Barbecued Prawns With Smoky Chipotle Butter

These prawns are epic according to one of my boys!

The butter quickly melts over the prawns so I like to serve them with some of the melted butter spooned over the top to no one misses out!

Serves 4. You can make the flavoured butter the day before and keep it rolled in the fridge or make it and freeze it for a week.

Ingredients

800g large prawns, deveined, peeled but leaving the tail intact

100g butter

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano

2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Method

Make the flavoured butter first, combine all of the ingredients except the prawns in a processor and process until smooth.

Scrape the butter onto a large piece of platic wrap, cover and gently roll, twisting in the edges as you go.

Pop the butter into the fridge to harden.

Prepare the prawns and season with a little salt and pepper.

Heat the BBQ, once hot, cook the prawns.

Plate the prawns in your serving dish, top with slices of the butter and serve with slices of lime.

Herby Prawns

These are ridiculously tasty! You HAVE to eat these with your fingers as part of the enjoyment is the finger licking at the end!

I use shell on prawns, I then remove the shell, leaving the tail on, remove the vein and then butterfly the prawns to maximise the surface area for the marinade to cover.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1kg prawns, shells removed, deveined and butterflied

120mls olive oil

3 garlic cloves

handful fresh parsley

handful fresh oregano

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 2 lemons

salt and pepper

Method

Process the oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, zest, juice, salt and pepper.

Combine the prawns and dressing in a large bowl and allow to marinade for 30 minutes.

Cook in a frying pan or on the barbecue flat plate over high heat until the prawn meat is cooked through.

Serve immediately.

Baked Baby Snapper with Fresh Herbs

My fast food home made challenge has begun again with the boys and this is my first effort!

Fish and chips are a favourite but not not terribly healthy and certainly not gluten free.

I have oven baked the fish with absolutely no fat, used gluten free breadcrumbs flavoured with herbs and the freshest of fish from our local fishmonger, baby snapper caught in Western  Australia.

This recipe works with any white fish fillets, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

I have mentioned before but, here I go again………gluten free bread costs a fortune so buy it when it’s on special or reduced and crumb it in your food processor, don’t cut off the crusts, keep them on and even consider using rolls! These breadcrumbs are from 3 gluten free rolls.

Serve with home made wedges and a squeeze of  lemon.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

800g- 1kg fish fillets, around 12 baby snapper fillets

250g fresh gluten free breadcrumbs

A few sprigs of fresh parsley

A handful of fresh oregano

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 eggs, beaten

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Take each fish fillet, dip into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs.

Lay onto the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining fillets.

Bake in the oven for 7-10mins, for baby snapper, larger fillets may take a little longer.

Herbed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese

Sometimes the garlic and rosemary version of these doesn’t go with the main dish, that’s when I change to this option.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

1.5kg potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper

30 g finely grated Parmesan

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Line two or three baking sheets with baking parchment.

In a large bowl combine the potato cubes, oil, herbs, salt and pepper.

Pour onto the trays and spread out into a single layer.

Bake in the oven for 15 mins, remove turn the potatoes over and return to the oven.

Bake for 15 mins again and again, turn the potatoes over.

Cook for a further 10mins, remove, turn the potatoes over and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Return to the oven for 5-10 mins until the cheese is crispy.

Roasted Cauliflower with Mexican Flavours

The cauliflower takes up the lovely spicy flavours and really shines.

Topped with a little sour cream and freshly snipped chives and eaten with one of my soft corn tortillas this makes a lovely vegetarian meal, alternatively, barbecued meat with a squeeze of lime goes beautifully too.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower

2 shallots, peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large jalapeño, 40g, deseeded and diced finely

3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

2 teaspoons salt

60-100mls oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. Cut in half and cut out the stalk.  Break half the cauliflower into small florets.

In a food processor, process the the cauliflower stalk until couscous like size, pour into a roasting tin.

Process the cauliflower half, that hasn’t been broken into florets, until it resembles couscous, add to the roasting tin.

Process the onion and garlic, add to the cauliflower mix.

Add the florets, chilli, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and 60-100mls of oil to the roasting tin, mix very well.

Roast in the oven for 60-75mins, stirring regularly.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

This is one of the boys favourite meatball recipes, when they were little they loved the fact that there was hidden cheese in the meatballs!

The sauce is lovely and creamy and works well with enchiladas too.

Makes 32 meatballs.

Ingredients

Meatballs

1kg minced beef

32 fresh mini bocconcini, or small pieces of mozzarella

1/2 large onion, chopped finely

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons freshly chopped oregano

2 teaspoons chipotle chilli powder

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper

Sauce

50g butter

1/2 large onion, chopped finely

2  jalapeño chilli, deseeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

70g gluten free plain flour

650mls chicken stock

500mls sour cream

1 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 tablespoon ground coriander

salt and pepper

coriander leaves to garnish

Method

To make the meatballs, combine the mince, onion, egg, oregano, chilli, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Drain the bocconcino and pat dry.

Take a little meat and squash it around the cheese to make a ball, repeat with the remaining cheese to form 32 balls.

Set aside.

In a large pan, melt the butter, add the onion, garlic and chilli.

Cook over a medium heat until the onion is fully cooked.

Stir in the flour and cook for 1minute.

Add the chicken stick and whisk to combine.

Bring the stock up to the boil, stirring all of the time.

Once it has thickened, remove from the heat and add the sour cream, cayenne pepper and coriander, combine well and set aside.

Heat an oven proof frying pan over high heat, add the meat balls and cook quickly, just enough to brown the outsides.

Lift the meatballs out of the pan, pour the sauce into the meatball pan and pop the meatballs on top of the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

Bake the meatballs and sauce for 30-40mins.