A shorter version of this article was published in The Christchurch press and the Wellington Dominion Post on October 15th. Nori is incredibly healthy. It contains vitamin A and C which help to keep our skin and immune system healthy and it is high in fibre. It has 10 times more calcium and iron b...

Fennel Muncher A shorter version of this article appeared in The Press and The Dominion Post on October 7th 2014. How do you cook fennel, or is it best eaten raw? What else goes with it aside from fish? Fennel belongs to the Umbellifereae family and is, therefore, closely related to parsley, c...

I was given a box of green tomatoes recently, so got busy in the kitchen inventing new ways to use them. We do love fried green tomatoes, but can't eat that crispy, tangy, spicy goodness every day! What a versatile vegetable it is: Turkish, Burmese, Southern U.S, or Kiwi. We have been playing with...

I am not keen on mixing fruit with savoury. No chicken stuffed with apricots, or couscous full of sultanas. It just doesn't work for me. So when my good friend Vicki in Bangalow, Northern New South Wales, prepared this dish for us on arrival at her home, I was not filled with anticipation. I love ma...

Impress your guests with this refreshing summer soup that has a touch of elegance. I can’t eat cucumber. It's not that I don’t like it, but rather that it doesn’t like me. Eating raw cucumber inevitably gives me reflux. However, I remember one Christmas as a teenager when, despite my protestations...

Sweet, juicy caramelised roasted tomatoes with that lovely aromatic flavour of bay. My fresh herb supplier, Paran, gave me a box of beautiful, ripe summer tomatoes recently. I’m not sure what variety they were, but they bigger than cherry tomatoes and smaller than the standard variety you find in...

Something for everyone: crunchy toast, smooth avocado mash, salty bacon crumble, fragrant coriander and caramelised scallops. Yum! This year’s Christmas brunch had something for everyone around our table. My Dad loves scallops (although he insists on taking the deliciously sweet roe off them to fe...

A rich, sweet, textured combination of summer broad beans and herbs Our broad beans produced a bumper crop this year. That’s fine with me because I love fresh broad beans and have a million different ways to eat them. I love their smooth, rich, sweet flavour. This simple dish is one of our summe...

Arabica Venison Canapés with Young Garlic Mayonnaise In our organic veggie box delivery last week we got some young garlic. I hadn’t cooked with this before so we experimented. The  cloves of the garlic head have not yet formed in young garlic, so it looks like a more bulbous or fleshy spring on...

  Gruff Junction goat cheese and home-made mascarpone   This appetizing Italian cheese paté flavoured with basil is easy to prepare and makes a decorative centerpiece for the table. The custom of mixing herbs with cheese is a very old one, and often spices were added as well. The combination i...

Now that whitebait are in season, why not try something a bit different (and lighter) than the usual whitebait fritters. The flavour of the whitebait is enhanced by cumin and Toum. They don't overpower the delicate flavour.  200g whitebait 100g plain flour 1½ tablespoons of cumin...

This is an Ethiopian vegetarian stew made with Berbere. Full of flavour and very filling.