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.
Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! The simplest recipes are often the favourites, the ones with the most views on this website are croque monsieur (a.k.a. toasted ham & cheese sandwich) and affogato (ice cream ‘drowned’ in coffee and liqueur), hardly […]
Lamb Cutlets with Romesco Sauce Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Spanish cooking class! Romesco is a Spanish sauce from the region of Catalonia, where a variation called salvitxada is served as a dip for calçots, local spring onions traditionally charred over open fires. Thick green onions or baby leeks make a good alternative […]
Ratatouille Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the food of Provence! This versatile Provençal dish is delicious hot or cold, as a standalone vegetarian meal, or an accompaniment to grilled meat, poultry or seafood. There aren’t any hard and fast rules, it’s a quick, one-pot combination of eggplant, capsicum, onion, […]
Harissa-rubbed Quail Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! For a long time, i thought quail would be too fiddly to cook – but when I finally tackled it I was surprised at how simple it is. Brining is a great way to add flavour to meat […]
Stuffed Artichokes Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! I love artichokes, one of the first spring vegetables to appear in greengrocers. I love them finely shaved raw in a salad, deep-fried Roman-style (carciofi alla Giudia), and preserved on an antipasto plate. But most of all I love […]
Eggplant Parmigiana Eat Eggplant Parmigiana with me in Parma on a Small Group Food & Wine Tour While the name suggests a clear connection with the northern Italian city of Parma – and eggplant Parmigiana appears on almost every restaurant menu there – southern Italy also claims this delicious dish. It’s traditional to Naples and […]
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy & dine with me at Ristorante da Ciccio! This deliciously simple dish is so easy even a child can make it (see video below). It’s named for the town of Sorrento on Italy’s Amalfi coast and I first ate it at Ristorante Da […]
Tomato Gazpacho Like tomato gazpacho? You’ll love my online Spanish cooking class! Gazpacho is an ancient Spanish bread soup, possibly dating back to Roman times, which was readily adapted to include the New World tomato in the 18th century. Tomato gazpacho makes a delicious, appetite-stimulating start to a summer meal and is great in shot […]
Orecchiette with Broccoli & Anchovies Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! This classic dish of orecchiette with broccoli and anchovies hails from Puglia and is also popular in neighbouring Basilicata. It highlights one of the many reasons to love pasta – it’s literally on the table […]
Spice-rubbed Lamb Backstrap Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! This quick spice rub adds real punch to any red meat. I sometimes serve spice-rubbed lamb backstrap with instant couscous tossed with slivered almonds, finely diced preserved lemon, chopped green olives, chives, salt and olive oil, but […]
