Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lemon, dill and pistachio pilaf

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    My all time favourite pilaf recipe. It's beautiful: buttery, fragrant, sharp with lemon. I'd love some right now..!

• Thai-style lamb salad

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    It seemed like a lot of meat for this quantity of vegetables/salad? If I made it again I'd halve one or double the other. Otherwise the flavours were good; perhaps a bit sweet for me.

• My salad dressing

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    I found the recipe as written unbearably salty! I'd start with 1/2 teaspoon if you're using fine salt, or perhaps even less, and adjust up if necessary.

• Middle Eastern spiced chicken with minted yoghurt

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    This is so delicious! Probably my favourite recipe in the book, and it's become a staple that my kids request often (we usually eat the chicken and shepherd's salad with flatbreads, wrap-style). A great method for cooking chicken thighs.

• Lebanese rice

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    A very good, plain side dish. Comfort food.

• Slow-cooked shoulder of lamb with wine and tomatoes

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    I have made this recipe so many times! I actually look forward to the cool weather coming now, so I can make it. Beautiful with the polenta, as recommended.

• Spicy lamb with coconut and kafffir lime

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Delicious. I've made this successfully with both beef and lamb, and more recently stir some spinach or sliced silverbeet through right at the end.

• Minted yoghurt

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Delicious. Makes everything taste better :)

• Pepper and spice roast sirloin with horseradish cream

  • debkellie on February 24, 2015

    This creates a really, really peppery crust - hot it was nothing special; but as a a cold roast it was wonderful.

• Crunchy crushed potatoes

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Every person you cook these for will ask for the recipe. You've been warned.

• Gently spicy shepherd's pie

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    The spicing is gentle, as advertised. Mild and moreish.

• Potato, cheese and chive torte

  • lou_weez on May 31, 2020

    This was really good to have on a cold night with a tangy salad. Felt like a huge slice of flavored mash. I wasn't able to get Gouda so used Jarlsberg and the cheesy layer was so good. I didn't bother with the layer of thinly sliced potato as I was being lazy and didn't miss it in the final dish.

• Pear and rocket salad with blue cheese dressing and honey-roasted pecans

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Also good with goat's cheese if you're not a blue cheese fan. I did think it needed a bit more acidity to counter the sweetness (we just added more lemon at the table).

• Smoked salmon, caper and goat's cheese strata with shaved fennel salad

  • debkellie on January 14, 2026

    Made as written, easily serves 6 as light lunch. Capers add a nice lift.

• Spicy carrot, red lentil and coconut soup

  • digifish_books on May 18, 2015

    I used 500g carrots and 500g sweet potato and chopped all the veg in a food processor, to save on prep and cooking time. Also substituted light coconut milk for coconut cream, and added 1 tsp chicken stock powder in lieu of extra salt. I will reduce the harissa spice to one teaspoon next time, as it was very spicy.

  • digifish_books on June 01, 2015

    Belinda recommends using Christine Manfield's (jarred) Harissa.

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Quite spicy, and also very rich. Not something I could eat a large bowl of.

• Easy-peasy lemon semifreddo with blueberries in syrup

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    I have to confess I've never gotten around to trying the semifreddo, but I'm here to tell you the blueberries in syrup are amazing! 100% worth tracking down a bottle of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) for. If you make a few batches when blueberries are in season, they freeze really well in jars, and are superb over vanilla icecream, or Greek yoghurt.

• Chocolate crackle and caramel ice-cream loaf

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    A crowd-pleaser (feels like being a kid again, somehow?)

• Frozen dulce de leche mousse with caramel sauce

  • KarinaFrancis on December 04, 2022

    Don’t let the terrible phone put you off, this is delicious. The texture is airy and fudgy and not as sweet as you’d expect, the lemon juice takes the edge off. I tried making it in a Bundt tin but struggled to get it out, maybe individual lined darioles would be better.