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Recipes Ask anyone to name a dish that mum was famous for and no doubt the likes of mac ‘n’ cheese, Cornish pasties and potato bake will come up. Maharaja Pies This recipe was my kids’ idea. They are really partial to an Indian spiced chicken pie sold through a fast-food chain. I won’t buy them because they are really expensive, but the kids do. So I was persuaded to come up with a homemade version of their latest takeout treat. Now we are all addicted. Makes 12 juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp grated ginger 2 boned and skinned chicken breasts, cut into small pieces 1 tbsp oil 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander ¼ tsp chilli powder cup tomato paste ¼ cup plain flour 1 cup chicken stock 1 tbsp brown sugar dash of cream 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cold water (if needed) 3 sheets puff pastry milk for glaze poppy seeds to sprinkle Preheat the oven to 210°C. In a non-metallic container, combine the lemon juice and ginger, add the chicken and stir to coat. Leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate if leaving it longer. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken until sealed all over. Add the spices, tomato paste and flour, then stir in the chicken stock to make a gravy. Add the brown sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a dash of cream and thicken mixture with cornflour if needed. Divide each pastry sheet into quarters, brush around the edges with water, put a spoonful of mixture onto each piece, pull the corners into the middle and pinch along the joins to form raised seams. Brush with milk and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake until golden and puffed. Mac ’n’ Cheese These days macaroni cheese is more likely to come from a packet or can than a hot pan, but it’s never been difficult to make. This is my relatively healthy version. Some people like breadcrumbs or slices of tomato on the top – use this recipe as a base and create your own speciality. Serves 4–6 as a light meal 400g dried macaroni (you can substitute other short pasta tubes like spirals or penne) 1½ tbsp butter 1 tbsp oil 3 tbsp plain flour 700ml reduced-fat milk 120g grated cheese, plus a little extra for sprinkling 1 tbsp parmesan (optional) Salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 190°C. Bring four litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan, add one tsp of salt and boil the pasta for 10 minutes or according to the packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter with the oil in a saucepan, then use a whisk to mix in the flour. Gradually whisk in the milk, adding a little at a time and whisking well after each addition to ensure a lump-free sauce. When all the milk has been added, use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce over a gentle heat until it thickens but don’t let it boil. Stir using circular and figure-of-eight motions so the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon, stir in the grated cheese and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Taste to check the seasoning, then stir the drained pasta into the sauce. Tip the mixture into an ovenproof dish, top with additional grated cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Kicked-up Mac ‘n’ Cheese: Add a sprinkle of dried chopped chillies or top with a drizzle of your favourite hot sauce. Savoury Sunday Mac ‘n’ Cheese: Finely chop 1 onion and around 75g bacon and cook gently in a frying pan until the onion is soft and the bacon cooked. Stir into the cheese sauce then add the pasta and continue as above. Cornish Pasties Cornish pasties are the simplest of pies and very easy to make. You can put other vegetables in them, but just don’t call them Cornish pasties or you’ll have Poms, like my husband, patiently explaining to you that carrots, peas or anything other than spud, swede or turnip is just not Cornish. Makes around 6 depending on size (serving size – 1 per person) 200g rump or blade steak, cut into very small pieces 100g peeled and finely diced potato (roughly ½ a medium potato) 100g finely diced swede or turnip or a combination ½ onion, finely chopped salt and plenty of black pepper 3½ sheets ready-rolled frozen pastry (shortcrust is traditional but puff may be more popular, or make homemade shortcrust: see page 148) 1 beaten egg for glaze Preheat the oven to 200°C. Combine the beef, potato, swede, onion, salt and lots of black pepper in a bowl and work the mixture with your fingers until thoroughly mixed. Cut the pastry into rounds – I cut around the rim of a noodle bowl with roughly 16 cm diameter. Brush a little water around the edges of the rounds and carefully place a spoonful or two of the mixture in the middle of each one. Gather the sides into the middle and crimp them together, forming a seam along the top of the pasty. Place on a greased baking tray and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until dark golden brown. Serve warm or cold. Good with tomato sauce. Chilli Bean and Potato Bake This meat-free meal is filling, tasty and really easy to make. Serves 6 4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1cm slices 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp oil 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 can (about 425g) chilli beans in sauce 1 can (about 435g) baked beans ½ tsp sugar 90g cheese, grated Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the potato slices in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Ensure the slices don’t stick to each other and boil gently for four to five minutes; the slices should be just starting to cook but still hold their shape (if some break it’s not a disaster). Drain gently and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare the chilli bean filling. In a large pan, gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the tomatoes, both cans of beans and the sugar. Mix well and simmer vigorously for five minutes, stirring frequently. Spoon a quarter of the bean mixture into the bottom of a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish. Arrange a third of the potato slices in a layer over the top. Continue to layer the bean sauce and potato in this manner, finishing with a layer of bean mixture. Top with the grated cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then prick the dish all over with a fork to allow the heat and sauce to circulate and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes. Serve with a crisp green salad when in season or some steamed vegetables. Cook’s Tip: Edam cheese is lower in fat than many other hard cheeses, so I mostly use Edam in my bakes and sauces. Super Stretcher: Beef and Sausage Roll Few people can resist the lure of crispy pastry. Add the succulence of a herby sausage filling and you have a winner with the family. This recipe combines lean beef mince with sausage meat for a healthy option and stretches 500g of meat into 8–10 serves. Serves 8–10 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry or a block (homemade shortcrust will also work if you don’t have frozen pastry; see recipe on page 148) 1 onion, chopped 250 g sausage meat 250 g lean beef mince 1 tsp mixed herbs 2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and boiled until tender ¼ cup chutney ¼ cup tomato sauce 1 egg for glazing (optional) Preheat the oven to 220°C. Prepare the pastry by brushing a little water along one edge. Overlap the wet edge with the edge of the second sheet of pastry and press firmly (I roll over the join a few times with the rolling pin). If using a block or homemade pastry, roll it out to a rectangle roughly 50 cm long and 24 cm wide. Combine the onion, sausage meat, beef mince and herbs in a bowl or food processor. Cut the cooked potatoes into ½ cm slices. Combine the chutney and tomato sauce. Brush one long side of the pastry with water. Spread the chutney mixture over the pastry, not quite to the edges. Form the meat mixture into a sausage shape down the middle of the pastry, flattening it slightly so it is compact. Place the potato slices on top and carefully wrap the pastry around the filling. Stretch the pastry a little if necessary to accommodate the filling. When you have joined the pastry along the length of the roll as best you can, carefully lift using a long spatula or slide onto a greased baking tray. Beat the egg lightly and brush over the pastry, then use a serrated knife to cut slashes into the pastry top at 1½–2 cm intervals. Bake in the oven for 25–35 minutes or until pastry is a rich golden brown. Serve sliced, hot or cold, with cooked vegetables or salad. Cook’s Tips: We get at least 8 adult serves (2 slices per person) from this when we have it with side dishes. If you are feeding little people, you’ll get even more. Glaze the pastry with milk, if you don’t want to waste an egg.  Extract from 100+ Tasty $10 Meals by Sophie Gray RRP $29.99, April 2010, Random House New Zealand photos: Melanie Jenkins |