This lovely moist cake is full of of flavour and good-looking to boot! Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and generously grease a bundt pan. In a bowl combine 3 cups of flour with ½ a teaspoon of kosher salt. In a food processor pulse 2 cups of shelled and roasted pistachios until they are…… Continue reading pistachio and lemon bundt cake
warm vegetable and quinoa salad
Here’s a quick, delicious and satisfying meal. Rinse some quinoa allowing approximately ½ a cup per person. In a medium saucepan bring some water to boil. Add the quinoa and cook until it still has some texture but is no longer crunchy. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables of your choice – I cooked leeks, pumpkin, parsnip,…… Continue reading warm vegetable and quinoa 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
dutch cookie ice cream
Speculaas (or speculoos) are a spiced and browned shortcrust biscuit. The spices used were popular in Europe in the days of the Dutch East Indies spice trade – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper. These days you can buy a spreadable paste of these cookies called Biscoff or Cookie Butter. I bought a…… Continue reading dutch cookie ice cream
home-made pasta with home-made pesto
Pasta isn’t really too difficult to make, but somehow I hardly ever get around to it. Having just made a pesto, though, it seemed fitting to have a home-made pasta with it. The result was definitely worth it! For the pesto wash a bunch of basil and make sure it’s as dry as possible. This…… Continue reading home-made pasta with home-made pesto
steamed whole snapper with ginger
This recipe, from Thai Food by David Thompson, is for ginger lovers! Make sure your ginger is young and fresh or you might want to reduce the amount in this recipe. Clean and score the fish and place it on a plate which you will use for steaming. Pour over 3 tablespoons of light soy…… Continue reading steamed whole snapper with ginger
almond and apricot pastry
Eve made this ensaïmada, a pastry which hails from Mallorca. Traditionally made with a lot of pork lard (saiïm in Catalan) this version, from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, uses only 100g (3½ oz) of butter. I’ve never tasted the original version but this one was moist and delicious and a fitting finale for a Spanish…… Continue reading almond and apricot pastry
tuna mornay mexican style
No time to shop? Here’s a new twist on an old-fashioned favourite using canned tuna. Finely dice an onion, a red or green pepper and some Jalapeno or Poblano chillies and fry them gently in some vegetable oil until the onions start to wilt. Add some frozen corn kernels and cook for a few minutes…… Continue reading tuna mornay mexican style
rendang
Originally from Indonesia, Rendang is also a popular Malaysian dish. Known as a dry curry, it consists of meat cooked in coconut milk and spices until the meat is incredibly tender and the coconut and spices are reduced to a rich thick paste which clings to the meat. Use 1½ kg (3⅓ lbs) of gravy or…… Continue reading rendang
yoghurt, honey and pistachio cheesecake with oranges in cardamom syrup
For the finale of our Summer Solstice feast Deborah made this cake from Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons by Diana Henry. With classic Middle Eastern flavours it was a perfect way to end the meal. For the biscuit base, bash 150g (5 ½oz) of sweet biscuits and 55g (2oz) blanched almonds together in a plastic bag using a…… Continue reading yoghurt, honey and pistachio cheesecake with oranges in cardamom syrup
michelle picker cooks 