Two of our trio have been to Greece this year and we’ve noticed an ever so subtle leaning to the flavours of that region sneaking into our Christmas menu. Dill, marinated feta, oregano, figs, nuts, dried beans and the like have all made an appearance in our recipes but in a deliciously understated way ...
TUBULAR TASTES
Deliciously succulent pasta tubes filled with aubergine, ricotta, spinach, parmesan and smoked Fior di Latte, topped and bottomed with home made tomato sauce ….. salivating yet? This week’s recipe is a home-cook’s dream as it can be prepared well ahead of time and gently reheated to serve topped with fresh basil leaves. It can be made in very large quantities for parties and freezes well ....
LUXE SOUP
Dinner for a very dear friend’s birthday required a bit of thought as I wanted to cook her favourites but with a twist. She loves a corn curry I’ve been making for years but I didn’t want to serve a curry meal and so decided to convert the curry idea into a soup for entrée and make it a bit luxe for the celebration by garnishing with crayfish tails ....
FISH CAKES, FLASH IN THE PAN
BACKYARD ABUNDANCE
This one ticks all the boxes. Gluten-free, organic, sustainable, low food miles, seasonal, community-minded, delicious and free. I’m referring to a bag of limes and avocados given to me by Rosie. The avocados came from a tree overhanging her backyard and the limes from one of her green-fingered friends ....
PEASE PUDDINGS HOT
This update on the old Pease Pudding of Northern England is a very loose riff on the original. Instead of dried yellow split peas, soaked and boiled in the stock of a ham hock, this version takes bright green peas, aromatics and spices and turns them into beautifully light but very tasty semi-souffles ....
THINKING JAPANESE
A DELICIOUS FAMILY TRADITION
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS WITH RICE-CAKES AND SWEET SOY
I’m a big fan of Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell and I thought I’d like to recreate a dish I’d read about from his new restaurant, Supernormal. I can guarantee that the following would be nothing like his original, but when I made it for our gang of friends recently, we all loved it – happily ignorant, of course, of what we were really missing ....