Some of the oldest American cocktails come out of the South, which makes them some of the oldest cocktails in the world given this style of beverage was at least popularised in the USA. Here are my favourite classic Southern cocktails, using some of my favourite Australian spirits (and a Kentucky bourbon). Each recipe serves […]
Orange, Almond & Date Salad Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange (see video below), you’ll be making this simple dessert regularly. Use vivid Persian pistachio slivers instead of almonds if you like (no need to toast them) or add some pitted olives, chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper for […]
Red Rice & Herb Cake Every rice-centred cuisine has a version of fried rice to use up leftover cooked rice. I created this red rice & herb cake inspired by the Vietnamese tomato rice, cơm đỏ, which Mark Jensen introduced me to. It’s a great way to not only use up excess steamed rice but […]
Vietnamese Chicken Rice Soup Every culture seems to have a chicken soup that’s the universal panacea, and in Vietnam it’s cháo gà. Similar to Chinese congee, it’s sometimes called chicken rice porridge and is generally a breakfast dish, often served with omelette. It can be quite bland, if that’s what you want, and it’s traditionally […]
Bánh Mí I love the way food travels around the world, weaving aspects of one culture into another. The French brought their crisp, fluffy baguettes to Vietnam in the mid-1800s and just over a century later, the Vietnamese brought them to Australia. Now banh mi are one of our take-away mainstays. While they’re a healthy […]
Kisir (Turkish Tabouli) I’m a fan of traditional recipes but every now and then I prefer to do things my way. And I’ve always made tabouli with far more cracked wheat than any Lebanese cook ever would. Then I realised I wasn’t making tabbouli, I was making the kisir I enjoyed so much in Turkey. […]
Kolokithokeftedes These fritters (keftedes in Greek) are typically served as part of a mezedes, the array of snacks eaten at the start of a meal or at any time when drinking ouzo. Add some dolmades, spanakopita, Janni Kyritsis’ stuffed red capsicum (see video below), olives and tzatziki to create your own mezedes, or serve them […]
Poussin with Preserved Lemon Salata Poussins, French for chicks, are young chickens, sometimes called spatchcocks. They’re a good size to serve whole or halved, but you can also make this dish with a regular-size chicken and just increase the cooking time. I love the flavour of preserved lemon, and this delicious salata (Arabic for salad) […]
Ice Cream Christmas Pudding We all love a bit of tradition at Christmas time, but reinterpreting recipes created for a snowy winter wonderland to suit a sunny Aussie Christmas Day is the challenge. Frozen Christmas pudding is my easy solution, for the dessert course at least. Buy the best quality ice cream you can – […]
Chopped Salad Of course we all love to cook – but occasionally, there just isn’t time. That’s when I whip up a big bowl of this delicious chopped salad which keeps well for days in the fridge. Found all over the Middle East, it makes an interesting alternative to a leafy green salad (which doesn’t […]
