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.
Gai Lan with Garlic Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Caribbean cooking class inspired by Paul Carmichael! Chef Paul Carmichael taught me this way of preparing gai lan (also known as Chinese broccoli). It makes an easy side dish to serve with almost anything, from Caribbean escovitch (see video below) to an Asian curry […]
Insalata di Radicchio e Crostini Like this recipe? Eat radicchio e bruciatini in Ravenna on my small group food & wine tour of Northern Italy. Insalata di radicchio e bruciatini is a classic salad from Romagna, the eastern half of Emilia-Romagna. The name ‘bruciatini’ means burned and refers to the colour of the cubes of […]
Muhammara Muhammara is an easy Turkish capsicum and walnut dip that’s so delicious, you’ll be whipping it up to serve alongside everything. It’s especially good with seafood and a wonderful addition to a mezze table. I like to oven roast capsicum as the slower cooking gives a deeper flavour. But if you’re short on time, […]
Sambal Goreng (Fried Chilli Paste) 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 and […]
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. The capsicum juices blend with the […]
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 […]
Stir-fried Bean Sprouts & Garlic Chives I love the crunch of bean sprouts scattered over many dishes, from char kway teow to laksa, but I find that whenever I buy a bag I always waste more than half of them as I’m using just a small handful as a garnish. Then I came across tumis […]
Apom Berkuah with Pengat Pisang Apom berkuah with pengat pisang is a popular Singaporean dessert. Apom comes from the word ‘appam’, a southern Indian fermented rice pancake popular in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and berkuah (also written bokwa or bengkua) means to accompany a thick sauce or gravy, in this case the delicious banana-studded coconut […]
