 Some recipes become so much part of a family that it would be impossible to function without them. I was given this one many years ago when I first began cooking, and I have to say I never (well, almost never) make another pastry.It’s foolproof, crazily easy to handle, resilient (freeze it, refriger… |
There I was wandering around one of my favourite farmers’ markets in Sydney – the lovely Northside Markets in North Sydney (3rd Saturday of the month) in fact – and there was a grower from Glenorie, in Sydney’s north-west, selling trays of golden zucchini blossoms which were just begging to be … |
 BLUEBERRY HOTCAKES
In our house we are not big on tradition for tradition’s sake, but one thing that has become an immoveable part of Christmas takes place early in the day.I began making these blueberry pancakes years ago for Christmas morning breakfast, and they were such a lovely way to start th… |
I have been testing recipes for a cookbook I am working on and I decided to adapt an old favourite into a vaguely Christmassy special. I KNOW we’ve done Christmas just so recently, but it is such an easy lovely recipe, I thought you might like to know it, as it can be made for many occasions. B… |
 Anyone who knows me would tell you that figs are one of my most favourite fruits. In my book Just a Little Italian I conducted what was almost literally a fruitless search for figs throughout our tour of southern Italy. There were plenty of fichi d’India (figs of India, or prickly pear fruit) but fe… |
 This is a spin-off from another recipe. Let’s face it, aren’t they all? A couple of weeks ago I was seduced by a recipes for Very Sticky Buns and just had to try them. They were fantastic, calorie-ridden, and irresistible.
You will remember our prize a couple of months ago was some jams and marmala… |
 LAMB SHANKS WITH LENTILS
8 small lamb shanks, well-trimmed of fat 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup chopped leek or onion 1 1/2 cups finely shredded Chinese (or regular) cabbage 1 tin savoury brown lentils OR 1 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils 500ml V8 vegetable juice salt and pepper to taste 1 tab… |
 I just had to go with Sam Kekovich for this month and choose a lamb recipe. Although the meatloaf below, really is equally good with beef, pork or veal mince – or a mixture – let’s go for lamb on this Australia Day.
It’s a lovely easy dish, stays moist, and is just as good hot as cold. You can … |
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 At the risk of sounding as though I am the laziest cook in the land, here is another two-ingredient recipe. My defence is that it uses a wonderful Australian product which I tasted recently at Restaurant 08 in Sydney. Brian and Jane Casey founded Australian Gourmet Chestnuts in 1998, although they h… |
 I have made bread for well over thirty years. I find it the most interesting and pleasurable branch of cookery. And contrary to what you may believe it is easy! There are really only TWO major rules: don’t make the mixture too stiff, and don’t try to force it to rise by overheating the dough. Heat c… |
 I wouldn’t exactly say I am a lazy cook, but any of you who have been following these recipes will have deduced by now that I am very busy with a number of things, and while cooking is my passion, for day-to-day meals (and even the odd bit of meals for others) I tend to try to get maximum effect for… |
 I am a fan of those new crispy flatbreads that keep popping up in gourmet delis and provedores. They are so crisp and delicious – but so expensive!
The other day I needed to take a plate of something to a friend’s house, so I decided to try my own version and this is what I came up with.
I… |
 FRENCH REGIONAL SALAD
Like many dishes, this is just a springboard from which to construct a meal that reflects any region.
4-6 cups mesclun greens
250gm duck confit, broken into pieces
250gm confit of gesiers (duck gizzards)
1 cup canned haricot beans, drained
125gm fresh chevre. chopped
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 I love the good-for-you taste of hummus. This Middle Eastern spread has really caught on in Australia, even if most of us have issues with how it is spelt. Remember yoghurt? We had trouble deciding how to spell that too. Healthy as it is meant to be, when I read the labels of commercially prepared h… |
 When I was growing up in the country, people seemed to share more. Mum’s friends would visit and bring half a dozen eggs, or a container of fresh cream (and yes, nothing tastes as good as unpasteurised milk or cream!) and some fruit from their tree, or a few vegetables.
Consequently, my mother was … |
 PARMESAN CRISPS
Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese in little circles onto a greased baking tray or one lined with baking paper. Bake in a moderate oven until golden and crisp. The parmesan should have spread and created a crisp wafer which is ideal for serving with olives as an appetiser, topping a … |
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 As a child the only asparagus I knew came from a tin. At CWA functions someone always brought a platter of savoury rolls which we all thought was very elegant, and so of course they were scoffed down very quickly. Each roll was a single spear of asparagus wrapped in a slice of white bread (crusts re… |
 BEETROOT MY WAY When I was a child, no one bought tinned beetroot. My mother would boil up several beetroot in a big pan, rinsing off any dirt but being careful of course not to trim the top or root too closely as it would ‘bleed’ all that lovely rich colour away into the cooking water. Of course w… |
 It is a long time since I have made these but they are simple and very tasty. Good for a salad platter, or if an unexpected vegetarian turns up! They are delicious hot or cold and may be deep or shallow-fried.
CHEESE AND CARROT CROQUETTES
3 cups finely grated carrot3 cups finely grated cheesel lar… |
 Well, it was Christmas, so I thought I should ditch the two-and three-ingredient dishes at least for one day, and devised this lovely looking, and very easy dish. Sliced cold on a platter at lunch time it was Christmas chicken-with-stuffing a new southern hemisphere way.
Its closest culinary-relati… |
 Last weekend I visited the Eveleigh Markets in Sydney’s inner-city. These markets operate every Saturday morning in the old railway sheds. They are held undercover, so it is a perfect place to rummage around searching for something for dinner.
These are great markets for picking up the wee… |
 Here is my recipe for Australia Day – good Aussie lamb. I cook it in the oven, but a barbecue would be fine of course. This recipe blends Greek flavours with Australian produce and is a quiet salute to the marvellous merging of cultures and cuisines which we have in this country, and for which I am … |
 MIC WHATLEY’S RECIPE
The Old Cable Station’s Producers' Lunches happen four times a year, Autumn (April), Winter (July), Spring (Oct) and Summer (Jan), usually the second Sunday of those months but check website for dates: www.oldcablestation.com.au (you can book on-line for this event).
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 POTATO PIZZA
Sound bizarre? This is an authentic Italian pizza. We first ate it in Rome at a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria a few streets away from the Pantheon. There was a queue out the door into the street, so we knew it had to be good, especially as most of the hungry queue-ers appeared to be locals… |
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