This is a good dish to learn the basics of stir-frying.  Make sure you have everything ready before you start cooking as the idea is to cook the food quickly. Combine the four sauce ingredients before you start.  If you don’t like chillies, there’s no need to add them – the Thais love their food hot, spicy and sour with a touch of sweetness.

1.   Heat a wok or heavy frying pan until hot.  Add the oil and when hot, add the onion.  Stir-fry for 1 – 2 minutes or until onion is softening and turning transparent.  Add garlic and chillies, stir-fry another minute.
2.  Add chicken strips and stir-fry until chicken turns white and is beginning to colour, about 3 – 4 minutes.  Add  beans and capsicum and stir-fry for another minute.  Add  the basil leaves and sauce, stir to combine.
3. Cover wok with a lid, turn heat to low and leave to simmer for one minute.  Serve immediately with steaming hot jasmine rice.

Tip:  You can use chicken thigh meat instead of breast, if you like – it is juicer. If you can’t find Thai holy basil, use Italian basil – wash and dry the basil thoroughly before using – a salad spin-dryer is handy for drying leaves.  The onion is cut so that the pieces fall into petal shapes.

Photo of Eloise Moore holding the Thai stir-fry dish we made in the kids cooking class during January 2012 school holidays.

It has become traditional to fill the turkey with two stuffings – one for the neck or crop (in this case, pork and veal) and another for the body (fruit and walnut).
Use these cooking times for stuffed turkey as a guide:
3kg – 4kg turkey will take 3 – 31/2 hours and serve 8 – 10
4kg – 6kg turkey will take 3 ½ – 4 hours and serve 10 -14
6kg – 8kg turkey will take 4 – 6  hours and serve 14 – 16

Serve with roasted vegetables, candied sweet potatoes, steamed green beans, brussels sprouts & chestnuts and gravy (made from pan juices).

Preheat oven to 220degC (200degC fan-forced).  Wipe turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.  Put pork and veal forcemeat into the neck.  Be careful not to pack it in too tightly as it will swell as it cooks.  Pull neck skin over the cavity and secure with skewers.
Put fruit and nut stuffing into body of the turkey.  Tuck wings underneath and plump up breasts to give it a good shape.  Pull the turkey skin up under wings to hold it in shape and secure with skewers.
Tie legs together with string, making sure they are secured close to the body.  Rub butter over breasts, legs, and wings, and season lightly with cinnamon, salt and pepper.
Place turkey, breast side down, in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes.  Turn oven down to moderate (180decC/160 fan-forced) and cook for another 3 – 3/12 hours.  Check from time to time, basting with pan juices, and covering any parts which may be browning too quickly with foil.  Turn turkey onto other breast about quarter of the way through cooking, then onto its back so that it cooks evenly.  The turkey is cooked when juices run clear – test this by inserting a skewer through the thickest part of the thigh.  Take care not to overcook.
Remove to a warm serving platter, discard string and skewers and cover loosely with foil.  Leave to rest in a warm place for 15 – 20 minutes while you make the gravy.

Pork and Veal Forcemeat: Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.

Fruit and Nut Stuffing:   Soak prunes and apricots overnight in a bowl with the Madeira.  Toast nuts in a moderate oven for 8 – 10 minutes.  Melt butter in a heavy frying pan, and cook onion and celery until soft.  Add apple and pear, and cook until softened.  Remove pan from heat and stir in all the remaining ingredients, except bread cubes. The stuffing can be prepared up to this point.
Just before stuffing, add bread cubes and macerated prunes and apricots.  Stir to combine well.

The photograph is from my Entertaining At Home book, taken by Rodney Weidland

Try this stunning beef dish for Christmas this year instead of roast turkey.  Serve with roasted rosemary potatoes, sweet potatoes and steamed baby vegetables.
Ask the butcher to prepare a standing rib roast – 4 -5 ribs is ample for 8 – 10 people.  Ask for beef which has been well-aged – it should be a rich red to dark red colour.  The best rib meat comes from the fore-rib, nearest the loin.
Preheat oven to 250degC.  Season meat with salt and pepper and insert a few slivers of garlic in between the ribs.  Cover the rib tips with foild, shiny side in, to prevent burning.  Place on a lightly oiled roasting pan. When oven is hot, put in the meat. Roast 20 minutes, then turn down heat to moderate (180degC).  Continue to roast, basting occasionally with pan juices.
After the initial 20 minutes roasting on high heat, allow approximately 15 minutes per 500g for rare meat, 20 minutes per 500g for medium and 25 minutes per 500g well-done.  Alternatively you can use a meat thermometer.
Remove beef from pan and reserve juices for the sauce.  It’s important to allow the meat to rest for 35 – 30 minutes in a warm place, covered with foil, before you start carving as this allows the juices to settle.
Red Wine Sauce: After the beef has been removed from the pan, saute the onion in the juices and fat from the beef on top of the stove.
Pour the red wine into the pan and reduce by half (i.e. to 250ml/1 cup).  Pour in the beef stock and boil rapidly for 2 – 3 minutes.  Pour through a sieve into a clean saucepan and skim the fat from the top of the stock.  Bring back to the boil and reduce by two-thirds, correcting the seasoning.  Whisk the knob of butter into the sauce just before serving.

Photography by Rodney Weidland: “Seasonal Entertaining”

This recipe is from my new book, The Cook’s Garden (NH$49.95).  It’s perfect to serve on cool spring nights, or for lunch in the garden, and you can add other vegetables such as sweet young peas and sliced button mushrooms. Freshly chopped spring herbs are also a good addition. The rice should always be creamy when cooked but still al dente (slightly chewy).

Steam the asparagus until just cooked, and cut into 3-cm (1¼-in) lengths. Reserve some of the tips for garnishing.
Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Tip in the rice and stir until all the grains are coated with the butter and onion mixture. Pour in the wine and stir with a wooden spoon until the wine has almost disappeared.
Add a ladleful of the boiling stock and stir into the rice. Once the liquid has disappeared, add another ladleful. Continue like this, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the rice is creamy but still al dente and all the liquid has been absorbed (it may take the smaller quantity of stock). This will take about 30 minutes. Season to taste.
Add the asparagus and extra butter (if using) and combine well, being careful not to damage the tips. Stir in the grated cheese. Serve immediately. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, reserved asparagus tips and shaved parmesan cheese.

The delicious warming winter stew served by Kim Currie at the Balmoral Mudgee Wine & Food Festival.

Put the lamb chops, water and wine into a large saucepan or pot. Bring gently to the boil, turn down heat and simmer for 1 – 1.5 hours, removing any scum that comes to the top.
Remove chops from pot, and when cool enough to handle, cut the meat into bite-size piece.  Discard the bones. Return meat to the pot.
Add remaining ingredients, except for Gremolata and simmer for another 2 – 2.5 hours or until meat is tender.  Can be refrigerated overnight at this point. Skim fat from top of soup. Taste for seasoning and serve  with plenty of Gremolata scattered over the top.
For the Gremolata: roughly chop the parsley leaves, lemon zest and garlic together.

Tip: add more water if too thick or more pearled barley is you like it thicker.

Here’s a colourful stir-fry to make for dinner using baby broccoli.  Broccolini baby broccoli was introduced to Australia by Perfection Fresh in 1999 it’s a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale and combines an asparagus-like stem with tiny buds reminiscent of a mini broccoli head. Unlike broccoli, Broccolini baby broccoli stalks are firm, tender and succulent from flower to stem and don’t need peeling or scaling.

Prep Time: 15 minutes.

Cooking Time: 10 minutes.

Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Drain well.
Separate noodles with your fingers. Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the  baby broccoli, baby Brussels sprouts, capsicum, onion and celery. Stir-fry for 4 minutes.
Add the Tuscan cabbage (cavolo nero) – if you are using it -  and water to the wok. Toss. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, tossing once, until cabbage just wilts.
Add noodles and combined sauces. Toss until well combined and heated through.
Divide stir-fry among serving bowls. Top with cashews and serve.

This recipe comes from a terrific new book, “Cooking with Quinoa” – The Supergrain” by Rena Patten. In it, you’ll find lot of inspired recipes for soups, breads, salads, meat, polutry, seafood and desserts using this highly nutritious ancient grain.

Preheat oven to 175degC.
Cut pumpkin in half lengthways and remove seeds. With small sturdy knife, carefully remove pumpkin flesh, creating a bowl with a border about 1.5cm thick to hold the filling. Cut a very thin slice from the bottom of each pumpkin half so it sits flat on the tray.
Brush insides ad edges of the pumpkin with a little olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until tender.
Dry-roast the pine nuts in a small non-stick frying pan and set aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive in a large frying pan and saute the leeks until soft, add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute.  Stir in the cumin, paprika, turmeric and chilli flakes and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the capsicum, zucchini and 1 cup water.  Season to taste.  Stir and simmer, covered, for ten minutes.
Add the quinoa to the pan with ¾ cup of water.  Cover and simmer for another 10 -12 minutes.
Stir in the coriander and toasted pine nuts. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin halves.  Return to the oven and bake for 10 -15 minutes until golden.

This recipe is from Food of India by Carol Selva Rajah and and Priya Wickrwmesinghe (Murdoch Books). “Moghul lamb with turnips, a festive dish from the  Punjab region of India would have once been served in the Mogul palaces  at the time of their rule in India” says Carol. ” Even today this is reserved for festive occasions  when it comes to the table covered in silver leaf  accompanied with a stack of garlic naan and yoghurt with saffron threads sprinkled over.” .

Put the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies in a food processor and chop them to form a paste. If you don’t have a food processor, chop everything finely or grind them in a pestle and mortar.
Heat the oil in a karhai or casserole and add the onion mixture with the bay leaves. Fry over high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and fry for another 2 minutes. Don’t let the onions turn more than golden brown. Add the meat and stir until all the pieces are thoroughly coated with the onion mixture. Fry for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. This is a very important part of the cooking process as the longer you fry the meat, the more flavour it will absorb. It is ready when the oil starts to separate out from the meat.
Add the asafoetida, chilli powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala and stir in well. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the tomato puree and yoghurt. Fry for another minute and add the salt and pepper. Pour in 500 ml water a little at a time, stirring into the mixture after each addition. This will ensure that the dish retains the heat throughout and will be constantly bubbling until you have a rich, thick sauce. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the turnips to the pan and continue simmering for another 45 minutes, or until both the lamb and turnips have completely softened and the oil has separated from the sauce and turned bright orange.
Serve warm.

This recipe is from a terrific little book called Money Saving Meals by Philippa Sandal & Diane Temple (Hachette), the theme of which is “shop smart, cook smart, eat well and save money.” As the authors point out, homemade burgers are tastier, healthier and cheaper than take-away varieties.  This is a truly Australian burger with beetroot which is made into a relish so that it doesn’t slide out of the bun and onto your lap as you take a bite!

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 3 – 4 minutes or until soft.  Add the carrot, zucchini and spice mix and cook for one minute, stirring to combine. Place this mix in a large heatproof bowl and add the mince, tomato sauce, breadcrumbs and parsley.  Mix well to combine. Form into 8 patties, about 6cm – 7cm diameter.
Wipe the frying pan with a paper towel and reheat with 1 tablespoon of the oil.  When the oil sizzles, cook half the patties for 4 – 5 minutes on each side over lo-medium heat, until cooked through.  Drain on paper towel. Repeat with remaining patties using more oil if necessary. While patties are cooking, make the beetroot relish…
Puree the beetroot with the yoghurt in a small food processor or blender and then stir in the parsley.
Make up each burger with a toasted roll, a meat patty, a dollop of relish and a mixture of the fillings.

This recipe is  courtesy of chef Le Ping Wong, The White Olive, Murwillumbah.

Preheat the hot plate of a BBQ.
Cut the banana leaf into a square or rectangle large enough to enclose the fish. Scatter top with some finely sliced preserved lemon skin (discard the pith and membrane).  Season with freshly ground pepper and a little salt.
Wrap up into a parcel and secure with toothpicks.
Place the fish on the BBQ (or in a frying pan) for approximately 8 – 10 minutes. Top with some of the salad before serving.
For the Bush Tucker Salad: toss all the ingredients together in a bowl, season to taste and drizzle with olive oil.

More info: the whiteolive.com.au