Why déjà vu? Because somewhere in your memory lurks a delicious home cooked stew you’ve never forgotten, or an idealised image of what one would be like, and when you smell this slow-cook ragu cooking, you get a strange sense…
Something As Simple As An Apple
Back in the days of Covid lockdowns, like everybody, I came to better appreciate how the smallest, simplest thing could make a big difference to a day. We even made it a point to look for things to appreciate while…
Back to the Future Tuna Mornay
Bell bottoms, beads, The Beatles, back to the future tuna mornay! Actually, creamy tuna mornay (tuna casserole in the US) dates back even further than the sixties. A version was around before WWII, but it came into its own afterwards,…
What Happens in Vegas Tomato (Napoli) Sauce
YEARS ago, I saw TV domestic goddess Nigella Lawson say to use sugar in all tomato dishes to balance out the acidity. It’s definitely NOT traditional to use sugar in a tomato Napoli sauce. But as far as I’m concerned,…
Chewy, Sticky, Crunchy and Slimy
People talk about texture in food like they’re talking about the Seven Dwarfs – Chewy, Sticky, Crunchy, Fatty, Lumpy, Creamy, Slimy, Crispy, Toughy … oh wait that’s nine. And they talk about it as if we’re supposed to enjoy all…
Frozen Raspberry Nougat Parfait with an Ice-Cream Hack
This has saved Christmas a few times, especially the hack. The parfait recipe below calls for ricotta, sugar and cream, but, I have in my time … replaced all of those … with … softened quality vanilla ice cream. There,…
Four Rule Grilled Open Cheese Melts
Bread and cheese? Yes, please! For these open cheese melts, I’ve used smoked ham, tomato and mozzarella. But, basically, if you can put it on a pizza, you can put it on a melt. It’s also a great way to…
Super Easy Smoked Salmon Pasta with Sour Cream
This is kind of a prosecco dish, in that it’s both sparkling white and also a cheeky rosé. Easy smoked salmon pasta with sour cream is also the simplest impress-your-friends-with-your-nonchalance-in-the-kitchen recipe I can think of. Plus, pasta. If you can/want…
Smell and Taste of Things Waiting for Their Moment
So, as I’m writing out these recipes, or sorting through photos on my phone, I’m getting all these memories bubbling up, sometimes childhood ones, a little bit like Monsieur Proust. This has to be one of the best paragraphs about…
Lazy Dessert – Puff Pastry Lemon Curd Tartlets
These are a huge step up from Bridget Jones’s dessert of marmalade, while hinting at the lemon pie you could make if only you *languid sigh* had the time. All while using only two ingredients. Simple, quick and adaptable? Yes,…
Weeknight Chicken Stir-Fry For When You Can’t Be Bothered
Ugh, you only have one carrot, a capsicum and some lonely looking snow peas in the crisper. Here is your stir fry. I always have soy sauce and oyster sauce on hand, as well as some kind of noodle, and…
That’s How the Light Gets In
There’s a universal truth: most of us are really just trying the best we can, the best we know how. It’s easy to be critical. It’s hard to let go. One of the main things I’ve learned over years in…
