Main Dishes

Lobster tail is a wonderfully indulgent dish, with creamy, meaty lobster, dressed to impress, served with vegetables of your choice. A wonderful dish for any special occasion, it´s my absolute favourite crustacean. Ingredients (Serves 2) 2 lobster tails 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut (read more…)

Khara Masala Lamb is deliciously spicy  and aromatic. Khara Masala Lamb with Saffron Rice is a perfect dish to serve on a cold, wet, miserable winter´s evening. As with many dishes, you can adjust the spiciness according to your preference. Serves 2 Ingredients: For the (read more…)

Hummus, served with freshly-baked  pitta ticks all the boxes for me. It is simply delicious, good for you, and can be served as either a snack or a complete meal (with  fresh vegetables). If you include the fact that it´s vegetarian, what´s not to like? (read more…)

Who doesn´t love a tasty paella? Currently living in Spain, it was pretty easy to find a good supplier of “paelleras” (paella pans). Pairing the right-sized pan with a good “paellero” (twin-ringed gas burner) helps to ensure the ingredients are cooked evenly, resulting in perfectly (read more…)

Pastitso is an absolutely delicious Greek main course that is slightly unusual in that it has a pasta base (like pasta bake) with an egg topping (like Bobotie). The end result, however, is a wonderfully satisfying and filling meal that is perfect served with a (read more…)

This Spanish Sherried Onion Soup recipe is my take on a Spanish favourite that is often served cold, like Gazpacho. However, as there was none left after we first sampled this delicious soup, I can´t give an opinion on how it tastes cold. All I (read more…)

This deliciously aromatic and succulent Chicken Cacciatore dish must be one of the best that have come out of Italy. The chicken simply falls off the bone and the Italian herbs help to elevate the tomato-based sauce to a higher level. It can either be (read more…)

On recent visit to a local cash-and-carry I found an Asian food aisle. So, picking up as many ingredients as I could, I´ve tried using some of them in a couple of dishes. This was the first time I had tried soba noodles, and I (read more…)

What better comfort food than spicy minced beef quesadillas? They make a perfect dinner for those chilly winter evenings and are also great as a snack for the whole family. The flavours of spicy beef and melting cheese are simply irresistable! Ingredients: 1.5 onions, chopped (read more…)

I have recently become increasingly interested in Japanese culture and gastronomy, so thought I would have a go at one of the dishes we in the West associate most with Japan. Sushi, or more correctly, Maki Sushi. I have included my simple take on this (read more…)

This Salmon and Lemon Quiche is deliciously light and fluffy. You could substitute the salmon with any fish, and for a stronger flavour, you could use a smoked variety. Ingredients (serves 4) Pastry Case 175 g plain flour a pinch of salt 40 g butter (read more…)

Welcome to this post, Creamy Spinach and Parmesan Baked Potatoes. These potatoes are simple to prepare and cook, and are absolutely delicious. The combination of Parmesan and spinach is a tried and trusted one, and the addition of cream results in a rich, tasty meal (read more…)

This dish came to mind when we experienced a sudden drop in temperature during October, here in the south of Spain. An unseasonably chilly couple of days meant comfort food! This Slow-cooked Paprika Pork Casserole is a slightly spicy version. Ingredients (serves 6) 1 kg (read more…)

Bobotie is often considered the national dish of South Africa. It contains a truly wonderful fusion of flavours: curried minced beef with aromatic spices and dried fruit with a creamy egg topping. One of my all-time favourite dishes, I hope you enjoy this recipe. Bobotie (read more…)

In my last post I showed you how easy it is to make your own Cornflour Tagliatelle, which has so much more flavour than shop-bought. In this post, Cornflour Pasta with Creamy Spinach and Bacon, I´m using some of that pasta accompanied by a simple (read more…)

In this post, An Introduction to Pasta Making, I would like to share with you some thoughts on how to make perfect pasta. It really helps if you have a couple of attachments for your mixer, one to create the correct thickness of pasta, and (read more…)

Who doesn´t love one of France´s signature dishes, moules frites? Hot, steaming mussels, accompanied by delicious French fries! Personally, I prefer moules Provençal to the more popular moules marinière, as I´m a huge fan of Mediterranean flavours. When my wife and I took summer holidays (read more…)

In a previous post, An Introduction to Smoking Foods, I covered the subject on how to hot-smoke food. In this post, I´d like to take a look at an alternative method of preparing food for consumption. An Introduction to Curing investigates the use of salt (read more…)

One of my Japanese English language students, who loves to discuss food, suggested this dish to me as a good entry point into experiencing the art of Japanese cuisine. The resulting flavour combination of the omurice (Japanese Rice Omelette) was so good. It seems that (read more…)

Saltimbocca (literally translated as “jump in the mouth”) is an Italian recipe. You can use chicken, pork, or, my personal favourite, veal. Veal saltimbocca has a wonderfully rich, sumptuous taste and, if prepared well, a deliciously tender texture.   This is definitely one of my (read more…)

Trying to think of another use for the gourmet Italian sausages made a couple of posts ago, and in need of a substantial snack, my wife suggested making a quiche. Being a great lover of caramelised onions, I decided on a sausage and caramelised red (read more…)

Chicken is such a wonderfully versatile meat that can be prepared in so many different ways. For this post, I´ve chosen “Roast chicken with honey-drizzled vegetables”, a simple, one-pot recipe where the chicken juices mingle with the vegetables and, together  with the olive oil, balsamic (read more…)

The flavours in this smoked hake kedgeree dish go so well together. Be patient when cooking the rice, as you´re looking for a creamy consistency. This is simply one of my favourite fish meals of all times! If you enjoy this recipe, why not try (read more…)

Having tried my new smoker once already, I thought it time to give it another try, this time with salmon. The resulting smoked salmon was perfect for a creamy smoked salmon pasta dish. The fish didn´t need brining as it is such an oily fish (read more…)

A few years ago, as I was idly leafing through some cookbooks, my interest was piqued by a Moroccan recipe. As we lived in the south of Spain, and no more than three hours from the coast where a ferry can be caught for Morocco, (read more…)

Since I first lived in the Netherlands back in the early 80´s, I´ve been a great lover of Dutch and Indonesian foods. The Dutch have some pretty amazing “fast food” too. One of my favourites is frikandel speciaal, which consists of a deliciously tasty sausage, (read more…)