Zucchini Tips and Advice

Zucchini Young with Flowers
Zucchini Tips on growing, harvesting and storing We all tend to grow too many zucchini, or courgettes as they are known in Europe, and tomatoes for summer, don't we? Nevertheless, there will be someone in your circle of friends or neighbourhood who forgot to plant them and this is the inspiration to share. I grow [...]

Sylvia’s Special Spiced Anzac Biscuits

Sylvia's Special Anzac Biscuits on Steve's Glass Platter
I first made these Anzac Biscuits in 1988 based on a recipe in a clipping from The Adelaide Advertiser on 20 April 1988 when Margaret Kirkwood was writing the Cuisine pages and have been baking them ever since adding my own special touch over the years. The result is quite a different recipe that includes [...]

Sylvia’s Easy Smoked Salmon Pate-Dip

Sylvia's Easy Smoked Salmon Pate-Dip
This is a lovely quick and easy pâté or dip you can prepare in advance or whip up in an instant as part of your festive feasting with family and friends or anytime for that matter.  It has a lovely delicate flavour and smooth texture and presents beautifully simply in a bowl garnished with baby [...]

Sylvia’s Asparagus Carbonara with Thyme & Crisp Prosciutto

Sylvia's Asparagus Carbonara
Here is another one of my favourite Spring recipes this time using asparagus in a thyme infused Carbonara sauce with pasta garnished with crisp Prosciutto. Obviously, if you don’t add the Prosciutto it makes a great vegetarian dish. Use good quality Penne Rigate (dry penne pasta with ridges) to hold the creamy asparagus sauce. My [...]

A Bit About Asparagus

Asparagus spears
Asparagus officianalis is the young shoot of the plant related to the lily family and comes in a variety of colours from white, light green, dark green and violet or purple. The Persian word Asparag means ‘a sprout’ and asparagus sprouts forth from the ground as if out of nowhere. In about the 1st century [...]

Sylvia’s Spring Asparagus Frittata

Sylvia's Asparagus Frittata
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) [...]

Sylvia’s Truffle Salad with Walnuts

Sylvia's Truffle Salad with Walnuts
If you've treated yourself to a truffle or two, here's a simple recipe idea to accompany a roast chicken, duck or thick grilled steak. Prepare a salad with York Town Organics Baby Cos and Micro Salad Leaves. I've also used Radicchio from my kitchen garden, a beautiful deep ruby-red Italian chicory I grow for the [...]