Haloumi, Mint and Cherry salad

Ingredients

• 2 (225g each) pkts haloumi, sliced
• 160g (1 cup) fresh cherries, pitted
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
• Balsamic vinegar, to drizzle

METHOD

• Step 1
  Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the haloumi for 2 minutes each side or until golden.
• Step 2
  Arrange haloumi on a plate with the cherries and mint. Drizzle with oil and vinegar and season with pepper.

Lemon, lentil and spinach soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
• 3 potatoes, peeled, diced
• 2 litres vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 bunch English spinach, leaves removed, washed, chopped
• 2 lemons, rind finely grated, juiced
• Turkish bread, to serve

• Step 1
  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add  garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft. Add lentils, potatoes and stock. Bring to the boil. Use a slotted spoon to skim any residue from surface of soup.
• Step 2
  Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat. Add spinach, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Ladle into bowls. Top with lemon rind. Serve with bread.

Dark Chocolate and Red Wine Beef Stew

• 4-6 tablespoons oil
• 1.5 kilos beef 
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2/3 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1.5-2 cups beef stock (less in a slow cooker)
• 50g/1.7 ozs dark chocolate 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Step 1 - In a large pot on medium heat, add a tablespoon of the oil and brown the beef Set aside. Reduce the heat to low and saute the  carrot, celery and garlic until soft but and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes.

Step 2 - Turn the heat up to medium again and add the beef back into the pot. Add the red wine and red wine vinegar and cook it for 5 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Add the sultanas, bay leaves, cinnamon, nutmeg and beef stock and cook in low to medium heat with the lid on for 1.5 hours.

Step 3 - When 1.5 hours is up, melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Add one tablespoon of the stew liquid to the chocolate and then stir and then add another 3-4 tablespoons until the chocolate has incorporated the liquid well without seizing. Add the chocolate to the stew liquid and simmer for another 30 minutes and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Scatter pine nuts on top and chopped parsley. Serve with potatoes.

A yummy salad

Into your large salad bowl, place: chopped baby spinach, chopped mint leaves, diced cucumber and diced tinned peaches (can be fresh if they are in season). Add croutons and a handful of pomegranate seeds. In a pan, cook bacon pieces and diced haloumi until they are cooked. Add to the top of the salad, then drizzle with moscato glaze (or any other sweet dressing). Serve immediately, and enjoy the contrast of sweet and salty, crunchy and smooth.

Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup

Take 1kg sweet potatos, 500g potatoes and a few carrots. Chop, peel and add to saucepan with 1L chicken stock. Add to this spices to taste. These could include: tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, saffron and ras al hanout. I use generous quantities of each, so they can all be tasted. Add also a large pinch of salt, and, if you like, a squirt of lemon juice and a few drops of rose water. Cook this in the saucepan until it has all boiled and the vegetables are soft. Once it is cool, blend it all together. Taste and add more spices to your preferences. Serve with sour cream, flaked almonds and fresh chopped coriander.

Baked Indian Chicken

NGREDIENTS

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 12 chicken drumsticks
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 150g (1/2 cup) Korma curry paste
• 400g can finely chopped or diced tomatoes
• 210g (1 cup) split red lentils, rinsed
• 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
• Sour cream and coriander to serve

METHOD

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan forced. Sprinkle the  garlic and ginger over the base of a large baking dish. Nestle the chicken amongst it. Spread the curry paste over the chicken. Drizzle with oil. Season.
• Step 2
  Roast for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables and chicken start to turn golden. Reduce heat to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Use tongs to turn the chicken over. Drizzle the tomato around the chicken. Sprinkle the lentils over the tomato and pour over the stock. Roast for a further 30 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through. Top with sour cream and coriander.

Tim tam cheesecake

Recipe (modified from bestrecipes.com.au)

• 400 g Tim Tams
• 80 g butter melted
• 375 g cream cheese cubed softened
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 3 tsp gelatine powder
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 200 g white chocolate cooled melted

• STEP 1 Place 250 g of the Tim Tams in a blender and process into fine crumbs.
• STEP 2 Add the butter and process to combine. Press the mixture into spring-form baking pan and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• STEP 3 Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth, then beat in the cream.
• STEP 4 Mix the gelatine with the boiling water. Stir in the gelatine mixture, dissolved in 1/4 cup of boing water and white chocolate.
• STEP 5 Chop the remaining biscuits and stir into the cream cheese mixture then pour over the Tim Tam base.
• STEP 6 Cover and refrigerate until set.

(if you don't want it to be so sweet, use less caster sugar and white chocolate)