Stylish summer recipes from DONNA HAY, Australia's answer to Martha Stewart
Prawns and chips with green olive aioli
Serves 4
20 medium green (raw) prawns (shrimp), peeled with tails intact
4 cloves garlic, crushed
80ml lemon juice
sea salt and cracked black pepper
600g Desiree (starchy) potatoes, peeled
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 tbsp olive oil
Green olive aïoli
150g whole-egg mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped green olives
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp chopped chervil leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
sea salt and cracked black pepper
To make the green olive aïoli, place the mayonnaise, olives, capers, chervil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside until serving.
Place the prawns, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Allow to marinate for five to 10 minutes.
Use a citrus zester to peel the potatoes into shoestrings. Heat a medium saucepan half filled with vegetable oil over high heat. Cook the potato in batches, for two to three minutes or until crispy. Drain on absorbent paper.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and cook the prawns in batches, for two minutes each side or until cooked through. Serve the prawns with the potato and aïoli on the side.
Coriander, sesame and lime tuna skewers
Serves 4
80ml lime juice
80ml sesame oil
80ml mirin*
2 tbsp finely sliced ginger
1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
sea salt
500g sashimi-grade tuna, cut into 3cm-wide pieces
One-third of a cup chopped coriander leaves
Place the lime juice, sesame oil, mirin, ginger, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Place the tuna in a bowl, pour over half the lime marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat a char-grill pan or barbecue over high heat. Char-grill or barbecue the tuna for 30-60 seconds each side or until just browned. Slice into pieces and thread onto skewers.
Stir the coriander through the remaining marinade and serve with the tuna skewers.
* Mirin is a type of Japanese rice wine with a lower alcohol percentage than other rice wines such as sake. It can be bought in the Asian aisle of your supermarket or at speciality Asian grocery stores.
Flat roasted chicken with almonds and mint
Serves 4
1.2kg chicken
olive oil, for brushing
sea salt and cracked black pepper
40g blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
½ cup chopped mint leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
60ml lemon juice
125ml olive oil, extra
rocket (arugula) leaves, to serve
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees/gas 7. Using kitchen scissors, cut along the backbone of the chicken, then press firmly on the breastbone to flatten it. Place the chicken in a baking dish lined with non-stick baking paper. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast for 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Place the almonds, mint, garlic, sugar, lemon juice and extra oil in a bowl and stir to combine. Serve the chicken with the almond-mint sauce and rocket.
Lemony peach cake
Serves 6
175g butter, softened and chopped
165g caster sugar
2 tbs finely grated lemon rind
3 eggs
150g plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder, sifted
70g natural yoghurt
3 peaches, sliced
icing sugar, for dusting
double (thick) cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees/gas 3. Place the butter, sugar and lemon rind in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for six to eight minutes or until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder and yoghurt and beat until just combined.
Spoon into a lightly greased 25cm-round cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Top with the peaches and bake for 1 hour or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar, serve with cream.
Extracted from: Seasons, by Donna Hay, published by Hardie Grant, £22.99
