Recipe adapted from Donna Hay Magazine (Issue 40)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 brown onions, sliced thickly
• 4 cloves garlic (or 3 large)
• 6 x 200g osso bucco (veal shin)
• ¾ cup dry red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 x 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large metal baking dish over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan.
• Add the remaining oil and increase the heat. Cook veal for 3-4 minutes each side until well browned. Watch out because it may stick.
• Add the onion and garlic back to the pan and gradually add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes or until reduced by half.
• Add stock, tomatoes, water, bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 1 ½ hours.
• Carefully remove from the oven, add the beans and stir. Place back in the oven for 15-30 minutes, or until veal is tender. Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta or risotto if desired.

many thanks to Lisa from Spicy Icecream

Ingredients:

• 6 baby leeks, or 3 mature leeks
• Olive oil
• Splash of white wine vinegar
• Sea Salt
• Fresh black pepper
• Small handful of basil leaves

Method:

• Start by washing the leeks.
• Cut off the root. If you are using mature leeks cut them in half lengthwise.
• Discard the outer layer of mature leeks. Only discard the outer layer of baby leeks if looks tough.
• Get a pot of boiling water on the go, and bung the leeks in there for a couple of minutes – until softened. Prepare an ice bath.
• Plunge the leeks into the ice bath, to stop further cooking. An overcooked leek is just as bad as an undercooked one.
• Heat up the BBQ, grill pan or oven broiler to high.
• Drain the now cold leeks, and dry gently using a paper towel. Toss with a little olive oil, and place on the grill, or under the broiler.
• Grill just for a couple of minutes, until lightly browned, and the grill lines appear.
• Toss them into a bowl, and add another splash of olive oil, and a smaller splash of white wine vinegar. Add a pinch of sea salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.
• Cut the basil leaves into thin slices (chiffonade), and add those into the bowl of leeks. Gently toss to combine and serve immediately.

sourced from: mattikaarts

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1 handful of dandelion leaves, chopped
• 5 rashes of really high quality bacon – preferably not smoked heavily
• 1 medium shallot – finely diced
• 1 small handful of a mix of chopped flat leaf parsley and chopped chives
• 3 or 4 tablespoons of good quality white wine vinegar
• 2 large mackerel fillets

Method:

• Cut the bacon into 1/2″ cubes. Get a heavy pan (I like a well seasoned cast iron pan for bacon) reasonably hot, add a splash of olive oil. Gently saute the shallot until soft. Try not to brown.
• Put the dandelion leaves in a bowl. Add in the cooked shallots.
• In the same pan in which you cooked the shallots, add the bacon. Gently cook until the bacon is cooked through, and a lot of fat has been released into the pan. Don’t crisp up the bacon, if you do this you aren’t going to release enough fat into the pan to make the dressing. Gently, gently, gently.
• Remove the bacon from the pan, and toss into the bowl with the dandelions and shallots.
• Turn up the heat under the bacon pan, add the vinegar, quickly mix, and then pour over the greens.
• Sprinkle in the herbs, toss to combine, and serve immediately.
• Words can honestly not describe how bloody good, and how simple this is. Done right, you have the perfect balance of bitter, fat and sharp. Just incredible.
• To cook the mackerel fillets – toss them in a little olive oil. Heat up your oven broiler to high. Put them under the grill – skin side to the heat for about 4 minutes, until cooked through. No need to flip them. If the skin is looking like it is going to burn badly, pull them away from the heat a bit whilst the flesh cooks through.

sourced from: mattikaarts

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary, plus 6 sprigs for ramekins
• 1 small red onion, sliced into 6 1/4″ rounds
• 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, grated
• 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Butter ramekins, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegars.
• Place a rosemary sprig in the bottom of each ramekin, then lay one onion round over the rosemary.
• Toss potatoes with egg, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt.
• Divide the potatoes into ramekins and dot with remaining butter.
• Bake for 30 minutes, until brown.
• To remove the cakes, slide a knife around the edge of the ramekin, then turn upside down.

many thanks to Erielle from Fancy Toast

~from Jamie’s Kitchen, by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:

• 3 heads of garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 ¾ pints chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 large loaf of ciabatta bread
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 7 oz. whole blanched almonds, lightly toasted
• salt and pepper
• 3 oranges, peeled and segemented
• 1 handful fresh cilantro (leaves only)
• 1 handful fresh mint (leaves only)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roast garlic for 30-45 minutes until it is soft to the touch.
• Meanwhile, heat 4 tablepoons of oil in a large pot, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.
• Add the cream and the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• When the garlic is done, cool slightly and squeeze the wonderful garlic paste into the soup.
• Stir in the garlic.
• Cut or tear the crusts from the ciabatta, rip the bread into small pieces, and add to the soup. Add the sherry vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes.
• In a food processor, blend the soup. Add the toasted almonds and blend those in as well.
• Season to taste.
• Ladle into bowls and garnish with orange segments, cilantro and mint. Drizzle with olive oil.

many thanks to Lisa from Spicy Icecream