A TOUCH OF PROTEIN
For the meat-eater who would like to add more plant foods to their diet, these recipes contain loads of veggies. Plus some tips on how to make them fully vegetarian.
For meat eaters who want to add more plant foods to their diet – luscious salads, caramelised onion, ham and pecorino strata, lemon thyme chicken with caperberry salsa…
BEETROOT, BLOOD ORANGE & PORK SALAD
SERVES 4
PREP + COOK TIME: 40 MINUTES (+ STANDING) Beets are also an excellent source of folate and a very good source of manganese, potassium and copper. Their leaves are also very nutritious.
• 200g free-range pork fillet, trimmed
• 1 wholemeal baguette (240g), halved horizontally, then halved crossways
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 x 440g can baby beetroots (beets), halved
• 3 small blood oranges (570g), peeled, sliced thinly
• 100g radicchio leaves, torn • 75g mixed salad leaves
• 8 fresh pitted dates (160g), halved
• 60g (½ cup) pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels), roasted • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, roasted
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Raspberry orange blossom dressing
• 2 tablespoons raspberry wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1. Make the raspberry orange blossom dressing.
2. Drizzle the pork and bread with oil; season. Cook pork on a lightly oiled, heated grill plate (or grill or barbecue), turning frequently, for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Rest loosely covered for 5 minutes before slicing thickly. Place the bread on the oiled, heated grill plate for 2 minutes each side or until golden. Tear the bread into large pieces.
3. Place pork in a large bowl with beetroot, blood oranges, radicchio, salad leaves, dates, olives and dressing; toss to combine. Sprinkle salad with seeds, serve with bread.
Raspberry Orange Blossom Dressing
Combine ingredients in a small bowl; season.
TIPS: The dressing, without the chives, can be made up to 2 days ahead; keep refrigerated. Add chives just before serving.
When blood oranges are out of season, use regular oranges.
Use grilled chicken breast or thigh fillets instead of the pork, if you like.
BLACK PEPPER, TOFU & PRAWNS
SERVES 4
PREP + COOK TIME: 35 MINUTES (+ STANDING) This dish uses the flavours traditionally used to make Singaporean chilli crab. Serve with steamed jasmine rice or warmed roti.
• 300g firm tofu, cut into 3cm pieces
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 12 uncooked medium king prawns (500g), peeled, deveined, tails intact
• 175g green beans, cut into 5cm lengths
• 2 tablespoons drained fermented black beans, rinsed, then chopped coarsely
• 11/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, ground coarsely (see tip) • 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly • 20g piece fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce • 1 teaspoon caster sugar • 2 tablespoons water
• 3 spring onions, sliced thinly • 1 fresh small red chilli, sliced thinly
1. Place tofu in between paper towel; leave to stand for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok over high heat; stir-fry prawns and beans for 2 minutes or until prawns are almost cooked through. Add black beans, peppercorns, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, sugar and water; stir-fry for 1 minute or until combined. Add tofu and spring onion; stir-fry for 1 minute or until heated through.
3. Serve immediately, topped with chilli.
TIP To grind pepper coarsely, loosen the tension on your pepper mill to produce a coarser grind, or alternatively, use a mortar and pestle.
LEMON THYME CHICKEN WITH CAPERBERRY SALSA
SERVES 4
PREP + COOK TIME: 50 MINUTES
Chicken breast supreme is a chicken breast with the skin and wing bone attached. You can use skinless chicken breast fillets instead.
• 4 free-range chicken breast supreme (1kg – see note above)
• 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest • 1 celeriac (celery root; about 750g), peeled
• 2 large carrots (360g)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 100g (½ cup) roasted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels)
• ¾ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons Greek-style yoghurt • ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, extra
• ¼ cup fresh thyme sprigs, extra
Caperberry salsa
• 160g (1 cup) caperberries
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1½ teaspoons dried pink peppercorns, crushed coarsely
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 425°F. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
2. Combine the chicken, 1 tablespoon oil, thyme and zest in a large bowl; stand for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, peel long thin ribbons from the celeriac and carrot (keep the centre core of each vegetable for another use; see tip). Place vegetable ribbons in a large bowl with garlic, vinegar, pepitas, chopped parsley and yoghurt. Season and stir to combine.
4. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat; cook chicken for 3 minutes each side or until browned all over. Transfer to oven tray; roast for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Make the caperberry salsa.
6. Serve the chicken with the vegetable salad and salsa; top with extra parsley and thyme.
Caperberry salsa
Halve three-quarters of the caperberries, keeping the stems attached; reserve the remaining for serving. Combine the halved caperberries in a small bowl with oil, lemon juice and peppercorns.
TIP: You can use the remaining centre core of the celeriac and carrot in a soup.
MUSSELS IN CHILLI BROTH WITH FREEKEH
SERVES 4
PREP + COOK TIME:
1 HOUR 35 MINUTES Freekeh is made from roasted young green wheat – it has a low GI, four times the fibre of brown rice and is high in protein.
• 250ml (1 cup) dry white wine • 1kg black mussels, cleaned (see tips)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped finely
• 2 celery stalks (300g), trimmed, cut into 1cm pieces
• 400g baby carrots, sliced thinly on the diagonal
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste • 170g (1 cup) wheat freekeh, rinsed (see tips)
• ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes • 750ml (3 cups) fish stock • 1 medium lemon (140g), cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped
fresh flat-leaf parsley
1. Bring the wine to the boil in a large saucepan over mediumhigh heat. Add the mussels; cook covered for 8 minutes or until they open. Strain mussels through a colander into a large heatproof bowl; reserve cooking liquid. Discard any unopened ones. Cover mussels; leave to cool completely, then refrigerate until needed.
2. Heat oil in the same saucepan over medium heat; cook the onion, celery and carrot for 3 minutes or until the onion softens. Add
tomato paste, freekeh and chilli; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add stock and reserved cooking liquid; bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 1 hour until the freekeh is tender.
3. Add the mussels to pan; cook uncovered for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with lemon wedges and topped with parsley.
TIPS: If you prefer, you could buy a 1kg (2-pound) pack of pot-ready mussels from fishmongers or seafood markets. These are already scrubbed and bearded, and ready to cook. Some mussels might not open after cooking. Discard these. You can use vongole (clams) instead of the mussels. Freekeh is available at health food shops, some delicatessens and greengrocers. Freekeh does contain gluten so is not suitable for those on gluten-free diets.
CARAMELISED ONION, HAM & PECORINO STRATA
PREP + COOK TIME: 1 HOUR (+STANDING)
Any leftover stale bread? Save it to use in this savoury bread pudding. This is also delicious served cold.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium brown onions (300g), sliced thinly
• 3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 8 eggs
• 500ml (2 cups) milk
• 50g ( 2/3 cup) finely grated pecorino cheese or Parmesan
• 200g shaved free-range ham, chopped coarsely
• 2 tablespoons smoked almonds, chopped coarsely
• 500g wholemeal sourdough bread, torn
• 500g) cherry truss tomatoes
• ¼ cup loosely packed small fresh basil leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F.
2. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat; cook the onion, stirring, for 15 minutes or until the onion caramelises. Add the rosemary; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
3. Whisk the eggs, milk and half the cheese in a large jug. Combine the onion mixture, ham and almonds in a medium bowl.
Layer the bread and ham mixture between four 2-cup (500ml) ovenproof dishes. Pour over the egg mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Leave to stand for 20 minutes.
4. Bake for 35 minutes or until just set, golden and puffed.
5. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into four clusters. Place on an oven tray and drizzle with the remaining oil. Roast for the last 10 minutes of the strata cooking time, or until the skins start to split.
6. Serve the strata topped with tomatoes and basil. ✤