Nathan's Recipes & Food Book

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Teriyaki Pork With Soba Noodles  
2. Sweet Mustard Lamb Stir Fry
3. Chicken Risotto
   
4. Pemmican
5. Cheese Sauce
6. Moroccan Mint Tea
7. Fish Chowder 
8. Steamed barramundi fillets
   

Teriyaki Pork With Soba Noodles

Noodles have long been a staple food in China, Japan, Korea and most of South-East Asia. Why?

They're a good source of carbohydrate, B vitamins and minerals and help keep blood-glucose levels stable. Most ideally, they're also easy to prepare.

What to buy
1 two-centimetre piece ginger, peeled and grated thinly
2 tsp garlic, crushed
2 red chillies, sliced
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce or oyster sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp olive oil
500g pork, beef fillet or sirloin, sliced into strips
150g snow peas
4 spring onions, sliced very thinly on the slant

What to do
Mix ginger, garlic, chilli, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, lime juice and half the olive oil together. Pour over sliced meat and refrigerate for one hour.

Cook the soba noodles in boiling, salted water for seven minutes. Rinse and refresh under cold running water.

Heat remaining oil in a wok and flash fry meat for two minutes. Add snow peas and spring onions.

Twist noodles into nests in each bowl, spoon pork and vegetables over and sprinkle with extra chilli and spring onions.

Note: use any noodles or rice with this dish.

Serves four.

Sweet Mustard Lamb Stir-Fry

Mustard has been spooned onto food since ancient times and long regarded as a curative, particularly for the common cold.

It stimulates the appetite and digestion, boosts blood circulation and firebombs the sinuses in a manner similar to chilli.

But the thing we like most about mustard is the taste, with few kilojoules and little fat. Try this revved-up lamb recipe.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
2 tsp oil, for cooking
500g lamb fillet, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g snow peas
1 onion, cut into large wedges
20g margarine
1/4 cup (60g) wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup (125 millilitres) evaporated skim milk
2 tbsp brandy (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the wok until it's very hot and spray with oil. Stir-fry the lamb strips in batches over high heat. Remove from the wok and set aside.

2. Heat the two teaspoons of oil in the wok and add the crushed garlic, snow peas and onion wedges. Stir-fry over medium heat for three to four minutes or until the onion softens slightly. Remove from the wok and keep warm.

3. Reduce the heat and add the margarine, mustard, honey, evaporated skim milk and brandy. Simmer the sauce gently for three to four minutes.

4. Return the meat and snow-pea mix to the wok and stir until the meat and vegetables are heated through and combined with sauce.

Note: a bowl of noodles is optional. This recipe would still work well on its own.

Nutritional information per serve - 1320kJ: 31g protein; 16g fat. Serves four

Chicken Risotto Recipe.
Risottos are very popular and can be very healthy. This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare (heating the stock beforehand decreases the cooking time). Feel free to omit the chicken from the recipe if you are vegetarian and add any other vegetables that you like such as pumpkin or sweet potato cut into small cubes (add these at Step 4).
Serves:
This Recipe Serves 4.
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, finely diced 2 Cups Arborio rice 6 cups chicken stock 1 large chicken breast (Skin off), cut into small cubes 200g button mushrooms, halved 200g semi sun dried tomatoes Method: Heat large heavy based saucepan over medium - high heat. Add oil  and onion and cook for one minute. Add Aborio rice and cook, stirring for one minute. Heat chicken stock in saucepan and simmer. Take off heat and set aside. Add one cup of stock at a time to the rice, adding each cup when the stock had absorbed. Around the ten minute cooking time, add the chicken and stir in with the rice. When all of the water has been absorbed, stir through the mushrooms and the sun dried tomatoes. Serve immediately.

A Recipe for Making Pemmican

1 Batch = 3 1/2 pounds

4 cups dried meat - depending on how lean it is, it can take 1 - 2 lbs. per cup. Use only deer, moose, caribou, or beef (not pork or bear). Get it as lean as possible and double ground from your butcher if you don't have a meat grinder. Spread it out very thinly in cookie sheets and dry at 180° overnight or until crispy and sinewy. Regrind or somehow break it into almost a powder.

3 cups dried fruit - to taste mix currents, dates, apricots, dried apples. Grind some and leave some lumpy for texture.

2 cups rendered fat - use only beef fat. Cut into chunks and heat over the stove over medium (or Tallow) heat. Tallow is the liquid and can be poured off and strained.

Unsalted nuts to taste and a shot of honey.

Combine in a bowl and hand mix. Double bag into four portions. The mixture will last for quite a while without refrigeration. I have eaten it four years old. It actually improves with age.

HINT: Vary the fat content to the temperature in which it will be consumed. Less for summer. Lots for winter. Not only is it good energy food for canoeing, but an excellent snack for cross country skiing.

Cheese Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1. 2tablespoonsbutter


2. 2tablespoonsflour


3. 1cupmilk


4. 1/2teaspoonsalt


5. 1/4teaspoonnutmeg


6. 1pinchpepper


7. 1/2cup gratedswiss cheese


8. 1/4cup gratedparmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Microwave butter for 30 seconds.
   


2. Stir in flour and microwave for 1 minute.
   


3. Gradually stir in milk and spices.
   


4. Microwave on high for 3 min or until thick.
   


5. stirring every minute.
   


6. Stir in cheeses.

Moroccan Mint Tea

10	sprigs fresh mint, plus extra for garnish
3	teaspoons green tea
3	tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
4	cups water

1. Boil the water and pour a small amount in the teapot, swishing it around to warm the pot.
2. Combine the mint and green tea and sugar in the teapot, then fill it with the rest of the hot water.
3. Let the tea brew for three minutes.
4. Set out glasses for the tea.
5. A shot-glass is close to the slender glasses used in Morocco.
6. Fill just one glass with the tea, then pour it back in the pot.
7. Repeat.
8. This helps to dissolve and distribute the sugar.
9. Pour the tea.
10. You want a nice foam on the tea so always pour with the teapot a high distance above the glasses.
11. If
    you do not have at least a little foam on the top of the first glass,
    then pour it back into the teapot and try again until the tea starts to
    foam up nicely.
12. Garnish with the remaining sprigs of mint.

Fish Chowder Recipe
Healthy winter dinners call for thick soups made with fresh healthy ingredients like this fish chowder which combines the goodness of Salmon (which is believed to have special proteins that aid in weight loss), Celery, Rice and Vegetable Stock. This healthy, low fat fish chowder is very tasty and easy to prepare. Share this recipe with family and friends when only a hearty but healthy dinner will do.
Serves:
This Recipe Serves 4.
Ingredients: 600g Tasmanian salmon fillet, bones and skin removed. 2 medium carrots, chopped. 1 stick celery, chopped. 1 cup cooked rice. 1 litre vegetable stock. 1 teaspoon Lemon pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Method: Place all ingredients into heavy based pot. Simmer over low heat for one hour, or until vegetables are softened. Place all ingredients in food processor and process lightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Nutrition Panel: NUTRITION INFORMATION  Servings: 4  Serving size: 595g   Average Quantity per Serving   Average Quantity per 100 g  Energy 2330 kJ   392 kJ   557 Cal   93 Cal  Protein 45.8 g   7.7 g  Fat, total 15.3 g   2.6 g  - saturated 3.7 g   0.6 g  Carbohydrate 56.1 g   9.4 g - sugars 5.2 g   0.9 g  Sodium 13600 mg   2280 mg

Steamed barramundi fillets

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3cm piece of ginger,
  peeled, grated
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Shao Hsing Chinese
  cooking wine (see note)
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 1 bunch English spinach,
  trimmed
• 4 barramundi fish fillets,
  skinless
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• steamed basmati rice and
  coriander sprigs, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over
   medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes or
   until tender. Add stock, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, oyster sauce and
   sugar. Stir until well combined. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium.
   Simmer, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until reduced by half.
2. Meanwhile, place spinach
   leaves in base of a bamboo steamer basket. Place fillets in a single layer
   over leaves. Place basket over a saucepan of simmering water, cover and
   steam for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
3. Place rice and spinach
   leaves onto serving plates. Top with fish. Spoon over soy mixture. Drizzle
   with sesame oil. Top with coriander. Serve.

Notes & tips

• Shao Hsing cooking wine is
  a sweet, low-alcohol wine made from glutinous rice. Sweet sherry is a
  suitable alternative.