Category: Cook’s notes

10 Top Tips for the Perfect Turkey

Turkey timers? Nah. Wiggle the legs, poke in the skewer… Juices clear? Good to go.

101 Filo pastry preparation

Traditional filo is tissue-thin and can be temperamental to work with. Speed is required to get it buttered or oiled, rolled and shaped before it becomes brittle and shatters into flakes. In the last decade or so I have noticed that the brand of filo I use is a tad thicker than previously, which does […]

101 Making Pasta

Don’t despair if your first attempts produce holey shredded dough (mine did!) because with a little practice you’ll soon be turning out silky smooth sheets of pasta like a pro.

5 Great Tips For Frying Eggplants Successfully

Easy when you know how

A clutch of eggs

The chooks are going off! Spring fever. Laying like crazy. That’s good!

A Happy Trio of Tartinades

Ta-ta-tartinades.
Fluffy and creamy but not at all rich … Clevedon Buffalo spreads.

All you need to know about roast pork and perfect crackling

Crackling. CRUNCHY crackling. Gorgeously golden, so fingerlickin’ salty, and so perfectly crackled you hear it shatter in your ears, and all lined with a layer of sweet creamy fat that melts on your tongue. OMG! Died and gone to heaven with this one.

Allspice

Understand the magic of allspice … it can add layers of flavour to savoury and sweet dishes.

Aquafaba

You better believe this …

Artichokes – did I mention spikes!

Deal to them – no mercy – lop the tops off the buggers along with any other spiky unloveable parts.

Asparagus

White & green asparagus in a puddle of browned butter with toasty crumbs and a poached egg on top … well, you can’t get much better than that for a fancy pants brunch or lunch.

Baked Kumara

Ohhhh … would you look at that! Zero prep. Zero leftovers. Scrumptious.

Baking ingredients

A handful of really useful tips.

Balsamic Vinegar

If someone asks you what you want for your birthday …

Bananarama in Rocky Bay!

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes …

Barley

Barley is a versatile grain and makes a pilaf that is damn near as good as risotto, except you don’t have to stir!

Barley – old fashioned goodness

Barley has become one of my favourite comfort foods, not just cooked in soup, but added to a stew, threaded through a roasted vegetable salad or steamed in a pilaf.