Flavourful family meals

With Christmas on the horizon many cooks will be thinking about the celebratory food that punctuates the season. As this is one of the few times in the year we gather with friends and family for special meals, I look forward to it and pull out all the stops when it comes to organisation (the only way to have a relatively stress-free experience) and preparation. The shared festive table is a highlight of the year.

However, the other shared table experience that continues regardless of the season, the family dinner, still needs the usual attention from cooks who want to eat good food. The following are some ideas for keeping the household culinary show on the road. Though not festive dishes, I hope they will inspire delicious meals to turn any occasion into a celebration.

Lamb meatball rolls (pictured above)
Make meatballs with minced lamb, torn ciabatta soaked in milk, chopped garlic, a little ground cinnamon and chopped parsley. Brown in a little extra virgin olive oil in a hot pan. Pour off the fat then return the meatballs to the pan and cover with beef stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the meatballs and make a gravy by thickening the stock with a little cornflour mixed with water. Stuff the meatballs into warm flatbread along with cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, feta dressed with olive oil and sweet smoked paprika, mint sprigs and yoghurt.

Sausage & vegetable pasta
Panfry sliced pure pork sausages with sliced capsicum, zucchini, red onions, finely chopped garlic and oregano until the vegetables are soft and the sausages cooked. Mix in canned chopped tomatoes and their juice. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and season then serve tossed through al dente short pasta with plenty of freshly grated parmesan.

Pork & pineapple skewers
Skewer diced pork fillet with chunks of fresh pineapple and spring onions. Season then grill or barbecue until cooked through and well browned. Serve on steamed rice with a sauce of Chinese plum sauce (I get it from the supermarket) mixed with lime juice, thinly sliced chilli and coriander sprigs.

Poached chicken with rice
Place a chicken in a large wide saucepan with chopped carrots, onion, celery, a bay leaf, a few fennel seeds, parsley, garlic and a splash of white wine. Add enough water to cover then poach until cooked. Remove the chicken from the liquid and reserve. Skim the fat off the cooking liquid then return to the saucepan and bring back to the boil. Add rice or orzo and simmer until tender. Add plenty of peas to the mixture and simmer for 4 minutes. Taste and season. Serve the carved chicken with plenty of the rice or orzo mixture. Good with aioli, or a mix of lemon zest, chopped garlic and parsley processed to a thin paste with extra virgin olive oil.

Beef tortillas
Panfry a thick piece of rump or fillet steak with garlic and olive oil then set aside to rest. Slice thinly then serve in warm flour tortillas with heated red kidney beans that have been mashed coarsely then seasoned with toasted cumin and garlic, and a guacamole made from a little chopped onion, tomatoes, lime juice, coriander, chilli, salt, pepper and avocado.

Mushroom & feta tart
Panfry lots of sliced mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil with fresh tarragon, garlic and parsley until the mushrooms are soft. Stir in plenty of spinach leaves until they wilt. Taste and season. Cool then mix with beaten eggs and pour into a flaky pastry-lined tart tin. Crumble lots of feta on top. Bake in a hot oven until set and serve with salad.

Steak with Mediterranean vegetables
Slow-fry sliced red capsicums, eggplant chunks, sliced zucchini, chopped onion, garlic and dried wild oregano in extra virgin olive oil until soft. Stir in a few handfuls of rocket leaves and let them wilt. Add
a little balsamic vinegar and chopped parsley then taste and season. Panfry your favourite cut of steak with garlic and pepper in olive oil. Rest then slice thinly and serve with the capsicum mixture and roast Agria potatoes.

Chicken & lentils
Dust skinned boned free-range chicken thighs with seasoned flour then panfry until golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan and squeeze lemon juice all over them. Reserve. Drop some green or brown lentils into a large saucepan of boiling water and boil gently until tender. Drain and toss with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, finely chopped preserved lemon, pitted black olives, chopped spring onions, mint, flat-leafed parsley, sliced sundried tomatoes and halved cherry tomatoes. Place in a bowl then slice the chicken thighs and place on top of the lentils. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Steaks with Egg, Caper & Mustard Dressing on Crushed Potatoes & Rocket
Serves 4
Soft-boiled egg dressing
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leafed parsley
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 eggs

Place everything except the eggs in a bowl and mix well.

Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil then boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and run the eggs under cold water until cold.Shell the eggs then chop coarsely and add to the herb mixture. Mix briefly then taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reserve.

For the steak & potatoes
800g new potatoes, well scrubbed
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 handfuls rocket leaves
4 pieces steak (I used eye fillet)
olive oil for frying

Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until tender. Drain and crush slightly. Add the garlic, extra virgin olive oil and the rocket leaves. Season well. Mix gently so the rocket wilts.

Panfry, barbecue or grill the steak the way you like it. Set aside to rest then serve the steak on the crushed potatoes with a spoonful of the dressing on top.