Julie Biuso's Never-ending Summer

Green Chicken Curry. Photo / Supplied

Julie Biuso summons summer with these beautiful, fresh recipes.

Bruschetta with asparagus and prosciutto

There's something about garlic, rosemary and white beans that is utterly, utterly delicious. If you've never eaten them together, this simple bean puree will be a revelation. Serve this as a luxurious snack with drinks, or to a smaller group for a light meal.

Makes 10 slices

Time to prep: 20 minutes

Time to cook: 12 minutes


Bean puree

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

3 tiny dried bird's eye chillies, crushed

1 x 425g can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and drained

¼ tsp salt

Bruschetta and topping

20 asparagus spears

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil for hotplate

10 thickish slices ciabatta bread

2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and halved

10 thin slices prosciutto


To make the bean puree, heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic, rosemary and crushed chillies. Saute for 2-3 minutes and mix in the beans and salt. Transfer to a food processor and blend to a puree; if the puree is very stiff, thin with a little warm water. (If making a day ahead, cool, cover and refrigerate, but serve at room temperature.)

To prepare the topping, snap woody ends off the asparagus spears or trim them with a knife. Wash asparagus under running water and pat dry. Mix lemon zest with 2 tablespoons of oil in a large shallow dish with a few pinches of salt and plenty of black pepper. Add asparagus spears and roll them around the dish to coat. Cook asparagus spears on a preheated oiled barbecue hotplate over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning often, until golden brown. Remove lemon zest to a side plate as it browns.

Lightly char the slices of bread on both sides on a preheated barbecue grill rack over gentle heat; take care as the bread burns easily. Alternatively, cook it under an oven grill, or in a ridged grill pan. Rub each slice on one side with a cut clove of garlic. Spread with warm bean puree and top with barbecued asparagus spears and curls of prosciutto. Serve immediately. Alternatively, if the weather is foul, cook the bread under the oven grill or simply pop it in a toaster and cook the asparagus in a shallow tin, such as a Swiss roll tin, lined with baking paper in a preheated oven (180C) until golden.


Green chicken curry with cashew nuts

There's bags of flavour here, but check the timings - it's probably more suited to a night when you've got a bit of time on your hands and are cooking indoors, rather than one of those nights when the speed of a wok meal could serve you better.

Serves 6

Time to prep: 25 minutes

Time to cook: 1 hour, 15-30 minutes


Cashew-nut curry paste

2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced

3 tbsp canola or peanut oil

½ cup roasted, salted cashew nuts

6 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved

1 cup loosely packed coriander leaves

1 cup loosely packed mint leaves

4 fresh hot green chillies, coarsely chopped


Curry

50g tamarind pulp

½ cup hot water

3 tbsp canola or peanut oil

1 tbsp peeled, grated ginger

2 fresh hot green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1kg free-range skinned and boned chicken thighs, rinsed, patted dry and halved

1 tsp salt

Plain yoghurt for serving

1 sliced fresh red chilli for serving

Chopped coriander leaves and mint for serving


To make the cashew-nut paste, fry onions gently in 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium-sized frying pan for 40-45 minutes until they caramelise; stir often, especially towards the end of cooking time.

While the onions are cooking, soak the cashew nuts in warm water to soften for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Fry garlic cloves in a small pan in 1 tablespoon of oil for a few minutes until lightly coloured. Transfer to a food processor with the cashew nuts, onions, coriander, mint and chillies and process to a paste.

To make the curry, put tamarind pulp in a small bowl and pour in hot water.

Leave to soften for 5 minutes, then use your fingers to separate the pulp from the seeds. Push the mixture through a sieve and discard seeds and tough fibre.

Heat oil over a gentle heat in a casserole, and add ginger and green chillies. Fry for 1-2 minutes then add the cashew-nut paste. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring, then add chicken. Lightly brown chicken then add tamarind liquid and mix in.

Cover casserole with a lid and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. If the thighs are large they may take more than 30 minutes to cook through; add a little water if the sauce gets dry. Season chicken with salt then tip into a serving dish, scraping in all the sauce, or simply serve in the casserole. Pour over a little yoghurt and garnish with sliced red chilli and chopped coriander and mint. Serve piping hot.

* Recipes and images extracted from Julie Biuso's Neverending Summer (New Holland, $45).