1 tbsp peanut oil
300g pork loin, sliced into ½ cm slices and pounded to 2-3mm
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ cup palm sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 lime leaves, shredded
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
¼ cup chopped peanuts roasted
2 tbsp crispy shallots
4 ice berg leaves, thinly shredded
¼ cup coriander leaves
½ red onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp peanut oil
Cracked pepper
Heat a large heavy based frypan over high heat and sear off the pork slices for 10 seconds each
side, remove to a plate and set aside.
Drop the heat down on the pan and add a little more oil. Fry the garlic for 30 seconds and add the
palm sugar, fish sauce, lime leaves and simmer until slightly syrupy. Add the pork back to the pan
and toss to cover.
Shred the ice berg and mix it with the coriander leaves, thinly sliced onion sesame seeds, peanuts
and crispy shallots toss with the peanut oil and the lime juice seasoning with the pepper.

Sweet and sour eggplant and mint salad:
½ cup rice bran or sunflower oil for frying
5 small lebanese eggplants
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
2 cloves minced garlic
½ tsp minced ginger
2 long red chillies, de seeded and sliced
1 long green chilli sliced thinly
¼ cup of mint leaves
Remove the stalk off the eggplants and slice them into 2-3cm wide rounds.
Lightly salt the eggplants and sit them in a colander for about 20 minutes lightly pressing down on
them to squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible.
Heat a heavy based frypan with the oil over moderate temperature. Drain the eggplant and pat dry
with paper towel.
Fry them in batches in the hot oil until golden brown and softened on both sides, about 3-4 minutes
each side.
Combine the ingredients for the dressing and pour this over the hot eggplant tossing gently to cover
the eggplant.
To serve place several pieces of the pork down onto the plate, top with the shredded salad with the
peanuts, shallots on top. Serve the eggplant salad on the side.

5 large ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1cm slices

1 cup sunflower oil for frying

Tomato batter:

125g plain flour

200ml water

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 egg whites

Olive and citrus gremolata:

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup (a large handful) chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 cup black olives, pitted and chopped

½ cup green olives, pitted and chopped

1 fresh long red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1½ teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Enough extra virgin olive oil to cover

For the batter, place the flour into a bowl and whisk together the water with the egg yolks, oil and salt and pepper. Whisk this into the flour and stir to form a smooth batter. Whisk the egg whites separately until firm peaks and then stir through the flour batter.

Heat the oil in a deep heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat. The oil is ready when a little batter dropped into it fries and turns golden. Dry off the tomatoes by laying them onto paper towel. Dip the tomatoes into the batter and fry in the oil for 30 seconds each side until golden. Drain again on paper towel and serve hot topped with the olive gremolata and side salad of greens.

For the gremolata, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil and stir to mix well. Pour in the olive oil and stir to combine, then spoon over the tomatoes. This can also be used to spoon over grilled meats or fish or over steamed vegetables.

Pastry

• 500g flour
• Pinch salt
• 100g sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 250g butter
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 tbsp water

Filling

• 500g cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup icing (confectioner’s) sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 200g sour cream
• Place the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8–10 minutes or until light and smooth. Set aside.
• 200g Strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 200g cherries, pitted and cut in half
• 1 blood orange, segmented
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced
• Zest or 1 orange
• Zest or 1 lemon
• ¼ cup apple mint, leaves picked
• Icing sugar

Combine dry ingredients in food processor, add butter and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add the beaten eggs and water and pulse until just combined. Empty the pastry out and bring together until it forms a soft dough. Flatten out and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry to 3mm thickness.  Press into small, fluted flan tin and chill for 20 minutes. Blind bake at 220˚C for 10 minutes, remove the paper and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool.

Place the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8–10 minutes or until light and smooth. Set aside. Combine all the fruits with the zest and the mint, spoon the cheese mixture into the pastry and top with the fruits. Slice and serve with fresh cream.

• 1 tbsp oil, for greasing
• 2 tbsp Flour, for dusting
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 100g Gruyère cheese, grated
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup cream
• Salt and pepper
• 12 Tomatoes of various sizes, flavours and colours, sliced
• 125g goat’s cheese

For the herb oil:

• 60ml extra virgin Olive oil
• 2 tsp finely chopped Rosemary
• 2 tsp finely chopped Thyme
• 2 tsp finely chopped Basil
• 2 tsp finely chopped leaves Fennel
• 2 tsp finely chopped flat leaf Parsley
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed
• Black pepper

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 360g plain flour
• 160g chilled unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 tbsp water

Combine all the ingredients for the herb oil in a bowl, add in the sliced tomatoes and toss together. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

For the pastry, sift the flour unto a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Lightly beat the egg yolk with the oil and water and add this to the butter and flour. Mix together with a fork until the mixture clings together. Knead lightly and form into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place a baking tray in the oven to heat. Lightly grease a 30cm tart tin with a removable base. Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out into a thin circle large enough to line the tart tin. Place the dough in the tin, pressing it into the sides. Trim the edges neatly. Spread the mustard over the pastry base, Combine the eggs with the grated gruyere cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pastry with alternate overlapping slices of tomatoes gathering up all of the herb mix as well. Cover with the egg and cream mixture and place onto the baking tray in the oven.

Bake for about 35minutes, until firm to touch, brown and bubbling. Serve hot or warm with a garden leaf salad.

• 4 x 200g lamb loin eye, trimmed
• ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
• 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 tsp honey
• Good pinch salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all the marinade in a bowl and rub into the lamb. Allow the lamb to sit in the marinade, covered in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat a pan over a moderate temperature and pour in the oil.

Beetroot fritters:

• 250g (2 large), cooked beetroot, peeled and grated
• 100g tinned chickpeas, drained and roughly chopped in a food processor
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Grated zest of ½ orange
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sunflower oil, for frying

Squeeze the beetroot in some muslin cloth or clean dish cloth to remove excess liquid and transfer to a bowl. Add all the other fritter ingredients and mix well.

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to come 1cm up the sides, and heat over a moderate temperature until a small amount of mixture bubbles when put into the oil.

Using two dessert spoons roll pieces of the beetroot mixture into compact oval balls, then flatten them into patties of around 7cm in diameter and 1cm thick.

Fry in the hot oil for two to three minutes on each side, until they’ve turned a nice dark golden colour. Transfer to paper towel, and repeat with the remaining fritters.

Broad bean and labne puree:

• 700g shelled broad beans
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup cream
• 3 tbsp labne
• 1 tbsp preserved lemon
• Salt and pepper

Cook the beans in plenty of boiling water for 8 minutes, drain and refresh in cold water, peel off the outer skins and place into a food processor.

Heat a small fry pan and melt the butter, sauté the onion for 2 minutes until softened without colour.

Add the cooked onions to the beans along with the cream, labne, preserved lemon, salt and pepper and blend until smooth, you may need to add a little more cream or stock to thin out the puree depending on the consistency you want.

Serve the lamb sliced sitting on a spoon of the puree with the beetroot fritters on the side.

• 2 balls of fior di late mozzarella cheese cut into 1cm slices and placed in the freezer to chill for 15minutes
• 1 radicchio, torn into small pieces
• 2 good handfuls of rocket
• 1 large bulb of fennel, sliced and left soaking in lemon water
• 2 oranges peeled, and segmented

Bread Crumb Mixture:

• 2 cup fresh bread crumbs (made from day old bread as opposed to “dried” bread crumbs)
• Pinch red chili flakes
• 1 tbsp of sage, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp of parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp oregano, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese finely grated
• 2 eggs, whisked slightly
• ¼ cup flour
• Vinaigrette
• 1 tsp mustard seeds, crushed
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup orange juice
• Salt and black pepper

Coat the mozzarella cheese disks in the flour then egg wash then in the crumb mixture. Place the mozzarella onto baking paper and set in the fridge.

Heat a good splash of oil in a heavy based fry pan. Deep fry the mozzarella until golden and crispy, set aside on absorbent paper.

Toss the greens with a bit of the vinaigrette, salt and pepper and serve the mozzarella on top of the greens, sliced fennel and the slices of orange, drizzle with a little more of the dressing.

Divide among eight small plates and set goat cheese on top.

• 300g marmalade jam
• 1lt milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 300g polenta
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 eggs
• Extra polenta
• ¼ cup butter

Bring the marmalade, milk and the vanilla pod to the boil and whisk in the polenta. Cook the polenta until boiling, lower the heat and stir for another 10 minutes until cooked through. Stir in the butter and pour the polenta into a baking tray so that the polenta is 1 inch thick. Set the polenta in the fridge until firm. Cut the polenta into rectangles 3 x 6cm and pass through the whisked eggs and extra polenta. Heat the extra butter in a frypan and fry the polenta until golden. Set aside and keep warm.

For the Pears

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 ripe (about 300g) pears (like beurre bosc, packham or williams), peeled, cut into 5mm-thick slices
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp finely grated orange rind
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup chopped pecan nuts
• Vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Melt 1/2 the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 the pear slices and cook for 2 minutes or until golden underneath. Turn the slices and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until just tender. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and place into a shallow serving dish. Add the remaining pears to the pan and repeat the cooking process.

Return the frying pan to medium-high heat. Add the remaining butter, sugar, orange rind and juice and pecans. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens slightly. Pour the sauce over the pears. Serve with the fried polenta and vanilla ice-cream.

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium brown onion, finely diced
• 150g speck or pancetta cut into lardons
• 400g arborio risotto rice
• 80ml white wine
• 1.5 litres home made chicken stock
• 400g cavolo nero cabbage
• 50g toasted pine nuts
• 25g pack fresh basil
• 100g grated pecorino cheese

Place the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer.

Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a large pot, add the finely diced onion and sweat until soft about two minutes. Then add in the speck or pancetta and cook for another minute. Add the risotto rice and stir to cover with the butter, pour in the wine and stir until most of the wine has been absorbed by the rice.

Add in the diced cavalo nero and stir.

Ladle in about a cup of chicken stock and stir gently over a moderate heat until all of the stock has been absorbed. Season with a pinch of salt each time you ladle in the stock. Taste the risotto as you are cooking to test for seasoning and doneness. Continue to ladle in the stock until most of the stock has been used up and the risotto is al dente with a small bite in the centre. This should take about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir through the remaining butter and the parmesan cheese. If the risotto seems too dry add in more stock as it should be wet and creamy like a good porridge but with bite.

Ingredients

• 4 x 200g fillets of tuna about 2-3cm thick
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Salmoriglio sauce

• 1 large bunch radicchio or 12 leaves of Treviso radicchio
• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 3 sage leaves, chopped
• ½ tsp chopped rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 anchovies, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Pumpkin Gnocchi

• 600g jap pumpkin, deseeded
• 1 tsp chopped sage
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp apple mint
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 170g (2 1/4 cups) plain flour
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• Extra plain flour, to dust
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp olive oil

Method

1. Dress the tuna with the olive oil, salt and pepper and lemon zest and allow to sit for 10 minutes in the fridge.
2. Heat a heavy based pan over moderate temperature and sear off the tuna steaks for 3 minutes on each side for rare or longer if you prefer more well done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Rinse the radicchio Treviso and place it into a bowl. Combine the oil with the lemon juice, herbs, garlic, anchovies and seasoning and spoon a good 2-3 tbsp of sauce over the radicchio.
4. Toss to combine and allow to marinate for 20 minutes.
5. Pre heat the oven to 200°C and roast off the pumpkin in the skin until golden and a fork can easily be inserted into the flesh.
6. Allow to cool slightly and then peel away the skin from the flesh, placing the flesh into a bowl with the salt and pepper and chopped sage, apple mint and parsley and egg. Mash with a fork until smooth.
7. Sprinkle half the flour and parmesan onto a table or board and spoon out the pumpkin mix, sprinkle the remaining flour and cheese over the top and slowly incorporate the flour into the pumpkin until you get a sticky dough.
8. Divide into balls the size of a small rissole about 7cm in diameter and dust with flour. Repeat with remaining dough.
9. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over a medium-high heat.
10. Add in the gnocchi and cook, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes (they will rise to the surface halfway through cooking).
11. Use a large slotted spoon to drain and transfer the gnocchi to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
12. Heat the butter and oil in a frypan over medium heat and brown the gnocchi for 2 minutes each side, remove and set aside on plates, top with the grilled radicchio and seared tuna and dress with a spoon of the salmoriglio.

Ingredients

• 4 x 200g lamb loin eye, trimmed
• ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
• 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 tsp honey
• Good pinch salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Beetroot Fritters

• 250g (2 large), cooked beetroot, peeled and grated
• 100g tinned chickpeas, drained and roughly chopped in a food processor
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Grated zest of ½ orange
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sunflower oil, for frying

Broad bean and labne puree

• 700g shelled broad beans
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup cream
• 3 tbsp labne
• 1 tbsp preserved lemon
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Combine all the marinade in a bowl and rub into the lamb. Allow the lamb to sit in the marinade, covered in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a pan over a moderate temperature and pour in the oil
3. Squeeze the beetroot in some muslin cloth or clean dish cloth to remove excess liquid and transfer to a bowl. Add all the other fritter ingredients and mix well.
4. Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to come 1cm up the sides, and heat over a moderate temperature until a small amount of mixture bubbles when put into the oil.
5. Using two dessert spoons roll pieces of the beetroot mixture into compact oval balls, then flatten them into patties of around 7cm in diameter and 1cm thick.
6. Fry in the hot oil for two to three minutes on each side, until they’ve turned a nice dark golden colour. Transfer to paper towel, and repeat with the remaining fritters.
7. Cook the beans in plenty of boiling water for 8 minutes, drain and refresh in cold water, peel off the outer skins and place into a food processor.
8. Heat a small fry pan and melt the butter, sauté the onion for 2 minutes until softened without colour.
9. Add the cooked onions to the beans along with the cream, labne, preserved lemon, salt and pepper and blend until smooth, you may need to add a little more cream or stock to thin out the puree depending on the consistency you want.
10. Serve the lamb sliced sitting on a spoon of the puree with the beetroot fritters on the side.