MINCED
Sue Hamilton and Dana Alexander
 RRP $35.00 | Paperback | Penguin Books | Over 100 recipes

Most households eat mince at least once a week. It can be used to make inspirational meals with flavours from around the globe, it’s good value and kids love it. It’s about time that mince claimed the high ground!

 Whether you’re cooking for mid-week meals or something a little more sophisticated, you can tap into Minced for more than 100 scrumptious recipes that will give you inspiration for what to do with minced beef, lamb, pork, chicken, seafood and even game, fruit and nuts! All our best loved comfort foods such as meatloaf, spaghetti bolognese and lasagne are given a fresh new twist, or for something different, try the lip-smackingly good tagines, curries and tapas.
 There are lots of ideas in Minced, from familiar comfort food to stylish, ethnic and health-conscious dishes. Many of the recipes are easily put together, but with bold touches that make meals more memorable, letting you celebrate the everyday. Both Dana and Sue have busy families and busy lives, so almost everything you find in Minced has been created using simple, quick techniques and fresh and readily accessible ingredients. They never compromise on taste and they encourage you to do the same. Infusing your Minced dishes with interesting spices, fresh herbs or home-made sides will give you impressive results time and time again.

 Developed in the home by working mums who love to cook for family and friends, Minced will inspire people to try new things every day with mince.
Sue Hamilton and Dana Alexander are terrific home cooks who are passionate about real food. They understand the daily challenge of creating fast, affordable, interesting, tasty and nutritious meals for their families. With backgrounds in marketing and brand development,
Sue and Dana are now working to develop a range of products which will revolutionise the way that people enjoy mince. Sue and Dana live in Auckland.

 The publishers have kindly allowed me to reproduce one of the recipes from the book.This is so scrumptious. If possible, make the sauce the day before to develop the flavours. You canserve this as a lunch, an entrée or in larger helpings as a main meal. The quantities below are perfect as a starter for four.



Featherlight Chicken Pasta with Rocket and Thyme





¼ cup pine nuts
knob butter
4 shallots (or 1 red onion),
very finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
200 g chicken mince
lemon zest from 2 lemons,
finely grated
handful fresh lemon thyme
leaves
handful rocket leaves
1 spring onion, finely sliced
small handful dried
vermicelli pasta or thin
spaghetti per person
½ cup sauvignon blanc
100 ml cream

In a non-stick pan, dry fry pine nuts until golden brown. Remove from
pan and set aside. In same pan heat butter and a dash of olive oil
together, then add shallots and garlic. Cook over a gentle heat until
transparent.
Turn up the heat a little, add chicken mince and brown well. Make sure
you break up the mince. Add lemon zest, thyme, rocket and spring
onion. Stir through well.
At this point bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and get your
pasta under way.
Add wine to chicken. It should hiss as it hits the surface. Stir through
then reduce heat and add cream. Simmer for 3–5 minutes, seasoning
with salt and pepper to taste. Add pine nuts and stir through.
Drain cooked pasta and stir through most of the sauce, leaving a little
to drizzle when you plate up.
Place a portion of pasta on each plate and garnish with a little extra
sauce and some rocket, thyme leaves and lemon zest if wished.