5 Minute Food Fix

I love VEG FRITTERS but the frying process is a drag.Bee Wilson is an English food writer and author of the column Table Talk. Her cookbook THE SECRET OF COOKING is genuinely wonderful and from it Simon and I have both drawn huge amounts of inspiration.400g potatoes, grated500g zucchini, grated1 small onion, finely diced1/2 clove garlic, finely gratedsalt, pepper and a soft herb like mint, chopped3 eggs75g self-raising flour (gluten-free = ok)Sprinkle the potato-zucchini mixture with a teaspoon of salt, toss then leave in a sieve while you prepare everything else.Turn the oven on to 180C.Add about 4 tbs of olive oil to each roasting pan and put in oven to heat.Combine all the other ingredients. Squeeze, wring and throttle the grated vegetable to get out as much liquid as possible. Mix it in with everything else, then portion out to fritter size portions (like a crumpet but thinner) into the hot oil, which should sizzle.Cook for 10 mins per side, check for doneness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once you let the sugars in a humble, rudimentary vegetable like the CARROT caramelise, they can really strut their main character energy in a dish like today's.1 x 2kg bag of carrots, cut on the angle about 1 inch thick1 - 1.5 tbs cumin seedssaltolive oilRub the oil, cumin and salt into your chopped carrots while your oven warms. Roast the carrots at 200C for about 25 mins until fudgy and sweet. Meanwhile whisk the juice of a lemon with a few spoons of honey, tahini optional. Serve with freshly chopped dill, a crumble of fetta or some (sloppier) goat's cheese, a generous drizzle of your lemon-honey dressing and a sprinkle of nigella seeds. YEP. YOU DID THIS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A friendly reminder that in Australia, Mother's Day is REALLY SOON, ie., May 12. So don't be caught snoozing!And since we're talking about nailing food that Mum actually likes... is it time to all collectively admit that filled chocolates ...are trash?METHODCut your peeled sweet potato into fries.Soak the potato in cold water for at least half an hour.Pre-heat the oven to 220C.Drain off thoroughly on a clean tea towel.Dust with 1 tbs of corn flour and a light sprinkle of salt.Space the fries out on a tray and drizzle with olive oil (I forgot to mention this in the episode!)Cook for about 20 minutes. Turn over and cook a bit more, probably less - 15 mins but use your senses to get the info on what your fries need for ultimate yumminess. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Body maintenance is all about getting enough protein! Boring, but also - real.So how, in our busy lives, do we go about getting enough?Simon and Yumi get excited over boiling a couple of eggs as you make breakfast, and having them in the bank for the day ahead.What if you go one better and prepare a curried egg sandwich for Later Today Me?3-4 boiled eggs1 - 1.5tsp of Keen's Curry Powderpinch salt3 tbs mayonnaise (I use Kewpie)anything else, eg., snipped chives, a quarter cup of peas that you've tossed in with the eggs for the last few minutes, shelled edamame, parsley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES] We’ve talked no-stir risottos before, but there’s a whole FAMILY of oven-baked rice dishes out there that do a great job of unchaining you from the stove and putting you back into where you need to be! This one is a sort of riff on all things summer salad, in rice form. Bit weird, but it kind of works. It makes use of short-grain rice here – the squat, stubby, starchier cousin of the rice family that’s great for stir-fries, rice balls and sushi or creamy dishes such as rice pudding and risotto. PS - Simon’s feeling SUPER SMUG here because he’s using olives from his own olive tree! You could add a bit of fried crispy chorizo to this if you wanted to but, well, I don’t.  Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  RecipeServes 42 tbsp olive oil 30g butter 1 x 400g tin butter beans2 medium red onions, peeled and finely diceda few big handfuls of basil, leaves picked, stalks very finely choppedsea salt and black peppera punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced280g short-grain rice200g feta 140g black olives Heat the oven to 2OOC. Put the oil and butter in an ovenproof pan for which you have a lid and put it in the oven to heat up.Drain the liquid from the butter bean can into a large measuring jug, then add boiling water to bring it up to 840ml. Pour this into a saucepan on a medium heat, and keep it hot.Stir the onion, basil stalks and a good pinch of salt into the hot casserole, cover and return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the onions soften. Stir in the tomatoes, cover again and return to the oven for another 15 minutes, until they, too, soften and release some of their liquid; stir once halfway, to check how they’re getting on and to give them a little mash up to encourage those juices to flow. Stir in the garlic and return to the oven uncovered for three minutes.Stir the rice into the pot, so it’s all well coated in the tomato mixture. Pour in the hot bean liquid, give everything a good stir and return to the oven uncovered for 20 minutes. By this point, the rice should have absorbed two-thirds of the liquid, so add a little more boiling water if there’s less than that left. Stir in the butter beans and return to the oven for 12 minutes, by which time the liquid should have all been absorbed and the rice should be cooked; it’s not meant to be entirely dry, so add some more boiling water if you prefer it wetter.Take out of the oven, stir in the feta and olives, cover the pan with a clean cloth and leave to rest and settle for five minutes. Tear in most of the basil leaves, stir them through the rice, then spoon into warm bowls and serve with the remaining basil scattered on top.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES] Simon *loves* a yoggurty sauce. So much so that he's turned me onto it and the humble Greek Yoggurt As Sauce has PERMANENTLY found a place in the Stynes household. So let's talk about how to make the classic (and delicious) Tzatziki!Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  "Incredibly easy" is Simon's promise here, but it also has the word "slow" in it, so this isn't the pasta sauce you make when in a rush. One thing I like about talking food with Simon is that he knows the origins of foods and food ideas. This particular recipe came from a game-changing Italian restaurant from England way back and let's be real, this sounds freakin delicious. Get it in your ears now, and maybe your mouth later. Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  Recipe2 tbsp olive oil5 or 6 Italian spiced fresh pork sausages, meat removed from skins and crumbled (if you can’t get them easily – just use good quality pork sausages)1 small red onions, peeled and chopped.2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped.2 small dried chillies, crumbled or a good tbsp or two of crushed dried chillies.small handful of fresh rosemary2 bay leaveslarge glass of a good red wine2x 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes, drained.sea salt and freshly ground black pepper120g parmesan, freshly grated150ml creamHeat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, and fry the crumbled meat of 5 or 6 Italian spiced sausages, stirring and breaking up the pieces.After the juice from the meat has evaporated and the fat begins to run, add 1 small chopped red onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 2 chopped small dried chillies, a small handful of fresh rosemary and 2 bay leaves.Cook gently for almost 30 mins until the onions are brown. Pour in a large glass of red wine, increase the heat and cook until the wine evaporates. Now add 2 tins of plum tomatoes, lower the heat, and simmer gently until you have a thick sauce, about 45-60 minutes. Season with salt (and pepper, if the sausages were not spicy), and add 120g grated parmesan and 150ml of cream.Cook your pasta (penne) and drain well. Add the pasta to the sauce, mix and serve. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  I hope you're a regular here because there are some in-jokes that might be baffling if this is your first time tuning in.One in-joke is that Simon LOVES, ADORES and tends to USE ALL THE TIME, Greek "Yoggurt" as an ingredient, to the point where we started doing a count-o-meter of every time he said the word "yoggurt", (hard 'G' emphasis = deliberate). This ep does have actual food chat in it though. Like, do know how witlof is grown?! It's so weird! And how can you max out your umami allocation? Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  RecipeANCHOVY DRESSING50g anchovies1/4 garlic clove, finely grated1 tbs red wine vinegar1 tsp fish sauce4tbs best olive oil1 tsp sugarsalt and pepper See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  It's always a fun episode when Yumi gets indignant about something stupid she's seen in a restaurant. This is one of those episodes. Your food lovin hosts will also get enthused about what you can do with some BBQ roasted corn!  Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  Recipe1/2 cup toasted nuts6 X corn cobs, BBQd in their husks for 10 mins until blackened all over, peeled, kernels removed then combined with fresh chopped green chilli, a couple of limes squeezed over, a cup of feta cubes, olive oil, salt and pepper!Bulk it out with halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red capsicum, or diced red onions. There’s no need to refrigerate this grilled corn salad; it’s best at room temperature or still warm.PERFECT for packing up as part of a potluck or for serving at home with some fish or BBQ after a busy day by the ocean.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONFESSION: I had brought something into the studio today to show Simon and Alyssa (our glorious producer). It was a food I'd cooked that had FAILED. And I'd been in a rush to get to the recording session that I didn't think it through but the gross food fail really triggered poor Simon's gag reflex! The situation was worsened by the fact that he'd had a yeehah driver on his way into work and had spent the wild ride looking down at his phone! So the already slightly carsick guy was then confronted by the foul food and then me talking about food here which seemed to set him off. A KINDER co-host probably wouldn't have found this funny. Anyway. I laughed my ass off. I hope you do too. Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Today, Simon talks me through a recipe that is a Moroccan tagine dish big enough to serve a whole celebration of your friends, and it does NOT require a tagine. (If you don't know what a tagine is, don't worry, we explain in the show.) TRIGGER WARNING: You may drool! Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  RecipeServes 8juice of 2 lemons  6 tbsp olive oil  1½ tsp ground turmeric  1½ tsp ground ginger  1½ tbsp honey  250ml  dry white wine 1 whole head garlic, cloves chopped 16, bone in, skin-on chicken thighs  4 tbs drained capers in brine  200g pitted green olives1 large or 2 small preserved lemons, cut into pieces, discarding the pips1 bunch coriander, leaves choppedsalt and black pepperPreheat the oven to 180C.In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, turmeric, ginger, honey, wine and some salt and pepper, beating well. Add the garlic and turn the chicken pieces in the mixture so that they are well coated.Arrange the chicken thighs in a large roasting tin or baking dish in which they fit snugly, putting the capers, olives and boiled lemon pieces in between, and pour the liquid contents of the bowl all over. Bake for 1 hour or until the chicken is well browned and cooked through.Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miso soup is so common as a takeaway food, but for a lot of people cooking it at home can feel tricky. It's not! (Here's another 5 Min Food Fix motto: "If Japanese housewives can do it, so can I!")To make miso soup, you need to buy "white" miso. Tricky detail: in the tub, it doesn't look white, it looks honey-coloured, like a Cliff Richard leather jacket.To share my Mum's miso soup hack, I absolutely had to study her while in the kitchen, which could've been alarming for her but was actually fine as this is where we do most of our hangs. Listen to this ep for her slightly suss hack. Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  If your partner thinks tinned tuna is "cat food" and makes a 🤮face at the smell, then tuna may *also* be YOUR shame food.But Simon and I are in agreement that tinned tuna is an EXCELLENT ingredient. Inspired by Antonio Carluccio, this recipe is completely nothing to be ashamed of!CONTENT WARNING: Yumi uses the word "swol" in this episode. Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  RecipeWhile your pasta is cooking (and Simon suggests you use linguine – for no real reason other than the fact it’s traditional with seafood pastas like this, spaghetti would be fine) get on with preparing the sauce. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add a few tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 small chopped red chilli, and a thumb of finely sliced ginger (or 1 tbsp of the jarred stuff – I won’t judge) and cook until fragrant and softened and amazing. Add a carton of passata (1/2 large jar) and simmer for a few minutes, then stir through the tuna and season with salt. Drain the pasta, add to the pan with another few tablespoons of finely chopped parsley and season with freshly ground black pepper. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Inspired by an old Jamie Oliver cookbook, this recipe gives permission to cook the hell out of the beans! Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  Recipe500g French beans, woody ends removed and composted3tsp French mustard2tbs white wine vinegar7tbs olive oil1 tbs chopped caperslots of freshly ground peppersalt, to tasteoptional: 1/2 clove finely grated garlicoptional: the fresh herb you have available, eg., mint, chrvil, russian tarragon, etcBOIL the beans for 4-5 minutes, until well-cooked. Combine all the dressing ingredients, tasting and being careful not to add too much salt. (MOTTO: You can always add more but you can't take it away!). Drain the cooked beans well, then dress them while hot and serve while warm. Leftovers are excellent (for single babe dinners) but DON'T eat fridge cold. That's for miseryguts. It'll taste grand room temp or warmed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Not the Enid Blyton type of brownies...! No! Today on the show we're talking those chocolatey, delicious pan baked treats... and Simon - a bona fide food EXPERT - reckons they can be over-complicated. So let's keep it SIMPLE but mystically good.("What the hell is she talking about?" - - you'll need to listen to understand.) Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  RecipeLine a 20cm square cake tin.Put the oven on to 180CMelt in a bowl over hot water 125g chopped butter and 125g dark chocolate - melt those 2 together.Remove from heatQuickly add in 3 beaten eggs335g (1 1/2 cups) white sugar115g (3/4 cup) plain flour30g (1/4 cup) Dutch cocoa powder1 tsp vanilla extractPinch of saltBake for 30 mins. Eat with a spoon in front of the TV (Yumi's suggestion)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES] I overcome my dread of puff pastry for this episode of 5MFF, and it's because I am steering my favourite seasonal vegetable to a bed I will make from said puff pastry. The mattress on the bed is made from goat's cheese mixed with whatever herbs you have at hand. This recipe is from a wonderful cook and food writer Belinda Jeffery, who recommends cutting the puff pastry into pieces 12cmX18cm, then baking for 10-12 mins in a 200C oven. Allow to cool then top with the goat's cheese filling (below), and 5-6 lightly blanched and dried asparagus spears.  GOAT’S CHEESE FILLING  280g soft goat’s cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped dill  2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon  1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley  1 tablespoon finely snipped chives  Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Zucchini are CHEAP all year 'round, they're unpretentious, and they're basically, our friend! We love you!  Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  Ingredients 500g mixed courgettes 3 garlic cloves, grated 100ml olive oil juice of 1 lemon ½ small pack mint Method  On half a kilo of cooked (barbequed) zucchini, dress it after cooking with a dressing made up of:  1 garlic clove, finely grated, 100ml olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, 3 tbs finely chopped fresh mint. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  Simon does love fish for dinner, but sadly, having now moved to regional VIC, he doesn’t have the same access to all the beautiful fish markets, mongers etc he used to. Sob. So... how is he getting that fishy fix? Well, often it’s frozen salmon, of course! Don’t knock it – as an ingredient it works wonders, you just need to defrost it properly and then you’re away. This salmon teriyaki recipe has become a go-to midweek fish dinner and if it isn’t already in your repertoire, well, it SHOULD BE.  Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  RecipeCombine 1/2 cup sake, 1/4 cup mirin, and 1/4 cup soy sauce in a small bowl; set teriyaki sauce aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season your salmon fillets lightly with salt.  Working in batches (2 at a time), cook the salmon skin-side down until the skin is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until the other side is just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.  Pour the fat out of the skillet, then add the sauce and boil it off until reduced by about two-thirds (about 4 minutes), then add the salmon skin side up and cook for a further 2 minutes, spooning that sauce over until the sauce is syrupy. Transfer to a plate and serve with white rice, noodles or simple salad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's show we tell you how to NOT BLOW IT when you cook lamb cutlets! They're so expensive that you really want to make the most of it and not, as they say, f**k it up. No one likes a grey chop! Incidentally, the WEIGHTS that Simon talks about but gets too bashful to give much detail of, are 1.6kg FISH WEIGHTS available online from Josh Niland's store. They're cool as but don't tell anyone!  Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]  From OUR COOKBOOK! Have you bought the Food Fix yet? Or have you got it earmarked as a Christmas present? Good! Go, you good thing! This recipe can be found inside our cookbook but we’re sharing it in today’s 5MFF!  Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram.  Recipe500-900 g piece of pork belly 1 brown onion, cut into 4-5 pieces 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced  Toffee ¼ cup soy sauce 1/3 cup mirin  1 teaspoon sugar 1 small piece of ginger  Slice the pork belly into pieces that will look lovely on a bowl of rice. I make mine about 1.2 cm x 7 cms.  Put the pork, onion, garlic and ginger in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly if necessary and cook for one hour with the lid of the saucepan slightly open. Top up the water if it looks like it’s boiling dry.  Drain off the cooking liquid, retaining 400 ml and transfer the pork only to a clean saucepan or wash the old one. The onion, garlic and ginger can be composted.  Add the toffee ingredients and the retained cooking water to the pork, place over low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook with the lid on for another 50 minutes.  After 50 minutes, remove the ginger (which can develop a bitter flavour if overcooked), then cook with the lid off for another 30 minutes. The sauce will reduce and turn into a glossy liquid toffee. Be careful not to burn it in the last 10 minutes.  I like to serve this pork with rice, as a side with onigiri, or tucked into a bento box.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.