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.
Armando’s Panettone with Berries Armando’s panettone with berries is a festive dessert made with Italy’s traditional Christmas cake, panettone. Chef Armando Percuoco created it to add a bit of moisture to this brioche-like bread, which some people find a bit too dry. We’ve used berries and mint for a red and green Christmas theme but […]
Grilled Zucchini with Stracciatella Grilled zucchini with stracciatella is a simple dish that’s great as a starter or part of an antipasti. It’s inspired by a dish I had at Bert’s at Newport – the first time I ever tasted stracciatella. This wonderful southern Italian cheese is shredded mozzarella mixed with cream – it’s what’s […]
Basque-style Octopus Braise This Basque-style octopus braise is inspired by a veal dish from the town of Espelette, famous for its dried mild red peppers. I wanted to create a pescatarian-friendly version, but it’s challenging finding seafood that can stand up to a long braise; so few aquatic species lend themselves to that style of […]
Snapper with Pine Nut & Herb Stuffing I didn’t really care for stuffings until I cooked this snapper with pine nut & herb stuffing, inspired by a dish Giovanni Pilu served me. Herbs, including rosemary, thyme and oregano grow wild throughout Sardinia and are known as ‘erbette di campo’, herbs of the field. They add […]
Lemon-cured Tuna with Herb Salad One of my favourite Vietnamese dishes is bo tai chanh, a salad of beef cured in lemon juice, and the same method works just as well with tuna. Whatever protein you use, it’s a very quick dish to prepare once you have all the ingredients on hand, and it’s great […]
Salmon with Fregola Salad This baked salmon with fregola salad is a great dinner party dish as it’s both easy and impressive. The fregola salad was taught to me by chef Giovanni Pilu, from Pilu at Freshwater, who usually serves it with lamb (see video below). Fregola is a reminder of the Arabic influence in […]
Swiss Salmon in Cream Sauce Discover more delicious Swiss dishes on my small group food & wine tour of Switzerland! This delicious salmon in cream sauce recipe is inspired by a Swiss dish called voressen that’s usually made with lamb or chicken in the Emmental. Use sashimi-grade fish, which virtually all farmed salmon is, and […]
Salmon Wellington Traditional beef Wellington is a series of parcels – beef wrapped in mushroom, wrapped in crêpe, wrapped in pastry – and the method can easily be adapted to other proteins, especially salmon which looks very pretty with its orange flesh contrasting against the golden pastry. When making salmon Wellington there’s no need to […]
Seared Tuna with Garlic Sauce The sauce that chef Cheong Liew serves with thin slices of poached pork is equally delicious in this dish of seared tuna with garlic sauce. As the tuna is quite rare, almost raw, it’s important to use sashimi-grade; ask for a log of sashimi-grade tuna that’s already been trimmed of […]
Grilled Provençal Prawns with Ratatouille The biggest mistake home cooks make when preparing seafood is overcooking it. This is especially true with prawns which are tender, sweet and delicious when cooked properly, but too often end up rubbery and tasteless instead. My top tip for superb prawns is to butterfly them without peeling and cook […]
