Patatas Bravas Named for the ‘bold’ sauce that coats them, these deep-fried potato cubes in a spicy, tangy tomato sauce are one of my favourite tapas dishes when done well – that means freshly fried, not done ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated as happens in too many Spanish restaurants! As the sauce softens the […]
Cicciones with Pork Ragu I love the chewy texture of this rustic Sardinian pasta – and the name which means ‘little fat ones’! This is the same pasta dough used to make lombrichi, the ‘worm-shaped’ Sardinian pasta you’ll see on the video below. The full-flavoured Serra Lori rosato, made from a blend of indigenous Sardinian […]
Bruschetta Caprese It’s good to eat with the seasons, but occasionally I want a touch of summer year-round … that’s when I call on a few of my favourite things and create this delicious bruschetta. Windy Hills Farm pots of living basil are the perfect way to use this summer herb year-round, Vannella’s small buffalo bocconcini […]
I’m not sure why I hadn’t made this classic pasta sauce before … I love tomato, cheese and all things quick and easy. Perhaps it’s because guanciale (cured pork cheek) can be tricky to find … so when I discovered Salumi Australia’s guanciale in my local Harris Farm, I had no excuse. Amatrice, for which […]
Tagliatelle Bolognese Slow-cooked meat sauces, called ragùs, are made all over Italy, though the best known comes from Bologna in Emilia-Romagna and is the ancestor of Australia’s beloved ‘spag bol’. Not that it would ever be served with dried spaghetti in Emilia-Romagna where fresh egg pasta, like tagliatelle and fettuccine, is more typical. There are […]
I’ve always had a soft spot for this Tex-Mex snack, invented, as so many good things are, out of necessity. Asked to feed some hungry customers after the kitchen had closed, a Mexican cook called Ignacio (“Nacho” for short), fried strips of tortillas, melted cheese over them and topped them with pickled chillies. The simplest […]
Chilli sin Carne is my vegetarian play on the famous Texan dish, chilli con carne. Since there’s no carne (Spanish for ‘meat’), it’s ‘sin carne’ (without meat). The idea would be an abomination to any self-respecting Texan, so why not go a step further and serve it with brown rice – I love the nutty […]
I love this vegetarian twist on a classic lasagne – full of spring greens. It’s a bit messy to make, but delicious to eat; the ricotta mixture is much thicker than the béchamel sauce used in a traditional lasagne, so don’t worry that it doesn’t form a perfectly smooth layer … it all evens out […]
My lamb kefta & egg tagine recipe is inspired by a dish from Moroccan chef Hassan M’Souli that I had at his Manly restaurant Out of Africa. I love eggs and I love the way this dish looks with them cooking in the sauce as it arrives at the table. A mainstay of Moroccan cooking, […]
Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni is an easy dish that can be prepared a few hours ahead of time, then just put in the oven at the last minute … perfect for casual entertaining. I use Barilla cannelloni tubes that don’t need to be cooked before filling, the moisture from the sauce softens them as they […]
