Beer-battered Fish Tacos with Native Spices

Mexican-inspired meals are always popular at our place, and one of the few dinners that makes everyone happy - mostly because it's so easy for each person to customise their own dish! This particular recipe is a riff on Baja-style fish tacos, with four different native Australian spices or spice blends used in my version.

This delicious and lightly spiced batter could be also be used for other seafood and served with chips and salad.

Ingredients

Beer-battered Fish

500 grams of firm white fish fillets, in 2.5cm slices
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Outback Pride Saltbush Flakes
1 tsp Outback Pride Native Pepperleaf Flakes
1 tsp Outback Pride Tanami Fire
1 cup Corona beer + 1/3 cup if needed
Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Dressing

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp Outback Pride Lemon Myrtle Flakes

Tacos

1/4 small cabbage, chopped (green or red is fine)
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1 lime, halved, and one half cut into quarters
Corn or flour tortillas, warmed to serve
Chopped fresh coriander
Sliced avocado (optional)

Method

1. Place the chopped cabbage and red onion in a bowl and squeeze one half of the lime all over. Stir to combine and set aside.
2. To make the dressing, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, crushed garlic and lemon myrtle flakes in a small bowl. Cover and place in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, saltbush flakes, tanami fire and native pepperleaf flakes to a mixing bowl, and stir well. Whisk the mixture while adding 1 cup of beer, and continue whisking until smooth and kind of pancake consistency. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes or so. If the batter is too thick at this stage, add the extra 1/3 cup of beer and whisk to combine.
4. Place vegetable oil for deep-frying in a deep frypan or saucepan, and heat over medium-high.
5. Lay out the fish strips and pat them dry. Test if the oil is ready by dropping a little batter in - if it bubbles around the edge immediately then the oil is hot enough.
6. In the meantime, wrap the tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Alternatively, you can microwave them right before serving.
7. Dredge the fish strips in the batter and place in the hot oil to cook, in batches so that the pan doesn't get too crowded. When golden brown all over, use tongs to remove and drain on paper towels.
8. To serve, place a warmed tortilla on your plate and add some of the cabbage onion mix. Lay a strip of battered fish over the cabbage, and then sprinkle fresh coriander on top. Drizzle or dollop the creamy lemon myrtle dressing all over.
9. Fold the tortilla in half to enjoy!

Slow Roasted Pork with Native Pepperleaf and Fennel Seeds

Slow roasted pork is one of my favourite indulgences, and fills the house with incredible aromas as it spends hours cooking away in the oven. This version was created when I had about 5 hours available, though I will take as long as I have - if you have 8 hours, for instance, reduce the temperature even further after the initial blast of heat, and cover it with foil if you're concerned about the edges getting overcooked. I love the soft, falling apart result of pulled pork, and really enjoy adding native Australian pepperleaf to this version.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp Native Pepperleaf Flakes
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1/2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pork shoulder cut, about 1.5-2kg

METHOD

Remove the pork shoulder from the fridge a couple of hours before you want to cook it (ideally, though an hour should be enough) so that it can come to room temperature. If you love a crispy skin on your roast, dry it out by keeping it uncovered in your fridge overnight before cooking. Score the skin with a sharp knife, either in parallel lines or criss-crossed over the top.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius.

Combine the pepperleaf flakes, fennel seeds and salt with the olive oil, and rub the oil and spice mix all over the pork shoulder roast. Place on a rack in a roasting dish, and place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 160 degrees celsius, and roast for a further 4 hours. Take the roast our of the oven, cover with aluminium foil and allow to rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

Feeds 6 ish

Enjoy!

Kutjera, Beef and Onion Pastries

Since we've been living in the United States, the kids have missed the Aussie bakery - where meat and vegie pies are aplenty, and make for an easy (and economical!) treat lunch. Happily, we have discovered piroshky, Russian pastries available from a nearby shopping center. I love the ones made with puff pastry, and was inspired to make my own native-Australian-flavoured puff-pastry pies at home.

These are somewhere between a pie and a pasty in form, and unlike typical Aussie pies are completely surrounded in puff pastry, rather than shortcrust. Much like my various sausage roll variations, using puff pastry sheets is both for simplicity and flavour - I adore the flakiness!

The beef mince here uses ground kutjera - or, bush tomato - as well as native pepper seasoning for a uniquely Australian twist. The thing I love about my native Australian pantry is that jars of herbs and spices are easy to take overseas, and last quite awhile in the cupboard. I brought the whole range of sealed jars over here with me, and have been enjoying using them in my home cooking.

Ingredients

500gm beef mince
2 medium onions
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp Outback Pride Ground Kutjera
1/2 tbsp Outback Pride Native Pepper Seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt + more to taste, as necessary
2 tbsp olive oil
4 sheets puff pastry
2 eggs, beaten

Method

1. Mince the onion and garlic in a food processor or similar. Put the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the onion mixture to the pan. Stir, cooking gently, for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft.

2. Add the cumin, kutjera, native pepper seasoning and paprika to the pan. Stir for 1 minute. Add the beef mince, and break up the meat thoroughly as it cooks. Reduce heat to low.

3. Season with salt, stir to combine and continue to cook the meat down. Taste the mixture and continue to season to taste. Simmer the meat mixture for about 10 minutes, and then remove from heat. Allow to cool.

4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 pieces. One at a time, brush the square of pastry with egg and place 1/4 cup beef mixture carefully in the centre. Fold opposite corners of the pastry in to overlap in the middle, and press together. Fold the remaining two corners in, overlap the points of the corners in the centre, and press together the pastry edges to seal.

5. Place them on a baking tray with baking paper / parchment paper and brush each pie with the egg mixture to glaze. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve with your favourite sauce or relish!

Makes 16 pastries

Fennel, Goat Cheese and Native Pepperleaf Salad

While simple, this is a tasty warm salad that is easily adaptable depending on the ingredients you have on hand. You can swap out - or add to - the fennel for another veg that suits grilling, such as pumpkin. There's also room for additional ingredients, if you'd like to turn it into a more substantial meal.

Garnishing in this way is also a great method of becoming familiar with the flavours of native herbs and spices.

Ingredients

2 bulbs fennel, chopped into wedges

Extra virgin olive oil

Rocket or mixed salad leaves

Meredith Dairy goat cheese

2 teaspoons dried native pepper flakes

Step One

Heat a grill pan or bbq grill on high for five minutes, then brush with olive oil. Place the wedges of fennel bulb evenly across the grill. Reduce the heat to medium.

If you are using a grill pan on your stove top, you can speed up the cooking time by pouring in a half cup of water to steam the fennel at the same time. Turn the heat back up to high for this method.

Step Two

Turn the fennel over to chargrill the other side. Prepare the salad leaves on a plate, and then add the warm chargrilled fennel wedges.

Step Three

Crumble goat cheese across the salad, and then sprinkle with the native pepperleaf flakes. Serve immediately. As you eat the warmth from the fennel will melt the goat cheese into a dressing. Serves 4-6 as a side.

Saltbush and Mountain Pepper Calamari

Ingredients

3 squid tubes, sliced into rings
1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour
1 teaspoon saltbush flakes
1 teaspoon ground mountain pepper
1 teaspoon sea parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 litre canola oil

Step One

Heat the oil in a pan. Pat dry the calamari rings with a paper towel.

Step Two

Combine the flour, herbs and salt in a bowl. Toss the calamari rings in the mixture to coat.

Step Three

To cook the calamari quickly, make sure the oil is nice and hot. Cook the rings in batches until golden. Serve straight away with a yummy salad :)

Lamb and Mountain Pepper Cassoulet

I make this recipe in my slow cooker, but if you are going to cook it in a casserole dish, begin by preheating the oven to 160 degrees celsius.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1kg lamb chops (I use free range bbq chops from my butcher)
1 bunch spring onions, ends trimmed, cut into 10cm lengths
400gm can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
3 sprigs rosemary
1 tablespoon Outback Pride Mountain Pepper
1 cup passatta
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock

Step One

Heat oil in a large frying pan and brown chops on both sides, in batches. Transfer to slow cooker or casserole dish.

Step Two

Add spring onions, beans, garlic, rosemary and mountain pepper to the lamb. Pour the chicken stock, red wine and passatta over the lamb.

Step Three

Cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high, 7-8 hours on low or if cooking in a casserole dish, about 90 minutes with the lid on. Serve over rice, garnish with yoghurt or sour cream.

Native Thyme Kangaroo Lasagne

This tasty lasagne is another warm home-cooked favourite. If you already have a favourite lasagne recipe, why not use that but toss in some native herbs for extra flavour? In this version I've used Native Thyme - my personal favourite - but Native Basil would also work, a touch of Tanami Fire would add bite or try Ground Kutjera for a smoky caramel tomato flavour. Just pick one and see how you like it :)

Ingredients

1kg kangaroo mince (or replace with other type of mince)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 onions, quartered and finely sliced
2 large carrots, grated
1/4 cup olive oil
700g passata
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup red wine
3 tsp native thyme
1/2 tsp mountain pepper
375gm ricotta
250g lasagne sheets
1/2 cup each tasty and mozzarella cheese, grated

Step One

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan or frypan. Add the garlic to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Add the mince and onion and stir, breaking up the mince and browning all over.

Step Two

Add the grated carrot to the pan, and stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until carrot softens.

Step Three

Pour in the tomato passata, tomato paste and red wine. Stir and bring to the boil over high heat. Add the native thyme and mountain pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Step Four

In a rectangular baking dish, spoon some of the sauce over the base. Top with lasagne sheets and then layer the bolognaise sauce and lasagne sheets. With the second from top layer, spread the ricotta cheese over the top of the sauce before adding the lasagne sheet. Top with the remainder of the sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheeses.

Step Five

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown all over. Divide and serve with salad and bread.

Serves 6.

Seafood and Lemon Myrtle Pie

This is very 'home cooking' style pie, easy to adjust depending on what you have on hand. You can easily replace the fresh fish and prawns with a tin of salmon or tuna, and vary the vegetables as you wish! Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
3 brushed potatoes, medium
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
400g white fish fillets
200g peeled green prawns
1 tsp Ground Lemon Myrtle
1 tbsp Sea Parsley
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 butter or low-fat dairy spread
1/4 cup plain flour
Cracked Black Pepper OR Ground Mountain Pepper
Ground Sea Salt
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Step One

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes (approx 1.5cm). Cook until just tender - I use the microwave but boiling is also fine. I'd also add some sweet potato normally, instead of one of the brushed potatoes, but had run out. Give it a try though :) When cooked, drain and pour the potato cubes into a baking / casserole dish.

Step Two

Finely chop the celery and onion. I use the food processor, simply so the veg is nice and disguised for the kids to eat!

Step Three

Cut the fish fillets (skin removed) into cubes, approximately 1 inch square. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the fish pieces, in batches if necessary. Add the prawns for the last 30 seconds, and then remove the seafood from pan, adding to the baking dish on top of the cooked potatoes.

Step Four

Heat the butter in the saucepan and add chopped onion and celery, crushed garlic and lemon myrtle. Reduce heat to low-medium and saute 10 minutes or until soft.

Step Five

Quickly stir in the flour and then begin to add milk a little at a time, stirring well between each addition. Increase heat and bring sauce to a boil, stirring regularly.

Step Six

Add 1 tablespoon Sea Parsley and season well with salt and pepper (to taste). Stir and remove from heat.

Step Seven

Pour the sauce over the seafood and potatoes in the baking dish. Trim the sheet of puff pastry and lay over the pie and tuck in the edges. I also cut shapes from the excess puff pastry to decorate. Cut steam holes in the top and baste the pastry with beaten egg.

Step Eight

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve over various steamed vegetables. Enjoy!

Native Basil and Tomato Pasta Sauce

Pastas like this always remind me of my husband's 'bachelor cooking' before we were married. Ben and Toby (his older brother) lived together and tomato-based vegie pastas were a regular, and when I visited Ben and I would often throw one together for dinner. It's easy - just whatever veg you have handy, a tin of tomatoes and some tasty herbs - yum! This version serves 2-3 and makes use of the flavoursome Native Basil with a touch of Mountain Pepper.

Ingredients
1 tbsp (a splash) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion
1/2 red capsicum, halved again and finely sliced
1/2 stalk celery, finely sliced
1 small mild chilli (or a small portion of a spicier chilli!)
A couple of handfuls of mushrooms, halved and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 400g tin diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp Native Basil
1/2 tsp Ground Mountain Pepper
Ground sea salt, to taste


Step One

Assemble ingredients and chop onion, celery, capsicum and chilli. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat.

Step Two

Saute garlic, onion and celery for about 1 minute before adding the capsicum and chilli. Saute for another few minutes and in the meantime, slice the mushrooms.

Step Three

Add the mushrooms to the vegetable mix, stir and continue cooking until all the vegetables are soft.

Step Four


Pour in the tin of tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Add the basil and tomato paste, and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. While simmering, put your pasta on to cook.

Step Five

Add Mountain Pepper to the sauce with a pinch of salt. Taste and season further if required.

Step Six

Drain pasta and divide between bowls. Top with a generous serve of sauce and a sprinkling of shredded parmesan if desired. Enjoy :)

Vegetable Salmon Mornay

We have a thing with mornay recipes, where my husband and I make them together, or swap who plays the role of chef. The ingredients constantly change depending on what we have around the place, but Ben was certain that this particular version was one of the best ever - thanks to the tasty addition of native herbs, I'm sure!

Ingredients

2 onions, diced
50gms butter
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
1/2 broccoli head, finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
2 cups milk
1 x 300gm tin creamed corn
1 x 415gm tin pink salmon
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated cheese
2 teaspoons Mountain Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Sea Parsley
Sea salt & cracked pepper, to serve


Step One

Saute the vegetables in the butter, adding more if necessary, until soft.

Step Two

Add the flour to the vegetable / butter mix, stirring to absorb the butter. Slowly add milk, stirring the whole time so as to avoid creating lumps in the sauce. Bring to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer.

Step Three

One at a time, add the corn, peas and salmon to the sauce. Stir the cheese in until it melts and blends in, add the herbs and let the sauce simmer until it thickens. Season to taste, and serve over rice.

Kangaroo and Kutjera Stroganoff

The meat I use for this recipe is Macro Meats' herb and garlic kangaroo steaks (I slice or dice them), but I imagine you could use beef or veal or whatever if you like. Just keep in mind that the marinade affects the flavour, so I have no idea what it would taste like with an alternative meat! If anyone tries it, please let me know :)

Only taking about 20 minutes to whip up, this is a great weeknight meal.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter / dairy spread
2 small onions (or 1 large), diced
3 teaspoons ground Kutjera
1 teaspoon paprika (mild, I used Hungarian this time, but whatever you have handy)
1/3 cup plain flour
Approx 400gm kangaroo steak in herb & garlic, diced or cut into strips
220gm tin of mushrooms in butter sauce
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Mountain Pepper Flakes or Ground Mountain Pepper
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sour cream

Step 1

Using a large saucepan or medium frypan, saute onion in half the butter until soft and slightly translucent. Scoop the onions out with a slotted spoon, leaving any remaining butter behind. Set aside.

Step 2

Combine the plain flour with the paprika and ground kutjera. Thoroughly coat the pieces of meat with the flour mixture. Melt the remaining butter in the saucepan before adding the floured meat, and brown all over.

Step 3

Add the tin of Mushroom in Butter Sauce and the cup of water. Return the onion to the saucepan, and stir in the tomato paste. Add the Mountain Pepper Flakes, and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Step 4

Stir the sour cream through the sauce, and remove from heat. Season to taste with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Serve alongside basmati rice and steamed greens, such as broccoli or green beans. Optional extra: sprinkle a bit of Sea Parsley over the stroganoff.

Pan-Fried Fish and Seafood

This one of our regular dinners during the Summer months. Floured and pan-fried fish is quick and easy to prepare, makes a light meal for a hot day and is perfect to serve with a healthy salad.

Ingredients

Approximately 500gm fish fillets (such as flake, basa, snapper, etc)
200gm shelled green prawns (I buy these frozen)
1 calamari tube, sliced into 1cm rings
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon lemon myrtle flakes or ground lemon myrtle
2 teaspoons sea parsley
Cracked black pepper or mountain pepper flakes, to season
Olive oil



Step 1

Mix the flour and native herbs. These quantities are approximate - vary the amounts of flour and herbs depending on the actual amount of fish or seafood you have.

Step 2

Toss the fish, prawns and calamari in the flour mixture. Heat 1cm of oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Step 3

Lightly shallow-fry the fish and seafood in batches until lightly golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels before serving with salad.


OTHER IDEAS

This is another recipe where the herbs are easy to vary, depending on what you have on hand. I chose herbs from the Outback Cafe herb range found in Safeway supermarkets, but the Outback Pride range also has a few suitable herb mixes.

Seafood Sprinkle makes it easy, as this mix is designed for use with fish and seafood dishes. You could also try Desert Flakes for a different flavour.

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Mountain Pepper

This week's recipe is a versatile creamy pasta - every time I make this it has different ingredients, depending on what is in the fridge! This version has a nice variety of colours as well as a yummy creamy flavour. To reduce the fat content, you could replace the cream with light & creamy evaporated milk.

Ingredients

250g dried penne
300g chicken fillet, diced
150ml thickened cream
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves, if using fresh garlic)
1/2 medium red capsicum, cut in half lengthways and finely sliced
Half an avocado, diced
Olive Oil
1 tsp Mountain Pepper Flakes
Pine nuts (optional) and shredded parmesan, to serve

Step One

Add pasta to a saucepan of salted boiling water. Stir, and leave to cook.
Meanwhile, heat a splash of olive oil in a non-stick frypan or saucepan. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or so before adding the diced chicken. Brown chicken and garlic.

Step Two
Add capsicum, and saute with chicken until capsicum softens.

Step Three

Add cream to pan, stir, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 8-10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Drain pasta when cooked (al dente - just slightly firm).

Step Four

Stir avocado and mountain pepper flakes (1 teaspoon, or to taste) through the creamy sauce. Remove from heat. Combine with cooked pasta.

Step Five

Serve with toasted pine nuts and shredded parmesan. Enjoy!


OTHER IDEAS

Replace avocado with pitted kalamata olives and add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and a pinch of chilli flakes to the creamy sauce for a rosa chicken pasta.
As well as your standard salt and pepper, keep a herb shaker of mountain pepper flakes on your table - try adding this tasty and mild native pepper to your everyday meals instead of (or as well as) regular black pepper.

Native Herb Crumbed Chicken

I'm going to introduce this blog with a recipe for an old family fave, reinvented with the addition of native herbs. My mum used to make these crumbed chicken drumsticks, and even though I never got the official recipe, I remembered enough of the general idea to come up with this new version!

Ingredients

Approximately 8 large chicken drumsticks (or 10 smaller ones)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup natural yoghurt
1 1/2 teaspoon saltbush flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon mountain pepper flakes
3 teaspoons native thyme
1 teaspoon kutjera

Step One

Preheat oven to about 200 degrees. Prepare a tray with baking paper. Pull all the skin off the chicken drumsticks and discard. Set chicken aside.

Step Two


Combine breadcrumbs and all herbs on a large plate. Feel free to adjust the quantities and types of herbs used according to what you have, and to your taste. Mix well and then spread out across the plate.

Step Three


Dollop natural yoghurt onto a second large plate. Take each drumstick and coat in the yoghurt before rolling in the herb and breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken pieces on the tray.

Step Four

Use a cooking spray, such as an olive oil spray, to lightly coat all sides of the chicken. The only tricky bit of this recipe is stopping the crumbs from sticking to the tray when the chicken is cooked! Bake the chicken in the oven for about 50-60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the drumsticks, until cooked through and crispy on the outside. Serve hot or cold, with salad. A bit of Quandong and Chilli Sauce would also be tasty on the side :)



OTHER IDEAS
Homemade crumbing is a great way of getting a taste for native herbs and spices. You can use crumbing for your own schnitzels, small pieces of chicken fillet, seafood, steak, etc. I love combining the native herb mix 'Seafood Sprinkle' with breadcrumbs for my calamari rings! If you are a fan of hot and spicy, 'Tanami Fire' would make a great addition to some crumbed steak. You can try out all sorts of herb and breadcrumb combinations, and they are a great way of getting used to the different native herb flavours. Especially in Summer - BBQ season!