Feel free to add chilli, smoked paprika or herbs to suit the intended dish. Double the recipe and freeze in batches. Basic tomato sauce: • Substitute tinned tomatoes for vine-ripened ones in summer. • Try adding a pinch or two of herbs and spices depending on your desired recipe. • Sugar cuts the acid from […]

Add some spice to your classic burger with these lamb mince patties, filled with chilli-paste, garlic, and topped off with some Greek-style yoghurt.

Suitable to freeze or microwave. Note

Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Note

Uncooked meatloaf suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Note

Not suitable to freeze . Cherry Compote suitable to microwave. Note

Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Fresh rice noodles are found in the refrigerated sections of supermarkets as well as in Asian grocery stores. Because they’re fresh and not dried, they do not need to be reconstituted by cooking, nor do they require a lengthy soaking time. Note

This recipe could also be made with sliced lamb steaks. Note

If you don’t have a piping bag, snip about 2.5cm off the corner of a plastic freezer bag and pipe through this instead. Note

The kids will love these pork mince filled lettuce cups.

Family favourite, kid friendly Note

You can prepare silverbeet leaves up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature 10 minutes before filling. You’ll need 3/4 cup long-grain white rice to make 2 cups cooked. For a vegetarian option, omit mince and replace with 2 x 400g cans rinsed brown lentils. Note

Packed full of delicious flavours and topped with an oozy cheese sauce, this macaroni and bolognese pasta bake is perfect for a hungry family. Serve straight from the pan as a warming Winter dinner.

This gorgeous Turkish gozleme recipe is complete with a a buttery homemade pastry and a spicy lamb, spinach and feta filling. Serve with a drizzle of lemon for an easy lunch or dinner.

To prepare pappadums quickly and easily, spray with oil and arrange on the turntable of your microwave oven. Cook on high (100%) power 1 minute, until puffed and crisp. Cool before serving. Note

The tasty morsels are a great way to sneak in some extra vegies without the kids noticing.

Turkey mince is learner than regular beef or pork mince. To hide added vegetables from the kids, grate vegies rather than chopping them. Add chopped basil for green goodness and flavour. Note

Perfect as an after-school snack, or to meet those bottomless appetites during the school holidays.

Make these ahead of time and cook when ready to serve. Great for lunchboxes. Note

Savoury mince on toast is an all-time family favourite; kids and adults of all ages love it. Serve on buttered toast or, to extend the meal even further, mix the mince with cooked pasta. Use any vegetables you like.

Cold meatloaf makes a delicious sandwich filling on sourdough bread. Serve with melted cheese, mixed salad leaves and a chunky beetroot relish. This barbecue-glazed meatloaf also makes a good lunchbox addition just sliced cold and wrapped.

With a thin base and thin slices of zucchini, this is a crunchy pizza that combines simple yet stunning flavours for an easy and delicious meal.

A heartier version of a classic spanakopita with the addition of tender lamb.

You can use one quantity basic shortcrust pastry instead of the store-bought pastry sheets. Note

Meatballs suitable to freeze. Spinich suitable to freeze. Note

We used a thin tomato pasta sauce, also known as sugo or passata, which contains only tomatoes and onion. Note

soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutes before use to prevent splintering and scorching. Note

Casserole bakes are so simple to prepare, and great for family meals. One dish wonders never looked so wonderful.

Kids will love these bolognese pies topped with cheesy mashed potato.

The chicken dumpling mixture makes 40 dumplings so you need a package containing at least 40 wonton wrappers. You can make the dumplings whenever you like, and freeze them, separated in two, or even four, batches, sealed tightly in snap-lock bags. When you want to use them, remove what you need from the freezer and […]

Baharat is an Arab spice mix which usually contains allspice, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, dried coriander, cumin, nutmeg and chilli. Note

Soak 18 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent scorching during cooking, or cover the ends with foil. Note

Wombok is also known as chinese cabbage. Note

Snake beans are long (about 40cm), thin, round, fresh green beans, Asian in origin with a taste similar to green or french beans. Used most frequently in stir-fries, they are also called yard-long beans because of their (pre-metric) length. Kecap asin is a thick, salty, dark soy sauce. It is available from Asian food stores […]

Instead of pure vegetable oil to deep-fry, you can blend it (50/50) with sesame oil. Note

Try something different with this delicious Middle Eastern specialty.

Short-order; chilli scallops Chilli jam goes with everything from pork chops to fried rice, but for an entrée with a difference, buy some scallops in their shells; remove the scallops, wash and dry the shells well, and keep aside for later. Marinate the scallops overnight in a little lemon juice and oil combined with a […]

To freeze complete recipe to the end of step 2. Transfer to an airtight container. Label, date and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a saucepan and continue from step 3. Note

This classic Italian dish is pure comfort food with layers upon layers of melted cheese, pasta and hearty beef mince.

Make-ahead tips 1 month Make meatballs and relish, freeze. 24 hours Thaw meatballs and relish in refrigerator overnight. Last Reheat meatballs in 180°C (160°C fan-forced) oven and relish in saucepan, or both can be reheated separately in microwave oven. Note

to freeze Complete recipe to the end of step 3. Cool sauce to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container. Label, date and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a saucepan and continue from step 4. Stir in ⅓ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves just before serving, […]

We’ve used penne pasta in this recipe, but feel free to use spaghetti, if you prefer. Stir in ⅓ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves just before serving, if you like. Note

Chicken puffs should not be reheated more than once. Puffs can be baked several hours ahead. Cool slightly then refrigerate. Reheat thoroughly in a 160°C preheated oven just before serving. Note

Dumplings can be assembled, then frozen in an airtight container up to a week ahead. Steam dumplings for 12 minutes from frozen. Soup dumplings or xialongbao, as they are called Yum Cha restaurants, are a shanghainese speciality. They are commonly filled with minced pork and a firm, gelatine-rich stock, which turns to a soup when […]

The combination of pork and veal mince gives these meatballs a deliciously rich quality that you won’t get with beef mince. Note