Easy does it
Donna Hay shares her simple shortcuts for super easy summer entertaining.
Donna Hay shares her simple shortcuts for super easy summer entertaining.
recipes + styling DONNA HAY | photos CON POULOS
Balsamic tomato chicken parma
Level up the flavour on your chicken parma by baking it with layers of parmesan, creamy mozzarella, oregano and crispy prosciutto. The roast tomatoes and balsamic sauce make the perfect finish.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
sea salt and cracked black pepper
600g cherry tomatoes
4 x 180g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
¾ cup finely grated parmesan
2 x 125g fresh mozzarella, well drained and sliced into 8 pieces
4 oregano sprigs
8 slices prosciutto
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Combine the balsamic vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper.
Place the tomatoes on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and pour over the balsamic mixture. Bake for 15 minutes.
Place the chicken on a board and sprinkle with parmesan and pepper. Top each with 2 slices of the mozzarella and a sprig of oregano.
Place 2 slices of prosciutto on top of each, folding them underneath the chicken to enclose.
Place the chicken on top of the tomatoes and drizzle with oil.
Cook for 12–15 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
Cook’s note: I’ve used cherry tomatoes on the vine here – however you can use any cherry tomatoes you like. Roma tomatoes cut into quarters also work well. The key is to buy whatever tomato is ripe and sweet.
Risoni and chilli-honey haloumi salad
Every spoonful of this salad is deliciously good. Tender risoni, peppery rocket, sweet pops from currants and toasty almonds… just top with molten chilli-honey haloumi and it’s simply perfect!
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
350g dried risoni
⅓ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
sea salt and cracked black pepper
100g rocket (arugula) leaves
1 cup mint leaves, torn
½ cup toasted almonds, chopped
½ cup currants
Chilli-honey haloumi
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
440g haloumi, cut into chunks
⅓ cup honey
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
METHOD
Cook the risoni in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 8 minutes or until al dente.
Drain the risoni and refresh under cold water. Set aside.
To make the chilli-honey haloumi, heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium– high heat. Add the oil and haloumi and cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat.
Add the honey and chilli and stir to combine. Set aside. Combine the lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper.
Place the risoni in a serving bowl. Add the rocket, mint, almond, currants and lemon mixture and toss to combine.
Top with the chilli-honey haloumi and serve.
Cook’s note: The chilli-honey haloumi is best served warm. If you want to get ahead, prepare the salad components and refrigerate. Then, cook the haloumi just before serving for maximum deliciousness!
Lemon, raspberry and almond ricotta cake
If I had to pick the cake I love to snack on the most, it would have to be this one. It’s my current cake crush – the softness of the ricotta, the crunch of the almonds, the spiky hit of tangy raspberry… seriously, so good!
SERVES 10-12
INGREDIENTS
125g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tsp vanilla extract 4 large eggs, separated
2 cups almond meal (ground almonds)
1 cup fresh ricotta
125g raspberries
½ cup flaked almonds
thick or double (thick) cream (optional), to serve
METHOD
Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a 20cm (8 in) round cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
Place the butter and ⅔ cup (150g/ 5½ oz) of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 4 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the lemon rind and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Fold through the almond meal and ricotta. In a clean bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Fold a spoonful of whipped egg white into the almond mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg white until combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with raspberries and almonds.
Bake for 1 hour or until firm and golden around the edges but with a slight jiggle in the middle. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
To serve, place on a cake stand or serving plate. Serve with cream, if desired.
Cook’s note: Don’t be scared by the uncooked appearance of the centre of this cake when it’s just out of the oven. As the cake cools, it will set to the most deliciously moist texture.
Snacking brownie
When you’re craving just a little warm gooey, chocolatey sweet treat, my mini brownie fits the bill exactly. This perfectly molten choc delight is the ideal size for sharing (or not… no judgement!)
SERVES 1-4
INGREDIENTS
½ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
⅔ cup firmly packed brown sugar
60g unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
50g dark (70 percent cocoa) chocolate chunks
vanilla bean ice-cream, to serve
METHOD
Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a 12cm (4¾ in) ovenproof skillet or frying pan with non-stick baking paper.
Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, butter, vanilla and egg in a bowl. Add the chocolate chunks and stir to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the brownie is set.
Allow the brownie to cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Serve warm with ice-cream or leave to cool completely before serving.
Cook’s note: You can also bake this brownie in a 1-cup (250ml) capacity ramekin or pie tin.
Extracted from Too Easy by Donna Hay. Photography by Con Poulos. RRP$49.99.
Published by HarperCollins.
Savour the Bay
The BOP’s Plates of Plenty Challenge saw chefs from all over the region competing for the best dish. Here, some of the competitors – including the winners – share their divine recipes.
The BOP’s Plates of Plenty Challenge saw chefs from all over the region competing for the best dish. Here, some of the competitors – including the winners – share their divine recipes. Enjoy!
Cadera’s Blue Cheese Jalapeño Poppers
Mount Eliza Blue Cheese Popper in a Mount Brewing Co. High Line Hazy Pale Ale batter with Nana Dunn + Co curried onion chutney.
Makes 25 pieces
INGREDIENTS
Whole marinated jalapenos – we use La Morena
350g cream cheese
150g Mount Eliza Blue Monkey cheese
1 can Mount Brewing Co.
Hazy Pale Ale beer
1½ cups self-raising flour
Nana Dunn + Co’s Curried Onion Chutney to serve
METHOD
Slice the jalapenos lengthways making sure not to cut the whole way through. Remove all the seeds.
Combine cream cheese and blue cheese.
Using a piping bag, fill the poppers with the cheese mixture being careful not to overfill
- about three-quarters full.Mix beer and flour until smooth in texture.
Dip the stuffed jalapeno into the batter to fully coat it and transfer straight into the deep fryer or oil at ideally 180°C.
Cook until golden brown.
Serve with the curried onion chutney.
Pearl Kitchen’s Pie & Beer
Smoked fish pie with blue cheese potato, curried onion chutney and smoked fish gravy, served with a beer.
Makes 10-12 pies.
INGREDIENTS
Blue cheese sauce
25g butter
1 tbsp plain flour
150ml milk
50g Mount Eliza Blue Monkey cheese, chopped or crumbled
Fish pie mix
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 carrot, chopped/diced small
250ml cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
100ml of Mount Brewing Co. low carb ale
Olive oil for frying
1 small handful of flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped
500g-650g smoked kahawai, cut into biggish chunks
Pastry + egg wash
750g frozen puff pastry
2 egg yolks
15ml milk
Charred pearl onions
100g pickling onions
50ml sherry vinegar
METHOD
Blue cheese sauce
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, then stir in the flour and let cook for 1 min or so. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and all the milk has been added.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir in the cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted, and the sauce has thickened slightly, then season to taste.
Fish pie mix
In a pan, fry the onion, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes in the olive oil then add the ale, cream and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves and Dijon and stir to wilt.
Add your chunks of smoked kahawai to the mix at the end as it's already been smoked.
Pastry + egg wash
Cut your puff pastry into small circles or desired shape. Brush egg wash onto the bottom and add your fish pie mixture into the centre of the pastry leaving enough room at the sides so you can add another layer of pastry on top and can seal the sides. I used a fork on the edges to make sure the pastry was pushed down and sealed properly.
Before baking, egg wash the top of the pastry. Bake at 175°C for 15 minutes.
Charred pearl onions
Boil onions with skin on in vegetable stock or water until onions become soft.
Let them cool down completely and cut them in half.
Get a smoking-hot pan with a little olive oil and place the onions cut side down for about 30 seconds. The onion should start to char and go black — this is when you can add the sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan and the onions will soak up all that flavour.
When the onions have cooled down, you can take out the middle heart of the onion (we will use this in the chutney) and start to take out the onions’ petals. They should be charred on the outside.
The Trading Post’s Agnolotti del Plin
A handmade pasta in a typical Piemontese shape, filled with Mount Eliza Blue Monkey cheese in a Noble & Sunday Earl Grey-infused butter sauce with Mama Kali's Farm microgreens.
Serves 5
INGREDIENTS
Pasta
350g flour
150g semolina
200g eggs
100g egg yolk
8g cocoa powder
Filling
300g Mount Eliza
Blue Monkey cheese
150g cream
1 egg white
Pinch of salt
Sauce
50g butter
Pinch of Noble & Sunday
Earl Grey tea
Fresh Mama Kali’s Farm microgreens
METHOD
Pasta
In a bowl or on the table, place the dry ingredients, then in the centre place the eggs and yolk and knead to a smooth dough texture. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.
Filling
Blitz in a food processor the cheese and cream quickly then add egg white until smooth and thin but not whipped. Place in a piping bag and refrigerate until use.
Pasta continued
With the help of a pasta machine or rolling pin, laminate the pasta dough close to 1mm thickness and cut in long strips.
Then pipe a small amount of filling along the longer side on the pasta strip (you want the filling to be one finger apart from one another).
Proceed to fold the pasta over itself and pinch the pasta with your index and thumb between the filling – squeezing a touch towards the centre of the filling.
With the use of a zig-zag cutter, cut between the pinched pasta and the “plin” will look like little lollies. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes.
Remove and toss in a pan with butter and a pinch of Earl Grey to emulsify the sauce.
Add cooking water a little bit at a time and continue tossing to avoid the pasta getting stuck to the pan. This also gives a velvety look to the sauce.
Plate and garnish with microgreens and add grated cheese as per your liking.
But First Dessert’s Biscoff Cheesecake
If you haven't tried Biscoff yet – this is your sign to run to your nearest supermarket, grab some Biscoff and whip up this delicious cheesecake.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
Base
240g Biscoff biscuits
80g butter
Cheesecake
450g cream cheese
200g Biscoff spread
250g cream
Topping
200g white chocolate
50g Biscoff spread
100g cream
METHOD
Line a 20cm x 20cm cake tin (or individual cake rings like we use) with baking paper.
Crush 240g Biscoff biscuits in a bowl, pour melted butter in and mix together well.
Press into the bottom of the cake tin, place in the freezer to set and begin to prepare the cheesecake mix.
Add cream cheese, cream, and Biscoff spread into a bowl. Whisk until nice and thick. Spoon this on top of the biscuit base and use a spatula/spoon to make sure it's nice and smooth for the ganache topping.
Pop the cheesecake into the fridge for at least 3 hours to set before adding the ganache topping.
Put the white chocolate and Biscoff in a bowl and set aside. Heat cream in a pot, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn't burn. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and Biscoff. Whisk until nice and smooth. Gently spread the ganache over the cheesecake.
If you have any remaining cream or crushed biscuits, whip the cream and pipe swirls on top of the cheesecake (if you have piping bags/nozzles) or sprinkle over the crushed biscuits.
Pop the cheesecake into the fridge for at least another hour or two before slicing.
Year-round faves
Taupō local Vanya Insull, aka VJ Cooks, shows busy families how easy it is to throw together classic Kiwi recipes that taste as good as they look.
Taupō local Vanya Insull, aka VJ Cooks, shows busy families how easy it is
to throw together classic Kiwi recipes that taste as good as they look.
Sticky pineapple chicken bowls
These bowls are so fresh and delicious. The combination of the sticky chicken and rice with avocado, radish, and edamame beans is a family favourite.
Ready in 30 minutes | Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tsp sesame oil
600g boneless chicken thighs, diced
400g can pineapple pieces
3 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed ginger
To serve
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup edamame beans, cooked
2 radishes, finely sliced
flesh of 1 avocado, sliced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds
METHOD
Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
Drain the can of pineapple pieces, reserving the juice.
Add 1 cup of pineapple pieces to the frying pan with the chicken and cook for 3 minutes, until the pineapple starts to brown.
To make the sauce, measure 100ml of the reserved pineapple juice into a bowl or jug. Whisk in the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, cornflour, garlic and ginger.
Make a gap in the centre of the frying pan, add the sauce and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens up and the chicken is cooked through.
To serve, divide the cooked rice between 4 serving bowls, then top with the sticky chicken and pineapple. Add some edamame beans and some sliced radish, avocado and spring onion to each bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Tips and tricks
Diced pork would also be amazing in this dish.
I like to give the leftover pineapple pieces to my kids as a snack or save them to use on a pizza.
Seed and nut bars
If you’ve ever eaten a sesame snap, you’ll have an idea of how these bars taste. Chewy and crunchy with a subtle honey flavour, they’re a great alternative to muesli bars in school lunchboxes.
Ready in 20 minutes + setting time Makes 16 pieces
Ingredients
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 cup desiccated coconut
½ cup rice bubbles
½ cup coarsely chopped roasted cashews
½ cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds
100g butter
⅔ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
METHOD
Line a 27 x 17cm slice tin with baking paper.
Place the sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over a gentle heat and toast for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure they don’t burn.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the coconut, rice bubbles, cashews, and almonds. Set aside.
Place the butter, sugar and honey in a small pot on a low heat, until melted and bubbling. Continue to bubble for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour over the dry ingredients and quickly mix to combine.
Transfer to the prepared tin and spread out to the edges, pressing down firmly with the back of a spoon.
Chill until set, then cut into 16 bars. Store in an airtight container in the pantry.
Meatball subs
The beauty of these subs is that you can either make them from scratch with the meatball recipe below or, if you’re short on time, you can use pre-made meatballs from the supermarket.
Ready in 30 minutes | Serves 4
Ingredients
500g lean beef mince
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
2 tbsp barbecue sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp oil, for frying
325g tomato pasta sauce
To serve
4 long rolls
1 cup grated cheese
fresh Italian parsley, chopped
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan grill. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
To make the meatballs, place the mince in a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, onion, egg, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, garlic powder, and salt.
Mix together with your hands or a wooden spoon.
Shape into 12 large meatballs or 16 smaller meatballs.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs until nicely browned and cooked through.
Add the pasta sauce and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, until heated through.
Cut the rolls in half and place them on the prepared tray. Divide the meatballs and sauce between the rolls.
Scatter with the cheese, then place under the grill for 10 minutes until
the cheese is golden and bubbling.
Scatter with parsley and serve immediately.
Tips and tricks
You can eat these as they are or add your favourite toppings, such as sour cream, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, or fresh salad ingredients.
Chocolate whip cheesecake cups with berries
These deconstructed cheesecake cups have it all − a crumbly cookie base,
a creamy chocolate cheesecake centre, and a tart berry sauce. They can be prepared the day before and topped with fresh berries just before serving.
Ready in 30 minutes + chilling time Serves 4-6
Ingredients
150g plain biscuits
80g butter, melted
2 cups frozen mixed berries
2 tbsp caster sugar
100g milk chocolate
225g cream cheese, softened
½ cup icing sugar
1 cup cream
sliced fresh strawberries, to serve
METHOD
To make the cookie crumbs, place the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Add the butter and blitz again until combined.
To make the berry coulis, combine the berries and sugar in a pot and simmer over
a gentle heat until the berries have broken down. Mash any large berries if need be.
Set aside to cool, then chill until needed.
To make the chocolate whip, break the chocolate into a microwave-proof bowl and microwave in bursts until melted. Allow to cool slightly.
Place the cream cheese and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until smooth. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in half the cream. Once combined,
add the remainder of the cream and continue to whip until soft peaks form.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Gently pour in the cooled melted chocolate, carefully folding it through to create chocolate swirls. Do not combine completely.
To assemble, divide half the cookie crumbs between 4-6 glass tumblers. Add half the chocolate whip and then half the berry coulis. Repeat with the remaining cookie crumbs, chocolate whip and berry coulis.
Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight, before serving topped with the strawberries.
Tips and tricks
You can use super wine biscuits or arrowroot biscuits in this recipe.
Images and recipes from Summer Favourites by Vanya Insull, photography by Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios), published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99.