Leek, gruyere and pancetta tart, from Dish magazine. Photo / Josh Griggs
Leek, gruyere and pancetta tart, from Dish magazine. Photo / Josh Griggs
These fabulously tasty evening meals are just as delicious, if not more so, the next day, especially because all the hard work has been done - so all you have to do is tuck in.
Leek, gruyere and pancetta tart
Serves 4-6
You'll want to make your own pastry, forthis classic tart
1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the pancetta for 5 minutes until getting a little crispy. Add the onion and leek and cook together, stirring, for a further 8-10 minutes until the onion is soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2. Pastry: Pulse the flour, butter and parmesan in a food processor until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2-3 teaspoons water and pulse to combine. Tip out onto the bench and press together into a dough round. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
4. When the pastry has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured bench into a circle wide enough to line the tin. Press the pastry into a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin and line the base and sides with baking paper and fill with baking beans or raw rice. Cook for 12 minutes, remove the baking paper and weights, and continue cooking for a further 8 minutes while you prepare the rest of the filling.
5. Whisk the egg yolk with the eggs and cream. Once the pastry has cooked as described above, sprinkle the base with half of the cheese, spread over onion, leek and bacon mixture, top with the remaining cheese and pour over whisked eggs and cream. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and cook a further 30-35 minutes until golden. Rest for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and serve with a small green salad and a good tomato chutney.
- Recipe by Sarah Tuck
Leek, gruyere and pancetta tart, from Dish magazine. Photo / Josh Griggs
Pork sausage meatball, basil and tomato lasagne
Serves 6
You can also use a fresh chorizo or lamb sausage to make this family favourite.
Ingredients Meatballs 2 Tbsp olive oil 600g pork and fennel sausages, skins removed 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes 2 cloves garlic, crushed ¼-½ tsp chilli flakes Sea salt and ground pepper Handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
Sauce 250g crème fraîche ½ cup milk 1½ cups grated parmesan, plus extra to cook 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard 250g mascarpone
To assemble 250g fresh sheets lasagne, blanched Crispy rosemary (see Cook's note, below)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
2. Meatballs: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Break the sausages into 1cm pieces and drop into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until golden then add the tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil.
3. Sauce: Whisk the crème fraîche and milk together then stir in the parmesan, garlic and mustard. Give the mascarpone a stir then add to the sauce and gently whisk together. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. To assemble: Spread a spoonful of the sausage sauce over the base of the dish and top with half each of the lasagne, sausage sauce then the mascarpone mixture.
5. Repeat to make another layer of each ingredient, ending with the mascarpone. Add a generous grating of parmesan then place the dish on an oven tray. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
Cook's note: To make crispy rosemary to sprinkle on the top of the lasagne, heat a little oil in a small saucepan then drop in small sprigs of rosemary. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly until crisp but not browned. Drain on kitchen towels.
- Recipe Claire Aldous
Pork sausage meatball, basil and tomato lasagne, from Dish magazine. Photo / Josh Griggs
Spiced lamb kofta with smashed cucumber, almonds and yoghurt
Serves 2
We love this combination of warm spicy kofta with cool yoghurt and crunchy cucumbers.
Ingredients
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs 3 Tbsp milk 600g lamb mince (I used Greenlea Butcher Shop) 2 Tbsp currants, finely chopped 2 Tbsp Moroccan spice mix Small handful parsley, finely chopped Sea salt and ground pepper Oil, for cooking
Smashed cucumber 1 small telegraph cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scooped out 1 tsp sea salt 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed finely Grated zest 1 lemon Sea salt and ground pepper 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
To serve 1 cup thick plain yoghurt 4 flatbreads, 2 warmed, 2 set aside for lunch Fresh mint leaves ¼ cup flaked almonds, toasted 2 Tbsp dukkah
Directions
1. Kofta: Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and mix to combine well. Form into 9 sausages.
2. Heat a little oil in a sauté pan and cook over a medium-low heat until golden and fully cooked. Set aside 3 kofta for lunch.
3. Smashed cucumber: Cut the cucumber into small irregular chunks and place in a bowl with the salt. Massage the salt into the cucumber with your fingers for 30 seconds. Leave for 5 minutes then drain off all the liquid.
4. Stir the oil, garlic and zest together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the cucumber and spring onions and combine.
5. To serve: Swirl the yoghurt on the warm flatbreads and spoon over the smashed cucumber. Top each plate with 3 kofta then scatter over the mint, almonds and dukkah.
- Recipe Claire Aldous
Spiced lamb kofta with smashed cucumber, almonds and yoghurt, from Dish magazine. Photo / Josh Griggs
