 lemons
60 ml ( 1/ cup) extra-virgin olive oil 4
1 Preheat oven to 230C. Toss pumpkin in half the oil, season to taste and roast in a roasting pan, turning once, until golden and tender
(25-27 minutes).
2 Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season backstraps, add to pan and fry, moving them around the pan so they cook evenly, until golden brown and medium-rare (5 minutes each side). Set aside on a plate for 5 minutes to rest, then slice. 3 For anchovy dressing, pound anchovies and garlic with a mortar and pestle to a smooth paste, then stir in lemon juice and olive oil and season with pepper.
4 Place pumpkin in a bowl, add mint, onion and half the dressing, toss to combine and divide among plates. Top with lamb, pepitas and seeds, drizzle with remaining dressing and serve hot. Note Tamari pepitas are available from supermarkets and select grocers.
8
French toast
Serves 4 200 ml milk 2 eggs, lightly beaten 60 gm pure icing sugar, sieved, plus extra for dusting 4 thick soft white bread slices, or brioche slices
150 gm butter, diced
Maple syrup and vanilla ice-cream, to serve
1 Preheat oven to 180C. Whisk milk, eggs and icing sugar in a bowl until well combined. Dip bread slices into egg mixture and set aside on a tray to soak (2 minutes).
2 Heat a quarter of the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add a slice of bread and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides (2-4 minutes). Transfer bread to an oven tray lined with baking paper and keep warm in a low oven while you repeat with remaining butter and bread. Serve warm topped with ice-cream and maple syrup and dusted with icing sugar.