Pittwater Online News

September 1 - 30, 2026: Issue 658

Father's Day Feast: Recipe ideas

Although dad's favourites will range as wide and as numerous as there are dads, for those who would like to contribute something towards that special meal and celebration of dad, a few examples this Issue of what you can do. This could be as simple as getting some early Spring strawberries and melons, giving them a good wash, and whipping some fresh cream to go with them - yum! - or something a little more complicated, such as Eggs Benedict for breakfast.

We've stuck to recipes that will do for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, just to give you some inspirations for what you may cook up for your special dad - or use our tried and tested ones.

Three Cheese Soufflé
A classic dish this makes a very special breakfast, lunch or supper. Serve with bread and a salad for a whole meal. Always ensure you dust your ramekins with either breadcrumbs or some dried Parmesan to give the mixture something to climb by and cling to – makes for a soufflé that won’t ‘fall’.
melted butter, to grease
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs or Parmesan to coat dishes
2 ½ tbsp butter
2 ½ tbsp plain flour
250 ml(1 cup) milk
50 g vintage cheddar, finely shredded
50 g Gruyère, finely shredded
50 g Parmesan, finely grated
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4eggs, at room temperature, separated 

Preheat oven to 190°C. Brush four individual 250 ml (1 cup) ramekins or soufflé dishes with the butter to grease well and then sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, turning to coat the dishes to coat well, tapping out any excess breadcrumbs – this helps the soufflé to rise or ‘climb’. Place on an oven tray and set aside.

Combine the cheddar, Gruyère, Parmesan and set aside 2 tablespoons of this mixture for sprinkling the tops of the soufflés.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat until foaming. Add the flour and stir with a balloon whisk for about 1 minute until the mixture is bubbling and leaves the sides of the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add half the milk, stirring constantly with the whisk until smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, stirring until smooth. Return the pan to a medium heat, and stir constantly with the whisk until the sauce thickens and starts to simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.

Transfer the sauce immediately to a heatproof bowl and stir in the cheddar, Gruyere and Parmesan mixture, the Dijon mustard, cayenne, chives and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the egg yolks and stir until well combined. Stir in the chives and parsley.

Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm peaks form. Add about a quarter of the whisked egg whites to the cheese sauce and use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold together until just combined to loosen the mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined (the mixture should appear to have streaks of egg whites through it but there should be no large clumps of egg white).

Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared dishes. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the soufflés are well risen and cooked through (they should still wobble slightly when the dishes are tapped and an inserted skewer should come out clean but slightly moist). Serve immediately.

Spicy Baked Spanish Eggs
250g Chorizo sausage, sliced
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
400g tinned diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon baby capers, rinsed (optional)
2 anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
2-4 eggs depending on fry pan size
Small bunch fresh parsley for garnish
Crusty bread to serve

Pre-heat oven to 190C (170C for a fan-forced oven).
Cook the chorizo in a small ovenproof frying pan over medium heat until the oil is released and the chorizo is caramelised, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a further 2 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper and sauté for a further minute or until fragrant.

Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, cooking until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add the tomatoes, capers and anchovies (if using), stir well to combine and continue to cook for another minute. If you want to serve the eggs in individual dishes, transfer the mixture to two 300ml ovenproof dishes, otherwise you can just leave the mixture in the frying pan. Make a small indentation in the mixture in the pan or each dish, and break an egg into it. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, depending on how runny you want your yolk. Sprinkle with fresh shallots. Serve with fresh or toasted bread.

Painting: 'Rudolf von Arthaber with his Children' 1837, by Friedrich von Amerling (1803–1887)

Cream of broccoli soup

Ingredients
dash olive oil
¼ onion, finely chopped
½ head broccoli, cut into florets
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml/½ pint hot chicken or vegetable stock
50ml/2fl oz double cream, plus extra to serve

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, add the onion and fry gently until softened. Add the broccoli florets, salt and freshly ground black pepper and stock and simmer for five minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
Stir in the cream. Blend with a hand blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and finish with a swirl of cream.

Stir fry Broccoli with Garlic

Ingredients
500 grams broccoli
4 – 5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
Sauce:
2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1/4 cup Chicken broth or stock
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Cornflour thickener:
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 teaspoons water

Chop off the hard stems at the bottom of the broccoli. Break off the flowerets and then split them into either halves or quarters. Peel the stems and slice them diagonally into thin slices. Cook the broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes, until it just begins to soften and become tender but is still crisp. Drain.
In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, chicken broth, Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, and sugar. In a separate small bowl, stir the cornsflour into the water.  Preheat the wok. To test to see if the wok is hot enough, add a few drops of water to the pan; if the water starts sizzling immediately, the wok is ready. Add oil to the pre-heated wok, tilting the wok and moving it back and forth so that the oil goes partway up the sides of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Stir for about 10 seconds, then add the broccoli. Stir to mix with the garlic and add the sauce.
Reduce the heat to medium, cover the wok and cook for about 30 seconds. Re-stir the cornflour/water mixture and add it to the wok, stirring to thicken. Stir to mix everything together. Serve immediately.

Broccoli and Feta Frittata

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cups chopped broccoli florets 
Salt and pepper
7 large eggs 
250 grams feta, crumbled

In an 8-inch/20cm ovenproof nonstick skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 6 minutes longer until broccoli is just tender.

Preheat griller to high and set an oven rack 10cm below heat source. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs; season with additional salt and pepper. Pour eggs over onion-broccoli mixture, stir to combine, then dot surface with feta. Cook, without stirring, until eggs are set on bottom and beginning to set on top, about 5 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and grill until eggs are set and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot or at room temperature. Can also be served cold as a picnic dish!

Vegetable Bhajis
500 grams of Besan Flour (chick pea flour – available in health food section of supermarkets or in good fruit ad veg. stores)
4 zucchini (grated)
1 large onion (sliced thin)
4 large mushrooms (sliced)
2 carrots (grated)
2 handfuls fresh green beans - chopped
3 spring onions – chopped
Salt and pepper to season Besan flour
Cold water to mix – or 2 x eggs plus water
Vegetable oil
Spices as below in Onion Bhaji alternative or omit if making for children

Put oven on to 180 degrees and two flat trays in at same time to heat up (this will keep bhajis hot while you cook others – it is also a way to shallow fry them and finish off cooking process in oven, minimising oil use). Place all your prepared vegetables in a bowl, add in the Besan flour and mix so all ingredients are coated. Add your wet ingredients – when adding the water you want to form a sticky fairly thick mixture otherwise you will have problems flipping the Bhaji. We only shallow fry these rather then deep frying so we get the taste of the vegetables and Besan flour instead of the oil predominating. Heat a frying pan and place about 1cm of oil in. Dollop a tablespoon of mixture in and allow to flatten slightly; stir with spoon to flatten if required. Allow to brown and then flip. Once other side has browned, place on your heated tray in oven to finish cooking and begin next batch. Continue this process until all are cooked. Serve with a nice crisp green salad and fresh hot bread.

Sides
Tamarind Chutney
1/2 lb tamarind, seeded
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tablespoons roasted ground cumin seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Break the tamarind into small pieces and soak in boiling water for one hour. Mash it into a pulp and strain, pressing the tamarind into the strainer to remove all the pulp. Add sugar to the pulp. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix and taste. Add more sugar, salt or pepper as needed. Chutney can be refrigerated for two to three months.
Serving suggestion:
Tamarind chutney is delicious with samosas, pakoras, and bhajis.

Cucumber Raita
2 Lebanese cucumbers - peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups Greek yoghurt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Stir together the cucumber, yoghurt, lemon juice, mint, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

Strawberry Soufflé
Serves 8

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 punnets of strawberries, hulled
7 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
3/4 teaspoon grated orange peel
4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray 6-cup soufflé dish with vegetable oil spray and shake a little caster sugar around sides (this gives mixture something to climb on and stick to). Coarsely puree half of berries with 3 tablespoons sugar and cornflour in processor or by hand. Transfer to small saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, about 3 minutes. Whisk in peel. Allow to cool completely. Slice remaining berries. Transfer to medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon sugar; toss to blend. Beat egg whites in a separate large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 3 tablespoons sugar; and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold puree into whites in 3 additions. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake until soufflé is puffed and golden, about 18 minutes. Serve immediately with sliced berries and fresh cream. Bliss!

Strawberry Sponge finger slice

Ingredients 

1 punnet (250g) fresh strawberries, hulled, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons caster sugar

185ml (3/4 cup) strawberry flavoured topping

1 250g container mascarpone

1 egg

80ml (1/3 cup) hot water

12 sponge finger biscuits

Combine strawberries, 1 tablespoon each of the sugar and strawberry topping. Toss to combine. Set aside until required. Use an electric beater to beat mascarpone, egg and remaining sugar in bowl until firm peaks form.

Place water and 125ml (1/2 cup) of strawberry topping in saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

Line a 12 x 22cm loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing plastic to overhang sides. Arrange 6 sponge fingers, in a single layer, over base of pan. Drizzle half the warm strawberry syrup evenly over biscuits and top with half the strawberry slices, pressing down firmly with back of a spoon. Use a spatula to spread half the mascarpone mixture over strawberries. Repeat with another layer of biscuits, warm strawberry syrup and mascarpone. Use the back of a spoon to press down firmly and smooth surface. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 10 minutes to chill.

Use plastic wrap to carefully lift slice out of pan onto a plate. Cut into slices and serve immediately drizzled with remaining syrup.