Try these Vietnamese delights next time you’re having a barbecue. Combine 450g (1 lb) of minced pork with ½ a cup of Vietnamese fish sauce (Thai fish sauce is much stronger), 4 tablespoons of dark soy or caramel sauce (available from Asian stores), 2-3 finely diced brown shallots, 12 finely sliced garlic chives and 1 tablespoon of…… Continue reading vietnamese pork skewers
Tag: recipe
almond honey spread
Moroccan amlou is a spread (much like peanut butter) made of almonds, honey and argan oil which is generally eaten on bread for breakfast. Argan oil, which is apparently quite nutty in flavour, is endemic to Morocco and, I discovered, hard to find and very expensive in Australia! I opted for a version without it. If you love…… Continue reading almond honey spread
grilled sardines
Fresh sardines are wonderful and for those who have only had them canned, quite a different kettle of fish! This simple recipe will let them shine. If you buy your sardines whole they will have to be gutted. This is quite simple if you prefer the heads off. Just cut through the head and pull down…… Continue reading grilled sardines
dan dan noodles + cold dressed eggplant
In Sichuan (Szechuan) dan dan noodles or dandanmian is any dish served with a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables, mustard stems, chilli oil, Sichuan pepper and spring onions (scallions). This version, from Everything You Want To Know About Chinese Cooking by Pearl Kong, Tien Chi Chen & Rose Tseng, includes sesame paste, peanuts and dried shrimp and is served with a bowl of chicken…… Continue reading dan dan noodles + cold dressed eggplant
lemon syrup cake
A tree full of lemons and some leftover whey (from cheese-making) inspired this cake. Grease and lightly flour a 20cm (8″) ring tin. Cream 240g (8½ oz) of butter, 1 tablespoon of grated lemon rind and 1 cup of caster sugar. Separate 3 eggs and beat in the egg yolks one at a time until combined. Sift 2 cups…… Continue reading lemon syrup cake
prawns in almond sauce + mexican rice
Nuts have been used to enrich sauces in Mexican cooking since Pre-Columbian times. Peanuts, or cacahuate, are thought to be indigenous to South America and were widely cultivated in Mexico. Almonds were introduced into the cuisine later, after the Spanish conquest in the 16th Century. This way of cooking prawns (shrimp) is quite simple and absolutely delicious. Soak 1 dried…… Continue reading prawns in almond sauce + mexican rice
home-made prosciutto
Having learned how to make salami recently we were inspired to try a whole prosciutto. The first stage was salting. We’re not experts so we allowed our butcher to give us the correct amount of salt for the 9.5kg (21 lb) leg. We surrounded the leg in the salt for 9 days (with a few spices added for good measure).…… Continue reading home-made prosciutto
panforte
Panforte translated means ‘strong bread’ and comes from the region of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. It was originally known as Panpepato or ‘peppered bread’ due to it’s spicy flavour. It dates back to the 13th century when it was used to pay taxes and is believed to have been carried on quests by Crusaders. My friends Mary, Caroline and I made 2…… Continue reading panforte
cheeseburger
A truly delicious cheeseburger made by Thomas. Thomas made the sweet potato burger buns following this recipe by Chef John of Food Wishes. For the burger itself he coarsely ground his own beef and simply seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Each burger was served with 2 thin patties which were cooked on a hotplate using this smashed burger technique…… Continue reading cheeseburger
christmas feast 2015
Our festive celebrations this year began with a wonderfully smooth French style chicken liver pâté thanks to this Jaques Pepin recipe with some homemade sourdough baguettes. For the main course Thomas cooked a ham, brined for 5 days and slow cooked with a little smoke and a brown sugar and mustard glaze. To accompany the ham we had a European style potato salad, a…… Continue reading christmas feast 2015
michelle picker cooks 