‘Plan, Buy, Cook’ cookbook: From Asian omelette to halloumi and pumpkin fritters

Gaby Chapman and Jen Petrovic take the fuss out of mealtimes with these delicious recipes

These fritters are great tossed through a salad with rocket, beetroot, mint and yoghurt (Bec Hudson)

Halloumi and pumpkin fritters

These moreish fritters make a great sandwich filling and are also delicious tossed through a salad with rocket, beetroot, mint and yoghurt. However you eat them, they are so tasty you’ll want to make them often.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Makes 16 fritters

250g halloumi cheese, grated
300g butternut squash, grated
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 egg
75g self-raising flour
Half teaspoon of ground cumin
Quarter teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
250g plain or Greek yoghurt
4 fresh mint sprigs, leaves picked, chopped
Bread or rolls, to serve
Rocket or salad leaves, to serve
Fresh cooked baby beetrots, sliced, to serve

Mix the grated haloumi, pumpkin, spring onions, egg, flour, cumin and salt in a bowl until combined. Heat the oil in a frying pan and place spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan. Cook over a medium heat until golden, then turn and cook until golden on the other side. Keep the fritters warm in a low oven while you cook the rest.

Combine the yoghurt and chopped mint in a bowl. To serve, toast the bread then top with rocket, fritters, sliced beetroot and mint yoghurt. If you can’t find fresh cooked beetroot in the vegetable section of your supermarket, use tinned beetroot instead.

(Bec Hudson)

Asian omelette

Try this Asian omelette variation to use your leftover vegetables.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Serves 1

1 teaspoon olive oil
Half a carrot, grated
1 × 10cm piece of celery, cut into matchsticks
2–4 mangetout, cut into matchsticks
Pinch of grated fresh ginger
Pinch of grated garlic
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
20g bean sprouts
Drop of sesame oil
2 eggs, beaten
Lime wedges, to serve (optional)

Heat the oil in a small frying or omelette pan, and cook the carrot, celery, snow peas, ginger and garlic for 3–4 minutes. Add a drop of water if it begins to stick.

Add the oyster sauce, bean sprouts and sesame oil to the vegetable mixture and stir through. Tip the vegetable mix into a bowl and set aside. Wash out the same frying pan, then cook the omelette, adding the vegetable mix for the filling.

If making more than one omelette, cook all the vegetables together, but still cook the omelettes one at a time. Don’t be put off if you don’t have all these veggies; use whatever you have in the bottom of the veggie drawer at the end of the week.

This chicken and chorizo braise recipe is one to double up (Bec Hudson)

Chicken and chorizo braise

This chicken and chorizo braise is a lovely recipe to double and freeze for an extra meal down the track. The chorizo offers a great savoury flavour, eliminating the need for chicken stock. This will become a family favourite for sure.

Prep 20 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
600g boneless chicken thighs, diced
1 red onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed or grated
250g chorizo, sliced
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
150g store-bought roasted red
capsicum (bell pepper), sliced
250ml tomato passata​ 
125ml white wine (optional)
4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, leaves picked, chopped
8 pitted kalamata olives or salad, to serve
Bread, to serve (optional)

Heat half the oil in a saucepan and brown the chicken in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan, then add the onion and garlic with a little water to assist cooking and prevent burning. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chorizo, paprika and capsicum and cook for 3 minutes. Add the passata, wine (if using) and 300ml water, then bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the parsley and olives and stir to combine. If doubling up the recipe, split the mixture in two and allow the extra meal to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight before freezing for later use.

Serve with veggies or salad of your choice. Bread is also a great addition. If you have a fresh red capsicum (bell pepper) in the fridge, you can use that instead of the roasted capsicum. The roasted capsicum imparts a nice flavour, but use up any fresh capsicum first to avoid food waste.

‘The Plan Buy Cook Book’ by Gaby Chapman & Jen Petrovic (Hardie Grant, ebook available) Photography: Bec Hudson