Lamb Mince, Sultana & Pistachio Sweet Potato Boats
Preparation 10 Minutes
Cook 90 Minutes
Serves 4-6
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork, arrange on a rimmed oven tray, and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour. Remove foil, brush potatoes with 2 tsp oil, and bake a further 15 – 20 minutes – or until potatoes are very soft when pierced with a sharp knife.
While the sweet potatoes roast, place a heavy-based skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp oil, diced onion, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook 5 – 7 minutes, until onions have started to soften.
Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and harissa or tomato paste, to the onion. Stir for 1 minute, then add lamb mince and break up with a spatula.
Cook a further 3 – 5 minutes, until lamb mince is golden and cooked through. Remove from heat and stir through sultanas.
Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and cool slightly. Slice in half lengthwise, and scoop out flesh, leaving a 1 cm border of potato in the skins. Return potato halves to the tray, and add sweet potato flesh to the lamb mince. Roughly mash larger pieces of potato and stir to combine with mince. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer lamb mixture to the hollowed sweet potato halves, and bake a further 10 – 15 mins, until crisp on top and warmed through.
Top stuffed sweet potatoes with a dollop of yoghurt, toasted pistachios and fresh herbs. Serve with a simple rocket salad or steamed green veg.
Tips
• Sweet potatoes can be microwaved until tender, then brushed with oil, transferred to a baking tray and roasted in a 200°C oven for a further 5 – 7 minutes to crisp skin. Continue from Step 5 above.
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
400 g lamb mince
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 Tbsp harissa or tomato paste
90 g Sunbeam Sultanas
Salt and pepper
TO SERVE
1/2 cup plain natural or Greek yoghurt
60 g Sunbeam Pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
fresh mint, coriander, or parsley, finely sliced
rocket salad or steamed green veg
Recipe Collection
Almond Sultana Florentines
Preheat oven to 160°C.
- Combine butter and condensed milk in a small bowl.
- Mix together almonds, coconut, cherries and sultanas until evenly distributed and pour over butter mixture and quickly mix with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together.
- Place tablespoons of the mixture onto baking paper lined oven trays, flattening and shaping into 3cm rounds, allow at least 3cm between biscuits for spreading. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on trays and transfer to wire racks. (If baking in a slice pan, press mixture to approximately 1cm thick and bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool. Top with melted chocolate and leave to set. Slice to serve.)
- When cool spread the base of each biscuit with a teaspoon of chocolate and leave to set. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Tip: Use damp fingers to shape and flatten biscuits.
Traditional Hot Cross Buns
Place your flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and salt in your mixing bowl and briefly mix until combined.
Add in your melted butter, warm milk, eggs and raisins.
Mix with your dough hook on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until a dough ball is formed and is coming away from the sides of the bowl.
Leave the dough covered with clingfilm in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubles in size.
Knock the air out of the dough and roll it into a log before cutting it into 12 even pieces.
Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place into a grease proof paper linen baking tray (approx. 30cm x 20cm) in a 3 bun by 4 bun pattern.
Cover balls of dough with cling film again and let rise for approximately 40 minutes or until it has risen to about 70% of its original size.
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees after leaving it to rest.
Right before placing it into the oven make your cross mixture by mixing your flour and water until a thickish paste forms. Using a ziplock bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag, pipe your crosses down the center of each bun horizontally and then vertically.
Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
Meanwhile, place jam and water in a bowl and microwave for approx. 30 seconds until melted and combines.
Once buns are fresh out the over, brush your glaze over each one to give them a beautiful glossy finish.
Last Minute Christmas Cake
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir over the heat for 3-4 mins until combined.
Add dried fruit, bicarbonate of soda, rum, cognac and 125ml water and stir well to combine. Increase heat to high and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium then cook for a further 4 mins without stirring. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to cool overnight.
Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan). Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin.
Add eggs to the cooled mixture and stir. Add flour and spices and stir well to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 mins before spooning into the prepared tin and smoothing the surface.
Decorate the top of the cake with blanched almonds then bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Check your cake every hour to ensure it is not browning too quickly on top. If it is, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before inverting to remove. To serve, brush with a little apricot jam that has been warmed in the microwave.
This cake can be stored for up to 3 months in the fridge – cover the cooled cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and foil.
Chocolate Ripple Christmas Wreath
You will need to begin this recipe the night before
Whip the cream to soft peaks.
Spread a few tablespoons of whipped cream onto the base of a 26-28cm round serving plate. This will stop your wreath from sliding around.
Dollop 1 flat tbsp of whipped cream onto a biscuit and top with another biscuit. Repeat until you have a stack of 5 biscuits, the top biscuit should not have any cream on top.
Repeat to make 8 stacks of biscuits.
On the prepared serving plate, arrange the biscuit stacks into a wreath shape. Spread the entire biscuit wreath with just enough whipped cream to ensure the biscuits are covered on top and around the sides. Refrigerate overnight, reserving remaining whipped cream.
When ready to serve, spread remaining whipped cream around the wreath. Decorate with dried fruit and nuts.
Sticky Date Christmas Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
TO MAKE THE PUDDING
1. Combine dates, mixed fruit, 280ml water, sugars, salt and butter in large saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 8 mins.
2. Add bicarbonate of soda, stir well and allow to cool completely (preferably overnight).
3. Once completely cool, add eggs, flours, spices and rum. Mix well.
4. Generously grease inside the pudding bowl. Pour the mixture into tin then cover with a layer of baking paper and a layer of foil and secure tightly with kitchen string.
5. Place a small cooling rack or an upturned oven-safe dish into the base of a large saucepan. Place pudding bowl on top so that it is not directly touching the bottom of the pan. Fill saucepan with boiling water to come half way up the sides of the pudding bowl. Bring water to the boil then reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 3 hours. Remove pudding from water, allow to cool completely before removing pudding from tin.
TO MAKE SAUCE
1. Combine cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until all ingredients combined.
2. Stir in salt.
Baked Spiced Cauliflower Salad
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Trim cauliflower, cut into florets and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine seeds and spices with the oil and pour over cauliflower. Mix well with your hands to ensure even coating. Tip into a single layer on a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes or until golden and tender. Set aside to cool.
- Whisk together the oil, vinegar and maple. Place cauliflower onto a serving platter and toss gently with the spinach leaves. Sprinkle with feta and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
