The people of Sichuan (Szechuan) Province in China are fond of hot and spicy food. This recipe, adapted from Eating Well Magazine, is no exception although you can moderate it to suit your taste. Drain your fresh tofu on several paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt on each side. Place more paper towels on…… Continue reading tofu with mushrooms + water spinach stir-fry
lemon pudding
My sister made this wonderful lemon pudding for a special occasion. Adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe, This pudding cooks in layers with a soft lemon custard underneath and a light cake texture on top. To make enough for 8, cream 100g (3½ oz) of butter with 230g (8 oz) of sugar and the finely…… Continue reading lemon pudding
koftas + harissa + fragrant couscous
These beef and lamb koftas are simple to make and taste great cooked on a BBQ. Combine lamb mince with double the amount of beef mince. Add crushed garlic, cumin powder, mild paprika, parsley, a handful of breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Shape into long meatballs and cook over medium heat until just cooked…… Continue reading koftas + harissa + fragrant couscous
prawn and broccolini risotto
A great combination of prawns (shrimps) and broccolini with saffron, chilli, capers and lemon. As usual I cooked this risotto in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can achieve the same result by traditional methods. I used 400g (14 oz) of arborio rice and 4 cups of chicken stock. First…… Continue reading prawn and broccolini risotto
raspberry, apple and almond pie
Serve this simple filo pie hot with cream or ice cream as a winter dessert or cold at any time of day. Butter a pie dish. If you prefer this can also be made as a free-form pie on a flat baking sheet. Line the bottom and sides of the dish with at least 6-8…… Continue reading raspberry, apple and almond pie
pan-fried salmon on mash
My husband David cooked this perfect piece of salmon on a delicious bed of mash. Preheat the oven and warm the plates. For the mash, dice an onion and finely dice 2 cloves of garlic. Fry them gently in some olive oil until soft and translucent then set aside. Steam potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potato (more…… Continue reading pan-fried salmon on mash
goat cheese on toast with balsamic baby beets and salad
Simple and satisfying this meal is perfect for an alfresco lunch or, in smaller portions, as a first course. Wash, peel and halve a bunch of baby beets. Place them in a shallow saucepan, season with salt and pepper and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Cover and cook…… Continue reading goat cheese on toast with balsamic baby beets and salad
desserts in Vietnam
Before leaving Vietnam it would be remiss of me not to mention the sweet courses which are not necessarily eaten after dinner but often as an afternoon snack. Some of the most popular desserts are chè, a term which describes sweet drinks, soups and puddings. The various ones I tried were multi-textured, delicious and not…… Continue reading desserts in Vietnam
cooking class in Hoi An part 3
In my last post ‘cooking class in Hoi An part 2’ I included the first two recipes we cooked in our day class. But what would Vietnamese food be without it’s salads? The next dish we learnt how to make was a grilled chicken and banana flower salad. Sliced chicken breasts were first marinated in…… Continue reading cooking class in Hoi An part 3
cooking class in Hoi An part 2
Our second cooking class in Hoi An started with a visit to an organic vegetable village where all the gardening and watering is done by hand, the vegetables are fertilised with local river seaweed and the only pesticide used is ground clam shells. From there we went shopping for our ingredients at the local market.…… Continue reading cooking class in Hoi An part 2
michelle picker cooks 