You are currently viewing 4 Father’s Day lunch recipes dad will love

4 Father’s Day lunch recipes dad will love

Celebrate Father’s Day with a feast fit for Dad! These 4 hearty lunch recipes are easy, delicious, and made with love to make his day unforgettable. 

The ultimate winter warmer: Sweet potato brinjal curry 

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients 

½ cup olive or canola oil
600g baby brinjals, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped 
1 tsp cumin seeds 
5 cloves garlic, chopped 
2cm knob grated ginger
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 can (400g) peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp sugar
2 large, sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup water
½ lemon
Salt and milled pepper
Handful chopped coriander
Bread, for serving      

Method   

  1. Heat half the oil in a heavy-based pot over medium heat.  
  2. Add the brinjals and fry on both sides until golden brown. Remove and set aside.  
  3. Heat remaining oil in the same pot and sauté onion and cumin seeds until fragrant and soft, about 5-8 minutes. 
  4. Add garlic, ginger, chilli and spices, then sauté for about 3 minutes.  
  5. Tip in tomatoes, add sugar and simmer for 8-10 minutes. 
  6. Add sweet potatoes and water, cook for another 15-20 minutes.  
  7. Stir in fried brinjals and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally and adding extra water if needed.  
  8. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice and season.  
  9. Stir through coriander and serve with bread on the side.  

Cook’s note
Sop up with buttery garlic naan or parathas for the ultimate ‘utensil’.  

Recipe & photography courtesy of Fresh Living Magazine  

For the seafood lover: Seafood paella

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients 

3 Tbsp olive oil
8-12 prawns, cleaned
400g hake or any sustainable white fish
Salt and milled pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 large red peppers, finely chopped  

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large salad tomatoes, grated
1 ½ cups arborio (risotto) rice
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
3-4 threads saffron (optional)  

5 cups hot fish or vegetable stock
8-12 mussels, cleaned and steamed
Fresh parsley, lemon wedges and aioli, for serving    

Method 

  1. Heat half the oil in a large ovenproof pan. 
  2. Fry prawns and fish until parcooked. Season, remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining oil to pan and fry onion until soft. 
  3. Add peppers, garlic and tomato and fry for 5-8 minutes. Increase heat and stir through rice and paprika, then fry for a few seconds. 
  4. Combine saffron, if using, with stock and pour over rice. 
  5. Briefly stir to combine, then avoid stirring for the rest of the cooking time. 
  6. Simmer for 3 minutes, reduce heat then simmer for 5 more minutes or until liquid is just below rice level.   
  7. Return prawns and fish to pan then add mussels. 
  8. Cover with foil and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 5 minutes. 
  9. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Top with parsley and serve with lemon and aioli on the side.   

Recipe & photographs courtesy of Fresh Living Magazine 

Skimp on lots of dirty dishes with: Cider chicken & barley traybake  

Serves 6 

Ingredients   

2-3 Tbsp olive oil blend 
200g streaky bacon
1 cup dried pearl barley
800g oven roast vegetable mix 
1 bulb garlic, halved 
12 bone-in chicken thighs 
Salt and milled pepper 
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 bottle (330ml) apple cider
1 ½ – 2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp wholegrain mustard 
3 Tbsp basil pests, for serving
Chopped parsley, to garnish
Basil leaves, to garnish    

Method   

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.  
  2. Heat a pan with a drizzle of oil over high heat and cook bacon, but not until fully crispy. Drain on paper towel and roughly chop into 2cm chunks.  
  3. Place barley in the base of a 35x45cm deep oven dish.  
  4. Top barley with oven roast veggies and garlic halves. Season.  
  5. Season chicken thighs well. Sprinkle with spices and arrange the chicken among the vegetables, on top of the barley. Drizzle chicken and vegetables with remaining oil.   
  6. Pour the apple cider around the chicken in the dish. Mix the chicken stock and mustard together and pour in the dish.  
  7. Roast for about 25 minutes. 
  8. Cover with foil, lower the temperature to 180°C and bake for 1 hour more.  
  9. Spoon over basil pesto, sprinkle with chopped parsley and top with basil leaves to serve.  

 Recipe & styling: Lichelle May
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

For the dad who loves a steak: Perfect pan-fried steak with Zhoug sauce

Serves 2   

Ingredients  

About 650g T-bone steak
Salt and milled pepper
1 Tbsp butter
Olive oil for frying
6 baby onions, peeled and halved   

For the zhoug sauce  

2 cloves garlic, chopped
30g coriander
2- 3 fresh jalapeño chillies, seeds removed
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli flakes / cup olive oil
1 lime, zested and juiced 
Salt and milled pepper  

 Method 

  1. Pat steak dry and season liberally. 
  2. Heat a cast iron pan over high. Placing fat-side down first, cook steak until most of the fat is rendered out, about 5 minutes. 
  3. Add butter to the pan and cook steak for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare finish (or cook to your preferred doneness). 
  4. Remove from heat and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. 
  5. Add olive oil to a pan and sear baby onions on medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes per side or until dark brown. Season and set aside. 
  6. For the zhoug sauce, place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until a thick sauce forms. Season. 
  7. Serve steak with the caramelised baby onions and zhoug sauce.  

Recipes & photographs courtesy of Fresh Living Magazine