5 Minute Food Fix

2025 might be the year that we begin to RE-appreciate the offcuts that used to populate the supermarket meat section back in our parents' day...

Liver, anyone?

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Sometimes a terrific NAME can get you racing to the kitchen to attack a recipe.

Who doesn't love 'Crunchy Fish', for instance?

And what about Pesce all’Acqua Pazza, or better known as 'Fish in Crazy Water'??

Find the recipe here - - or just gently fry up 1/4 cup olive oil with 2tsp salt, 700g chopped tomatoes and YOUR FAVE aromatics - eg., dried chillies, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 2 cloves of thinly sliced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and after 3-5 mins, add in 2.5 cups of water, put the lid on the pot and leave it to infuse and flavour the "crazy" water for 20 mins.

Pat your fish pieces dry, season the fillets with salt and pepper, then lower it into the gently simmering Crazy Water.

Allow to cook for between 4-8 mins, depending on the size of the fish fillet. Commonsense may be required here!

Serve in bowls with water/broth, a drizzle of olive oil and the most delightful fluffy, crusty bread you can find.

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Your hosts go ALL IN for that great winter vegetable, FENNEL, which has the annoying habit of refusing to go off while taking up space in your fridge! Curse you, Everlasting Vegetable!

Yumi also recounts a breakthrough moment of understanding that oils and salads need to be co-ordinated, much like tops and bottoms do when putting together an outfit.

FENNEL AND SNOW PEA SALAD:

500g prepped snow peas, blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds then rinsed in cold water until cool, and well-dried on a clean tea-towel.

Finely slice your fennel, around 3-4mm.

Toss your sliced fennel with the juice of a lemon and set aside while you make the dressing, which is:

Juice of a lemon

1 tsp honey

2 tsp tahini

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup of walnut oil

*taste for more salt, pepper, and more sour (eg., a couple tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar)

OPTIONAL: Toss through a fat bunch of chopped fresh mint, and top with anchovy croutons, which you can learn more about from this episode.

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Inspired by the chef Michael Moore who wrote a great book full of delicious and healthy recipes called BLOOD SUGAR - and also inspired by the need to bunker down under MANY layers of doona and thermals and eat hot, filling food, Yumi revisits an old recipe for baked meatballs that really is beautiful and very achievable.

Try it here:

Preheat the oven to 180C

Decant 2/3 of a bottle of passata into a baking tray with high sides.

Roll up about 18 meatballs using

500g pork/beef mince (lean)

1 egg white

1/4 tsp salt

1tsp whipped garlic dip

2-3 tbs finely chopped spring onion greens

cracked pepper

Use scissors to cut up some fresh lasagna sheets into pieces smaller than your phone but bigger than a matchbox. Place a meatball into the canoe of pasta sheet then set it to sail on the ocean of passata. Repeat until all the meatballs are used and the tray is full. Pour over the remaining passata. Top each meatball with a cube of fetta or a chunk of ricotta. Top with about 80g of your fave cheese. Bake 30 mins. Serve with crusty bread and a side salad.

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On your favourite food podcast, Yumi Stynes explains how food, in this case persimmons, connects her to her mother's culture.

Persimmons are, like asparagus, TRULY seasonal. Which is why we have to enjoy them in winter!

Dried persimmons are becoming A THING in Australia - and you can find the salad recipe here.

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Yumi has some personal news to share with Simon which she predicts will BORE HIM TO TEARS.

She also has an amazing Creamy White Beans recipe to share with everyone - TOTALLY NOT BORING!

It's a New York Times Cooking recipe - and you'll probably have everything you need to make it - just grab or make sure you have

1. Fresh Cream
2. Tomato Paste
3. Half a jar of sundried tomatoes

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Your hosts have a LOT of thoughts when it comes to ordering food at a restaurant.

What are the common mistakes?

How can you absolutely nail it?

On what topics should you consult with your waiter?

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Is there anything more inspiring for a keen cook than being asked to make something for a party at short notice?

Yumi is BACK and feeling good in her kitchen and was delighted to have a couple of cracks at making this cake by Nigella Lawson.

*After recording, she made it again for the party - here's what she said about the changes:

"Instead of Olive Oil, I used coconut oil!

(I know the whole name is Nigella's Olive Oil Chocolate Cake but I just felt the olive oil flavour was a bit intense and overpowering, whereas coconut oil is more mellow and went well.)

I also increased the cooking time by 5 minutes, to 50 mins, and in my oven, it cooked better at 160C fan -- instead of the recommended 150C.

Finally, I couldn't find good strawberries so I used raspberries instead. Looked amazing and tasted amazing!"

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We NEVER get tired of finding new ways to make potatoes exciting and delicious.

REAL QUICK:

To make Yumi's ALL KILLER, NO FILLER POTATO CRISP

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

Have some finely chopped rosemary needles ready to go and have 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small pot, not heated yet.

Slice 4-5 decent-sized spuds into 2mm discs. Dump the lot into a big pot of salted, boiling water. Once the water returns to the boil (this will take a couple of minutes) allow the spuds to boil for 2-3 minutes then drain really well.

(I USE RUBBER GLOVES to handle the still-hot potatoes here -)

Arrange the potatoes in layered rows to achieve maximum surface area for every piece. This will take a few minutes. Put the oil on to heat. You want it to get Very Hot but not smoking.

Scatter the finely chopped rosemary over the potatoes.

Pour the hot oil evenly over the potatoes.

Place in the oven and set a timer for 45 minutes but keep an eye on them!

Serve hot. SO GOOD.

Jamie Oliver's BALSAMIC POTATOES RECIPE can be found here.

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Corn ribs had a bit of a "moment" in restaurants around the country and around the world - - but what do you think?

(email us any time [email protected])

Your food-mad hosts discuss.

Yumi also has to share about these olives she'd never tried before...

...And gives you one more thing to add to your camp cooking repertoire, particularly if you love to cook on a fire!

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