Celeb chef Justin Bonello shares with Angela Day these recipes he developed on behalf of the Stone Fruit Producers Association.
NECTARINE AND PARMA HAM SALAD
This is a great little salad to have on a hot summer’s afternoon. The crunch of the almonds, acidity of the red onion vinaigrette, sweetness of the nectarines and saltiness of the goat’s cheese and Parma ham create the perfect flavour combination. Serve with a chilled glass of good white wine and enjoy with deserving friends.
Serves 4-6
a decent glug of olive oil
2 red onions, finely sliced
a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar
a pinch of sugar
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
a small handful of flaked almond
a big handful of baby spinach
4 nectarines, pitted and cut into wedges
60g goat’s cheese, crumbled
a couple of slithers of Parma ham, torn
Preheat your oven to 180°C and while that’s on the go, heat up the olive oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onions until soft (about 10 minutes) stirring often. While they are frying, mix together the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and just before the onions are done, stir through the vinaigrette and take the pan off the heat.
By now your oven should be at the perfect temperature, so pop your almonds on to a baking tray and toast them until golden brown. In the meantime arrange the baby spinach and nectarines on a platter and pour over the warm onions.
Take the almonds out of the oven and sprinkle over the salad along with the crumbled goat’s cheese and Parma ham. Season to taste and tuck in.
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LIME AND NECTARINE TART
Serves 6-8
PASTRY
100g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons of cold water
1 tablespoon of sugar
a pinch of salt
1 cup of cake flour
a pinch of ground ginger
FILLING
about a quarter of a cup of sugar
zest and juice of half a lime
a small chunk of ginger, grated
about 5 white nectarines, pitted and sliced into wedges
SYRUP
half a cup of sugar
a small chunk of ginger, very thinly sliced
the zest of one lime
about half a cup of water
PASTRY: Preheat your oven to 200°C then start combining the pastry ingredients. In an ovenproof bowl, mix together the butter, oil, water, sugar and salt. Pop it into the (now hot) oven and take it out once the butter is brown (not burnt) and bubbling.
Next, add the flour and ground ginger and stir until everything is properly combined. Once cooled, push the dough into a 23cm loose-bottom tart tin and spread it out until the bottom and sides of the tin are completely covered in pastry.
Using a fork, prick some holes into the pastry then blind-bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.
Allow the crust to cool while you make the filling.
FILLING: Once the pastry has baked, turn the heat of your oven down to 180°C.
Mix together the sugar, lime zest and juice, ginger and nectarine slices in a bowl.
Arrange the sliced fruit on to the baked pastry starting on the outside and working your way to the centre. Pour the remaining liquid over the fruit, and then pop the tart into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.
SYRUP: Put all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer gently until a syrup forms – about 10 minutes.
Once the Nectarine Tart has baked, pour the syrup over it while still hot.
Serve with whipped cream.
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ROAST PEPPERS AND PEACHES
Serves 4-6
5 red peppers, cut into thin strips
a decent glug of olive oil
a big pinch of brown sugar
a pinch of each cumin, ground coriander and dried chilli flakes
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
4 yellow cling peaches, halved, pitted and sliced
the juice of about half a lemon
a small handful of fresh coriander
Preheat your oven to 180°C then toss the sliced peppers in the olive oil, sugar, spices, salt and pepper then pop it on a baking tray and into the oven for about 40 minutes or until lightly caramelised.
Once the peppers have cooled down to touching temperature, mix them with the peaches and lemon juice. Serve as a side dish sprinkled with plenty of fresh coriander.
NOTE: These go really well with roast lamb.
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PORK BELLY WITH PLUMS
This takes a bit of time and effort, but the moment you bite into this beauty, you’ll know it was worth it!
Serves 4-6
MARINADE
a big chunk of ginger, grated about 5 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped 5 tablespoons of soya sauce 3 tablespoons of dry sherry
2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
a big squeeze of honey
the juice of half an orange
MEAT
1.5kg free range pork belly, skin scored
a decent glug of olive oil
a large pinch of salt flakes
cracked black pepper to taste
PLUM SAUCE
a decent glug of olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
a big chunk of ginger, finely chopped
a pinch of ground coriander
1 star anise
100g castor sugar
3-4 ripe plums, quartered and pitted
a big splash of soya sauce
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
a small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Start by mixing all the marinade ingredients together, cover the belly liberally and marinate in the fridge overnight, turning it a couple of times before you go to bed.
The next day, take the belly out of the fridge, allow to return to room temperature and preheat your oven to 220°C.
Next it’s time to get the belly into the oven.
Shake the excess marinade off the belly, dry the skin side with paper towel and rub the top and underside with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a large roasting tin in the oven and once hot, place the pork skin side down and roast for about 15 minutes until the fat has caramelised (but be careful not to burn it!) Next, flip the belly around and reduce the oven heat to 160°C.
Sprinkle the top of the belly with extra salt and slowly roast until you have beautiful crispy crackling.
Check that the belly is crisping up in the oven, then about 20 minutes before you think it’s going to be ready, start making the plum sauce.
SAUCE: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a high heat, then add the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger, ground coriander and star anise.
Once everything is sizzling away, add the sugar and stir until the onions have caramelised. Next, add the plum quarters, reduce the heat and simmer until the plums are soft – about 15 minutes. Take the onions and plum mixture off the heat then add the soya sauce, fish sauce and chopped coriander. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.
Serve the pork belly drizzled with the sauce and scattered with fresh coriander.
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STONE FRUIT SLAW
This light and refreshing crunchy salad really works well as a side with chicken or pork.
Serves 4-6
Dressing
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
a big glug of olive oil
a couple of pinches of brown sugar
the juice and rind of 1 lime
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
half a red onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
a chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 spring onions, finely sliced
4-5 various firm stone fruit, pitted and cut into strips
a handful of fresh mint and coriander leaves, finely chopped
To make a vinaigrette for the slaw, mix together all the ingredients except the fruit, mint and coriander in a salad bowl.
Finish by tossing the fruit in the dressing to coat and serve topped with fresh mint and coriander. - The Star