Recipes and giveaways from arguably NZ's
most well-known and respected cooks Alison Holst,
who is herself a "local".
2012 Columns
The weekend roast is coming back into favour with families, but if there are just a couple of you at home, cooking a large piece of meat (or whole chicken) can mean eating leftovers for weeks. This easy idea from 100 Favourite Ways with Chicken (Hyndman Publishing) produces a serving for two and simply requires putting everything in the oven and relaxing while dinner cooks.
Recipe: 30 Minute Roast Chicken & Vegetables
The best weather for cooking outdoors came late this year, but hopefully there are still enough warm evenings ahead to bring families and friends together around the barbecue. These spicy fish cakes, from my book with Simon, the NZ Barbecue Cookbook (Hyndman Publishing), are easy to cook on the barbecue.
Recipe: Spicy Fish Cakes
Finding the time and energy to prepare school lunches is not always easy. My book with Simon, School Lunches & After School Snacks, provides tips and advice to help busy parents and caregivers fill lunchboxes with a variety of food that has appeal and will, hopefully, be eaten.
Recipe: ABC Muffins
2011 Columns
This special summer salad from Deliciously Healthy Recipes is one way to make the most of NZ’s excellent tender grass-fed lamb. Lamb has a delicate flavour, so this marinade is designed to complement, not overwhelm the meat. A healthy option is to serve this with warm, wholegrain bread rolls or bowls of brown rice.
Recipe: Sesame Lamb Salad
This recipe is among my favourites featured in
A Home-grown Cook and makes a stunning Christmas cake.
Recipe: Golden Fruit Cake
This one-pan dinner is named after a Dutch word used in Pennsylvania, ‘ferhoodled’ which means ‘all mixed up’ – a reference to the fact that the sausage patties are mixed up with rice and vegetables. The recipe couldn’t be easier because the next ingredient is prepared while the previous one cooks.
Recipe: Ferhoodled Sausage
Baking brings back memories of my mother, flushed and somewhat dishevelled, surrounded by baking. She baked for school lunches, snacks and suppertime, to welcome a new neighbour or assist someone who was ill and also contributed to bake sales for community causes. Her best baking was reserved for formal afternoon teas, and we children enjoyed the leftovers. I hope all you bakers enjoy this recipe from my book with Simon, Best Baking. It’s a great one to teach your kids.
Recipe: Coconut Whiskers
I wouldn’t be without my slow cooker, which I’ve found ideal for producing cheering, comforting meals that can be ready when you get home from work on a cold winter’s evening.
Recipe: Carrot Loaf
This simple soup from Popular Potatoes (Hyndman Publishing) has a smooth, creamy texture because of the pureed potato and cream; a real winter warmer. Although instant stock can be used, good home made stock will make all the difference to the flavour. It is also worth noting that fresh thyme from the garden has a stronger flavour than the hothouse grown thyme sold in supermarkets.
Recipe: Potato, Garlic & Thyme Soup
This recipe is a healthy and delicious version of one of the most popular Indian dishes around – Butter Chicken, but without the butter! The creamy sauce, made using low fat yoghurt and light evaporated milk, tastes just as good as the full fat version. It’s one of the recipes Simon and I created for Deliciously Healthy Recipes. All the recipes in this book are low in fat with minimal added sugar and salt and have been analysed by a dietician to ensure they meet nutritional guidelines.
Recipe: Butter(less) Chicken
If you’re looking for lunchbox treats to start a new term, these little chocolate “rocks” are just the ticket. The rich little morsels with their softish centre and crusty sugar-coated appearance are also delicious with coffee. This recipe is from 100 Favourite Cakes & Biscuits, which celebrates the art of home baking. I hope some parents will also do as I did and encourage their children to choose a recipe and bake it themselves or with supervision.
Recipe: Little Lava Rocks
Fish can be cooked in a flash, and quickly takes on the delicious flavours of other ingredients. It’s ideal for busy households (especially those with a resident fisher) and that’s one reason there are several seafood mains in 100 Favourite 20 Minute Dishes. Fish Veracruz, with its Mexican chilli flavours, can be made in the time it takes to microwave the accompanying rice.
Recipe: Fish Veracruz
March is still a relatively laid back time on the Coast, with long summer evenings to enjoy. This is when it’s handy to be able to whip up a delicious meal in a hurry, so you can enjoy good food, without sacrificing time at the beach! All the recipes in Simon & Alison Holst’s 100 Favourite 20 Minute Dishes can be ready to eat in 20 minutes – faster than going out for a takeaway as well as healthier.
Recipe: Instant Strawberry Ice Cream
Back to school for the children means back to the kitchen for parents and caregivers! As well as filling the lunchbox, there is the additional challenge of ensuring what you provide is healthy, but also gets eaten. In putting together School Lunches and After School Snacks, Simon and I included not only recipes for interesting homemade options, but also commonsense ideas to make the job less daunting. Happy lunch-making.
Recipe: Pieburgers
2010
Simon and I selected the muffin and slice recipes that have proved popular over the years for our 100 Favourite Muffins & Slices, published in 2003.
Recipe: Butterscotch Squares
You don’t have to wait until Christmas to use cranberries, although these muffins from Marvellous Muffins (Hyndman Publishing) would make a festive addition to brunch with coffee on Christmas morning. They are also delicious as a dessert, with whipped cream or ice cream.
Recipe: Cranberry Orange Muffins
Down Mexico way, fast food comes in the form of a quesadilla – essentially the equivalent of toasted sandwiches or pizza. This recipe comes from Simon and Alison Holst’s Food to Go (Hyndman Publishing) and utilises the flour tortillas that can be found in supermarkets.
Recipe: Flat quesadillas/Sandwiched quesadillas
The recipes in my book Fast & Fun Family Food (Penguin Books) were chosen because they are simple to make, and require very little, if any, fuss; they have also had the thumbs up from my children and grandchildren. This delicious cake from Fast & Fun Family Food can be made quickly in a single pot. It is best eaten within two days – with or without the yummy (optional) icing.
Recipe: Caramel Chocolate Cake
Comfort food at its finest, lasagne is a winter staple for many Kiwis. This lasagne from Marvellous Mince and Sensational Sausages couldn’t be easier, and requires no precooking. I created this recipe around 25 years ago and it has stood the test of time, proving very popular with today’s busy families.
Recipe: Lazy Lasagne
When Simon and I were putting together our book More Marvellous Muffins (Hyndman Publishing), we spent a lot of time experimenting with flavours, coming up with quirky Kiwi options such as Moro Muffins, Easy Jaffa Muffins and Fabulous Feijoa Muffins as well as aromatic, delicious Upside Down Nectarine Muffins. We even gave classic favourites such as these blueberry muffins a twist by adding bran. Keep a packet of blueberries in your freezer so you can make these anytime.
Recipe: Blueberry Bran Muffins
When I ask members of the audiences at my cooking demonstrations what topics they would like us to write about, salads are always a popular choice. Salads can also provide inspiration for new recipes, as happened here with Pasta Nicoise from Sensational Salads. Salad Nicoise, one of my family’s favourites, forms the basis of this delicious pasta dish. I love the combination of tuna, olives and capers, which go really well with pasta.
Recipe: Pasta Nicoise
These delicious corn cakes work well cooked on a barbecue hotplate (especially if you have a non-stick liner) and make an interesting, tasty vegetarian option or brunch dish. They’re particularly good topped with the salsa below, or for something even easier, accompany with sweet chilli sauce. The recipe is in Simon and Alison Holst’s NZ Barbecue Cookbook (Hyndman Publishing).
Recipe: Fresh corn cakes
This is a good time of year to make an easy pizza for your family. The following recipe, from Fast & Fun Family Food, is always popular, for a summer lunch or an easy evening meal, with a salad served alongside. This pizza recipe is flavoured by yeast but rises mainly because of baking powder. Leftovers are fine the next day, reheated briefly in a microwave. Enjoy it.
Recipe: Quick yeast pizza base
