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Strawberries, hot honey, cucumber, mint and sheep feta salad

04 Jan, 2025

Who doesn’t love strawberries, but have you tried a salad with strawberries as a main component/ingredient? If not, while they are still in season, why don’t you try this dish out for lunch or light dinner. You will most likely also be introducing hot honey into your pantry! Our dear friend Julie enjoyed a similar dish at a restaurant and it appealed to me so have put together this recipe based on an image from the restaurant Takes no...

Classic Eggplant Parmigiana

26 Feb, 2024

This is a lovely dish based on a recipe in Dish magazine which I have very slightly adapted and simplified. It is one of my all-time favourite vegetarian Italian dishes – a true classic and unlike some Eggplant Parmigiana dishes, whilst super tasty, is not too rich and doesn’t take long to make - enjoy Ingredients Jar of ready-made Italian tomato sauce or passata – Farro have a well-priced Sicilian cherry tomato...

Beef cheeks in red wine

15 Jul, 2023

We are currently right in the middle of winter and certainly in Auckland, the rain keeps falling, so it’s definitely the time to cook and enjoy those slow cook meals. Beef cheeks are a real favourite of ours, easy to cook and well worth waiting for the cheeks to slowly cook and then enjoy the flavour and melting-like texture of correctly cooked cheeks. Acknowledge that cheeks are one of the hardest-working muscles in the animal – think of...

Asparagus pasta – three simple ways

16 Oct, 2022

It’s spring and the height of asparagus season, so for many of us we really indulge eating and enjoying asparagus until, maybe, we’ve overdone eating asparagus until next spring! If you’re looking for quick, easy and seasonally yummy meals ready in well under 15 minutes and you love asparagus, check these out and look at how few ingredients are required… · A bunch of asparagus…. of course · Spaghetti ·...

Warm Chicken, Haloumi and Avocado Salad

01 Oct, 2022

This is a perfect spring, summer or autumn dish – yes a few quick cooks but all in the same pan and the dish is quick and easy to make. The salty, squeaky haloumi works really well with the capsicum, avocado and asparagus together with the dressing which has that tangy balsamic sharpness The pancetta or bacon is an optional ingredient – I use it, but you may feel that the haloumi, being salty, is sufficient to provide that salty/umami...

Baked eggplant with chickpeas and yoghurt

25 Sep, 2022

The base recipe was in the DISH magazine, and I have very slightly tweaked it. Yummy, tasty dish, especially if you love eggplants, chickpeas and smoked paprika which combine so well. Very quick and easy to make While the eggplants do take time in the oven, once they’re in, it only takes a few minutes to add the final touches for a flavour-packed meal. Ingredients 2 medium eggplants or 5-6 long Island eggplants, cutting...

Blue Cheese Pasta with Spinach and Walnuts

20 Aug, 2022

Ready in just 15 minutes, this blue cheese pasta with spinach and walnuts is perfect for those busy days when all you want is a treat. The blue cheese sauce is made lighter with creme fraiche, and the toasted walnuts give this pasta just the right amount of crunchiness. How good is that – prep time 5 mins, cook time 10 mins, ready to eat in 15 minutes. A lovely taste sensation as long as you like blue cheese, super yum and an ideal dish...

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

25 Jul, 2022

Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Luscious and wonderfully indulgent, pasta carbonara takes as long to make as it does to cook the pasta. The ingredients are simple—just spaghetti (or another long pasta), and the carbonara is made with pancetta or bacon, eggs, parmesan, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. The silky carbonara sauce is created when the beaten eggs are tossed with the hot pasta and a little fat from the pancetta or bacon....

Chicken and mushroom risotto

16 Jul, 2022

I love a good, tasty risotto and they are so easy to cook. In fact I am happy to make a risotto any time of the year, but my good wife only likes them at this time of the year, so here we go – one of my favourites. Serve with a simple rocket and shaved parmesan salad This is not a complicated risotto recipe requiring stock to be added as the risotto cooks – all the stock goes in at once, too easy! This recipe makes enough risotto for...

Chicche Di Patate with Beef Ragù

03 Jul, 2022

A Beef Ragù/ Bolognese with small Chicche Di Patate (potato gnocchi) makes an easy, rustic and tasty winter’s meal. This particular recipe, whilst very tasty, has a slight “vegetable” taste to it with the inclusion of grated courgette in addition to the standard staples of onion, garlic, carrot and celery, so a good way to get some tasty veg into everyone’s tummies in the family and the small gnocchi add fun, taste and texture If you...

Red wine braised beef with mashed potatoes and peas

21 Aug, 2021

There is just something about braising beef that makes it so amazing. This braise is great with secondary cuts of beef such as chuck, shin or cheek. With so much time spent slowly cooking and absorbing the great flavours of the vegetables and wine, this meat comes out very tender and flavoursome. Perfect to be eaten with mashed potatoes and the sprinkling of peas – the peas on the top gives the dish a real splash of vibrant colour!. It is a...

Duck breast with white beans, baby spinach and sage

31 Jul, 2021

Okay, you’ve never cooked duck but you like the taste and flavour and you may have seen it being cooked on cooking programmes such as MasterChef. Well this dish is very easy to cook and is such an amazingly yummy dish. Ideal for a special or romantic dinner for two (simply halve the ingredients) or for a dinner party, obviously adjusting the ingredients as applicable. Try it - you won't be disappointed! Ingredients 4 single...

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