The colourful world of fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses and funghi provides a wealth of possibilities for delicious dishes. While some dishes listed here are vegetarian containing animal products, they’re easily adapted to a vegan diet by omitting or replacing eggs or dairy with a vegan-friendly alternative. Likewise dishes containing anchovies or non-vegan seasoning can be adapted.
Preserved Lemons Preserved lemons, a Moroccan specialty, are super easy to make, a great pantry staple to spice up many dishes and a wonderful homemade gift. It’s a great way to use excess fruit from a backyard lemon tree; or wait until lemons are in season (and inexpensive) then make a big jar to keep […]
Swiss Kaffee Fertig Discover more Swiss specialties on my small group food & wine tour of Switzerland! Adding alcohol to coffee is popular in many cultures. Caffè corretto (coffee ‘corrected’ with a nip of grappa) is a common way to start the day in Italy, in France it’s pousse-café and in Spain, carajillo. The Swiss […]
Pimientos de Padrón (Padron Peppers) Looking for something different to get your next gatherings off to a great start? The darling of many fancy restaurants, Pimientos de Padrón (or Padron peppers) are plump little Spanish chillies grown near Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and they’re the easiest things in the world to prepare (they’re the ones pictured […]
Baked Vegetarian Kibbeh Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Lebanese cooking class! I love the classic torpedo-shaped kibbeh that often appear as part of Lebanese meze, but baked kibbeh (bil sanieh means ‘in the pan’) is much quicker to make and more popular as a family meal. Lakteen means ‘trick’ in Arabic and […]
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 […]
Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolmades) I enjoy rolling the filling into stuffed vine leaves, once you get started it’s quite meditative. Vine leaves come in large packs, which is just as well, as some will be too small or too large and some will tear. It’s worth making a big batch, so consider doubling the recipe […]
Turkish Lentil Soup I lived on this delicious lentil soup when I was in Turkey for three months in 1988. My recipe is adapted from one that I had on the Black Sea coast made by a young lady called Zerrin. A Turkish friend translated for me as she told us how to make it […]
Funghi Trifolati Trifolati is an Italian term for dishes cooked in olive oil with garlic and parsley; mushrooms, zucchini and kidneys are often prepared this way. This was one of my favourite starters in Sydney’s 1980s suburban Italian restaurants, where exotic oyster mushrooms seemed to be the funghi of choice, so use any mushrooms you […]
Here’s my take on some of the best-known classic cocktails. As I’m really more a wine drinker than a cocktail fan, these are mostly relatively low alcohol – making them perfect for sipping on a hot day or evening. Add more ice or soda to stretch them even further if you like, after all the […]
Guacamole & Pico de Gallo Guacamole is one of the quickest snacks to toss together and serve with drinks. It seems lime juice is not traditional – but it’s the best way I know to stop the avocado from browning, and I like the tang it adds (storing it with the avocado seed in the […]
