3 Pour in the remaining stock, tomatoes and peas and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Arrange the prawns on top then place in the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley then serve with the lemon wedges.
Left: Simon's pumpkin dip, Right: Simon's couscous salad. Photos / Kieran Scott
Simon's Smashing Pumpkin Dip
Serves 6
2 cups pumpkin skin removed, chopped into 2cm cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
125g cream cheese
1 tbsp Simon Gault Home Cuisine Indian seasoning
1 Preheat oven to 190C. Place the pumpkin on to a roasting tray and drizzle over the oil. Place into the oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until very soft.
2 Remove from the oven, place into a food processor then add the cream cheese and Simon Gault Home Cuisine Indian seasoning. Puree until smooth. Check the flavour and, if you want a stronger Indian flavour, simply add more seasoning to your liking.
3 Place into a serving bowl and serve with corn chips or crackers.
Simon's Minted Couscous Salad
Serves 6
2 cups water
250g couscous
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
220g goat's feta, crumbled
5 tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup black olives
¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 In a saucepan, bring the water to the boil then add the couscous. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to stand for 6 minutes.
2 Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool then add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Reproduced with permission from SIMON GAULT Homemade by Simon Gault.
Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate. Photo / Anson Smart
Ben and Elvis' Empanadas De Carne
An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry, which is baked or fried. Sydneysiders Ben and Elvis have teamed up with Marlborough's Squealing Pig Vineyard to match its menu. The perfect wine to accompany this recipe is a bold, full bodied Squealing Pig pinot noir.
Dough:
500g plain flour
100g ghee
250ml warm water
1 tsp fine sea salt
Filling:
60ml extra virgin olive oil
2 brown onions, minced
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
600g minced chuck steak
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
60g pitted black olives, chopped
1 To make the filling, heat the extra virgin olive oil in the medium saucepan over a low heat. Fry onion for 10 minutes, or until softened.
2 Add the spices and cook, stirring for a further 5 minutes, then add the meat and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the mince, for 30 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated and the meat is just starting to fry.
3 Set aside to cool to room temperature. Fold through the eggs and olives and refrigerate to chill.
4 To make the dough, melt the ghee in a small saucepan over a low heat.
5 Put the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix to combine. Mix the melted ghee and water in a jug.
6 Leave the mixer running on a low speed and gradually add the ghee mixture to the flour until a dough forms. Add another splash or two of water if the dough feels dry or crumbly. Set aside to rest for 1 hour.
7 Quarter the dough and roll out to a 2-3mm thickness and cut rounds using a lightly floured 15cm round cutter.
Fill and Fry the Empanadas:
Holding a round of dough in one hand, wet the outer edge then place 2 tbsp of the filling in the centre.
Fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon, then press the edges together and fold the lip over itself, pressing and pleating as you go.
Repeat until you've used all the dough and all the filling. Fill a deep heavy-based saucepan a third full (no more) with oil, and heat the oil to 170C.
Deep-fry the empanadas in batches for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towel then serve.
Ben and Elvis' Empanadas De Carne
Barbecued Octopus with Sausage Terrine, Hash Brown and Aioli
The perfect accompaniment is a vibrant wine which is crisp and punchy - Squealing Pig pinot gris from Central Otago.
Serves 8
Sausage Terrine:
750g skinless pork shoulder, diced
750g skinless pork jowl, diced
6g sodium nitrate
12g fine sea salt
12g light brown sugar
3g freshly ground white pepper
3g coriander seeds, toasted and ground
75 ml water
canola oil spray
Octopus:
4 medium octopus (about 165g each)
HASH BROWNS:
2kg desiree potatoes
2 tsp fine sea salt
TO SERVE:
Sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp preserved lemon, finely diced
1 spring onion, green ends only, sliced
River salt flakes
Sausage terrine:
1 Pass the pork shoulder and jowl through a 1cm mincing blade, alternating between the two cuts as you go to evenly mix them. The mincer will slightly emulsify the meat for you. Pass the mince through again using an 8mm blade.
2 In a separate bowl, mix the sodium nitrate, salt, sugar, pepper, coriander seeds and water until combined. Pour this mixture over the mince then put on disposable gloves and use your fingers to mix and emulsify everything until well combined and almost pasty.
3 Spray a square 20cm baking tin that's 4cm deep with canola oil. Line with plastic wrap then press and mould the sausage mix into the tin firmly and evenly. Slap your open hand firmly on to the terrine to remove any air pockets or bubbles.
4 Wrap the tin with plastic wrap 10 times each way, then place in a Cryovac bag and stab four holes into the terrine, piercing the plastic wrap through the Cryovac bag. Place in another Cryovac bag and vacuum on the longest setting - the high amount of vacuuming will press the terrine for you.
5 Make sure the terrine is sealed properly, then place it into a temperature-controlled water bath and cook at 65C for 2 hours. Remove from the water and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight.
6 Carefully turn the terrine out of the tin. Cut it in half then slice eight 1cm-thick rectangles. Save the rest.
Barbecued Octopus with Sausage Terrine, Hash Brown and Aioli.
Octopus:
1 Clean each octopus by getting rid of the head and keeping the tentacles. Gently wash the tentacles. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
2 Dunk the tentacles from one octopus into the simmering water for 3 seconds, then lift out and repeat three times. Do this with each octopus. This will tighten and firm the skin. Reduce the heat to very low. Add the tentacles and leave to sit in the hot water for 40 minutes, or until tender. This may require longer depending on their size. Remove and portion the tentacles into separate pieces.
Hash browns:
1 Peel and steam the potatoes for 20 minutes, then set aside until just cool enough to handle. Coarsely grate the potatoes (wear thick washing- up gloves for this) into a large bowl and add the salt.
2 Using your hands, work the mixture to release the starches; this will help bind it together. Press into a square 20cm baking tin that's 4 cm-deep. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap then steam in a combination oven set to full steam (or use a large stovetop steamer) for 30 minutes.
3 Remove from the oven, unwrap the plastic and cover with more plastic wrap. Then, use an identically sized tray to press down on to the potatoes and refrigerate with a heavy weight on top. Leave for at least 2 hours.
4 After the potato has been pressed, carefully turn it out on to a chopping board and cut it in half. Slice one of the halves into eight 2.5cm-thick rectangles.
To serve:
1 Lightly oil the terrine slices with extra virgin olive oil. Skewer and lightly oil your octopus tentacles. Preheat a coal barbecue or grill pan to medium-hot and lightly char the octopus as you warm the sausage terrine, barbecuing until golden brown on both sides.
2 Meanwhile, fill a medium heavy-based saucepan a third full (no more) with oil and heat it to 180C. Fry the hash browns in batches for 3-4 minutes, or until golden all over.
3 Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towel, then cut each hash brown into four pieces and season with salt.
4 Place a slice of sausage terrine on a plate and arrange your four hash brown pieces on top. Arrange some octopus tentacles leaning on to the hash brown.
5 Drizzle a few teaspoons of aioli over each portion of octopus and let it drip down on to the hash brown. Sprinkle over a small amount of smoked paprika, preserved lemon and green spring onion. Season lightly with salt then serve.
• This is an edited extract from Recipes for a Good Time by Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $75, available now.
