A delicious Moroccan-style tagine of chicken meatballs and vegetables. Serve it with fluffy couscous. To make the chicken meatballs, blitz ¼ of your chicken mince in a food processor until quite sticky. Combine this with the rest of the chicken mince by hand – the sticky mince should hold everything together. Add a little grated…… Continue reading chicken meatball tagine
home-made pistachio halva
Middle Eastern style halva was an exotic and much-loved treat of my childhood and I still love it. This type of halva is always made with some kind of nut butter, most often tahini (sesame paste). Lightly toast 50g (1¾ 0z) of pistachios until they are toasty and fragrant, chop them roughly and allow them…… Continue reading home-made pistachio halva
black fungus, shiitake mushroom and tofu hotpot
This Chinese style vegetarian (and vegan) dish is substantial enough to be a meal on its own or serve it along with other dishes as part of a banquet. A ceramic pot or tagine is ideal for this dish. In separate bowls soak the dried Shiitake mushrooms and the black (wood-ear) fungus in boiling water…… Continue reading black fungus, shiitake mushroom and tofu hotpot
kimchi 2.0
I decided to make some kimchi again, this time using a more traditional method from this recipe. To split a Napa cabbage without losing any leaves, make a short cut in the base and tear the cabbage in half. Repeat and make quarters and even eighths, depending on the size of your cabbage. Dunk the…… Continue reading kimchi 2.0
braised lamb shanks with mustard and mint + roasted veg
This braised lamb shank recipe from Serious Eats is simple but very delicious. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Season 4 lamb shanks with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat some olive oil in a heavy dutch oven over high heat and sear the lamb on all sides until brown. Add 2 finely minced…… Continue reading braised lamb shanks with mustard and mint + roasted veg
salted honey ice cream
If you’re a fan of salted caramel you’ll love this too! Measure 2 cups of milk. Take out 2 tablespoons of the milk and make a slurry with 4 teaspoons of cornflour (cornstarch) and set aside. Heat the remainder in a saucepan with 1¼ cups of heavy cream, 150 g (3½ fl oz) of honey,…… Continue reading salted honey ice cream
turkish poached eggs
Çılbır, a Turkish recipe of poached eggs with yoghurt, was once eaten by Ottoman sultans. It is usually served with a sauce made from butter and Aleppo pepper. For this recipe the yoghurt and eggs need to be at room temperature. Whisk 1½ cups of Greek-style yoghurt with ¼-½ a teaspoon of salt, some freshly…… Continue reading turkish poached eggs
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
pork chilli verde
Authentic Mexican chilli verde is a stew of pork shoulder slow-cooked in a green sauce. If you can buy fresh tomatillos, char-grilling them first will add a wonderful flavour to the recipe. Here in Australia, tomatillos are in short supply so I opted for a can. Delicious nevertheless. Heat some vegetable oil in a heavy…… Continue reading pork chilli verde
chocolate cake
This recipe for “always moist chocolate cake” was given to me by Darla many, many years ago and has been a favourite at many events since. It’s easy to make, lends itself to many variations and is always a hit. This one is topped with a chocolate, coffee and sour cream frosting. Preheat your oven…… Continue reading chocolate cake
michelle picker cooks 