The recipe for this attractive salad is from my latest book, The Cook’s Garden.  It is of Middle Eastern origin and the combination of flavours and textures is very refreshing – the oily avocado flesh contrasting well with the pomegranate seeds and citrus fruits.

In a serving bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime or lemon juice, honey and salt and pepper.
Cut the avocados in half. Twist to separate into halves, remove the stone (best done by hitting with a sharp kitchen knife and twisting to loosen). Using a small sharp knife, peel off the skin. Cut into attractive slices, being careful not to bruise and drop into the dressing.
Slice the top and bottom off the grapefruit and oranges. Stand on their base and using a downwards action, cut off the skin leaving no pith and with a small sharp knife, cut out the segments. Add to the avocado along with the washed and dried watercress. Toss gently to combine. Sprinkle the mint and pomegranate seeds (if using ) over the top.

Tip: use pink grapefruit when in season. Blood oranges are also marvellous but they have a limited season. For a more substantial dish, add some flaked fresh crab.

It has become traditional to fill the turkey with two stuffings – one for the neck or crop (in this case, pork and veal) and another for the body (fruit and walnut).
Use these cooking times for stuffed turkey as a guide:
3kg – 4kg turkey will take 3 – 31/2 hours and serve 8 – 10
4kg – 6kg turkey will take 3 ½ – 4 hours and serve 10 -14
6kg – 8kg turkey will take 4 – 6  hours and serve 14 – 16

Serve with roasted vegetables, candied sweet potatoes, steamed green beans, brussels sprouts & chestnuts and gravy (made from pan juices).

Preheat oven to 220degC (200degC fan-forced).  Wipe turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.  Put pork and veal forcemeat into the neck.  Be careful not to pack it in too tightly as it will swell as it cooks.  Pull neck skin over the cavity and secure with skewers.
Put fruit and nut stuffing into body of the turkey.  Tuck wings underneath and plump up breasts to give it a good shape.  Pull the turkey skin up under wings to hold it in shape and secure with skewers.
Tie legs together with string, making sure they are secured close to the body.  Rub butter over breasts, legs, and wings, and season lightly with cinnamon, salt and pepper.
Place turkey, breast side down, in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes.  Turn oven down to moderate (180decC/160 fan-forced) and cook for another 3 – 3/12 hours.  Check from time to time, basting with pan juices, and covering any parts which may be browning too quickly with foil.  Turn turkey onto other breast about quarter of the way through cooking, then onto its back so that it cooks evenly.  The turkey is cooked when juices run clear – test this by inserting a skewer through the thickest part of the thigh.  Take care not to overcook.
Remove to a warm serving platter, discard string and skewers and cover loosely with foil.  Leave to rest in a warm place for 15 – 20 minutes while you make the gravy.

Pork and Veal Forcemeat: Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.

Fruit and Nut Stuffing:   Soak prunes and apricots overnight in a bowl with the Madeira.  Toast nuts in a moderate oven for 8 – 10 minutes.  Melt butter in a heavy frying pan, and cook onion and celery until soft.  Add apple and pear, and cook until softened.  Remove pan from heat and stir in all the remaining ingredients, except bread cubes. The stuffing can be prepared up to this point.
Just before stuffing, add bread cubes and macerated prunes and apricots.  Stir to combine well.

The photograph is from my Entertaining At Home book, taken by Rodney Weidland

These sandwiches make fabulous Melbourne Cup or cocktail party fare and are also good to take on picnics.

Poach the chicken or turkey breasts in 2 litres of simmering water for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from water and strain. When cool, cut into pieces and pulse in the food processor until roughly chopped.
Place chicken in a bowl with remaining ingredients.
Combine well and season to taste.
Lightly spread the butter over each slice of bread.  Spoon mixture onto buttered side and top with another.  Remove crusts and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until ready to use. Cut just before serving.

Tip: For extra flavour, poach the chicken in 1.75 litres water combined with 250ml dry white wine, a bouquet garni and six whole black peppercorns.  You can also add a small bulb of finely diced fennel and the leaves from a bunch of chervil (roughly chopped) to the sandwich filling, if liked. Chopped fresh pistachios are also a nice addition.

The dressing for this salad is deliciously sweet and tangy.  Drizzle it over a roasted vegetable or potato salad for extra flavour. It’s from my new book, The Cook’s Garden (NH $49.95).

Choose a good selection of green salad leaves such as Cos, silverbeet or witlof with a firm leaf for this. They need to be sturdy to hold the dressing.
Wash and dry the leaves. Put into a salad bowl with the onion rings and orange segments. Whisk together the dressing ingredients, thinning with some warm water and toss through the salad. Season to taste.

This recipe is from my new book, The Cook’s Garden (NH$49.95).  It’s perfect to serve on cool spring nights, or for lunch in the garden, and you can add other vegetables such as sweet young peas and sliced button mushrooms. Freshly chopped spring herbs are also a good addition. The rice should always be creamy when cooked but still al dente (slightly chewy).

Steam the asparagus until just cooked, and cut into 3-cm (1¼-in) lengths. Reserve some of the tips for garnishing.
Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Tip in the rice and stir until all the grains are coated with the butter and onion mixture. Pour in the wine and stir with a wooden spoon until the wine has almost disappeared.
Add a ladleful of the boiling stock and stir into the rice. Once the liquid has disappeared, add another ladleful. Continue like this, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the rice is creamy but still al dente and all the liquid has been absorbed (it may take the smaller quantity of stock). This will take about 30 minutes. Season to taste.
Add the asparagus and extra butter (if using) and combine well, being careful not to damage the tips. Stir in the grated cheese. Serve immediately. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, reserved asparagus tips and shaved parmesan cheese.

In this traditional Samoan dish served at the Oratur Hotel in Apia, Western Samoa, the fish is “cooked” by marinating briefly in lime or lemon juice then combined with fresh coconut cream and other ingredients to make a lovely light entree or lunch dish.

Serves 4 – 6

Place the cubed fish put into an enamel or glass bowl and pour over the lime juice. Set aside to marinate for ½ hour, covered, in the refrigerator.
Add the remaining ingredients, stirring gently to combine.  Serve immediately.

Tip: you can use other top-grade fish such as swordfish, snapper or even salmon and you can add more fresh coconut cream if you like as it’s meant to be quite soupy. It’s important not to marinate the fish for too long as it’s not meant to be “cooked” by the lime juice. Try to purchase fresh coconut cream for best results, or make your own at home by grating fresh coconut flesh, soaking in water, then squeezing out the cream through a fine muslin cloth.

The delicious warming winter stew served by Kim Currie at the Balmoral Mudgee Wine & Food Festival.

Put the lamb chops, water and wine into a large saucepan or pot. Bring gently to the boil, turn down heat and simmer for 1 – 1.5 hours, removing any scum that comes to the top.
Remove chops from pot, and when cool enough to handle, cut the meat into bite-size piece.  Discard the bones. Return meat to the pot.
Add remaining ingredients, except for Gremolata and simmer for another 2 – 2.5 hours or until meat is tender.  Can be refrigerated overnight at this point. Skim fat from top of soup. Taste for seasoning and serve  with plenty of Gremolata scattered over the top.
For the Gremolata: roughly chop the parsley leaves, lemon zest and garlic together.

Tip: add more water if too thick or more pearled barley is you like it thicker.

This is one of Michael Moore’s favourite Sunday lunches, from his new book Blood Sugar).

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).
Peel and cut sweet potato into large chunks. Coat well with agave and soy sauce and place onto a shallow baking sheet. Roast in oven for 35 minutes, turning over halfway through the cooking time.
Spray tenderloin with cooking spray and seal evenly in a hot skillet (frying pan) for 2 minutes each side, or until brown. Remove and cool.
Process seeds and nuts to a coarse crumb. Add butter and process until just mixed through. Press nut crust onto beef tenderloin and bake in a moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 25 minutes.
Set aside to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Mix mustard and horseradish ingredients together and season to taste. Serve sliced beef with sweet potato and mustard and horseradish cream.

Here’s a colourful stir-fry to make for dinner using baby broccoli.  Broccolini baby broccoli was introduced to Australia by Perfection Fresh in 1999 it’s a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale and combines an asparagus-like stem with tiny buds reminiscent of a mini broccoli head. Unlike broccoli, Broccolini baby broccoli stalks are firm, tender and succulent from flower to stem and don’t need peeling or scaling.

Prep Time: 15 minutes.

Cooking Time: 10 minutes.

Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Drain well.
Separate noodles with your fingers. Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the  baby broccoli, baby Brussels sprouts, capsicum, onion and celery. Stir-fry for 4 minutes.
Add the Tuscan cabbage (cavolo nero) – if you are using it -  and water to the wok. Toss. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, tossing once, until cabbage just wilts.
Add noodles and combined sauces. Toss until well combined and heated through.
Divide stir-fry among serving bowls. Top with cashews and serve.

This wonderful Italian pasta dish is cheap to make and makes a very satisfying meal served with a mixed green leaf salad and crusty bread. You’ll find it on the menu at Signorelli Gastronomia, Pyrmont, Sydney.

Clean the vongole by immersing them into water with the flour for 30 minutes.  Rinse well and drain.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the vongole, wine and cover.   Steam over a high heat for 3-4 minutes, add chilli, garlic and shake the pan, until the shells open.
Meanwhile, cook the linguine in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente (about 8 minutes), then drain well and coat with olive oil. Add the linguine to the vongole.
Add the remainder of the olive oil, butter, chopped parsley and lemon juice to the saucepan and toss through. Season with freshly ground pepper and serve in a deep pasta bowl.