There are some recipes that instantly transport you back to a particular place and time, and for me, Classic Corned Beef with Parsley Sauce is one of them. Tender slices of slow-simmered corned silverside served with a silky homemade parsley sauce make a simple, comforting meal that’s perfect for a cosy family dinner. Whether you’re…
Spanish Stuffed Peppers
Last Sunday I was wandering through the farmers’ market when I spotted a basket overflowing with beautiful little sweet peppers. They were bright red, yellow and orange, and I couldn’t walk past them. They looked too beautiful not to take home. As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted to fill them with…
Italian Sausage, Fennel and White Bean Tray Bake
The combination of sausages and beans has been around for centuries, and almost every part of the world seems to have embraced it in one form or another. France has its rich cassoulet, Italy has rustic dishes of sausages and white beans, Britain has bangers and beans, and even the humble tin of sausages and…
Classic Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
Sticky Date Pudding is one of those desserts that always feels like a treat. A soft, moist sponge filled with sweet dates, drenched in warm butterscotch sauce and served with melting vanilla ice cream, it’s the kind of dessert that makes cold evenings feel cosy. Sticky date pudding always takes me back to a winter…
Roast Chicken with Grapes and Tarragon
Roast Chicken with Grapes is a simple one-tray dinner made with golden chicken Marylands, purple grapes, shallots, white wine and fresh tarragon. As everything roasts together, the pan fills with flavour, creating a rich sauce that’s perfect spooned over the chicken at the table. A friend first made a version of this for me years…
Italian Stuffed Calamari (Calamari Ripieni)
Stuffed calamari is one of those dishes I’ve wanted to make for years. Whenever I saw it on a menu, I’d order it. Whenever I travelled through southern Italy, I’d take notice of how different restaurants approached it. Some were baked, some simmered in tomato sauce, some heavily stuffed and others surprisingly simple. It’s the…
Chicken and Mushroom Vol-au-Vents
These Chicken and Mushroom Vol-au-Vents combine crisp puff pastry with a creamy filling of chicken, mushrooms, white wine, crème fraîche and fresh tarragon. They look impressive on the plate but are surprisingly easy to make using ready-made puff pastry. When I was in primary school, I went to a sleepover at a friend’s house and…
Venetian Sweet and Sour Sardines (Sarde in Saor)
We ate Sarde in Saor standing at a little bacaro in Venice, spritz in hand, picking up silky sweet-and-sour sardines with tiny forks while people spilled into the laneway around us. It was one of those perfect travel food moments where something simple becomes unforgettable. If you’ve never had it before, Sarde in Saor is…
Spanish Garlic Chicken (Pollo al Ajillo)
Some dishes instantly take you back to a place. For me, this one brings back a tapas stop in Malaga — cold drinks on the table, warm evening air, and one of those gloriously garlicky dishes that arrives with absolutely no pretence and disappears almost immediately. The version I had was closer to tapas-style chicken…
Nonna’s Italian Cabbage Salad
I almost talked myself out of putting this recipe on the blog. After all, it’s shredded cabbage dressed with olive oil, white vinegar and salt. Hardly groundbreaking. But then I remembered how often this bowl appeared on our family table — and how often it was one of the first things to disappear. That’s the…