4 Bites: Stuffings

Whole baked fishServes 4 or more

1 whole snapper, gutted, cleaned and scaled
½ onion, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 handful coriander, finely chopped
1 Tbsp capers, washed and finely chopped
1 pickled jalapeno, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed with 1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 small knob ginger, grated
2 large tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
1 cup French bread, broken into small chunks, or use 1 cup cooked rice
Lime wedges to serve

1. To create a larger space for stuffing, carefully open out the cleaned whole snapper by running a sharp knife from the inside cavity down the line of the bones (taking care not to slice through the back of the fish).
2. Preheat oven to 180C. Mix together onion, spring onion, coriander, capers and jalapeno, crushed garlic, grated ginger, tomatoes, lime zest and juice, ground black pepper and French bread or cooked rice. Mix together well.
3. Season the fish inside and out and carefully stuff. Score the top side of the skin, and bake until the fish is just firm. Rest lightly covered with foil for 5 minutes and serve with lime wedges.

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Marie’s duck stuffingServes 4

Great for wild duck (if you’re lucky enough to have one). We’ve used a farmed duck, and it’s just as good for chicken, pheasant or quail.

1 whole duck, washed and dried
½ loaf French bread, toasted and blitzed to make about 2 cups rough crumbs
½ onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
½ granny smith apple, grated
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
⅓ cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp mixed dried herbs
150g chicken livers, finely chopped
Drizzle olive oil and melted butter to coat duck
Sprinkle ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 175C. Remove any excess fat from duck and season the cavity.
2. Add breadcrumbs to a mixing bowl with onion, celery, apple, chopped nuts, cranberries, the zest of half the orange and mixed dried herbs. Season with sea salt flakes and pepper. Mix together well, add chicken livers and half the orange juice and mix together.
3. Stuff the duck (truss if you wish) and rub the outside with olive oil and a little butter. Season all over with pepper and salt, a sprinkle of ground ginger, and another sprinkle of orange zest.
4. Place into an oven bag, tie it up, pierce the bag in 2 or 3 places, and roast for 2 hours. Remove from oven. Open the bag, reserve the juices into a bowl, close bag and rest the duck for 5 minutes. Remove the fat from the juices and make a gravy, adding a little more orange juice as needed.

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Stuffed pork schnitzelsServes 4

½ onion, finely chopped
½ granny smith apple, finely chopped
1 knob ginger, thumb-sized, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed with ½ tsp sea salt flakes and ½ tsp dried sage or oregano or marjoram
Knob butter for frying stuffing
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 big splash vinegar
½ tsp sugar
100g goat's cheese
4 pork schnitzels
Flour to coat
Breadcrumbs to coat
Little lemon zest to flavour crumbs
Egg wash to coat
50g butter and drizzle olive oil to fry schnitzels

1. Sweat onion, apple, grated ginger, crushed cloves garlic with sea salt flakes and dried sage, oregano or marjoram in a little hot butter until soft. Add the lemon zest and juice, vinegar and sugar. Cook until reduced. Cool. Add goat's cheese and whip together. Season with pepper.
2. Lay pork schnitzels out flat and cover with baking paper. Gently bash each to increase the size, thinning it out evenly.
3. Place 2-3 Tbsp of stuffing on one side of each schnitzel. Fold over and press to seal around the edges. Flour, egg wash and breadcrumb (add a little lemon zest to the crumb).
4. Preheat oven to 180C. In a frying pan, heat 50g butter and a little olive oil until bubbling, add the schnitzels and fry to colour each side. Remove schnitzels to an ovenproof dish and finish in the oven for a further 7 minutes. Slice or serve whole.

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Buttercup gratinServes 4-8

2 small buttercups, halved and deseeded
Drizzle oil to coat buttercup
1 whole bulb garlic
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 bunches kale or cavolo nero, steamed
1 spring onion, sliced
1 handful coriander, chopped
⅓ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
Grated cheese to top
4 anchovies to top (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Rub cut buttercup halves with olive oil inside and out. Season and lay cut-side-down on a lined baking tray. Add whole bulb of garlic and cook for 35 minutes or until tender.
2. Cool and carefully scoop flesh into a bowl (you want to keep the shells intact to stuff). Add skinned garlic cloves, drained chickpeas and lightly mash together. Add steamed and chopped kale or cavolo nero, spring onion, fresh coriander, chopped nuts and the lemon zest and juice. Mix together well, add sea salt flakes and fresh pepper to taste.
3. Lower oven to 180C. Spoon back into buttercup shells, top with grated cheese and an anchovy (if you like) and bake until golden. Serve as a side dish to wintry roasts, or serve them as a meal in themselves.

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