Ingredients (3 serves)

• The Roast
  • 600-900 gram beef fillet
  • 60 mills olive oil
  • 30 grams ground black pepper
• Horseradish Sauce
  • 100 grams fresh cream
  • 1 heaped teaspoon horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Eschalot and Garlic Braise
  • 50 mills olive oil
  • 10-15 eschalots, peeled
  • 6-8 garlic cloves
  • 1 heaped teaspoon horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2-3 sprigs of thyme
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock

Method

1. Coat the beef with the olive oil and rub in pepper over all of the beef.
2. Leave beef covered in a refrigerator for at least a couple of hours (preferably overnight).
3. Preheat over to 200 C.
4. Heat about 40 mil. oil in a hot pan and quickly sear the beef on all sides.
5. Place beef in oven for 20 mins.
6. Reduce oven to 180C and cook for a further 40 mins (for medium rare).
7. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the eschalots and garlic cloves for about 5 min., then remove from the water and set aside
8. Remove beef from oven, cover with foil and let it rest for about 20 mins while we take care of the eschalots and sauce.
9. In a medium hot frying pan with about 40 mills of olive oil, add the thyme, garlic cloves and eschalots turning frequently until golden brown (about 10-15 mins.).
10. Add the chicken broth to the mixture stirring constantly until broth boils away.
11. Combine the cream, horseradish and mustard by stirring the ingredients together until smooth.
12. Serve slices of beef with accompanied by a serving of the Eschalot and Garlic Braise, a health dollop of the horseradish sauce, and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Ingredients (3 serves)

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 300g minced beef
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 packet of lasagna sheets
• 1 jar of a tomato based spaghetti sauce (for example I used a 375g jar of Bolognese Sauce)
• 450g Carbonara sauce
• 1 cups of grated cheese for the layers
• 1/2 cups of grated cheese for the top

Method

1. start preheating the oven for 180 C
2. heat oil in frying pan
3. add onion and garlic and cook for about 5 min.
4. add mince meat and oregino, mix together and cook for a further 15 min. or so until the mince meat has browned
5. add the tomato-based sauce to the mix and stir though
6. let the mixture simmer for a further 10 or 15 minutes stirring occasionally (note: the mixture should be semi-liquid but if your combination looks too dry just add a little water or tomato juice
7. prepare the lasagna dish by coating the sides and base with butter or margarine
8. spread about 1/4 of the Carbonara sauce over the bottom of the dish
9. cover with the first layer of Lasagna sheets
10. spread 1/4 of the meat sauce mixture over the Lasagna sheets then sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese over the top, then layer over more Lasagna sheets
11. repeat the previous step another three times (bringing the total number of layers to 4)
12. pour the remaining Carbonara sauce over the top, spreading the mixture evenly
13. sprinkle the 1/2 cup of grated cheese over the top
14. place in the oven and cook for 40 min. at 180 C

Ingredients (4 serves)

• The Salad
  • 2 small zucchinis, thickly sliced
  • 500 grams of yellow squash – trimmed and quartered
  • 1 large red capsicum, chopped
  • 100 grams baby rocket leaves
  • 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
  • 150 gram tub of chunky basil with cashew and parmesan dip
  • 1/4 cup of shaved parmesan cheese
• The Meatballs
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 2 or 3 bacon rashers, finely chopped
  • 500 grams of minced veal (or lean beef)
  • 1/2 Cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper (about half a teaspoon of each for me)

Method

1. heat the onion, garlic and bacon in a large frying pan over a high heat until the onion is soft then set aside in a bowl and allow to cool for about 10 min.
2. combine the onion, garlic and bacon mixture with the veal and grated parmesan, season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly
3. roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls (about the size of a ping-pong ball)
4. brown meatballs over a medium heat using a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil, turn occasionally (should be cooked though in about 8-12 min.) then remove the meatballs
5. after cleaning the frying pan, add another couple of teaspoons of oil and over a high heat cook the zucchini, squash and capsicum until just tender (about 5 or 6 min.)
6. combine the meatballs, vegetables, rocket and basil in a large serving bowl
7. garnish with the combined dip and water and the shaved parmesan cheese

Ingredients (4 serves)

• 800g beef mince
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 x 400 gram can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 pkt. Tuscan Meatball Recipe Base (Masterfoods)
• 1 red chili, seeds removed and finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon of parsley flakes
• shaved parmesan cheese (garnish)
• some fresh Italian parsley springs for garnish (optional)

Method

1. combine the mince, parsley, egg and breadcrumbs
2. using small spoonfuls of the mixture, make up golf-ball sized meatballs
3. using the oil in a frying pan, brown the meatballs turning frequently until cooked though
4. add tomatoes, crushed garlic, chili, and recipe mix, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer
5. cook on low for a further 15-20 min. while preparing the spaghetti
6. serve meatballs and sauce over spaghetti
7. garnish with the shaved parmesan and parsley sprigs