Sausage & Potato Bake

I’ve baked sausages before and I love roast potatoes, but I’d never thought about cooking them together — now I wish I’d tried this much earlier. It makes an interesting, colourful and easy meal. The addition of the bread may sound a little unusual and isn’t absolutely necessary, but I think it does add colour and texture to the dish.

For 4 serving:

800–900g potatoes, scrubbed

6 (about 500g) good pork sausages

1/4–1/2 loaf bread (125g)

2 cloves garlic

1–2 tsp each rosemary and thyme leaves

3 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

20 cherry tomatoes

chopped parsley to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a large roasting pan with baking paper or a Teflon liner.

Cut each potato into quarters or eighths depending on size and the sausages into 3–4 pieces each (the pieces of sausages and potatoes should be roughly the same size). Spread the sausages and potatoes in the prepared roasting pan.

Roughly chop the garlic and scatter it over with the herbs. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil then place in the middle of the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Stir the sausages and potatoes then tear the bread into bite-sized pieces and scatter it and the cherry tomatoes over the top.

Return the tray to the oven and roast for a further 15–20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve.

Photography: Lindsay Keats

Carrot Cake

A good carrot cake is hard to go past. I think this one is nice enough to enjoy un-iced (try serving it as a dessert warm from the oven with ice cream on the side). However, if you’re willing to make a little extra effort, the icing definitely adds another dimension (and if your conscience allows, you could even consider doubling the quantities!).

For a 23-25cm cake

1/2 cup canola or other oil

3 large eggs

3 cups grated carrot

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground mixed spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup cold cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla essence

1–1 1/4 cups icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Measure the oil into a large bowl, break in the eggs and whisk until well combined. Add the grated carrot and stir until well mixed.

Sift in the flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, spices and salt. Sprinkle with the raisins and nuts if using, then stir until evenly mixed.

Non-stick spray a round 23-25cm tin. Pour the batter into the tin, then bake at 180°C for 25–35 minutes or until a skewer poked in the centre comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out and cooling completely on a rack.

To make the icing, combine the cold cream cheese and vanilla essence in a food processor. Sift in the icing sugar (start with the smaller quantity) and process just enough to mix thoroughly.

Cinnamon Swirls

The warm, inviting smell of yeast and cinnamon wafting through the house as these rolls cook is a promise of a treat to come. They’re a perfect project for a long weekend.

Makes about 12 rolls:

2 tsp Surebake yeast

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp warm water

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

25g butter, melted

2 cups high-grade flour

Topping

2 Tbsp softened butter

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Filling:

Melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Bread Machine Instructions

Carefully measure all the ingredients into a 750g capacity bread machine in the order specified by the manufacturer. Set to the DOUGH cycle and START. When the dough is ready, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and follow the instructions for shaping and baking below.

Hand-made Bread Instructions

Measure the first six ingredients into a bowl with half the flour. Cover and leave to stand for 15 minutes in a warm place.

Stir in the remaining flour with a little extra flour or water if necessary to make a dough just firm enough to knead.

Knead with the dough hook of an electric mixer or by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes or until the dough forms a soft ball that springs back when gently pressed.

Turn in 2 teaspoons of oil in the cleaned dry bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm draught-free place for 30–40 minutes.

Lightly knead the dough in the bowl for 1 minute.

Shaping and Baking

Rub 2 tablespoons of soft butter fairly evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 20–23cm round cake pan, then sprinkle 2 tablespoons each brown sugar and chopped walnuts over the bottom.

Roll out the dough to form a square, about 30x30cm then brush it lightly with a little melted butter. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts if you like.

Roll up to form a cylinder, then cut into about eight to12 fairly even slices. (Make the larger number for the larger pan.) Arrange them, cut side down, as evenly as you can in the prepared cake pan, leaving space around each roll to spread. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm draught-free place for about 1 hour or until twice the original size.

Bake at 180°C for 20–30 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully turn the loaf out of the pan onto a plate or board straight away and serve warm.

Photography: Lindsay Keats

Malay-style Chicken & Vegetable Curry

This curry is a great way to turn fresh or frozen chicken pieces into a really interesting meal. I quite like having quite a bit of liquid at the end — it soaks deliciously into rice when served, but if you want it thicker, cook it uncovered for 5–10 minutes before you add the vegetables and the sauce will thicken up.

For 4 servings:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1kg chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs or nibbles)

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh ginger

1 Tbsp curry powder (mild or hot)*

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

3/4 cup coconut cream

3–4 small potatoes, quartered

1/2 cup water

1–2 cups green vegetables (frozen peas or beans, broccoli, zucchini, etc)

salt and pepper to taste

1–2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander, optional

*You can vary the ‘hotness’ by using hot or mild curry powder (most supermarkets now have both).

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan with a close-fitting lid, then add the chicken pieces and cook until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Peel and roughly chop the onion, then place it in a blender or food processor with the garlic and ginger. Process until you have a smoothish paste. Add the curry powder, turmeric, soy sauce and coconut cream, then process again.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat over a medium to high heat. Add the paste mixture and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken, quartered potatoes and water to the paste. Bring the mixture to the boil then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 25–30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.

If you want a thicker sauce, remove the lid and cook for 5–10 minutes before adding the vegetables, otherwise run frozen vegetables under hot water until thawed, or cut fresh vegetables into bite-sized pieces, then add these to the curry mixture, cover again and cook for a further 5–10 minutes until the vegetables ready.

Serve over plenty of steamed rice with a salad on the side, if you like. If you can find them at your supermarket, fresh or frozen naan bread or roti also make a delicious accompaniment.

Photography: Lindsay Keats

Lentil, Orzo & Spinach Soup

I know the weather isn’t going to be the same everywhere, but it is cold, windy and raining here today, definitely ‘soup weather’! Actually, the weather doesn’t have to be miserable to enjoy this, it makes a simple, tasty meal in almost any conditions.

I love this simple soup: you take some humble ingredients, throw them in a pan with water, simmer away for a while and you get something warm and satisfying at the end. OK, it might not always be quite as simple as that ’but this recipe really does turn humble ingredients into a tasty economical meal with relatively little effort.

For 4–6 servings:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium–large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2–3 sticks celery, thinly sliced

1 medium–large carrot, grated

8 cups hot water

1 Tbsp vegetable stock powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1 cup brown lentils

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup orzo

1/4–1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 cups lightly packed (75–100g) chopped spinach leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the water, stock powder and oregano. Put the lentils in a sieve and rinse them thoroughly, then stir into the pan. Bring the soup to the boil, then simmer for 20–25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Add the red wine, orzo and parsley. Boil gently for about 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and cook for a few minutes longer.

Season to taste with salt (if required) and pepper, then serve with crusty bread.

Photography: Lindsay Keats