Real-life recipes to make on repeat

The Advertiser

03-06-2025

Katrina Meynink's Kitchen Keepers is a celebration of all that is excellent and delicious in home cooking.
Coming from a kitchen maximalist who knows how to dazzle when it comes to putting dinner on the table and to feeding loved ones with generosity and abundance, this is real food for the demands of a full, busy life. You'll want to make them over and over again.
Dressing
Fried capers
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Place the capsicum, red-wine vinegar, olive oil and brown sugar in a large roasting tin and toss to coat. Pop in the oven and roast until soft and caramelised, about 45 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the bread chunks and additional olive oil.
3. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with sea salt flakes and set aside.
4. For the fried capers, place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the capers and caperberries. Fry until the capers look crisp and the caperberries have taken on some colour.
5. To serve, layer the heirloom tomato slices on a serving platter. Generously season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to gently toss the capsicums and bread with the basil leaves then spoon over the tomato layer. Tear over the burrata and then spoon over the fried capers and caperberries. Finish by drizzling over the dressing and adding a generous seasoning of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
If your faff factor is low: Use jarred peppers and ditch roasting the capsicums.
Keeping it cheap and cheerful: Swap out heirloom tomatoes for chuck tomatoes, ditch the caperberries and swap burrata for an economical soft cheese.
Make it extra: Add basil flowers, micro basil and a mix of tomatoes on the vine with the heirlooms.
Serves 6 as part of a spread.
To serve
1. Combine the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a bowl and set aside for the sugar to dissolve.
2. In a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, bring the chicken stock to a soft boil, then add the pork, galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves. With a large metal spoon, work quickly to toss the pork so it cooks evenly (three to four minutes). Once cooked through thoroughly and you can't see a single pink bit, remove from the heat. This is the trigger point: you want it cooked through, but you also don't want to overcook it, as the meat will become tough rather than spongy and yielding like a trampoline for your mouth.
3. Transfer the pork to a bowl and add the ground rice, dried chillies, chopped herbs and the dissolved palm sugar mixture. Toss gently to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning - it should be spicy, sour and salty with just a slight hint of sweetness.
4. Serve with all the extras, and don't forget the spring rolls.
Hot tip: If you need to extend this to feed more mouths, serve with some steamed rice (and probably a few extra spring rolls).
Serves 4
Marinade
Honey lemon sauce
To serve
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add the chicken thighs and turn to coat well. If time is on your side, it's wondrous to marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight, but I've also done a quick dump-and-turn in the marinade and been just as happy. Either way, bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. To make the honey lemon sauce, put the honey and lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring to prevent catching, until the honey has warmed and the juice and zest are incorporated - it will begin to foam a little. Remove from the heat and stir through the cornflour slurry until combined. Return to the heat and continue to stir until the mixture is the thickness of golden syrup - you want it to still be runny but gloriously thick. Set aside until ready to serve.
3. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the rice bran oil and, once hot, fry the marinated chicken thighs until browned (two to three minutes each side). Reduce the heat to medium and continue frying until cooked through, up to another five to seven minutes, depending on thickness.
4. While hot, transfer with tongs to a chopping board and slice the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Put in a large bowl with the honey lemon sauce, gently turning to coat.
5. To serve, add chicken to bowls of steamed white rice and top with the sliced spring onions, crushed Sichuan peppercorns and sesame seeds.
Serves 4 to 6.
Masala paste
1. Put the masala paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a coarse paste.
2. Add the ghee to a frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add half the paste, about 1 cup, and cook until fragrant and the paste looks like it is going to split. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned all over. Add the coconut milk and give everything a good stir, then turn the heat down to a moderately active simmer. This is a sauce on a health kick: it's sweating and bubbling a little with the effort, but can't quite go for a run yet.
3. After about 30 minutes, stir in the potatoes, then simmer for another 30 minutes. You want to ensure some evaporation has occurred so you don't have a soupy pie. Preheat the oven to 180°.
4. Pour the mixture into a roasting tin approximately 32x24x5 cm and lay the sheet of puff pastry over the top. Gently press down along all the edges, or tuck in around the filling like you might put a blanket over a small child.
5. Using a fork, lightly prick the pastry all over the surface. Briefly whisk the egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush the pie with the egg wash and pop in the oven for 45 minutes.
6. Serve piping hot. With pie, it's the only way.
Serves 8.
Katrina Meynink's Kitchen Keepers is a celebration of all that is excellent and delicious in home cooking.
Coming from a kitchen maximalist who knows how to dazzle when it comes to putting dinner on the table and to feeding loved ones with generosity and abundance, this is real food for the demands of a full, busy life. You'll want to make them over and over again.
Dressing
Fried capers
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Place the capsicum, red-wine vinegar, olive oil and brown sugar in a large roasting tin and toss to coat. Pop in the oven and roast until soft and caramelised, about 45 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the bread chunks and additional olive oil.
3. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with sea salt flakes and set aside.
4. For the fried capers, place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the capers and caperberries. Fry until the capers look crisp and the caperberries have taken on some colour.
5. To serve, layer the heirloom tomato slices on a serving platter. Generously season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to gently toss the capsicums and bread with the basil leaves then spoon over the tomato layer. Tear over the burrata and then spoon over the fried capers and caperberries. Finish by drizzling over the dressing and adding a generous seasoning of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
If your faff factor is low: Use jarred peppers and ditch roasting the capsicums.
Keeping it cheap and cheerful: Swap out heirloom tomatoes for chuck tomatoes, ditch the caperberries and swap burrata for an economical soft cheese.
Make it extra: Add basil flowers, micro basil and a mix of tomatoes on the vine with the heirlooms.
Serves 6 as part of a spread.
To serve
1. Combine the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a bowl and set aside for the sugar to dissolve.
2. In a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, bring the chicken stock to a soft boil, then add the pork, galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves. With a large metal spoon, work quickly to toss the pork so it cooks evenly (three to four minutes). Once cooked through thoroughly and you can't see a single pink bit, remove from the heat. This is the trigger point: you want it cooked through, but you also don't want to overcook it, as the meat will become tough rather than spongy and yielding like a trampoline for your mouth.
3. Transfer the pork to a bowl and add the ground rice, dried chillies, chopped herbs and the dissolved palm sugar mixture. Toss gently to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning - it should be spicy, sour and salty with just a slight hint of sweetness.
4. Serve with all the extras, and don't forget the spring rolls.
Hot tip: If you need to extend this to feed more mouths, serve with some steamed rice (and probably a few extra spring rolls).
Serves 4
Marinade
Honey lemon sauce
To serve
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add the chicken thighs and turn to coat well. If time is on your side, it's wondrous to marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight, but I've also done a quick dump-and-turn in the marinade and been just as happy. Either way, bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. To make the honey lemon sauce, put the honey and lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring to prevent catching, until the honey has warmed and the juice and zest are incorporated - it will begin to foam a little. Remove from the heat and stir through the cornflour slurry until combined. Return to the heat and continue to stir until the mixture is the thickness of golden syrup - you want it to still be runny but gloriously thick. Set aside until ready to serve.
3. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the rice bran oil and, once hot, fry the marinated chicken thighs until browned (two to three minutes each side). Reduce the heat to medium and continue frying until cooked through, up to another five to seven minutes, depending on thickness.
4. While hot, transfer with tongs to a chopping board and slice the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Put in a large bowl with the honey lemon sauce, gently turning to coat.
5. To serve, add chicken to bowls of steamed white rice and top with the sliced spring onions, crushed Sichuan peppercorns and sesame seeds.
Serves 4 to 6.
Masala paste
1. Put the masala paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a coarse paste.
2. Add the ghee to a frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add half the paste, about 1 cup, and cook until fragrant and the paste looks like it is going to split. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned all over. Add the coconut milk and give everything a good stir, then turn the heat down to a moderately active simmer. This is a sauce on a health kick: it's sweating and bubbling a little with the effort, but can't quite go for a run yet.
3. After about 30 minutes, stir in the potatoes, then simmer for another 30 minutes. You want to ensure some evaporation has occurred so you don't have a soupy pie. Preheat the oven to 180°.
4. Pour the mixture into a roasting tin approximately 32x24x5 cm and lay the sheet of puff pastry over the top. Gently press down along all the edges, or tuck in around the filling like you might put a blanket over a small child.
5. Using a fork, lightly prick the pastry all over the surface. Briefly whisk the egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush the pie with the egg wash and pop in the oven for 45 minutes.
6. Serve piping hot. With pie, it's the only way.
Serves 8.
Katrina Meynink's Kitchen Keepers is a celebration of all that is excellent and delicious in home cooking.
Coming from a kitchen maximalist who knows how to dazzle when it comes to putting dinner on the table and to feeding loved ones with generosity and abundance, this is real food for the demands of a full, busy life. You'll want to make them over and over again.
Dressing
Fried capers
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Place the capsicum, red-wine vinegar, olive oil and brown sugar in a large roasting tin and toss to coat. Pop in the oven and roast until soft and caramelised, about 45 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the bread chunks and additional olive oil.
3. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with sea salt flakes and set aside.
4. For the fried capers, place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the capers and caperberries. Fry until the capers look crisp and the caperberries have taken on some colour.
5. To serve, layer the heirloom tomato slices on a serving platter. Generously season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to gently toss the capsicums and bread with the basil leaves then spoon over the tomato layer. Tear over the burrata and then spoon over the fried capers and caperberries. Finish by drizzling over the dressing and adding a generous seasoning of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
If your faff factor is low: Use jarred peppers and ditch roasting the capsicums.
Keeping it cheap and cheerful: Swap out heirloom tomatoes for chuck tomatoes, ditch the caperberries and swap burrata for an economical soft cheese.
Make it extra: Add basil flowers, micro basil and a mix of tomatoes on the vine with the heirlooms.
Serves 6 as part of a spread.
To serve
1. Combine the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a bowl and set aside for the sugar to dissolve.
2. In a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, bring the chicken stock to a soft boil, then add the pork, galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves. With a large metal spoon, work quickly to toss the pork so it cooks evenly (three to four minutes). Once cooked through thoroughly and you can't see a single pink bit, remove from the heat. This is the trigger point: you want it cooked through, but you also don't want to overcook it, as the meat will become tough rather than spongy and yielding like a trampoline for your mouth.
3. Transfer the pork to a bowl and add the ground rice, dried chillies, chopped herbs and the dissolved palm sugar mixture. Toss gently to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning - it should be spicy, sour and salty with just a slight hint of sweetness.
4. Serve with all the extras, and don't forget the spring rolls.
Hot tip: If you need to extend this to feed more mouths, serve with some steamed rice (and probably a few extra spring rolls).
Serves 4
Marinade
Honey lemon sauce
To serve
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add the chicken thighs and turn to coat well. If time is on your side, it's wondrous to marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight, but I've also done a quick dump-and-turn in the marinade and been just as happy. Either way, bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. To make the honey lemon sauce, put the honey and lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring to prevent catching, until the honey has warmed and the juice and zest are incorporated - it will begin to foam a little. Remove from the heat and stir through the cornflour slurry until combined. Return to the heat and continue to stir until the mixture is the thickness of golden syrup - you want it to still be runny but gloriously thick. Set aside until ready to serve.
3. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the rice bran oil and, once hot, fry the marinated chicken thighs until browned (two to three minutes each side). Reduce the heat to medium and continue frying until cooked through, up to another five to seven minutes, depending on thickness.
4. While hot, transfer with tongs to a chopping board and slice the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Put in a large bowl with the honey lemon sauce, gently turning to coat.
5. To serve, add chicken to bowls of steamed white rice and top with the sliced spring onions, crushed Sichuan peppercorns and sesame seeds.
Serves 4 to 6.
Masala paste
1. Put the masala paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a coarse paste.
2. Add the ghee to a frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add half the paste, about 1 cup, and cook until fragrant and the paste looks like it is going to split. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned all over. Add the coconut milk and give everything a good stir, then turn the heat down to a moderately active simmer. This is a sauce on a health kick: it's sweating and bubbling a little with the effort, but can't quite go for a run yet.
3. After about 30 minutes, stir in the potatoes, then simmer for another 30 minutes. You want to ensure some evaporation has occurred so you don't have a soupy pie. Preheat the oven to 180°.
4. Pour the mixture into a roasting tin approximately 32x24x5 cm and lay the sheet of puff pastry over the top. Gently press down along all the edges, or tuck in around the filling like you might put a blanket over a small child.
5. Using a fork, lightly prick the pastry all over the surface. Briefly whisk the egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush the pie with the egg wash and pop in the oven for 45 minutes.
6. Serve piping hot. With pie, it's the only way.
Serves 8.
Katrina Meynink's Kitchen Keepers is a celebration of all that is excellent and delicious in home cooking.
Coming from a kitchen maximalist who knows how to dazzle when it comes to putting dinner on the table and to feeding loved ones with generosity and abundance, this is real food for the demands of a full, busy life. You'll want to make them over and over again.
Dressing
Fried capers
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Place the capsicum, red-wine vinegar, olive oil and brown sugar in a large roasting tin and toss to coat. Pop in the oven and roast until soft and caramelised, about 45 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the bread chunks and additional olive oil.
3. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with sea salt flakes and set aside.
4. For the fried capers, place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the capers and caperberries. Fry until the capers look crisp and the caperberries have taken on some colour.
5. To serve, layer the heirloom tomato slices on a serving platter. Generously season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to gently toss the capsicums and bread with the basil leaves then spoon over the tomato layer. Tear over the burrata and then spoon over the fried capers and caperberries. Finish by drizzling over the dressing and adding a generous seasoning of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
If your faff factor is low: Use jarred peppers and ditch roasting the capsicums.
Keeping it cheap and cheerful: Swap out heirloom tomatoes for chuck tomatoes, ditch the caperberries and swap burrata for an economical soft cheese.
Make it extra: Add basil flowers, micro basil and a mix of tomatoes on the vine with the heirlooms.
Serves 6 as part of a spread.
To serve
1. Combine the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a bowl and set aside for the sugar to dissolve.
2. In a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, bring the chicken stock to a soft boil, then add the pork, galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves. With a large metal spoon, work quickly to toss the pork so it cooks evenly (three to four minutes). Once cooked through thoroughly and you can't see a single pink bit, remove from the heat. This is the trigger point: you want it cooked through, but you also don't want to overcook it, as the meat will become tough rather than spongy and yielding like a trampoline for your mouth.
3. Transfer the pork to a bowl and add the ground rice, dried chillies, chopped herbs and the dissolved palm sugar mixture. Toss gently to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning - it should be spicy, sour and salty with just a slight hint of sweetness.
4. Serve with all the extras, and don't forget the spring rolls.
Hot tip: If you need to extend this to feed more mouths, serve with some steamed rice (and probably a few extra spring rolls).
Serves 4
Marinade
Honey lemon sauce
To serve
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add the chicken thighs and turn to coat well. If time is on your side, it's wondrous to marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight, but I've also done a quick dump-and-turn in the marinade and been just as happy. Either way, bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. To make the honey lemon sauce, put the honey and lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring to prevent catching, until the honey has warmed and the juice and zest are incorporated - it will begin to foam a little. Remove from the heat and stir through the cornflour slurry until combined. Return to the heat and continue to stir until the mixture is the thickness of golden syrup - you want it to still be runny but gloriously thick. Set aside until ready to serve.
3. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the rice bran oil and, once hot, fry the marinated chicken thighs until browned (two to three minutes each side). Reduce the heat to medium and continue frying until cooked through, up to another five to seven minutes, depending on thickness.
4. While hot, transfer with tongs to a chopping board and slice the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Put in a large bowl with the honey lemon sauce, gently turning to coat.
5. To serve, add chicken to bowls of steamed white rice and top with the sliced spring onions, crushed Sichuan peppercorns and sesame seeds.
Serves 4 to 6.
Masala paste
1. Put the masala paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a coarse paste.
2. Add the ghee to a frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add half the paste, about 1 cup, and cook until fragrant and the paste looks like it is going to split. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned all over. Add the coconut milk and give everything a good stir, then turn the heat down to a moderately active simmer. This is a sauce on a health kick: it's sweating and bubbling a little with the effort, but can't quite go for a run yet.
3. After about 30 minutes, stir in the potatoes, then simmer for another 30 minutes. You want to ensure some evaporation has occurred so you don't have a soupy pie. Preheat the oven to 180°.
4. Pour the mixture into a roasting tin approximately 32x24x5 cm and lay the sheet of puff pastry over the top. Gently press down along all the edges, or tuck in around the filling like you might put a blanket over a small child.
5. Using a fork, lightly prick the pastry all over the surface. Briefly whisk the egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush the pie with the egg wash and pop in the oven for 45 minutes.
6. Serve piping hot. With pie, it's the only way.
Serves 8.