Lighten up: Easy, fresh dinner recipes for the new season

23 Sep, 2023 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Asparagus, ham and gruyere tart. Photo / Babiche Martens

Israeli couscous salad with roast chicken and apple

Serves 4

2 chicken breasts, cooked

2 cups cooked Israeli couscous

¼ cup chopped telegraph cucumber

1 red apple, sliced thinly

2 Tbsp lemon juice

½ cup brazil nuts, roughly chopped

2 cups shredded spinach leaves

½ cup chopped dill

Dressing

2 Tbsp lemon juice

½ cup Greek yoghurt

2 Tbsp chopped dill

1 tsp runny honey

Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place into a large bowl.

Add the couscous, cucumber, red apple, lemon juice, nuts, spinach and chopped dill.

Combine the lemon juice, yoghurt, dill and honey in a small bowl. Drizzle over the salad before serving.

Recipe / Angela Casley

Baked salmon with fennel and lemon pasta

Serves 4

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp oil

1 head fennel, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 Tbsp lemon juice

4 x 100g salmon fillets

200g pasta

½ cup toasted sliced almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp lemon zest to serve

Fennel leaves to garnish

Extra lemon to squeeze

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Reserve a few fennel leaves for garnish. Place the remainder of the fennel into the pan with the garlic, and cook slowly for 10-15 minutes until the fennel is completely soft but not brown. Add the zest and juice.

Place the salmon on a baking tray, season and bake for 20 minutes or until just cooked through.

Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Drain and fold through the fennel, season and add half the nuts.

Serve the fennel pasta on plates topped with a piece of salmon, a sprinkle of extra almonds, zest and fennel leaves.

Recipe / Angela Casley

Asparagus, ham and gruyere tart

Serves 6

Pastry

1½ cups flour

½ tsp salt

120g butter

1 egg

50g sour cream

Filling

1 cup grated gruyere

1 spring onion, sliced thinly

½ cup chopped ham

1 bunch asparagus, blanched

2 eggs

200ml cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 34cm x 10cm tin.

First make pastry: place flour, salt and butter into a kitchen processor. Blitz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg

Place dough on a lightly floured bench. Roll the pastry out to fit your tin, carefully fitting it in. Cut off excess edges and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Line pastry with baking paper and rice. Place it into the oven for 15 minutes, then remove paper and rice and bake for another five minutes. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle half the cheese, spring onion, ham and lay asparagus into the pastry base.

Whisk eggs and cream together. Season with salt and pepper. Pour carefully over the asparagus. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden and just set. Remove and serve hot or at room temperature.

Recipe / Angela Casley

Baked lemon souffle

Makes 4

1 Tbsp butter, icing sugar for greasing ramekins

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

200ml milk

½ cup caster sugar

60g butter

3 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp Grand Marnier liqueur

3 egg yolks

4 egg whites

Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 200C. Grease 4 x 200ml ramekins with butter and dust with icing sugar. Set aside on a baking dish.

Place lemon zest, juice, milk and sugar in a pot. Slowly bring to a simmer, stirring. In a small pot melt butter, add flour and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Slowly add warm milk, whisking until mixture is thick. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes. Add Grand Marnier and egg yolks one at a time. Stir well.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Take a third of the custard mixture and gently fold into whites, then tip into the custard. Fold gently until combined. Spoon evenly into ramekins and place straight into the oven.

Cook for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Recipe / Angela Casley