Tasty, simple, weekday family meals from first MasterChef NZ winner, Brett McGregor, plus lots of tips and advice. Brett McGregor's second book is packed with delicious recipes that are easy and quick to make.
Designed for busy families with children, these recipes are also modern, fresh and healthy. Jam-packed with tricks and tips with each recipe, the book also includes an impressive list of how-tos; marinades, sauces, chutneys, how to cook fish, how to whip cream; the perfect scrambled eggs etc. It's a great instruction manual for the beginner as well as those who've been cooking for a while.
Recipes include great ways with mince; lots of delicious salads; hearty, filling meals like stews, pasta and bakes; tasty dinners with a touch of Mexican or Asian influence; plus scrumptious desserts and baking. Something for everyone, and a treasure trove of recipes for the family.
SAMPLE RECIPE
Chicken stew (pictured)
I adore Spanish food and love to cook this for family and friends. It is easy to prepare and packs a great flavour. The addition of fennel really makes it sing.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 50 minutes
Serves 4
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, diced
6 chicken thighs, deboned,
skinned and diced
1 leek, finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
1 fennel bulb, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 cup sherry
⅓ cup sherry vinegar
1 × 400g can tomatoes
2 cups water
1 cup combined fresh parsley And coriander, chopped, to serve
Heat a heavy-based frying pan until almost smoking and add the olive oil,
then the chorizo and chicken. Cook until nicely golden and the oil is changing
colour from the chorizo. Add the leek, celery, fennel, garlic and paprika.
Sauté until everything is turning golden.
Deglaze the pan with the sherry and vinegar — stand back, the reaction will
be strong! Bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and water.
Season and simmer for 30 minutes. Fold the herbs through and serve.
Top tips
Add a can of chickpeas to make the dish stretch further.
Olives are a great addition too.
Author Biography
Brett McGregor, author of the bestselling Taste of a Traveller and of A Taste of Home, won the very first MasterChef NZ title. Previously the deputy principal of a Branston Intermediate School in Christchurch, he has now established a career in Auckland as a food writer and TV host, and served as a food and wine ambassador for Mondo travel company. He has had a regular morning TV slot on Good Morning, contributed a regular column to Food magazine and a weekly column to New Idea, and featured in cooking demonstrations and TV promotions for Countdown supermarket. A seasoned traveller having lived in Hong Kong for three years and travelled for 10 years visiting such places as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Morocco, North Africa, and Spain Brett incorporates these experiences into his cooking. Since 2011, he has conducted food tours of Melbourne, Rome and Vietnam.