“There are a few key things to bear in mind with blended drinks. Try to have everything cold when it goes into the blender; dropping room-temperature ingredients on ice will just cause it to melt and you’ll be left with a runny drink. About 250 g (1 cup) of ice per drink is good. Because the cold numbs your flavour receptors, you can pump up the sweetness more than you usually would in a drink, otherwise they taste thin…”

“Using store-bought buns and Chinese BBQ duck make these fast to rustle. If you don’t live near a BBQ shop, cook duck breasts instead, which is easier than you might think. You can prep all the recipe components ahead of time — just keep the steamed buns covered with a damp tea towel to stop them drying out. For easy entertaining, set everything up buffet-style and let your guests build their own — it's fun that way!”

“Aperitivo isn’t just a pre-dinner snack; it’s a whole laid-back moment. Think lazy afternoons, golden hour light, and that magical sweet spot where you’re not quite hungry but definitely ready for something to nibble. This platter is your ticket to Med-style snacking without any fuss: briny olives, crunchy almonds, salty crisps, and buttery Manchego — all anchored by a smoky, creamy pepper dip for those crisps…”

"I first met Melanie Russo when she attended kinder with my daughter Pam, so I have known her a long time. Melanie’s big, bold cooking smacks you in the mouth. My father started working for the Russo brothers, Joe and Jack (distant cousins to Mel’s family), in the early 1950s. Joe, Jack and Diego bought a farm in Tyabb called Cumbrae…"

"Keep the silverbeet stalks for a spring minestrone. Mum always said it was the stalks that were the secret to her minestrone, adding flavour without complicating the other vegetables…"

“There is nothing sweeter nor more life-affirming than the smell of spiced, roasting chicken. The chickpeas in this dish are like hundreds of golden beads edging in and around the chicken. When I was a child, Nonna Giuseppa and Mum called me Sango mio (my blood). Nonna and Mum may not have considered this dish traditional…”

It might surprise some to learn that tomatoes feature in regional Chinese cooking; especially with eggs as a quick, easy, comforting topping for steamed rice or for wide wheat noodles. Yum. This is one of those classic, home-style Chinese dishes…

Jjolmyeon (쫄면) is both the name of this dish and the type of noodles used to make it. These wheat-based noodles have a fabulous chewy quality, due to the way they are made – during manufacture, the dough is heated to 130-150 ˚C and extruded under pressure. Served with plenty of crunchy raw veggies and the lusciously…

We know sago is not everyone’s dessert ingredient of choice, but hear us out. It’s a drum we’ve banged before because we l-o-v-e Asian (and Asian-inspired) desserts and sago is a common presence. Take this Chilled Sago and Melon Pudding, for example. It's the best combo of chilled summery-ness and minimal effort ever, and it doesn’t scream ‘sugar rush’ either…

Those few weeks after Christmas? It’s when cooking motivation can go seriously AWOL, but cravings for fresh, punchy flavours don’t take a break. You’re done with the richness of ham, roast vegetables, and plum pudding, and if you see another turkey leg smothered in cranberry sauce you’ll scream. Enter this Chinese-inspired salad – a dish that looks and tastes…

“Here’s a dish that basically gives you licence to play with your food! Yusheng is a vibrant, tangy-sweet Chinese New Year salad that’sa confetti explosion of good vibes, prosperity, and everything crunchy. It originated in Southeast Asia and Singapore and Malaysia, who love a tug-of-war over Who Does It Better. It’s kind of their pavlova, if you get us…”

Who says potato salad has to be Euro-centric? Not us. This Southeast Asian-inspired twist on the beloved summer staple will change up your mayo-dressed spud game, taking it to places you never dreamed of. It’s got fish sauce, lime, raw garlic, sugar, coriander, and spring onion… the whole nine yards. The creamy mayo takes inspo from the flavours of nuoc cham, that tangy…

This potato salad with crunchy green beans, nutty toasted buckwheat, soft eggs, and bursts of fresh dill is hearty but fresh, earthy but bright – a salad that’s happy to play wingman to glazed ham, sizzling steaks, roast pork, or even a whole baked snapper. Toasted buckwheat brings the crunch, while a mustard dressing makes every bite addictive…

We used blueberries for this Blueberry, polenta and orange cake but you don’t have to; there are so many other ways to skin this particular cat. Depending on what’s in season, you could use rhubarb, for instance, with a little more sugar scattered over given that rhubarb is tart. Later in the summer, you could use slices of peaches, apricots or nectarines; pitted cherries would be good too.

Perfect for cherry season, this rich tart serves a LOT of people as it’s quite lavish, so it’s an excellent option to serve to a crowd. All it needs as an accompaniment is a good splodge of whipped cream, and it's good to go…

In a world choking on food trends, we can almost hear you yawn at the mere mention of panforte. But panforte doesn’t care about going viral on The Tok – it’s so above all that noise. It’s as eternal as Siena’s cobbles and is never flashy, never out of date. Dense, chewy, spiced and totally delicious, we make batches for edible gifts at Christmas time because it’s way less hassle than…

Move over, mince pies! Well, maybe not… after all, absolutely nothing beats that melty, gooey, fruity goodness of a superlative Christmas mince pie. Sometimes though, you don’t have the time to make these; they’re really only super-good if you make everything from scratch, including the pastry…

When time’s short, we pimp like crazy. And nothing begs pimping more than a tub of hummus… and look, you could make your own for this recipe if you liked. But we’re cheating like hell here because we’re all out of time this week and we’re rooting for Team Easy. You just grab a half kilo of lamb (or beef) mince, give it a hard sear, amp it up with spices, a slosh of pomegranate molasses and…

“My favourite kind of Indian desserts are custards and creams. I can remember savouring silky smooth shrikhand and rich warm kheer during big holiday dinner. Possets give me the same type of feel. They are a citrus-flavoured (usually lemon) dessert that has a texture similar to pudding or pot de crème but without eggs…”

“Dirty chai is a chai with a shot of espresso, and it’s what kept me going through grad school. The combination of chai spices, milky black tea, and bitter coffee is stellar. You can make this semi-homemade if you’re short on time by using boxed brownie mix. I promise I won’t judge…”