The Easiest Cake Recipe In The World: Lemon Drizzle Edition

A couple of years back, I shared what will remain The Easiest Cake Recipe In The World. Why? Because it’s so stinking easy, you barely need a recipe.

If you click the link above, you’ll get all the info you need, but essentially, all you require is equal weight of egg, butter, sugar and self raising flour. Whip it together you have the basis of a cake you can take in so many directions. Depending on the type of sugar (e.g. if you used brown sugar), you can switch up the density a little, but what you essentially have, is a moist butter cake with a decent crumb.

I love this recipe because it essentially consists of ingredients you will always have in your kitchen, and from there, you can do what you like to trick it up. From adding frozen fruit, chocolate chips and more, it’s an excellent one to have up your sleeve should you have an unexpected guest. Or, if you’re me, you just feel like making something sweet for yourself. One egg is roughly 56g without the shell, so weigh out the other ingredients, cream the butter and sugar, add in the egg, sift in the flour, add whatever else you like, and throw it in the oven. And voila! Cute cake for one.

Lately I’ve been loving turning this excellent base recipe into a lemon drizzle cake. All you need to do is add lemon zest to the batter (use your senses to know how much, but I’d use about half a lemon’s worth of zest for a cake for one). I also like to add a little vanilla paste.

Once the cake is baked (about 25 minutes on 180c), this is the hardest part: release it from its pan, invert it and allow it to cool completely before you ice it. See? Hard!

Once fully cool (this is essential), I make a soft icing consisting of lemon juice and icing sugar. Eyeball it until you have a thick, glossy, viscous texture. Pour this glossy wonder onto the cake, and carefully spread it without shifting crumbs, so you have an even, glossy topper. Finish with more lemon zest. Perfect with a cup of tea!

One Pan Wonder: creamy braised butterbeans with leek, bacon, zucchini and tomato

Creamy braised butterbeans with leek, bacon, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. A satisfying one pan meal that requires very few brain cells to produce, but is big on flavour and satisfaction.

I like to cook dishes like these when I'm tempted to order in, but know I needn't (do better, Mel).

Ingredients

1/2 leek, sliced into 1cm rounds

1 knob butter

1 rasher middle bacon, sliced into matchsticks

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 tin butterbeans, rinsed

1 cup chicken stock

1 handful small cherry tomatoes (or regular cherry tomatoes, halved)

1/2 zucchini, sliced into 1/2cm rounds

To serve:

A handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Parmesan, microplaned

1/4 lemon, zested

salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Soften half a leek sliced into rounds in butter for 1-2 minutes on medium heat, then add in a handful of sliced bacon and a stalk of celery, finely chopped.

Once the celery is translucent, add in a tin of rinsed butterbeans, a cup of chicken broth, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add in a handful of small cherry tomatoes. When everything starts to soften as one (another 10-15 mins), use the back of a wooden spoon to gently smoosh some of the beans and tomatoes to help it all amalgamate.

Add the sliced zucchini and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the broth and beans come together happily in a thick saucy consistency (you'll know).

Finish with finely chopped flat leaf parsley, grated Parmesan, lemon zest, and a subtle blessing of olive oil.

Serve with good bread. We like that stuff.

P.s the super cool blue pan was a gift from Our Place. 💙

Sichuan Spiked Ginger Pork

We all need those recipes we can go to when we are short on time or inspiration, to deliver something delicious, every time. It’s a good way to minimise the temptation to order in, too.

I love this easy pork mince dish, spiked with humming, numbing Sichuan pepper, crunchy celery, and heaps of ginger. It's a cinch to make and can be folded through noodles (I’m loving Korean sweet potato noodles, aka. dangmyeon), or served over steamed jasmine rice. I like to add a little omelette action on the side, which gives the dish a little more body and protein satisfaction.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

2 stalks celery, diced into 1cm cubes

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and julienned, plus a little more for garnish

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 brown onion, finely diced

300g pork mince

3 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine

2 tbsp soy

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Ground white pepper

Sichuan peppercorns

Sichuan pepper oil (aka prickly ash oil)

Sesame seeds, to garnish

Optional

Finely sliced veg. I used a mandoline so that everything is super fine, as I usually let the residual heat from cooking wilt the veg a little, so that there’s still a little texture going on. I like to use mushrooms (in this case, baby King Browns), and zucchini, but you could throw in squash, asparagus, sliced snow peas, etc.

You can also do like I do, and add in an omelette. In this case, I make a thin omelette, rolled it and sliced it, before folding it into my noodles.

Method
In a pan on medium-high heat, sweat finely diced onion, garlic, and ginger in a tsp neutral oil, for 1-2 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add diced celery and stir fry for another minute or so (you want to keep a little crunch for texture). Remove all contents from the pan and return the pan to heat. Add the pork mince with a little oil, and brown the mince.

Add back the aromats you set aside. Add in soy, shaoxing, and sesame oil to taste. Season with ground white pepper, Sichuan pepper. 

At this point, I like to add finely sliced veg like baby King Brown mushrooms and/or zucchini and let them wilt in the residual heat. Remove pan from heat, add a splash of Sichuan pepper oil, garnish with more fresh ginger, and sesame seeds. 

Fold through noodles like these Korean sweet potato ones - I like them because they have a bouncy chew and are conveniently low carb if you’re looking to balance that part of your meal out. You can also serve this minced wonder over steamed jasmine rice and add an omelette or fried egg to seal the deal.

3 Ingredient Veggie Wraps

Sure, lunch wraps are cheap and accessible to buy from the supermarket, but if you’re caught short, or just prefer making them yourself to keep your food a bit simpler, this is one recipe you’re going to want to bank. The best thing, is all you need are 3 ingredients: spinach leaves, porridge oats and chickpea (besan) flour.

They’re soft, pliable and super easy to fill with your favorite lunchtime combo, or use them as a tortilla alternative to a DIY taco night for something different. Doesn’t hurt that you’re jamming a portion of veggies in there without anyone really noticing!

Ingredients (makes around 6)

2 cups instant oats

2 cups water

100g baby spinach

1/2 cup besan (chickpea) flour

Method

Soak oats in water for 10 minutes.

Add this oaty mess (all of it) to a nutribullet and blitz till smooth. Add spinach, pulse to combine, then besan flour, pulse again until smooth.

Add more water to loosen the mixture if required. You're looking for a crepe batter consistency.

Season with salt and pepper.

To cook, pour a thin layer of batter in a pre-heated non stick pan on medium heat. Do not flip till the edges start to curl, because these babies are super soft and will break apart if flipped too early. Cook on both sides till tender and cooked through.

Pine Mushroom Pasta

Is it really winter in Melbourne if you don’t eat pine mushrooms as often as possible? A perfect winter bowl for a rainy Melbourne day.

Sauté one clove finely diced garlic, a few sprigs of thyme and a small eschalot, also finely diced, in a generous knob of butter for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat, or until translucent. Throw in sliced pine mushrooms with a good slug of olive oil and sauté briefly until the mushrooms are soft and juicy. Season to taste.

Throw in pasta, and toss together with a little pasta water and another small knob of butter, until glossy and combined. Garnish with reggiano, lemon zest, black pepper, parsley and chilli oil (optional).

Roast Chicken Pie: File Under Leftover Heroes

We’re all trying to do more with less, and we know what food waste has become a huge issue. I, for one, am not the kind of person who can eat the same meal day in and out, so it pays to have a few ideas when it comes to transforming leftovers into new dishes.

This pie was made from about half a roast chicken I baked, along with the veg. I shredded the meat, and collected the leftover jelly/gravy and veg. In a deep frying pan, I sweated off half a leek and some brown onion, then threw in a cup of roughly chopped mushrooms. After a few minutes, throw in the leftovers with a cup of stock. To round out the gravy, I added a heaped tablespoon of cream cheese and a tablespoon of dijon mustard. Bring everything to a simmer, and thicken with a teaspoon of potato starch, or my favourite trick, liquid kombu. Season to taste and set aside to cool and there you have it, the easiest pie filling.

…but here’s the thing. You can use this process with so many leftovers. Whether it’s a curry, Bolognese (even with the pasta), stew, leftover veg… you can make pretty much anything into a pie filling.

Joe taught me an olive oil pastry recipe that bears sharing (thanks babe!), and it’s brilliant because you need zero pastry skills to pull it off. It’s based on the principle of halves. So for however much plain flour you have, add half that in grams of water, and half that again, of olive oil. So if you have 200g flour, mix in 100g water and 50g oil. It’s also a vegan friendly, should you need a good vegan dough recipe on hand.

For a galette style pie to serve 4:

Ingredients

200g plain flour

100g water

50g olive oil

Sea salt

Method

Make a well in the centre of your flour. Combine the water and oil, then add to the centre of your flour well with a good few pinches of sea salt and bring the dough together. Knead lightly until the dough is combined, soft and pliable. Cover with a clean damp tea towel until ready to use.

When ready to use, heat the oven to 200c. Roll out the dough to about 1/2cm thick and gently drape it over a lined or non stick pie tin. Spoon in your cooled (at least room temp) pie filling and then bring the edges over. brush the pastry with melted butter (you can use Nuttelex if you want to keep it vegan), milk, or egg). Garnish the pie with fresh tarragon or thyme leaves, and sea salt. Cover the exposed filling with a small piece of silicon bakeware or baking paper, and cook for 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

Allow to cool slightly so that the filling solidifies again and you can slice it neatly. You can eat it room temp, chilled a picnic, or simply reheat slices in the oven. Serve with cornichons and Dijon mustard.

Silverbeet with Chickpea, Chilli & Lemon

You want quick, simple, cheap and healthy? You’ve come to the right place. This is a regular mid week favourite and a classic from Joe’s family, amended slightly to maximum yum. It’s also vegan and gluten friendly as well.

Ingredients

1 large eschallot (or a small brown onion), peeled and finely sliced⁣⁣⁣
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed⁣⁣⁣
2-3 bird’s eye chilis, finely sliced⁣⁣⁣
1 bunch silverbeet, stems chopped finely, leaves more roughly⁣⁣⁣
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed⁣⁣⁣
1 lemon, zested and juiced⁣⁣⁣
2 tbsp olive oil⁣⁣⁣
Salt flakes⁣⁣⁣
Black pepper⁣⁣⁣
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)⁣⁣⁣

Method
In a large pan or pot on a moderate heat, add about a tbsp of the olive oil and sauté the eschallot, garlic and chilli for 1-2 minutes, or until the eschallot is translucent. Add the finely chopped stalks and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chopped silverbeet leaves and give everything a good stir to combine and then wait for the leaves to wilt and cook down. Add the chickpeas, combine well. Once the leaves are cooked down to your liking (you may want to keep it a bit fresh and crunchy, or stew until really tender; cook’s choice), remove the pan from heat and add the lemon juice and most of the zest (reserve some for garnish). Combine well and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. You can also grate a little nutmeg or cinnamon (or both!), to amp up the dimension, if you have it. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
To serve, place the silverbeet onto a bowl, dress with olive oil, salt flakes and remaining lemon zest.⁣ Great as a stand-alone dish, but just as ideal as part of a bigger dining picture. For the train spotters, that is indeed a lime prop, but in all honesty, you could use that instead of lemon and be fine.

Pineapple Hot Sauce!

We are obsessed with hot sauce in our house (and if you haven’t seen Hot Ones on Youtube, you don’t know what you’re missing). This is a super simple one to make, just remember to ‘burp’ it daily, to avoid a spicy explosion on your kitchen bench!

This is a super simple hot sauce recipe using pineapple and Habanero chilis. Habaneros are ideal because of their fruity heat, but you can also use birds’ eye chilis if you can’t find them. The basic idea is that the sugar in the pineapple and chilli ferments, helping to develop the flavour of the sauce. Store your newly made sauce at room temperature for a few days to ferment, opening the lid daily to release any built up gas (otherwise the jar will explode!). Taste your sauce daily as the flavours will continue to develop, and once you’ve reached a flavour profile you love, transfer your hotsauce to the fridge, top stop the fermentation process. Keep it refrigerated from that point onwards.

Ingredients

1 pineapple, skin removed*, chopped

A good handful of Habanero chillies, tops removed, coarsely chopped, seeds in

1 cup white vinegar

1 lime, juiced

A good pinch or two of salt flakes

Method

Sterilise a glass jar and set aside (this is a crucial step, so please take the time to do it properly).

In a blender or Nutribullet, blitz the pineapple and chilli. In a clean mixing bowl, combine the blitzed pineapple and chilli with the remaining ingredients. You can also do it in batches if you can’t fit it all in, then mix everything well to combine.

If you want a refined sauce, pass the sauce through a sieve, lined with muslin cloth (I prefer to keep it chunky).

Pour into the jar and seal.

Open the jar once a day to release the gas created through the fermentation process.

Taste the sauce daily. Once the sauce tastes the way you like it, transfer the jar to the fridge to stop the sauce fermenting further. 

*As always, please dispose of your food waste responsibly. Composting is a cheap and easy way to do it at home so that you can contribute less to landfill and nourish your plants while you do the right thing

The Only Veggie Soup Recipe You Will Ever Need

My zucchini patch is still going gangbusters. We’ve done Zuni pickles, roasted, raw in salads, the works.⁣
⁣⁣
Zucchs aside, this is a damn good (and very simple) recipe you can adapt to other veg you might have lying around. Things like carrots, potatoes, fennel, celeriac and pumpkin are PERFECT for it, so feel free to sub out the zucchini for any combo of these, and take veggie soup from alright, to ALRIGHT!!
⁣⁣
Ingredients⁣⁣
⁣⁣
3 tablespoons vegetable oil ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped⁣⁣
⁣⁣
2 brown onions, peeled and coarsely chopped⁣⁣
⁣⁣
1 teaspoon sea salt ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
1 teaspoon ground white pepper ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
2 tablespoons white miso paste⁣⁣
⁣⁣
4 large zucchini, cut into chunks⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Enough rich chicken or vegetable stock to cover solids (about 1.5L)⁣⁣
⁣⁣
50g butter (substitute with olive oil to make this vegan)⁣⁣
⁣⁣
2 tablespoons good quality EVO (I love @altoolives)⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Method⁣⁣
⁣⁣
In a large saucepan, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil over low heat. Add the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and, stir to combine and bring the heat up to medium. Sauté until the onions are translucent, but haven't taken on colour. Add the zucchini and cook for a further 5 minutes. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Add in the miso paste and then pour in enough stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the vegetables collapse under the pressure of a spoon. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Carefully remove the pot from the stove, add the butter and then and using a stick blender, blitz until smooth. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Taste to season and serve (this one’s with a drizzle of green herb oil, yoghurt, dried zucchini flowers and dehydrated olive).

The Easiest Cake Recipe In The World: As Seen on Everyday Gourmet

I feel like...

• #BringBackTheClassics
• Apple crumble
• As Seen On TV
• Asian Food
• Aussie Classics
• Avocado
• Bacon
• Baking
• Beans
• Beef
• Beef Rendang
• Berries
• Butterbeans
• Cabbage
• Cake
• Carrot
• Cashew
• Caviar
• Chai
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• Chez Dre
• Chicken
• Chickpea
• Chilli
• Chilli Oil
• Chinese
• Chocolate
• Coconut Crack Bars
• Comfort Food
• Coriander
• Curry
• Dairy Free
• Dan Dan Noodles
• Dessert
• Dim Sum
• Dressing
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• Eas
• Easy Recipes
• Eat Your Weeds
• Egg
• Eggs
• Eggwhite
• Everyday Gourmet
• Floss
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Gluten Free
• Grandvewe Cheeses

As seen on Everyday Gourmet Season 8, with Justine Schofield on Channel 10.

Click here to watch the episode!

Everybody needs a simple, please everybody pudding you can quickly throw together when entertaining, or just because. This baked pudding is part cake, part cobbler, with golden, almost crunchy bits on the outside and fabulously crumbly and cakey on the inside. And the best bit is you can use any fresh or tinned fruit you like. You could even swirl a few spoons of your favourite jam in, instead! 

The basic principle is EQUAL WEIGHTS of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Only one egg in the house? Just weigh it and mix it with the same of the other three! Then add your favourite fruit (tinned, fresh, frozen, it doesn’t really matter! You can even add a swirl of your favourite jam, some extra cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or vanilla…. whatever you like, really!

Batter

125g butter, softened 

125g caster sugar

2 large free range eggs

125g self raising flour 

Pinch of salt 

1 tsp vanilla paste (optional)

Flavouring

Let’s do one with something seasonal: 1-2 pears, peeled, cored and quartered. 

Method 

Preheat oven to 180c. Meanwhile, combine the butter, sugar and eggs in a stand mixer and whisk until thick and glossy. Sift in flour gradually and combine thoroughly. Add in the vanilla and salt at the end and quickly combine. 

Place the pear pieces in a buttered and floured cake tin, then carefully pour the batter over the top and shake the pan a little bit so that everything settles evenly. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer when inserted into the centre, comes out clean. Let rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm, with whipped cream, custard or ice cream. 

Click here to watch Justine and Melissa in action!

---

A Vegan Chinese Hot Pot

I feel like...

• #BringBackTheClassics 2
• Apple crumble 1
• As Seen On TV 5
• Asian Food 3
• Aussie Classics 2
• Avocado 1
• Bacon 2
• Baking 8
• Beans 1
• Beef 2
• Beef Rendang 2
• Berries 1
• Butterbeans 1
• Cabbage 1
• Cake 6
• Carrot 2
• Cashew 1
• Caviar 1
• Chai 1
• Cheap 1
• Chez Dre 1
• Chicken 2
• Chickpea 1
• Chilli 2
• Chilli Oil 2
• Chinese 11
• Chocolate 3
• Coconut Crack Bars 1
• Comfort Food 4
• Coriander 1
• Curry 1
• Dairy Free 1
• Dan Dan Noodles 1
• Dessert 3
• Dim Sum 1
• Dressing 1
• Drinks 1
• Dumplings 1
• Eas 1
• Easy Recipes 4
• Eat Your Weeds 1
• Egg 1
• Eggs 1
• Eggwhite 1
• Everyday Gourmet 1
• Floss 1
• Garlic 1
• Ginger 1
• Gluten Free 2
• Grandvewe Cheeses 1

Ok, so by now we all know that even the most dedicated of meat eaters should probably eat a few more vegetables...not only for health, but also for sustainability of agriculture. That aside, they're bloody delicious when treated with a little love. Here's probably the simplest recipe I've ever posted, it's a Chinese-style hot pot that's full of flavour, texture and is super good for you as well, lots of protein, healthy carbohydrates and good fats to keep you full. 

Serves 1 hungry person or 2 as part of a meal

Ingredients

1/2 small brown onion, finely sliced

1/4 large sweet potato, washed and chopped into 1 inch cubes*

1 heaped tablespoon, mushroom XO sauce (from the Asian grocery aisle at most supermarkets)

100g firm tofu, chopped into 1 inch cubes (about a third of a packet, as a guide)

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 handful fresh green or butter beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons pickled mushrooms (optional)

1-2 sprigs green peppercorns (you could use a teaspoon of dried Sichuan peppercorns instead)

Method

Preheat an oven to 200c. In a heavy based frying pan on a medium heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil with the onions and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until translucent. Throw in the sweet potato and turn up the heat to lightly brown the edges of the sweet potato for 2-3 minutes. Add the XO and turn down the heat, coating everything evenly. Throw in the tofu and gently stir to combine. Add a pinch of salt flakes and the stock and bring the hot pot to a simmer. Add the beans, pickled mushrooms and peppercorns, stir briefly to combine season, to taste.

Pour the hot pot into a small cast iron dish or any heavy casserole pot that 'just' fits the ingredients (you don't want a heap of space, because you want the liquid to bubble, not evaporate completely). If it's looking a little dry, top with more stock but do not cover completely. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden and the liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency. Carefully remove and set aside until cool enough to serve. Serve with brown rice, noodles or a super fresh cabbage salad.  

*Basically, you want everything to be roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly. Bite-sized pieces are roughly what you want to go for!

Mama Vincenza's Italian stuffed squid

On a recent trip to South Australia to visit my in-laws, I managed to consume heroic amounts of food cooked by my incredible Italian mother-in-law, because Italians know no other way than to feed family. Vincenza's family is from Molfetta, part of the region of Puglia (the bit that forms the heel of the boot) in southern Italy and the region is known for its incredible seafood produce. In true Italian home cook style, the recipes she cooked were passed down from her mother, and mostly exist in the heart, instead of on paper. Vincenza's stuffed squid is a dish my husband Joe has drawn inspiration from over the years, and it is truly one of the most simple, delicious things you can learn to cook when it comes to squid. She calls it 'calamari al forno', I call it delicious.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 small bunch of Continental parsley, leaves picked

4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 tbs olive oil

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup rice crumbs

50g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated

The juice of half a lemon (reserve the zest)

4 large eggs

8 medium (or 4 large) squid tubes, cleaned

1 brown onion, finely sliced

1 large jar passata (680g) 

Black pepper and salt, to taste

Method

Preheat an oven to 160c. In a deep baking tray or casserole dish, evenly spread about a third of parsley leaves and garlic slices along with the olive oil in the base of the dish. In a clean mixing bowl, combine the crumbs, cheese, lemon juice, eggs and the rest of the parsley and garlic into a bowl and mix well to combine. The mixture should resemble a soft, pliable dough. Add a little water or more breadcrumbs to achieve the consistency if needed. Season well with salt and pepper. This egg and crumb mixture also works well as a bread dumpling/meat-free alternative to meatballs when cooked in tomato sauce. 

Fill each squid tube with the breadcrumb mixture (it will expand when cooked, so take care not to overstuff), then place in the baking tray. Continue until all the squid tubes are stuffed. Scatter the sliced onion and the reserved lemon zest over the top of the squid, then pour the passata over the top of the squid, adding a little water to the mixture if required, to ensure the squid are more or less covered. This will prevent the squid from drying out while cooking, but reduce into a rich sauce by the time it's done. Season with more black pepper and salt. 

Bake in the oven for one hour, then remove and allow to cool and garnish with more parsley and lemon zest before serving. This dish serves as an excellent antipasti, served cold the next day, sliced and dressed in olive oil and lemon juice. 

Chicken, Ginger, Sweetcorn & Egg Drop Soup

I feel like...

• #BringBackTheClassics 2
• Apple crumble 1
• As Seen On TV 5
• Asian Food 3
• Aussie Classics 2
• Avocado 1
• Bacon 2
• Baking 8
• Beans 1
• Beef 2
• Beef Rendang 2
• Berries 1
• Butterbeans 1
• Cabbage 1
• Cake 6
• Carrot 2
• Cashew 1
• Caviar 1
• Chai 1
• Cheap 1
• Chez Dre 1
• Chicken 2
• Chickpea 1
• Chilli 2
• Chilli Oil 2
• Chinese 11
• Chocolate 3
• Coconut Crack Bars 1
• Comfort Food 4
• Coriander 1
• Curry 1
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• Dessert 3
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• Egg 1
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• Everyday Gourmet 1
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• Gluten Free 2
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As seen on Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield Season 8

There are certain dishes you need to learn when you move out of home and start cooking for yourself. I would highly advise 1. A good hangover cure (mine's a 3 cheese toastie with heaps of black pepper and Dijon mustard), 2. Something to impress any guest (a cracking roast chicken is a solid submission), 3. A mid-week no-brainer (my braised lentils with bacon as seen in Good Food)...and 4. A sick-remedy cure-all. 

While I've painstakingly perfected my Jewish Chicken Soup, I've evolved my mum's chicken and sweetcorn soup over the years for maximum ease (handy when you're the sick patient in question), speed (takes about 15 minutes all up) and deliciousness (even less than that to slurp down). It is, also ideal as a quick and healthy snack even if you're not ailing. 

Watch the how-to below!

Makes 4 serves

Ingredients

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock (bonus points if you make it yourself!)

4 chicken thighs, skin off

1 thumb sized knob of ginger, peeled and finely sliced

1 x 410g tin creamed corn

1 x 125g tin corn kernels

1 egg, lightly whisked

Sea salt flakes

White pepper

1 stalk spring onion (scallion), finely chopped into rounds

Sesame oil

Method

In a large pot, add the stock and ginger, then bring to a boil. Carefully add the chicken thighs and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Carefully remove the thighs and allow to cool slightly before handling, then coarsely chop, or shred the meat. Return the chicken pieces to the stock, then add the creamed corn and corn kernels. Bring the soup back to the boil and when it has reached a rolling boil, slowly pour in the egg mixture a little ribbon at a time, gently stirring through the soup as you go (the egg flowers will form while gently moving around the soup - too slow and you'll have a rubbery clump, too fast and you'll just have a cloudy soup). Continue until all the egg is poured into the soup. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, then remove the soup from heat to cool slightly before serving.

To serve, garnish with more white pepper, a few drops of sesame oil and the chopped spring onions. Feel the life flooding back into your body!

Lentils with Bacon, Chilli Oil and Fried Shallots

I feel like...

• #BringBackTheClassics
• Apple crumble
• As Seen On TV
• Asian Food
• Aussie Classics
• Avocado
• Bacon
• Baking
• Beans
• Beef
• Beef Rendang
• Berries
• Butterbeans
• Cabbage
• Cake
• Carrot
• Cashew
• Caviar
• Chai
• Cheap
• Chez Dre
• Chicken
• Chickpea
• Chilli
• Chilli Oil
• Chinese
• Chocolate
• Coconut Crack Bars
• Comfort Food
• Coriander
• Curry
• Dairy Free
• Dan Dan Noodles
• Dessert
• Dim Sum
• Dressing
• Drinks
• Dumplings
• Eas
• Easy Recipes
• Eat Your Weeds
• Egg
• Eggs
• Eggwhite
• Everyday Gourmet
• Floss
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Gluten Free
• Grandvewe Cheeses

As published in Good Food

It can be so tempting these days when you're feeling lazy and hungry, to pick up the phone, tap on an app and order delivery. It's not bad, and there are definitely times where the convenience of take out can really save you. There is something to be said though, for developing an arsenal of super fast recipes that you can whip up at a few minute's notice, and let's be frank, are probably a lot healthier and more satisfying than take out. 

I was recently asked for Good Food what I'd do with a tin of lentils... so here 'tis! It takes about 10 minutes from go to whoah and is full of protein, fibre and of course, a tonne of flavour. 

Ingredients

1/2 brown onion, peeled and finely diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 rasher bacon, diced

1 tin lentils, drained and washed

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon chilli flakes in oil

Fried shallots for garnish

Coriander leaves for garnish

In a frying pan on medium heat, sweat the onion, bacon and garlic in a little olive oil for 2 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the lentils and stir to combine everything. Pour in the stock, reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until the stock has mostly evaporated. Set aside to cool slightly. On a serving plate, spread the yoghurt over the base, the spoon over the lentils. Top with the fried shallots and chilli oil and coriander leaves and serve.

The Cupboard Is Bare Pasta

I moved house this week. In the midst of the packing and unpacking chaos, there was a point where the kitchen was bare, save for a few dry store ingredients, and as my fridge hadn't arrived from Sydney, it became an exercise in cooking from shelf stable ingredients only. Hard? Not really, so long as you have a few handy staples with you. So this recipe also doubles as a list of shelf stable foods you should never live without. 

This recipe is kinda-cabonara in style (minus the pork component) and is proof that you can cook something delicious with just a small handful of ingredients, whether you're on a shoestring budget...or the cupboard is just bare!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Good quality dried pasta (I love Martelli)

2 egg yolks (that's right, eggs don't require refrigeration!)

1 tablespoon olive oil

A good few pinches sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon store bought fried shallots (from the Asian grocery aisle in any supermarket)

Method:

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain MOST of the water (you will need about 1/4 cup of that starchy water to bind the pasta sauce together). Pour the olive oil into the pasta and reserved water and toss to combine. Whisk the egg yolks and pour them into the pot, tossing again to combine everything. Add in a few good pinches of sea salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss everything again. Taste, for seasoning and once happy, divide between two plates or bowls. Garnish with fried shallots and a little more pepper and you're done! 

Pasta-free Lasagne with XO

My Italian mother-in-law would probably have a heart attack for calling something 'lasagne' that contains no pasta, but seeing as my husband made this particular recipe with me, we'll let it slide. We decided to replace the pasta sheets with layers of eggplant and zucchini on account of coming home from the Australian Financial Review Top 100 Restaurant Awards in Sydney after an epic 4 days of eating everything in sight (we went to Sokyo, Billy Kwong, Icebergs, The Dolphin, Hubert, Hubert again, Fratelli Paradiso, Automata, Ester and Din Tai Fung, just so you get the picture) and wanted to eat healthier without feeling like we were missing out on life.  Everything else about this dish is legit though, including the very handy Italian mama kitchen tip of using leftover charcuterie bits and pieces to add depth of flavour to sauces and stews (we used njduia). Add to that the not-very-Italian-mama tip of adding a little XO into sauces that aren't necessarily of Asian influence, and you have one rich, complex sauce that works well on pretty much anything. 

Ingredients

Red sauce

1 leek, washed and finely sliced

3 brown onions, peeled and finely sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

50g njduia (or any leftover pieces of salami, pancetta or bacon fat, finely chopped)

1/2 bottle of red wine

2 tins crushed tomatoes

1 strong tablespoon of XO paste

Salt &  pepper.

The rest

1 large eggplant, mandolined lengthways into 5mm sheets

2 large zucchinis, mandolined lengthways into 5mm sheets

200g fresh ricotta

1 handful parsley leaves, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, sliced

Sea salt flakes

Freshly cracked black pepper

Olive oil

Method

Preheat an oven to 180c. For the red sauce, heat a large saucepan on a low to medium heat, then add a good slug of olive oil. Add the leeks, onion and garlic and cook until softened but the vegetables haven't taken on any colour. Take this opportunity to season the base. Add in the njduia (or chosen salumi) to the pan, burying it amongst the vegetables. It'll begin to break down and render the fat out. Once this happens, mix everything vigorously to combine. After another 2-3 minutes, add the wine. Cook over medium high heat until reduced by two thirds and the mixture is glossy and thick. Add the tinned tomatoes and stir to combine. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until reduced by about half and starts to take on a thick spoon-coating texture. Season with salt, pepper and XO to taste (this gives the sauce an umami punch and an extra dimension of flavour), then remove from heat and carefully transfer to a heatproof blender. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender on it's highest setting. Blitz the mixture on high into a smooth puree, then set aside to cool slightly. 

Meanwhile, prepare the ricotta filling by combining the ricotta with the chopped parsley in a bowl, mixing well. If the mixture is too thick, add a little olive oil to the mix. Season well with salt and pepper, then set aside. 

Line a baking dish with baking paper. Spread a few spoonfuls of the red sauce into the dish, then top with a layer of eggplant. Top with an even layer of ricotta, then more red sauce, then a layer of zucchini. Continue to alternate layers of eggplant, red sauce, ricotta, and zucchini, finishing with ricotta on top. Lay the fennel slices on top and cover with a layer of baking paper. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the baking paper, turn the oven up to 200c and continue to cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly. 

Remove the lasagne from the oven and allow to cool and set before slicing, otherwise the whole thing will collapse. Serve the lasagne topped with Parmesan or pecorino, microplaned over the top, and a few basil leaves.

Gluten Free Gingernut Biscuit Berry Crumble

I feel like...

• #BringBackTheClassics
• Apple crumble
• As Seen On TV
• Asian Food
• Aussie Classics
• Avocado
• Bacon
• Baking
• Beans
• Beef
• Beef Rendang
• Berries
• Butterbeans
• Cabbage
• Cake
• Carrot
• Cashew
• Caviar
• Chai
• Cheap
• Chez Dre
• Chicken
• Chickpea
• Chilli
• Chilli Oil
• Chinese
• Chocolate
• Coconut Crack Bars
• Comfort Food
• Coriander
• Curry
• Dairy Free
• Dan Dan Noodles
• Dessert
• Dim Sum
• Dressing
• Drinks
• Dumplings
• Eas
• Easy Recipes
• Eat Your Weeds
• Egg
• Eggs
• Eggwhite
• Everyday Gourmet
• Floss
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Gluten Free
• Grandvewe Cheeses

As seen on Channel 10's The Cook's Pantry

A lot of the food I cook for myself at home happens to err on the side of 'healthier'... simply because when I eat out, working on food shows or testing recipes, I'm not exactly going to not the pasta special, spit when judging cheese soufflé, or say no to the foie gras parfait.

This berry crumble recipe came about one recent cold night when I felt like something warm and comforting without wanting to go OTT on the indulgence factor. I like to keep frozen berries on hand for smoothies, and quick snacks because they're a great way to get a sweet hit without reaching for the chocolate every time (not to mention, they're a great antioxidant and vitamin boost).

This recipe happens to be gluten free, but if that doesn't bother you, you can always substitute with your favourite sweet biscuits (milk arrowroot or shortbread would be ACE!). If you're dairy free, feel free to replace the butter with coconut oil, but work quickly with your hands, so it doesn't melt completely.

Serves 1 sweet fiend or 2 normal people

Ingredients

3-4 gluten free biscuits

2 tbs almond meal

A good knob of butter

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch sea salt

1 cup frozen mixed berries

A drizzle of honey

Method

Preheat your oven to 180c. Place the biscuits inside a clean tea towel and using a rolling pin or a heavy saucepan, bash the biscuits up into uneven, crumbly chunks (you could use a food processor, but that'd be far too civilised and quite frankly, you want chunks of biscuit to exist, rather than a fine, uniform crumb). In a bowl, rub together the crushed biscuits, almond meal and butter with your fingers until it comes together as a coarse crumb. Add in the cinnamon and salt and lightly combine. 

Pour the berries into an oven proof ramekin. Drizzle with honey and top with the crumble mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden and the berries are bubbling and juicy around the edges of the ramekin. Serve with Greek or coconut yoghurt...or a little double cream if you're feeling like taking it there.