Chelsea & Me: Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Chelsea Winter. Winner of Masterchef NZ in 2012, author of three cookbooks, and my go-to gal when I’m in a recipe funk. At My Table and Everyday Delicious and now her new book, Homemade Happiness, are the most-used and most-recommended cookbooks in my kitchen, so I’m making it my mission to try every recipe.
~~~~~~~~~

I’m not a huge muffin fan, but I do love pumpkin and something about this recipe really caught my eye. I think it was the idea of pumpkin and brown sugar dancing together in the mixture, creating a magical caramel batter with hints of ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

The recipe is very simple and quick, like all good muffin recipes should be. The only lengthy part of the process was chopping and cooking the pumpkin, but once it was simmering away on the stove I was able to get all the other ingredients together and clear up as I went.

But what you really want to know is, “What did they taste like??”, right?

Amazing. Delicious. Sweet. Spicy. Fluffy.

I didn’t tell my kids that they contained pumpkin, and they both scoffed them down; knowing it was the main ingredient, I could taste it, but if I didn’t know….well…I wouldn’t have known. The flavour was subtle, and the cinnamon and Demerara topping was a lovely addition; the soft, fluffy muffin combined with the sweet, crunchy topping was really, really good.

(This recipe can be found in Everyday Delicious.)

Chelsea & Me: Eggplant Parmigiana

Chelsea Winter. Winner of Masterchef NZ in 2012, author of three cookbooks, and my go-to gal when I’m in a recipe funk. At My Table and Everyday Delicious and now her new book, Homemade Happiness, are the most-used and most-recommended cookbooks in my kitchen, so I’m making it my mission to try every recipe.
~~~~~~~~~

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know how much I love eggplant. When I saw that At My Table featured a recipe for one of my favourite dishes, Eggplant Parmigiana, I might have danced around the kitchen with the book clasped to my chest.

I had high expectations, and was prepared for disappointment, but Chelsea’s recipe is a definite winner. The first time I made it, Tall was out for a schmoozy work dinner, and I think I ate the portion that would have been his, as well as my own. The next day, friends came for a play date, and I cringe a little now as I recall that I actually forced them to try it (sorry ladies!).

The chunky, crunchy breadcrumbs on top were in delicious textural contrast to the soft eggplant, and the pinch of chilli flakes lifted an otherwise-ordinary tomato sauce to a soul-soaringly high level. The combination of flavours and textures all works so well to make a really tasty dish that is quite delightful to eat.

The recipe serves four, but as my kids don’t like eggplant (“It’s too mushy!” they cry), I serve this with a big green salad and some crusty bread, and there are enough leftovers for Tall’s lunch the next day, and dinner the next night.

Chelsea & Me: Pasta

Chelsea Winter. Winner of Masterchef NZ in 2012, author of three cookbooks, and my go-to gal when I’m in a recipe funk. At My Table and Everyday Delicious are the most-used and most-recommended cookbooks in my kitchen, so I’m making it my mission to try every recipe. And of course, her new book, Homemade Happiness, is on my Christmas wish-list!
~~~~~~~~~

Prawn, Lemon, Pea and Chilli Spaghetti
This is a really light, fresh pasta dish, perfect for those summer nights when you can’t be bothered firing up the barbecue. It’s super-quick too.

Creamy Spinach and Salmon Pasta
Another quick, light and delicate pasta offering, one that we all enjoyed. It definitely needs the fresh herbs to lift the sauce.

Seafood Fettucine
For a while, I was making this dish every week – we all LOVE it. It’s so easy, can be made with any variety of seafood, and is full of flavour. My little ones clamour for thirds, while my husband desperately tries to ensure there are leftovers for lunch the next day. This is definite Chelsea Winter favourite.

Best-Ever Spaghetti and Meatballs
I make a pretty good spaghetti and meatballs myself, but wanted to try Chelsea’s version in case it was better…it’s okay, nothing outstanding, and my husband reckons my usual concoction is better. The meatballs were a bit bland; the sauce was good, but that wasn’t quite enough to carry this dish over the line for us, sadly.

A Beautiful Bolognese
As above, I make a mean spag bol, but this was definitely worth a try. The addition of anchovies and brown sugar to the ragu is delightful, and adds a real depth of flavour.

The Boss Lasagna
Ha, at the risk of repeating myself….well, I’m a bit of a lasagna pro, and my husband will tell you that when I try to mess with my original version, it’s just not quite as good. Chelsea’s version was really tasty though; the addition of Dijon mustard to the white sauce was magical. It takes a while, but any lasagna does. As per usual, this was better the day after it had been made.

Lemony Chicken and Bacon Carbonara
I enjoyed this carbonara, but my boys were all a bit “meh” about it. The combination of chicken, bacon and lemon was fresh and zingy, but they just didn’t like it. Huh.

Hapuku on Italian Tomato Linguine
Yum. This was a great dish. The tomatoey pasta was delicious but subtle enough not to overpower the fish (I used monk, due to lack of hapuku), and it was a tasty combination.

Good Green Spaghetti
When I first made this, my boys would have told you they don’t like spinach, but that they looooooooove pesto. So it will come as no surprise that I didn’t tell them that the sauce for this dish was made using 400g of the good green stuff, until after they’d each had second helpings. This recipe is an ingenious way of getting a whole lot of goodness into your kids without them knowing.

The Ultimate Macaroni Cheese
I shouldn’t have made this dish…butter, cream, milk, cheddar, creme fraiche, mozzarella, parmesan…not the best list of ingredients for someone who shouldn’t eat dairy! However, I did because my family loves mac cheese, and this was a nice version. There was almost too much going on though, and the flavour was a bit subdued for our liking.

Chelsea & Me: Burgers

Chelsea Winter. Winner of Masterchef NZ in 2012, author of three cookbooks, and my go-to gal when I’m in a recipe funk. At My Table and Everyday Delicious are the most-used and most-recommended cookbooks in my kitchen, so I’m making it my mission to try every recipe. And of course, her new book, Homemade Happiness, is on my Christmas wish-list!
~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was growing up, hamburgers were a treat meal that dad cooked on the barbecue, while mum filled dish after dish with every possible topping imaginable. The burger was always a pattie made from mince, and there was never any deviation from this.

Fast-forward to burgers in our house, and so much has changed. The pattie might be made of any minced meat, or it might not be a pattie – or meat – at all. It might be a piece of pan-fried blue cod, or a mixture of chicken mince and Thai-style flavours, or a crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside falafel. The extras are just as varied, although I must say that a beef burger without beetroot just isn’t worth the effort.

Chelsea has a number of burger recipes that will take you out of any burger rut you might be in – and with the barbecue season upon us here in the southern hemisphere, what better time to get you inspired??

Cajun Chicken Burgers with Avocado and Mayo
Made with boneless chicken thighs, these burgers are slightly spicy and highly delicious, especially if they are charred a little on the barbecue. The homemade Cajun seasoning is so easy, made with ingredients you’re likely to have in your pantry already, and while it was spicy, the avocado and mayonnaise helped to cool the palate down. My children don’t like mayonnaise (whaaaaaaaaat??), but they still gobbled down the chicken and didn’t complain about the heat at all.

Barbecued Chicken Burgers
These burgers were very Greek in flavour, and the herby feta mayonnaise was delicious. To avoid over-dosing on dairy, I left out the cheese that Chelsea melts onto the buns, and to be honest, I don’t think it was missed. The rest of the ingredients were simple and full of flavour and crunch.

Fresh Salmon Burgers
The first time I made these, my patties fell apart because I hadn’t diced the salmon finely enough. The second time, I was much more vicious, and the patties held together beautifully. The flavour of these burgers is divine, and keeping the extras to a minimum ensures that the salmon is the (excuse the Masterchef-esque speak) hero of the dish. All three of my males loved these and fought over the extra patties.

Steak and Bacon Sandwiches with Smoky Mayo and Crispy Onion Rings
These burgers are not for the faint-hearted…they are what an old work colleague would have called a “heart-attack sandwich”. Despite the heaviness and manliness of the recipe, the combination of flavours was delicious. The smoky mayo (mayo + smoked paprika) was genius, and cut through a bit of the fattiness. The onion rings were a bit moreish, and I had to stop myself from sampling too many; they were super-easy (if a bit messy) to make.

Tandoori-Style Chicken Burgers
Yum. Another interesting option for a chicken burger, but one that my entire family loved. I have noted in the margin of the recipe to use less chilli powder next time, which probably means they were a bit spicy for my bublettes.

Chelsea’s Cheeseburgers with Secret Sauce
Apparently this is one of the public’s favourite Chelsea recipes, but I’m afraid I’m going to buck the trend and say we found them just okay. The burger patties were okay, and the secret sauce was okay, but I’m not rushing to make them again. I don’t know what it was, but none of us were big fans…you’ll have to try them for yourselves and see!

Lamb Burgers with Fresh Beetroot Relish
These delicious burgers got the big thumbs up from my beetroot-hating husband – he even took aaaaall the leftovers for his lunch the following day. The patties were full of flavour and really tender without being sloppy, and the beetroot relish…I could have eaten it by the spoonful!

Pulled Pork Burgers
From the moment I discovered pulled pork, I was hooked, and these wee beauties appealed from the moment I received Everyday Delicious. When I finally made them, I was not disappointed – they were awesome. They take a lot more effort than your average burger, but the effort is worth it. The tender pork combined with the zesty dressing was a mixture made in heaven; the crackling was a great textural element too.

Chelsea & Me: Spanishy-Style Eggs

Chelsea Winter. Winner of Masterchef NZ in 2012, author of two (nearly three, eeeeeek!) cookbooks, and my go-to gal when I’m in a recipe funk. At My Table and Everyday Delicious are the most-used and most-recommended cookbooks in my kitchen, so I’m making it my mission to try every recipe.

There is something about the combination of runny egg yolk and a smoky tomato sauce that gets me drooling every time. Spanishy-Style Eggs features in the Breakfast section of Everyday Delicious, but we’ve eaten it for dinner (accompanied by fresh ciabatta and a green salad) numerous times and it is deliciously filling and superbly tasty.

The sauce features capsicums and olives, but I’ve also tried adding grated carrot and zucchini to bulk up the vegetable quota when I know my boys are feeling less inclined to eat their greens (or oranges). I also prefer to chargrill the capsicum before adding it to the sauce, but that’s mostly because I find the skin gets stuck in braces.

This meal, like most tomato-based dishes, tastes even better the next day – the depth of flavour is so full and intense. Yum. I feel like a bowlful right now!

Chelsea & Me: Fresh Mint & Chocolate Slice

Chelsea Winter. Winner of Masterchef NZ in 2012, author of two (nearly three, eeeeeek!) cookbooks, and my go-to gal when I’m in a recipe funk. At My Table and Everyday Delicious are the most-used and most-recommended cookbooks in my kitchen, so I’m making it my mission to try every recipe.

When we moved into our new house two years ago, I was excited about having a bigger vegetable garden. The previous owners were keen gardeners, but as with most people who put their houses on the market, they’d let the vege patch go a little. As a result, the mint was flourishing. And by flourishing, I mean it was starting to take over like a scene from The Day of the Triffids.

Over the past two summers, we spent a lot of time eradicating it from the vege garden, and suddenly…we had no mint. No mint AT ALL. My mum gave me a mint root to plant in a pot (“Contain it!” she said. “Contain it goooood.”), aaaaand I forgot about it for a few weeks. When I found that dry, shrivelled root outside one day, I decided to shove it in some potting mix anyway, and wouldn’t you know, we now have a lovely pot of fresh mint in the front yard.

We’ve been making mojitos, adding it to fizzy water with slices of lemon and lime, and making Fresh Mint & Chocolate Slice.

Oh my. This slice is amazing. The biscuity base is chocolately but not too sweet. The mint cream is rather sweet, but offset by the inclusion of chopped fresh mint leaves. The dark chocolate icing…well…I don’t think you need me to wax lyrical about that, do you??

This recipe can be found in Everyday Delicious, but it’s also online here. If you have mint taking over your garden or politely keeping to itself in a pot, you should make this slice. It’s supposed to keep for up to a week in the fridge, but I doubt it will last that long!

(Chopping board from Needle and Nail)