Cookbook legend Donna Hay.
Best-selling cookbook author Donna Hay's latest, The Fast Five, is all about taking your favourite recipes and reimagining them in faster, more delicious ways. All-time classics and old stand-bys are reinvented with midweek twists which focus on cutting down time and upgrading flavour. Here we sample some of her culinary cleverness.
All recipes & styling: Donna Hay
Serves 4
600g pork fillet, trimmed and thinly sliced
250g pineapple, skin on and sliced into 8 thick wedges
Sliced Lebanese cucumber, coriander and extra sliced long red chilli, to serve
Ginger marinade
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp fish sauce
⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Chilli pickled carrot
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 long red chilli, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and shredded using a julienne peeler
1. To make the ginger marinade: Combine the green onion, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar and oil in a large bowl.
2. Add the pork and the pineapple and mix to combine. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
3. To make the chilli pickled carrot: Combine the vinegar, honey and chilli in a bowl. Add the carrot and toss to combine. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven grill to high. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
5. Thread the pork and pineapple onto 8 metal skewers and place on the prepared tray. Brush with any remaining ginger marinade and grill for 10–12 minutes or until just cooked through.
6. Serve with the chilli pickled carrot, cucumber, coriander and the extra chilli.
Serves 4
8 cups firmly packed finely shredded kale leaves
1 x 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and roughly mashed
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1½ cups fresh ricotta
1 egg
1½ cups ground almonds
½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Sage and garlic sauce
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
12 sage leaves
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups diced canned tomatoes
½ cup good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
1. Place the kale in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 3 minutes, then drain well. Place between absorbent kitchen paper and press to drain any excess moisture.
2. Combine the kale, beans, rind, ricotta, egg, almond meal, parmesan, salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 16 x ¼-cup meatballs.
3. Preheat oven to 220°C.
4. To make the sage and garlic sauce: Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, sage and garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until soft. Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Serve with extra parmesan.
Tip: I love to serve these meatballs with pasta or crusty bread for mopping up all that delicious sauce!
Serves 10–12
6 eggs
½ cup pure maple syrup
1¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup cocoa, plus extra for dusting
1½ cups ground almonds
½ cup grapeseed oil
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line a 24cm round springform cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the eggs, maple syrup and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed for 10 minutes or until light and fluffy.
3. Sift the cocoa and ground almond over and gently fold to combine. Add the oil and fold to combine.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35–40 minutes or until the cake is firm around the edges but has a slight wobble in the centre. Allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
5. Remove the cake from the tin and place on a cake stand or serving plate. Dust with extra cocoa, to serve.
Tip: Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
The Fast Five by Donna Hay RRP: $55 Available: October 5, 2022
Relationship expert Nic Beets shares his insights – and four Kiwis share their stories.