Fruity Pork Balls with Sticky Soy Glaze
Makes 20 small balls
Meatballs:
500g lean pork mince
4 spring onions, finely chopped
3 Tbsp fresh coriander or parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup prepared Alison’s Pantry Fruit Mince – Kiwi Style (see recipe)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
Heat oven to 200°C. Line a large, shallow baking pan with baking paper
To make meatballs
1. Place all meatball ingredients in a bowl. Mix well to combine, and then with damp hands (to stop the mixture sticking), shape mixture into 20 small balls
2. Arrange meatballs in one layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, shaking the pan or turning regularly until meatballs are browned all over and cooked through
Soy Glaze:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Thai sweet chilli sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup water
To make soy glaze
1. While the meatballs are cooking, combine the soy glaze ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer for two minutes. Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the pan and place on paper towels to blot up any excess fat.
2. With a slotted spoon or tongs, add the cooked meatballs to the glaze and simmer for five minutes. Skewer the glazed meatballs with toothpicks and serve as finger food nibbles.
Download the PDF version: Fruity Pork Balls with Sticky Soy Glaze
Dark Chocolate Blueberry Truffles
(Makes approximately 25)
Ingredients
1/2 cup cream
200g dark chocolate drops
50g soft butter, cubed
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry dried blueberries, plus extra to decorate
1/3 cup Alison’s Pantry pistachio nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
extra 250g dark chocolate drops
Reindeer Pops
Cake pop sticks, if desired (for Reindeer Pops)
1/4 cup Alison’s Pantry dried cranberries, to decorate Reindeer
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry pretzel bows, broken in half to make ‘antler’ shaped pieces
Method
- Place cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, or microwave in short bursts, to melt. Whisk until smooth. Add butter and stir to combine. Stir in blueberries and nuts.
- Chill mixture for 2 hours or until firm. Roll mixture into 25 small, even-sized balls, place on a tray, cover, and chill.
- To coat in chocolate, line a tray with non-stick baking paper. Melt the extra chocolate, stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly. With a fork, pick up one truffle at a time and dip into the melted chocolate to coat. Shake off any excess chocolate and place on the prepared tray to set. Decorate with extra blueberries placed on top.
- To give as presents, place truffles in individual foil or paper cases inside small, flat boxes; tie up boxes with ribbons. Truffles will last well for up to 10 days if stored in a cool place.
To create Reindeer Pops, attach cake pop sticks to the base of each truffle before dipping in chocolate. Once dipped, press a pretzel ‘antler’ on each side of the reindeer’s head. Use a cranberry to make a nose. Press on blueberries to create eyes. Repeat with all the other Reindeer Pops.
Recipe from Julie Le Clerc for Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Chocolate Blueberry Truffles and Reindeer Pops
Sourdough Stuffing with Walnuts, Caramelized Onion & Sage
Serves 6-8 as a side dish.
Sweet caramelized onions and earthy aromatic sage add an irresistible depth of flavour to this delicious Christmas stuffing. It’s a lovely traditional style stuffing for roasted chicken or turkey, although it can also be served as a side dish on its own which is equally as delicious.
Ingredients
1 loaf sourdough, sliced into bite-size cubes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter 3 brown onions, roughly chopped
1 large handful sage, roughly chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 cup Alison’s Pantry walnuts, chopped
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 free-range eggs
sea salt and ground pepper
-
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Place bread cubes in a single layer over two baking trays. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and then place in the oven to toast. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly toasted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sage and stir to coat in the butter. Lower the heat and sauté until browned. Drizzle over the honey and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes or until caramelised. Leave to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, toss together the onions, toasted bread cubes, walnuts, and Parmesan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the stock, eggs and a good pinch of sea salt and ground pepper. Pour over the bread mixture and then, using your hands, mix well. The mixture should be moist but not dripping with liquid.
- Place stuffing into the cavity of a turkey or large chicken and cook as normal.
Alternatively, to serve as a side dish, transfer stuffing to a baking dish greased with butter or olive oil. Preheat oven to 180°C and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden on top. Serve in a heated dish for people to help themselves.
Download the PDF version here: Alison’s Pantry Sourdough stuffing with Walnuts, Caramelized Onion and Sage
This recipe was created by Eleanor Ozrich for Alison’s Pantry.
Roasted Kumara with Dried Cranberries, Feta and Pistachios
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 purple-skinned kumara, well-scrubbed but not peeled
100g feta, crumbled
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry Whole Cranberries
¼ cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Alison’s Pantry Roast Pistachios, shelled and chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C
- Put the kumara into a dry roasting dish and place in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the kumara is tender.
- Remove from the oven and halve the kumara lengthways.
- Place the kumara halves side by side, flesh side up, in a warm serving dish.
- Sprinkle the cranberries and feta over the kumara.
- Drizzle the maple syrup over everything.
- Sprinkle the pistachios on top and serve.
Recipe from Ray McVinnie for Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Roasted Kumara with Dried Cranberries, Feta and Pistachios
Seed and spice crusted tofu 
Serves 4
A wonderfully tasty and visually appealing way to serve tofu. Delicious with satay sauce or a spicy mayo.
½ cup Alison’s Pantry coconut threads
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cornflour
½ teaspoon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
1 300g block firm tofu
1 free range egg for dipping
Olive oil for frying
Place coconut, seeds, spices, cornflour, salt and pepper into a food processor and blitz until a fine crumb. Cut the tofu into thick wedges and blot with a clean tea towel or paper towel. Dip in the egg and then coat well in the crumb.
Heat a generous glug of oil in a sauté pan over a medium low heat. Cook in batches until browned. Take care with the heat as the seed crumb will burn easily.
Lentil & Cashew Nut Curry
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Serves 6
This delicious weeknight curry is easy to create for the whole family. You can add chicken if that’s your choice of protein, or leave as-is for a vegetarian option.
Serving with Quinoa’s nutty flavour makes it a tasty alternative to rice or couscous. Quinoa contains phosphorous which helps build strong bones.
Ingredients
500g lean chicken breasts cut in bite-sized chunks (omit if you want a vegetarian curry)
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Natural Cashews Nuts
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp each turmeric and cumin powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Spilt Red Lentils
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, as preferred
Salt, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Quinoa
Method
- If adding chicken, mix in a bowl with the ginger and garlic. Cover and chill until ready to use. Place the onion, chilli and cashew nuts in a blender and process until smooth
- Heat oil in a pan. Brown chicken all over then remove to one side. If not adding chicken then cook ginger and garlic in oil for 30 seconds. Add dried spices and fry for 1 minute. Add cashew nut paste; fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring continuously
- Return chicken to the pan (if using). Stir in the lentils and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are tender
- Cook Quinoa in plenty of boiling water for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well in a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper
- Add lemon juice to curry and season with salt. Garnish with coriander. Serve with Quinoa on the side
Download PDF version here: Alisons Pantry Lentil & Cashew Nut Curry
Apricot & Chicken in Lemony Mustard Sauce
(Serves 6)
A delicious twist on a traditional roast chicken! The combined flavours of Gourmet NZ Apricots, lemon and mustard provide a unique yet satisfying taste, that will leave you wanting more.
You may think roast chicken is best served alongside roast veggies, but you must try serving with a side of buckwheat. Buckwheat is a good source of magnesium and dietary fibre. Don’t forget to cook a bowl of your favourite green veggies to complete the meal! Julie Le Clerc boiled broccoli pictured below.
Ingredients
1.2 kg chicken drumsticks or pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Gourmet NZ Apricots, halved
2 cups chicken stock
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard (this is a mild-style of mustard)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Alison’s Pantry Natural Almonds, roughly chopped
Alison’s Pantry Buckwheat, to serve
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Make 2 small slashes in each piece of chicken to allow the flavours to penetrate the meat during cooking.
- Scatter sliced onion and NZ Apricots in the base of a large, deep oven dish. Arrange chicken pieces, in a single layer, on top, making sure the apricots are tucked under the chicken, so they soften in the liquid and don’t burn.
- Place chicken stock, lemon zest and juice, mustard, garlic and thyme in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour liquid over the chicken. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 1 hour, adding the chopped almonds 20 minutes before the end of cooking time so that they toast golden brown.
- Serve with nutritious buckwheat, which is cooked like rice in boiling water for 12 minutes. Drain and season with salt and pepper.
This recipe was created by Julie Le Clerc for Alison’s Pantry.
Crispy fresh lettuce cups filled with spicy Asian beef mince, noodles and fresh herbs. These quick and easy little cups of heaven are perfect all year round and are sure to impress your guests!
Click here for the full recipe.
We love this wintery salad, featuring our Currants and a whole lot of yum!
Click here for the full recipe.
This fresh quinoa salad brings a new excitement to the dinner table, with rich honey soy salmon that pairs so well with creamy avocado and pops of mandarin; we can’t get enough!
Topped with our Sesame seeds.
Click here for the full recipe.
Pack in your greens with this easy and delicious mid-week dinner.
Top this Asian Greens and Pulled Pork Donburi off with our crunchy Pine Nuts!
Click here for the full recipe.
Love Peking Duck Pancakes? Why not try making them at home with this quick and easy recipe using our Roasted Peanuts.
Click here for the full recipe.
Crunchy crumbed fish goes down a treat with this wintry roast vegetable salad, topped off with our Pumpkin Seeds!
Click here for the full recipe.
Now here’s a great way to use Alison’s Pantry Sesame Seeds.
This light and healthy Salmon Sashimi Soy and Orange Salad is awesome topped with a citrusy dressing and sprinkle of Sesame Seeds.
Warm, creamy and delicious!
This Creamy Chicken, Bacon and Lentil Soup is the ultimate comfort food and a great way to use Alison’s Pantry Split Red Lentils.
Click here for the full recipe.
Spice up your life with a Sesame Crusted Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry with cashews to garnish. Our Sesame Seeds help make the tofu crispy, nutty and delicious.
Click here for the full recipe.