Carrot & Olive Salad

With all the hot weather we’ve been having here in Sydney, I have become a bit of a fan of cold salads recently. Something fresh and light. This one I served with some beef steak done on the BBQ naturally. The sweetness of the carrot worked perfectly with the saltiness of the olives and meatiness of the beef. Really delicious. I blanched the carrots slightly as I often find them hard work when they’re raw. It worked a treat.

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Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs)

I love meatballs! What can I say! There’s something so satisfying in them. I especially love the Spanish version called albondigas. I always order them in Spanish restaurants and always eat the lion’s share. So, making them at home is dangerous as I have a tendency not only to eat them from the pan, before serving, but also returing to the pan after eating to finish them off; one by one. The sauce for this is beautiful and will greatly benefit from you using good quality chopped tomatoes.

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Moroccan Tomato Ketchup

I do like a bit of tomato ketchup from the bottle once in a while, but I must say it’s way too sweet and strangely doesn’t really taste of tomatoes anymore. This is a simple, homespun sauce which takes a Moroccan character. Lovely and rich, and spicy too. It’s great served just as you would with normal tomato ketchup – dip your chips in it, smother your bacon sandwich. Cover your Christmas dinner with it for all I care – just give it a try!

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Cauliflower, Dill & Cumin Fritters

I love cauliflower, and I love finding new, interesting ways to cook it. Here’s a simple recipe for cauliflower fritters. It takes its influence from Indian vegetable pakora’s but gives the little fritters more of a middle eastern slant with the use of my favourite spice, cumin and one of my favourite herbs, dill. They’re light and fresh with a little spice from the chilli to liven up things. Great with fish or meat and even as a simple vegetarian starter too. Splendid.

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My favourite Cookbooks.

I love reading cookbooks. I read them on the bus, in bed and even on the loo so I thought it fitting that I create something to celebrate some of my favourite books from my ever expanding bookshelf. Click HERE to see which books made my list. As soon as finished the post there were another 10-15 books which were screaming out for a mention so I’m sure they’ll make it to the list at some point.

Pan roasted Guinea Fowl with Cumberland Sauce

I picked up some Guinea fowl at the farmers market before Christmas and had buried them with other stuff in the freezer. Once they’d been uncovered and identified I was intrigued to give them a go. I didn’t want to braise them as I thought they deserved to be simply cooked to bring out the natural flavour, I also wanted a sweet sauce to accompany and settled on cumberland. Turns out it’s perfect for the slightly gamey Guinea fowl. Who knew!?

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Sausage with Fava Beans

I’d bought some gourmet lamb sausages a few weeks ago and have been meaning to use them ever since. I love the combination of sausages with grains and pulses so knew this dish would be delicious. It’s a really simple dish to make. You don’t have to hunt out lamb sausages, it would work equally as well with pork sausages, as long as they’re good quality. Instead of rosemary you could use any herb you like such as sage, thyme, oregano or marjoram whatever you think will compliment your variety of sausage the best.

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Steak with Roquefort Sauce

I love blue cheese and I especially love the pungent taste of a roquefort sauce. It works excellently with meat, especially a good quality steak, which is just what I needed today. I was salivating at the mere thought of this all day, so when it came time to cook I couldn’t wait any longer. I served mine with some delicious potatoes roasted in duck fat which just upped the ante, making it quite a decadent evening all round.

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Prawns in Chermoula

Moroccan food is one of the greatest cuisines on earth. A huge array of flavours and techniques make it the finest Africa has to offer. The sophisticated blend of spices, fruit and prawns in this dish really make it stand out. Chermoula is a regular player in Moroccan cuisine and it’s perfect for seafood. A tangy, rich sauce that brings the best out of the prawns. This is a very easy dish to prepare. You can make the chermoula way in advance and it’ll stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days – that’s if you can resist for that long.

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Mechoui Lamb Skewers

I can’t resist this delicious Moroccan lamb dish. It’s very very simple, but really very delicious. It’s perfect for the BBQ without any hassle or complicated techniques – which is great when you have a hangover as bad as mine today.

Merry Christmas.

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