Good Vibes: feel-good recipes with Alby Hailes

Killer beans with lemongrass, cashews & kaffir lime. Photo / Aaron McLean

In an edited extract, Alby Hailes, winner of the 2021 Great NZ Bake Off, shares three comforting recipes from his book, Good Vibes

Killer beans with lemongrass, cashews & kaffir lime

Hands-on time 15 mins

Total time 15 mins

Serves 6 as a side

110g cashews

500g green beans, ends trimmed

2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, ends trimmed, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tbsp gluten-free light soy sauce

1 Tbsp maple syrup

½ tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 large handful Thai basil leaves, roughly chopped

This recipe was inspired by a killer crop of green beans one summer. Serve as a flavour-bomb side dish for your next shared meal, or with tofu, chicken or noodles for a speedy main. If Thai basil is not available, use coriander leaves or Vietnamese mint.

Preheat the oven to 160C fan bake (or 180C conventional). Line a small oven tray with baking paper.

First, roast the cashews. Place the cashews on the oven tray in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes, until golden. Set aside.

For the beans, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add the beans and cook for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water to refresh and stop the cooking process. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves and chilli flakes to a rough, chunky paste. Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the paste and cook for 1 minute, moving around the pan to evenly fry. Add the green beans, soy sauce, maple syrup and salt. Cook for a further 2 minutes, tossing the beans with the paste to evenly coat and heat through. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, Thai basil and roasted cashews, tossing evenly through the beans.

To serve, use tongs to pile the beans and cashews on a serving dish. Pour over any remaining liquid and delicious bits left in the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Coffee & cardamom braised beef cheeks. Photo / Aaron McLean

Coffee & cardamom braised beef cheeks

Hands-on time 20 mins

Total time 4 hours 20 mins

Serves 4 as a main

1kg beef cheeks

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 star anise

250ml beef or vegetable stock

250ml strong black coffee

125ml red wine

65g dried pitted dates, roughly chopped

4 Tbsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp chopped rosemary leaves

1 Tbsp muscovado sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Fresh cooked pasta (pappardelle or tagliatelle), to serve

Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Coffee is an excellent tenderiser of meat, and its acidity amplifies the flavour of the beef. I like to cook them in the oven for better caramelisation, but I’ve included slow-cooker directions for convenience.

Preheat the oven to 140C fan bake (or 160C conventional).

Prepare the beef cheeks. Cut off any fatty membrane from the meat. Pat dry with a paper towel and season each side with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef cheeks and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until browned, then transfer to a medium–large (about 25cm diameter) Dutch oven or casserole dish with a lid.

Return the frying pan to the stovetop, reduce the heat to medium, and heat the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the carrot and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes, until the garlic is golden. Stir in the cardamom, cinnamon and star anise, and heat for 30 seconds. Transfer to the Dutch oven with the meat. Add the remaining ingredients (except the pasta and parsley) and stir to coat the meat in the liquid. Cover and cook for about 4 hours, stirring halfway through to loosen the edges of the sauce, until the meat is tender and falls apart easily when touched.

To serve, either serve the beef cheeks whole, or using two forks, pull the meat into large chunks. Serve the meat with the sauce over pasta and sprinkle with chopped parsley to finish.

Note: Alternatively, cook the beef cheeks in a slow cooker on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 6 hours until tender and falling apart. Ensure you still brown the meat and prepare the sauce as above before placing in the slow-cooker.

Saffron yoghurt panna cotta with honey-mint oranges & almond crumble. Photo / Aaron McLean

Saffron yoghurt panna cotta with honey-mint oranges & almond crumble

Hands-on time 30 mins

Total time 45 mins (+ chilling time)

Serves 6

PANNA COTTA

Canola oil, to grease

585ml cream

10g powdered gelatine

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

¼ tsp saffron threads

100g caster sugar

280g unsweetened natural Greek yoghurt

HONEY-MINT ORANGES

2 Tbsp honey

2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments

10 mint leaves, thinly sliced

ALMOND CRUMBLE

55g ground almonds

50g plain flour

50g soft brown sugar

¼ tsp sea salt

50g chilled butter, cut into small cubes

45g almonds, roughly chopped

Saffron is not only brilliant in savoury cooking, its floral taste and aroma lend themselves equally well to the sweeter side. This is an excellent make-ahead dessert to impress guests – all three components can be prepared in advance, if desired.

Lightly grease 6 dariole moulds or ramekins (about 150-200ml) with a little canola oil to coat the base and sides. Place the moulds on a board.

For the panna cotta, place 85ml of the cream in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine. Stir to combine and set aside to allow the gelatine to bloom. Combine the remaining 500ml cream with the orange zest, saffron threads and sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then increase to medium-high heat. When just starting to boil, immediately remove from the heat. Whisk in the gelatine mixture until the gelatine is completely dissolved then leave for 2 minutes to cool slightly. Place the yoghurt in a large pouring bowl or jug and whisk until smooth.

Strain the heated cream through a sieve into the bowl with the yoghurt, pouring slowly to avoid forming too many bubbles. Press the orange zest and saffron to release any remaining liquid. Gently whisk the mixture until smooth then carefully pour into the moulds to fill just below the rim. Cover with clingfilm, ensuring it doesn’t touch the liquid. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (or overnight) to set. These can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Prepare the honey-mint oranges at least 1 hour before serving. Warm the honey in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is runny and liquid. Place the orange segments and mint in a bowl and pour over the warm honey. Toss to coat then set aside for at least 1 hour, for the flavours to amalgamate.

Preheat the oven to 160C fan bake (or 180C conventional). Line an oven tray with baking paper.

To make the almond crumble, place the ground almonds, flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk together with a fork. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until starting to resemble breadcrumbs. Stir through the chopped almonds and spread on to the oven tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool to room temperature before breaking up into a crumble.

When ready to serve, remove the clingfilm from the panna cotta. Dip each mould into a bowl of hot water for 10-30 seconds (depending on the thickness of the mould or ramekin), ensuring no water gets on the panna cotta. Run the blunt tip of a small butter knife around the top edge of the mould to separate the panna cotta a little. Place a plate on top of each panna cotta and invert the mould on to the plate. Give it a reasonable tap or shake and the panna cotta should come out (if not, it may need a few more seconds in the hot water to loosen). Sprinkle the almond crumble around the base of each panna cotta and serve with the honey-mint oranges and a spoonful of the syrup. Serve immediately.

Recipes extracted from Good Vibes by Alby Hailes (HarperCollins NZ, hardback, RRP $55), out on August 2.