We could expect nothing less than wholesome when we asked our resident health guru Jana to present us with one of her own Christmas table dishes. This sweet and salty tart is perfectly balanced, and the balsamic glaze is what veggie dreams are made of.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 90 mins

INGREDIENTS
1 kg butternut
3 sweet potatoes
3 pears
2 cloves garlic
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tbsp dried origanum
1 tbsp veggie spice
Salt and pepper
3 onions
3 tbsp butter
⅔ cup balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp Port or sherry
1 roll puff pastry
100g blue cheese

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Peel and dice butternut, sweet potatoes, pears and garlic, then mix with the oil, origanum and veggie spice. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40–60 minutes, until cooked through.
3. Peel onions and slice in rings. Heat butter in an ovenproof dish. Fry onions for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add vinegar, sugar and Port/sherry. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Spoon veggies into the dish on top of the onion mixture. Roll out pastry and lay over veggies.
5. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
6. To serve the tarte Tatin, invert on to a platter and crumble blue cheese over.

The post Jana’s vegetable tarte Tatin appeared first on MyKitchen.

This may sound like a surprising combination but this sweet and smokey apple and bacon risotto is the stuff dreams are made of. Follow our instructions to get it just right!

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 45 mins

INGREDIENTS
1ℓ chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
350g Arborio rice
200 ml dry white wine
3 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tbsp butter, plus extra to serve
Salt and cracked black pepper
200g bacon, roughly chopped
2 apples, peeled, cored and grated
Extra grated Parmesan, to garnish

METHOD
1. Heat the stock in a pot over low heat and keep it simmering.
2. Heat the oil in another pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, making sure every grain is coated in oil, and fry for 1 minute, until it starts to look transparent. Add the wine and keep stirring until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Add 1 cup hot stock to the risotto, stirring continuously until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat cup by cup, until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
4. Add the bacon along with the onion. Once the bacon is crispy, set aside some to garnish.
5. Add the apple and cook for another 5 minutes. Season.
6. Stir in the Parmesan and 1 tbsp butter. Season and remove from the heat. Cover with a lid and let stand for 2 minutes.
7. Garnish with crispy bacon and extra Parmesan, and serve with extra butter.

The post Bacon and apple risotto appeared first on MyKitchen.