Notes about Recipes in this book

• Silverbeet and haloumi pies

  • e_ballad on March 08, 2017

    These were really tasty, though we did use half ricotta, half haloumi, primarily in case the saltiness was too much for the kiddo. Incredibly easy to knock up midweek, with a great depth of flavour. I used the optional citric acid, which did make the silverbeet much greener, without any discernible taste. I also only required 4x pastry sheets, rather than the 7x specified - I was being pretty judicious, but any less filling per pie & it would've been just pastry. Made 16x pies & I found that 2x filled me up with salad on the side. Froze incredibly well.

• Corn and cheddar muffins

  • e_ballad on August 01, 2017

    Can really recommend this savoury muffin - great flavour & fluffy texture. Made 18x standard muffins.

• Chinese cabbage, shiitake and tofu salad

  • JLDuck on February 07, 2019

    A sensational salad. Yummy even on day 2.

• Spiced Brussels sprouts with lime leaves

  • Hellyloves2cook on June 28, 2017

    Made by my husband. He's enjoying this cook book. He didn't add the butter as a few of us have a dairy allergy - and after toasting the cashews completely forgot to put them on- didnt realise till after the sprouts had been eaten. Despite these omissions the result was still good. He served this with a pan fried white fish and some baby potatoes. 8/10

• Roasted pumpkin with pickled grapes, shanklish and pumpkin seed dressing

  • lou_weez on June 26, 2017

    I loved this dish. The tangy dressing, smooth yogurt and heat from the shanklish made for a winning combination. Unfortunately my pumpkin was a bit tasteless, makes sense now as they were giving them away for free!! Will make this again with a better quality pumpkin.

  • KarinaFrancis on May 16, 2024

    Oh wow I loved this! I took a few liberties, using feta instead of skanklish, butternut instead of Kent pumpkin (which are not great at the moment) and blitzed the dressing instead of using a mortar and pestle. Even with the tampering it was delicious, earthy, fresh and that dressing ties it all together.

• Pumpkin and root vegetable soup

  • e_ballad on July 08, 2020

    Very good, with gentle warming spices to lift it above other pumpkin soup recipes.

• Greek pumpkin, leek and feta pie with olive oil pastry

  • lou_weez on September 21, 2021

    This does take quite a bit of time to prepare (nothing hard though) but it did produce a really delicious pie. The recipe asks for 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon which I reduced to .5 teaspoon and I'm glad I did as it would have overpowered the dish.

• Pickled grapes

  • Soosie on May 11, 2026

    Link defunct

• Roasted leek and garlic tart with currants and goat's cheese

  • e_ballad on July 29, 2017

    Very nice, with a very delicate custard. I thought the sweetness of the currants against the leeks was a great combination, though I don't think the verjuice imparted much flavour. Edit: I have had to add another star. You must eat this as a cold/room temp dish - it had so much more flavour & the verjuice reveals itself against the leeks & currants to make quite a sophisticated dish.

  • JLDuck on January 27, 2018

    I concur with earlier note. I found that I needed to turn the temperature down to 160 near the end to complete the cooking in the centre.

• Braised borlotti beans with celeriac, tomato and cumin

  • Hellyloves2cook on June 21, 2017

    My husband is a huge fan of Karen Martini ( as am I) and he often gets to cook out of her books before I even manage to get a look in. This was a recipe that grabbed his eye - Winter food and comforting. He had to use canned organic borlotti beans because we just don't have fresh ones over here in NZ. Delicious and perfect for a cold winters meal. Served with fish.

• Roasted carrot salad with tarragon, harissa and goat's curd

  • Hellyloves2cook on June 28, 2017

    This was made by my lovely husband the other night. i was told to keep out the kitchen so can't comment on the recipe except to say that the result was truly delicious. The flavours all came together beautifully- sweetness of the carrots and the creamy goats cheese together with the tang of the currant dressing and the spice from the harissa ( which he didnt make) was just heaven on a plate. 10/10

• Roasted carrot, turmeric and cardamom soup

  • e_ballad on March 03, 2020

    A good soup, with sweetness from the roasting & mild spice flavours that was enjoyed by the whole family. Could easily roast the carrots in advance.