This recipe should yeild a fairly soft sauce. If it is too thick add more milk, or water. If you think you have some lumps in it there is no reason to start again, pass it through a fine sieve and everything will be all right.

Ingredients
50g butter
1/3 cup plain flour
4 cups milk
½ tsp mustard powder or grated nutmeg

Directions
In a heavy based saucepan, melt the butter until foaming, remove from heat.  Add flour and mustard powder or nutmeg and mix to a smooth paste.  Cook a little but without browning.  Add ½ a cup of the milk and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Return to a low – medium heat and continue adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Serves 8

Lasagne

Ingredients
2 Tbs olive oil
1 brown onion – finely chopped
3 garlic cloves – crushed
750g beef mince
2 x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes
125ml (½ cup) dry red wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs raw sugar
Fresh or dried herbs to season (thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram)
Fresh lasagne sheets
1 cup grated cheese
Salt and pepper
6-10 medium brown mushrooms – diced
1 packet of fresh baby spinach leaves – rinsed

Béchamel sauce

Ingredients
50g butter
1/3 cup plain flour
4 cups milk
Pinch of salt
1 tsp mustard powder
½ – 1 cup of grated cheddar or tasty cheese (to taste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens. Add the mince and mushrooms and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince turns brown in colour. Add the tomato, wine, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and herbs to taste and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 – 30 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Meanwhile, to make the béchamel sauce; in a heavy based saucepan, melt the butter until foaming, remove from heat.  Add flour and mustard powder and mix to a smooth paste.  Add ½ a cup of the milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Return to a low – medium heat and continue adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and salt.

In a large lasagna dish, spread some of the meat sauce over the base.  Lay 1 lasagne sheet over the sauce and top with the some of the mince mixture (enough to cover the lasagna sheet), some of the béchamel sauce and a handful of the spinach leaves. Continue layering with the remaining lasagne sheets, mince mixture, béchamel and spinach.  To finish, cover 1 sheet of lasagne with a layer of béchamel and sprinkle with cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until cheese melts and is golden brown.  Remove from oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes to set.

Cut the lasagne into portions and serve with a green salad and garlic bread.

Ingredients

4 potatoes
olive oil
350g boneless white fish fillets
½ C plain flour
2 C breadcrumbs
1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°c.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Clean potatoes, leaving the skin on and cut into wedges. Place into a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain, pat-dry with paper towel and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Place chips on top shelf of oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once until golden.

Cut fish into ‘fingers’. Place flour and breadcrumbs onto separate plates. Break egg into a shallow dish and whisk. Dip each fish finger into flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Arrange on a baking tray.

Place tray with fish fingers in oven under chips and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is golden and cooked through.

Serve with a garden salad, wedge of lemon and tartare sauce.

Ingredients

4 potatoes
olive oil
500g chicken tenderloins
½ C plain flour
2 C breadcrumbs
1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°c.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Clean potatoes, leaving the skin on and cut into wedges. Place into a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain, pat-dry with paper towel and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Cut chicken tenderloins into ‘fingers’. Place flour and breadcrumbs onto separate plates. Break egg into a shallow dish and whisk. Dip each chicken finger into flour, egg, and then breadcrumbs.

Place chips on top shelf of oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once until golden.

Heat a little olive oil in a shallow frying pan on medium and cook the chicken fingers for 2-3 minutes a side, until golden and cooked through.

Serve with a garden salad.

Ingredients

2 large skinless chicken breasts
½ C ricotta
2 spring onions, finely sliced
¼ C finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
8 soft flour tortillas, halved
Flesh of 2 avocados, sliced
2 large vine ripened tomatoes, sliced
1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into batons
A handful of baby spinach

Directions

Heat a heavy based frypan on medium and cook the chicken breasts for 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Combine the ricotta, spring onions and parsley, then season with salt and pepper. Spread each tortilla half with ricotta mixture. Slice the grilled chicken and divide among tortilla halves with some avocado, tomato, cucumber and spinach leaves.

Roll each tortilla into a cone shape, tie with cotton and serve.

Ingredients

125g softened butter
1C soft brown sugar
1 ½ C flour
1 egg
1C dark chocolate drops

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 180º

Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale in colour.  Add the egg and mix well.  Stir in sifted flour and chocolate.

Place teaspoon sized balls onto a greased baking tray and cook for approximately 10-12 minutes.

Variations

Try milk or white chocolate instead of dark, or add sultanas for a healthy option.

Ingredients

1 tbsp pine nuts
1 small onion – finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp dried mint 1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
750g lamb shoulder, minced
Olive oil for grilling
4 rounds pita bread
200ml thick yoghurt
½ tsp sumac fresh coriander leaves for serving
1 lemon, quartered

Directions

Toast the pine nuts in a hot, dry pan until golden, then cool. Whiz the pine nuts, onion, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, mint, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth.
Add the lamb and whiz until it forms a paste.

Form the paste into sausages and press metal skewers along their length, tamping the meat around the skewer. Alternatively, form the meat into small meatballs.
Brush with a little oil and grill for 6-8 minutes, turning once or twice.

To serve

Lightly grill the pita bread, add a dollop of yoghurt and top with the kofta. Scatter with sumac and coriander leaves and serve with lemon quarters.

Ingredients
2 large knobs ginger – peeled
4 shallots
250ml chicken stock
550ml water
5 button mushrooms – sliced in half
2 star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
5 drops sesame oil
4 snapper fillets
400g udon noodles – rinsed
1 long red chilli – finely sliced
1 bunch choy sum or baby bok choy – trimmed and washed

Directions
Roughly chop one knob of ginger and place in a saucepan with the green ends of the shallots, chicken stock, water, mushrooms, star anise, pepper, soy, sugar, honey and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and strain into a clean saucepan.

Place snapper in a steamer. Finely slice remaining ginger and shallots and place on the fish with chilli. Steam until just cooked, about 5 minutes.

Loosen the udon noodles and place in the bottom of four bowls. Steam choy sum for 3-5 minutes or until tender and place on top of noodles. Gently place snapper on top, pour over warm broth.

Variations
Barramundi, John Dory and Nile Perch are great substitutes for the Snapper.

Ingredients

Corn Fritters
525g fresh corn kernels cut from 3 large corn cobs (alternatively use tinned corn kernels)
1 small red onion – chopped
2 eggs
15g coriander leaves – chopped
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
sea salt & pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Avocado Salsa
2 ripe avocados – stones removed and diced
Small bunch of coriander leaves
2 Tbs lemon juice or lime juice
2 Tbs spring onions – finely chopped
1 tomato quartered, seeded and finely sliced
1 dash tabasco sauce (optional)
sea salt & pepper

Directions

Corn Fritters
Preheat the oven to 120°C.

Place 2 cups of the corn kernels and the onion, eggs, coriander, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until combined. Place in a large bowl, add the remaining corn and stir to combine.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. When the oil is hot, drop 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture per sweetcorn cake into the pan and cook in batches of three for 1 minute each side.

Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven while you are making the rest of the cakes.

Avocado salsa
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir very gently to combine.

Serve with the avocado salsa.

Ingredients
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic – chopped
2 onions – chopped
1kg butternut pumpkin – peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
2 C chicken or vegetable stock
100g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped (optional)
1 bunch english spinach, or silverbeet – leaves rinsed and roughly chopped
1 packet of fresh lasagne sheets, enough for 7 layers
1 C (200g) fresh ricotta
1 C (280g) natural yoghurt
2 egg yolks
2 C dried breadcrumbs
¾ C grated parmesan
Salt & pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C

Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan, add onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add pumpkin and stock, simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until soft.  Allow to cool, slightly. Mash until smooth. Stir through the spinach.

Mix together the ricotta, yoghurt and egg yolks and season with salt and pepper. 

Place a small amount of the ricotta mixture on the bottom of a rectangular oven dish.  Place a layer of lasagne sheets on top. Cover with a layer of the pumpkin mixture and a thin drizzle of the ricotta mixture. Continue layering, using 7 layers of lasagne sheets in total, finishing with a layer of lasagne and then the remaining ricotta mixture.

Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan and shelled pistachios. Sprinkle over the lasagne before baking.  Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Serve with a garden salad and crusty bread.