Indian vegetarian food is so complex and satisfying. This unusual sour chick pea curry is from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey. Soak and cook 1½ cups of chick peas (garbanzo beans) in the usual manner or use 3 drained cans of chick peas. Finely chop 3 onions and remove 2 tablespoons of the onion into a…… Continue reading sour chick pea curry + vegetable korma
vanilla panna cotta with poached tamarillos and cherries
A luscious dessert of creamy vanilla panna cotta and tart honey-poached fruit. To make the panna cotta sprinkle 4½ teaspoons of gelatine powder over 90ml (3 fl oz) of cold water in a large bowl and allow it to soak. Combine 2 cups of milk, 2 cups of cream and 100g (3½ oz) of sugar in a saucepan and heat until the…… Continue reading vanilla panna cotta with poached tamarillos and cherries
roasted turnip, potato and garlic salad
What to do with this enormous turnip fresh from the garden? And who doesn’t love potatoes? Adapted from another wonderful recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi here is a spicy and fragrant warm salad. My turnip weighed 900g (2 lbs) and I used 600g (1⅓ lbs) of potatoes. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Peel the turnips and potatoes and cut them…… Continue reading roasted turnip, potato and garlic salad
rabbit with white beans and chorizo
Here’s a wonderfully complex rabbit dish. Serve it with crusty white bread and a fresh salad. If using dried beans soak 100g (3½ oz) overnight in 3 times their volume of water. Cook them until just tender then drain them and set aside (a can of white beans will work too). Cut a fresh rabbit into 6…… Continue reading rabbit with white beans and chorizo
apple and ricotta tarts
These pretty little tarts look like flowers and make a delicious dessert or afternoon tea. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Apply a generous amount of butter to 6 large muffin tins. Peel and core 4 firm apples and slice them very thinly – a mandolin slicer is ideal for this. Arrange the slices of apple around the muffin tins. You…… Continue reading apple and ricotta tarts
salami class
It’s winter here and time to make salami. We hadn’t ventured into salami making before so we decided to take a class run by Costante Imports. The salami was made from coarsely ground pork shoulder with a fat content of 30%. For each kilo (2.2 lbs) of meat we added 30g (1.05 oz) of non-iodised salt, 3g (.1oz) of…… Continue reading salami class
phổ
Cooking club again. This time we made Phổ, a Vietnamese soup with beef and flat rice noodles, which is popular for breakfast all over Vietnam and any time of day in the north. Normally the stock is cooked overnight but because of time constraints we made a pressure cooker version adapted from various recipes. To make enough stock to fill…… Continue reading phổ
fresh pear pudding cake
This might look like a cake but has the consistency of a lovely moist pudding and the taste of Autumn. Preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF). Butter a shallow cake tin and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the butter, shaking out any excess crumbs. Beat 2 eggs with 120ml (4 fl oz) of milk. Add 185g (6½ oz) of…… Continue reading fresh pear pudding cake
steamed fish straits style
Many years ago Peter Knuckey made this beautiful piece of Mishido pottery for us. The bottom part stands in a traditional stainless steel fish poacher and has steamed many a fish in the intervening years. My good friend Fifi taught me this recipe which I always come back to. Of course it tastes just as good cooked in a round bowl over a steamer.…… Continue reading steamed fish straits style
antipasti
Always impressive and popular as a first course, many antipasti can be prepared ahead of time. The olives pictured here are homegrown and the antipasti were served with crunchy homemade sourdough bread. The red peppers should be roasted or barbecued whole until the skins are charred. Place them in a sealed container or plastic bag and allow them to sweat…… Continue reading antipasti
michelle picker cooks 