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Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until golden and bubbling around the edges.

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Recipe adapted from Janelle Bloom's Cookbook 'Fab Food for Family and Friends'

Serves 4

1/3 cup red curry paste (Ayam Brand is my favourite)
1kg beef chuck steak, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
400ml can coconut cream, unshaken (Ayam brand)
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 cup beef stock (liquid chuck steak cooks in)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime, optional

Coconut Rice:
2 cups Jasmine rice
400ml can coconut milk
2/3 cup flaked coconut, toasted, optional

extra fresh coriander leaves, to serve
1 long red chilli, chopped, to serve
bean sprouts, to serve, optional
lime wedges, to serve, optional


Preheat your oven to 150C/130C fan forced.

Combine 2 tablespoons curry paste and 1 and 1/2 cups water in an ovenproof casserole dish. Whisk to dissolve the curry paste. Add the beef and stir it through, the beef should be just covered with the curry water. Cover with a lid (or a double layer of aluminium foil) place on the stove top over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. As soon as it has come to the boil, place it in the oven, cook for 3 hours, or until the beef is very tender. Remove from the oven, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid (this is the beef stock in your ingredients list), then strain the beef. 
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For the coconut rice:

Rice cooker method: Rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear. Place the rice, the coconut milk and 1 cup water in your rice cooker, season with a little salt. Turn it on, and let it cook. Once cooked, give it a little stir with a fork, then add the toasted coconut (if using), stir through with a fork, then leave in the rice cooker to stay warm, until needed.

Stove top method: Rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear. Place the rice, the coconut milk and 1 cup water in a heavy based saucepan, season with a little salt. Bring to the boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the cooking liquid. Remove from heat and stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Use a fork to stir in the toasted coconut (if using). Cover to keep warm.

Heat a wok over medium heat until hot. Spoon the thick top layer of the coconut cream into the wok. Cook, stirring occasionally so it doesn't catch on the base, for 8 minutes or until the oil separates and the cream looks like it has curdled. (This process is known as splitting the cream, by doing this you really improve the flavour of your curry). Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of curry paste, the peanuts and the chilli. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, or until aromatic. Add the palm sugar and fish sauce. Gradually add the remaining coconut cream and your reserved beef cooking liquid. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
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Return the beef to the curry sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Stir in the coriander and lime juice, if using.

Spoon the rice into bowls, top with curry, extra coriander leaves, if using and sliced chilli. Serve immediately.

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Makes around 12 individual cheesecakes or 1 round cheesecake

Base:
1 x 200g packet choc-chip cookies
60g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
For individual cheesecakes: 1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
(For a large round or rectangular cheesecake: 7g powdered gelatine is enough)
60ml water
2 x 250g packets cream cheese, softened
300ml thickened cream
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons dry instant coffee
1 tablespoon hot water

Chocolate tops:
100g dark chocolate, melted


Grease 2 x 6 hole (100ml capacity) muffin pans. Cut small circles of baking paper (the size of the base) and line the base with the baking paper circles. If you are using a 20cm springform tin or a 32cm x 22cm x 2cm baking tin, line the base with baking paper.

Process the biscuits until finely crushed. Pour into a mixing bowl, add 3/4 of the butter, mix to combine, if the mixture is dry add more butter, but I only like to add enough for the mixture to not be dry. Divide the mixture into the muffin tins, you need about 1 tablespoon of the mixture per hole, press down firmly. (If making it in the round or rectangular tins, just spread the mixture out evenly, pressing the crumbs down. Cover; refrigerate while preparing the filling.
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Filling: Sprinkle gelatine in a small heatproof bowl, add the water. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stir until the gelatine has dissolved, remove from heat to cool while you make the rest of the filling.

Dissolve the coffee in the hot water, allow to cool while you continue with the filling.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl of an electric mixer, scrape down the sides once, until well combined. Add 1/2 cup of the cream, beat until smooth, you will need to scrape down the sides once or twice.

Using clean beaters beat the remaining cream in a small bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. (I find you should do this part before beating the cream cheese so you don't need to wash beaters).

Beat gelatine and extract into cheese mixture with beaters on medium speed. Fold in the whipped cream.
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Pour over half of the cheesecake mixture over biscuit bases. If making the individual cheesecakes, make sure you leave enough space for the coffee layer.
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Fold the coffee mixture into the remaining cheese mix. Spread over the cheese mixture in the tins. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

Make the chocolate shapes: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour into a piping bag. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Make a small slit in the tip of the bag and pipe four lines one way over the baking paper, followed by four lines the other way, as in the photo below. this does not need to be perfect. Refrigerate until needed.

To serve, carefully run a knife around each cheesecake to unmould. It should come out relatively easily. For the round or rectangular cheesecakes, just slice and serve.

Top with chocolate shapes.

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Serves 4-6

2kg chicken wings
1-2 tablespoons vegeta (to taste)
1/2-1 teaspoon Paprika
2-3 cloves garlic, grated
​1/2-1 teaspoon ground chilli
1/2 cup self raising flour flour
Sunflower oil, for deep frying
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Joint the chicken wings, discard the wing tips (I actually freeze them and use them when making chicken soup).

Place chicken wing pieces in a large bowl, sprinkle with vegeta, paprika, garlic, chilli​. Mix well to combine. You can refrigerate this now until needed.

Place the flour in a large snap lock bag. Add the chicken wing pieces, close the bag and shake it about.

Heat up the oil over medium-high heat in  a deep medium sized saucepan or deep fryer (it is ready when it sizzles as soon as you add a cube of bread to it). Place 5-6 pieces of chicken in one batch, do not overcrowd the chicken or it won't fry properly.

Fry, moving the pieces about every now and then, for 8-10 minutes (drumettes), 6-8 minutes (wingettes) or until golden and cooked through. If burning too quickly reduce the heat, if not hot enough, increase the heat.

Place on a wire rack to drain, far better than paper towels as the coating stays crisp.

Serve with fresh cucumber and cherry tomatoes or with a green salad, some corn, whatever you like.​

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Serves 6-8

6 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1 red onion, sliced thinly
2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced
1 cup kalamata olives
200g feta cheese
1/2-3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Dried oregano, to sprinkle


In a large salad bowl add the tomato, onion, cucumber and olives. Season with salt and pepper.

Break up the feta over the salad, have some chunky bits, some crumbled bits. Drizzle over the olive oil, give it gentle toss. Taste for seasoning, add more oil, salt and pepper if needed.

Sprinkle over some oregano.

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Serves 6-8

2 x smoked pork rib racks
400g dried red kidney beans, soaked in cold water for 8 hours
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stick, finely sliced
1 tablespoon vegeta
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2-1 cup shell pasta

Zaprzak:
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
1 heaped tablespoon paprika
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Put the smoked ribs in a large saucepan (cut them so they can fit in the pot). Top with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Place ribs on a plate until needed.

If you forgot to soak the beans, or only soaked them for a short time, do this now, if you soaked the beans, disregard this step and go to the next step. In the same saucepan add the red kidney beans, cover with cold water, bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, drain. By doing this step you don't have to soak the beans in water for hours before cooking them.
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In the same saucepan return the ribs and beans, add the onion, carrot and celery. Fill the saucepan with cold water, bring to the boil, add vegeta, pepper and a little salt (don't over salt now as you don't know how salty the ribs are, you can always season near the end of cooking, once you have tasted the soup). Simmer for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are cooked  and the meat is coming away from the rib bones easily, start checking after 1 hour.
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Make the zaprzak: This thickens the soup. In a small frying pan, add the oil, flour and paprika. Fry over a medium heat for a minute. If it looks really dry add a little more oil. When done add 1-2 ladles of cold tap water to the zaprzak, stir well then add the zaprzak to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the shell pasta, cook until the pasta is just cooked. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

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