These two Middle Eastern style salads make an excellent accompaniment for fried halloumi cheese, or grilled meat, chicken or fish. You could also serve them as part of a mezze (appetiser) first course. In this salad the combination of sweet onions and peas is balanced by salty preserved lemon. Heat some olive oil in a…… Continue reading two cooked salads
Tag: recipe
pepper steak
This has been my go-to steak recipe for many years. From the Margaret Fulton Cookbook, it’s cooked in a searing hot dry pan, has plenty of pepper, some tabasco for extra kick and a sauce made from the pan juices and added extras. Press a generous amount of coarsely cracked black pepper into each side…… Continue reading pepper steak
coconut and pandan panna cotta with palm sugar syrup
In south-east Asia pandan leaf is a staple flavouring ingredient. It has a distinctive aroma that’s a little sweet and grassy. Often used to flavour rice, the combination of pandan with coconut milk and palm sugar is particularly popular for desserts. It’s used for jellies, cakes, and all kinds of puddings, which are usually coloured…… Continue reading coconut and pandan panna cotta with palm sugar syrup
cucumber and coconut salad
Here’s a simple and wonderfully refreshing salad to serve with any South-East Asian dish. First, and most importantly, buy a young coconut with very soft flesh. These can generally be bought already peeled and wrapped in plastic. Make 2 holes in the coconut and drain the water into a container. Break open the coconut and…… Continue reading cucumber and coconut salad
ayam taliwang + asinan
This recipe, from Fire Islands: Recipes from Indonesia by Eleanor Ford, hails from Lombok and definitely lives up to being “everything you could hope for in grilled chicken”. Despite a few substitutions, the marinade, which also becomes the sauce, had flavour and heat from garlic and many chillies; sourness from lemon; fragrance from curry and…… Continue reading ayam taliwang + asinan
pavlova roulade
Christmas is upon us and here in Australia pavlova is one of our most popular celebration cakes. Traditionally pavlova consists of a round meringue base, usually quite high and ideally with a crisp crust and chewy centre, which is slathered with cream and covered with fresh fruit. And as it’s summer here and fruit is…… Continue reading pavlova roulade
pork rib roast
If you have a charcoal barbcue, there’s no better way to cook a pork roast. The pork stays moist, crackling is almost guaranteed and you get that added hint of smokiness. Perfect for the festive season. Take the pork out of the fridge at least one hour before cooking and score the skin. Season the…… Continue reading pork rib roast
baked eggs with yoghurt and chilli
A delightful brunch made with open range eggs and home-grown roquette and spinach. Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi from his cookbook Plenty. Preheat your oven to 150ºC (300ºF). In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook 300g (10½ oz) of roquette and spinach with a sprinkling of salt. When…… Continue reading baked eggs with yoghurt and chilli
turbot with brown butter and capers
Turbot is a fish that’s not often available where I live so I was keen to try it. The fish has a firm texture, large flake and mild flavour. This (slightly adapted) Bobby Flay recipe was perfect. Sprinkle the turbot on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat some mild vegetable oil in a large…… Continue reading turbot with brown butter and capers
red wine sorbet with strawberries
This recipe from River Café Green by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers called for a Valpolicella wine. The region produces largely red wines which range from light-bodied young Novello to full-bodied Amarone made from dried grapes. I chose a full-bodied Ripasso which uses a traditional technique that promotes a second fermentation through contact with warm dried grape…… Continue reading red wine sorbet with strawberries
michelle picker cooks 