Recipes

Peach vermouth

Peach vermouth

Here’s something to do if you find yourself with a bunch of ripe peaches that you can’t eat all at once (and you can’t be bothered making jam because it’s too hot to stand over a pot of bubbling fruit and sugar!). I love this neat over ice cubes with a slice of fresh peach and some mint leaves, and often take this concoction out to the garden to drink in the dusky golden evening light. You could also use the peach vermouth in a martini.
Couverts4 cups
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Ingredients

  • 6 –8 peaches
  • 3 cups 750 ml dry vermouth

Instructions

  • Chop or tear up the peaches and place them in a 4 cup (1 litre) jar.
  • Squish some of the flesh a bit and throw in three of the stones.
  • Pour in the vermouth, seal tightly and give the jar a good shake.
  • Pop the jar in the fridge and take it out to turn over and shake every day or so.
  • After a week, strain out the peaches and the stones (save the peaches to serve over really good ice cream as a fabulously boozy pudding) and return the vermouth to the jar.
  • Store in the fridge for a couple of months.
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Course; Alcohol

Mulberry cordial

Mulberry cordial

This cordial is unadorned – no vanilla or extras – because the flavour of the berries is just so delicious. It’s lovely with lots of ice and mineral water or served splashed into a flute of sparkling wine.
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Ingredients

  • 1 kg 2 lb 4 oz mulberries (or any other berry you fancy)
  • 1 cup 220 g white (granulated) sugar, or to taste

Instructions

  • Combine the mulberries and 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water in a large saucepan.
  • Bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15–20 minutes or until the fruit is completely soft and collapsed.
  • Line a sieve with a few layers of muslin and set it over a bowl.
  • Tip the fruit into the sieve and leave it to drip away all day or overnight.
  • (I suspend the fruit from an upturned stool, with the bowl sitting on the seat, as pictured.)
  • Measure the mulberry juice and pour it into a saucepan.
  • For every 1 cup (250 ml) juice, add about ½ cup (110 g) sugar, or to taste.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has just dissolved.
  • Pour the cordial into sterilised bottles and seal.
  • It will keep for a couple of weeks in a cool, dark place or in the fridge for a little bit longer.

Notes & Wine Advice

Use the left-over mulberry pulp for the filling in the Snacking cake – simply spread the mulberry pulp over the batter instead of the apples. Sprinkle a couple of handfuls of slivered almonds over the top before baking.
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Course; Alcohol

Five-spice plum sauce

Five-spice plum sauce

This sauce is delicious on all kinds of things, but especially with duck (think home-made duck pancakes) or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. Also try it on a burger, as a stir-fry sauce or with store-bought steamed pork buns. I use blood plums, but any variety would be fine. You could also use apricots, although the colour and flavour will be different.
Couverts3 cups
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the plums, onions and garlic in a food processor and blitz to a purée.
  • (I need to do this in a couple of batches to fit in the food processor bowl.)
  • Pour the purée into a large saucepan and add the sugar, vinegar, five-spice powder and chilli.
  • Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
  • Stir it every 10 minutes so it doesn’t stick and burn on the bottom of the pan.
  • Pour the sauce into sterilised jars or bottles and seal, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 weeks.
  • Once opened, pop the sauce into the fridge.
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Course; Fruit / Sauce

Peach and honey butter

Peach and honey butter

This is one of my favourite ways to preserve peaches, apricots, nectarines … or any seasonal fruit. The general idea is that you cook a kilogram or so of chopped fruit with some honey, spices and lemon juice, purée it all and then cook the purée so it reduces and thickens to a beautiful butter. It’s amazing on toast, as a cake filling and anywhere else you’d use jam. I love it as a sweet scroll filling, as for the peach scrolls.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the peaches, honey and cinnamon in a large, deep saucepan.
  • Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan and add the scraped pod.
  • Add ¼ cup (60 ml) water and stir well.
  • Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the peaches have collapsed completely.
  • Discard the vanilla pod, transfer the peach mixture to a blender (or use a stick blender) and blitz to a purée.
  • Add the salt and lemon juice, to taste – add a little at a time, testing after each addition until you have the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.
  • Return the purée to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring often, for about 40 minutes or until the mixture thickens and reduces.
  • Pour the butter into sterilised jars, seal and refrigerate for 3–4 weeks.
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Course; Butter

Ravioli with fresh tomato, basil and garlic sauce

Ravioli with fresh tomato, basil and garlic sauce

Ravioli is very satisfying to make. And it’s much easier to get on the table than most pastas, because you can freeze a few batches without worrying that the pasta will stick together, and cook it straight from frozen. You can change the filling, limited only by what’s in your garden/pantry/imagination, but in summer when sweet tomatoes and basil are abundant, this gentle, delicious pasta supper is perfection.
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Ingredients

TOMATO SAUCE

  • 500 g 1 lb 2 oz cherry tomatoes (a mix of varieties is lovely)
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 handfuls basil leaves picked and roughly torn, plus extra to serve
  • ¼ cup 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • Grated parmesan cheese to serve

PASTA

  • 22/3 cups 400 g plain (all-purpose) or 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • FILLING
  • 1 cup 230 g fresh ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup 50 g grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

  • Make the tomato sauce first and leave it to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours for the flavours to really get to know each other.
  • Halve the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl with the garlic, red wine vinegar, basil and olive oil.
  • Sprinkle in a good amount of sea salt and black pepper, stir well and set aside.
  • For the pasta, combine the flour, salt and eggs in a food processor and blitz for 10 seconds or until the mixture just comes together.
  • Turn out onto a work surface and gently knead for about 5 minutes or until you have a smooth, springy dough.
  • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for an hour or so.
  • For the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
  • Divide the pasta dough into quarters.
  • Flatten one portion into a thick disc between your palms and wrap the remaining portions in plastic.
  • Lightly dust a pasta machine with flour and set it to the first/widest setting.
  • Feed the pasta disc through the machine, then fold it in half and repeat.
  • Next, feed the pasta through the machine on the second setting, fold it in half, then return the machine to the first setting and repeat.
  • The idea is to work the pasta through the first few settings by rolling it through, folding it in half and going back a setting each time.
  • Once you get to about the fourth setting, just go for it, gently feeding the pasta through each setting until you have a lovely thin, silky and smooth rectangle of pasta.
  • Gently fold the rectangle in half lengthways, then unfold it so you can see the halfway mark.
  • Spoon the filling in little mounds along one half of the pasta, about 4 cm (1½ inches) apart.
  • Run a finger dipped in water along the edge of the pasta, then fold the bottom half of pasta over the top.
  • Gently press on either side of each mound to remove any air bubbles and then press along the moistened edge to help seal the pasta.
  • Use a ravioli cutter to cut across the top of the pasta, pressing down firmly to seal and cut at the same time, then cut down the sides to make individual pieces.
  • Place the ravioli on a tray lined with baking paper, cover with a tea towel and pop it in the freezer.
  • Repeat with the remaining pasta and filling.
  • Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.
  • Drop the fresh or frozen pasta into the pan and cook until al dente (5 minutes if frozen; 3 minutes if fresh).
  • You’ll know the ravioli is cooked once it bubbles up to the top of the water.
  • Drain the ravioli and tip it straight into the bowl of fresh tomato sauce.
  • Gently toss to combine, then drizzle with a little extra olive oil (the best you have!
  • ), sprinkle the parmesan and extra basil over the top and serve straight away.

Notes & Wine Advice

If you don’t have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta until it’s as thin as possible. This does take a little time, but you can get there with lots of elbow grease. Alternatively, buy some good-quality fresh ravioli and serve it with the fresh tomato sauce.
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Course; Pasta

Milk chocolate flapjacks

Milk chocolate flapjacks

Very easy, very good, great travellers and they last for ages – flapjacks are ideal for holiday trips, camping trips, lunchboxes, anything. I’m not saying they’re health food but I do think they’re better for us than lots of the stuff sold as muesli bars. And they’re definitely tastier!
Couverts12
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Ingredients

  • 2¼ cups 220 g rolled oats
  • 100 g 3½ oz butter
  • 100 g 3½ oz honey
  • ¼ cup 50 g brown sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1¼ cups 200 g milk chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
  • Grease and line a 6 cm (2½ inch) deep, 19 x 10 cm (7½ x 4 inch) loaf tin with baking paper.
  • Blitz the oats in a food processor for a few seconds, then tip into a bowl.
  • Combine the butter, honey and sugar in a saucepan.
  • Stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the hot butter mixture over the oats, add the salt and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
  • The chocolate should melt into the mixture as you stir, but it’s fine to have some chunks remaining.
  • Press the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour.
  • Leave the flapjacks to cool completely before cutting them into squares or bars.

Notes & Wine Advice

VARIATIONS:

Try adding a combination of dried fruit and nuts. Or use dark chocolate chips, and consider adding some finely grated orange zest for a delicious jaffa situation.
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Course; Chocolate

Noodle jars

Noodle jars

I first came across the ‘noodle jar’ thanks to the wonderful Donna Hay some years ago. Noodle jars had their starring moment on Pinterest and in food magazines for a long while there and I’m here to say that they are still awesome and easy, and need a regular place in your repertoire.
Couverts4
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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup 100 g white miso
  • 1/3 cup 80 ml soy sauce
  • 4 handfuls dried vermicelli or egg noodles
  • 4 handfuls green vegetables such as sugar snap peas, thinly sliced spring onions (scallions) or small broccoli florets
  • 4 –6 cups 1–1.5 litres boiling water

Instructions

  • Grab a 2 cup (500 ml) jar (or thereabouts) for each person.
  • Spoon 1 tablespoon of the miso into the bottom of each jar and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce.
  • Divide the noodles and vegetables among the jars.
  • Put the lids on the jars, then fill a large thermos with boiling water and off you go.
  • When you’re ready to eat, pour the boiling water into each jar, seal and leave to ‘cook’ for a few minutes or until the noodles are soft.
  • Tuck in!

Notes & Wine Advice

VARIATIONS:

I always pack chilli flakes for my jar, but if you had some spiced chilli oil (see here), that would be great, too. You can also add some chopped cooked chicken or any other protein you have on hand.
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Course; Noodles

Annie’s ice-cream pudding

Annie’s ice-cream pudding

This recipe of Mum’s first appeared in my book Local is Lovely, but I’ve included it here because it’s such a staple part of our Christmas tradition and such a winner. You could replace the raspberries with 1 cup (340 g) of Boozy fruit mince.
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups 1 litre good-quality vanilla ice cream
  • 1 cup 125 g frozen raspberries
  • 1 cup 140 g Vienna (toffee) almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup 80 g roughly chopped chocolate-coated honeycomb
  • Mixed berries and apricot coulis to serve

Instructions

  • Take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften.
  • Line a 6 cup (1.
  • 5 litre) pudding bowl or glass bowl with plastic wrap overhanging the side.
  • Tip the raspberries, chopped nuts and honeycomb into a mixing bowl.
  • Gently fold in the ice cream.
  • Spoon the mixture into the lined bowl and smooth the top.
  • Freeze the pudding for at least 4 hours, then turn it out and serve it in wedges with the berries and apricot coulis.
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Course; Dessert

Rolled slow-cooked turkey breast

Rolled slow-cooked turkey breast

Turkey is a fairly new addition to our family Christmas table, but a very welcome one. I don’t tackle a whole turkey – my oven isn’t big enough, but also it feels a bit too daunting an undertaking on a day that’s busy enough already. We serve it with a simple potato bake, often a ham and a big green salad. This is a bit of a cooking project, but the steps are easy and you do them in advance, so all you need to do on the big day is bung the turkey in the oven for 2 hours, then slice and serve. Here’s a timeline that might help break down the steps: 2–4 DAYS AHEAD (or weeks or months if you freeze it): Make the chicken stock. 1–3 DAYS AHEAD: Prepare the stuffing and spice rub. 1 DAY AHEAD: Roll and tie up the turkey so it’s ready to cook. You could make a classic gravy for your turkey or just serve it with a jar of cranberry sauce, but I much prefer this dark jus. It tastes rather special and it is Christmas, after all.
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Ingredients

  • 1 double turkey breast butterflied
  • 2 cups 500 ml dark chicken stock
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • 1 tsp plum jam or quince paste or something sweet

SPICE RUB

STUFFING

Instructions

  • For the spice rub, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to make a paste.
  • Set aside while you make the stuffing.
  • For the stuffing, melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium–low heat.
  • Cook the onion for about 10 minutes or until completely softened.
  • Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they are crunchy and golden.
  • Remove from the heat and use a sturdy glass to bash the walnuts around and break them into small pieces (or transfer them to a board and roughly chop).
  • Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl, tip in the onion and leave to cool for a few minutes.
  • Chop the sage and rosemary with the garlic, salt and pepper, creating a herby paste.
  • Add the paste to the breadcrumbs and onion, then add the egg and chopped walnuts and gently stir to combine.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  • Pop the stuffing into the fridge to cool while you get everything else ready to roll … literally!
  • Lay the turkey breast out flat and rub it inside and out with the spice rub.
  • Spread the stuffing over the turkey and roll it up into a football shape, then tightly tie it together with kitchen string.
  • At this point you can cook the turkey, or cover it with a damp tea towel and place it in the fridge, ready to cook tomorrow or the day after.
  • Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
  • Place the turkey in a roasting tin.
  • Pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the dark chicken stock into the tin, drizzle the turkey with a little olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 2 hours, basting with the pan juices halfway through (baste it more often if you can – the more basting, the better).
  • Transfer the turkey to a carving tray to rest.
  • Pour the pan juices into a saucepan and scrape in any bits stuck on the bottom of the roasting tin.
  • Add the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) of chicken stock.
  • Cook over high heat until the mixture has reduced by half into a thick, delicious jus.
  • Stir in the plum jam or quince paste and do a taste check – does it need more sweetness, salt or maybe acidity?
  • Adjust to taste and then keep warm until needed.
  • Carve the turkey and pour the hot jus over the top.
  • Serve immediately (or as quickly as you can get your crowd to the table).
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Course; Turkey

Mike’s gravlax with mustard sauce

Mike’s gravlax with mustard sauce

My eldest brother is a great cook (as are all my siblings) and his gravlax is a staple every Christmas. This is a particularly festive dish to make and share, but it’s great for any kind of gathering. Gravlax makes a fairly extravagant piece of fish go a very long way and it’s a fantastic centrepiece for any party or grazing platter
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Ingredients

  • 2 x 700 g 1 lb 9 oz pieces of salmon, pin-boned, skin on
  • 1 large bunch of dill
  • ½ cup 110 g salt
  • ½ cup 110 g caster (superfine) sugar
  • 2 Tbsp freshly ground pepper preferably from white peppercorns
  • Lemon wedges to serve
  • Dark rye bread to serve

MUSTARD SAUCE

HORSERADISH CREAM

  • 1 cup 250 g crème fraîche
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 Tbsp horseradish cream or grated fresh horseradish or to taste
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • A tiny pinch of ground turmeric

Instructions

  • Place one piece of salmon in a glass or stainless steel dish, skin side down.
  • Lay the dill fronds on top.
  • Combine the salt, sugar and pepper and sprinkle it on top of the dill, then place the other piece of salmon on top with the skin facing up.
  • Tightly cover with plastic wrap or foil and then weigh the salmon down with a few tins of tomatoes, beans or whatever.
  • Refrigerate the salmon for at least 2 days or up to 3 days, turning it over every 12 hours or so and rubbing it all over with the liquid that’s released as it cures.
  • Combine all of the mustard sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk over medium–high heat until smooth.
  • Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, by which point the mixture will have thickened into a lovely glossy sauce.
  • Pour it into a small jar and place in the fridge to cool and set.
  • For the horseradish cream, mix all the ingredients together and season to taste, adding more salt or lemon juice as you prefer.
  • Store in the fridge until needed.
  • Remove the salmon from the dish, scrape away the dill and excess marinade and pat dry with paper towel.
  • Place on a chopping board and discard the skin.
  • Slice the salmon very thinly on the diagonal.
  • Serve the gravlax with the mustard sauce, horseradish cream, lemon wedges and slices of dark rye or your favourite bread.

Notes & Wine Advice

If you can get your hands on fresh horseradish, you’re in for a treat. I have some growing in our garden and it’s the most incredible plant – the peppery leaves are lovely in salads and the fresh root (when scrubbed and washed of dirt) is amazing grated over chargrilled steaks, venison … anything, really. That said, horseradish cream from a jar is also delicious in this recipe.
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Course; Fish