HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

A few years ago I went to a Chinese restaurant in Sydney and they served a dish with beans I totally fell in love with. I have been trying to reciprocate it since, but still cannot get the taste I got there. However, this dish is very tasty and goes well with the rest of the dishes I prepared for dinner - see below. I was not able to find the preserved mustard cabbage so I used kimchi instead. It was delish! INGREDIENTS 1 kg snake or green beans, trimmed 150 g minced pork and veal  2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 1/2 tsp roasted sesame oil oil for deep frying 5 Tbsp finely chopped preserved mustard cabbage ( I used kimchi instead ) 3 spring onions, finely chopped 1 1/2 tsp sugar METHOD: Trim the beans and cut them into 5 cm pieces.  Put the meat in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the rice wine and the sesame oil and stir vigorously to combine. Get the rest of the ingredients ready. Fill a wok with about...

This salad is just delicious, but unfortunately where we live is very difficult to get the yellow beans. I sometimes use snow peas instead. I have made some changes to the original recipe, and I have used my favourite salad dressing and rocket, it really enhances the flavours.  INGREDIENTS 6 slices prosciutto 170g green beans 175g wax beans ( I've just doubled the green beans ) 175g tinned butter beans, rinsed and drained 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp Dijon mustard 5 handfuls Italian parsley, roughly chopped 2 handfuls of rocket 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted METHOD: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, grill or pan-fry the prosciutto until it is crisp and then allow to drain on paper towel. Blanch the green and wax beans in the boiling water for a few minutes or until the green ones begin to turn an emerald green. Drain the beans and refresh under cold running water. Put the olive oil,...

These fish cakes are super easy to make and they are beautiful. They are suitable for celiacs  because they do not have any flour or breadcrumbs. They need resting in the fridge for about one hour, so you can prepare them ahead and then it takes nothing to cook them. Super delicious with the dipping sauce. I love them with a Crunchy Asian salad on the side to have a whole healthy dinner. INGREDIENTS: 500g skinless firm white fish fillets 200g raw prawns, peeled and deveined 3 Tbsp Thai red curry paste 4 snake beans or 10 green beans, finely sliced 4 makrut (kaffir lime) leaves, finely shredded 6 Thai basil leaves, shredded ( or normal basil if not available ) oil, for frying Cucumber dipping sauce 1 Lebanese cucumber, seeded and finely diced 2 small red chillies, finely sliced ( remove seeds if you don't like it hot ) 1/2 cup grated palm sugar 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves METHOD: Put the fish, prawns and curry paste in a food p...

This is the sort of salad that can be served as a side dish for anything. It works well with meat, fish or just next to a vegetarian quiche. It is healthy and delicious. What else do you need? INGREDIENTS 350g asparagus, trimmed and sliced withdways, at a sharp angle, into 3-4 thin pieces 200g green beans, trimmed 300g broad beans, fresh or frozen 50g baby spinach leaves or rocket and spinach 1 banana shallot, very thinly sliced or 1 green onion 1 red chilli, seeded and finely diced 1/2 tsp sesame oil 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted 1 tsp nigella seeds salt METHOD: Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the asparagus and blanch for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice-cold water. ( or in the sink ) Add the green beans to the boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to transfer them to the bowl with the asparagus, drain both and then set aside to dry. A...

INGREDIENTS 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped 6 gherkins, finely chopped 8 olives, deseeded and finely chopped 1 Tbsp capers 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil METHOD: To make the tomato salsa, just mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Set aside. Add to roasted vegetables, pasta, boiled green beans or salad greens.

This is a classic French dish in which more mature chicken benefits from slow cooking. It's very mild in taste but it's healthy and easy to cook. I use the leftover stock to make soup. INGREDIENTS 1.6kg free-range chicken 1 large onion, chopped 1 bouquet garni (tie together a few bay leaves, parsley sprigs and thyme sprigs with kitchen string) 1 cup (250ml) white wine 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock 4 baby leeks, trimmed (or 2 leeks) 1 bunch baby (Dutch) carrots (or 2-3 carrots cut into big pieces) 4 potatoes, peeled 100g thin green beans, ends trimmed Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to sprinkle Toasted baguette and low-fat ricotta, to serve METHOD Preheat oven at 150°C. Season the chicken and truss with string. Place the chicken and onion in a cast-iron pot. (You can use a slow cooker.) Add the bouquet garni, wine, stock and enough water to cover. Season with salt and pepper and cover with the lid. Cook on a low heat for about 4 hours until the chicken is ...

This is a very yummy and simple recipe. I had some green beans I needed to use as well as many cherry tomatoes from the garden. I adapted this recipe from Jamie Oliver and it turned out very well. It was very delicious. INGREDIENTS: 2 salmon fillets, pinned  boned 750gr green beans, trimmed 2 punnets cherry tomatoes (or other tomatoes), cut in half 1-2 handfuls of black olives, deseeded and roughly chopped a handful of fresh basil leaves, picked 1-2 lemons 2 small red chillies (optional) 10 anchovy fillets, finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper olive oil mayonnaise or all i oli for serving (optional) Preheat the oven to 200C. Blanch the green beans until tender (2-3 minutes) in salted, boiling water, and drain. Rinse them under cold water. Put them in an ovenproof dish and add the tomatoes, olives, anchovies, basil and chillies. Drizzle with olive oil. Put the beans in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes. Season th...

This recipe is a combination of the recipes from Adam Liaw, Karen Martini and Kylie Kwong. You can have it as an entrée , but we usually eat it as main. No need to cook anything else. INGREDIENTS: 500g pork and veal mince 1 Tbsp grated ginger  2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 8 dried shiitake mushrooms (or fresh if you can find them) 1 small carrot, peeled and finely sliced 12 green beans, cut into 1cm  length 1 stick of celery, finely diced 1/2 red onion, finely sliced 2 long red chillies, finely sliced 2 spring onions, finely sliced 115g bean sprouts a handful of coriander sprigs 4 Tbsp peanuts, toasted 2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 2 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp cornflour 1 tsp dark soy sauce 2 Tbsp peanut oil or any other vegetable oil 1 iceberg lettuce 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce, to serve METHOD Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, then remove from the liquid (reservin...