Nutty carbonara pasta, pepper steaks, prawn risotto and eggplant parma: Simple everyday recipes from Justine Schofield

You will want to rush home and cook these recipes once you read through. Everyday Gourmet presenter Justine Schofield shares three family-friendly dinners from her latest book, Simple Every Day.

Pancetta, hazelnut and pecorino spaghetti

This is very similar to the classic carbonara but has the lovely addition of hazelnuts, and the surprise of their texture makes this dish extra moreish. There are very few ingredients used here, so always try and get the best quality you can find.

Ingredients

100g hazelnuts

2 tbsp olive oil

200g pancetta, cut into small batons

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 egg yolks

100g pecorino, finely grated

salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

400g spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)

Method

1. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the hazelnuts and toast for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and golden. Immediately place in a clean tea towel and rub off most of the skins. It's okay if some of the skins still cling to the nuts. Roughly chop the nuts and reserve.

2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over low heat, add the pancetta and cook, slowly turning the heat to medium (this ensures the fat renders and melts into and flavours the oil), until it starts to sizzle. Fry for a further 2 minutes until crisp. Now add the garlic, toss and turn the heat off immediately, so the garlic just begins to turn a light golden colour but does not burn.

3. Mix the egg yolks with a quarter of the pecorino and a good pinch of salt.

4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Use tongs to roughly drain and place the spaghetti directly into the pan of pancetta, oil and garlic. It's okay if a little of the starchy cooking liquid goes in; this helps bind the sauce together.

5. Stir in the egg yolk mixture and a good amount of pepper. Toss until all the pasta is glossy and coated in the yolky mixture. Add the remaining cheese and the hazelnuts and toss again. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Perfectly silky prawn risotto

I've included a lot of detail on how to make a great risotto in this recipe. Personally, I love my risotto to be moist but not soupy, and the cooked rice to have a slight bite to it without being chalky; this can be achieved by being patient with the cooking process and allowing the rice to almost completely absorb the liquid before the next addition. When it comes to risotto, the simplest versions are the most elegant. This one allows the rice and prawns to truly shine.

Ingredients

750g raw king prawns

2½ tbsp canola or vegetable oil

1 star anise

175ml white wine (such as chardonnay or sauvignon blanc)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

salt flakes and freshly ground

black pepper

380g arborio or carnaroli rice

25g (¼ cup) freshly grated parmesan

60g butter

3 tbsp finely snipped chives

4 lemon cheeks

Method

1. To prepare the simple prawn stock, peel the prawns and remove the heads. Cut the prawn meat into thirds and set aside for the risotto. Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil and, when hot, add the prawn heads, shells and star anise. Cook, stirring and crushing the heads with a wooden spoon, for 5–6 minutes until the heads and shells are very well coloured and aromatic.

2. Deglaze the pan with 50ml of the white wine. Pour in 2 litres of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain, then pour 750 ml of the stock into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. (The rest of the stock can be frozen for next time.)

3. To prepare the risotto, heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and sweat gently for 2-3 minutes until softened and translucent.

4. Add the rice and stir well for about 3 minutes until it loses its raw appearance and is shiny. Pour in the remaining wine and bring to a simmer, stirring until the wine is absorbed.

5. Increase the heat to medium, add 125ml of hot stock and continue to stir.The rice will release its starch and the mixture will start to look creamy. As the rice absorbs the liquid, keep adding more stock,125ml at a time, until only 125ml remains. This will take about 12-15 minutes. Stir in the prawns and continue to cook, stirring and adding the last of the stock, for another 3-5 minutes until the rice is tender but firm to the bite and the stock has been absorbed.

6. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the cheese and butter, stirring vigorously to blend in quickly and bring the risotto together. Taste for seasoning and spoon onto four plates. Finish the risotto with a sprinkle of chives and a squeeze of lemon.

Serves 4

Easy peppercorn steaks

A brilliant pepper sauce doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, it's one of the easiest sauces to prepare. I adore it because it's rich and robust. The flavour profiles of peppercorns vary enormously, so I like to use two different varieties to take my sauce to the next level: Sichuan, which is numbing with slight lemony notes, and green peppercorns, which are sweeter and milder in flavour. And you can't beat minute steaks for a speedy dinner any night of the week.

Ingredients

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted

3 tsp green peppercorns in brine, drained

2 x 300g scotch fillet or sirloin steaks, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

1 tbsp olive oil

salt flakes

2 french shallots, finely chopped

3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

3 tbsp brandy

200ml chicken stock

2 ½ tbsp cream

small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely crush the Sichuan peppercorns and green peppercorns.

2. Place the steaks between two pieces of baking paper and flatten with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy-based frying pan.

3. Drizzle the oil over the steaks, sprinkle on half of the peppercorn mixture, pressing it into the meat, then season with salt.

4. Heat a large frying pan over high heat until very hot, then, adding two steaks at a time, cook for 20-30 seconds on each side. Remove from the pan, place on a plate and cover with foil. Repeat with the remaining steaks.

5. Turn the heat down to medium and add the shallot, thyme and the remaining peppercorn mixture and sauté for 1 minute, until the shallot is golden. Pour in the brandy and flambé by carefully igniting with a match and waiting for the flames to subside. Once the flames have dissipated, add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cook for a further minute until reduced by one-third.

6. Stir in the cream and simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens. Add any juices from the meat to the pan and mix in. Pour the sauce over the steaks and serve with a sprinkle of parsley.

Serves 4

More-ish eggplant parmigiana

With layers of fried eggplant, cheese and a rich tomato sauce, this classic Italian recipe is a real winner. It is so unbelievably more-ish and can be eaten as a side or as a meal in itself.

Ingredients

3 eggplants

½ cup coarse rock salt

35g (¼ cup) plain flour

125ml grapeseed or vegetable oil

100g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

350g fresh ricotta

1 large buffalo mozzarella (about 125g), torn into small pieces

1 large handful of basil leaves, torn

6 thin slices of prosciutto (optional)

For the sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

½ long red chilli, finely chopped

2 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bay leaf

salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

700g tomato passata

2 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes

Method

1. Cut the eggplants lengthways into 5mm thick slices. Layer the slices in a large colander, lightly sprinkling each with the coarse salt. Leave for 1 hour to extract some of the liquid.

2. In the meantime, prepare your sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, chilli, anchovy, garlic, bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the passata and crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring regularly, for 35-40 minutes until thickened and reduced. Remove from the heat and add the basil leaves.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C.

4. Shake the salt off the eggplant slices and pat dry with paper towel.

5. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of the grapeseed or vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Dip each slice of eggplant in the flour, shake off the excess, then shallow-fry in batches for 1 minute on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Repeat this process until all the eggplant is cooked.

6. Spread a ladleful of sauce over the base of a two-litre baking dish. Add your first layer of eggplant, ensuring the slices do not overlap too much. Sprinkle on a little parmesan, add a few dollops of ricotta, some buffalo mozzarella, a scattering of basil leaves and a small pinch of salt and pepper, then top with half a ladleful of sauce, spreading evenly.

7. Lightly press down with the back of the ladle to compress the layer. Repeat this process, continuing to layer until you have used all the eggplant. If using the prosciutto, add a layer in the middle. Finish with a layer of sauce and the cheeses.

8. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the top is golden.

9. Cool for 15 minutes before serving with extra parmesan.

Serves 6

This is an edited extract from Simple Every Day by Justine Schofield, published by Plum, RRP $34.99