Get to a farmer’s market (ignore the rain – it’s great for the produce!), get shopping and get cooking. Autumn and all her glories is upon us!
Archives for March 2017
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Spinach & Pumpkin Salad with Roasted Honey Pears
Introducing my roast pumpkin and pear salad – possibly one of the most delicious combinations of fruit and veg ever.
More ideas for pears – bring them on!
There’s plenty to write about pears, and I’ve already done it, so click the link if you want to find out about choosing, storing and preparing them. And check out the different varieties. What I’m showing off here are some great ideas of what to do with pears. I love them with blue cheese and […]
Pears & Parmesan – oh yeah!
Pears & parmesan may sound a little quirky, but read here why it is such a great combination.
Refrigerator Cookies – bake them fresh!
Refrigerator Cookies – sweets for my sweet!
If you know someone who is feeling a bit down in the dumps, bake them a batch of cookies, wrap them in cellophane and tie with a pretty ribbon and call around to have a cuppa with them. It’ll lift their spirits no end. Refrigerator Cookies
You can’t beat fresh produce!
The season is changing and with it the last of the stone fruit is disappearing off the shelves. Now is the time to search out remaining late season dark-fleshed plums, to enjoy blueberries, to eat your fill of corn and outdoor tomatoes … because in the bat of an eye, the produce shelves and market […]
Plum & Blueberry Tart
Plum & blueberry tart signals the end of summer. Wrap them up in cinnamon pastry and bake until the juices run and the pastry is golden.
Tunisian Eggs with Extras!
Harissa’s a hot little devil – add as much or as little as you dare!
Outstanding Food Producer Awards – Finalists announced!
New Zealand’s newest awards – Read the full list of the finalists and get voting!
Ilaria’s Chia & Coconut Dessert
Stunning to look at, full of goodness and tastes divine.
Harissa powder and paste
This humdinger of a hot mixture is pretty much a staple of North African cuisine. Its heat can vary from explosive to mild. You might find it in powdered form, which can be used as a sprinkle or rub, or mixed to a paste with water and/or oil. I love the way it gives mundane […]
Blueberries
Add a squirt of lemon to blueberries – it brings them alive!
Chips worth making at home!
Crusty and golden – gorgeous fries you won’t want to share!
Crispy Beer-battered Fish – Best ever!
Hear the crunch! Best-ever beer batter for fish delivers every time.
Quick Tartare – a really useful sauce
A dollop here, a dollop there, Tartare sauce adds velvety richness, and a fresh clean bite.
Oven-baked Smoked Paprika Fries
Fries! We go back a long way. You could say I know a good one when I eat one.
Don’t stint on the lemon!
A good squeeze of lemon keeps things nice and fresh!
Sauces and salad and you’re good to go!
Get the sauces out! Serve hot crusty fries with tomato ketchup, malt vinegar if it’s a fave in your household (it sure cuts the build up of oiliness!) and a quickly made tartare sauce. Splendid!
Yesterday I made soup in my dressing gown
It may not sound very glamorous, but it’s true nonetheless, although it has to be clarified that I didn’t actually make soup in my dressing gown, but rather in a pot …
Stuffed Peppers with Freekeh
Freekeh freak-out! Traffic light bright!
Stuffed Peppers – easy to do!
No freekeh? Use burghul or couscous … just get cooking them.
Freekeh
Freekeh is smoky and slightly chewy and gives salads some heft and a depth of flavour.
Oregano – Joy of the mountain!
Though it seems just like yesterday, it was in fact 40 years ago that I spent a week walking the hills of Crete.
A striking memory is the aromatic scents that rose all around us as we crushed wild thyme and oregano underfoot. The oregano was ‘rigani’, origanum vulgare (hirtum). Bit of a gob-full, I suppose, but the last name (hirtum) is pretty important.
Tomato time!
Tomatoes are a fruit right? Yep. So, why not team them with fruit? Like blackboy peaches. And white nectarines…
Aunt Ruby’s German Green – shock your auntie with a smattering of jalapeno and white nectarine on a bed of sliced green tomatoes
Big Rainbow – Bring on the blackboy peaches … this salad is looking nice and gay!
Thessanoliki – Greek …