Pears and apples belong to the rose family and have their origins in the Caucasus. Both were introduced into Europe and northern India by the Aryan tribes from the original region. The wild pear has now been developed into nearly 1,000 varieties after interbreeding with native wild pears of Europe and Asia. Talk about going [...]
08
Apr
Apr
One of my favourite summer and autumn cooking past-times is... you guessed it, picking baby zucchini and their flowers fresh from the garden. Taking them straight to the kitchen, making the simplest batter of them all, in Italian we call it la pastella, then dipping and frying these delectable morsels in hot oil to then [...]
08
Apr
Apr
This is another very easy recipe but with a French influence this time! If you still have an abundance of zucchinis in the garden, this might be the perfect way to cook them. This zucchini or courgette gratin makes for a simple yet satisfying main course, vegetarian dish or side dish to roast lamb, beef [...]
21
Feb
Feb
This dish is simply delicious and easy to prepare. Similar to Ratatouille, the French stewed vegetable dish from Provence, but without the sauce. I created it one lovely evening when we spontaneously invited friends to dinner. I used a colourful medley of summer vegetables, tray baked them with herbs from my garden and a touch [...]
14
Oct
Oct
Asparagus heralds the arrival of Spring with spears standing upright on the green grocer’s shelves and farmer’s markets, or if you are lucky, in your own garden! My Aunt and Uncle who live part of the year in Friuli (north-east Italy) and the other part at the family villa and farm in Campania (south-west Italy) [...]
23
Mar
Mar
Here is one of the dishes I cooked at our Cooking Demonstrations at the 2016 Tasmanian Garlic & Tomato Festival. It received an enthusiastic round of applause! This is a deliciously different Thai stir-fry dish using seasonally available cherry tomatoes, garlic, eggplant and fragrant Thai basil from Thirlstane Gardens. I just love cooking this dish when we entertain Thai-style. It is [...]
11
Mar
Mar
A fresh, quick and simple way to prepare and serve an accompanying vegetable dish with your weekday meals. We love this carrot dish in particular for its freshness and simplicity. I dreamt it up one day when thinking of a new creative way to serve sweet baby carrots from York Town Organics. The idea is to keep it [...]
11
Mar
Mar
Easy healthy salad for summer or autumn. I’ve scored the cucumber for an artistic look but also for a practical reason, to expose the cucumber flesh to the marinade. Greek flavours mingle with tomatoes, olives, parsley and feta. Feta is optional. Enjoy this simple salad with grilled fish, barbeque chicken or with my Lamb with Crushed Potatoes Corn [...]
04
Mar
Mar
Quick and easy! A simple and delicious avocado salad to accompany grilled chicken, meat or fish. Or serve as an accompanying dish in a vegetarian meal with roast sweet potato. Avocados are highly nutritious and provide an excellent source of vitamins and monounsaturated fats. The spices I’ve added to the dressing give this salad an [...]
09
Feb
Feb
We live a very multicultural life and at every opportunity we have partaken in festivals all over the world during our life and work overseas and in Australia. One such example is Chinese New Year celebrations, which in the lunar calendar is the first day of the first new moon. My time spent learning and [...]