A simple and delicious Middle Eastern twist on roast vegetables. Preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF). Wash and cut some cauliflower into florets, some leeks into chunky rounds and some sweet potatoes and carrots into diagonal slices. Put all the vegetables into a bowl along with some whole unpeeled garlic cloves. Season to taste with…… Continue reading roasted vegetables with tahini yoghurt sauce
homemade miso
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It’s a thick paste made by fermenting a mixture of soybeans, salt and kōji rice. Koji rice is a rice cultured with the Aspergillus Oryzae fungus which is used for fermenting miso as well as sake and soy sauce. Salty with a rich umami flavour, Miso is used in Japan to…… Continue reading homemade miso
slow-roasted beef
This magnificent piece of sirloin beef was cooked by Thomas, from this bon appétit recipe. All it needed was plenty of time to cook very slowly in the oven, an hour to rest, and a final sear in a pan just before serving for an excellent crust. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the fat…… Continue reading slow-roasted beef
syrniki
Russians love their dairy products. When I travelled there, breakfast tables were laden with fresh sour cream (smetana / cметана), kefir, fresh butter and soft curd cheese (tvorog / tворог). Syrniki are fried pancakes made of curd cheese simply bound together by flour and eggs. They are only slightly sweet so you can enjoy the…… Continue reading syrniki
greens and chorizo quiche
Here’s a quiche recipe to use up all those green leaves you might normally throw away. I used beet and radish leaves together with speck and chorizo for a super tasty filling in a walnut pastry shell. For the pastry shell combine 185g (6½ oz) of plain flour with 30g (1 oz) of toasted walnuts (toast them…… Continue reading greens and chorizo quiche
peanuts in vinegar
Here’s a delicious snack which is served all over mainland China. It’s great with beer, as a side dish or as part of a banquet. There are many variations of this dish – some use peanuts with skins, others might include onions – you can find your own favourite. I made this one with shallots,…… Continue reading peanuts in vinegar
spicy korean chicken stew
Dakdoritang is a traditional Korean chicken stew. It’s hearty and warming and with the addition of Korean chilli paste (gochujang) and Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru) as well as green chillies in the garnish, the stew certainly packs a punch. In a heavy cooking pot that just fits your chicken in one layer combine 6 bone-in…… Continue reading spicy korean chicken stew
ginger ice cream
I inherited my love of ginger from my mother who loved to eat crystallised ginger. This fresh ginger ice cream has crystallised ginger added. For triple ginger, try serving it with a ginger biscuit crumb. To make this eggless ice-cream, measure 2 cups of milk and remove 2 tablespoons of the milk to make a…… Continue reading ginger ice cream
two moroccan salads
This recipe for warm pumpkin salad with preserved lemon is from the food of morocco by Tess Mallos. Peel 1kg (2lbs 4oz) of pumpkin and cut it into 2cm (¾”) pieces; remove the pulp and pith from 1 preserved lemon and dice the rind finely; dice finely or grate 1 onion. Heat 3 tablespoons of…… Continue reading two moroccan salads
white bean dip
This delicious dip, a simplified version of this recipe from David Lebovitz, will only take a few minutes to prepare if you have a can of white beans in your pantry. The original is no doubt better but requires some pre-planning. Drain the beans, reserving some of the liquid and place them in a food…… Continue reading white bean dip
michelle picker cooks 