Curried Pumpkin & Lentil Soup

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
1.75kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped
5 cups vegetable stock
natural yoghurt, to serve

Method
Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Stir in curry powder and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add lentils, pumpkin, and stock. Stir until well-combined. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly until pumpkin is just tender.
Serve immediately, topped with a dollop of natural yoghurt if desired.

Fish Tacos

Ingredients
Wonton cups:
12 (3 1/4 by 3 1/4-inch square) wonton wrappers*
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Filling:
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 snapper fish fillets cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, halved, pitted and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 mango, peeled and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 cups coarsely chopped baby rocket
Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
Kosher salt

Creme fraiche: (French variety of Sour Cream)
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon wasabi powder*
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions

Special equipment: a 12-count nonstick muffin pan

For the wonton cups: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Using a pastry brush, brush each side of the wonton wrappers with canola oil. Gently press the wonton wrappers into the bottom and sides of a 12-count muffin pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently lift the wonton cups out of the pan and cool completely, about 10 minutes.

For the filling: In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Drizzle the snapper fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the fish in a single layer in the pan and cook until the flesh is flaky and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice. Season with salt, to taste. Add the avocado, green onions, and rocket. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

For the creme fraiche: In a small bowl, mix together the creme fraiche, wasabi powder and salt until smooth.

To assemble the tacos: Put the wonton cups on a platter and divide the avocado mixture into the cups. Top each with 3 to 4 pieces of fish. Spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons of the creme fraiche mixture on top of the fish and serve.

Grilled Endive Caesar Salad with White Beans

INGREDIENTS:
2 large heads endive
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 large cloves garlic, 1 grated or finely chopped, 1 halved
About 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 large, ripe lemon
About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
A generous handful of grated pecorino-Romano cheese
Lots of pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
A few grates of nutmeg
Ciabatta bread, sliced
5 large eggs, hard-boiled, then chopped (see tip)
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
You can pick up hard-boiled eggs at deli counters and salad bars; chop and reserve them. Or place raw eggs in a small pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. When the eggs come to a full boil, cover the pan and turn off the heat; let stand for 10 minutes. Run the eggs under cold water as you crack them. Let stand for a minute to loosen the shells, then peel and chop the eggs.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high. Fill the sink with water. Trim the escarole but leave the heads intact, then swish the escarole heads vigorously. Halve the heads and dry them with kitchen towels. In a shallow bowl, combine the anchovy paste, grated or chopped garlic, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Whisk in about ½ cup EVOO, the cheese and pepper. Coat the escarole lightly with the cooking spray and grill, turning once, until wilted and grill marks appear, about 5 minutes. Season the escarole halves with a little nutmeg and drizzle the anchovy dressing on top, or chop to mix thoroughly with the dressing. Char the bread slices on the grill, on the grill pan or under a hot broiler. Rub with the halved garlic and drizzle with EVOO. Chop the bread. Arrange the eggs and the cannellini beans over the halved escarole or toss with the chopped escarole. Serve with the bread.

Moroccan Chicken with Couscous

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Moroccan seasoning
4 (800g) chicken breast fillets, trimmed, halved lengthways
Moroccan couscous
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/3 cup currants
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
200g grape tomatoes, halved
75g baby spinach

Method
Combine oil, lemon juice and seasoning in a shallow, ceramic dish. Add chicken. Turn to coat.
Make Moroccan couscous: Bring 1 1/2 cups cold water to the boil in a saucepan over high heat. Remove pan from heat. Stir in couscous. Cover and stand for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Using a fork, stir to separate grains.
Place currants, vinegar and 1 tablespoon cold water in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50%) for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.
Add currant mixture, tomatoes and spinach to couscous. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Heat a greased barbecue plate or chargrill over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, brushing with oil mixture, for 2 minutes each side or until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with couscous.