Sicilian (ish) Fish & Couscous Stew

This recipe is adapted from the BBC Good Food website (you can find the original here), I’ve just done a little tinkering. To be honest I was a little dubious prior to cooking it - I’m not sure why, I guess I didn’t think it would be particularly interesting. But it really was very good indeed and one that I will certainly make again at some point soon. As ever, do make sure to use sustainably...

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Shepherd's Pie

There are many different versions of shepherd’s pie, but essentially it is of course just a base of braised lamb mince, topped with mashed potatoes. Generally speaking, although there is a certain amount of debate, if beef mince is used it is called cottage pie. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top before popping in the oven and the result will be a Cumberland pie.I like my shepherd’s pie to be quite...

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Arroz con Pollo

Arroz con pollo, meaning rice with chicken in Spanish, is enjoyed by many Latin cultures and is a traditional staple throughout Latin America. There are very many different versions, unique to various countries, so that the one you find in Peru for instance may be quite different to that found in Cuba.Some variations I’ve seen include using beer with the stock to braise, using annatto or saffron...

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Saag Aloo

Some time last year I did an online shop at The Asian Cookshop - I was on a hunt for Kashmiri chilli powder and dried Persian limes. As often happens when confronted by so many interesting ingredients, I ended up with a rather fuller basket than originally intended: candle nuts, ground jaggery, mustard oil, whole dried chillis and a whole host of other things managed to find their way in there....

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Venison Casserole

Long slow cooking is normally an excellent method for tougher cuts of meat with fat and sinew that needs the time to break down to unctousness in the liquid of choice. Venison on the other hand is very lean and so, although it can still be cooked in the same way, a lot more care needs to be taken. For a start, it is very important that it is allowed to cook at not too hot a temperature - because...

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Avocado Toast.. And a Change of Name

Not so much a recipe than a guide to assemblage really, this is my version of avocado on toast. There is some debate online about avocado toast and whether it is or isn’t a pretty typical Australian breakfast or brunch. I had always assume it was and yet some quite vociferously state that not to be the case. I asked the bf this morning whether it is common in Oz or not and he said that it definitely...

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Duck & Mango Curry

I’m not a massive fan of the fruit / savoury combination (in fact I’m not a massive fan of dried fruit in cooking generally: Christmas can be a bit of a nightmare with all that pudding & cake as well as mince pies being handed out left, right and centre) but there are a couple of exceptions. Tagines with chopped apricots &/or dates I can definitely handle and duck legs slow cooked with...

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