Today I am taking you back to Spain, to Catalonia to be precise. I have realised I don’t have many side dishes on the blog, so this recipe for Espinacas a la Catalana is an attempt to fix the problem. When I was a child I used to dislike spinach. They tasted bitter and just…
Italian Grilled Vegetables
Grilled vegetables are a staple at our place especially in spring and summer. In fact, this recipe is dedicated to all my friends in the Northern hemisphere (though my readers who are going into winter should definitely bookmark it for later!). When I met my husband, he barely ate any vegetable. True story. But these…
Spiced Potato Wedges with Easy Sweet Chilli Sauce
It is time again for the “Secret recipe club” reveal! I am sure you all know what the club is about, but for the few of you who still don’t know about it, here goes a brief explanation. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a…
Warm Maftoul Salad with Roasted Vegetables
I love salads, but sometimes I feel like eating something warm instead. I had some pearl couscous (maftoul) in my pantry and when I looked through the vegetables that I had in my fridge I thought it may be a good idea to make a warm Maftoul salad with all of that. I must admit…
Carciofi alla Trapanese #SundaySupper
This week the Sunday Supper team is sharing recipes for lighter foods to balance out the indulgences that go along with all the feasting, parties and celebrations of the upcoming holiday season. And what better than artichokes to eat lighter, healthier but still delicious food? Did you know that the total antioxidant capacity of artichokes is one…
Roasted Bell Peppers
Bell pepper, or capsicum as they are known here in Australia, are among my favourite vegetables. I have always liked them, ever since I was little. In summer, they would make a regular appearance on our table and I was always delighted. My mother would make them in many different ways and even though my…
Patatas Alioli
Patatas Alioli are a typical Spanish dish. They can be served as a tapa or as a side dish to accompany roasts or fish, or… well, that will be my next post, so stay tuned! I think they are delicious. Like Italian food, Spanish cuisine is all about simple, hearty and high quality ingredients. That’s…
Tomato and Labneh Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a Middle Eastern inspired salad. I have just recently begun to explore what I call “the amazing world of salads”. It is amazing indeed. Growing up, salad was always lettuce (or tomatoes) dressed with vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt. Nothing wrong with that,…
Green Bean, Tomato and Potato Salad
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a delicious and healthy side dish. This Green Bean Tomato and Potato Salad is very special to me and eating it always takes me back in time. My mum would often make it in summer when we were holidaying in Sicily. It is a very…
BRAISED FENNEL WITH RED WINE VINEGAR
Going through my Recipe Archive, I have realised that I don’t have as many side dish recipes as I should! So today I will share with you a very quick and delicious side dish, perfect to accompany both meat (especially pork) and fish: Braised Fennel with Red Wine Vinegar. It is a dish my mum…
SPINACH, ROCKET AND STRAWBERRY SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE
I have seen quite a few recipes of salads that include strawberries lately and I was very curious to try one myself. I usually enjoy having fruits in savoury dishes and I think strawberries (and berries in general) make for fantastic savoury ingredients as they are slightly tart and not overly sweet. I have even…
EASY EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA
Today I want to share with you my family’s recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana. It is a simplified and lighter version of the classic Parmigiana that has mozzarella inside and needs baking. This is a much faster recipe and I love to make it in summer, when I do not feel like turning on the oven…
RAITA
The first time I ate raita, I was in Mumbai. I was still quite new to Indian food (we are talking about over 10 years ago!) and everything seemed too spicy for me! That’s when I was served some raita… I loved it immediately as it was refreshing and cooling (the weather was also very…
PUMPKIN AND FONTINA CROQUETTES
I found this recipe while browsing the Internet and it was love at first sight! I must admit I had only ever made croquettes out of potatoes, so the idea of being able to use pumpkin instead opened up a whole new world of possibilities! It is a delicious recipe that can be served either…
GRILLED FUJI FRUIT, SPINACH AND ROCKET SALAD
I have noticed that l don’t have enough recipes for side dishes on the blog, so I thought of remedying that and today I am going to share with you the recipe for a delicious salad. This is perfect for autumn, when fuji fruits are in season. In fact I have had this recipe in…
PASTA WITH SICILIAN STUFFED ARTICHOKES
Today I am sharing a pasta recipe – Pasta with Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes – in a guest post at Chef Dennis’ blog, A Culinary Journey. I think pretty much all food bloggers know Chef Dennis. He is a very talented chef, but above all he is a very kind person and someone who is always ready…
FAGIOLI ALL’UCCELLETTO
Today’s Regional Italian dish is from Tuscany and more specifically from the beautiful city of Florence. It is a very simple yet tasty recipe that can be served as a vegetarian/vegan main dish or, as it is common in Tuscany, as a side to barbecued Italian sausages. Fagioli all’uccelletto is an ancient recipe made of…
DAMPER
Here is what Wiki says about damper: “Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other travelers. […] Damper is an iconic Australian dish. […] Damper was originally developed by stockmen who travelled in remote areas for weeks or months at a time, with only basic rations of flour, sugar and…
ROAST TOMATO, ROCKET AND MACADAMIA SALAD
This is the salad I served as one of the sides for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party for Foodbuzz 24×24. It is one of those salads with fancy names that you could easily see on a café menu, yet it is very easy and quick to make at home. These are the…
ROTISSERIE POTATOES
These potatoes make a great side dish, especially for chicken. I love to make them when we eat chicken wings and they are always a hit together. Who doesn’t love roasted potatoes? And the mix of spices in this recipe is hearty, slightly smoked and full of flavour. Another quick and easy recipe for a…
CAPONATA
After sharing with you the recipe for cabbuci, today I am back with the second part of my Italian Regional dish series. We are back in Sicily and I am going to show you how to make one of the most popular dishes of the island: caponata. It could be described as a cooked salad…
BAKED WITLOF WITH HAM AND SWISS EMMENTAL
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a comforting side dish. I love witlof (endive) and I usually eat it raw, but when I saw this recipe, I coud not resist and I had to try it. It was fantastic and I will definitely make it again. It could be a good…