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
roasted vegetable and lentil patties
Here’s a great way to use up leftover vegetables. My vegetables were a very Mediterranean mix of eggplant, zucchini, onion and red pepper but this will work just as well with other vegetables. First cook some red lentils in water. Don’t add too much water and try to drain the lentil while they still have…… Continue reading roasted vegetable and lentil patties
grilled octopus
Here’s a simple way to prepare wonderfully tender grilled octopus. Serve with lemon wedges as a starter or with crusty bread and salad for lunch. If you boil octopus for long enough it becomes nice and tender. If you have a pressure cooker, even better. Place the cleaned tentacles or whole octopus in a pot…… Continue reading grilled octopus
kari ayam
At a recent potluck, Jane brought this traditional Malaysian chicken curry and kindly shared her recipe with me. It’s fragrant, comforting and delicious. Jane cooks this by feel so ingredient amounts are a little flexible. For the curry paste you will need 2 medium yellow onions, 4 garlic cloves, a similar amount of ginger, 3…… Continue reading kari ayam
roasted strawberry and yoghurt ice cream
This ice cream is an adaptation of a recipe from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer. Roasting is an amazing way to bring out the flavour of the strawberries. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (375ºF). Wash, hull and dry 450g (1 lb) of strawberries and slice them into 3 or 4 slices each.…… Continue reading roasted strawberry and yoghurt ice cream
prawn and butternut curry
The acidity of tomatoes and the sweetness of butternut pumpkin (squash) lend a great balance to this prawn (shrimp) curry. If you’re looking for a way to impress, use the outside of the pumpkin as a serving dish. In a heavy saucepan, melt some ghee or vegetable oil and add a finely diced onion, 3…… Continue reading prawn and butternut curry
beef ribs with lemongrass and tamarind
Wonderfully rich and sticky these beef ribs are sure to impress. Preheat your oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Brown 3 large or 6 smaller beef ribs briefly, either in a frypan or on a barbecue, and transfer them to a roasting pan with not too much excess space. Now, roughly chop 40g (1.4 oz) each of…… Continue reading beef ribs with lemongrass and tamarind
flourless lemon and poppy seed cake
This wonderfully moist, flourless cake is a variation of Claudia Roden’s classic orange and almond cake. In this version I used lemons and poppy seeds, a classic combination. And with a glut of lemons, why not? First boil 3 large or 4 small lemons until very soft. You can do this ahead of time and…… Continue reading flourless lemon and poppy seed cake
crab omelette
Although fresh crab is always the best, it can be expensive and time-consuming to cook and pick. Here’s an Asian-style omelette to make with ready-picked blue swimmer crab meat from the store. For the filling, remove the crab meat from its container and add finely sliced spring onions, 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce and ground…… Continue reading crab omelette
michelle picker cooks 