They may be a support act, but great side dishes can transform a meal. Breads, salads, rice, potatoes and veggies, some can even be transformed into the main attraction with a little inspiration. Here are my favourite side dish recipes.
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 […]
Melanzane Grigliate Eggplant is like a sponge and soaks up an incredible amount of oil, so I prefer to brush it with oil and bake or grill it rather than fry it. If you have the barbecue fired up, you can cook the eggplant on it, otherwise bake it in the oven as I’m doing […]
Peperoni in Padella I was taught to make this braised capsicum dish by a boyfriend’s Neapolitan mother many years ago, and it’s still one of my favourites. Peperoni in padella simply means ‘peppers in the pan’ and the result is quite different to roasting a capsicum in the oven as the juices blend with the […]
Steamed Asparagus with Pecorino When I’m barbecuing I’ll sometimes grill asparagus spears on the spot, but when I’m entertaining, and want to get as much done ahead of time as possible, I find it easier to steam them. I like really thin spears for this dish, but they aren’t always available so be flexible and […]
Romesco Sauce Originating in the region of Catalonia, romesco sauce is one of Spain’s most popular sauces with as many variations as there are cooks. It’s very versatile, especially popular with seafood but also delicious with poultry and red meat. The essential ingredients are nuts, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and red peppers. Traditionally, dried […]
Sambal Goreng (Fried Chilli Paste) https://youtu.be/IHdQF4za4nw I love having good condiments on hand to add flavour to quick and easy meals. In Southeast Asia that’s often a sambal, and sambal goreng is one of the easiest and tastiest. Sambal means ‘chilli’ and goreng means ‘fried’ and I use this fried chilli paste in mee goreng […]
Alabama White Sauce While Alabama white sauce is a classic barbecue sauce, it’s also delicious as a dipping sauce for fried food like chicken or fish. It makes a delicious salad dressing too (try it with coleslaw)! It originated at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, one of America’s oldest pit BBQ establishments, opened in 1925. Bob […]
How To Make Nuoc Mam Cham Fish sauce is the essential condiment in Vietnamese cooking, as salt and pepper are in the west. A bottle sits on the table at every meal and at its simplest it’s poured straight from that bottle. A little chopped chilli is typically served alongside and it’s often blended with […]
Coriander & Mint Sauce This slightly spicy coriander & mint sauce is a riff on hari chutney, the traditional accompaniment to that colourful crunchy Indian street-side snack, chaat. My recipe is inspired by a sauce Ajoy Joshi serves at Nilgiri’s Indian Restaurant in Cremorne. I was tempted to call it a chutney, until I remembered […]
North Carolina-style BBQ Sauce In the American South, barbecue sauce is as controversial a subject as the barbecue itself, perhaps even more so with regional variations being fiercely defended as the best, the original and the only sauce worth having. My North Carolina-style BBQ sauce is inspired by the mustard-based sauces of North Carolina. This […]
