A great way to eat your greens. Slightly adapted from a recipe in PLENTY by Yotam Ottolenghi. Soak 150g (5⅓ oz) of couscous in 160ml (5½ fl oz) 0f boiling water or stock. While it’s soaking, heat some olive oil in a frypan. Fry 1 finely sliced onion and ¼ of a teaspoon each of…… Continue reading green couscous + roasted tomatoes
Category: vegetable sides
stir-fried cabbage and greens with dried shrimp
If you’re cooking a Chinese meal I recommend this as a side dish. Fuchsia Dunlop’s description of this dish was enough to inspire even though I didn’t have the full recipe. Perhaps one day I’ll have that cookbook but in the meanwhile this was quite delicious enough. In a hot wok fry generous amounts of…… Continue reading stir-fried cabbage and greens with dried shrimp
three sichuan salads
More cold dishes from The Food of Sichuan by Fuchsia Dunlop: “A Sichuan feast always begins with a teasing spread of cold dishes to arouse the senses and set the mood for the meal to come.” These three salads are all easy to make and delectable. Spicy steamed eggplant (aubergine) salad. For this salad, cut…… Continue reading three sichuan salads
two cooked salads
These two Middle Eastern style salads make an excellent accompaniment for fried halloumi cheese, or grilled meat, chicken or fish. You could also serve them as part of a mezze (appetiser) first course. In this salad the combination of sweet onions and peas is balanced by salty preserved lemon. Heat some olive oil in a…… Continue reading two cooked salads
roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce + tomato salad
Cauliflower has found new popularity for good reason. Here it’s roasted, leaves and all, with Middle Eastern flavours and served with tahini sauce. Wash and cut your cauliflower into quarters. Place them in a lightly oiled oven tray and drizzle with olive oil, rubbing it all over every surface. Sprinkle with salt, ground cumin, sumac…… Continue reading roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce + tomato salad
red-cooked whole chicken + mushroom and kangkong stir-fry
This is a popular cooking method in China where it is used for all kinds of meats and hard-boiled eggs. Served either hot or cold, the remaining stock is reused as a master stock. Ingredients vary from cook to cook but usually include soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar and whole spices such as star…… Continue reading red-cooked whole chicken + mushroom and kangkong stir-fry
spicy prawns + vegetables in coconut
These two dishes use Belacan, a shrimp paste pressed into a block and sun-dried. It’s an essential ingredient in Malaysian cooking which adds a unique depth of flavour. Pre-roasting, a necessary step, reduces it’s very strong smell and flavour. Wrap a piece in foil and roast it over an open flame or in the oven until…… Continue reading spicy prawns + vegetables in coconut
new potatoes
Thomas recently harvested this year’s crop of potatoes. He planted Dutch Cream, a variety known for it’s creamy texture in mash but also excellent for roasting. When they’re this fresh, though, there’s nothing better than boiling or steaming them. We served them with sour cream mixed with plenty of chives and some salt and freshly…… Continue reading new potatoes
warrigal spinach
Warrigal spinach, is a bush food native to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Chile and Argentina. Captain Cook ate it aboard the Endeavour to prevent scurvy and Joseph Banks took it back to England to cultivate. The plant is drought resistant, thrives on neglect, self seeds and grows so fast that it can be harvested in a…… Continue reading warrigal spinach
turmeric chilli squid + belacan asparagus
Fifi cooked up a storm when she stayed recently. This Malaysian squid dish includes ingredients popular throughout South-East Asia such as turmeric and kaffir lime leaves. Place 700g (1½ lbs) of fresh squid rings in a non-reactive bowl and add 1½ teaspoons of ground turmeric, 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes, 1 finely minced clove of garlic, 3 finely…… Continue reading turmeric chilli squid + belacan asparagus
michelle picker cooks 