(And here’s my ongoing full Australian book-tour schedule here.) “Why are all these people here?” my mother asked me, baffled, genuinely confused as she peeked out from backstage at an audience of 400. “Well, I think they’re here for me…..?” I said, uncertainly, just as confused. “You mean they PAID to come and hear you talk? I don’t understand. YOU?” she said, brows furrowed in total disbelief. I wish I had captured that conversation on camera!...
I take it very personally when people have trouble making a recipe of mine. I take a great deal of care writing and testing recipes before I share them, and you would probably be horrified at the number of beautiful photos I have trashed because I wasn’t happy with the recipe, or because I thought the “fail” risk was too high. I posted this Balsamic Drumsticks recipe back in April 2015 and a handful of readers have had trouble with it....
Just like last year, it was 2 days before Christmas when I realised I didn’t have a Christmas photo and found myself scrambling to take a last minute picture so I could send out Happy Holiday wishes. And just like last year, I found myself gripping Dozer in a chokehold, forcing him to look at the camera in an attempt to capture a half decent Christmas-cheery portrait of us. Dozer attempting to flee at every opportunity, me grabbing him by his tail, pulling him back, dragging him into position, scrabbling to put his hat back on as the camera self timer started flashing…....
Have you ever used apple cider as a marinade before? It’s like a secret weapon broth / stock. Because it’s got so many more layers than just plain apple juice or even broth, which means you don’t need many other ingredients to create incredible flavour! Just to be clear – I’m talking about alcoholic apple cider. In some parts of the world, including America, “apple cider” refers to a non alcoholic drink made from (this will surprise you 😉 ) apples....
Never suffer through dry chewy beef or bland Stroganoff sauce again – this recipe delivers!! Beef Stroganoff If you’ve ever chewed your way through dry, overcooked beef, you’re going to LOVE this Beef Stroganoff recipe! Just two simple rules for juicy, tender beef: The first rule is fairly self explanatory – for a quick cooking recipe like Beef Stroganoff, you can’t get away with using a better value tough cut like chuck beef....
Essentially, this recipe fixes all the grievances I had with other recipes I’ve tried over my lifetime! Caramel Slice It’s practically un-Australian for a bakery to NOT sell Caramel Slice. With a simple coconut biscuit base, soft caramel filling and a chocolate topping, it’s one of those treats that’s craved by kids and grown ups. I’ve only ever known it as a Caramel Slice, but I was quite interested to learn that overseas, it’s also known as Millionaire’s Shortbread (appropriate!...
I received one of those “no brainer” questions a few weeks ago. It went like this: “Nagi, would you be interested in attending a small lunch to sample and learn about Riccadonna sparkling wines? Massimo Mele will be cooking up an Italian feast!” It took me about 2 seconds to hit Reply and send “YES!” straight away. Oh, then I went back to check the date and make sure I was actually free – but really, I would have made it fit into my diary....
This Chicken and Spinach Strata is a great end of week meal. Or a great start of week meal to use up leftovers from the week before! The only ingredients in this recipe you actually need to have are egg, milk and bread (stale is fine!). Everything else is optional or use what you have. No cheese? No problem. Just up the salt a bit to make up for it....
Also, don’t miss the new Strawberry Cheesecake! BAKED CHEESECAKE – MADE EASY! This is an easy Cheesecake recipe. Well, I should say, this is a baked cheesecake recipe that’s made easy with a few key tips that make all the difference. I think some people find the idea of making cheesecakes daunting, especially ones where the biscuit crust comes up the side like this one. But you know what? In my humble opinion, cheesecake is easier to make than cakes....
Made a turkey and want a gravy? Use my Gravy for Turkey recipe! Gravy This gravy recipe tastes like what you get in those tubs of KFC Potato and Gravy. Those of you who abstain from all forms of fast food may not know what it tastes like. But all you need to know is that it’s everything that you’d expect from KFC – reliably tasty, well seasoned, can make anything delicious!...
This sweet gem is brilliant as a pudding-like dessert to finish off a cosy dinner, or served for afternoon tea with friends. Honey Cake I had a load of home-harvested honey gifted to me by people in my life who keep their own bees. Thinking how best I could flatter such a lovely ingredient, I developed a slightly mad obsession with creating a cake that used honey and no sugar whatsoever....
BIGGEST TIP – ignore the packet directions, DO NOT use the absorption method. And make this Brown Rice Salad! How to cook brown rice (perfectly) This is a recipe for how to cook brown rice so it’s fluffy and tumbles out of the pot like THIS ↓↓ White rice | Jasmine | Basmati | Sushi rice | Risotto (easy way!) | Paella | Quinoa | Cauliflower rice The challenge with cooking brown rice is that it has a harder hull than white rice, being the nutritious bran layer than is left on during milling....
I call this “fried rice” because it is made using leftover rice rather than making it “risotto style” starting with uncooked rice grains. I find that making it by cooking rice in a tomato liquid makes the dish more risotto like and too starchy and wet for my liking. This method using leftover rice is perfect – it really is restaurant style. This is a great throw together mid week meal that you can make with Mexican-related leftovers....
One pot, quick dinner idea that’s on the table in 30 minutes! Mexican Ground Beef Casserole with rice This is essentially the filling for the Mexican Stuffed Peppers I shared a few weeks ago. Why am I bothering? Because when I share a pork chop recipe on Instagram, people always ask if it can be made with chicken. When I share a chicken thigh recipe, people always ask if it can be made with breast....
Here’s the list! Make-ahead Christmas: Starters Snack monsters unite! Lots of colourful options here for nibbly things that are easy to transport and no fiddly work on the day-of. Festive Italian Cheese Log Tastes even better than it looks! Just take it ready-made to wherever you’re going and add a big pile of Jatz on the side. I love that this is something a little different, just an idea that popped in my head one day!...
Famous NY Times Broccoli Salad with cumin, garlic and sesame Welcome to Day 2 of the RecipeTin Eats 30 Day Holiday Salad Marathon, a day where I’m bringing you something simple yet intriguing and little bit different! It’s a wildly popular raw Broccoli Salad by Melissa Clark of New York Times Cooking. Red wine vinegar lightly “cooks” the raw broccoli, then it’s marinated in an intensely flavoured mix of cumin, garlic, sesame and olive oil....
Make it a quick meal, or let it cook long and slow – you’ll be rewarded with extra tender meat and extra flavour. Just clamp the lid on and walk away! A Sloppy Joe recipe you’ll love! I read somewhere that Sloppy Joes are a “Poor man’s barbecue”, and I blinked, somewhat bemused. Because while it’s a terrifically economical meal option and easy to scale up to feed a crowd, it never crossed my mind as a choice for budget reasons....
Smoked Salmon Appetizer Whenever I am taking something to a gathering, the first thought that pops into my head is logistics. How the food will travel, does it need reheating, does it need to be assembled, how many people do I need to serve. The decision of what to take is invariably narrowed down drastically once these factors are determined. If it’s a gathering where I can’t reheat what I’m taking (or if I don’t want to add to the craziness of an event), then that cuts out half the appetisers in my repertoire....
These are like the Italian version of Breakfast Enchiladas! The inspiration to make these came after a particularly embarrassing incident. I hate traffic and Sydney traffic is notoriously bad, especially when you live in an area where it’s one lane roads in and out. I live quite far from the city so when I have morning meetings, I like to make them early so I can beat the traffic. They are usually meetings over breakfast but I am one of those people that need to eat asap upon waking, otherwise I feel ill....
A steakhouse classic, this creamy pepper sauce with juicy steak is a match made in heaven. And it’s made with just 4 ingredients. Four. FOUR!!! Creamy Peppercorn Sauce – a Steakhouse classic Creamy Peppercorn Sauce was always my first choice at steakhouses which I frequented quite regularly back in my corporate days. Having traded in suits and heels for an apron, there’s no corporate lunches for me anymore. I make my steaks at home!...
