Avocado & Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

To make a grilled cheese sandwich you need a griddle pan ideally but a frying pan will work too.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bread
• 3/4 rashers of cooked dry cured
• smoked pancetta bacon
• 1/2 avocado sliced
• mature cheddar
• chilli sauce

Heat your pan on a high heat then either butter or brush oil onto the outsides (not the sides the fillings go in) Build up your sandwich and then place onto the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side or until the cheese starts to ooze. Placing the butter or oil on your bread ensures you get that lovely golden & crispy outside.

Ratatouille Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced peeled eggplant
• 2 cups sliced zucchini
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups uncooked spiral pasta
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Dash pepper
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 
  
• Directions

1. Place eggplant and zucchini in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and toss. Let stand for 30 minutes; rinse and drain well.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute the eggplant, zucchini and onion in oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, garlic powder, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Drain pasta; place on an ovenproof platter. Top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat until cheese is melted.

Red Prawn Curry

Ingredients
1/3 cup (90g) honey
100ml light soy sauce
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
4 x 180g salmon fillets, pin-boned
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
200g baby spinach leaves
2 tsp grated ginger
300g fresh Singapore (wok-ready) or thin hokkien noodles
Lime wedges, to serve

Method

Step 1. Combine honey, soy sauce and chilli in a small bowl, then set sauce aside.

Step 2. Season the fish with sea salt. Heat a frypan over medium heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil to the pan, then cook fish, skin-side down, for 5 minutes or until skin is crisp. Turn and cook the fish for a further 2 minutes or until just cooked but still pink in the centre.

Step 3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the spinach and ginger, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the noodles, tossing to combine and heat through.

Step 4. Pour half the chilli soy sauce over the salmon, then pour remaining sauce over the noodles and toss to combine. Serve salmon with the noodles and lime wedges to squeeze over.

Homestyle Minestrone

Ingredients
250g dried Italian soup bean mix (see note)
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
100g sliced pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400g canned chopped tomatoes
3L chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 2/3 cups (200g) frozen peas
1/4 savoy cabbage, core removed, thinly sliced (to give 1 1/2 cups)
150g ditalini, small macaroni or other short tubular pasta
1/2 cup pesto alla genovese (see related recipe)
Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Method

Step 1. Place the Italian soup bean mix in a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight.

Step 2. The next day, drain the beans and rinse well. Place the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and pancetta, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables have softened. Add tomato paste and stir for a further minute. Add drained beans, canned tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil, then partially cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent catching, until the beans are tender.

Step 3. Add the peas, cabbage and pasta, then cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the peas and cabbage are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper (adding salt earlier can make the beans tough). Ladle the minestrone into bowls, then swirl through some pesto and serve topped with shaved parmesan.

Orange Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into 1 tablespoon sized pieces
• 2 navel oranges, halved
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh sage
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pour the chicken broth into a small roasting pan, and set aside.
2. Loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs of the chicken. Stuff the butter pieces evenly underneath the skin of the chicken, and place into the roasting pan. Squeeze the orange halves over the chicken, and stuff the orange halves into the chicken cavity. 
3. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then rub in the minced garlic. Drizzle the melted butter all over the chicken, then lay the herb sprigs onto the breast and around the legs.
4. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and baste the chicken with the pan juices. Continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 1 to 2 hours. 
5. Baste the chicken every 10 to 15 minutes after you uncover it. Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before slicing.

Chocolate 'Fridge' Cake Recipe

ingredients

• 200g digestive biscuits
• 110g whole pecans, roughly chopped
• 110g pistachio nuts, peeled
• 10 glace cherries
• 2 ready-made meringue nests, smashed up
• 150g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 200g dark chocolate

method

This chocolate cake is wicked! And even better, you don't need to do any baking. 

Break the biscuits into small pieces directly into a large bowl. Add the pecans, pistachio nuts and cherries and mix together. Put the rest of the ingredients into a separate heatproof bowl and put on a low heat over a pan of simmering water until the butter and chocolate have melted.

Combine the biscuit mix with the chocolate mixture. Line a 30 x 20 cm plastic container with cling film, leaving plenty of extra film at the edges to help turn the cake out later. Whack everything into the container, place in the fridge to firm up, then turn out and cut into chunky slices.

This cake can be kept in an airtight container for a few days, and it actually improves in flavour!

Bacon & Egg Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Butter 1 Sweet Onion, halved and thinly sliced 4 ounces Canadian Bacon, cut into 1/8-inch cubes 1 Red Bell Pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped 8 Large Eggs, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons Whole Milk Salt and Black Pepper, to taste 4 ounces Italian Fontina Cheese, cut into 1/8-inch cubes 4 English Muffins, split and toasted

Preparation

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. 2. Add bacon, roasted bell pepper, and sauté 2 minutes. 3. Add eggs, milk, salt and pepper to medium bowl. 4. Pour egg mixture into skillet with bacon and vegetables. 5. Stir continuously until the bottom and sides have set but center has yet to firm 6. Sprinkle Fontina cheese over top. 7. Stir egg mixture until cheese melts. 8. Spoon egg mixture onto toasted English muffins.