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.

These two quick simple ways with cucumbers are from my new book, The Cook’s Garden (NH $49.95) which is full of fabulous ideas for growing and cooking fruit and vegetables from your kitchen garden.  With the Melbourne Cup  just around the corner,  pass a platter of these around with the chicken sandwiches and champagne.

1. Spring Canapes:  Cut slices of cucumber 2 mm (¹/8 in) thick. Sprinkle  with flaky sea salt and leave to drain in a colander for 10–15 minutes. Wash off the salt and dry well. Onto each cucumber slice, put a dab of fresh ricotta or cottage cheese. Garnish with black sesame seeds and a small borage flower.
2.  Cucumber Fingers: One hot, dusty summer in India my mother discovered this way of serving cucumbers. They became a big hit in our household. Choose 3 small to medium cucumbers. Wash them well. Halve and quarter them lengthways so they resemble fingers. You might need to slice some into eighths. Sprinkle the cucumbers with paprika and serve garnished with fresh coriander. Serves 6.

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 easy, tasty recipe is the perfect accompaniment to a Spring lunch or dinner and is from my new book “The Cook’s Garden” (NH $49.95)), in-store now.  Wonderful photography by Andy Payne.

Put the mushrooms, onion and capsicum into a salad bowl. Mix together the oil, lemon juice and garlic.
Season to taste. Toss  dressing through the salad ingredients. Strew with freshly chopped parsley.

Variation: mix equal amounts finely sliced baby white mushrooms and small prawns with vinaigrette.
Garnish with mint, basil or tarragon.

Ricardoes Tomatoes and U-Pick Strawberry Farm is located just north of Port Macquarie in Blackmans Point Road. If you’re travelling along the Pacific Highway, on the mid north coast of NSW, it’s a good place to turn off and stock up on ripe red tomatoes and strawberries (which you can pick yourself) and enjoy a meal or Devonshire Tea. This recipe is included in Tastings of the Hastings, a lovely little book with recipes from chefs in the Hastings region.

Quarter the tomatoes and finely dice the Spanish onion. Finely chop parsley leaves to make approx. 1/4 cup.
Combine olive oil and vinegar and drizzle over the tomato/onion mix.
Serve with lightly toasted, sliced Turksh bread. The freshly toasted bruschetta can be lightly rubbed with a clove of garlic before serving.

Photo by Jay Beaumont, The Creative House Publications

Ricardoes Tomatoes
221 Blackmans Pt Rd,
Port Macquarie NSW

Tastings of the Hastings festival will be held from 5 to 29 October 2011 with the main event on Sunday October 23rd which will feature more than 70 food and wine exhibitors, cooking demonstrations and family entertainment. The event features a dedicated ‘Paddock to Plate’ arena and is held at the Port Macquarie Race Course from 10.00am to 3.00pm.:

The recipe for this magnificent dish was given to me by Richard Ekkebus, Culinary Director of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong.   Richard is in charge of the 2 Michelin star restaurant, Amber, and is renowned for his delicate, refined touch, and for his clever way of combining foods “from the land and the sea”, something which is common in many Asian dishes.  There are a number of steps involved, but it is not a difficult dish for aspirational cooks to prepare once you have all the ingredients.  Tasmanian sea urchins are available locally.

Lobster consommé:  Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom saucepan, add the lobster and color golden brown, add the vegetables, sweat till all juices are evaporated. Deglaze with the brandy and flambé the pan until the alcohol has been burned off, add the white wine and reduce till syrupy consistency. Add the chicken stock till level & bring to boil, just before the boiling point skim off all impurities (repeat this during the cooking process to obtain a clear bouillon). Keep just under the boiling point and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the stove and leave to set for 30 minutes.
Pass the lobster bouillon delicately thought a sieve covered with a pre-rinsed mousseline cloth or kitchen towel. Reheat 1 litre and dissolve the pre- soaked gelatine. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt if needed. Cool down delicately over ice till the gelatine starts to set.

Cauliflower mousse: Boil the cauliflower in the salted milk, until the cauliflower is well cooked and fondant. Mix the cauliflower in a blender till a smooth consistency, then pass through the sieve. Take 100 g of cauliflower puree and  heat in a small heavy bottom sauce pan. Add the pre-soaked getaline leaves and stir gently until dissolved. Cool down slowly over ice until the gelatine starts to set. In the meantime whip the cream with a pinch of salt, then incorporate the half whipped cream and mix delicately. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed. Place the mousse in a pastry bag, place the bag in the refrigerator until needed.,

Seaweed waffle: Blanch the spinach leaves in salted boiling water. Cool in iced water, squeeze out the excess water. Mix the spinach in a blender till a smooth consistency, then pass through the sieve. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then add the butter mix till smooth. With the help of a spatula spread the waffle mix on silicone mats in regular shaped circles of 10 cm diameter, ensure you spread as thin as possible to obtain thin, delicate waffles.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 8 minutes till crispy. Let cool and serve.

Montage sea urchin: Select the 20 best and most perfect looking sea urchin tongues, the ones less pretty can be used in the bottom of the shell. Place 2½ of these tongues in the centre of the cooled shells. Cover with a ½ sphere of 30mm of cauliflower mousse, place on each ‘½sphere’ with 5 tongues neatly arranged. Then cover each with 2 tablespoons of almost set jell-O and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set.

To serve: Place each sea urchin shell on shaved ice, garnish with the dulce seaweed. Garnish each sea urchin with a quenelle of 10 g caviar and add the gold leaf on the top. Serve the crispy waffle on the side.

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.

This recipe comes from a terrific new book, “Cooking with Quinoa” – The Supergrain” by Rena Patten. In it, you’ll find lot of inspired recipes for soups, breads, salads, meat, polutry, seafood and desserts using this highly nutritious ancient grain.

Preheat oven to 175degC.
Cut pumpkin in half lengthways and remove seeds. With small sturdy knife, carefully remove pumpkin flesh, creating a bowl with a border about 1.5cm thick to hold the filling. Cut a very thin slice from the bottom of each pumpkin half so it sits flat on the tray.
Brush insides ad edges of the pumpkin with a little olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until tender.
Dry-roast the pine nuts in a small non-stick frying pan and set aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive in a large frying pan and saute the leeks until soft, add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute.  Stir in the cumin, paprika, turmeric and chilli flakes and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the capsicum, zucchini and 1 cup water.  Season to taste.  Stir and simmer, covered, for ten minutes.
Add the quinoa to the pan with ¾ cup of water.  Cover and simmer for another 10 -12 minutes.
Stir in the coriander and toasted pine nuts. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin halves.  Return to the oven and bake for 10 -15 minutes until golden.