Recipes

This brightly flavoured condiment traditionally highlights the delicate flavours of fish with the energetic punch of sharp horseradish and bright lemon. Try it. You’ll forget you ever met its bland, sugar-laden, store-bought cousins.

A jar packed with freshly tossed salsa, full of juicy ripe tomatoes and aromatic flavours, is easy to make and easy to enjoy. Sweet tomatoes, sour limes, aromatic herbs, salt and spicy pepper all balance each other in a vibrant harmony of tastes. A good salsa doesn’t ruin your day with too much spicy heat; it brightens it with just enough.

Chimichurri is a spicy, vinegar-spiked, pesto-like condiment from Argentina where it’s used both as a sauce and a marinade for meat. Its bright flavours reflect the combination of Spanish and Italian influences in Argentina. It’s one of the world’s great condiments and a great way to add a touch of authentic flair to any grilled meat or fish. You may serve or use as a marinade immediately, but this condiment is at its best after a day or two of refrigeration.

All over the world, one of the simplest ways to turn a pile of ripe fruit into a warm comfortable dessert is to slowly bake them with aromatic spices under an easy-to-make crumbly crust

My favourite dessert is a thick slice of just-baked pie, with apples fresh from our local orchard, and still warm from the oven. But I’m always careful to save a thick wedge because I believe apple pie is at its best the next morning for breakfast. I prefer an easy-to-make butter pastry crust. Its secret is frozen butter, which adds flavour and is much easier than shortening to “cut” into the flour.

Few things say “Good Morning” better than a batch of warm-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls! You can bake them with speedy baking powder, but an old-school yeast dough always has the best texture and flavour.

In India, aloo gobi means “potato cauliflower”: it’s one of their most common vegetable dishes. It’s one of my family’s favourites too, partly because it’s so easy to make, but mostly because it’s full of so much addictive bright flavour. It’s normally made with plain white potatoes and cauliflower, but, for even more colour, flavour and nutrition, this version uses sweet potatoes instead.

This dish is on my table’s top-ten list, and not just because it’s easy to make and tastes great. Sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat. They’re packed with a laundry list of nutrients and always taste great, especially with aromatic olive oil instead of rich butter.

The rich meaty flavour of mushrooms make them one of the most popular side dishes in any steakhouse. This richly flavoured side dish is also perfect with a simple green salad or a freshly baked potato, or tossed with pasta.

Ratatouille is one of the world’s great vegetable dishes. It’s a brightly flavoured rustic dish of stewed vegetables that traces its roots to the sunny south of France. It’s simple to make and simple to vary and usually includes tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, eggplant and zucchini slowly cooked together with olive oil.

Nothing tastes better than grilled vegetables. Nothing! These are one of the best ways I know to encourage mass vegetable consumption. The smoky charred aroma of your grill is always a crowd-pleaser.

There are many ways to cook asparagus; my favourite is on the grill with lots of smoky flavour, especially when they’re tossed with a batch of a quick and tasty variation of pesto.