Neil Perry - Easy Weekends: Quick Dinners

Good shopping , good cooking, good living has always been my mantra.

My hope is that this book helps you cook, inspires you to buy quality ingredients and makes you want to cook for your friends and family. Nothing in life is more beautiful to me than sharing a meal with the people I love; it is what I live for.

I believe the way to a healthy life is through a well-balanced diet comprising fresh food and variety. Nothing is really bad for you in moderation. I love pork fat, but do I eat it every day? No, of course not. Do I enjoy it as a treat in my bacon for breakfast or in an Asian stir-fry or braise? Yes, most definitely. Moderation is the key to good eating; balance your diet with fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, dairy and a good amount of fish. Then the big juicy steak, the chicken skin, the butter and a bit of pork fat wont hurt you. And boy oh boy is there flavour in those amazing ingredients.

Marry fresh food with a bit of daily exercise and you have the blueprint for a happy healthy life. You dont need to go to the gym every day, just go for a morning walk or run up the stairs at work; dont always take the elevator in life. Drink plenty of water, and wine in moderation. I should listen to my own advice

You can prepare most of these recipes without being an amazingly-skilled cook. I want this book to be approachable, to give you simple ideas that work well together. I hope it helps you explore the different cuisines that have always influenced my food. It is Australias multiculturalism that has defined me as a cook and I want to share some of those Eastern and Western influences, which have made me who I am.

A final word from me on becoming a better cook. If you enjoy it, simply cook more often and take notice of what you do. Try and remember if the fish was perfectly cooked last time and make a note if the chicken was a little overcooked. Was the oven too hot? Did I cook it for ten minutes too long? Every time you cook you can learn something every day. If you can be bothered, keep a little notebook and jot down what happened and how to make it better next time. It makes for an amazing read after a couple of years. Imagine your grandchildrens delight when they discover grandmas or granddads little kitchen notebook

Happy cooking is about memory, love, happiness and life.

Italian-style zucchini and parmesan soup

Most vegetables can be used to make a delicious pured soup like this. My favourites include cauliflower, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip and pea.

SERVES 4

750 g (1 lb 10 oz) green zucchini (courgettes), trimmed and cut into 1 cm ( inch) pieces

extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

85 g (3 oz/1 bunch) basil, leaves picked

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) chicken stock

125 ml (4 fl oz/ cup) thin (pouring/whipping) cream, plus extra, to serve (optional)

40 g (1 oz) unsalted butter, chopped

40 g (1 oz) parmesan, grated, plus extra, to serve

+ Heat a little olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, then add the zucchini, garlic, basil and a good pinch of sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the zucchini starts to soften.

+ Add the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 8 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and the stock is slightly reduced.

+ Pour the soup into a blender and pulse until well pured, but not completely smooth if you want the soup to have a bit of texture. Return the soup to the pan and stir in the cream, butter and parmesan. Season to taste.

+ Divide the soup among four bowls, add a good grind of white pepper and sprinkle with the extra parmesan. I like to add an extra splash of cream to each bowl to finish.

NOTES

If you use different vegetables cooking times will vary, so if the vegetables take longer to soften, add more stock or water.

Use freshly grated parmesan not the pre-grated stuff!

Moroccan lamb soup

This is a hearty spicy delicious soup that is perfect in winter. It is also great served with some couscous. If you arent sold on legumes then replace them with cooked rice.

SERVES 4

400 g (14 oz) trimmed boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 cm ( inch) cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 quantity

4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) chicken stock or water

sea salt

2 tablespoons honey

100 g (3 oz/ cup) drained and rinsed tinned butter beans (see Notes)

100 g (3 oz/ cup) drained and rinsed tinned red lentils

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 lemon, cut into quarters

+ Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Brown the lamb lightly, then add the chermoula and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and chicken stock and season to taste with sea salt. Reduce the heat to as low as possible, cover and cook for 1 hours or until tender.

+ When the meat is tender, add the honey, beans and lentils and stir for 12 minutes or until heated through. Remove one-third of the soup and pure in a blender until smooth, then return the pure to the soup in the pan. Check the seasoning, then divide among four bowls, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and squeeze the juice of a lemon quarter into each.

NOTES

If you have dried lentils and butter beans on hand, then simply bring them to the boil, rinse and then return them to the saucepan, add water and salt and simmer until tender. You will need to cook them separately, of course, as they will take different times to become tender.

Boiling the legumes first takes away the need to soak overnight. However the tinned products are so good and simple to use I would suggest taking the short cut every time.

Use whatever beans you like I also love using borlotti, amongst others.

Chermoula

juice of 1 lemon

bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves picked

1 bunch coriander (cilantro), well washed

1 red onion, thinly sliced into half moons

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons ras el hanout (North African spice mix)

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon mild chilli powder

teaspoon ground turmeric

125 ml (4 fl oz/ cup) olive oil

+ For the chermoula, pure all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor. With the motor running, add the oil slowly to make a wet paste.