As the summer break comes to an end, give yourself a break with these three light, summery meals with minimal time, fuss and dishes required.
Vietnamese lettuce wraps with pork, mint and coriander
These are fantatic made small as a starter or pack them out for a full meal.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil
1 baby onion, finely diced
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 knob ginger, about 3cm, peeled and finely chopped
1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
500 g pork mince, or chicken or beef
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp caster sugar
¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 limes, quartered for serving
1 iceberg lettuce, leaves separated
A taste of Eat Well straight to your inbox
Sign up for Eat Well recipe inspiration, news and more.1. Heat a pan and add the oils, onion, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds. Stir for a few minutes until the onion is soft and the seeds are golden.
2. Add the mince and stir, then add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes, taste for seasoning then let cool. Stir through the mint and coriander.
3. Rinse the lettuce leaves and pat dry then spoon in the mince, add a squeeze of lime then fold over and eat. Offer plenty of napkins to catch all the delicious juices.
Tomato and zucchini tart with pesto
This tart makes delicious lunch dish — serve with cheeses or sliced cold meats and a green salad.
Ingredients
1 egg, lightly beaten
12 roma tomatoes, small, up to 14, cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp basil pesto
4 zucchini, small and firm
1 lemon, juiced
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1 cup watercress, picked
1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced (optional)
Directions
1. Lightly flour the benchtop and place pastry sheets on top of each other.
2. Roll out the pastry into a round large enough to fit your baking tray (at least 26cm). Use a large sharp knife to trim pastry to make it round in shape if necessary, then lightly cut a 2.5cm border all the way around the rolled pastry. Lightly prick the outside edge with a fork if you don't want the pastry to puff too much.
3. Place the pastry in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 200C. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and brush with the egg wash.
5. Place the tomatoes in a bowl with the sugar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange tomatoes over the pastry.
6. Place the tart in the hot oven and turn the heat up to 210C, so the pastry begins to cook quickly.
7. Cook for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is well browned around the edges and base with no sign of any "wet'' looking patches.
8. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Drizzle over the pesto. Meanwhile, thinly slice the zucchini into ribbons, then slice into thin strips.
9. Place in a colander, toss with 2 pinches of salt and leave to stand for 3 minutes. Rinse off salt and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place in a large bowl, add the lemon juice and oil and stand again for 3 minutes.
10. Season with salt & freshly ground black pepper.
11. Mix basil leaves and watercress through the zucchini and fennel (if using), and place on top of the warm tart. Cut into wedges for serving.
- Recipe by Kathy Paterson
Stir-fry chicken with peas and chives
Get your wok on with this stir-fry recipe - good for a midweek meal.
Ingredients
4 boneless chicken thighs, skinless, each cut into 8 even pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 piece fresh ginger, approx 5cm, cut into matchsticks
1 ½ cups snow peas, cut in half, crosswise
2 tsp light soy sauce
½ bunch fresh chives, snipped in 2cm lengths
Directions
1. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and mix with oil and garlic, then add half of the ginger and mix again.
2. Heat wok to high heat. Add chicken mixture to wok and cook, turning every 30 seconds until chicken is browned all over.
3. Add peas to wok with a dash of water. Stir-fry for a minute, then add snowpeas and soy sauce and cook for another minute or 2 until chicken is cooked through.
4. Add half of the chives to the wok and toss one last time, then serve in warm bowls. Sprinkle remaining ginger and chives over the top.
- Recipe by Laurie Black
