Shared Kitchen - Real food from scratch

Grilled Eggplant & Feta Rolls

You can eat these in the fingers … but I warn you, they are messy!

Cut eggplants (aubergines) lengthways into long thin slices. Heat a ridged grill pan or sturdy frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil (you will probably need to do this in batches, so just brush as many as will fit in the pan without overlapping). Cook on both sides until a good […]

Lentils, Spinach & Eggs

Plum Tart

The time is NOW for plum tart. Get making it! Dark-fleshed plums will give the tart a sweeter but sharper tang and a deeper colour than yellow-fleshed ones.

Coconut Ice Cream with Mango Purée

Toasted hazelnut crush layered with coconut ice cream and mango purée ... mmm.

Hazelnuts

Toasty roasty coffeeish – that’s toasted hazelnuts! Here’s how to do it.

Quick tricks for summer dishes

It’s so hot here on Waiheke you might melt if you stay in the sun too long. You need a beach. Preferably at your back door. Or a pool to hop into. When I was a kid, a squirt with a hose did the trick. If you are in New Zealand, or Australia or another […]

Roasted Pepper & Chickpea Dip

It's hard to believe that February is already upon us. Seriously, how did that happen? Mum's delicious Christmas dinner, the escape up north to the top of Mount Manaia, a house move ... all seem like they happened yesterday. Well they didn't. Time ticking is as simple as that (it ticks!) so for us ‘Southern Hemispherers’, we ought to make the most of our summer. Outdoor living to me means snacks. Lots of snacks, at all times of the day. This particular snack, though, is better suited to the afternoon, ideally under a spot of summer sun with a bunch of your favourites and a collection of refreshing beverages. The dip is easy to make and due to the chickpeas, quite substantial – especially when mounded high on a piece of crispy flatbread. If you're in the more wintery north try it as a midnight snack and think of us down here in New Zealand, chomping away, spilling crumbs and possibly getting burnt. Time zones aside, a snack for all occasions. Give it a try

Summer Salad

Brightly coloured jellied seeds of tomatoes twinkling like jewels, wafts of basil as if you have just crushed a meadow of carnations underfoot … and the bright fresh note of lemon rising to fill the nostrils … Add some gorgeous avocado to the mix and you have the essence of summer. You can make a […]

Eggs ‘n Avo

Eggs and avocados, an unlikely combination, and for breakfast? Whaaa? (That’s hands in the air screaming whaaaaattt?) It really didn’t ring my bell until I tried it, but now I am hooked. I’ve made a few adjustments, as you do. I can’t eat it for breakfast, as it is too rich, too filling, just too […]

Chicken Thighs with Thyme

A mid-week meal with minimum fuss.

Zucchini & Mint Salad

Serve with barbecued food, or stuffed into panini rolls with other salad ingredients, or stir through grain salads.