TOFU DOUGHNUT BITES WITH SOY MILK SOFT SERVE

These might seem like a dessert, but try them for breakfast, too! Just make sure you have a good coffee alongside, says chef Matt Wilkinson.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (125ml) organic soy milk, lukewarm
• 2 x 7g sachets dry yeast
• 50g silken tofu
• Finely grated zest of 1 mandarin
• 250g strong (baker’s) flour, plus extra to dust
• 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1L (4 cups) soy milk ice cream (we used Sanitarium So Good Vanilla Bliss)
• Sunflower oil, to deep-fry
• Black sesame seeds, to serve

• METHOD

  • 1
    Whisk milk and yeast together in a small jug and set aside until frothy.
  • 2
    Whisk tofu and mandarin zest together in a bowl until smooth.
  • 3
    In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, 2 tbs sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. With the motor on low, add the milk mixture, then tofu mixture and knead for 5 minutes or until dough comes together and is coming away from the sides of the bowl.
  • 4
    Transfer to a clean work surface and bring together with your hands to form a ball. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 11/2-2 hours or until doubled in size.
  • 5
    Knock back dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes or until firm. Divide dough into 12 pieces, roll into 10cm-long sausages, and transfer to 2 baking trays lined with baking paper. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
  • 6
    Meanwhile, combine ginger and remaining 70g sugar in a bowl.
  • 7
    Place ice cream in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on high for 1 minute or until loosened. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm star nozzle. Keep in freezer until ready to use.
  • 8
    Half-fill a deep-fryer or saucepan with oil and heat to 170°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 45 seconds when hot enough). In batches, fry dough, turning halfway, for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Toss in ginger sugar, then cut doughnuts into 3cm pieces.
  • 9
    Arrange on plates and pipe over soft serve. Top with sesame to serve.

EASY PEA AND MINT CROQUETTES

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbs olive oil

6 banana shallots, finely chopped (300 g/101⁄2 oz)

• 1 tbs white wine vinegar
• 700g frozen and defrosted peas
• 20g mint leaves, finely shredded
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 4 eggs
• 100g plain flour
• 150g panko breadcrumbs
• Sunflower oil, for frying

For the sauce

• 1 tsp dried mint
• 120g sour cream
• 1 tbs olive oil

• METHOD

  • 1
    To make the sauce, place all the ingredients in a bowl with 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and a grind of black pepper. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • 2
    Place the olive oil in a medium-sized sauté pan on a medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until soft. Add the vinegar; cook for a further 2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
  • 3
    Place the peas in a food processor and briefly blitz. They need to break down without turning into a mushy paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the shallot, mint, garlic, 1egg, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper.
  • 4
    Line a tray that will fit in your freezer with baking paper and shape the pea mixture into 16 patties (around 60 g/2 oz each), about 7 cm (23⁄4 in) across and 2 cm (1 in) thick. Freeze for a couple of hours to firm up.
  • 5
    Place the remaining eggs in a bowl and gently beat. Place the flour in a separate bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third.
  • 6
    Remove the croquettes from the freezer and, one at a time, roll them in the flour, dip them in the egg, then coat them in the crumbs. You can then either return them to the freezer at this point or leave them at room temperature for about 1 hour, until partly defrosted. Whatever you do, when it comes to frying, it’s important that the patties are not entirely frozen; you want them to cook through without burning the crust.
  • 7
    Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas 7.
  • 8
    Fill a medium-sized frying pan with enough sunflower oil so that it comes 21⁄2 cm (1 in) up the sides. Place on a medium-high heat and leave for 5 minutes for the oil to get hot. Reduce the heat to medium and fry the croquettes in batches for about 4 minutes, turning once, until both sides are golden-brown.
  • 9
    Transfer to a baking tray and place in the oven for 5 minutes, to warm through. Serve at once, with the sauce spooned on top or placed alongside

Date Slice

A very easy and quick slice to make. So good, particularly just out of the oven. Always gets eaten. This is a favourite slice of mine.

Ingredients

• 90 g butter chopped
• 4 Weet-Bix crushed
• 1 cup dates chopped
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
• 1 tbs icing sugar *to decorate

• Method

  • STEP 1Grease an 18 x 28 cm pan. Line base with cooking paper.
  • STEP 2Place butter, Weet-Bix, dates, sugar, bicarb soda and water in a bowl.
  • STEP 3Mix until well combined. Allow to cool.
  • STEP 4Stir in egg, flour and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan. Smooth over top with a knife.
  • STEP 5Cook at 180C, for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked when tested. Cool slice in pan.
  • STEP 6Remove from pan and cut into slices. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Creamy Garlic Prawns

These creamy garlic prawns are restaurant-quality that you can make at home. Flavoured with garlic, white wine, basil and fresh cream, they make a perfect entree and are fantastic served with rice.

Ingredients

• 100 g butter
• 6 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 500 g green prawns peeled deveined tails intact
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 8 fresh basil leaves chopped

• Method

  • STEP 1In a frying pan, melt butter and add garlic, heating until just bubbling.
  • STEP 2Pour in dry white wine and bring to the boil.
  • STEP 3Add prawns in a single layer and cook for a minute on each side.
  • STEP 4Pour cream over and bring to the boil. Stir in basil.
  • STEP 5Remove prawns with a slotted spoon and continue simmering sauce until it is reduced by one third.
  • STEP 6Return prawns to the sauce and serve on a bed of rice garnished with fresh basil.

  • Notes

    Be careful not to burn the garlic when you add it to the butter. It needs to be cooked just a little to release the flavours.
    The prawns cook in very little time and it's important not to overcook them so they retain that fresh firm texture.

Chinese-Style Pork Chops

A quick and tasty recipe for pork chops.

Ingredients

• 4 loin pork chops
• 3 tbs tomato sauce
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tsp garlic *to taste
• 1 tsp ginger *to taste

Method

• STEP 1Mix soy sauce, honey and tomato sauce together in a bowl.
• STEP 2Coat pork chops in combined garlic and ginger and brown in a little olive oil.
• STEP 3Add sauce and bake at 180C for approximately 30 minutes.
• STEP 4Serve with fried rice or steamed vegetables.

Notes

This can also be cooked in a frying pan but do keep checking as it may boil dry. If more sauce is desired, this sauce can be doubled for extra chops. I like to cook mine in the oven as I find it cooks slower and the honey doesn't burn. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of water. Chilli can be added also.

Quick Chicken Casserole

This quick chicken casserole is so tasty and simple that you will make it a regular on your family menu plan.

Ingredients

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 kg chicken breasts cut into pieces
• 850 g cream of chicken condensed soup
• 1 cup chicken stock (liquid)
• 500 g frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 tbs thyme
• 2 tbs parsley chopped

Method

• STEP 1Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the chicken until it is slightly browned on the edges.
• STEP 2Add the stock and soup with the thyme and mix. Stir in the frozen vegetables. Bring to the boil and pour into a casserole dish.
• STEP 3Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to garnish.

Notes

I have added the whole bag (1kg) of chunky frozen vegetables with an extra cup of stock to this recipe and it still works out well.

If you have some bacon you can fry it with the chicken.

The thyme is the perfect accompaniment to this chicken. Use either fresh or dried.

Sausage Rolls

Make your own flakey sausage rolls with this low fat recipe that uses chicken and pork mince rather than preservative-laden sausage mince. This recipe is great for children’s birthday parties or to take on a picnic – adults usually love them as much as the kids.

Ingredients

• 4 sheets ready rolled puff pastry
• 2 carrots peeled cut into chunks
• 1 onion medium peeled quartered
• 1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley fresh
• 500 g chicken mince
• 500 g pork mince
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 egg lightly beaten

• Method

• STEP 1Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
• STEP 2Place pastry sheets on bench to defrost. Place carrots, onion and parsley in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
• STEP 3Add mince, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. I did this in batches, combined all ingredients in a large bowl and did the final mixing with (clean) hands.
• STEP 4Divide the mince mixture into eight equal portions.
• STEP 5Slice each sheet of pastry in half. Place a portion of mince on the middle of the long-edge of the pastry and pat the mince into a long sausage shape.
• STEP 6Brush the sides of the pastry with egg, peel the pastry away from the plastic backing and fold the bottom edge over the mince and then roll it over to seal. Do this as firmly as possible so the pastry is tight and neat — makes for better presentation.
• STEP 7Brush the top of the pastry with egg and then cut each roll cross-ways into about 8 small rolls.
• STEP 8Place rolls on prepared trays about 2cm apart. Bake for 20 minutes until pastry is puffy and golden and the mince is cooked through.

• Notes

  These are great for parties, make them the day before, cool, store overnight in the fridge and then reheat before serving.
  You can turn these into fancy pants sausage rolls to be served as canapés at a dinner party by simply slicing them up into smaller portions.