Duck Pie

Ingredients
400g Cooked Shredded Lean Duck Meat
2 Tbspns Olive Oil
2 Carrots Diced
1 Onion Diced
200g Prosciutto
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup of Flour
100mL Red Wine
2 Cups Beef Stock
4 Bay Leaves
2 Tspns Dried Italian Herbs
1 Tspn Dried Thyme
1/4 Tspn Dried Lemon Thyme
140g Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Puff Pastry

Method
In a medium sized pot on medium heat add the olive oil, carrot, onion, garlic and prosciutto. Stir for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Next, add the shredded cooked duck meat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 30 seconds, coating the mixture well with the flour but ensuring that nothing burns.

Next, add the beef stock and red wine. Bring to a boil and add the tomato paste, bay leaves, Italian herbs, thyme and lemon thyme. Simmer the mixture for 40 minutes on the stove while preheating the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

Once the duck meat is soft, remove from the heat. Stir in the peas and add salt & pepper to taste.

Prepare ramekins. Fill ramekins 3/4 full with the mixture. Next, cut a square of puff pastry large enough to cover and overhang each ramekin. Press around the rim.

Place ramekins on a baking tray and into the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove and serve with a light garden salad.

Beer Can Chicken

What is it?
A chicken which is roasted with a can of beer inside its cavity. This ensures the chicken is succulent and juicy. A true blue Aussie recipe!

Ingredients
1 Large Roasting Chicken (around 2kg)
3 Tbs Portuguese Sauce (Pirri Pirri Sauce or equivalent)
3 Tbs Greek Style Yogurt
1 Can of Beer, a 500ml can works best
1 Roasting Tray

Method
Three hours before cooking, in a large bowl, combine the Portuguese sauce with the yogurt. Lay the chicken breast side down in the mix and liberally massage the mixture over the skin and inner cavity of the chicken.

Return the chicken to the fridge to allow the marinade to penetrate into the meat. For best results, try and repeat massaging the mixture into the chicken every half hour, for the next three hours.

Preheat a hooded BBQ to 220 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile remove the chicken from the fridge. Place the baking tray on a level surface, open a can of beer and place it in the centre of the baking tray. Carefully lift the chicken out of the marinade and place over the beer can, ensuring 75% of the can has been inserted into the chicken's cavity. If done well, the chicken should stand unaided with the tips of the drumsticks just touching the surface of the baking tray.

Carefully place the baking tray into the centre of the BBQ and close the BBQ hood.

Bake in the BBQ at 220 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes (2.1kg Chicken). Check chicken at 10 minute intervals to ensure that the browning of the skin is even.

After 45 minutes, carefully remove the tray from the BBQ and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before removing the can, carving and serving.

Succulent and juicy chicken



Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Prawns

Ingredients
12 Large Green King Prawns, peeled & deveined
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
1/2 Small Brown Onion chopped
1 Tbspn Freshly Grated Ginger
1 Tbspn Fish Sauce
1 Tspn Brown Sugar
1 Tbspn Vegetable Oil
1/4 Tspn Salt
1/4 Tspn Pepper
10 Zucchini Flowers
1 Cup Flour
250ml Icy Sparkling water
1 Medium Zip Lock Bags (for piping mixture into each flower)
1 Litre Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Method
Rinse and pat dry the zucchini flowers and put aside. Place the prawns, garlic, onion and ginger into a food processor and blend for 10 seconds. Then add the fish sauce, sugar, oil, salt and pepper. Blend the mixture for a further 30 seconds or until combined.

Place the mixture into a piping bag or a zip lock bag. Cut approximately 1cm off the bottom corner of the bag. Gently pipe the prawn mixture into each of the zucchini flowers.

In a large mixing bowl, prepare the batter by whisking flour into cold sparkling water.

In a wok/deep pot/deep fryer, heat vegetable oil to 180 degrees Celcius. Batter the zucchini flowers in the cold batter mix and carefully place each one into the hot oil.

Please note, only fry 4 flowers at a time. Cook the flowers in oil between 6-8 minutes.

Carefully remove the zucchini flowers from the oil and place them on absorbent paper. Serve Immediately.

Serving Suggestions

The flowers go well with sour and pickled foods. Serve them with lemon, cornichons and some pickled feferonies.

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Ingredients
500g Lean Beef Mince
1 Large Brown Onion Diced
3 Tbspns Chopped Fresh Parsley
3 Tbspns Tomato Sauce
2 Tbspns Water
2 Tbspns Italian Herbs (Dry Herb Mix)
2 Pinches of Salt
2 Pinches of Pepper
3/4 Cup of Bread Crumbs
3-4 Sheets of Puff Pastry
Water for Sealing the Pastry
Milk for Glazing the Pastry


Method
Pre-heat a fan-forced oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine mince, diced onion, chopped fresh parsley, tomato sauce, water, Italian herbs, salt, pepper and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients thoroughly until well combined.

Separate puff pastry sheets and leave for a few minutes to thaw. Place a row of the mince mixture, 3cm x 3cm across the front of a pastry sheet. Leave a 5cm or so gap from the front edge.

Fold the front pastry edge over the mixture and continue to roll the pastry around the mince roll.

Before reaching the end of the pastry, brush water along the edge and seal the roll. Next, cut the roll into 4cm or so pieces. Then with a knife, make 2 incisions through the pastry across the top of each roll.

Place the rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place each roll at least 2cm apart from each other.

Next, milk wash the pastry tops and sides of each roll.

Finally, bake in a fan-forced oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and mustard. This recipe is so simple to make and always proves to be a crowd pleaser for kids and adults alike. Perfect for a picnic, party or BBQ gathering.

Charcoal Grilled Scampi

Ingredients
High Quality Uncooked Scampi

Method

Prepare and heat a Charcoal BBQ. Wait for the embers to die down to a glow. On a raised wire rack, approximately 5cm above the embers, lay out the Scampi ensuring that there is a small gap between each. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, rotating the Scampi every few minutes.

Remove from the charcoal BBQ and cut in half lengthwise with a heavy sharp knife. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with a sprinkle of Matcha Salt. The natural flavour of Scampi is exquisite so minimal interference with the flavour is recommended.