This makes an excellent accompaniment for fish and seafood or can be served as an antipasto dish. Trim and cut your fennel bulbs into even sized wedges. Put them into a wide saucepan and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Add the juice and finely grated rind of ½ a lemon and season with…… Continue reading braised fennel with peas
squid ink linguini with tomato chilli prawns
A delicious and dramatic-looking meal. Finely chop 2 or 3 brown shallots, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 long red chilli. Gently fry them in some olive oil until soft. Add ½ a cup of white wine and allow this to evaporate before adding a can of peeled chopped tomatoes and seasoning to taste. Allow to simmer…… Continue reading squid ink linguini with tomato chilli prawns
deconstructed lemon meringue pie
Vanilla ice cream, shortbread cookie crumbs and quick microwave meringues are the perfect combination to showcase home-made lemon curd. To make the lemon curd beat 4 egg yolks and ¾ of a cup of sugar until well blended. Combine in a heavy saucepan with 120ml (3 fl oz) lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of softened butter. Cook over medium-low…… Continue reading deconstructed lemon meringue pie
chick pea tagine
Although I’ve never eaten at a Christine Manfield restaurant, this recipe is so impressive in its wonderful balance of flavours that I intend to soon own some of her cook books. Soak 1 cup dried chickpeas overnight. Drain and place in a saucepan with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low…… Continue reading chick pea tagine
chargrilled chicken 2
Once again my husband has combined some wonderful flavours from HOT PLATE Asian-Inspired Barbeque, a Spirit House Restaurant and Cooking School cookbook. To make the marinade for the chicken place 6 brown shallots, 8 long red chillies, 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh turmeric (½ a teaspoon if using ground turmeric), 1 tablespoon of roasted…… Continue reading chargrilled chicken 2
ricotta, lemon and almond cake
Not too sweet and bursting with lemon, this cake lets the ricotta flavour shine through. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). Place 285g (10 0z) of fresh ricotta cheese, 2 large eggs and 170g (6 oz) of caster sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until well combined and smooth. Add 85g…… Continue reading ricotta, lemon and almond cake
roasted vegetables
The easiest and most delicious way to cook vegetables can also look so wonderful. Kipfler potatoes, whole button mushrooms and beetroots with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Roasted tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and seasoning. Whole roasted brussels sprouts with olive oil and generous amounts of salt. Roasted potato, zucchini and cherry tomatoes…… Continue reading roasted vegetables
roasted monkfish with crushed potatoes
Once known as poor man’s lobster (before the price of fish went up) Monkfish has firm sweet flesh and the fillets have no bones as the fish is generally over a metre long. The recipe is adapted from one by Rick Stein. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Season the monkfish with salt and set it aside for…… Continue reading roasted monkfish with crushed potatoes
flourless hazelnut pear cake
Moist and quite dense, this cake is not too sweet and has a flavour reminiscent of poppy seeds. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). In a food processor mix ¾ of a cup of sugar, ¼ of a cup of brown sugar, 100g (3½ oz) of butter and 3 large eggs. Add 485g (17 oz) of hazelnut meal,…… Continue reading flourless hazelnut pear cake
vietnamese beef stew (bò kho)
A wonderful combination of spices elevate the humble beef stew to another level. Brown 1 kilo (2 lbs) of diced beef in batches in some vegetable oil and set aside. In the same pot, fry 3 cloves of garlic for a few minutes then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and continue to cook for…… Continue reading vietnamese beef stew (bò kho)
michelle picker cooks 