Caprese salad is a family favorite of mine. I love the fresh taste and is quick and easy to bring together. 

Serves 4 

2-3 heirloom beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut into 10mm (1/2-inch) thick slices
200g (8 oz) wet mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
15 small basil leaves
Sea salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste 

Method 

Arrange sliced tomatoes on a large serving platter.

Cut mozzarella cheese and place over tomatoes.

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Serves 4.

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“Eating Savoury by Jimmy Boswell”

Super SPECIAL  Only $5.00 NZ$ – Save 60% ($4.00 US$)

All recipes are in imperial and metric so no conversion needed. 85 recipes, 135 pages with loads of pictures. 

Also includes charts on how to use and match herbs to meats and vegetables. Herb blends and loads of yummy savoury recipes.

Click this link to get your copy today. http://www.jimmyboswell.com/savoury_ebook.html

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Ingredients 

7 small apples or 5 large apples (I used gala apples but any sweet variety of apples will do)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ cup raw honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon (I also add a pinch of cloves but this is optional) 

Method

In a large skillet, add the water and the lemon juice.  Peel, core and chop the apples into bite sized chunks and put them in the lemon, honey and water mixture. Since apples tend to brown when exposed to the air, I peeled and chopped each one individually and then put it into the lemon water.  The acid from the lemon will keep the apples from turning brown. 

Heat the skillet on a high heat until the water is boiling, cover, and reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the apples are soft.   

Stir in the cinnamon, and mix the sauce until it’s incorporated.  If you like a smooth apple sauce, you can drop the mixture into the food processor or use a potato masher to get to the desired consistency.  

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1 cup dry red wine, whatever your drinking

1 cup chicken or beef stock (broth)

2 cloves of garlic,

1 sprig of fresh rosemary 

Grab a small saucepan and put it over a low heat. Smash 2 garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife and drop them into the saucepan. 

Pour in the wine and submerge the rosemary sprig. If your rosemary too long to fit in the saucepan cut it in half with some scissors. 

Let the red wine simmer with the herbs over a medium heat until the volume has reduced by half. This should take about 20 minutes depending on how hot your stove is. Give it a swirl around the pan every 10 minutes to combine. 

Once reduced, pour in the stock along with a some fresh ground black pepper. 

Again, let the sauce reduce by half over a medium heat (let it simmer, but not boil) for about another 20 mins. 

You can make this ahead of time and reheat. Leaving it on a lower heat for longer will give you a much more concentrated sauce. 

Strain through a fine sieve, or just spoon out of the saucepan over the meat

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Ingredients 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 cup fresh onion, minced or grated fine
2 small shallots, minced or 4 spring onions diced fine
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon each of ground fennel, cumin, turmeric, cardamom and clove, combined
1 tablespoon Harissa paste or 1/4 teaspoon ground chilli flakes
150g (6 ounce) tomato paste
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or 3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon raw honey 

Method 

Heat oil in a 1 medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Add sea salt, garlic, and shallots, and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir until all ingredients are well combined. 

Bring to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook with the lid ajar, stirring periodically until mixture reduces and thickens, 20-30 minutes. 

Pour sauce into a wide-mouth glass jar, cover and refrigerate. Use within 2 weeks or you can freeze in cubes for later use.

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Ingredients 

4 – 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, diced fine
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup raw honey
200g (1/4 lb) streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces (optional)
Zest of 1 large lemon, I use a zester that makes strips
Zest of 1 lime

Method 

In a large bowl add the cubed chicken and the rest of the ingredients except the bacon and mix well ensuring all of the chicken cubes are well coated. Cover and rest over night in the fridge to marinade. 

The next day soak plenty of bamboo skewers in water for at least 1 hour. This will ensure that they do not burn when you cook the skewers over a hot grill. 

Take the chicken out of the fridge and let come to room temperature for at least 20 minutes before you assemble the skewers. 

To assemble, start with a chicken cube then a piece of bacon and then continue chicken, bacon etc till you have a layered skewer about 100mm, 4 inches in of length on the skewer. 

Continue with loading skewers till you have used all the chicken and bacon. 

Reserve the left over marinade to use as a baste when cooking. You can chill these covered on a flat plate until you are ready to cook. If you chill them take them out of the fridge for 20 minutes to come to room temperature before cooking. 

BBQ – on a medium heat, for 10 to 15 minutes, turning and basting every few minutes or until chicken is no longer pink & bacon, if using is crisp.

Serve with seasonal fresh salads

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This is an easy breakfast or brunch recipe that is full of flavours. Prepare and serve straight away as chilling will dull the taste of the fresh tomatoes.

3-4 fresh large tomatoes, sliced or about a cup of grape (cherry) tomatoes

1-2 cups cooked shrimps or prawns 

1/2 red onion, sliced

2 avocados, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Red wine vinegar (a good, strong red wine vinegar)

Extra virgin olive oil (the best quality)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

METHOD 

Place layers of the shrimps, sliced tomatoes on a large serving platter. Arrange the slivers of red onions and the chunks of avocado over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley, garlic, and oregano. Drizzle red wine vinegar and olive oil over the platter. 

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately. Do not refrigerate as this will dull the flavour of the tomatoes.

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Pesto is Italian to the core. To make quality pesto, first get the finest, freshest basil you can find. Its easy to make and yummy to serve when entertaining. 

Makes about 1 cup 

1 cup firmly packed with fresh basil

2 tbsp pine nuts

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

3–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan until minced. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream and process until emulsified (until the oil is well dispersed into the mix). 

Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 5 days.

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This dish is a little bit different and it always looks impressive. The cabbage leaves add great colour. 

Makes 8 

8 large flat mushrooms

1 small onion, finely chopped

1–2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tbsp chopped oregano

120 g Brie, cut into 5 mm (1/4 inch) cubes

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

16 cabbage leaves, washed 

Preheat oven to 200 °C (430 °F). 

Remove stems from mushrooms. Chop stems and sauté with onion and garlic in olive oil until onion has softened. Add pine nuts, parsley and oregano and set aside to cool. Once cool, mix in Brie and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Stuff mushroom caps with the filling and place in a baking dish lightly greased with butter. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil and cover with oiled cabbage leaves. 

Cook in the oven for 20 minutes and serve on trimmed fresh cabbage leaves.

Recipe from The New Zealand Gluten-Free Cookbook Jimmy Boswell 1012 Published by Penguin New Zealand http://www.jimmyboswell.com  

Photography by Sean Shadbolt http://www.foodphotography.co.nz

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I just love parsnips, and this version comes out of the oven golden and crisp.

Serves 4 as a side

¼ cup coconut flour

1 level tsp mustard powder

60 g (2 oz) Parmesan, finely grated

salt and freshly ground black

pepper, to taste

1.5 kg (3 ¼ lb) parsnips, peeled and topped

olive oil or ghee

Preheat oven to 200 °C. (430 °F)

Combine flour, mustard powder, Parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.

Cut the parsnips into quarters, or eighths if they are large. If the centers are woody, cut them out.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the parsnips and boil for 3 minutes before draining in a colander. Using a pair of tongs (the parsnips will still be hot), place a few pieces in the flour and cheese mix. Move around until coated and then transfer to a tray. Repeat until all of the parsnips have been coated.

Pour just enough olive oil or ghee, about 2 tbsp’s into a roasting dish to cover the bottom and pop it into the oven to preheat. Once heated, take the roasting dish from the oven. Add the parsnips, taking care not to splash yourself with hot oil. Once all of the parsnips have been added, turn them over so they are well coated. Return the roasting dish to the oven and bake the parsnips for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn the parsnips in the hot oil again thenremove the surplus oil by tilting the pan and using a spoon to scoop it out. Return to the oven for another 15–20 minutes until really crisp and golden.

Transfer the parsnips to a warmed dish and serve.

Recipe from The New Zealand Gluten-Free Cookbook Jimmy Boswell 1012 Published by Penguin New Zealand http://www.jimmyboswell.com  

Photography by Sean Shadbolt http://www.foodphotography.co.nz

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