Crumbed sardines, beetroot, skordalia mayonaisa

Plate of crumbed sardines, beetroot and lemon wedges with a bowl of Greek skordalia mayonaisaGreek skordalia mayonaisa (mayonnaise) and grilled asparagus on toast

I’ve been teaching cooking classes for the last few years, discovering how much I like it. It’s an extension of writing recipes, really – wanting to put something new, inspiring and delicious under people’s noses. But you are really in the driver’s seat and can push the boundaries a little more … You see, a recipe book can be full of exciting things, but you can’t make people cook them. With a class, you have a captive audience! You choose something to cook, guessing people may not have cooked it before, hoping for positive results. If there are ooohs and aaahs, you get to witness them, and with a bit of luck, you hear people say they are going to make this at home. The kitchen is always filled with lovely chit chat as we cook together, and I also learn many things. Continue reading Crumbed sardines, beetroot, skordalia mayonaisa

Pasta salad with olives and roasted garlic

Pasta salad with olives and roast garlic

I started out making pasta when I moved out of home, at age 17, featuring a crisper worth of vegetables plus some pesto from a jar. (Wry smile thinking about the strange tiles of pumpkin I used to cut, and the undercooked eggplant. But I was doing a good job of eating vegetables at least!) Continue reading Pasta salad with olives and roasted garlic

Spring soup with green garlic

Spring soup with green garlicHomegrown green garlic bulbs

I’ve been watching a bird make a nest in our lemon tree through our kitchen window. First I made sure it wasn’t a nasty Indian myna (it turned out to be a more benign but still imported suburban blackbird), then thought to myself, this is going to be good viewing – a touch of David Attenborough in our own backyard. Continue reading Spring soup with green garlic

Growing garlic

Harvesting heads of garlic

When we harvested our patch of garlic at the end of November, memories came rushing back. In early June in the same patch of earth, we dug up what felt like a million jerusalem artichokes. Our eyes bulged as tuber after tuber stacked up in a pile, the progeny of just two plants. I was deliriously happy, not just because of such a surprising gardening success, but to share some lovely moments in the garden, in the sun, with my husband and daughter. I was close to nine months pregnant and I knew everything would change soon. Continue reading Growing garlic