Gourmet fast
Midweek meals made in no time.
Prawns with black beans, chorizo and chipotle
Smashed beetroot, quinoa, egg and avocado salad
Skirt steak with pepita-lime butter and roasted potatoes Mackerel with orange and jicama salad
Grilled sticky pork fillet with jalapeño and lime salsa Pumpkin with brown rice and toasted seeds
Tortilla soup with chicken
Rice pudding with raisins, almonds and coconut syrup
1 Prawns with black beans, chorizo and chipotle
Serves 4
80 ml ( 1/ cup) olive oil 3 1 onion, finely chopped 800 gm canned black beans, drained and rinsed 125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock 4 chipotle chillies in adobo, finely chopped Large pinch of dried oregano 2 spring onions, coarsely chopped 2 fresh or dried chorizo sausages, thickly sliced 12 uncooked medium prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact ½ cup (loosely packed) coriander, torn Lime wedges, to serve
1 Heat half the olive oil in a saucepan over high heat, add onion and sauté until starting to colour (5-7 minutes). Add black beans, stock, chipotle chillies, oregano and a good pinch of salt, and simmer over medium heat until well flavoured
(5-7 minutes). Stir in spring onion and keep warm. 2 Heat remaining olive oil in a frying pan over high heat, add chorizo and fry, turning occasionally, until golden (2-4 minutes), then set aside on a plate. Add prawns to pan in batches and fry, turning once, until golden (2-2½ minutes each side).
3 Top beans with chorizo and prawns, scatter with coriander and serve with lime wedges.
2 Smashed beetroot, quinoa, egg and avocado salad
The trick to cooking quinoa, a native of the Andes region, is to dry it well after it’s boiled so it’s light and fluffy – leave it in a sieve once it’s drained for about 10 minutes, then place it in a bowl and fluff up the grains with a fork.
Serves 4
200 gm quinoa 4 eggs, at room temperature 2 beetroot, peeled and diced 1 cup (loosely packed) coriander, torn ½ Spanish onion, thinly sliced, rinsed Juice of 2-3 limes, or to taste 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil 1 avocado, thickly sliced
1 Cook quinoa in a large saucepan of boiling water (9-12 minutes). Drain well in a sieve, fluffing quinoa occasionally with a fork to help it cool and dry (10-12 minutes), then transfer to a bowl.
2 Meanwhile, cook eggs in a saucepan of boiling water until cooked to your liking (7 minutes for medium-boiled). Drain, refresh under cold running water, then peel and halve.
3 Working in batches, pound beetroot and a pinch of salt with a mortar and pestle until coarsely crushed and juices release, then add to quinoa along with coriander and onion.
4 Whisk lime juice and olive oil in a bowl, drizzle onto salad, season to taste and toss to combine. Serve salad topped with boiled egg halves and sliced avocado.
3 Skirt steak with pepita-lime butter and roasted potatoes
The inspiration for this butter comes from chef Eric Werner of Hartwood in Tulum, Mexico.
Serves 4
4 large potatoes, such as royal blue, cut into wedges 1 tbsp olive oil 4 skirt steaks (180gm each), at room temperature
Pepita-lime butter
30 gm toasted pepitas 80 gm butter, softened 1 tbsp oregano leaves, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime 1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Preheat oven to 250C. Toss potatoes and oil in a roasting pan, season to taste, and roast, turning once, until golden and soft in the centre when pierced with a knife (23-25 minutes). Keep warm.
2 Meanwhile, heat a barbecue or char-grill pan to medium-high heat, then grill steaks, turning occasionally, until cooked to your liking (8-10 minutes for medium-rare). Rest for 5 minutes. 3 Meanwhile, for pepita-lime butter, pound pepitas with a mortar and pestle, add butter and pound to combine, then add oregano, lime rind and juice, and garlic, and stir to combine. Spoon butter onto steaks, scatter with oregano and serve with potatoes.
4 Mackerel with orange and jicama salad
This dish works well with grilled tortillas or steamed rice. The trick here is to get the grill smoking hot before you start to prevent the fish from sticking. Serves 4 as a light meal 4 yellowtail or blue mackerel Olive oil, for brushing 2 oranges, sliced, plus juice of 1 extra 1 jicama, peeled and thinly sliced (see note) ½ white onion, finely chopped ½ cup coriander, coarsely chopped Juice of ½ lemon 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil Cayenne pepper, to serve
1 Heat a char-grill pan over high heat. Brush mackerel with olive oil, then grill, turning once, until charred (2-3 minutes each side). Turn off heat, cover fish with a heatproof bowl and stand to cook through (2-3 minutes). Remove fillets from mackerel (discard bones), flake and set aside.
2 Toss remaining ingredients except cayenne in a bowl, then serve topped with mackerel and cayenne pepper to taste.
Note Jicama is available from Asian and select greengrocers, if it’s unavailable, use a mixture of white radish (daikon) and apple.>
5 Grilled sticky pork fillet with jalapeño and lime salsa
Serve this dish with a side of steamed rice, or charred flatbread or tortillas.
Serves 4
1 large pork loin fillet (500gm), sinew removed, quartered, at room temperature 1 tbsp grapeseed oil 2 tbsp honey or agave syrup (see note) 12 spring onions, trimmed
Jalapeño and lime salsa
2 pickled jalapeños, finely chopped, plus 1 tbsp pickling liquid ½ white onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 spring onion, finely chopped Juice of 2 large limes
1 Heat a char-grill pan over medium heat, brush pork with oil and grill, turning occasionally, until charred and almost cooked through, brushing with honey for 2 minutes at the end of cooking to glaze pork (15-18 minutes). Rest for 5 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, grill spring onions, turning occasionally, until charred (8-10 minutes).
3 For jalapeño and lime salsa, combine ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and serve spooned over pork and charred spring onions. Note Agave syrup is available from select delicatessens and health-food shops.
6 Pumpkin with brown rice and toasted seeds
This dish makes a perfect partner for grilled lamb. Serves 4
300 gm brown rice 100 ml olive oil 2 short-cut smokehouse-style bacon rashers, diced ½ white onion, finely chopped 400 gm peeled butternut pumpkin, diced 1 tsp hot paprika 1 tsp cumin seeds, coarsely ground 125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock 8 large pimento-stuffed green olives, roughly sliced 80 gm Danish feta, crumbled 80 gm Pecorino Romano, grated 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds 1 Cook rice in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender (15-20 minutes). Drain well.
2 Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a casserole over high heat, add bacon and onion, and sauté until starting to caramelise (5-6 minutes). Add pumpkin and stir occasionally until starting to turn golden (3-4 minutes), then add spices and stir until fragrant (1 minute). Add stock, bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until pumpkin is tender and liquid is absorbed (2-3 minutes). Remove pumpkin mixture from casserole and set aside.
3 Heat remaining oil in casserole, add rice and stir occasionally until starting to toast (2-4 minutes). Transfer rice to plates and serve topped with pumpkin mixture, and scattered with olives, cheeses and pumpkin seeds.
7 Tortilla soup with chicken
Make a stock and add toasted tortillas – what could be simpler? Toasted tortillas have a lovely nutty flavour and soak up the broth. We’ve charred the onion for extra flavour and added a hint of cinnamon by pouring hot water over half a quill to extract a faint spice note. In summer you could also add some diced tomatoes. This style of tortilla soup, with the addition of citrus, is traditionally served in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Add orange and lime together to suit your taste here.
Serves 4
8 white corn tortillas 2 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp extra 1 onion, halved 1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken stock
4 skinless chicken thigh fillets, halved ½ cinnamon quill, soaked in 250ml (½ cup) boiling water Pinch of cumin seeds 2-3 coriander stalks Pinch of dried oregano Coarsely chopped coriander, chilli, and lime and orange wedges, to serve
1 Preheat oven to 200C. Halve tortillas and cut into thin strips, then scatter on an oven tray, drizzle with oil, toss to coat and place in oven, tossing occasionally, until crisp and golden.
(10-15 minutes).
2 Heat a large saucepan over high heat, add onion cut-side down (for extra smoky flavour you can do this on a barbecue or with a blowtorch), and cook without turning until charred
(2-4 minutes). Add stock, chicken, cinnamon water, cumin seeds, coriander stalks and oregano to pan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is just cooked (5-6 minutes). Set soup aside for 4-5 minutes to finish cooking chicken, then remove chicken, shred meat and place in serving bowls.
3 Ladle broth over chicken, top with toasted tortilla strips, coriander and chilli to taste, and serve with lime and orange wedges.
8 Rice pudding with raisins, almonds and coconut syrup
Coconut sugar is readily available from Asian grocers and health-food shops, but if you can’t lay your hands on any, use brown sugar or muscovado sugar instead.
Serves 4-6
285 gm long-grain rice 150 gm coconut sugar 80 gm seedless raisins 400 ml coconut milk 150 ml milk 100 ml condensed milk 1 egg yolk ¼ cup toasted natural almonds, coarsely chopped
Finely grated orange rind, to serve
1 Cook rice in a rice cooker or by absorption method (see note).
2 Meanwhile, bring coconut sugar and 60ml water to the boil in a saucepan over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, until a light syrup forms (3-4 minutes). Add raisins, stir and set aside.
3 Bring coconut milk, milk and condensed milk to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add rice, egg yolk and ¼ tsp salt, and stir until thickened (3-5 minutes). Serve rice pudding topped with coconut syrup, raisins, almonds and orange rind to taste.
Note To cook rice by absorption method, rinse rice, place in a saucepan with a little salt, cover with water by 2cm, cover with a tight-fitting lid, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside, without uncovering, for 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff up with a fork.