Here’s a lovely cake chock full of apples. Peel 5 large apples (I used 3 granny smith and 2 red delicious) and cut into small chunks. Sift together 3 cups of plain flour, 1 generous tablespoon of ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon each of salt and bicarbonate of soda. In another bowl or electric mixer beat…… Continue reading chunky apple cake
roasted vegetable and couscous platter
Serve this as a stand-alone vegetarian meal, an accompaniment to meat or a colourful addition to a buffet. The vegetables in this dish are chopped and roasted together. The choice of vegetables can be a little flexible depending on what you have to hand but must include fennel, tomatoes and black olives. I would normally…… Continue reading roasted vegetable and couscous platter
christmas 2012
Only a small gathering this year but we still managed a memorable feast. The first course was exotic mushrooms cooked with sage leaves in butter and served with grilled polenta with pepper and pecorino cheese. The second course featured a rolled roast pork barbecued on a spit served with home-made apple sauce, oven-baked cranberry and macadamia…… Continue reading christmas 2012
french toast casserole
For breakfast entertaining this casserole is a crowd pleaser and easy to prepare in advance. My sister plans to serve this on Christmas morning. Slice 2 baguettes into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange the slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows. In a large bowl, combine 8 large…… Continue reading french toast casserole
herb frittata
This simple frittata makes a perfect lunch. Gently fry a diced onion in some olive oil until soft and translucent. Sprinkle ½ a cup of dry breadcrumbs evenly over the onions then follow with ¼ of a cup of finely grated pecorino cheese. Lightly whisk 6-8 eggs with ¼ of a cup of full cream milk. Add 1 cup…… Continue reading herb frittata
goat curry in a lentil sauce
The lentils in this curry break down to make a delicious gravy which complements the sweet goat meat. In a heavy saucepan place 1½ kilos (3lbs) of goat meat cut into pieces, ½ a cup of yellow split peas, ¼ of a cup of red lentils, a cinnamon stick, 3 whole star anise and 6 cloves. Add…… Continue reading goat curry in a lentil sauce
muesli
This lightly toasted fresh muesli has an abundance of fruit and nuts. Experiment with the ingredients to make it your own. To make this muesli you will need 750g (26½ oz) of rolled oats, 100g (3½ oz) each of roasted almonds, roasted peanuts, dry-roasted cashews and pepitas, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon each of ground cloves, freshly grated nutmeg and salt, 3 tablespoons each of…… Continue reading muesli
barramundi stir-fry
The name ‘Barramundi’ is borrowed from an Australian Aboriginal language and means ‘large-scaled river fish’. It has a sweet, mild taste and delicate texture which marries well with the sweet creamy flavours of Thai green curry. Cut carrots and green beans into similar sizes. Drain a small tin of sliced bamboo shoots. Place all the vegetables in…… Continue reading barramundi stir-fry
two dips
Serve these middle eastern dips with bread or as side dishes. To make this Turkish-style zucchini (courgette) dip shred 900g (2lbs) of zucchinis. Sauté them in some olive oil over medium heat adding 1 tablespoon of dried mint and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Allow to cook until all the moisture has gone and then add…… Continue reading two dips
lemon ice cream + candied lemon peel
A glut of lemons led to some experimentation and a simple recipe that’s worth repeating. There are no eggs or custard-making in this recipe. Just combine one 395g (13oz) tin of sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup of cream, some grated lemon rind and the juice of 2-3 lemons. Make sure to taste for the…… Continue reading lemon ice cream + candied lemon peel
michelle picker cooks 