Take your taste buds on a global journey using marvellous mince

1. PERSIAN LAMB MEATBALLS

Preparation time 25 mins plus 1 hour chilling

Cooking time 35 mins

Serves 4

4 spring onions, plus extra shredded

1kg lamb mince, you could use beef or a plant-based mince

400g can brown lentils, drained, rinsed

1 egg, beaten

80ml (⅓ cup) chopped mint leaves, plus extra whole and shredded leaves to serve

80ml (⅓ cup) chopped coriander

60ml (¼ cup) chopped dill

100g feta cheese, finely chopped

30ml (2 tbsp) harissa paste

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

30ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste

500ml (2 cups) chicken stock

30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice

Cooked couscous, chopped dried apricots and lemon wedges to serve

1. Thinly slice spring onions. Combine mince, green parts of spring onions (reserving white parts for sauce), ¾ cup of the lentils, egg, mint, coriander, dill, feta and ¾ of the harissa paste in a large bowl. Season well. Shape mince into balls then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Heat half of the oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs, turning occasionally, for 7 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Remove from the pan.

3. Add remaining oil to the same hot pan. Add white parts of spring onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until soft. Stir in remaining harissa and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute.

4. Stir in stock and remaining lentils. Bring to a simmer. Carefully return the meatballs to the pan. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, turning meatballs halfway. Remove meatballs, cover and set aside to keep warm. Simmer sauce, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Return meatballs to the pan. Stir in lemon juice and season.

5. Sprinkle meatballs with extra slices of spring onion and mint leaves. Toss couscous with apricots and extra shredded mint. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

2. MEXICAN BEEF ROASTED PEPPERS

Steal the staples of Mexican cuisine — beans and corn — for your stuffing, adding chilli sauce and taco seasoning as a flavour shortcut. Easy!

Preparation time 20 mins

Cooking time 1 hour 15 mins

Serves 4

4 medium red peppers

15ml (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

500g chicken mince or plant-based mince of choice

1 x 30g sachet taco seasoning

1 x 400g can diced tomatoes

80ml (⅓ cup) green chilli or mild/medium peri peri sauce

1 x 400g can black beans, drained, rinsed

250ml (1 cup) canned corn kernels, drained and rinsed

250ml (1 cup) grated mozzarella cheese

Lime wedges and sour cream or plain yoghurt to serve

Salsa:

1 avocado, finely chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped

80ml (⅓ cup) chopped coriander, plus extra leaves to serve

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to season

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut peppers in half lengthways through stems and remove seeds and membranes. Place halves, cut side up, in a greased roasting pan.

2. Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Add mince and cook, breaking up any lumps, for 5 minutes, or until the mince has changed colour. Stir in the taco seasoning.

3. Add diced tomatoes, chilli/peri peri sauce, beans and corn. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, for 7-10 minutes, or until thickened.

4. Fill pepper halves with mince mixture, mounding on top. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until pepper is tender. Remove the foil and sprinkle cheese evenly on top. Bake for a further 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

5. Meanwhile, for salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl and season. Top peppers with salsa and extra coriander, then serve with lime wedges and sour cream.

3. LAMB FATTEH

Arabic for “crumbs”, fatteh is basically fried bread with yummy yoghurt and lots of goodies piled on top, like meat in molasses, spicy chickpeas and pomegranate arils. Dig in!

Preparation time 30 mins

Cooking time 30 mins

Serves 4

1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil

15ml (1 tbsp) ground cumin

10ml (2 tsp) ground cardamom

10ml (2 tsp) sumac, plus extra, to serve

750g lamb mince (you can use beef mince or plant-based mince)

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2.5 (½ tsp) cinnamon

5ml (1 tsp) fine sea-salt flakes

250ml (1 cup) chicken stock

25ml (5 tsp) pomegranate molasses

Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

3 pieces white Lebanese (or white) bread, cut into 3m squares

180ml (¾ cup) Greek yoghurt

125ml (½ cup) ready-made garlic dip/sauce

A large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely cut

Pomegranate arils (seeds) and lemon wedges to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Toss chickpeas, oil, 1 tsp of the cumin and ½ tsp each of the cardamom and sumac on an oven tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking, until chickpeas are golden and crisp.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook lamb mince, breaking up lumps, for 7 minutes.

3. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 7 minutes, or until lamb is browned and onion is soft. Sprinkle over remaining spices, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add stock and molasses. Simmer for 7 minutes, or until reduced slightly.

4. Meanwhile, heat enough vegetable oil in a large saucepan to come 3cm up the side until hot. Shallow-fry Lebanese bread in small batches for 1 minute, or until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel. Repeat with remaining bread.

5. Combine yoghurt and garlic dip in a small bowl. Arrange bread on a large serving platter. Spoon lamb over the top, sprinkle with half of the parsley and top with some of the yoghurt dip. Sprinkle with chickpeas, arils, remaining parsley and extra sumac. Serve with remaining yoghurt dip and wedges.

4. MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKEN PASTILLA

Tweaking traditional delicacies lets you bring global tastes to your table. Instead of cooking and deboning a chicken, this pie recipe uses chicken mince, but is just as delish as the original dish.

Preparation time 25 mins

Cooking time 1 hour

Serves 6

500g washed potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces

100g butter

2 leeks, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1kg chicken mince

20ml (4 tsp) Moroccan seasoning

5ml (1 tsp) ground cumin

5ml (1 tsp) ground coriander

15ml (1 tbsp) cornflour

1,125 litres (4½ cups) chicken stock

½ cup pitted green olives, halved

20ml (4 tsp) finely chopped preserved lemon rind

125ml (½ cup) chopped coriander leaves

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to season

10 sheets filo pastry

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cook potato in boiling water for 7 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the butter in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Cook the leek and garlic for 3 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the pan.

3. Add chicken mince to same pan and stir, breaking up any lumps, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle over combined seasoning, cumin and coriander. Cook, stirring, for a further 3-5 minutes, until chicken is just turning white.

4. Combine cornflour with 4 cups of the chicken stock until dissolved. Stir in remaining stock. Pour over stock mixture and add potato and leek and garlic mixture to pan. Add the halved olives and preserved lemon rind. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in coriander. Season. Spread mixture into a 30cm round (12-cup capacity) ovenproof dish.

5. Melt remaining butter. Lay 1 piece of pastry on a clean surface and brush with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter. Loosely crumple pastry lengthways and place loosely around outer edge of pie. Continue with remaining sheets in the same way until the top is covered. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Serve with coriander leaves.

5. COTTAGE PIE JACKET POTATOES

Meet your number one comfort food. Easy peasy, a marvellous mash-up of two recipes. Simply scoop out your potatoes and fill with a classic beef mince mixture, top with creamy mashed potato and bake.

Preparation time 30 mins

Cooking time 50 mins

Serves 6

6 large potatoes (400g each)

30ml (2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

10ml (2 tsp) dried thyme

500g beef mince or plant-based mince

30ml (2 tbsp) cake wheat flour

30ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste

30ml (2 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce

310ml (1¼ cups) beef stock

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to season

45ml (3 tbsp) butter, softened

125ml (½ cup) grated cheddar cheese

125ml (½ cup) frozen baby peas

Chopped chives to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Wash and scrub potatoes. Prick all over with fork. Put 3 potatoes on a microwave plate and cover with moist paper towel. Microwave on high for 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserts easily. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Allow to cool.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot, celery and thyme for 8 minutes, or until onion is soft.

4. Add mince. Cook, breaking up lumps, for a further 6 minutes, or until starting to brown. Add flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce and gradually stir in stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until thickened. Season.

5. Line a roasting pan with baking paper. Cut 2cm off the top of the potatoes. Trim bases to sit flat if needed. Scoop out flesh of potatoes, leaving a 1.5cm thick shell. Arrange shells in the prepared pan. Mash flesh in a bowl with butter until smooth. Stir in cheese. Season.

6. Add peas to mince mixture and stir to combine. Spoon filling into potatoes, press in firmly and make a slight mound of mince mixture on top. Dollop mashed potato on top. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Sprinkle with chives. Serve.