HEALTHY RECIPES FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
Chef Donna Hay has tips for meals big on flavour but low on fuss
IF LEARNING to cook healthy, wholesome meals is number one on your new year’s resolutions list, then help is at hand in the form of Australia’s Donna Hay. Hay, whose bestselling cookbooks are famously filled with crisp, mouth-watering images, has just published The New Easy, which comes with the promise of “simple meal ideas that are big on flavour but low on fuss”.
The mum-of-two has managed to incorporate “all the superfood ingredients” – like quinoa, chia seeds and kale – into her recipes, which are split into Weeknights and Weekends, so they’re perfect for those who are hoping to get back on the low-calorie wagon.
“Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a bit of overindulging, so there’s no need to beat yourself up about it,” says 45-year-old Hay, who lost three dress sizes by switching to healthy eating and an exercise regime that includes running and stand-up paddle boarding.
“I’m all about balance though – I know if I’ve enjoyed quite a lot of great food and drink over the festive period, then I need to balance it out a bit in the new year, with a few extra kilometres on my run or a few more salads and meatfree days.
“I don’t believe in extreme diets or cutting things out completely – just simply enjoying a great range that’s fresh, light and packed with vegetables and nutritious foods.”
As a busy working mum, Hay knows how tough it can be to cook from scratch during the week, so she’s used “lots of great timesaving tricks” in the new cookbook.
“A lot of the sweets are made with a dough or batter you can make in a food processor, or cakes you can make using a simple batter in just one bowl,” she says. “My food-processor carrot cake has become one of my go-to desserts.
“In my recipes for weeknights and casual weekends, I’ve used clever store cupboard ingredients, like store-bought puff pastry to make gorgeous tomato tarts, or caramelised onion relish in a super-easy marinade for lamb.”
Hay’s foodie career began as a writer and food stylist when she was 19. By 25, she’d become food editor for Marie Claire, and in 2001, she launched Donna Hay magazine. Another decade on and she’d landed her first TV series and launched a cookware range, which she developed with Royal Doulton.
She’s just opened a pop-up shop in Sydney selling her homewares, filming is under way for a new show, and she has plans for another cookbook later in 2016.
All these demands on her time have been the driving force “to create cookbooks and recipes that are more about spending time with your family and not your kitchen stove”.
But exercise is also an extremely important element in her daily routine.
“No matter how busy I am, I always try to make sure I still find time for exercise. Most mornings or evenings I go for a run – it really helps me relax, de-stress and focus on the things I need,” she says.
But when she has time, Hay enjoys nothing better than cooking a relaxed meal for close friends at home, as long as it involves a little of her favourite guilty pleasure...
“I enjoy cooking their favourite dishes for them, and taking the time to all sit down together, preferably outdoors, to chat, share the meal and a few drinks. My perfect meal would usually also involve ice-cream in any form – it’s like happiness in a bowl!”
Tempted? Try some of Hay’s delicious, easy meals for yourself...
GOAT’S CHEESE FRITTATA WITH ROCKET GREMOLATA
(Serves 4) 8 eggs 250ml single cream 250ml milk 80g finely grated Parmesan Sea salt and cracked black pepper 200g soft goat’s cheese or goat’s curd 2tsp lemon thyme leaves For the rocket gremolata: 90g rocket leaves, shredded 20g flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped 1 heaped tbsp finely grated lemon zest 1 generous tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 180C*. To make the rocket gremolata, place the rocket, parsley, lemon zest and oil in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Place the eggs, cream, milk, parmesan, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour into a 1.5L ovenproof dish. Top the frittata with spoonfuls of goat’s cheese and sprinkle with the thyme.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the frittata is almost set.
Remove from the oven and stand for five minutes. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve with the gremolata.
SHERRY-ROASTED LAMB
(Serves 6-8) 16 sprigs thyme 16 sprigs oregano 1 x 2.2kg lamb leg, trimmed Sea salt and cracked black pepper 500ml sweet sherry 2 generous tbsp apple cider vinegar 250ml beef stock 2 heaped tbsp brown sugar 1tsp juniper berries 12 cloves garlic, skin on 8 shallots, peeled
Preheat oven to 200C*. Tie the thyme and oregano around the lamb using kitchen string and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the sherry, vinegar, stock, sugar, juniper, garlic and shallots in a baking dish and top with the lamb. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until the lamb is golden. Turn, cook for a further 20 minutes, turn again and cook for a final 20 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked to your liking.
Remove the lamb from the baking dish, cover and set aside. Skim the fat from the surface of the pan juices and discard. Slice the lamb and spoon over some of the pan juices to serve.
FOOD PROCESSOR CARROT CAKE
(Serves 10-12) 400g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 120g pecans 175g brown sugar 110g caster sugar 225g plain flour 1tsp baking powder 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 2tsp ground cinnamon 125ml vegetable oil 70g plain yoghurt 2 eggs 2tsp vanilla extract For the cream cheese frosting: 250g cream cheese, softened 50g fresh ricotta 55g icing sugar 1 generous tbsp lemon juice 1tsp vanilla bean paste
Preheat oven to 160C*. Place the carrot and pecans in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add both the sugars, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, oil, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla, and pulse in short bursts until combined. Pour the mixture into a 22cm round springform cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until just cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in the tin.
To make the cream cheese frosting, place the cream cheese, ricotta, icing sugar, lemon and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Spread the frosting over cooled cake to serve.
160C = 325F = Gas Mark 3; 180C = 350F = Gas Mark 4; 200C = 400F = Gas Mark 6 The New Easy, by Donna Hay, is published in paperback by HarperCollins, priced £18.99. THREE OF THE BEST... Foodie delivery services
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