This wonderfully rustic and fail-safe cake is thanks to Mary Berry, I just add more apple. Delicious served warm with a scoop of ice-cream or at room temperature with some thick Jersey cream. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a loose bottomed 20cm cake tin and line the bottom with parchment. Use a large bowl to…
Fragrant Chicken Noodle Soup
(Serves 4-6) Chilli, turmeric and ginger add extra goodness to this fragrant soup. The base freezes well, like a frozen first add kit for menacing lurgies that coincide with the cooler climate. Bring 3 litres of good quality chicken stock to a boil in a large pan then place in a chicken (about 1.5kg) and…
Roasted Aubergine, Basil and Caramelised Onion Pasta
They call aubergine the poor mans meat, or is it the vegetarians gold? I love this recipe, it’s velvety, creamy, economical and beautifully simple. Heat oven to 180C. Slice 2 aubergines lengthways and use a knife to score through the flesh in a criss-cross pattern close to the skin. Drizzle with oil and bake for…
Cherry Clafoutis
(Serves 4-6) The perfect dessert for August, to make the most of the cherries before they disappear for another year. Use apricots, peaches or blueberries if you’d prefer, all work well. Feel free to leave the stones in the cherries, some say this adds to the flavour. Heat oven to 180C, stone 500g cherries and…
Imam Bayildi
(Makes 4 stuffed halves) Legend has it that this dish acquired its name because it caused the Turkish Imam to faint through pure pleasure. Great served warm but some say best enjoyed at room temperature the next day, which makes it a perfect BBQ side dish, easily prepared in advance. Make a meal out of…
Pizza Bianca
(Makes 2 large or 4 small pizzas) This no-knead pizza dough recipe is one of my absolute favourites. It’s a good late summer dish, as the warmth of the sun aids the rise of the dough. Personally, I leave for a minimum of 24 hrs and for anything up to 48, depending on the warmth…
Baked Peaches with Amaretti and Vanilla Mascarpone
If I had my little way, I’d eat peaches every day, but imported peaches do not compare to those picked at their peak and July is the perfect time to indulge in these juicy morsels. The flavours in this dish are so well matched that it’s a wonder how amaretti and vanilla don’t grow on…
Lamb Kofte
Lamb Kofte (Makes about 12 sausage sized kofte) Kofte go well with so many other ingredients so designing a menu plan is easy for a social gathering. You could marinate some feta in advance in jars, make an array of dips (humous, tzatziki, baba ganoush), serve it alongside Greek salads, tabouleh, olives, pestos and finally,…
Crab Linguine
It’s a great shame that 95% of our crab is exported to Europe. It seems we are depriving ourselves of exceptional national produce (possibly seeing it as special occasion/holiday fodder), rather than relishing it as island dwellers with all sorts of seafood on our doorstep. Now is the perfect season for eating crab, this recipe…
The Ultimate Spring Chicken Salad with Jersey Royals and Basil Mayonnaise
This salad makes the most of the fantastic seasonal produce we have around this time of year. Don’t be scared of mayonnaise, especially if you have a blender – as long as you add the oil in a slow steady stream, you will triumph. There is ample, so be sure to finish it up in…
Persian Love Cake
Like a nutty grandma, everybody needs a slice of this cake in their life. The crème fraiche is critical when serving as it cuts through the sweet nuttiness, accomplishing perfect harmony. Feel free to add rose water or play around with spices, if this is your thing. I added edible rose petals to the top…
Pork Larb in Lettuce Cups
I love this quick and simple recipe. It’s great as a canapé, main with sticky rice and green papaya salad or as part of a South-east Asian inspired banquet. I last made these with asian fish cakes and prawn toasts which all go well with sweet and sour dip and satay so everyone could mix…
Smoky Sardines with Sweet Tomato Chutney
In Australia, sardines became a staple in our household as we used the BBQ more often than the oven. Really easy to gut yourself or just ask your fishmonger. Use a griddle pan if too cold or wet for a BBQ and leave to char to promote the smoky flavour. Sardines are relatively cheap and…
Summer Broad Bean Mint and Pancetta Pasta
(Serves 2) This recipe is a picnic to make, it’s worth taking the time to remove the beans from their skins (unless you can get them super-fresh). Refreshingly seasonal and nutritional and having made it once, I’m sure you’ll make it again. Choose crisp-looking un-withered pods at your local farmers market this month, or better still, pick…
Strawberries with Raspberry Cream and Amaretti
My mum has made this for as long as I can remember, a great ‘back pocket’ recipe that has saved me and famed me at many summer gatherings. A great way to flaunt great summer produce having PYO, I recommend a strawberry huller to save your fingers.Tip – Double the coulis quantity and keep some for…
Sprouting broccoli and Pea Pesto Orecchiette
It may not sound hugely exciting but blending broccoli is one of the most simple and tasty ways of eating it. I have been sneaking it into classics like carbonara and pesto, roasting it with spices and frying it with Asian flavours Put 200g of sprouting broccoli (green or purple) and 100g frozen peas into…
Sticky Pork Loin
I think pork loin is underrated, it’s tender, easy to prepare and penny-wise. This marinade is comprised of pantry staples (with the addition of fresh ginger) and tastes incredibly good! I serve this with steamed rice or noodles tossed in sesame oil and sprouting broccoli or inside bahn mi with pickled veg and coriander. *Tip…
Lemon Polenta Cake
I absolutely love this cake, its ridiculously simple to make and really packs a lemon punch, stays moist for days and never fails. Tip – This can be made gluten free by either omitting the baking powder (and whisking exuberantly at the last step) or using a gluten free variety. Extra tip – I sprinkled…
Super-Spicy Daal with Eggs and Spinach
I really love this recipe. It is packed with loads of nutritious ingredients, it’s filling, it’s protein, it’s cheap and it makes enough to feed a small army (freezes well so don’t worry). Great to whip out if you come down with a sore throat and versatile too…. Serve as breakfast, brunch, as a side…
Bakewell Slice,Very Nice
I am an avid frangipane fan and try and sneak it into recipes all the time – apple cakes, crumbles, mince pies, it’s always a bonus rather than a defamer. Here I have showcased it in all its splendour with a scattering of fresh raspberries, a generous layer of jam and addition of a good…
Pici with a Rich and Unctuous Tomato Sauce
I discovered the wonders of pici in Tucany, where it is served commonly with wild boar (the poor old stuffed heads are everywhere, usually sporting spectacles funnily enough). The best I had was in a tiny village high up in Montepescali, in Osteria Sotto Le Logge and one of the best food experiences in my…
The Share The Love Crumble
Give me a food magazine and I am content for at least an hour (even if I’m just looking at the pictures). I rip out anything I might want to make and add it to one of my scrapbooks then pass on the magazine to a friend or donate to a ‘waiting area’. Delicious is…
Baked Tandoori Chicken with Mint and Coriander Relish, Easy Flatbreads and Charred Cos
Our Sunday lunch is normally ‘the last hurrah’ of the weekend and so much thought goes into planning something thats not going to let us down. This chicken recipe is by Neil Perry, absolutely so delicious I already can’t wait to make it again. Next time I’ll double the chicken quantity and so we can…
Satay Roast Chicken with Blazing Chilli Dip and Honeyed Salad
I was glad to finally cross this particular recipe off my list and even gladder to have this fierce dip under my belt (luckily not literally) as it blows your head off but I’ll definitely be making this again. I have decided to add the link as I followed the recipe exactly, the only tips…
Luna di Miele in Toscana
We spent our honeymoon in Tuscany – 2 nights in Florence (mainly recovering from the wedding hype/hangovers) and 7 nights in the Maremma, which is South West Tuscany. The best thing about the holiday was exploring all the hilltop villages as well as sampling the local cuisine and sipping as much of the local wine…
Romanian Sarmale
When I met Nancy I had just moved to Melbourne, she worked in my local cafe (The Barber Shop). I miss the coffee, bagels and Nancy now too! Nancy liked to forage (something id never heard of) but learning about all these secret spots to pick-up free herbs and other eatable things was convenient, money-saving…
Chicken and Bacon Ragu with Fennel and Ricotta Dumplings
I found this recipe on thekitchn.com and have changed a few small things which I believe add a greater depth of flavour. The ricotta dumplings I have left alone (apart from adding a touch of grated nutmeg) as the recipe is so fantastic, so ridiculously simple and quite fun too. I love to slow cook…
Simple Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon, Thyme and Honey
There is something so satisfying about a roast chicken, it is a great example of simple yet sophisticated cooking, it can feel old-fashioned (the process of preparing, carving and gobbling) there is something medieval, almost gluttonous about it. Sometimes I like to make a herb or tomato butter and carefully stuff this under the chickens…
Delicate yet Decadent Kedjeree
I’ve always seen kedjeree as a jumble of ingredients, like the food equivalent of a jamboree….a jazzy festival of flavours, a fabulous brunch, hearty and ‘Sunday snooze inducing’. Kedgeree is the kind of dish that lends itself to lazy weekend, lazy late breakfasts. Not much effort is required to deliver such delicious results. I like…
Madeleines
What I especially love about these light little sponges is the elegance in their simplicity. These particular bites bare a hint of honey and lemon but adorn your own as you fancy. With your rindless lemons, it could be nice to try making a sugar glaze with the juice. The batter is best left over night…
Thai Inspired Roasted Cauliflower Soup
I know the words Thai and cauliflower don’t normally go together, but why should the flavours suffer the same fate? When I attempted to google this, I was lead to a website ‘Cauliflower ear, the easiest way to pick up girls’ promoting Muay Thai fighting, as all girls apparently love scars of any kind? The…
Roasted Cauliflower Olive and Sundried Tomato Cavatelli
If you’ve not yet hopped on the roasted cauliflower bandwagon, please do soon for you will not be disappointed. Charring and caramelising the edges brings out a nutty, buttery flavour and when lightly oiled, salted and roasted for 20-30 minutes in a high temp oven it is tempting to pop it in like popcorn. I…
A Punchy Little Sandwich for Spring
Even though I am partial to the odd BLT or BELTAC, (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado and Cheese) I tend to stray away from the DIY version at home…..maybe not giving credit enough to the old two slices which serve as a container for other food. In Australia it was unusual for me to see…
Sandra’s Prawn and Pancetta Spaghetti
Another recipe taken from Sandra’s kitchen (La Cucina di sandra). Ben found it on her new blog, subtly emailed it to me and since then we’ve already made it 3 or 4 times. In the blog she shares travel adventures and recipes that would normally be kept for the pleasure of her guests in her…
Simple Spring Celebration Pasta
Having left Australia mid summer, travelled and returned to the UK at the beginning of spring, we have sneakily missed out on a winter. Even though in my opinion there can never be ‘too much summer’ I am really appreciating the UK spring and how the season effects earth and nature. We ventured to our…
Linzer Torte – The Oldest Cake in the world?
Linzer torte is named after the town of Linz, Austria and said to be the oldest cakes in the world – and with bloody good reason, I tell you it’s gorgeous! Thanks again Alison, for your cracking cover image, please move back to London… The torte is comprised of half jam, half pastry which has…
Lamb Flatbreads with Alison
Recipes from my travels will be coming soon but before all that I thought I’d catch up with recipes I intended to feature before leaving Australia… I met Alison from http://www.alisonmcwhirter.com.au and we decided to create some kind of fusion between her photography and my cooking and styling. I only have Alisons images as cover photos…
Eating our way through Thailand, Vietnam and Kerala
Happy to be back in Blighty after a pretty special journey back from Australia through Thailand, Vietnam and India. Here are a selection of photos documenting some of the delicious food we experienced along the way (with a few cats and nice textures thrown in to help convey the essence of each place). I hope…
Prawn Noodle Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
This is a special post as it marks the 1000th subscriber to The Travelling Pantry – so thanks to everyone that has made it happen! It also represents the end of one journey and beginning of a new one (leaving Melbourne and moving back to the UK). I began the blog in order to document…
Simple and Delicious Marinated Fish Kebabs!
I made first made these this Christmas and have since made them twice already. The idea was to have a BBQ on Christmas day, so we made these, BBQ chicken skewers, satay chicken skewers, marinated prawns, calamari, Thai chicken balls and salads galore (all cooked on BBQ throughout the day to keep us going and…
Sausage, Mustard and Basil Seashells
After all the extravagances of Christmas, this dish is a welcome relief to all the hearty, farty, complicated foods – perfect to whip up weeknights and still momentous enough to reward yourself or special people for a hard day’s work. Recipe is thanks to but slightly adapted from Nigel Slater. True to his fashion, a…
Sweet and Spicy Malaysian Chicken Curry
This one’s a real treat, great in winter or summer, for 2 or for a crowd……the flavour is soft, with a hint of sweetness from the palm sugar and subtle warmth from the chilli and spices. Really very simple, once you have your curry paste it’s merely a case of frying it with onion, adding…
Herby Salmon Fish Cakes
These tasty little morsels are great as a special/weekend breakfast, healthy lunch or wholesome starter. I make breadcrumbs out of any leftover white bread from the weekend and process with lemon zest, seasoning and whatever herbs I have at the time – these are perfect for this type of dish. As you’ll need to buy…
Turmeric & Coconut Fish Curry
This is such a simple and tasty recipe, really worth a try – we normally eat this on a Monday with fish bought from the Saturday morning market – something to make Mondays a bit more bearable! If you can get your hands on fresh turmeric and curry leaves, it is worth it for this…
Breakfast Pizza & Topping Ideas
This post is really just for me to keep track of the pizza toppings that we have enjoyed the most. Since trying out Jim Lahey’s recipe – it’s fair to say that we’ve all become a bit infatuated with the simplicity of the no-knead dough recipe and enjoyed experimenting with a myriad of toppings. I…
Spicy Noodle Salad with Tuna Toasties & Tobasco Tomatoes
Living so close to Victoria Street has given me a taste for Vietnamese, lots of mighty flavours and infinite ingredients to experiment with…… if you are nearby, check out ‘Weasels Garden Café’ it’s on Murray St, tucked away, always very quiet, the foods pretty good and the garden is like a slice from a tropical…
Spelt Spaghetti, Red Onion, Basil Oil and Roasted Vine Tomatoes – with Chilli!
This pasta is so simple, it’s not even really a recipe and I didn’t intend to blog it – but it tasted so good, I thought I’d whip out the camera and write the mix so not to forget it. The tomatoes will take a good hour or 2 to slow roast, but speed this…
Herby Roast Vegetable Salad with Tahini Dressing
Back again to Daylesford for Ben’s birthday and a sneaky surprise stay in an old butcher’s… Back in Daylesford and our little country escape, I thought a nice warm vegetable salad would warm the cockles and also spare us more time for the finer things in life (monopoly and Prosecco in this case). This is…
Nduja with Silky Tomato Butter Pasta
Nduja is something I’ve been hunting down for years and I finally got to cook with it this week. It is Calabria’s clever variation on salami, which is spreadable and melts into an unctuous delight when heated, making this buttery sauce perfectly rich and wicked (even though the ingredients are so humble). Nduja is composed…
Sweet Tomato and Basil Fritters with Tzatziki
A photo inspired this dish, actually an old man holding a plate of these with a beautiful backdrop, in Santorini. These would of course traditionally be made with the finest sun filled tomatoes so unless you live in the med, try and find the best quality you can as it will make such a difference!…
The Travelling Pantry 