JIM'S RECIPES

With over 40 years of experience, our owner Jim and his team have a number of recipes to make your cooking experience successful. Why not try your hand at cooking something "low and slow". It's all the rage these days - and a great way to "show off" your skills.

Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake 

3 Cups Short Pasta
2x Day Old Bread Crusts, Removed
1x Carrot, Chopped
1.2 Cup Parsley Leaves, Chopped
Salt Flakes and Ground Black Pepper
600g Beef Mince
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1x Onion, Finely Diced
60g Mozzarella. Sliced
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan
2x Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1x Tablespoon Tomato Paste                                 
400g can Chopped Tomatoes
1 Cup Passata
1 Cup Stock or Water
1/4 Cup Basil Leaves, Torn
1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius
   

2. Meanwhile; combine bread, carrot, parsley and seasoning in a food processor and pulse until a fine mixture is achieved. Add to the beef in a large mixing bowl and mix with hands until well combined. Roll tablespoon measures into balls and set aside.

3. Heat half the oil in frying pan with the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Stir in tomato paste and cook a further minute.

4. Pour in tomatoes, passata and stock. Bring to a simmer, add meatballs back to pan with basil and balsamic vinegar. Cook for a further 5-6 minutes.

5. Spread pasta into the base of a deep 10 cup capacity oven-proof dish. Spoon meatball mixture over the top and arrange mozzarella slices sprinkled with parmesan on top. Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted.

Difficulty level - Easy to Medium


Jerk Style Roast Beef with Grilled Corn Salad

1.5kg Piece Beef eye Fillet
1x Red Capsicum, Diced
3x Spring Onions, Sliced
1/2 Cup Coriander, Chopped
1/2 Green Chilli, Sliced
Juice of 1/2 Lime
2x Teaspoon Allspice
1x Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1x Teaspoon Nutmeg
1x Teaspoon Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2x Tablespoon Thyme Leaves
1x Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
4x Cobs Corn, Husks Removed
250g Cheery Tomato
Olive Oil
Salt Flakes
Sour Cream

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

2. Combine the allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme leaves, soy and lime juice. Mix until a smooth paste has formed and spread evenly over beef.

3. Place beef on a lined baking tray, roast for 50 minutes for medium or until cooked to your liking. Allow to sit covered for 10 minutes before slicing.

4. Meanwhile; cook corn cobs on a preheated grill plate turning until charred and cooked. Allow to cool slightly before slicing before slicing corn kernels from the cob.

5. Combine corn with the tomatoes, capsicum, spring onions, coriander, chilli and lime juice. Drizzle with a little oil and season to taste.

6. Serve beef slices with corn salad and sour cream.

Difficulty level - Medium


Pork Schnitzel with Pesto

4 x 180g Pork Steaks
1/2 Cup Plain Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 Cup Tri-Coloured Quinoa
2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper
1/3 Cup Thyme
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
200g Pesto

1. Lay a piece of cling wrap on your chopping board, and place down pork steaks separately.
   Cover with another piece of cling wrap and using a mallet, pound steaks until 1cm thick. Set aside.

2. Place the flour on a plate. Place the eggs and milk in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Place the Breadcrumbs, quinoa, lemon zest, salt and pepper and thyme on a plate.

4. Dip a piece of pork into the flour, followed by the egg mixture and then into the quinoa and breadcrumbs mixture, gently patting to coat all sides. Repeat with remaining pork.

5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook pork for 3-4 minutes each side or until crispy and golden. Drain pork schnitzels on paper towel.

6. Serve with Pesto and salad of your choice.

Difficulty level - Easy to Medium


Slow Roasted Portuguese Chicken

1 x 1.6 kg Whole Chicken
1 Fresh Red Chilli - finely chopped
1 tsp Sweet Paprika
3 Cloves of Garlic  - crushed or chopped
2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Fresh Oregano
+ You'll need 2 x METAL SKEWERS

1. Pre heat Oven to 160 degrees celcius (or 140 degrees if fan forced)

2. Wash chicken under cold water - then pat dry with paper towel

3. With Kitchen Scissors - cut along both sides of the back bone and discard back bone
   SIDE NOTE: You can ask your butcher to do this for you

4. Using the heel of your hand, press down on the breast bone and flatten out the chicken.

5. Insert skewer through one side of the thigh, across to the opposite wing

6. repeat with 2nd skewer (other thigh to other wing). This is to keep the chicken in a flat formation.

7. Combine all other ingredients above in a medium mixing bowl, and mix around

8. Place chicken in a tray lined with alfoil

9. Pour Chilli mixture from bowl over chicken

10. Cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes, occasionally basting the chicken from the juices in the tray

11. NOTE: You will need to cook longer for a larger chicken
    Best served with Sweet Potato Wedges or Sweet Potato Chips

Difficulty level - Easy to Medium


Incredible Lamb Shanks

6 x Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
150gms Cold Butter
15 Fresh Sage Leaves
2 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
Sea Salt/Freshly ground Pepper
4 Lamb Shanks
12 cloves of Garlic
2 Carrots - Peeled/Finely Diced
1 Onion - Peeled/Finely Diced
1 Leek - Washed, halved and finely sliced
Olive Oil
2 Glasses of White Wine

1. Pre heat Oven to 200 degrees Celsius (or 400 F)

2. Pick  most the leaves off the rosemary sprigs and in a Food Processor whiz them with the butter, most of the sage, and thyme (you can finely chop instead if you don't have a food processor)

3. Season with Salt & Pepper

4. With a knife, cut a pocket in each Lamb Shank (large enough to fit your finger in), and divide the butter mixture (made above) equally into each of the 4 Shanks

5. Tear off 4 x "arms length" pieces of alfoil

6. Divide the Garlic and Veg between the 4 pieces making a pile in the centre of each piece

7. Rub the Lamb Shanks with Olive Oil and season. Place the Shanks on top of each pile of Veg and place remaining springs of rosemary and sage leaves on top

8. Carefully pull up the foil around the Shanks, making a bucket and pour a swig of White Wine over each Shank. Gather the foil and pinch around each Shank to form an enclosed parcel. Place on a Baking Tray.

9. Cook in pre-heated oven for 2 1/2 hours, or until meat is "falling off the bone"

Difficulty level - Easy to Medium

 

Uncle Ben's Beef Burgers

750g Beef Mince
3 Tablespoons of Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon of BBQ Sauce
Salt
Pepper
8 slices of Smoked Cheese
1 Onion - cut into rings
4 Brioche' Buns
1/2 a Lettuce - sliced
2 Tomatoes Sliced
FOR UNCLE BEN's SECRET SAUCE (Shhhh don't tell anyone)
3 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon of Sweet Chili Sauce

1. Start by making Uncle Ben's secret sauce, combine the Mayonnaise and Sweet Chilli Sauce in a bowl. Stir together and Place in the Fridge for later.

2. Place Mince, Panko Crumbs, BBQ Sauce, Salt & Pepper in a bowl and mix well.

3. Make 4 even sized Burger Patties, flatten them out slightly - should be approx 3 cm in height each and place them in the fridge.

4. Halve your Brioche' Buns.

5. Fry Onion in butter and oil, fry until golden and place in a bowl and set aside.

6. Cook the Burgers in either a Frying Pan, or on the BBQ (Uncle Ben prefers the BBQ). Cook the Patties until cooked (when clear juice is coming out of them).

7. Construct Burgers using the buns, cheese, onion, secret sauce, tomato and lettuce.

Difficulty level - Easy