Breakfast Oats

For the ingredients to soak in, make this cereal the night before and keep for up to 5 days covered and refrigerated. It's a great recipe for busy people who don't have a lot of time to prepare a healthy breakfast every morning. Delicious too, so enjoy!

Up to 10 serves.

In a large bowl combine -

▶3 cups plain oats (old fashioned)
▶1 cup shredded or dessicated coconut
▶2 1/2 cups almond milk
▶3 heaped tablespoons clear honey or maple syrup
▶1tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
▶sprinkling of nutmeg
▶sprinkling cinnamon

To serve, top with -
▶a scoop of plain Greek yoghurt
▶sprinkling of dried cranberries (or other preferred dried fruit)
▶sprinkling of almond flakes (or other preferred unsalted nuts)

Anchovy Butter

I just love slices of this savoury butter on chargrilled steak. It is also ideal to serve with fish, lamb, chicken or vegetables. Keep chilled for up to a month.

▶250gm softened butter
▶1 x 45gm can anchovy fillets, drained
▶4 cloves garlic, crushed
▶1/2 cup very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
▶ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, whisking with a fork.

Lay down a sheet of baking paper and spread butter into a "sausage" shape. Roll up. Refrigerate until set.

To serve, cut cold butter into discs, place on hot meat.

Rottnest Chicken - So Simple

I named this recipe after a small holiday island just off the coast of Perth, Western Australia. The public are only allowed to walk or ride bicycles, and swim suits and rubber thongs are the dress code. Cooking is low on the list of holiday activities here but all the rental cottages have a barbecue as do most of the luxurious motor yachts that anchor all around the island. Make up a big quantity for drop-in guests as it will keep for a few days chilled.

Any amount of -

▶chicken breasts
▶tomato sauce
▶Worcestershire sauce
▶barbecue spice mix
▶olive oil

Cut chicken into thin schnitzels. (Place chicken breast on cutting board, firmly press your hand down onto the meat and carefully slice the chicken through between your hand and the board. No accidents!)

Make a marinade of equal parts of the sauces, drizzle of oil and a heavy sprinkling of barbecue spice mix.

Place chicken and marinade in sealed plastic bags or container. Leave in refrigerator until you come back from the beach!

Barbecue on hotplate for just a few minutes on each side.

Smoked Salmon or Smoked Trout Green Pea Risotto

In a separate saucepan on a hotplate, place -

▶4 cups chicken or clear seafood stock

Keep hot.

Into a Dutch oven (or large saucepan) place -

▶1 tbsp butter
▶1/3 cup finely diced red or brown onion
▶1 clove garlic, crushed

Sauté gently until onion has softened but not browned. Add -

▶1 heaped cup Arborio rice

Stir for about 5 minutes or until rice takes on the golden colour of the butter.

Add -

▶1 cup dry white wine

Simmer until absorbed.

Now start adding the hot chicken or seafood stock, one ladle at a time. Simmer over low heat stirring often. When liquid has evapourated, add next ladle of stock. Repeat.

When the final ladle of stock is poured in, stir in -

▶125gm soft cream cheese
▶1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
▶1 cup frozen peas

Continue simmering until stock has absorbed. All up this should take about 1/2 hour. Just before end (rice will be creamy), stir through -

▶200gm diced smoked salmon or smoked trout

Garnish with -

▶drizzle extra virgin olive oil
▶chopped parsley
▶lemon wedges

Serve immediately.

Quick and Easy Malay Laksa

I call this easy as the recipe uses commercial laksa paste in the base.

Cook (as per packet instructions)and drain -

▶thin egg noodles or rice vermicelli noodles


In a large saucepan sauté for a few minutes -

▶1 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
▶3 tbsp laksa paste

Add -

▶1 litre hot chicken stock
▶300ml coconut milk
▶2 cups diced chicken thigh meat

Cover. Simmer 5 minutes.

Stir through a generous amount of any of these vegetables -

▶red and/or green capsicum/bell pepper, cut julienne
▶spring onions, sliced diagonally
▶baby sweetcorn
▶green beans, sliced diagonally
▶snowpeas/mangetout, cut julienne
▶celery, sliced diagonally
▶sliced mushrooms/rehydrated shitake
▶shredded carrot
▶finely shredded Kaffir lime leaf (remove "spine" first)
▶finely sliced red and/or green chilli

Reheat, add -

▶2 cups raw peeled prawns

Simmer 3 minutes. Season if required.


To serve, divide mixture up into large warmed, soup bowls placing precooked noodles in base, topped with -

▶fresh bean shoots

Ladle over the hot soup.

Garnish each bowl with a generous amount of -

▶fresh coriander leaves

Lemonade Scones or Biscuits (U.S.)

Preheat oven to 220'

▶4 cups self-raising flour
▶300 mls cream
▶300 mls lemonade

Gently fold all ingredients together. Pat out onto a well- floured pastry sheet to about 4cm in thickness. Cut into 5cm rounds. Place close together on a floured baking tray.

Brush tops with -

▶milk

Bake 12-15 minutes until golden and cooked through when tested.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with butter, jam and whipped cream.

Seafood Stew

This seafood dish is cooked and served like a soup, but I tend to associate soup as a starter to a meal. However this is very hearty and rich so I call it a "stew". The base stock can be made ahead of time and frozen until needed for a quick, last-minute meal. Add the seafood just before serving.

In a large stockpot gently sauté until softened but not browned -

▶2 tblsp butter or oil
▶1 large brown onion, peeled and finely diced
▶2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

Add -

▶3 med/large waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
▶3 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced
▶6 cups fish stock (commercially made okay)
▶pinch pure saffron

Cover, simmer 1/2 hour. (Can be frozen at this stage.)

Just before serving, add -

▶about 4 cups diced seafood mixture*

(* a tasty combination is a piece of fresh red salmon; a piece fresh white-fleshed fish; uncooked prawn flesh.)

Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes or until seafood is just cooked.

To serve, garnish with -

▶lots chopped parsley