This orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe recipe is one I cook when I can't bring myself to make another carbonara or puttanesca, Lara's most requested pastas. Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli is a classic Italian combination from Puglia, but broccoli rabe or rapini, and broccolini also work, and crispy pancetta adds salt and crunch. [...]
This classic Anzac biscuits recipe is as close to the early 1933 Australian Country Women's Association Anzac biscuit recipes that I could get and it makes the best Anzac biscuit ever – even better than the Anzac biscuits of my memory. It seemed fitting to make them this Anzac Day. The ability to make this [...]
Our best egg dishes for Easter if you prefer your Easter eggs to come from a chicken rather than a bunny include everything from an omelette or frittata with herbs to poached eggs with crunchy asparagus, crispy fried pancetta and fresh parmesan, a perfect Spring dish. Terence's hot cross buns recipe is tempting, but I’ve [...]
Where to stay in Margaret River wine region depends on what you're there to do. But whether it's wine-tasting, sampling local produce, surfing, hiking, or gallery-hopping, there's no shortage of fab places to stay in Margaret River, from luxury lodges and beach resorts to sleek apartments, holiday houses, heritage hotels, and safari-style glamping in tented [...]
Driving from Darwin to Kakadu National Park in the Top End of Australia’s Northern Territory Top End is an easy three-hour drive on good bitumen roads, but you can break up the journey with stops on the way at Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, Windows on the Wetlands, Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises, and Mary River [...]
Our best curry recipes from Southeast Asia include a rich Cambodian Saraman curry and its Thai cousin beef Massaman curry to a more gently-spiced steamed Cambodian fish curry called amok trei and the decadent pork belly curry, Gaeng hang lay moo from Northern Thailand, and Gaeng gari gai, a chicken curry recipe from Southern Thailand. [...]
The best Luang Prabang boutique hotels to book to absorb the history, culture and beauty of this well preserved UNESCO World Heritage listed old town include handsome French colonial-era residences of late kings, a former royal summer house, and the old French Governor’s residence of the 1900s. Lovely Luang Prabang received its UNESCO World Heritage [...]
Our best Asian noodle recipes include recipes for an array of Southeast Asian noodle soups, and even Asian stir-fry noodles, from a spice-laden Singapore curry laksa and a creamy coconut-based Chiang Mai khao soi gai to a Lao khao soi with a ragu Bolognese-like sauce and Indonesia’s chicken soup for the soul, soto ayam. We’ve [...]
Our Morocco road trip from Marrakech to Mhamid via Essaouira on the southern coast was the long way to the edge of the Sahara but my mother was in the backseat and we all had goals. Terence wanted to see some waves, Mum wanted to see the sign to Timbuktu, and I wanted to see [...]
No-recipe recipes may sound like a fun idea for busy people who have no time to follow convoluted recipes and the no-recipe recipe trend being promoted by the New York Times seems to be a popular one. Fun as they might be, no-recipe recipes are also a short cut to kitchen nightmares. Each week New [...]
This classic tomato and basil bruschetta recipe shows you how to make this popular Italian aperitivo snack or dinner starter the traditional way. It's a quick and easy recipe that relies on little else but flavourful tomatoes, fresh fragrant basil and good quality olive oil. In my recent posts on pro chef lessons for home [...]
10 things I learnt working in restaurant kitchens include everything from the value of maths and mise en place to the importance of being clean and organised, why it’s essential to taste, taste and taste again to the value of perfect soffritto. All are incredibly useful in the home kitchen. I’ve been fascinated by cooking, food [...]