Germaine Borg and her family grow wonderful potted herbs on their family farm, Windy Hills Farm, near Camden. The herbs last for weeks on the kitchen counter, and months in a garden bed or planter and are perfect for snipping off just what you need for a dish.
Chicken with Chorizo Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Portuguese cooking class inspired by Jose Silva! My chicken with chorizo recipe is based on a classic Portuguese dish, amêijoas com chouriço (clams with chorizo). I created it for a friend who couldn’t eat shellfish but didn’t want to miss out on the flavours. Chicken’s […]
Buckwheat Polenta with Mushrooms & Gorgonzola Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Northern Italian cooking class inspired by Alessandro Pavoni! On the first day we were in Lombardy researching A Lombardian Cookbook, Alessandro took us up to the hunting lodge of his family friends Elsa and Tulio. There in the high mountain sunshine, Elsa […]
Bagna Cauda Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Northern Italian cooking class! From the landlocked region of Piedmont pressed against the Alps in north-western Italy, bagna càuda was originally a peasant dish that made the most of winter’s limited vegetables by dressing them in a rich garlicky sauce. Bagna means ‘bath’ and càuda, ‘hot’, […]
Sigara Borek (Turkish Cheese & Herb Rolls) Börek filled with cheese and herbs is one of my favourite food experiences from my travels in Turkey. I remember arriving early one morning in the eastern town of Tatvan having caught the overnight ferry across Lake Van with a girlfriend. We were cold, tired and hungry and […]
Ocean Trout with Spicy Onion Sauce Cooking fish almost entirely on the skin protects the delicate flesh, keeping it moist and succulent. The skin usually ends up a bit charred and looking slightly the worse for wear, so I usually present the fish flesh side up. The skin still tastes great and, if you like […]
Grilled Prawns with Pear & Walnut Salad Grilled prawns with pear and walnut salad is the perfect dish for entertaining as most of the preparation can be done ahead of time, and cooking the prawns only on the shell side ensures they’ll be the juiciest you’ve ever tasted. Prawns oxidise quickly once they’re caught or […]
Grilled Swordfish with Salmoriglio Swordfish (pesce spada) is one of the most popular fish in the Mediterranean and in southern Italy it’s often served with the classic olive oil and herb sauce, salmoriglio (see video below). It has a wonderful meaty texture but tends to dry out and soften if over cooked, so resist the […]
Salmoriglio Salmoriglio is a simple southern Italian sauce based on olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs, traditionally oregano. Parsley is often included and sometimes a little finely chopped rosemary or thyme, some recipes add a little anchovy too. Most cooks simply whisk all the ingredients together but, in The River Café Cookbook, Rose Gray and […]
Insalata Caprese https://youtu.be/g7VFea_c67s Insalata Caprese is a classic Italian mozzarella and tomato salad from the Isle of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Indian water buffalo were introduced to the swampy plains near Naples as draft animals around the 6th or 7th century, and today this area is famous for one of Italy’s most delicious […]
Spaghetti alle Vongole al Cartoccio Spaghetti alle vongole is the classic Italian clam dish. Vongole means ‘clam’ in Italian and I use the small South Australian vongole that are closest to Italy’s vongole veraci, but you can use any clams or other bivalve for this dish, including mussels. I first had spaghetti alle vongole al […]
