Mustard rack of lamb with minted ricotta

Frenched lamb racks have had the fat and meat between the ribs removed and the bones have been scraped clean, so they look rather fancy. Regular lamb racks will work as well in this very tasty dish. 

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 frenched racks lamb, (8 cutlets in each rack)
• 4 roma tomatoes
• balsamic vinegar, to drizzle
• olive oil, to drizzle
• 2 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• extra 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp French mustard
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp dried mint flakes
• mashed potato to serve
• 
  Minted ricotta
• 150 g fresh ricotta
• ⅓ cup cream
• ⅓ cup finely chopped mint

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Halve tomatoes lengthways, place on a tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Cook for 30 minutes. Then add the asparagus to the baking tray and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for a further 15 minutes or until the tomatoes and asparagus are tender. Remove from oven. Increase the oven temperature to 200ºC.
2. Place the lamb racks in roasting dish. Smear each rack with the combined extra olive oil, mustard, garlic and mint. Roast for 20 minutes for rare, 30 minutes for medium and 40 minutes for well done.
3. Remove lamb, cover loosely, rest lamb for 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut racks in pairs and serve 2 pairs on each plate and drizzle with any pan juices. Arrange the tomatoes and asparagus on the side and top with the minted ricotta. Serve with mashed potato.
   
   To make minted ricotta: mix the ricotta and cream until smooth. Add the mint and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Essential tips

• Suggested roasting times for Rack of lamb, four rib roast, crown roast. Cook at 200ºC. Rare 20-25 min total regardless of weight, Medium 30-35 min total regardless of weight, Well done 40-45 min total regardless of weight.
• Roasts need to rest for about 10 to 20 minutes before carving. This gives the juices in the meat a chance to redistribute, giving a moister and more tender result.

Herb-crusted lamb cutlets

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 frenched Lamb cutlet racks (3 cutlets in each)
• ¼ cup fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tsp pesto
• roasted vegetables like red onion wedges, zucchini and sweet potato to serve
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place lamb in a roasting dish in a pan and brown all side and then brush on half a tablespoon of mustard onto each rack.
• Combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, garlic and pesto in a bowl, mix well. Press the breadcrumb mixture evenly over lamb racks.
• Roast lamb uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C and cook for a further 15-20 minutes (medium rare) or cook until lamb is cooked as desired.
• Remove lamb, cover loosely, and rest for 5 minutes before cutting the racks into cutlets and serve lamb with roasted vegetables including red onion wedges, zucchini and sweet potato.

Char-grilled beef skewers with tomato vinaigrette

Wedges of sweet red onion team beautifully with the beef, alternate the onion with red or green capsicum if you like. Baste the skewers with a mix of olive oil and a little lemon juice. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 beef sirloin steaks
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• Tomato vinaigrette
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 3 tomatoes, peeled, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped
  • a pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Method

• Cut each sirloin steak into cubes, thread on to metal skewers with red onion wedges. Brush each skewer lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the char-grill pan to hot before adding the meat.
• Let the beef skewers cook on one side until moisture appears before you turn. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and cover loosely with foil, rest skewers for 3 minutes before serving.
• Serve beef skewers with the warm tomato vinaigrette.
• To make the tomato vinaigrette: heat the oil in a small pan, add the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and parsley. Cook over a high heat for one minute to just soften the tomatoes. Stir in red wine vinegar.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a green salad.

Essential tips

• The char-grill pan needs to be heated until it is hot before adding the beef skewers. It should be hot enough so that the skewers sizzle when they touch the pan.
• Best beef cuts for char-grilling: fillet/tenderloin, rib eye/scotch fillet, sirloin/porterhouse/New York, T-bone, rump, round and blade, oyster blade, silverside and topside steaks.

Karena Armstrong's Ellis Baked Ham with McLaren Vale Orchards Cider Glaze

We're very fortunate to have here a recipe from one of South Australia's most beloved chefs, Karena Armstrong of McLaren Vale's iconic Salopian Inn. Thanks Karena!

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in large ham
• 2x 330ml bottles apple cider from McLaren Vale Orchard
• 200g brown sugar
• 5 cinnamon quills
• 8 star anise
• 200g butter
• 2 lemons zested

Method

• Find a baking/roasting dish your ham fits into snugly.
• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Remove the rind from the ham leaving the fat layer on.
• Score the fat in a cross-hatch pattern.
• Mix the glaze ingredients together and pour of the ham, making sure the whole spices are on top for roasting.

You can leave the ham overnight at this stage to marinate.

• Pre-heat the oven and put in the ham. Cook for 15 minute increments.
• Regularly baste the ham with the pan juices. If the ham is browning too quickly turn down the oven.  The ham will take a minimum of 90 minutes and up to 2 hours to cook until tender.
• By the end of cooking time the glaze is shiny and very reduced. Don't let the pan burn, and add a little water to the glaze if needed.

Perfect for Christmas - visit our Christmas Menu and place your order right away!

Slow-roasted Mediterranean beef roast

A little time is all it takes to serve up this amazingly good beef roast, raising the roast on bed of vegies as it cooks helps the beef brown evenly and adds flavour to the pan juices.

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 750 g piece of silverside roast (uncorned)
• 3 tbsp sundried tomato pesto
• 8 thin cut prosciutto slices
• roast potatoes and steamed asparagus to serve

Method

• Preheat oven to 160ºC. Coat beef with sundried tomato pesto and wrap evenly with prosciutto slices. Tie with string or secure with metal skewers.
• Place the beef on a rack in a roasting dish. Roast for 30 minutes for rare, 40 minutes for medium and 45 minutes for well done. For ease and accuracy use a meat thermometer.
• Remove beef from oven, loosely cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes. Remove string and slice beef.
• Serve with roast potatoes and steamed asparagus.

Essential tips

• Suggested roasting times per 500g for: Silverside, blade, round, topside, eye round, oyster blade. Cook at 160ºC. Rare 20-25 min per 500g, Medium 25-30 min per 500g, Well done 30-35 min per 500g.
• Roast on a rack. Raising the roast allows the heat to circulate around the roast browning it evenly. Without a rack the bottom of the roast will begin to stew. Wider rung racks give good results; they’re preferable to the closed rack like trays that are sometimes inside your oven when you purchase it. Placing the roast on a bed of julienne vegetables or trimmed meat bones is another way to raise the roast, and they both add flavour to the pan juices.

Maple syrup braised lamb rack

How's this for a dinner worthy of a Grand Final: forequarter rack of lamb braised in maple syrup, white wine, oregano, and orange peel. Served over braised red potatoes and onions topped with peas and squash. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 600g lamb forequarter racks
• 500 g baby potatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 small brown onions, peeled and cut into thick rings
• 3 large sprigs of fresh oregano
• 2½ tbsp maple syrup
• 250 ml white wine
• 250 ml salt-reduced beef stock
• 3 pieces of orange peel, 2cm wide
• 100 g frozen peas
• 6 yellow squash, quartered

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Bring a heavy-based casserole dish to a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and brown lamb racks all over and set aside. Add another tbsp oil, then add potato halves, onion, and salt and cook until golden brown, about 8­-10 minutes. Place lamb racks on top of vegetables and add wine, stock and 2 tbsp maple syrup to deglaze pan, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add orange peel and oregano and cover with lid. Place into the oven for 2 hours.
3. Change oven to grill setting, uncover lamb, add peas, and squash, brush lamb with remaining maple syrup and allow to crisp up for 20 minutes , serve immediately.

Essential tips

Try substituting honey instead of maple syrup!

Beef, spinach, and cashew Korma curry

The weather may be cool outside but bellies will be warm inside with this delicious Indian-inspired beef dish!

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 105 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 800 g oyster blade steaks, fat trimmed, cut into 2cm dice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
• 1½ tbsp Korma Indian curry paste
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 300 g peeled pumpkin, cut into 2cm dice
• 50 g cashew nuts, finely chopped
• 1 bunch English spinach, trimmed, leaves shredded
• 60 ml (¼ cup) natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 cups steamed basmati rice and chopped coriander, to serve

Method

1. Place beef in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of the oil and toss to coat. Heat a large flameproof casserole dish over a high heat. Add the beef, in batches, cook for 2 minutes or until browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Return pan to a medium-high heat, add remaining oil and onion, cook stirring occasionally for 3 minutes or until golden. Add the curry paste, cook stirring for a further 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and 375ml (11/2 cups) water, bring to the boil.
3. Cover dish and transfer to preheated oven for 1 hour. Add pumpkin and cashew nuts to pan, return to oven for a further 30 minutes or until beef is very tender. Stir through the spinach, yoghurt, lime juice and sugar.
4. Serve curry with steamed rice, garnished with coriander.

Essential tips

• This curry is suitable to freeze, place in airtight containers, set aside to cool, then cover and freeze.
• This curry can also be cooked on the stovetop. At the end of step 2, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours. Add pumpkin and cashews, remove lid and simmer for a further 45 minutes or until beef is very tender and sauce has thickened. Stir through spinach, yoghurt, lime and sugar.

Crackling pork belly with crimson grape and plum sauce

It's cold and wet outside right now... but nothing shakes the winter blues like pork belly. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1.5-1.8 kg pork belly, rind on
Oil
Sea salt
1 cup plum sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar glaze
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ cup pomegranate juice
3/4 cup crimson grapes, halved

To serve
Steamed potatoes
Steamed asparagus spears
Steamed baby brussel sprouts
Steamed baby peas

Method

• Preheat oven to 220°C.
• Using a Stanley knife or scalpel, finely score the pork belly rind. Pat the surface of the rind dry with paper towel and rub with oil and flakes of sea salt. Allow to sit for 20 minutes.
• Place the pork belly into a shallow baking dish.
• Roast the pork belly in the preheated oven at 220°C for 30 minutes. This will begin the crackling process. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue to roast for a further 1 ½ hours. Remove the belly from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
• To prepare the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat. Simmer until liquid has reduced by half and is glossy.
• Cut the pork belly into serving sized portions. Serve hot with steamed vegetables and crimson grape and plum sauce.

Tips

Sauce may be prepared well ahead of time and kept in an air tight jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

(Image and recipe courtesy of Australian Pork)

Parmesan crumbed veal schnitzel

Serve these golden crumbed veal schnitzels with lemon wedges, a sprinkle of grated parmesan and a tablespoon of capers scattered over the veal adds a wonderful flavour too. 

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 veal schnitzels
• ½ cup plain flour
• 2 cups dried breadcrumbs
• 150 g grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• grated rind of one lemon
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• oil for shallow frying
• lemon wedges, salad leaves, halved cherry tomatoes and flaked Parmesan to serve

Method

• Dust veal schnitzels in lightly seasoned flour shake off excess. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley and lemon rind.
• Coat schnitzels in egg and dip in breadcrumbs, shake off excess. Place on a foil-lined tray, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Add enough oil to a medium-sized, heavy based frypan to come halfway up the side of the pan. Heat the oil over a moderately high heat. Carefully lower schnitzels into hot oil. Cook schnitzels in batches on both sides until lightly golden. Drain schnitzels on absorbent paper after cooking. Allow the oil to reheat between batches.
• Serve with lemon wedges and salad leaves with cherry tomatoes and flaked Parmesan.

Essential tips

• Shallow-frying is the method used to cook crumbed or floured schnitzels and cutlets.
• Oil is added to a heavy based pan, to the depth of about 1.5cm. (for a medium sized pan). Do not crowd the pan when shallow-frying as it will reduce the heat and the crumb coating will soak up the oil. Allow the oil to reheat between batches.

Osso bucco with basil pesto

As we move further into Autumn and the evenings get cooler, our thoughts turn to hearty and warming meals like this one - enjoy!

Ingredients

4 pieces osso bucco
1 tbsp olive oil
500 ml beef stock
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
800 g cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 bouquet garni (see tip)
1 cup green beans, chopped

Basil Pesto
2 cup basil leaves
¼ cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
40 g parmesan, finely grated

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Pat osso bucco dry with paper towel, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron pan with a lid over high heat and brown osso bucco on both sides.
• Add stock, onion, carrot, butter beans and bouquet garni. Bring to the boil, cover meat with a piece of baking paper and then the lid and place in oven for 1½ hrs or until beef is very tender. Add green beans in the last 10 mins of cooking.
• Place basil, pine nuts and garlic in a small food processor and process until finely chopped. Add olive oil and process until smooth. Stir through parmesan.
• Divide vegetables and sauce between 4 bowls and top each with a piece of osso bucco and a dollop of pesto.

Essential Tips

• Bouquet garni is a small parcel of herbs, usually bay leaf, lemon peel, thyme and rosemary. Substitute with your favourite herbs.
• Substitute basil pesto with a store-bought version.