Mushroom Duxelles Duxelles is a classic French preparation of finely chopped mushroom and onion cooked down in butter with herbs (usually thyme or parsley), black pepper and salt, sometimes with a dash of cream, Sherry or Madeira. It’s used in a range of English recipes including stuffings, sauces and garnishes and, most notably, in beef […]
Herb Scones I love herb scones alongside a bowl of soup, but they also make a great savoury addition to afternoon tea. Use just one herb or a mixture of any fresh herbs you like: parsley, chervil, dill, chives, tarragon or thyme – even a little very finely chopped rosemary – in this versatile, tasty […]
Aussie Solomon Gundy Solomon Gundy is a classic Jamaican spread (also called solomon-a-gundy) made from heavily salted herring so strongly smoked that the flesh turns a reddish brown (thus called ‘red herrings’). I’ve opted for locally smoked salmon to create this Aussie version served with raw vegetables for dipping. Keep any leftovers in the fridge […]
Hearty corn soup is popular in many parts of the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados … this is my take on the Bajan (Barbadian) version inspired by one Paul Carmichael told me about; I enjoy the three different textures of corn. Bajan corn soup often contains pumpkin or sweet potato, which I find a […]
Chicken in Half Mourning This is my version of poulet demi-deuil, a classic French dish made by placing shaved black truffles under the skin of a chicken, resembling the veil of a woman in mourning. It seems that the appearance is only ‘half mourning’ because some of the bird’s white flesh is still seen; full […]
La Ribollita The famous Tuscan soup, Ribollita, is a classic example of delicious cucina povera (peasant cooking). The name literally means ‘reboiled’ as it was created to use up leftover beans and vegetables cooked for Friday, the fast day when no meat was eaten. On Saturday, they were turned into a hearty soup with stale […]
Axoa d’Espelette (Basque Veal Stew) I discovered this classic Basque dish when I visited the town of Espelette in southwestern France, famous for its mild dark red chillies drying under the eaves of the whitewashed houses. I brought home jars of the ground piment d’Espelette which flavours this and so many other Basque dishes, but […]
I love salt, so a dish made of black olives, capers and anchovies is right up my alley. Tapenade hails from Provence in the sunny south of France and is generally regarded as an olive paste, however the name comes from ‘tapeno’ meaning ‘caper bud’ in the Provençal language, so be sure to use good […]
This super simple, super delicious roast chook is my kind of comfort food. I made it recently with a free-range chicken from Eugowra Game Birds, poultry supplier to top restaurants also doing home delivery, well worth checking out! I love the combination of chicken, rice and yoghurt, but you could roast some potatoes with it […]
Soup, bread, cheese: three of my favourite comfort foods. I especially love French onion soup because it combines all three! Beef stock is considered the traditional base, but I’ve also successfully used chicken stock or even just water. If you use the stock leftover from poaching veal for vitello tonnato, the vinegar cuts through some […]
