Robert Armstrong’s commitment to his land and olive groves, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range (near Crookwell, NSW) has led to ALTO Olives becoming Australia’s most awarded extra virgin olive oil. His agrodolce (bitter-sweet) vinegars are the best Australian vinegars I’ve found too.
Sharbat Sekanjabin Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Sharbat is Persian cordial, a syrup flavoured with fruits and/or flowers, usually with a sour touch, that’s then diluted with water and served over ice. The word is related to sherbet, sorbet, shrub (in the drinks sense) and syrup, via the Arabic šariba […]
Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Bademjan is Farsi for eggplant, kashk is fermented whey, and kashke bademjan (roasted eggplant dip) is one of my favourite Persian dishes. My friend Parya-joon made a huge bowl of it for my last birthday party which was a great […]
Skordalia Skordalia, Greece’s famous garlicky white dip, is sometimes made with bread as the thickening agent, sometimes with ground almond and sometimes potato. I love chef Janni Kyritsis’ version using both bread and almond as it gives a lovely rich flavour. Any leftover will keep in the fridge for 3–4 days and is delicious slathered […]
Patatas Bravas Named for the ‘bold’ sauce that coats them, patatas bravas are deep-fried potato cubes in a spicy, tangy tomato sauce. They’re 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 […]
Salade Verte – How To Dress A Green Salad Like crepes?You’ll love my online French cooking class! A simple green salad (salade verte in French) is the ideal accompaniment to so many dishes, whether it’s made from just one type of leaf or a mixture of several. It may be simple, but it deserves the […]
Broad Bean Bruschetta Every meal at Lucio’s Paddington restaurant started with bruschetta, a slice of delicious toasted Italian bread, topped with a mound of something seasonal. I love using tender young broad beans during their short spring season to make this broad bean bruschetta. In summer it’s often diced ripe tomatoes; sliced sauteed mushrooms are […]
Trofie al Pesto Genovese Like pesto?You’ll love my online Italian cooking class featuring the food of the Italian Riviera! I love this classic way of serving pesto – with the beans and potatoes cooked in the same water as the pasta it’s more like a main meal than a starter. This is done with various […]
Focaccia I love authentic focaccia made with a generous amount of olive oil and had such fun working on focaccia recipes for our Month on the Italian Riviera inspired by Lucio Galletto. Lucio uses more water and oil in his recipe than many I’ve seen and I think that’s what makes his focaccia so good. […]
Open Fillo Sandwich with Anchovy Sauce This simple dish is inspired by one of my favourite MG Garage starters. I love the idea of sandwiching chopped olives between 2 sheets of fillo and wonder what else might work in this way. Janni used to make a triple stack of the olive-studded fillo sheets with the […]
Olive, Feta or Anchovy Fillo Fingers Just about everything I’ve ever cooked has been inspired by something I’ve eaten before and these fillo fingers are no exception – my friend Janni usually whips these up to serve with drinks when friends gather at his place. They’re so simple they hardly need a recipe, and everyone’s […]
