PAN - ROASTED VINE BABY TOMATOES WITH PINE NUTS

In of the SundayLife magazine's publications Adam Liaw (an Australian lawyer and a celebrity chef) shared with us a couple of summer recipes which his family loves to eat around this time of the year.  He also made an interesting comment on how the Asian cuisines are all about seasonal eating, quoting the Japanese saying “All good food has its time” and I couldn’t agree more.  When I was living in Russia 22 years ago, we didn’t have the luxury of fresh fruit and vegetables supplied to us every day of the year, we ate what was in season and enjoyed full flavours developed naturally due to their natural cycle of life.

And that’s why at this time of the year (Australian summer) that I thoroughly enjoy the taste and the variety of tomatoes, especially baby tomatoes on the wine, for their aroma, sweetness and juiciness which make them taste great in salads, roasted or pan-fried.

As much as I enjoy them in my summer salads, they become an excellent side dish to accompany your roast lamb or a beef dish.

My favourite way of wine baby tomatoes is just pan-fried them with a handful of pine nuts and a splash of balsamic vinegar to enhance their sweetness and caramelisation.

Here is how I do it.

You need:

One or two branches of vine baby tomatoes

2 tbsp pine nuts

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Method:

Place a pan on the stove over medium-high heat and add olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the tomatoes, throw in pine nuts and season with salt and pepper.  Roast tomatoes for about 5 minutes, then give the pan a good shake and continue cooking until the skin on the tomatoes collapses into "wrinkles".  

Splash balsamic vinegar, give another shake and serve alongside your main course.

Enjoy!!!

BBQ SALMON KEBABS

When it comes to choose a method of cooking fish for, I prefer mine cooked on a barbecue. Not only it is a much healthier option, but it also eliminates the fish smell that normally lingers around your home for quite a while after the dinner has been consumed.

Having a South African husband whose love affair with the “braai” (SA term for BBQ) is a national pastime also contributes to what I describe “choosing your weapon”.  We cook our meals on a BBQ pretty much all year round, however in summer, it becomes a blessing not having to slave over the stove in the 35 degree heat.

The following recipe is one of the quickest and easiest way of cooking any fish.  Also, you've got this charred stripes on the flash that are super delicious and flavoursome.

This method of cooking is ideal for a mid-week quick dinner fix or a weekend lunch.

To feed 4 people you need:

4 salmon skinless fillets (approx 150-200 gr each)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon cut into wedges to serve

Method:

Cut about 3cm wide slices across each fillet and place in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and pour over olive oil.  You don’t need much olive oil because salmon is quite an oily fish.

Pre-heat your BBQ to 180C, thread four pieces of fish on each skewer and place them on top of the grill.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, then turn the skewers over and cook on the other side.

 

Remove onto the serving plate, arrange the sliced lemon wedges around the fish and serve.

Enjoy!!!

TURKEY BREAST STUFFED WITH SEASONAL VEGETABLES

In my opinion, turkey meat is absolutely underrated.  I have never ever seen any turkey dishes in any establishments in which I have been eating, high or low.  You can, occasionally, find a cold turkey roll pressed between two slices of bread at the sandwich bar but that’s about it.

Yet, it is nutritious, delicious, lean and flavoursome.  Truth be told, I wasn’t using this meat myself until one day my husband decided to go on the 2:5 diet and was advised that turkey meat is leaner then chicken and much more beneficial for his purposes.

So here I was in the poultry aisle of the supermarket facing a dilemma of what to do with the turkey meat.  At the beginning, I was cooking it for my husband only, just simply slicing the breast into strips and letting him BBQ it, so initially twice a week I was cooking two different meals which was not practical at all.  So I decided to make an effort and cook something that the whole family would enjoy without breaking my husband’s strict diet.

So here is my take on turkey breast stuffed with seasonal vegetables

To feed 4 people you need:

2 turkey breasts

3 brown mushrooms

1 red capsicum

1 yellow capsicum

1 red onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves finely sliced

2 tbsp pine nuts

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A sprinkle of smoked paprika 

1 sprig of thyme

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method:

Place a pan on a stove over medium heat.  Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and when warm, add sliced onions and garlic and sautee until soft and translucent.  While the onions are cooking, finely dice the mushrooms and capsicums into and add to the pan, throw in a spring of thyme and season well.  Cook the vegetables until tender, then add pine nuts and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, place one turkey breast on a chopping board between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and gently pound with a mallet until it is about 2 cm thick (it may be easier to butterfly the breast first, depending on how thick it is.)  When butterflying the breast, make sure that you don’t go all the way through.

Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle some paprika and lemons zest. Spread a thin layer of the stuffing over the breast, leaving about 2cm border around all sides. Tightly roll the breast lengthwise and using a kitchen twine, secure it in few places along the roll.

Put the same pan in which you roasted the vegetables back on a stove on a medium heat, add the remaining oil and butter and gently fry the breast turning it from side to side to get an even lovely brown colour all over.  It will take about 20 minutes to cook the meat through, depending on the thickness.  Squeeze a juice of half a lemon over the rolled breast towards the end of the cooking.

Once cooked, remove the turkey from the pan and place in a warm place to rest for 5 minutes.  Then move to a chopping board, carefully remove the twine and using an extra sharp knife slice on an angle and arrange on a serving plate.  Pour the juices from the turkey back into the pan, add a spoon of lemon juice and a bit of butter and when become hot, pour over the sliced turkey.  Serve and enjoy!!!

RADISHES + CUCUMBER SALAD+MESCLUN LEAVES IN A MUSTARD DRESSING

This salad ticks all the boxes we love in a salad:  simple, fresh, crispy flavours with crunchiness of radishes enhanced by the softness of the cucumber flesh, all happily married under the complexity of the mustard dressing. 

I like to serve it alongside the dishes with rather milder flavours and softer textures such as burgers or roast meets or chicken.

You need:

4-5 medium radishes 
1 medium cucumber

1 tbs of coriander leaves

3-4 green shallots finely slices

A bunch of mesclun salad or any salad leaves to your liking

Mustard dressing:

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp of Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 tsp of honey

Freshly ground pepper and salt

Wash and thinly slice the radishes, a cucumber and the shallots.  Place in a bowl together with the salad leaves and chopped coriander leaves.  

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small jar, give them a good shake, check the seasoning and pour over the salad. Give it a toss and serve alongside your main course.

Enjoy!!!

LAMB BURGERS+ BBQ SWEET CORN+GARLIC AIOLI

Hi everyone,

The recipe for the meal I am sharing with you today is so easy to prepare that it has become quite a staple dish on my mid-week menu.  The ingredients are easy to obtain and not as costly as in some of the previous posts I shared with you. It is not just a simple, quick but also delicious and nutritious meal.  I would describe it as a healthy blend of Jamie Oliver's "15 minutes meals" and Donna Hay’s “Simple, fresh and easy” approaches to food.  

To feed 4-6 people need:

600 gr lamb mince

1 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbs pine nuts

1 tsp finely chopped parsley

1 egg

100 gr breadcrumbs

A dash of Worcestershire Sauce

A dash of Tabasco Sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Place a box grater in the middle of a bowl and grate one onion, add mince and all the other ingredients.  Using your hands, mix it so that all the components are very well bound together.  If you feel that the mixture needs loosening, add a splash of cold water.  Once you are satisfied with the consistency and the seasoning, it is time to shape the patties.  Using your hands just scoop some mince into your open palm and form a ball similar to a tennis ball in size.  Then lightly press it between the palms of your hands to flatten it out to about 3cm thick.  Don’t make it too flat or the patty will be dry when cooked.  Arrange the patties on a big plate or tray and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Here are a few options on how to cook your burgers.  Of course,  you can fry them in a pan with olive oil but my favourite method is to BBQ them.  Just place them straight onto the griddle to give them a delicious char-infused aroma in the form of blackened caramelised stripes on their sides.  Cook for 5-8 minutes on each side and serve immediately with BBQ-grilled corn, aioli and a crunchy radish salad.

Enjoy your dinner!

WHOLE ROAST CHICKEN + YOUNG POTATOES

Who does not like roast chicken? It must have been one of the most often cooked dishes of all times.   It is definitely very popular in my neighborhood considering that there are three chicken shops around the corner where we live, all within 100 steps from each other, all doing very well selling roast chickens to the hungry crowd, or so it seems.

I, on the other hand, like to eat the one that is cooked in my own kitchen.  It could be because it is not such a difficult thing to do or because I like the delightful aromas that fill our house tantalizing our taste buds and firing up our appetites.  And if you have never roasted a chicken in your life, I strongly suggest you try.

Preparation:  20 min, cooking time:  1- 1.20 minutes

To feed 6 people you need:

1.5 kg corn fed whole chicken

1 fennel bulb

50 ml olive oil

50 go butter chopped into small pieces

1 lemon

1 garlic head

1 kg small potatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Remove the bird out of the fridge half hour before cooking.

Pre-heat the oven to180C.  Wash and pat to dry the chicken, remove all the bits from its cavity, snip off the wing tips and pluck out any remaining feathers.  Gently pry the skin off the breast meat and bone and carefully slide pieces of butter under the skin spreading it evenly.

Cut off the tips from the fennel bulb and place them inside the chicken’s cavity.  Slice the fennel into rounds about 1 cm thick and spread them on the baking tray.  Place the chicken on top, pour over olive oil and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Separate the garlic head and using the flat side of your knife, flatten each clove and then place them into the bird’s cavity.  Slice a lemon in half, squeeze the juice of one half all over the chicken and massage it into the skin so the olive oil and the seasoning are well spread.  Slice the other half into rounds and place them around the chicken.

Wash and pat dry the potatoes and place them in a plastic bag.  Add some olive oil, salt and pepper and give the potatoes a good shake and mix and then arrange them evenly around the chicken.

Pour one cup of hot water into a tray and place it in the oven.  When the chicken skin on one side is started to get brown, reduce the temperature to 150C and let it roast basting occasionally using the liquid formed on the bottom of the tray.  Also don’t forget to move the potatoes around so they get a nice crispy skin all over.

I like my chicken to be brown on all sides, so after cooking it for half hour, gently turn it over to cook the other side and continue basting it every now and then.

After cooking the chicken for one hour, insert a skewer into the thigh and if the juices come out clear, the bird is cooked.  If the juices are still running slightly pink, continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.  If by that time the skin of the chicken gets too brown, cover it with foil to prevent from burning.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and rest for about 10 minutes covered with foil.

Carefully slice the bird, place it in the middle of a big serving plate and arrange the potatoes and fennel all around it.  Pour over the juices and serve with a simple green salad on the side.

Enjoy!!!

PUMPKIN SOUP

In my previous post I shared with you one of my family's winter favourites, lentil soup.  Today is pumpkin's soup turn to take centre stage.

The recipe and cooking technique are very simple, however it requires some prep.

To feed 6 people you need:

1 kg of pumpkin (peeled and cubed) – I am not fussy about what kind of pumpkin to use

3 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)

1 red onion (peeled and cubed)

2 L of boiling water

4 cubes of chicken or vegetable stock or vegetable stock for vegetarian option

Salt and freshly ground black paper

1 tbs of chopped coriander or chives (to your taste) to serve
Pouring cream to serve

Method:
When preparing the vegetables, bear in mind that the potatoes need to be sliced into smaller chunks then the pumpkin as it takes longer to cook.

Place pieces of pumpkin, potatoes and onions in a pot, pour over boiling water, crush 4 cubes of stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.  Using the blender, blitz the soup until the smooth consistency and give it a taste.

Add some salt if required.  The soup will be quite sweet due to the nature of the pumpkin.  You can always spice it up with just a few chili flakes and a lot of freshly ground black pepper

When serving, pour into a soup bowl, spoon a cream with a tea spoon and sprinkle it over the soup.   You can have some fun with it – try to draw dots and cross some lines with the cream, creating some sort of pattern like a real pro.  Sprinkle with chopped herbs and freshly ground black paper.  Serve with warm crusty bread. 

Enjoy!!!

WARM BEEF, ROAST CHERRY TOMATOES AND BELL PEPPERS WITH HORSERADISH CREAM

This warm beef salad has a wonderful combination of sweet roasted bell peppers and cherry tomatoes, the peppery taste of watercress and saltiness from capers all tied together by the tangy and strong of a horseradish cream and saltiness from capers. It is very easy to cook and could be served in many ways.

To feed 4 people you need:
500 g piece beef eye fillet, trimmed
2 medium size red capsicums sliced into strips
1 red onion cut into wedges
250 g cherry tomatoes sliced in harl
30ml olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
2 handfuls of mixed gourmet leaves (watercress works really well in this dish)
1 tbsp capers, rinsed

For horseradish cream:
3 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
3 tbsp sour cream
1½ tbsp horseradish cream (from a jar)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 200C.  Rub oil and pepper all over beef fillet and place it in a heavy-based frying pan on high heat for 4-5 minutes to seal on all sides.  Remove and place on a roasting tray. Place capsicums and onion wedges in the same frying pan with a little extra oil and cook for fine minutes until slightly softened, then add to the beef together with cherry tomatoes, drizzle over with olive oil and cook for eight minutes (medium rare).

While the meat is cooking, prepare horseradish cream by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl.

Remove beef and rest it in a warm place, leaving vegetables in the oven for a further 10 minutes until cooked and slightly browned.

To serve:
Scatter the mixed leaves over 4 warm plates and top up with the roasted vegetables. Slice the beef into strips and arrange it over the vegetables, drizzle the horseradish cream over the salad, scatter the capers and serve.

Enjoy!!!

SESAME CRUSTED CRAB CAKES WITH TARTAR SOUCE

These delicious crab cakes are very easy to prepare and can be served in many ways:  as an entrée to a dinner, finger food at a cocktail party or just as a light lunch or even as a snack.

You need (for 4 people, 2 per person)

1 kg of cooked crab meat

Half a cup of coriander stocks and leaves

Half a cup of chopped spring onions

2 tbsp of whole egg mayonnaise

½ cup of breadcrumbs

1 egg

Splash of Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

5 tbsp of vegetable oil

For crumbling the cakes:

3-4 tbsp of white flour

3-4 tbsp of breadcrumbs

1-2 eggs lightly beaten

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

2-3 tbsp of sesame seeds

For Tartar source you need:

1 tbsp of whole egg mayonnaise

1 tbsp of horseradish cream

4 small finely chopped gherkin

1 tsp of capers

1 tbsp of water

Freshly ground black paper

1/4 of finely chopped Spanish onion

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Of course, you can buy fresh crabs, boil them and then pick the meat out.  However, I went the easiest way and bought the cooked crab meat from our local fishmonger. If you do the same, make sure that when you open the packet, that you get rid of any excess liquid that might be in it. Then, combine the first nine ingredients and give it a good mix to achieve consistency, give it a taste and adjust the seasoning.   If the mix seems a bit runny, add more bread crumbs.  Take a table spoon and scoop a crab mixture, roll it into a ball with your hands, then flatten between your palms and place it on a flat tray or big plate.  Continue with the rest of the mixture until you have made 16 patties; refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. Then prepare two flat plates and one bowl, scoop 2-3 tbsp of flour onto the first plate, spread sesame seeds onto the second plate and beat two eggs into a bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Take the cakes out of the fridge, heat the frying pan, or two, to speed up the process, pour vegetable oil, take one cake, dip both sides of it into flour first, then into the egg mixture, then press into the sesame seeds and into the pan.  Make sure that the heat is moderate, fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown, place on a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil. 

To make the Tartar source:

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and give it a taste, adjust the seasoning to your liking.  If it is too thick, add another spoon of water.

To serve – place two cakes on the plate, add a spoonful of Tartare souse and  garnish with a slice of lemon.  Serve with sweet chili sauce on the side.

Enjoy!!!

GRILLED MUSHROOMS STUFFED WITH FETA

This dish can easily be served as an entree or as a side dish or just as a healthy lunch option.  

To feed 6 people you need:

6 big brown mushrooms

150 grams of Persian or Danish feta

2-3 gloves of garlic

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat your grill to 180C.  Peel and crush the garlic and then mix it with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Prepare the mushrooms by brushing away the soil (don’t wash them as they absorb water) and cutting off the stems.  Then rub the mixture all over the mushrooms and arrange them on a baking tray stem side up, crumble feta and place under the grill.  Pour a small amount of water to prevent the mushrooms from sticking to the bottom of the tray and ensure they cook equally.

Once the feta is browned, remove from the oven, arrange on a platter covered with baby cos leaves and serve immediately with bread which has been oven-crusted.

Enjoy!!!

BANANA & MANGO FROZEN YOGURT WITH HAZELNUT PRALINE

The idea for this dessert came to me while I was watching Donna Hay cooking banana and mango frozen yogurt.  I was immediately attracted by its simplicity in the making as well as by the minimum number of ingredients required.

Desserts are not my strong point and usually I prefer to use the skills of professional pastry chefs or chocolatiers but this time I decided to have a go.

Banana and Mango frozen yogurt with Hazelnut Praline

You will need for eight people:

6 bananas

3 mangos

1 cup (280 gr) of natural yogurt

8 wanton wrappers

200 grams of dark or milk chocolate buttons (to your taste)

Method:

Cut the bananas into rounds around 2 cm thick, place them in a plastic container and freeze.  Repeat the same with the mangoes.  It will take between 3-4 hours (depending on the temperature of your freezer) to get the fruit frozen.  Once it’s hard, get it out and empty both containers either into a blender or a food processor together with a cup of yogurt and blend until smooth.  You can serve it straight away or put it back into the freezer to harden it.

Donna Hay served it in pre-made ice-cream cones and then stuck them into an ice cream cone holder and it looked great.  However, I came up with a different idea.

I happened to have in a freezer a packet of wanton wrappers (incidentally, I bought them for another of Donna Hay’s recipes) so I took them out to defrost and once they were soft enough to bend, I brushed them with melted butter, sprinkled some brown sugar over and placed them into cup-cake tin moulds (which I also brushed with a tiny bit of butter to prevent them from sticking) lightly pressing the wrappers down into the mould and then put the tray into a 180 degrees pre-heated oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Using tongs, I removed them from the mould to cool.

Hazelnut Praline

You need:

300 gr hazelnuts

1 cup of sugar

¼ cup of water

Method:

Place hazelnuts on a backing tray and toast them in an oven at 180C for about 5 minutes.  Wrap them in a towel while still hot and give them a good rub to remove as much skin as possible.

Line the backing tray with foil.  Put sugar and water in a heavy pan and place on medium-high heat.  When the sugar is dissolved, it will gradually start to turn a golden colour.  Once it becomes golden brown, add hazelnuts, turn the heat down and stir to coat the nuts with caramel.  Keep stirring until the caramel becomes dark brown and then empty the pan into a lined tray to cool.  Once cooled, it becomes one solid sheet - break it into pieces and put in the food processor and pulse.  

I like when there is some texture in the praline so I never process it until it is completely smooth.

TO SERVE

I am not a big fan of very cold desserts so I took my banana and mango yogurt sorbet from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving.  You can leave it in the freezer until the last minute, if you prefer.

When you are ready to serve – just scoop the sorbet into the wanton cups and top with a spoonful of praline. 

Then, for extra bit of deliciousness, place the chocolate buttons into a bowl and melt them in the microwave - short cut!!! (be careful not to burn the chocolate, set the timer for 5 seconds and add another 5, if needed), then scoop it into a spoon and holding it up and above the wonton cups, tip the spoon as if you are going to pour it over but instead start quickly flicking your wrist back and forth to allow the chocolate to go all over the cups.  

As with everything creative, there are no rights or wrongs as long as you are enjoying yourself and people around you like your job.

I served this dessert as a finale to my Lazy Summer Lunch meal, but it could, of course, be prepared for any occasion

Enjoy!!!

ROASTED DUCK LEG, FRESH FIGS AND HAZELNUTS ON WATERCRESS AND RADICCIO SALAD

This recipe of duck leg salad is a great escape for those of us who want to impress their guests with fine dining but with minimum effort and maximum result as no cooking, per se, is required.  All you need to do is ask your butcher for roasted duck legs and you can do the rest.  

Duck's meat is gamey and goes beautifully with all sorts of fruits:  pears, figs, oranges.  I chose figs for their luxurious silky texture and exotic flavour.  You've got the bitterness of radicchio and endive leaves, the sweetness of ripe figs, the strong taste of duck meat and the crunch from roasted hazelnuts all harmoniously married with the help of a balsamic vinaigrette.

You need for 8 people:

1 smoked duck leg per person

2 heads of radicchio leaves

2 bunches of watercress leaves

2 small fresh figs per person (quartered)

4 tbsp of hazelnuts

Balsamic vinaigrette:

2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of Dijon mustard

2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Prepare the duck legs according to the packaging instructions.

Heat the pan and gently roast the hazelnuts until golden brown, let them cool and then roughly chop.  Slice the radicchio cross-wise into thin strips, tear up watercress and place all the leaves into a big bowl.  

Take a small clear jar with a tight lid, place all the ingredients for the dressing inside the jar, place the lid back on and give it a good shake.  Taste the dressing, it should have a strong tangy taste to balance with the other flavours.  Once you are satisfied with the taste, pour the dressing over the salad leaves and toss gently.

Arrange the salad on each plate, place the duck leg on top and scatter around with roasted hazelnuts.

I served this dish as a main course for my Lazy Summer Lunch (link) but because it is quite substantial meal in itself, it could also be served at lunch on its own or as a light dinner meal without addition of any carbs.

Enjoy!!!

LAZY SUMMER LUNCH

Last Sunday we invited my husband’s friends from South Africa, who were visiting relatives in Sydney, for lunch.   Lately, when I am about to have people over, I exercise a great deal of care to find out what their dietary requirements are or whether they have any allergies.  Between wheat intolerance, dairy intolerance, nut allergies and all general food preferences one cannot be too careful.  Turned out that the husband eats everything while the wife is a pescetarian.  Apart from that, there were no further allergies or restrictions in their diet which I should have been concerned about.

Did I mention that it is summer season in Australia at the moment, and as it is quite hot and humid, it is perfect weather to have lunch alfresco?  Our apartment overlooks the ocean and, in good weather, we take all our meals on the balcony enjoying the view and a sea breeze.  To please my guests I covered the table with the tablecloth that my mother-in-law bought for me in Cape Town.  It is very summery, its is made out of thick white linen with red apples hand-painted all over it.

I knew that my menu should cater for the preferences of our guests but I also did not want to serve hot food, rather something refreshing, simple and light.  So here what I came up with:

MENU
Gazpacho soup
Smoked salmon roulade (pescetarian option)

Orange & Fennel salad 

Roasted duck leg salad  with figs and hazelnuts (meat option)

Banana & mango frozen yogurt with hazelnut praline, served in wonton cups

If smoked salmon is not your preferred type of fish, you can easily cook Asian-infused barramundi from one of my previous blogs.  If you wish to splurge a bit more, fresh oysters with balsamic vinaigrette can find a place on your table.

Gazpacho soup

When I decided to make this soup for the very first time (not sure if I can use the word “cook” since there is no cooking involved), the recipe I chose to follow called for fresh tomatoes.  As this fruit in Australia is perpetually quite expensive, $4/kilo and more, and you need to peel them, I decided to cut corners and use canned ones, and I have never looked back.

To feed 8 people you need:

2X400 grams cans of chopped tomatoes (your preferred brand)

2 red capsicums

1 medium cucumber (peeled and seeds scraped)

1 medium Spanish onion

2 cloves of garlic (I adore garlic and use 4 or 5 cloves)

4 tbs of olive oil

1 tbs of red wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A drop of two of Tabasco sauce

Handful of basil or parsley leaves (your own preference)

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz, I like mine to be fairly smooth with a bit of texture.  Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste.

If you and your guests are feeling a bit adventurous, add a splash of vodka to the soup.

Serve the soup cold with sprinkles of chopped basil or parsley on top and warm crusty bread on the side.

Smoked salmon roulade

To feed 8 people you need:

8-12 pieces of smoked salmon

A bunch of salad leaves

100 gr of Sicilian olives

2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 lemons sliced into wedges

2 avocados, scooped and cubed

1/2 cup of chopped dill

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Arrange the leaves on a big serving platter, take a piece of salmon, roll it into a cigar shape and place on top of the salad leaves.  Repeat with the remaining pieces arranging them in the minutes of the clock pattern.  Scoop and cut the avocados into cubes and place them in the centre of the plate, scatter olives and dill around, squeeze lemon wedges between the salmon roulades and drizzle over with extra virgin olive oil and ground black pepper.

Enjoy!!!